Panasonic DVD-LV75 Portable DVD Player

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

The screen allows you to watch movies in the standard 16:9 widescreen format or conventional formats such as letterbox and pan and scan. You can expect up to 3 hours of playback time with the battery pack. Additional features include virtual surround sound, a slim remote, frame advance, chapter preview, auto off, five-speed smooth scan, and title/chapter search with marker function.

The player measures 7.25 by 1 by 5.5 inches and comes with a remote control, rechargeable battery pack, audio/video cables, and an AC adapter.