Panasonic DVD-LV75 7 in. Portable DVD Player

The Panasonic LV75 was given to me as a gift from my fiance this Christmas. From the first opening of this gift I was simply hooked. I am an avid DVD watcher, I have an extensive library at home. However, my job has planned on me traveling more and more in the future. As a result, I find myself flying to various places, crammed into a plane on journeys long enough for a movie, but never provided.

As a result, the DVD-LV75 is wonderful. It comes in such a compact package, you can use it practically anywhere. The unit itself is about an inch from top to bottom, with the Li-Ion battery attached, it adds about another quarter to half-inch to its total height when closed. The battery will only charge when the unit is turned off, which is a slight disappointment. Practically all laptops will charge when in use. Panasonic claims the battery will last for up to FOUR hours under optimal conditions. I was able to watch both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on one charge of the battery, which is about 3 to 4 hours with the 'Special Features'.

The screen is a 7-inch LCD, and has nice vibrant colors. However, you can still see some pixelation and imperfections when watching some movies. I notice it on some of the darker, faster paces movies. The LCD is 16:9 rather than a TV standard of 4:3, so watching letter-boxed movies means you don't get the thick black lines. However, one needs to be aware that depending on the aspect ratio, you may get thin black lines even in 16:9 format. They just won't be as thick as watching it on your television.

The only gripe I have is with the remote control. I know it is purposefully made thin, but with anything that thin you have to make sure you pack it securely so it isn't broken. Plus, I can't seem to turn my unit on via the remote control. It will turn off fine, but to turn on I either need to use the side button, or hold down play.

The unit does basically everything that a regular DVD player will do. You have multiple speed fast-forward and rewind, chapter skips, angles, etc. One nice feature is you can switch monitor resolutions 'on-the-fly'. It doesn't require you to stop the movie, make changes, and restart. You can zoom in and such on the LCD monitor while the movie is in progress.

It has a built-in DTS and Dolby decoder, so that you can plug it into your system and get the expansive and rich sounds. You can also connect it to your TV to use it as a standard DVD player. The picture quality is still exceptional, but you can only connect via RCA (R/L Audio and Video) or S-Video. There is no component connections as you find on full-size players and TVs. Which is also slightly disappointing as the PlayStation 2 can handle component video out with a system-specific small connector on the PS2 side.

All in all, this is a great unit. The ability to use it both at home and away makes it ideal for anyone who can afford the steep price tag. Depending on where you look, you can expect to spend at least eight hundred for it. This is great for gadget freaks, and those who want a home DVD player that can be taken on the road. It would work wonders for entertaining the kids on a long car trip, or yourself on a long plane ride.