Video in your pocket

Many of the latest color-display MP3 players can now show downloaded music videos, movies, and TV programs. Some can even record directly from a TV, cable box, or digital video recorder (DVR), either on the fly or on a schedule. Some come equipped with built-in speakers, or have Wi-Fi that lets you wirelessly swap music, photos and other files with other players of the same model. Some can also patch into wireless home networks to connect with a PC, or access the Web to browse sites or to download music and videos. If you like the idea of totally portable entertainment and don't mind squinting at a smallish screen, here are some details to bear in mind when shopping:

You'll need a fast Internet connection

Video downloads take much longer than music, so you'll need a broadband connection that can deliver download speeds of 1 megabit per second, or faster. With slower connections, it can take more time to download a TV program than to watch it. Copying your own movies from, say, a TV, camcorder, or digital camera is much faster.

You'll need to recharge more frequently

Playing videos can reduce playback time dramatically. The 160GB iPod we tested, for example, played music for 47 hours on a single charge. But when only playing videos, the same iPod ran out of power in 7 hours.

Not all content works on every player

Major content sources for video players currently include CinemaNow.com and iTunes.com. Prices range from free to $15 per download, depending on the site, the content, and whether you rent or buy. While their offerings are growing, iTunes content works only with iPods (for portable applications), and CinemaNow works only with players that can handle copy-protected Windows formats. Some players block copy-protected video files from playing on TVs and other external displays.

The tiny screen takes some getting used to

Screens are typically between 1.5 and 3 inches—relatively small compared with other video-ready devices such as portable DVD players and laptop computers. Watching videos at off-angles or under direct sunlight could also be challenging. And you might be disappointed with the sharpness and resolution.

You'll need a bigger pocket

Small as their screens may be, many video-enabled players are bulkier and heavier than current non-video models. The heaviest can weigh more than a half-pound.

You'll need a deeper pocket

Though some models are designed to connect with other devices, such as a TV, the cables and accessories that help them do it might cost extra.

Finally, whichever player you choose, look for one with firmware that can be upgraded for adding or enhancing player features, as well as accommodating newer encoding schemes or variations of compression. This is particularly important for models with video playback, because of the evolving nature of video formats.