Panasonic DVD-LV75 7 in. Portable DVD Player

If you have been considering buying a portable DVD player, this is the one to have, hands down.
I recently took an airplane flight, and had the privilege of seeing a DVD movie on a friends laptop. While the laptop was a little big for the tray space, I was taken by the convenience of having movies on-demand without having to depend on the airline. Being that the laptop was too big to comfortably fit on the tray table, I started to entertain the idea of buying a portable DVD player. Many friends said that I should just buy a laptop, but a laptop with the features I would want would cost at least $2500.00.
The size of the portable player and price were much more within the range of money I had to burn on such a frivolous purchase. What I can tell you is that it was worth every penny. The player performs beautifully, and the difference between the 5" and 5.8" screens of some models and the 7" screen on the LV75 are worlds apart.
First of all, I did extensive research online to find which of the newest players had the most features and the best picture quality/versatility.
The Panasonic LV75 turned out to be head and shoulders above the others (Sharp DV-L70U and Pioneer 7" screen player). I recommend the investment into the 7" model. The screen on the Panasonic boasts 337,000 pixels. The resolution for DVD is 720X480 pixels. When I worked out the math, the result is that this player will show every pixel that was on the DVD disc without loss or truncation.
There are too many features to name here on this player, so I will just give you the URL for the player and you can check it out yourself:
http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/dvd/portable.htm#
Even though this player lists at $1399.00, I was able to find it online for substantially less. The best price I could find locally in San Francisco at stores was $1299.00, but online I found it for $997.00
After I bought the LV-75, I did some further research, and went to Frys Electronics near San Jose to see the competitors models in person. The sharp is pretty good looking, but the Pioneer looks and feels cheap in comparison to the Panasonic.
The look of the screen is wonderful, and the built in speakers are better than expected, although headphones are probably the way to go, since you can really hear the digital stereo separation. The Virtual Surround Sound circuit also works quite well. The battery will last up to 4 hours which is good for 2 movies. I also want to add that the player works very well as a home player, and the built in screen can be used as a monitor for a video camera as well.
I also enjoy the fact that now I can show my friends a DVD movie at their homes on their TVs because of the portability of the unit. That is a big difference for me. Up until now I HAD to bring someone to MY home to share this new technology with them.
I have always wanted "movies in my hand" since I was a little kid. I just can't describe how cool it is to have movies anywhere anytime. This is an expensive toy, but if you have the money, it is totally worth it.
Frequent travellers will also find this player to be a wonderful addition to their in-flight accessories!
2 very strong thumbs up!