DVD-Player Reviews

A brilliant portable DVD player I must say. The image quality is excellent (with quite a big screen for the price..)Supports all region DVD's and te remote control is a handy tool also. I am only disappointed in the fact that it does not support JPG files and that the menu is quite restricted (you can scroll through i.e. mp3-files, but it can't show a listed menu. And I suppose this can't be changed in a 'sofware-like'way. But nevertheless...it plays your DVD's fine...

I have yet to receive my LV-60, however, ive tested them out and read a ton of reviews. I am a young female electronics lover, and whenever the new things come out, it is hard to hold back. When portables first came out for [money], I thought...there's no way I'm ever gonna get one of those (although I wanted one...the shiny exterior and deeply crisp screens are hard to resist). I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop with DVD, however, the battery does not last long enough to get through a movie, which means there is really no point at all...and it's a computer...which means it has to be kind of big and a hassle to take out and put away...you can't just start it up for the 15 minutes before the airplane takes off, and then have to shut it down..restart...etc etc etc. I do bring it along to watch movies at the hotels on a decent sized screen, but for being constantly on the road..and long flights, the portable DVD offers so much more (and a much finer picture). The Panasonic LV-60 is the one. It is one of the only ones that several stores have said they haven't had returns on. An extra battery for [money] seems worth it, it gives you double the watching time and basically all batteries for electronics are this price, or more. If you like Friends, you can get those DVDs, pop them in this player, and be entertained for hours....you can travel from North Carolina to California without even thinking "are we there yet?". A headphone splitter is inexpensive and well worth it, to share with your neighbor on the plane, or friends/family members who also get bored as hell. This is how I see it...summer is coming up, everyone is gonna travel, right? You've been good, you've worked hard...add to your vacation by indulging you and your family a little more than usual...you won't be sorry. This time when you're on the plane, people will be staring at YOUR silver and blue slender treat, instead of the opposite. If you'be been wanting one, this is the one to get...the most asthetically pleasing and functional portable entertainment system out there, without blowing a ton of cash. I'll follow up when I receive mine...

I'm just a kid who has struggled to get one of these dvd players until finally I did. This portable dvd player I have to say has the best resolution out all most portable dvd players out there. Sure it is a 5inch but it has a much better resolution than most 7inch dvd players. Not only does the lv60 have a good resolution but it has a four hour battery. Depending on the condition of the battery sometimes lasts longer with the lowest brighting setting. Mp3 playback is awsome as well. The tiny speakers give an average sound , nothin special but if you use headphones It's out of this world. Also get a earphone splitter, you'll find it at Radioshack , to have two people hear through earphones. I highly recommend this dvd player and it's cheaper than most portable dvd players.

I've owned this player for a year now. Overall, it is a very good player, best LCD picture display and excellent progressive scan picture on a digital TV. Decent sound from small speakers. Light and good looking. I purchased the players at Fry's. DTS output did not work out of the box, AC-3 worked fine. Fry's replaced it twice with the same problem. This is where the nightmare with Toshiba support began. It took two months of going back and forth with Toshiba for them to admit that there was something wrong with the DTS output. They said they were going to replace the unit, well they did not, which is fine. But I wished they did what they said they were going to do. They fixed it by doing a software upgrade. DTS works fine now.

Some downsides are the expensive and short battery life, position of buttons, your are likely to turn the player on by just picking it up if you forget to lock the buttons. Lack of play controls from the player. Large remote control. The size and location of the battery makes the player very unbalanced. The player gets very hot. I own other Toshiba products and they are very good. I can't say the same for their very incompetent customer support.

OK, I have used this GREAT DVD player for about a month and here's an update to my previous review above.

PRO:

First, there is NO BETTER PICTURE available on any portable DVD player I have seen before or after purchasing this model (I've now compared about 20). Don't buy another brand without at least looking at the picture on the Toshiba at the same time as another brand. Again, use the "credit test", i.e. go to the end of the movie and look at the movie credits, see the amazing difference! Also, I have a DVD player on my laptop--this player beats the pants off it as well.

Second, picture is so good that it's 5.8in screen is easier for me to watch than a 7 inch screen. More amazing--when I watched "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" on my FULL SIZE 27", I prefered the Toshiba picture! It's simply that clear (HDTV equivalent).

Third, even though many advanced functions require the remote control, almost all basic play, pause, skip scene functions are available on the unit itself. My 8 and 10 year olds had no problem using just the player on a recent trip in our van.

Fourth, picture is acceptable from 45 degree viewing angle, but not much more than that. Better than most units I looked at, however.

Fifth, all cords, wires, headphone, and other connections are included (including one to a Toshiba laptop computer PCMCIA card, which is yet to be sold!)

Finally, the sound system (simulated 3D) is very nice. Sounds great.

CONS

First, unit gets very hot (known issue by Toshiba--so don't get shocked the first time you feel it). Toshiba warns not to put it on your lap. I agree, it feels like an clothing iron set on low (permanent press) setting, much hotter than my laptop. On the other hand, we used thick velcro tape (with sticky glue back) on the bottom sides of the unit to mount it on our cooler in the our caravan--worked fine, velcro stayed attached. Heat point is directly under center of unit, not on sides.

Second, I still have not been able to confirm if Toshiba Portege 31xx laptop auto/air cord works on this player (was in a previous review on this site). In our van, we're using a 12VDC to 120VAC converter, THEN using the included Toshiba SD-P1000 AC to DC converter. Not most convenient arrangement, but it works.

Finally, battery is bulky and can only be used for one and a half movies. Wish it had a longer use OR additional batteries were cheaper ....

Hope this helps.

Although some of the reviews are approaching four years old, the words are still true -- as of 2004 this player has the best picture quality of *any* portable DVD/LCD player EVER. At 5.9" it doesn't have the biggest screen nor does it have the most pixels. What it does have is an incredible picture quality that is unmatched by many larger home plasma and LCD televisions and no other DVD/LCD player.

It's that good.

The later portables by Toshiba can't touch it. Panasonics and Samsungs don't come close. Minteks, Sonys, whatever else don't even rate. The SD-P1000's viewing angle is acceptable and the contrast ratio is quite good. The color accuracy is outstanding. No adjustments to the picture (except for backlight brightness) are available and are not needed. I can't technically state why this player looks so good but the secret has to be the quality of the LCD screen. It is special. Perhaps it is a screen used by Toshiba in its Libretto series of pocket computers. In any event, the later, larger screens by Toshiba are not as good -- poor consrast ratio and viewing angle.

This player passes Avia and DVE test DVDs with ease. Excellent color and geometry. Incredible detail.

Downsides? The battery arrangement is a bit clumsy and the battery is, of course, proprietary (why can't they make these packs accept a bunch of replacable AA NiMH cells?). The remote is bit large. There are few controls on the player so the remote is *needed*. The player can get a bit hot. Battery life isn't the longest -- good for one two hour movie and not much more.

Still, even with the downsides, the amazingly detailed, smooth, colorful picture produced by the Toshiba SD-P1000 makes one forget the shortcomings and just enjoy the beauty of the movie.

Though the LV55 is advertised as having a 5" screen, the actual viewable screen size is 4.8" diagonal, with a 16:9 width-to-height ratio just like a widescreen TV. There are several "display modes" that let you change the image size. One of them lets you enlarge a non-anamorphic image so it will fill the whole screen (albeit resulting in a more pixellated, less sharp display). One of the display modes turns off the display, so that you can save battery power while playing audio CDs.

The LV55 has a screen resolution of 280,000 pixels, which comes to about 700x400 pixels. This is less than the 720x480 resolution that a DVD is able to deliver, but it is enough to give a clear, sharp picture.

This player only lets you adjust color saturation and brightness, and not hue and contrast. Using "Video Essentials" and "Avia Guide to Home Theater" to test the display, I find that the display has a slight over-saturation of red, and cannot display certain grey scales (which could cause "dithering" in playing black-and-white movies). Also, the player has some built-in edge enhancement that strikes me as rather excessive, resulting in "halos" appearing around borders.

The display also has the common overscan problem, which results in a little bit of picture cut off from the left and right sides of the image. Overscanning is common on most consumer CRT and LCD displays.

The built-in speakers produce expectedly tinny sound, considering the player only uses 13 watts of power. A good pair of earphones or headphones is a must, but even so, the advantage of a 5.1 soundtrack is totally lost without 5.1 speakers. There is a "dialog enhancer" feature that raises the volume of the center channel sound, which is useful in a noisy environment. There is also a "dynamic range compression" feature that lowers the volume of loud sound if you feel the soundtrack is too overwhelming.

The LV55 is able to play DVD-Video discs with Dolby Digital or DTS sound, audio CDs, and Video CDs (VCDs). Although the manual says it does not play CD-R discs, it does play CD-R discs that are copied from audio CDs and VCDs.

The player can also send Dolby Digital or DTS signal to an external DD/DTS decoder's optical input, although you need to obtain a miniplug-to-Toslink cable yourself. It can send its video signal (via RCA or S-Video cable) to an external monitor. It can also receive video from, say, a camcorder, so you can view it on the display.

With the battery pack attached, the LV55 weighs 2 pounds and is 1.5 inches thick, which is a little too bulky for me. But I do like the fact that the screen can be flipped open to an almost 180-degree angle, and that the playback is not affected even if I don't hold the player horizontally; that gives me great flexibility in viewing positions.

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 home

Cons: 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 compatible

Suggestions: 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.

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.

I bought this home theater system nearly a week ago and arrived at my home at around 9:30 with this system in my hands.At 10:30 I was watching a movie with it. It was so easy to set-up. Also it produces great sound. I got a DVD player for my birthday and didn't want to spend more money to get a dvd player with my system. This product fit me well.

If you already have a DVD player, or you don't want to get locked into a DVD player that doesn't have all the features you want, this is a good home theater system for you.

Since it doesn't include a DVD player, it's a lot less expensive than one that does have one, and you can get a DVD player with features like Progressive Scan to add to this great system to really make your home theater watching experience look and sound terrific.

Overall, quality from Sony has always been high, and this unit is no exception. The 100 watts of power is ample for a home theater unit in all but the largest rooms. The integrated Dolby sound processing makes sure that your audio experience will be as pure as digital sound can make it. It's fairly easy for even an amateur to set up and use. And the SubWoofer will blow your socks off. The stereo AM/FM tuner that's included has enough presets for the whole family. And it has more than enough inputs and outputs for all but the most demanding audio/video connoisseur.

5.1 Surround Sound can only be appreciated in person, in a room set up correctly. One of the things you will really enjoy is how the sounds seem to come from in back of you and then zoom around to the front. But its fairly small size makes it easy to set up, even in an apartment. You won't believe your ears when you hear it, and you won't believe the price when you see it. It's the only complete system in a box for this price.

I don't think I could recommend this system any higher for those who already have a DVD player and want to add the home theater experience, or for those who want to get a DVD player with different features than a whole package deal. I'm now recommending this unit, which is still available, over my original choice of the Sony HT-DDW740 which is no longer available.

I have never had anything but the audio coming from the stereo speakers on my TV, and I was blown away the first time I heard this system. I bought this system brand new off of eBay for $250 total in late February 2004 and have been completely satisfied since.

I like to relax in my room now and crank that sub all the way up untill my windows rattle and the pictures on the wall shake. It did take me a couple hours to get set-up becuase I went crazy in getting everything just perfect in the settings. This system can get as loud as you'd want for a small to medium sized room.

One of the main reasons I got this was for Pro Logic II decoding on my Gamecube games, and Wow it's awesome to hear on games that support it. But the real treat comes when watching DVDs in Digital or DTS. For the first time I experienced true surround in my room and it was incredible. I recommend trying Saving Private Ryan DVD in the first beach-landing scene with the bass cranked all the way up to feel the explosions.

The receiver is pretty straight-forward and easy to use if you read the manual first. Some of the settings don't change the overall sound that much. I use different modes when I am listening to sound from different equipment...

Audio CDs - Dolby Pro Logic II MUS mode
DVD's - CSTEX B Movie mode
Gamecube/Radio - Dolby Pro Logic II MOV mode

Overall an excellent budget system (A Sony too!). I recommend.

I liked this unit for about two hours...then a dead pixel group appeared in the middle of the screen. I checked the web and I should have been forewarned, this is typical of this unit.

Therefore, back it goes to Amazon.com.

I have not had ONE portable DVD unit from any manufacturer last more than 6 months. I give up on portable DVD.

I just bought this player despite the release of the new panasonic and sony model. SO far I have not be disappointed. I mostly use with my TV and stereo where it performs solidly. The remote is a little thin (then again it is a portable device right ... therefore the lightness) but I can still sit on my couch and control everything with ease. The LCD itself performs quite well although the panasonic models have a slight edge in quality.

My only quibble with this unit is the size of the battery and dock. It is quite heavy when hooked up to the player but such is life when it comes to portability. You can bet pioneer will change the battery features on their next generation player. Nonetheless the battery has performed its 3 hours worth and allowed me to doze off to the matrix while I lay in bed.

Except for a heavy battery I highly recommend this gadget to anyone who travels who who just wants to be the coolest guy on the block! Happy Viewing!

... not to mention a reasonable price. Seriously, I checked out the price here last month and it seems to have dropped by $100 or more. Now is the time to buy if you're looking for a portable DVD player/TV combo.

Before purchasing, I had read the reviews here on Amazon and compared them with the highly rated panasonic model. Both players seem to be well thought of by owners. I then checked out a live demo in a local store for both. It was no contest. The pioneer took the prize.

It's not that the panasonic model didn't look good or perform well -- it did. But the larger LCD screen of the pioneer made all the difference in the world.

The picture is clear and sharp and does not have any 'ghosting' or 'pixelation' apparent with it. Visual quality was as good as or better than a regular television set. Reviewer 'cons' stated a tinny sound (using the built in speakers) and a somewhat other than top-notch picture. Frankly, I've not experienced either of these problems with the player I bought. Granted, the sound is better with headphones, but is entirely adequate using the speakers only -- and as I mentioned before, the LCD picture is very sharp - the color, vibrant.

Another feature you'll appreciate is the clustered controls on upper right surface of the player. These are logically organized and large enough (without being overly large) so that they can be easily reached and used. The player has a remote that comes with it, but honestly, I bought it for travel and bedside use -- I doubt I'll ever have a use for the remote. Still, it's there for those who want to hook the device up to their regular television set in lieu of having a larger 'desktop' DVD player.

All cables and misc items are included with the player -- including two power cables -- so you can watch a movie with the AC adapter while also recharging the 3.5 hour battery (the battery does not charge while mounted in the player itself - rather it has a separate charging unit). There is nothing extra to buy except for the DVDs you want to watch.

Light-weight, attractive, sturdy and reliable; this device is perfect for a car or plane trip, or use in a hotel room. Parents will find it a great boon for long trips and the inevitable "when will we get there daddy?" from the kiddies. Insomniacs (like myself) will love the player since you can use the headphones and watch your favorite DVDs in bed while not disturbing your sleeping spouse.

Buy it and join the multitude of satisfied users.

** Highly Recommended **

~P~

There are many similar purchasers of the Sony S7700 that are extremely disappointed in the sound quality of this unit and have had another piece of equipment previously who's audio was far superior and cost less money. For example, my previous player was a Sony S-530D which had within 6 months lip-sync problems, an audio that would periodically cutout, and a picture that froze and broke-up into pixels (similar to satellite broadcast problems), however, its' audio was excellent when it worked. Now that I have moved to the top-of-the-line in Sony DVD players, I am again disappointed and am of the opinion that they can not make a quality product that is complete. Thus far, I have contacted Sony to see if they are willing to do anything about the situation and to determine if the reported down-sampling of the digital output from 97 MHz to 48 MHz is the cause for the poor sound quality or, if not, whether they will do something about this issue. At this point I am not very optimistic about Sony satisfactorily addressing this issue and offering a fix via a service center. Unfortunately, out of all the buyers who have this same issue and want good sound quality, none have posted results of pursuing the down-sampling fix by MSB to address this issue-does it work or is it something else. This unit was supposedly designed to be a top quality audio player since it has dual discrete pickups with separate lasers for CD and DVD at the optimal frequencies, however, the audio output is dismal at best for both. If I were the manufacturer of this product, I would be so embarrassed about my top-of-the-line product, I would move heaven and earth to rectify this issue, we can only assume that they are either incapable or don't care.

I have owned my Sony DVP-S7700 player for some time and I never had any problem with it. Therefore, I was amazed that some people actually had a problem with this player as posted in some of the other reviews. I, for one, found the sound quality to be excellent. Incidentally, of all the professional reviews I read on the S7700, never once did I see a review mention that the sound quality of this unit was only fair. Articles I have read have also compared this player to a top-of-the-line cd player. And I agree with them. After installing my player, I can honestly say my cds sounded better. This has me convinced that not all cd players sound the same. My only thought for people who are having sound problems is perhaps they should have a home theater technician look into their setup. Maybe all that is needed is a small adjustment and then they will know what the rest of us are talking about when we marvel about how great a DVD player this is. In case you are wondering, I do not work for Sony; I am just a very, very satisfied Sony customer.

Is it possible to fall in love with a DVD player? If it is, then this is the one that will grab your heart. Let me say it plainly - the Sony DVP-S7700 is an awesome player. I've used several different models, but this is definitely my favorite of the bunch. And that's saying a lot, because I was extremely surprised when I was able to watch home video authored on DVD-R, DVD+R and DVD+RW discs. Except for DVD-RW media, I use the S7700 as my reference player to check the quality of burned DVD's, which leads me to believe that if the S7700 can play the disk, then 99.9% of all second generation players will play the same disc too.

Let's talk picture quality - I was really impressed. The image (via both S-Video and Component) was tremendous. Rich, vibrant colors and deep, detailed blacks. I saw no artifacting at all - the player just crunched right through even the toughest scenes. The hyperdrive scene of Lost In Space looked phenomenal. The whole sequence is white-washed with bright sunlight, yet no artifacting was visible, and plenty of detail was still apparent. On the other hand, the dark interiors of Star Trek: First Contact were nicely conveyed by the 7700, with a good range of contrast and plenty of shadow detail. The warm hues of The English Patient were beautiful in appearance, with lustrous golds, reds and browns rendered, and nicely accurate flesh-tones. As I've seen with DVD in general, the S-Video picture looked to have a slightly crisper, edgy quality to it, and very slightly more saturated color. The Component signal, on the other hand, was more film-like, and had more accurate color rendition - I definitely preferred it.

So how about the audio performance, you may be wondering? It's equally good. There are dual analog outputs, as well as a coaxial digital and an optical digital out (there are no on-board audio decoders). The player features the much-loved Sony Audio Priority selection feature, whereby the player automatically finds the 5.1 track on most DVDs (with the exception of some titles from Paramount, for example, where this feature has been software-disallowed on the disc itself). The 7700 also reads the proper flags on DTS-encoded DVDs, allowing you to output the sound data to an outboard DTS decoder. I saw no problems with audio sync whatsoever.

As for audio CDs, believe it or not, the 7700 performed as well as my stand-alone Sony CD player. The sound was rich and full, with little of the edgy quality that some DVD players add to CD audio. I was really surprised at this too.

The Sony DVP-S7700 is simply the best DVD player I've yet had the privilege to use.

kambizm@msn.com

This cd wallet is huge...I mean it fits 264 discs. It's very bulky, not very stylish but hey it does the job. It stores my entire DVD collection which is growing every week. It will take me a long time to fill up all the pages, but it'll be done soon.

The pages inside keep the discs well intact without falling out. Case is sturdy and the zipper quality is good. All in all a decent cd wallet.

There are cheaper brands out there, but in my experience, quality is the true measure of any product. This is especially true when it comes to large CD wallets like Case Logic's CDW-264. As you can imply by the name, this wallet stores up to 264 CDs. I've seen cheaper products that store about the same amount of media, but they aren't as sturdy as this one. This CD wallet uses 2 large plastic slats to hold the each of the 33 pages. (Each page holds 8 CDs.) Other large CD wallets often use flimsy binder-type plastic rings, or the pages are held to the wallet by stitching. Flimsy binder rings can break with age, and stitching can come apart when put under the weight of so many CDs. The CDW-264's flat plastic slats are large and strong enough withstand the wieght of 264 cds easily. I've filled it almost completely with CD-Rs, and it's still sturdy enough to carry by-the-handle (the handle is attached to the spine of the wallet). Even when unzipped, you could easily carry this large CD wallet around without fear of the pages breaking loose. And naturally, the CD pages are smooth and won't cause scratches. What's more, its a great online-buy because it's typically 10-20% less when compared to most retail stores. My only complaint is that the zipper can be difficult to "start" since it rests along the spine. This is where the zipper can make contact with the pages, and you often have to make sure it's clear before zipping the wallet closed. Of course, most people shouldn't find this much of a problem as the over all quality of the CDW-264 wallet is excellent. If you're looking to store a large amount of CD or DVD media, this is should be on the top of your list. It holds a lot of media, it's very sturdy, and it's usually much cheaper online.

I've got several kinds of CD-Wallets from differing brands and this CASE LOGIC is by far the best quality. This is basically a sort of binder with large plastic bands that function as the "rings." These bands are quite sturdy and better than other CD-Wallets that I've used. The bands hold the pages of the CD-Wallet. Each of the 33 pages has 8 pockets (4 pockets on each side of a page). The pockets are made of a woven fiber material that is smooth and won't scratch CDs. Furthermore, the pockets can also fit liner notes. (While most liner notes should fit, thick ones maybe more difficult to insert because the pockets are rather tight.) A zipper on the outside of the wallet closes it neatly. There's also a handle on the outside for easy carrying. I bought this product to store my DVD-Rs and CD-Rs (which were cluttering my work space). It works great. CASE LOGIC tends to be a bit more expensive than other brands, but it's worth it. They're products tend to be consistenty strong and worry free, and this one is no exception. Other, cheaper brands are often made of cheap material; and fall apart with the shear weight of the CDs. If you plan on storing a lot of media (CDs, DVDs, CD-R, DVD-R), then this 264 capacity CASE LOGIC should be on the top of your shopping list. It's strong, can hold a lot of media, and you can carry it easily.

This is a fine DVD player--when it's working. It's my second Sony DVD player and the second one to fail after less than 1 year of use. Just about every disk freezes regularly, making it essentially unusable. These same disks work fine in other players. Read the online reviews here for other Sony DVD players. You're going to have the same problems with this one.

I've had this dvd player for about 2 months now. In my opinion, this is an excellent choice. It works beautifully, the remote is easy to figure out, and hooking it up was simple. I'm an electronics idiot, so you know it had to be easy (I just figured out how to set the time on my vcr). I just can't say enough good things about this model. I've yet to come across anything I don't like. This is certainly not the only dvd player in the world, and I'm sure that many of the other models are just as good. I looked at several models (all were about the same price) and I selected this one. To be fair, I picked it because it was a Sony, no offence to any of the other fine electronics brands. It's a sweet deal, it works great, it's easy to use and of course the picture and sound are simply stunning. What else could you ask for (within reason). I'm sure that I haven't put this player through the paces and tried everything on it. All I do is watch dvd movies, and it does that perfectly. Don't hesitate to buy one of these sight unseen. I think that this is a popular model so if you want to see one in real life just go to an electronics store. If you buy one, you won't be sorry.

This DVD player is a very good choice for anyone who has a digital ready or reciever with a decoder built in. It works great with my Sony Digital-Ready reciever. The sound is excellent, and so is the picture. I like how you can tweak the sound adjustment's on this unit, it's really neat, and easy to use, even you're not a tech freak you'll probably still ba able to figure out on your own how to work everthing this unit has to offer.

Let me start off by saying that this portable DVD player is the greatest out there. I will tell you why:

1. Picture quality is superb! There is none better (I have seen some of the "best"). This machine produces images that defy its compact size.

2. Portability. The thing is tiny, and still provides great picture and sound quality.

3. Functions. This thing plays DVDs, DVD-Rs, CDs, VCDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs. It also doubles as a stay-at-home DVD player. Great!

4. Sound. Perhaps not from the built in speakers, but with a good set of headphones, the sound is INCREDIBLE. I recommend the Aiwa Noise Canceling headphones (model #HPCN5). Although, the speakers do provide decent sound.

5. Price. Buy it at ..., it's only [price]!! What a bargain!

6. Battery life. With headphones lasts a good 4.5 hours.

7. Screen Size. 7 inches rules!

8. Screen itself. It does not reflect any light back. Great!

Some people will tell you to buy a 5" or 5.8", but don't. Those things are TINY! Maybe an 8", but those can be costly. Hands-down, I recommend this product over all else!

Suggestions: Buy good headphones.

THIS THING IS SOOO COOL!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!

I received this player 2 days ago - and have used it a BUNCH since it arrived. It is fantastic! Picture quality is superb, the 7" diagonal screen makes a big difference compared to the 5" or 5.8" screens. Sound is good (for two small speakers) - fine quality for close-up viewing.

The portability is really fine. I watched "Lethal Weapon" this morning while making and then eating breakfast. Didn't miss a frame of the movie; of course you trade off the effect of a hugh movie screen, but being able to take it with you as you move around the house (or in a car or plane) more than makes up for a small screen. And actually, because it's so close to your eyes, the size picture you see is probably larger than you would on your entertainment center.

The player itself is about the size of a DVD case, and the separate battery pack is the same size. So all the storage space two units require is for 2 DVD cases.

My only complaints are placement of the buttons and the size of the remote. The buttons on the unit are pretty close, and several times I've had it on "pause", and intended to hit the "play" button, but accidentally pressed the "stop" button. Good news is that when you start play again (after all the start-up logos, etc.), the movie continues just a little prior to where it left off - unless you've disconnected the power or opened the unit. The remote is rather bulky, what you'd expect for a regularly sized DVD player. A credit card sized one would be nice.

But you (or a loved one) won't be disappointed with this player.

You simply cannot know how good this DVD player is until you have one of your own. Mine goes everywhere with us and is an excellent at-home DVD player. The images are absolutely crystal clear! With a good set of head phones -- you can't escape being part of the entertainment! I could not believe how good this unit is until I bought one. I tried them all and the laptop computers as well - nothing compares! Buy one today!

When I purchased this player seven months ago the salesperson quite emphatically suggested I also purchase an optional extended warranty. I should have taken the hint. Having purchased Sony products before without issue, I decided not to accept the offer. This was an unfortunate decision on my part. Shortly after the warranty expired the player stopped reading DVDs. Here's a trick for those of you experiencing similar difficulties; I have found, on occasion, that I can get it to play if I first use a couple of carefully chosen expletives and rap it on it's side.

This is my third Sony DVD player and was bought to replace a poorly chosen Phillips DVD621 (see my related review.) As I had expected from my previous Sony purchases, (S550D, S330) the NS715P continues to meet my needs. The 715 comes with new features, the strongest being Progressive scan. If this will be your first purchase, it may be the best choice you could make in this price range. Features aplenty allow you to set-up playback for most any home theatre. Expect ease of use from both the onscreen display and remote. Fast search and startup time will satisfy the most impatient of us. The only general complaint I have would be for the 5.1 crowd, as the 715 lacks 5 channel output connectivity. However, since I myself personally left 5.1 for optical, have only the gripe that it does not come in a black chassis. This is a fantastic unit at a great price and I would recommend the NS715P to anyone.

This player is one of the best DVD players out there for the price. Not only does it feature options that high end players have: such as progressive scan and multi-format playback, but at this price it's a STEAL!

That being said, there is one thing that SONY should have added to this DVD player: the ability to read ID3 tags. Although the player allows you to navigate through an on-screen menu to the song you want, it only displays the title that you give your file on-screen. It does not display the info from the ID tags such as genre, track numbers and artist. However, the player does have the ability to scroll the file name of your song on its front display.

By the way, for those of you who are having problems with playing CD-Rs with MP3 on them, be sure to burn the CD as an ISO 9660 format, level 1 or level 2 or joliet. So far all the media i've placed in the player worked flawlessly.

I've searched the internet and found that Amazon and [their partners] have the lowest price for this player.