Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Review
I just bought this thing from Amazon and all I can say is WOW!!!!
This is probably the best purchase I have ever made. This thing is everything I ever expected and more!! It's easy to use as well - even my wife can operate it!
I have to say, everyone out there who is thinking of buying this, stop thinking. I bought it and I am extremely happy with it the moment I powered this thing on. YOU ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS PURCHASE! I GUARANTEE IT!!!
Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Feature
- 7-inch-diagonal, 16:9 LCD screen plays widescreen and standard DVDs
- Rechargeable lithium battery pack with built-in recharger and AC/DC adapter
- Built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decoders with virtual surround sound mode
- Miniature full-function remote control with lithium battery included
- 2 built-in speakers and headphone jack with volume control
Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Overview
The incredible DVD-LV75 has a large, built-in 7" diagonal LCD screen that uses about 337, 000 pixels to deliver clear, breathtaking images. Equipped with a built-in decoder for both the Dolby Digital and DTS surround-sound formats, it eliminates the need for an external decoder. And, new downsizing technology keeps the super lightweight DVD-LV75 easy to pack up and play again at your next destination.10-bit Video D/A Converter delivers faster video signal processing than conventional methods, minimizing digital artifacts for enhanced digital video quality. You can choose the aspect ratio you prefer, full screen 4: 3, or catch all the action by viewing in letterbox. The choice is yours. DTS Compatibility allows the DVD player to pickup and output DTS (Digital Theater System) 5.1 channel audio signals for decoding by DTS-decoding receivers. The sound of DTS is three-dimensional with a wide dynamic range and a minimum of compression artifacts. 96 kHz/24-bit Audio D/A Converter Maximizes DVD and CD audio performance capability, providing smoother, less digitized transitions, and richer sonic texture. When used with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel systems, it automatically increases the center channel level to keep dialogue from being drowned out by overloud sounds from other channels. Hi-Speed Smooth Motion Scan Provides 5 speeds of rapid scan, with clear video images, up to 100x normal. Multiple Viewing Angle Capability gives you the ability to select viewing from various camera angles on DVDs encoded with the feature. Currently it is seen mostly on informational productions.
Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player Specifications
With its sleek, lightweight design and impressive build quality, Panasonic's DVD-L75 portable DVD player belongs in first class. The 7-inch-diagonal LCD screen is capable of displaying a very good picture, and the player attaches to an extremely robust battery pack rated at up to four hours, according to Panasonic. The DVD-LV75 also has built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decoding and comes with a miniature remote control.
Without the battery pack, the DVD-LV75 measures a mere 1 inch thick. The rectangular screen lifts open with the slide of a switch, revealing an LCD panel flanked by two tiny speakers. As with all the other portable DVD players we've tested, however, the speakers are fairly inadequate. A good pair of headphones is definitely a worthwhile investment, since portable DVD players don't really lend themselves to an audience of more than one.
The silver top panel contains a somewhat sparse array of control buttons, including the one flaw we found with this player: an awkward, thumb-size navigation tool that pivots left and right, up and down. Fortunately, a cool, mini remote control is also included for easy, alternate access to the onscreen menus and audio and video parameters set-up.
Other top-panel controls enable you to activate the virtual surround sound mode, player menu, DVD menu, and display, which give you on, stop, and pause buttons, plus skip buttons, which double as fast-forward and reverse controls by holding them down. Overall, we found these primary function buttons to be rather unintuitive; when you hold down the skip buttons to go back or forward, it's difficult to stop the DVD on the scene you want. However, Panasonic does provide a nifty, speed-adjustable onscreen scroll icon, similar to a jog shuttle, that makes it very easy to locate a specific scene.
The top panel includes a monitor button that changes the screen aspect ratios from standard 4:3 to 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 letterbox. The DVD-LV75 also enables you to adjust both brightness and color to five different levels. Other players we've tested allow greater control over picture settings, such as sharpness, tint, and color. The DVD-LV75's inability to do so renders a picture that leans from one extreme to the other--from overly bright and red to dull and gray. With brightness and color set between 2 and 3, however, we found the picture to be clear, if a little subdued.
That said, the DVD-LV75 produces a remarkably satisfying picture even in a well lit room. On airplanes, with the lights dimmed, this player will earn bonus points for picture quality.
The model we tested had virtually no dead pixels or manufacturing anomalies. The off-axis viewing angle was good, though not quite as impressive as Sharp's 7-inch model. Flesh tones on the Panasonic were natural, if a little anemic. Grays were convincingly realistic but slightly on the blue side. Overall, we found the picture to be rather one-dimensional, demonstrating a fondness for greens, yellows, and brown, while revealing an inability to reproduce convincing skin tones. In terms of overall picture quality, on a scale of one to five--with the Sharp MovieGoer receiving a five, and Pioneer's 7-inch model getting a 2.5--we're inclined to give Panasonic's DVD-LV75 a four.
The battery pack is smaller than a DVD case and snaps into place with ease. We were able to watch an entire movie and The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over DVD without using the AC/DC adapter. Before it began to wane, a low-battery indicator appeared on the top-panel display. The built-in recharger takes about 4.5 hours to rejuice the lithium-ion battery. Overall, this is the most impressive battery combination we've seen among today's 7-inch portable DVD players. It's smaller, lighter, and more robust than others we've tested.
The diminutive DVD-LV75 is by far the most versatile portable player we've seen. It has built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decoders, so you can use it as a stand-alone player with your big-screen home theater system even if you don't own a receiver with built-in 5.1-channel processing. That's very cool. Since the DVD-LV75 also plays music CDs, you can use it as a portable or stand-alone CD player as well.
With its excellent design, flawless LCD panel, above average picture, and built-in digital audio decoders, we can safely declare that this is one of the best DVD players on the market. --Eric Gill
Pros
- Impressive battery life
- Excellent picture quality
- Supercompact, sleek, and lightweight design
- Versatile built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
Cons
- Navigation "button" is awkward to use
- Mediocre sound quality from built-in speakers
- Silver inner panels reflect light back onto the LCD screen
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 19, 2009 07:55:05
