DVD-Player Reviews

I finally convinced myself that it was worth it to purchase a portable DVD player. I now do not see how I have lived without it for so long. I average 2 - 3 plane flights each week and this unit, combined with my Bose noise cancelling headsets is the first thing I pack. This unit is very easy to set-up and use. The unit is large enough for viewing, but small enough for easy travel. Using a dual headphone jack allows viewing by 2 people. The battery easily provides 4 - 5 hours of play time. A previous review stated the picture quality was poor. This is definitely not the case with my unit. The picture is crisp and clear and you cannot count the pixels on the screen. This unit is highly recommended, especially for anyone who travels on a regular basis.

I bought this for traveling with my little girl when she was 2. (She is now 3 and a half.) Technically, the picture is great. So is the sound from either the speakers or headphones (though if you do a lot of plane travel, noise cancelling headphones are a great idea). The player has been trouble free in 18 months of weekly use.

The added portablility (compared to VHS players) means it's the only option in restaraunts and on planes. We've used it on car trips, plane trips, in restaraunts, we hook it up as a DVD player for our second TV, I hook it up to hotel TVs (if they have a video input jack -- about 50% do), my wife took it to the hospital (to have #2), and I even got to take it on plane trip for myself!

Plop in a DVD and you're much more engaged than a book. Same with kids. We've gone from having to rush through a quick entree-only meal to being able to enjoy a drink, appetizer, entree, desert, AND waiting for the check. Our car travel time has gone from 3 hours (2 hour nap, 1 hour awake) to 4 or 5 (I haven't reached the upper limit yet!). With 5 hours of battery life, there's the potential for 7 hours. If you calculate the savings in motel rooms, this should pay for itself in about 5 years. But throw in the ability to relax, be entertained, have a second DVD player... and it's worth the investment. The only down side is that this will invite conversations from every busperson and waiter in your restaraunt!

This DVD player is THE BEST!! I bought this DVD player after researching all the info I could get my hands on about all brands and sizes of players. I love the one I chose!!! This player lasted through a long car trip (and even down the gravel road to my house) with never once a skip or a problem. I bought a plug-in that goes in the cigarette lighter that I used when the battery ran out. But actually I didn't have to use it much! I also bought a three way headphone splitter so all three of my children could watch from the back seat at once -- and I listened to the radio instead!!! It was heavenly. I would also recommend buying a carrying case that holds the player securely in the car.
Just one note on the sound -- on the freeway the hum of the tires was too loud for my children to hear the sound without headphones. But sound through headphones is amazing!!!! At home we use it without headphones and don't have any problem hearing!!! The picture is great, also. Not a single problem with the clearness and crispness of it! The screen is just the right size, and you soon get so immersed in the movie that you don't even notice it's on a smaller screen!!!! I have a four-door car, but this would work great in a mini-van. The back seat would not have a problem watching the movie -- but you'd have to pipe the sound through the car stereo system so everyone could hear well!!!
Also be informed that this DVD player can't get too hot or too cold, so plan on carrying it with you when you go places -- as it probably should not sit in a parked car in extreme weather!
Love this DVD player!!!

This player had good picture quality and sound, however, the unit boke just over a year after purchase. The picture still works but the audio no longer comes through. It is going to cost $150 to repaire and the warranty just ran out. Needless to say I will not purchase a toshiba as my next player.

I've had this player for a month, and this is an excellent machine considering the price. In fact, within its price range, I would rate it at 5 stars.

Pros: low price, handles both Dolby Digital and DTS, has both component and S-video outputs, plays even "difficult" discs like The Matrix without any problems, excellent audio and video quality.

Cons: remote is not as intuitive as it could be, the only digital audio out is coax (no optical output) so make sure your receiver can accommodate a coax input (or willing to buy one that can), can't play CD-R discs, S-video and coax digital cables not included, menu access only from remote.

For a DVD player under $300, the SD1200 is unbeatable.

As most of the reviews indicate, this is a very good DVD player at a bargain price. I auditioned players from Samsung and Panasonic in the same price range. Although both of those brands performed adequately, each was deficient in at least one critical area. The Samsung had a tendency to randomly skip over seconds worth of movie; this was true of every DVD disc I played in the two-day period, ranging from recent sci-fi (Lost In Space) to an old classic (Casablanca). The Panasonic was considerably more in price, had more features on paper, but it's performance was not up to the task. Although it had no problem playing the discs, the video quality was not as impressive as even the cheaper Samsung. In addition, at least one of the remote functions seemed to not work (VSS, to enable the virtual surround sound feature). Finally, in order to change settings you have to locate the proper icon (which are almost as intuitive as ancient hieroglyphics) from a series of display menus. Those items not accessible from the display menu have to be accessed through an "action" button.

So finally to the Toshiba. I went to Amazon to read customer reviews, and noted that this Toshiba was both the top seller, and also garnered the most positive reviews. Satisfied that this component had potential, I went to a local Best Buy and asked the sales person his recommendation. Without hesitation he recommended the Toshiba for it's top performance at a very reasonable cost. While there are other models out there with seemingly more bells and whistles, this unit will play movies flawlessly, and has the most useful features for the average consumer. Finally, Toshiba has a reputation for designing and manufacturing top-notch home electronic components. This DVD player is no exception to that rule, and furthers Toshiba's reputation as a leader in home audio/video components.

The only slight I can find with this model is the size of the remote buttons; for the average male, the buttons are much too small and close together. But once you get past that small inconvenience you appreciate how good this player really is.

This ultimate gadget is a must-have for a true gadget junkie (like myself). I got the DVD L-10 when it first came out and now, the DVD L-50. Sure, it runs hot after a few hours, but so does every portable PC DVD. Please notice that almost everyone that complains about this unit still rates it 5 stars because the movie watching experience itself is awesome. The "1 star" folks obviously didn't buy it or even see it up close. Mine stays hooked up to my home theatre system with the optical audio and S-video connectors when I'm not traveling. I own a Sony VAIO notebook computer with DVD and would ALWAYS choose to view a movie on the DVD L-10 because the quality of the viewing experience is that much better. The hardware MPEG of the DVD L-10 instead of the software MPEG of every laptop except the Apple G3 powerbook is the main reason.

I see all the negative reviews here in which people say you should get a laptop with a DVD drive instead, but I completely disagree. The laptop is heavier, more expensive, sucks up battery life faster, and isn't as readily connected to various pieces of audio-visual equipment in your home. I bought this unit so I could have the best of both worlds: I keep it hooked up to my home theater system on a day to day basis, then unplug it and take it on the road with me for long car trips and flights. Its value cannot be exaggerated when you're looking for a means of keeping a four-year-old happy and quiet while buckled into a seat for two or more hours. Also, it's perfect for family cabin and timeshare trips since you can bring a whole library of movies and plug the unit into virtually any TV once you get there. And if there's no TV just use the flip-up screen. About that screen---I've found that my movie watching experience is different when using it, and in fact I feel MORE "pulled in" than when watching on my bigscreen TV. Finally, regarding the speakers on the unit: if you use headphones instead of the speakers, the dolby surround effect will amaze you. I don't know how they did it, but it's just like being in the theater.

I bought this player when it first came out in 1999. It's the most reliable electronic product I've ever owned. I've traveled all over the world with it, including to Canada, China, Italy, North Dakota, Vermont, and St Croix. It has saved me from going crazy on long flights. I've shoved it in my backpack and carried it all over the place. It even got wet in a rainstorm once. It's tough. After at least 1000 hours of playing time, I've never had any problems with it. The battery still keeps it's charge even after 5 years of frequent use. The display is just as sharp as it was when I first bought it.

I highly recommend it if you plan on getting a used player.

for the money this is awesome. i have a really nice powered surround speaker system for my computer but i don't really need it for my computer. so i got this dvd player and hooked up my surround sound to the dvd players 5.1 rca outputs. this is the cheapest dvd player i've found with the built in dd decoder. plus this player plays vcd's and svcd's, i've tested them. and i've heard of a region-free hack but haven't tried it. the picture quality is really good. i can't see any difference between it's picture quality and playstation 2's dvd player's picture quality. but i have seen worse. and i have the component video output so it's really nice. i think the remote is very user-friendly and responsive but not that stylish. the remote also has all of the buttons you want. and the set-up menu is pretty useful. there are a good amount of useful things you can mess around with in it.
what i don't like about the dvd player is it's compact size. it's not full component size so it looks a little weird, but i don't really care. also the buttons on the front of the dvd player are kinda cheap. that's it really.

I was looking for a DVD without region code lock. Most machines are >$300, since they add a chip. Found info on DVDhelp.com. They didn't have this model since it is new. An older model 300 had a code you could imput thru the controller, and lets you look at DVD disc from thruout the world. I took a chance on this inexpensive machine, and the trick worked. Now I've moved my expensive Sony 5 discs player to my bedroom, and hook this to my big screen TV. Plays DVD, VCD with no problems. Only had it for 2 weeks, can't wait to try other types of discs. DIVX doesn't work, but I didn't think it would.

I've taken three of them all of them are working with no complaints. Have so many features like MP3, vcd, svcd, dvd, recordable dvd, photo disc play.

I purchased the LA-95 last year for a roundtrip flight from NY to Hawaii. From the reviews, I knew that I needed something to extend the battery life if I wanted to use it for more than a couple of hours without recharging. I purchased the extended battery from Panasonic which worked beautifully, more than six total hours. I also purchased what was advertised as an adaptor for use in the car or with airline power outlets from J + R. It turned out to be incompatible. I was able to connect the player to tvs in every place we stayed but one, so we had dvd movies everywhere we needed them which was not very often since we were in Hawaii. I've taken it on every plane ride since and have hooked it up to tvs in many hotels and condos. As long as there's a compatible input, I can watch movies. One little glitch did develop a few months ago. The lcd screen got what looked like a black splash across the screen which obscured the picture. Since it was under warrantee, I had it fixed for $65. They replaced the lcd panel. Fortunately, I only had to drive to New Jersey. My other option was to ship it to Texas. I don't know how this happened since it had been stored for about 3 months in a padded case in the closet, not dropped or mishandled. It must be very delicate. I did not ask how much it would have cost to repair if it wasn't under warrantee; I was afraid to know since between the unit and the extended battery, I have a considerable investment. It is a LOT of fun, though and you're never stuck with airplane or expensive hotel movies.

I've tried to imagine what our road trip with 3 small children from northern California to southern New Mexico would have been like without this player, but I shudder every time I try. The picture quality of the Panasonic DVD-LA95 is excellent for a portable and the sound quality and volume were sufficient enough to enable our kids to watch their favorite DVDs in a noisy minivan without the need for clumsy headphones. But more importantly, this player provided me and my wife with a peace and quiet you just can't put a price on. No having to endure the dreaded "Are we there yet?" mantra coming from the back seat. No shouts of "Daaaaaad, he's on my side!" or "I'm bored!" to contend with. A true sanity-saver. My only complaint was the short battery life and the somewhat cryptic setup menu. Neither of which would prevent me from highly recommending this player to other parents planning cross-country vacations with a carload of kids. However, if you plan on taking this unit on the road, do yourself a favor and purchase a cigarette lighter adapter. You'll be glad you did. The unit has also proved to be an excellent in-home player for the TV in our bedroom. After extensive research online and through local retailers, I found the Panasonic DVD-LA95 to be the best portable DVD player on the market. If only they had these things when I was a kid.

The 9" screen cannot be beat. Although I must admit that the sound and the picture quality on the Sharp 8" player (which is cheaper) is moderately better, the LA-95 is overall the best portable player. It also does not get any sleeker than this. It is very easy to use, extremely light, and has the best collection of portable accessories of any new players (many of the older Panasonic model's accessories work with the LA-95). After all - if I am going to watch a DVD movie at home - why wouldn't I watch from my big screen TV? I recommend getting the optional battery pack CGP-H501... and/or the the XTend airline power adapter if you plan on (as I do) using on long trips to keep your children occupied. I am not sure, though, if I will ever need to play any of those other formats (what exactly is DVD-RAM?). By the way - cartoons look the best and color sci fi the worst.

It's ok, but can't watch VCDs with it.

Like everyone else i was excited to join the DVD hoopla, and as usual I jumped on the bandwagon. This DVD player fits my sytem perfectly. I have a DVD player, a VCR and a TV, I own none of this dolby digital crap and to put it simply I don't need it. This DVD player will work great if you're either not into, or don't have the money(me) for the extra recievers and speakers. It is easy to use and cheap. The start up time, picture and sound are all enormous upgrades from my VCR. I gave this DVD player only 4 stars because I fail to see the superiority of the Virtual Surround Sound. If you're just looking for a simplistic, affordable DVD player, this is it. One other suggestion, don't get suckered into buying the S-Video cable, it is a waste of money, just use the RCA cables it comes with, i fail to see a vast difference in the picture that the S-Video cable boasts of.

I have owned this player for about a month now. I am very, very satisfied with it. It has played every DVD without problem. The sound and picture are great.

It doesn't play CD-R's but I didn't plan to use this as a CD player and I don't have many CD-R's to begin with. Also, it does not have the built in dolby digital processor for true surround sound. I am not an audiophile and if you are not either, you will probably not notice the difference. The Panasonic does feature a simulated surround sound which is good enough for me and well worth the savings I would have otherwise spent on a DVD with the processor.

I also considered the Sony 360 and the Pioneer 333, and they also seem like great players. I don't know what advantages they give, but I so far have found no short comings on my Panasonic. I also did a considerable amount of shopping around and could not find prices better than Amazon. And you can never beat their service.

If you have VHS now, you can't go wrong with a DVD. Buy this Panasonic DVD player and you will ask yourself why you held onto your VCR for so long.

My purchase of the Toshiba SD1600 was my first outing in the world of DVD. I purchased the player based SOLELY on the reviews it received here at Amazon. Needless to say, I have not been disappointed. First of all...this thing is as silent as a Stealth Bomber. My computer makes more noise than the SD1600. Another thing is the output options. It has both component and S-Video coupled with RCA's to best suit your needs. I'm using the S-Video and RCA-audios both with Monster Cables. One suggestion--spend the extra money and get Monster Cables. You can get them right here at Amazon. You won't be sorry! NEVER use the cheap factory cables that come with your player...using these will downgrade your picture and sound.

The remote is fairly easy to use. After the horror stories I've heard of some players being too small with miniscule buttons, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use.

Oh, when plugging in the outputs, don't be afraid to PUSH HARD, as to tightly secure the cable to the unit. It's a tight fit, but that's the way it is supposed to be.

Another reason I am so happy with my DVD player is the transparent display menu, allowing you to make adjustments while playing a movie. I bought this DVD player primarily because I wanted to watch The X-Files Season 1 and 2 boxed sets. With its quick response time, three-speed fastfowarding, effortless chapter skip and three level zoom, watching is truly a pleasure. The best part is, if I decide to upgrade my television a little later on (I just bought a new 27" Sanyo, and I'm happy with it), the DVD player will be an easy transition.

There are many other amenities this player offers, but there is no way I can list them all. Bottom line: This player is an excellent player at an unbelievable price. I'll buy Toshiba again!

The remote is fairly easy to use. After the horror stories I've heard of some players being too small with miniscule buttons, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use.

Oh, when plugging in the outputs, don't be afraid to PUSH HARD, as to tightly secure the cable to the unit. It's a tight fit, but that's the way it is supposed to be.

Another reason I am so happy with my DVD player is the transparent display menu, allowing you to make adjustments while playing a movie. I bought this DVD player primarily because I wanted to watch The X-Files Season 1 and 2 boxed sets. With it's quick response time, three-speed fastfowarding, effortless chapter skip and three level zoom, watching is truly a pleasure. The best part is, if I decide to upgrade my television a little later on (I just bought a new 27" Sanyo, and I'm happy with it), the DVD player will be an easy transition.

There are many other ammenities this player offers, but there is no way I can list them all. Bottom line: The SD1600 is an excellent player at an ubelievable price. I'll buy Toshiba again!

The Toshiba SD 1600 is a great entry-level DVD player. In terms of picture and sound quality this very affordable unit really delivers. In fact, from the moment I pulled my Toshiba DVD player out of its box, I've experienced 100% satisfaction.

Set up is a cinch. The owner's manual is easy to follow and I had my unit up and running in a matter of minutes. Initially, I hooked up the player using cheap video cables (included in box) and the picture was washed out. I immediately switched to a pair of Monster cables and was blown away by the clarity and definition of the picture (Widescreen movies look especially great when played through this unit). It's certainly worthwhile to fork over a few extra bucks for a pair of quality cables.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of the SD 1600 is the Virtual Surround Sound capability. With a simple click of the remote, an ordinary pair of stereo speakers will produce a lively (and loud) 3-dimensional sound. This feature is a blessing for those (such as myself) who don't yet have the budget, or the time, to shop for an elaborate home theatre sound system.

The remote control is laid-out fairly well and takes only a short time to grow accustomed to. My only complaint is that the remote is not illuminated and is difficult to navigate in the dark. The Fast Forward and Reverse modes are lighting quick --moving along at up to 30 times the speed of the original picture! Those who like to read tiny film credits will love the Zoom feature which greatly enlarges the screen image.

I've been a Toshiba owner for over a year (also have the similar SD 2109)and have never encountered a single problem with the player or any DVD disc. The picture quality and the Virtual Surround Sound are first rate. Overall, I think this is an excellent unit. I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a quality DVD player at an affordable price.

I have had the Toshiba SD-1600 for a few years now. We have never had any trouble playing dvd's on it. I'm looking for another dvd player. (This one for my daughter.) I was going to get one with a little newer technology, but after reading reviews on so many different brands I think I might buy another one of these. I was disappointed with how many brands seemed to die in the first year. If you are looking for a dependable dvd player this one would be a good choice.

A couple of friends picked this up a few months ago and raved about it, so I thought I might pick it up even though I already own a laptop-TV cable. As others have said, the video looks better on this player than it does on the laptop. I wholeheartedly recommend this thing. <br /> <br /> One problem though: it doesn't play Qpal (yet), and some newer codecs making the rounds. Although future firmware updates will probably correct this, just know that some video files might get all screwy (sound is still ok, though).

I recently purchased the Philips DVP642 DVD player and I am quite pleased with it. I have a lot of files in .avi format, and it takes me several hours to encode them in DVD, SVCD, or VCD format to play on a DVD player. Now, with this player, I can just put my .avi files onto CD-Rs, pop them in the DVD player let the machine do the rest.

The quality that AVI, DIVX, and MPEG-4 are displayed in is amazing. The files play much better than they do on my home computer. This is thanks to a "smart" technology that the player uses to enhance compressed video. Many scenes will appear in almost DVD quality.

Many users have complained about the sloppy interface. I tend to disagree. Although other DVD players offer far better interfaces, this one holds up quite well. It will not distract from the overall experience you will have with this product. The remote control feels more like a television remote, though.

This unit is not perfect. It doesn't play Nero Digital MPEG-4s. There isn't any sound on non-VOB structured MPEG-2 files, nor is there any sound when miniDVDs are played (but who uses those anyways). However, a simple file conversion program will solve most of these problems allowing you to keep up to 2 hours of very good quality video on one CD. No DVD players are perfect and the bottom line is for $70 this unit is a steal. If you have a lot of video files laying around on your cpu and a cd burner, this player is a must buy.

This dude rocks! I have always wanted DVD player that would play divx format - in fact this is the first DVD player I've owned because I had heard a while ago that divx would be supported in the near future - so I waited...until I saw this unit! It plays every media format advertised with no problem. It even read discs that I could not read on the PC that created the discs! It's just like a normal computer filesystem when you burn multiple divx movies or mp3's onto one DVD - you browse through the folders and pick which file you want, press play, blamo! I was skeptical about the slogan on the box (paraphrasing - "put any disc in, it'll read it!") but not now, simply awesome - especially at the price! The only thing I wish they would have done different is put a ff/rw button on the unit (you have to use the remote) and make the file menu easier to scroll page by page rather than file by file (1000 mp3's takes a while!) Still, for the price and functionality, definitely a solid 5 star rating. - Jason

I bought this player 4 months ago when it was first released from Japan while on a trip to Asia. I did extensive researches prior to buying this player and I bought it for its value for money, performance, picture/sound quality and ease of use.

Now, I'm not a serious audiophille or do I intend to spend huge amount of dollars to get those top of the range DVD player (ie. Onkyo, Yamaha, etc). I want something practical, which I believe most of you do as well. And guess what? Surprise, surprise -- I've got so much more than what I bargained for.

The picture is superb, sharp and crisp on my 30 inch Loewe TV. Colour is bright and does not "bleed". Sound is excellent when connected to my Yamaha 795a and no audio-sync problems. In addition, the zoom function, built-in DD5.1, DTS(sounds better than DD!) and HDCD(remarkable audio quality) encoders, component-colourstream and S-video output, dual disc trays and virtual N2-2 surround sound for those with a 2 speaker setup system made this unit complete with features. Mine has got two additional mic inputs for Karaoke and it's gold in colour but are of the same parts and build. It's easy to setup and use as well. Having said this, find me a DVD player that is close in comparison in regards to price, performance and function.

About compability issues -- ZIPPO! Now, do bear in mind that my DVD is Region 5, and although it has been multi-zoned, it played Saving Private Ryan (DTS -- Region 1), Haunting, US Marshalls, Deep Blue Sea (all DD -- Reg 1),Matrix, Mummy, Fifth Element, Tomorrow Never Dies(DD -- Reg 4), T2, True Lies (DD -- Reg 5) flawlessly without any lock-ups, freezes, pauses (except for changing layers for dual-layered discs) or audio-sync problems.

I guess it is unfortunate that some reviewers have problems with this player. Maybe you should examine your connections properly and call up Toshiba for assistance before jumping the gun about this unit? I have 2 other relatives who bought this unit from here (Reg 4) upon my recommedation and they too did not have any problems with it.

Maybe I do agree with some reviewers that the remote is chunky but it serves its purpose very well. Besides, who buys a unit (VCR, amp, tv for that matter) for it's remote anyway? Get a Universal remote and that should solve the problem.

In conclusion, I would say this is an awesome purchase. It's definitely worth every dollar spent on it. Have a read in those DVD magazines and you'll find the SD-3109 unit get very good ratings and reviews from professional audiophilles. I would suggest you visit your local electrical outlet to see it for yourself. Get it, you won't regret it!

Hope my contribution helps.

In december I purchased this (Region 1 player) for a reallygood deal and I didn't go wrong. I'm only 16, so this was no smallpurchase for me; and I learned it was well worth the money! I'm not just saying this because I'm blown away by DVD in general, but because I've seen other players, and this one holds strong against others. I use the built in DD (Dolby Digital) decoder because I have no DD decoder in our amp (just 6 channel discrete input). I've heard it when hooked up to a DD amp with a optical digital cable, and it seems better, but mine was still a lot better than VHS, and I also don't have really high end speakers, but still have low-end Infinty. The picture looks great on the 35" JVC TV, but I can't use component video on it, just S-Video, still looks fine though. I've tried 3 CDs with HDCD encoding, but the player didin't realize that they were HDCD compatible, i don't know why, maybe 'cause I've got it hooked up with anolog cables with the 6 CH Discrete. The zooming isn't really necessary, but that doesn't mean this player is a waste of money! The dual disc system is an added bonus, not really an extra cost, so hey why not? All the outputs are gold plated too. I've played at least 25-30 discs, and haven't noticed a flaw in playback at all. The only (MINOR) "hickup" was during "The Bone Collector" where for about 1 or 2 seconds, the picture sort of froze and sound was lost, then it came back, the disc may have been dirty though - rented. As for the remote, i don't know how much better other players' remotes are, but this one is fine, a lot better than the Panasonic A-120s is, easier to use in terms of setting up anyway. The shape is kinda weird of the remote though. One thing that was a real bonus, like mentioned below, is how easy it was to set up. Once hooked up (I don't know what the heck people are talking about when they say they couldn't even get it hooked up) you do about 2 minutes of set up with the easy on screen menu of stting up sound, tv screen size (4:3, 16X9) and a bit others, and then your ready! It would be nice to get a widescreen HDTV though, they say the Widescreen DVDs especially, look better on these TVs, the "compressed" image is supposed (and does!) look even better. The only annoying thing is, is that I haven't gotten my 5 free movies yet, maybe the mail is extremely slow and it didn't get there in time. You can't go wrong, honestly!

I've had my 3109 for about 4 years now. It was my first purchased DVD player, and i've never regretted it. I think back then I paid on Ebay for new - $230 (including shipping).

I put in a lot of time watching DVDs, at least 6-8 hours a week. The setup menu is detailed and useful, the image has always been great through s-video, the sound has never let me down. The double-tray has proven useful over time. The zoom has always been fun. The multi-angle was cool for the two movies that had it (6-string Samuarai was one). I've had some noticeable pausing from time to time with double-layer DVDs, and recently it balked at playing a particular disk that it's played before. he recent upgrade of my TV has prompted me to get a replacement DVD player with a DVI port. Aside from that one DVD, I'm still playing movies whilst waiting for the replacement momitsu 880 to arrive.

If you're considering getting this now, keep in mind:
1) no progressive-scan
2) no DVD-R, DVD+RW, etc. format disks
3) no MP3, though it does read CD-Rs with wav files

You're probably better off buying an 80 dollar new Toshiba or Panny but if it's a hand-me-down the image and sound quality are excellent. I'll be retiring this player to the bedroom.

I must say that portable dvd players are expensive but they are worth every penny. I have used every portable dvd player model with the exception of the new sony, and the sharp is by far the best. Picture quality is incredible, several times better than any competing models.My units screen, it clear and has no dead spots. I love how the brightness and contrast etc can be adjusted easily (a feature exclusive to the sharp). Also if you have read reviews for any portable dvd player you have heard that the sound quality is poor, this is not true, I have used my sharp in every possible situation and never had a need for headphones. The sound is incredible. Also the external connection to the battery may seem like a hindrance but i find it easy, connecting charger/battery/unit, is simple. Although the remote is great i do (like many others) wish that is was slimmer like competing models. Also i find the claims to be met, battery lasts 3 hours. Overall this is the best bang for your buck. The sharp portable dvd-l70u is miles ahead of the competitors

I have just recently purchased the Sharp DV-L70U Portable DVD Player from Amazon.

My line of work requires me to travel frequently, and even though I am lucky to be able to fly business class, it sure is a hassle watching movies. Due to the frequency of travel, I pretty much have seen all what the airlines have to offer several times over. Besides, since airline movies run continuously, one better stays in its seat while watching. Any bathroom break might make you miss the important scene you have been waiting for. I also like to mention, that many of the on-board monitors are in such bad shape, that watching a movie becomes more a guessing game than an enjoyable event.

Thanks to my new portable DVD, this is now a thing of the past. The Sharp DV-L70U is compact and the 7 inch screen surprises with outstanding picture quality. It is easy to use and provides, combined with a good set of Noise Reduction Headphones, a place of escape and tranquility even in the most crowded and noisy places.

Thumps up to: Great picture, good sound through earphones and speakers, compact size, ability to play DVD and Music CD's, high quality product

Thumps down to: Relative short battery life (just over 3 hours), limited control panel on unit (many options are only accessible via remote control).

In summary, after comparing the sharp to all the other products currently available, I feel that the DV-L70U is the best player on the market today.

I also recommend the Boostaro head phone amplifier, that allows up to three head phones to be connected to the player, and boost 40% more power to the head phones. Combined with a membership at Netflix.com my airline flights are now movie hassle free, and even the dreaded delays are now more easily to deal with.

I purchased this player over a year ago and have used it constantly with no problems. People marvel at the outstanding picture and ease of operation. I cant say enough about this player except get one,compare it to others and you will see my point of view.