Panasonic DVD-LV55, Great for the plane, hotel,..
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Great for the plane, hotel, and road trips!
This little unit, while being on the small side in terms of screen size, is great. I travel cross-country on planes at least twice/week and have never been able to sleep while sitting in the ever-shrinking, upright, rigid airline seats; this device has made these sardine-can trips bearable!Pros: better than expected sound out of little speakers; ease of hookup to full size monitor; easy-to-operate controls on both remote and unit top; bright picture, even in bright light conditions; electronic brightness and color adjustment controls; battery life (3.5 hours with a “0″ brightness setting on a -5 to 5 scale) that averages better than listed in the specifications (2.5-3 hours); stands up to jostling and bumping of airline travel well (skip-free play sideways and inverted); extended electronic sound processing features (simulates theatre surround modes while using headset); healthy substitute for full-size DVD player in the homeCons: battery cannot charge while unit is plugged in and in use (i.e., must be turned off to charge); remote cannot be used while unit is operating on battery power; manual is poorly organized, but after a couple of times through, the technically-challenged can operate this unit; no carrying case or headphones packaged with unit; lack of dynamic range dampening feature requires a quick finger on the volume control when using a headset; (not completely sure about this but) optical output jack on the back of the unit is not truly optical-cable compatibleSuggestions: for successful audio during air travel, get a noise-dampening headset that either covers the ear completely or some headphones/earbuds that insert into the ear canal; if you connect to external monitors routinely, invest in an S-video cable as well (not included with model, but RCA style video and audio cables are).I compared this 5″ model to the larger screen Panasonic model and found that the extra money for the latter wasn’t warranted. With this unit roughly 15 inches from my eyes, the picture is crisp, but not too grainy (”liney”) and I have yet to come across a movie where something wasn’t resolved well enough on the screen to see it.I give it 5 stars for overall quality and ease of use minus a star for not including a case and headphones. Bottom line: pros far outweigh cons, great bang for the buck.
Update (2/8/2012): I also found some auctions for this item here.
The featured review for this product, Panasonic DVD-LV55 Portable DVD Player Electronics, was written by drofnala.
The average rating for this item is out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.
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Posted on: June 22, 2010
Filed under: Reviews
Reviews (3)
Anonymous
June 13th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
great product but needs more “stuff” to be a true traveler
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 $99.95 adapter made by another company. The battery is long lasting, but the drive was longer. I would also suggest that they include ear phones and, because it’s a delicate piece of machinery, a carrying case. All of these things can be bought elsewhere, but I didn’t figure in these costs when shopping for the DVD itself.
Pearl Hoenniker
June 18th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Excellent value for the cost
I bought one of these immediately after a particularly frustrating transcontinental flight, so I wasn’t in the best frame of mind when I made my choice. I also only had a choice between this one and one made by Pioneer. Nevertheless, after two very long business trips I have been extremely satisfied. I not only used it during the flights to watch videos, but also to listen to CDs. The battery lasts for slightly longer than 3 hours (just about as long as I want headphones on my head) and easily charges up overnight. (In the future, if I do longer trips, I might consider buying a second, backup battery.) Additionally, the unit seems rugged. I use a soft-sided totebag for travel, rather than a hard-sided briefcase, and it gets thrown/stuffed/mushed around a lot. I liked the fact that the unit was small enough, even with the battery pack, to allow me to cram a lot of other stuff in with it. (You know how we women are with our handbags and travelbags!)The hotels I stayed at only had about 10 channels available for viewing on their TV, so I also used this unit in the evenings, for both DVDs and CDs. This allows me to catch up on all of those alternate soundtracks on DVDs — something that I’m often too busy to do at home. One very small complaint I have is that the picture seems a little grainy. However, I could have bought the Pioneer unit sitting in the display case next to this one, which had both a very good quality picture as well as a slightly larger one, but cost ($) 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.
drofnala
June 20th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Great for the plane, hotel, and road trips!
Rated 4 stars.
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