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Sharp DV-L70U Portable DVD Player

Sharp DV-L70U Portable DVD Player

List Price: $999.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Terrible picture quality
Review:

OK, I had purchased a 5 inch Panasonic about 8 months ago, and got used to the exceptional picture quality. BUT, so called upgrading to the Sharp DV-L70U, was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING!

The Panasonic 5 inch screens had almost 3D like pictures. It was amazing.

BUT, The Sharp 7 inch player has a picture like a 1980's VHS cassette tape. HORRIBLE!!!!! ALSO, there is a annoying little red dot in the top of the screen, it will not go away!!!!!

I'm not sure if it is just the Sharp 7 inch, or all 7 inch LCD's in general, but the 5 inch LCD is WAY BETTER.

IN CONCLUSION:

If you want to go for the picture quality, definately get the 5 inch.

If you want to go for the bigger picture, maybe better viewing from long range, I would definately go for the 7 inch.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not a review
Review: Are you sure that a 5 inch diagonal screen is 25 square inches and a 7 inch diagonal screen is 49 square inches? I don't think that you can get the square inches by squaring the diagonal. In fact, in the technical info for this product it says that it is 3.47 by 6.0125 inches. By my calculations (wow, that sounded dorky) the screen is 20.863375 square inches. I'm not sure what the dimentions for the other one is, but if you want to figure it out, go ahead. The ratio is either 4:3 or 16:9, and the diagonal dimention is approximatly 5 inches.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sharp Portable DVD Player, DV-L70U
Review: Awesome player for the gadget minded. I've also tried the Pioneer PDV-LC10; it too has a 7" screen. Both are great machines, but the Sharp has better picture resolution. The buttons and button layout are definitely not very well thought out on the Sharp though. There are a few basic functions and a button for a Graphical User Interface (not too useful), but most of the common functions you will uses are on the remote (a fast fwd on the unit should have been mandatory), which is the size of most common TV remotes (not too portable). I liked the slim Pioneer remote much better. If I can find a universal remote as slim as the Pioneer's remote, I am ditching the Sharp remote. The great thing about the Sharp (other than its image resolution) is the batter. The battery attaches directly under the unit and only adds about 1.5 cm to the height of the unit and absolutely none to the depth or width of the unit. The Pioneer battery pack adds about double that and seems much heavier. Without the battery pack though, the unit is an incredible 2.75 cm thick (approx. measurements). I still give this unit 5 stars though. As a portable unit, you want to see your DVD movies with the best quality possible. With its 7-inch TFT LCD screen with approximately 337,000 pixels, Sharp delivers in spades. Its sound is also decent through the built in speakers, but use a good pair of headphones and you won't miss your home theater. On an airplane, just watch heads turn when you pop in your favorite movie and enjoy. If you have the bucks. This is definitely worth looking at.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Be prepared for headaches
Review: Bad support is putting it mildly. My battery died after a week but I was traveling so couldn't deal with it until about 5 weeks after purchase. Bad idea--there is a 4 week warrenty on the batteries and you cannot buy a replacement.

The player (plugged into the wall) has problems playing some disks so I shipped it to Sharp's service partner as Sharp customer service (there's an oxymoron) instructed me. They just sent a bill for $180 labor (labor is only guaranteed for 3 months, and I was a couple of weeks beyond that). If I don't want to pay the $180, they want $70 just to ship it back.

I can't think of a purchase I regret more than this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Square Inch Discrepancy
Review: Clarification: The Sharp's screen is not square; it's approximately 7 x 4, or 28 square inches, compared to the 5-inch Panasonic, which is approximately 20 square inches.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sharp DV-L70U vs. Sony DVP-FX1
Review: Hi ! gooddog here !

What a terrible choice to have tomake !

Sharp vs. Sony

I played the amazing documentary WALKING WITH DINOSAURS; The Exorcist; Apocalypse Now; Madonna's 93...99 Video Collection; and Blade Runner; on each player.

Both units have amazing 7" DIAGONAL images _:* ]

Both have thin but functional disk covers.

TRAGICALLY, the Sharp is a "wolf in cheap clothing" . But it really hunts ! More below.

The Sony has MUCH better fit and finish and a superior industrial design.

But the picture is not PROCESSED as much. Nor is there any color & tint adjustment provided. One is stuck with a SLIGHTLY more "sepia" look to images (like watching the Sharp through 1/4 inch of bottled iced tea: more later). Sony DID provide a brightness wheel and aspect ratio button AT the right side of the elegantly off-set LCD screen.

Dark, low-contrast scenes show a very fine-grain, sand-like noise on the Sony (like frosted glass in motion) that was almost eliminated with a clip-on, ferrite cable filter like the ones INCLUDED with the Sharp.

Also the sound from the Sony built-in speakers is apparently mono and "tinny" compared to the Sharp's built-in's which can actually image some sounds into adjacent hallways and fool me into checking for prowlers!

The Sony built-in's are louder than the Sharp's for Madonna but much quieter than the Sharp's for film VOICES -- even a quiet electric fan can drown out some dialogues.

With headphones, both units were equally excellent and when connected to my 9-year-old Sony KV-extra bright , 27-inch trinitron with sub-woofer, both units rocked. Maybe an "audiophile" could detect some difference -- not I.

*****************************************

The Sony is built more like a fine old German camera:

*magnesium die-cast body with matte , no-slip finish

*solid feel to hinges on LCD screen (screws too)

*NOT A SINGLE defective pixel ! Although I was alarmed to learn from Sony Customer Relations that they hold to 15 bad pixels as the limit before considering a display "defective" ! (Better play it before walking out of the store with it ! )

*perfect fit and finish

*twin steel latches (nicely hinged) for the screen

*with solid click and center-activated release

*pumpkin-hue,lit display window for various status readouts while on ac power (a real beauty! - not illuminated when using the battery pack)

*variously shaped buttons & dials well placed for convenience and easy identification

*essentially the same output and input jacks as the Sharp (but must buy your own S-video cable and snap-on, ferrite, cable noise filters)

*no ridiculous cable from battery to unit

*runs no warmer than your forehead (maybe with a very slight fever) with or without battery (maybe because the magnesium alloy radiates away excess heat better than the Sharp's cheap plastic body?)

*possibly why the battery pack lasts over 4 1/2 hours ! with full screen display at lowered brightness (very slight difference) and built-in speakers at full whisper :)

*******************************************

The Sharp is sadly built like a cheap disposable camera:

:( rubbery, single latch for the screen that represents most of the outrageous price of these units ! Will it last without flopping open ?

:( LCD hinges cheaply pressed in place with caved- in plastic tabs on back side of hinges -- ONE, ON MY *SECOND* UNIT, FAILED TO CAVE IN SO MY LCD SAT CROOKED ON THE HINGES @#%&*@ ! AND THIS IS A "COSMETIC" FLAW THAT IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY from SHARP NOR FRY'S.

:( open or uneven seams on plastic body

:( first unit had ding on disk cover and a sticky single-laser head drive (Sony has dual-head)

:( second unit (bad hinge) blacked out twice so, fearing a wounded diode , I traded for the Sony

:( second Sharp had one bad pixel (not so bad!)

:( Sharp's grid of identical buttons is confusing

:( Sharp runs alarmingly hot --- I almost pulled my hand away! But, leaving it on, was not burned --- more like a fairly hot "water bottle" applied to a fractured wallet :)

:( maybe the reason why both Sharp units' battery lasted 2.9 hours regardless of speaker or headphone use ! ( 4.5 + for the Sony ! )

:( maybe the total life of the battery will be shortened by the excess heat as well

-------------------------------------------

I have mixed feelings about the more adjustable and more PROCESSED image on the Sharp. It's auto gamma control does help the washed-out white shirt problem typical of LCD displays. And the edge-definition "super picture" is usually a good thing to have on. The tint control is good too but it doesn't go far enough to let you make purple Smurfs out of debating presidential candidates --- you may have to choose one by some means other than "cutest Smurf" :)

The Sony's fixed colors were just like those on an ACTUAL MOVIE SCREEN. And, infrequently, one sees the film blemishes and scratches too ! Why these are not filtered out at the DVD factory I don't know --- but I kinda like it. (No, these are not LCD flaws --- they are FILM flaws).

The Sharp seems to process these out but it has a slightly more "video tape" look to it. So the army drab fatigues on the soldiers (Predator and Apocalypse Now) look as if they are BRAND NEW and FREE OF DUST!

I feel that SOME things ought not to be processed out any more than I would colorize the first scene of The Wizard of Oz.

Still, having a CHOICE to toggle the Sharp processing features on or off on a beauty like the Sony would be ideal. And Sony has much to learn from Sharp when it comes to the sound of the built-in speakers. There, Sharp wins hands down.

As with all LCD displays, a slow camera pan over, say, a stand of trees with small leaves, results in a strobe-like flashing of these leaf and tree edges --- very distracting. This was true for both Sony and Sharp...now there's something to process!

In the end, Sharp's decision to insult the buyer with an unforgivably cheap plastic body --- on such an over-priced toy caused me to go with the Sony and a cute pair of stereo ear buds.

For the price, they could at least throw in a modular, cable-ready, high-quality, digitally tuned,(not that horrible creeping bar) TV receiver/AM-FM/DUAL RAMP-UP ALARM CLOCK/COFFEE MAKER/BACK MASSAGE attachment. GGGRRrrrrr !

Arrff !

---gooddog __: * ]

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: good performance
Review: I am not surprised that this player has an increased price after five months I bought it. it's really a good product at that price. deserve the 5 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Portable Entertainment
Review: I bought this player to make sure I had some entertainment for a trip recently taken. I also bought 10+ DVD's, a carrying case for the player and a carrying case for the DVDs. Everything else you need to operate comes with the unit. The display is 7 inches wide and 4 inches tall. On an airplane and even in a hotel room this is more than adequate since you can view what you want to see and not what the airline or hotel have for you. Since the unit plays CDs, I just brought my CD headset and left my CD player at home. The unit behaved well. I am satisfied with the picture quality and sound through the headset. It could be recharged overnight. Before my trip I called Sharp Customer Service looking for a second Li-ION battery. (Some flights are very long.) They were not available as of 4/10/2000. So, in the air, with 3 hours you can get in one and a half movies. It's to soon for me to rate longevity of the unit. The price is steep, but if you can afford it, I recommend this unit.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Value for Portable DVD Player
Review: I considered the top named brands and top sellers in the catagory, namely Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba. When I compared feature for feature vs. economic cost, the Sharp DV-L70U beat others hand down. It does what is supposed to do very well. It is designed to be a portable device and it more than meets my expectations. The only drawback that I've found is the similarity of the buttons on the remote. But I'll learn and get over it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Value for Portable DVD Player
Review: I considered the top named brands and top sellers in the catagory, namely Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba. When I compared feature for feature vs. economic cost, the Sharp DV-L70U beat others hand down. It does what is supposed to do very well. It is designed to be a portable device and it more than meets my expectations. The only drawback that I've found is the similarity of the buttons on the remote. But I'll learn and get over it.


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