Admit it. You’ve been eyeing car video systems, dreaming of front-seat serenity even with kids in the back. Here are two ways — one cheap, one not so — to find blessed silence on the road.

Sony’s Mobile DVD Dream System MV900SDS (pictured above) beams movies and cartoons to the kiddos on its 9-inch, fold-down LCD. The screen rotates for head-on viewing anywhere in the car, and an FM transmitter streams sound through the radio. Use the wireless headphones if you don’t want to hear SpongeBob cackle for the 189th time. $999. www.sonystyle.com­

You can even avoid the fight over
what to watch with Hasbro’s
VideoNow Color and VideoNow Jr. ­(pictured below) personal players designed just for kids. The proprietary discs, “PVDs,” run the gamut from episodes of American Idol to Sesame Street. Pop a Tony Hawk documentary into big brother’s and an episode of The Wiggles into your preschooler’s junior version. Ah, peace. VideoNow Color, $75, and Jr., $80; discs $9 each. www.hasbro.com
— TRACY STATON