Panasonic DVD-LS55 7 in. Portable DVD Player

I just returned from a year-long deployment in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. As a defense attorney, I spent a lot of time traveling throughout theater and staying in remote locations. There is a lot of down time traveling by Space Required Air, and the remote locations don't offer a lot to keep you occupied during down time. Solution? Get a portable DVD player.

Since I wanted instant gratification, I was limited to what the PX (post exchange) carried. The first player I purchased was from the exchange in Balad; I got an 8" player made by a Chinese manufacturer, the name of which I don't recall. I paid $199 and got a DVD player that skipped and paused even when there were no flaws on the disc itself. I returned this to the PX in Kuwait and bought a Panasonic DVD-LS50, then saw that the LS-55 had more features and was on sale for $50 less. It was a no-brainer.

I used the LS-55 in a few different environments: tents, barracks, PAX (passenger) terminals, former Soviet compounds, and even outside. The unit performed despite varying temperature and humidity. It operated in visible fog as well as in 20-degree temperatures in my B-hut in Afghanistan.

The player is lightweight and a good size to take just about anywhere. Even in a padded case, it's the size of a hardback book and not much heavier. It runs on either direct A/C or off a battery, and it is a multiple voltage system, meaning it works just about anywhere with a plug adapter. I don't recall if this came with a plug adapter, but even if it didn't, you can find a plug adapter in most electronics stores for $1 to $5.

The speakers that came with the system are pretty good; I was happy using just them when I had some privacy. When I didn't have privacy, headphones worked just as well. Nice thing about this system: 2 headphone jacks. It's made to share. Image quality is good, though the screen does need to be tilted away from you a bit to see the darker ranges of the image. The multiple swivel points on the screen come in handy for this; it doesn't just open and shut on one hinge, but has dual hinges. The screen can even be folded nearly flat facing up from the top of the unit, which can come in handy in tight spaces (like a bottom bunk or in the cargo seats on a C-130). The screen doesn't have a wide side relief range, by which I mean if you're not directly in front of it or close to it, you won't see much.

If you have a TV handy, you can get a bigger image and save on battery life, as the DVD will keep spinning when the display is closed (the built-in speakers and the monitor shut off automatically when you close the screen down). It comes with a remote, which is handy for operating it with a TV but is not necessary when you are viewing it on the built-in screen -- you'll want to be close enough to operate it manually. This is another plus in and of itself -- there are some portable DVD players that CANNOT be fully operated without the remote. This seems ridiculous to me, and I'm glad Panasonic put all the buttons you need right on the player itself.

The unit comes with RCA cables for playing mono and stereo on a TV. The controls are easy and intuitive. I really liked the design of the forward and reverse wheel; you can speed forward or back up at the touch of a finger, and the harder you turn the control, the faster the speed.

The instructions say this is good with multiple disc formats, including CD-R, CD-RW, and some formats of data DVD. I haven't tried any writable DVDs in it (other than the bootleg DVDs that abound in Iraq and Afghanistan), but I have used it to play music CDs. I believe it is MP3 compatible.

Although I haven't had a problem with anything breaking, the build quality on this isn't as good in places as I would expect for spending $250-300. The lid to the DVD well is thin plastic and is attached to the unit with a thin hinge. I can see it popping off if you're not careful. The button to open the DVD well lid seems a bit flimsy as well. Bottom line, this is a DVD player, not a SAPI plate (small arms protective insert); it's not bulletproof, but as long as you take care of it, you should be fine.

One thing I found pretty ridiculous about this item is the price of the accessories. The official Panasonic carrying case is close to $50. Worse, the optional car battery adapter for the 12v cigarette lighter is $150. That's right, $150. It's much cheaper to get an inverter for your car, and you'll be able to use it for more than just the one item. What you won't be able to skimp on is a replacement battery. If you lose the battery, or if it becomes worn out from repeated charges, it's $150 for a replacement battery. According to the manual, the life of the supplied battery is approximately 300 charges. I recommend NOT leaving the batter in the unit and leaving the unit plugged in to save on battery life.