The DVD player you can use anywhere. DVDL50 Portable DVD Player
Written: Feb 22 '01 (Updated Apr 10 '01)
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Pros: Portable and powerful
Cons: I couldn't see using it alone that often.
The Bottom Line: This works as a stand alone unit, or a DVD/VideoCD/CD player for your TV or computer.
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| roymeo's Full Review: Panasonic DVD-LV50 5 in. Portable DVD Player |
This unit was purchased for my workplace as a testing unit for the DVD's we produce. When I purchased my first DVD (the Residents' Icky Flix) I borrowed it for the weekend to play with the DVD. The unit also claims to play CD's and Video CD's. It does work just fine as a CD player. And if you got suckered into buying a Video CD, it'll apparently work, too.
So, I sat around and watched things with it, using the on board navigation buttons and mini-joystick quite a bit since this is an interactive type DVD, not just a movie to sit and watch for 2 hours. Walking around the house with it running, laying in bed, banging into walls because I'm not watching where I'm going, and using the brightly lit screen to light my way around the apartment in the dark (doubles as an emergency flashlight!) and I don't think the unit ever skipped. I didn't have the remote, but I was able to find the Display button to switch between the two audio tracks, which along with a rewind/fast while playing (instead of skip to end of track or to beginning of track) button was the only thing I really would have liked to have one-button access to.
The joystick itself is a little clumsy...when you are pushing in to select something, it is easy to accidentally push it in one direction and you end up selecting a different item. This was neat, though, because I discovered some secret bits to the DVD that were hidden in something that didn't look like an icon...I'd never have tried to navigate there if I didn't discover that I could by accident.
The display itself is 4 1/4th inches wide (3 1/4th inches in normal mode) x 2 3/8th inches tall. There are two speakers below the screen, and they're loud enough I never turned the volume up past 4 (2 late at night). They are pretty good quality for the size, and are powerful enough that with this DVD they'd distort if you tried to turn them all the way up. Maybe the higher ranges are more useful with a quieter sound track.
The unit does get a little warm. Not hot, but warm. This was nice when I snuggled under my blankies and was watching the unit propped up in my hand(s) but might be annoying in the sultry Southern summer. And the unit is light enough that wit the battery pack attached, it's comfortable to lay down (I suggest snuggled under your blankies!) and hold it up with your elbows on the bed for at least an hour.
The battery life seemed sufficient to watch a movie all the way through and possibly play with some of the other functions, even with the screen turned up bright)...but I wouldn't plan to watch a 2 hour movie twice on one battery. When the battery gets low enough, everything just stops.
With the audio out and the headphones jack, you can have two headphones plugged into the device. The on board speakers cut out when the headphones are plugged in, and the volume knob doesn't affect the line out signal, but I think you could have Billy and Sue in the back seat both plugged in with headphones.
My office bought this unit so we could test the DVD's which we produce, with or without aTV/Monitor attached to it. It's performed reliably and even a little more stable than the cheap console DVD player we purchased later. I could totally see having one of these as the unit I use with my home TV (if I had a TV) and occasionally took advantage of on the road.
I've never seen the book that came with this, yet I was able to figure out even how to get into the Display Menu and switch between audio tracks and fast forward or fast rewind. Most people will pick up on the interface relatively easily.
The unit itself is 5 3/8th inches wide, 1 3/8th inches tall when closed, and 6 inches deep (5 3/8th x 1 1/2 x 7 3/4th with battery attached.)
On Board Ports:
DC 9V In port
S Video Out
Video In/Out
Audio In/Out (can be either digital or normal stereo mini plug (like headphones))
Line Select (to make the above two in or out)
Headphones jack
On Board Controls:
· Display Mode (turn the screen Off - Normal - Full - Zoom)
· Brightness knob
· Eject (a physical spring-loaded catch)
· Play / Power On
· Pause
· Stop / Power Off
· Navigation/Selection mini-joystick (Up, Down, Left, Right, in to select)
· Menu
· Title
· Return
· Skip Forward (a track)
· Skip Backward (a track)
· Display (menu bar in the upper part of the screen with access to all the other remote controls, and to see what options may be there (such as camera angles, etc))
· Volume knob
Remote Control Buttons: (2 1/8th x 3 3/8th x 1/4th inches (stack of 5 credit cards) 4 membrane keyboard buttons in each row)
· Skip Forward
· Skip Backward
· Rewind Backward
· Fast Forward
· Number Shift Key
· Stop
· Pause
· Play
· Display / 1
· Subtitle / 2
· Audio / 3
· Angle / 4
· Title / 5
· Navigate Up / 6
· Menu / 7
· VSS / 8
· Navigate Left / 9
· Select
· Navigate Right / 0
· Play Mode / +10
· Action
· Navigate Down
· Return
· Cancel
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): ?
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Epinions.com ID:
roymeo
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Location: SF, CA
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 105 members
About Me:
pseudo-intellectual altie-poser taken to self-deprecation
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