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Panasonic DVD-LV55 Portable DVD Player

Panasonic DVD-LV55 Portable DVD Player

List Price: $899.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Makes long trips a dream come true.
Review: Dear Reader, Panasonic has always been a good portable brand, so i trusted it, and i am so glad. All i have to say is everything is a dream on it. You can hook it up to ant tv or vcr or watch on the beautifully lit screen, and the picture is tremendous. I love this small screen. But what i recommed is this new one that is coming soon, it is panasonic and it is only gonna be [price]which is good but i don't know how big the screen is, if it is under 5' whis this panasonic is i say don't buy it 5' is perfect size. Wait and see what the other one is if it is good buy that one, but if it is not buy this one because it is a very good little machine.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent value for the cost
Review: I bought one of these immediately after a particularly frustrating transcontinental flight, so I wasn't in the best frame of mind when I made my choice. I also only had a choice between this one and one made by Pioneer.

Nevertheless, after two very long business trips I have been extremely satisfied. I not only used it during the flights to watch videos, but also to listen to CDs. The battery lasts for slightly longer than 3 hours (just about as long as I want headphones on my head) and easily charges up overnight. (In the future, if I do longer trips, I might consider buying a second, backup battery.) Additionally, the unit seems rugged. I use a soft-sided totebag for travel, rather than a hard-sided briefcase, and it gets thrown/stuffed/mushed around a lot. I liked the fact that the unit was small enough, even with the battery pack, to allow me to cram a lot of other stuff in with it. (You know how we women are with our handbags and travelbags!)

The hotels I stayed at only had about 10 channels available for viewing on their TV, so I also used this unit in the evenings, for both DVDs and CDs. This allows me to catch up on all of those alternate soundtracks on DVDs -- something that I'm often too busy to do at home.

One very small complaint I have is that the picture seems a little grainy. However, I could have bought the Pioneer unit sitting in the display case next to this one, which had both a very good quality picture as well as a slightly larger one, but cost ($) more. Obviously, price was a factor in my decision.

This unit didn't come with headphones, so make sure you purchase a set when you get yours. The unit's speakers sound pretty tinny - but what else could you expect in a small DVD player? Use the headphones, which have a perfectly acceptable sound. And don't forget, you can select two settings that simulate surround-sound. I found that some DVDs had an improved sound with these settings, but some didn't. (There may be a technical explanation for this but I can't tell you what it is.)

The unit comes with a remote but it only works when the unit is running off of a wall outlet. I found that for basic watching, the unit's own buttons can get you through any DVD menu selections, forward/freeze/reverse/zoom options, or player setup you wish to do. (Note that most home DVD players don't have enough buttons, and require the remote for accessing all of its functions.)

I found the instructions easy to follow -- I'm the type of person who reads almost every page -- and was soon able to navigate through the unit's setup menus.

Overall, considering this unit's price, the amount of features provided, and the enjoyment I've gotten with it, I consider this a very good deal.

One last thought. If you travel with a laptop, why get one of these? Well, if your laptop has a DVD drive, you don't really have to get one of these. However, I like how compact this unit is, allowing me a little more privacy. No...I don't watch any X-rated stuff, but I also do consider my fellow travelers who might not want to see any explicit scenes in their peripheral line of sight. I can also fit this along with a cup of coffee, a snack, or a book (when listening to a CD)on the seat tray. When listening to a CD, this unit fits into my lap or between me and my handrest more easily than a laptop would.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: great product but needs more "stuff" to be a true traveler
Review: I bought this to entertain the kids during a cross-country drive. The picture is amazingly clear and the sound generally good (a little tinny on the high notes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). During the highway drive, I received no complaints of skipping. I was surprised to find out after I bought it, though, that the manual forbids use of a car power adapter. On calling their 800#, they recommended a $99.95 adapter made by another company. The battery is long lasting, but the drive was longer. I would also suggest that they include ear phones and, because it's a delicate piece of machinery, a carrying case. All of these things can be bought elsewhere, but I didn't figure in these costs when shopping for the DVD itself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellence for less...
Review: I bought this unit to use for travel and it's turned into an invaluable and indispensible little unit. The unit has worked perfectly for my daughters to watch Jackie Chan movies on road trips and for me on business trips. Not only does the battery last for two movies (~3.5 hours+), but the picture is fantastic.

This unit cannot be beat for the money.

The only con is the lack of some sort of dynamic compression circuit. Many DVDs have too much dynamic range to be heard properly through headphones on a noisy plane. Invest in a noise cancelling set of headphones and you'll be VERY happy with this unit.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I am in Love!
Review: I can not find word to say how much I love this item. I have 2 small children and my sister lives 75 miles away so this is perfect for the drive to see her.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing Quality & Ease of Operation: Buy it at this price!
Review: I could not be more pleased with my purchase and use of the Panasonic "55." Hours now spent in airports, on planes, in hotels and on longer "road" trips speed by. The battery REALLY lasts 3 hours, and 55 is so easy to operate that my 3 year old granddaughter turns it on and watches it, transfixed, for as long as her favorite Disney DVD lasts. Quality? Home theater quality sound and picture, esp'ly with earphones. Screen too small for enjoyment? Dont believe it for a moment; the screen is so close it is NO problem. Price? $... is great, esp'ly when compared to other Portables. Any needed accessory? Yes. Get a recharger for the car/plane. Panasonic advertizes it, but i havent seen it offered yet by Amazon. But perhaps i havent looked hard enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great travel companion
Review: I just bought this portable DVD player and I love it. I find myself watching it at home with the headphones on while others want silence. I haven't found any problems with the product and recommend it to anyone, especially if you travel. The small screen was a concern of mine, but why do you need a huge screen to watch movies by yourself? I never notice the size of the screen after two seconds of watching. A perfect product, I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great buy
Review: i just got this new portable dvd player for my son and he loves it. it allways comes in handy when your bored on plane or in the car. its easy to use and the screen quality is perfect. another great feature is that you dont need to buy a dvd player for your tv. you just hook this to you tv. the hi tech look is a nice touch. but there was one problem. there were no problems! get this dvd player. its great

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Truly wonderful, but nothing's perfect
Review: I wanted this for a good long while before I bought it, and I was worried that it might not live up to expectations. However, this is one of those rare gadgets that is just as much fun as you think it will be.

Not only does it mean that you can watch DVDs on any airplane, in any hotel room, and even on long taxi rides (maybe not a whole DVD!), it also means you have a DVD player in every room in your house. Spending time scrubbing grout in the bathroom? At least you can be entertained while you do it!

Down to brass tacks, though. I have found the speakers to be fine, as long as you don't turn them up too loud. As people have mentioned previously, there are no headphones, but I can't imagine buying something like this without at least having a portable CD player, so you probably have headphones already. It's better than watching stuff on a laptop because a) my company doesn't give us computers with DVD-ROMs =) and b) this is so much smaller that it even fits in my small-to-medium-sized handbag! Much handier. And you don't have to wait for it to boot up.

There are multiple screen modes, to make the best use of the rather small screen. There are some movies which play as a letterboxed & TV-shaped picture (in effect, black bars on all four sides), which is really tiny. However you can set the monitor to zoom in on the actual picture area without (as far as I can tell) losing picture quality.

On the down side, the picture is a bit grainy. I wish the battery lasted longer than 3 hours. Also, for hotel rooms, I wish the feature that compresses the volume range (I forget what this is called) made any sort of noticeable difference. I wish it came with a case that exactly fit it, because the ones available seem to be designed to fit the 7" one, and on my last trip I had it in bubble wrap, which was not too convenient.

On the whole, though, I really love it. The biggest problem is the fact that it is so convenient that I have been buying way too many DVDs.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Well worth the bucks!
Review: I've had mine for about 7 months and absoloutly love it. The sound is excellent, the controlls are easy to use and the battery life is very good (the battery doesn't drain when the power is shut off). The picture is very good provided you have it at the optimum angle. Perfect for airline trips. Heck, thats why I bought it. The remote is easy to use, but don't lose it because you only have a limited number of controls on the unit. Very light weight and slips easily into a carry on bag. Hooks up easily to your home TV when desired. Like I said....I love it!


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