Now Playing on Portable DVD Player Near You
When you’re cruising at 35,000 feet and trapped in a middle seat in coach for 14 hours, you want to be entertained.
Who wants to stare at a blurry screen shoved in the back of a headrest, or spend several hours catching up on work. And let’s face it, your chances of catching a movie that you actually want to see are ridiculously slim.
The easy, albeit expensive, solution is to buy one of the new portable DVD players, which now range from about $500 to more than $1,000.
If you already own a laptop computer with a DVD drive, don’t even think about this option. Most laptops play movies just fine, and you even can play a computer game or (gasp!) do some work if you want.
But if you aren’t so blessed as to have a modern laptop, then these portable DVD players are wonderfully light and compact.
I tested four different units: the Toshiba SD-P1000 ($800, Amazon price); the Panasonic LV-75 ($1,000, Amazon price), the Sony DVP-FX1 ($1,150, Amazon price) and the modestly priced Audiovox DVD-1500 ($500, 800.com price).
There are two things to look for when you’re shopping, and they should be obvious to any Hollywood fan: Focus on what kind of discs it can play, and how good it sounds. Most DVD players will play both audio and video CDs, although a few also will play laserdiscs. Also, for you heavy international travelers, remember that the bulk of DVD players you buy in the U.S. won’t play movie discs sold in Japan or Europe--they use a different type of encoding.
Most DVD players come with Dolby Digital, DTS (Digital Theater Systems) or both. This means that if you plug them into your home theater system, you should get surround sound. Road warriors should invest in a decent pair of headphones.
None of the players tested is perfect, but out of the bunch, the Toshiba’s SD-P1000 stands out for having a good mix of portability, image quality and price.
Panasonic LV-75
On the surface, the Panasonic looks fabulous. It’s so skinny and light that it could slip into a Kate Spade purse and still have room left for a couple trashy beauty magazines and a fairly extensive makeup kit. It is the ultimate in style with a brushed steel case and clamshell-like mechanism that splits open to show you where the DVD actually goes.
Its image quality was good in a dimly lit cabin. The downside, however, was the sound from its built-in speakers. Sound is very important, particularly in action films. The Panasonic kicks out some terrific low bass notes, which means you can nearly feel the gunfire and crumbling concrete in “The Matrix.” But the high-note techno music, which helped pace the action sequences of the film, came off as flat or muffled.
At 1.5 pounds, the LV-75 is barely noticeable in a carry-on bag, and its four-hour battery life is tied for tops in the group.
Audiovox DVD-1500
Sound was a huge problem for the Audiovox too. This is a device you really want to like. Sure, it’s bigger and is at least twice as heavy as the other three. But it’s reasonably priced, the picture is gorgeous and the screen is bigger than the Panasonic’s (but not by much).
Too bad the player sounds terrible. Even with a variety of different headphones, the sound is just not up to par. There’s nothing more annoying than trying to watch “Blade Runner” and not being able to hear the soundtrack.
But that wasn’t the worst part of the Audiovox. The biggest problem is the construction of the external battery pack, which connects to the player with two fairly flimsy hooks in the back. It just doesn’t want to stay connected. That’s ridiculous for a $500 toy.
The battery life, at 2.2 hours, is also the shortest of the group.
Sony DVP-FX1
You’d think that the sound on a Sony would be stellar. And you’d be right. Sure, the speakers sound hollow and tinny, but pop on a pair of headphones and suddenly you’re submerged in surround sound. The reason, according to the unit’s instruction manual, is the use of Sony SRS headphone technology. The result is sound far better than any of the other players.
You also can use the Sony as an audio-CD player, and the sound is predictably good. If there’s one thing that Sony knows how to do, it’s make a great music player.
Too bad the screen is pathetic. The LCD screen is huge in comparison with the other units, but the images are horribly jagged and blotchy.
One nice feature is that the Sony offers four different picture modes: normal, full, wide screen and cinema. But it doesn’t matter. They all look jagged.
At $1,150, this should be a stellar unit. But just having great sound doesn’t make up for a lousy screen. On the plus side, it does have great battery life at about 4 hours--enough for two regular movies.
Toshiba SD-P1000
On first glance, the Toshiba looks like a loser. It is a bit pricey at $800, and its screen is minuscule, 5.8 inches, compared with the 7-inch screens on the Sony and the Panasonic.
But size can be deceiving. It has the best picture quality of all of the DVD players. Toshiba is supposed to begin shipping a new version of the player--one with an 8-inch screen--by the end of the year.
Add to this the insane amount of audio and video external options. Like some of the other units, you can hook this player up to your home entertainment system. But you also can use it as a DVD-ROM drive for your notebook. A handy feature.
One caveat: Don’t bother packing the remote control. It’s larger than the player itself, which really makes you wonder what the engineers at Toshiba were thinking.
The only downside to this unit is its power pack. The battery lasted just short of 3 hours.
Of course, your laptop probably will run longer. But then you might be tempted to actually do work. Who wants to do that?
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Times staff writer P.J. Huffstutter covers technology.
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The Skinny
Panasonic LV-75
Street price: $1,000
Diagonal screen size: 7 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds
Battery life: 4 hours
The good: Sleek and light with good battery life
The bad: So-so sound
Bottom line: The high-style choice, but too pricey
Audiovox DVD-1500
Price: $500
Diagonal screen size: 5.8 inches
Weight: 3.3 pounds
Battery life: 2.2 hours
The good: Terrific price with great picture quality
The bad: Heavier than many laptops with a lame battery connector
Bottom line: Too cheesy, even at $500
Sony DVP-FX1
Street price: $1,150
Diagonal screen size: 7 inches
Weight: 1.4 pounds
Battery life: 4 hours
The good: Great sound and lightweight
The bad: Pathetic screen
Bottom line: At this price, go buy another laptop
Toshiba SD-P1000
Street price: $800
Diagonal screen size: 5.8 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds
Battery life: 3 hours
The good: Top picture quality, lightweight and passable price
The bad: A bit short on battery life and smaller than average screen
Bottom line: The best of the bunch