Pioneer PDV-LC10 7 in. Portable DVD Player

I?ll admit it. I?m a closet prima donna. The busier my life seems to get, the more fully I appreciate life?s little luxuries. Yes, I am fully aware that I don?t need Ben & Jerry?s Urban Jumble ice cream, Origins? Ginger Body Scrub or the overpriced shirt from bloomingdales.com. That?s the great part about being single. Having basically no financial responsibilities, I can occasionally indulge in expensive purchases without feeling guilty about it. (That?s also the great thing about the American Express card. No carried balances means that I don?t indulge very often.)

I suppose you?re wondering what any of that has to do with a portable DVD player. Don?t worry, I?m getting to it. See, I spend 30+ hours each month on an airplane and my company doesn?t spring for first class. Being that I?m all legs, international flights in coach are already pretty miserable. Factor in the RIDICULOUS movies some airlines choose for torturing their passengers and I?m suddenly homesick for the drudgery of my deskwork. The thought occurred to me that flights would be a lot more bearable if I just bought myself a portable DVD player.

?THEY COST $1,000!? That was a friend's reaction to the news of my planned purchase. Once he realized that I was serious, he told me to be sure and research different models before I committed to one. Unfortunately, the category was not yet a part of our fair Epinions.com. I saw an ad for a Panasonic model that looked pretty good, so I began researching that one on the net. During my sleuth-work I came upon absolutely glowing reviews of the Pioneer PVD-LC10: a less expensive model that supposedly outperformed the Panasonic DVD-L75 I had been drooling over.

After reading dozens of consumer reviews of the PVD-LC10, including some very convincing arguments on audioreview.com, I found the review that sold me at T3: http://www.t3.co.uk/visual/review.asp?ID=71. I believe the most cynical of shoppers would have taken the bait. It certainly made me comfortable enough to buy the thing.

Pampered as I may be, there was no way I was about to go for the manufacturer?s suggested retail tag of $1,545. I took a deep breath and logged on for my first visit to Ebay. It took me awhile to capture all the nuances of bidding at the last minute, but about a week later, I was the proud owner of a PVD-LC10 for the bargain price of $590. And that was including an additional four-year warrantee purchased by the previous owner.

I could copy and paste all of the technical mumbo-jumbo about the product?s features from the manufacturer?s site, but this review will be long enough without me adding a bunch of filler. I?m just going to tell you what I love about this DVD player in layman?s terms. If you need more meat, see the manufacturer?s description at http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/HomeProducts

My little PVD-LC10 is super slim and lightweight; I didn?t even buy a case for it ? I just slip it in my laptop bag with my computer. The sound from the little speakers is decent, as long as you don?t go too crazy with the volume. Plug a pair of headphones into the jack, though and the sound is absolutely fantastic. I even bought an adapter so I can plug two pairs of headphones into the jack. That way there?s no need for jealousy if I?m traveling with a colleague.

The 7? screen is the perfect travel-sized version of your home theater. If I?m not mistaken, 7? is the biggest screen currently available on a portable DVD player. I checked out some 5? screens and they seemed too small, but the 7? screens are great. The viewing angle is broader than with my laptop computer; you don?t have to adjust the position of the screen if you happen to shift in your seat.

There are three viewing options on the monitor: normal, which plays DVD?s in their original format; full, which takes the picture to widescreen format and zoom, which makes the picture completely fill the screen. The normal mode is the best from close up and zoom is OK from a distance, though the image looks quite pixilated if you are sitting too near the screen. I would not recommend the full mode for a DVD formatted to fit your TV screen. It stretches the picture and the actors look just a bit wider.

If I could change anything about the PVD-LC10, it would be the weight and power duration of the batteries. Since they only last 3 ? hours each, I bought two extra batteries for long flights and long layovers. Carrying the three batteries in my bag changes my super light DVD player to the weight of an older Compaq laptop. It?s still not bad, it?s just a lot heavier than I?d like.

Since I bought my DVD player, T3 has switched loyalties and is now extolling the virtues of the PVD-LC20, reviewed at http://www.t3.co.uk/visual/review.asp?ID=1214 . The manufacturer suggests the same retail price for both models. I?m still happy that I purchased the model that I did. The differences I could see between them in the manufacturer?s description were the following:

*The PVD-LC10 has a 3 1/2 Hour Ni-MH: Nickel Hydrogen Battery; the PVD-LC20 has about 3 Hours of playback time with a Lithium Ion Battery.

*The PVD-LC10 has a 36-key credit card style remote; the PVD-LC20 has a 32-key credit card style remote

*The PVD-LC10 comes with a battery kit (including a battery case, pack and charger), an optical digital cable and has digital output select (48kHz or 96kHz)

*The PVD-LC20 has two headphone jacks, features one-step play and is DVD/DVD-RW/Video CD/CD-R/CD-RW/CD compatible

I really love the PVD-LC10. It has made plane rides shorter, sure, but I have also found a new, very prima donna-ish use for it. After a long day at work, there?s nothing better than a long, hot bubble bath or my favorite comfort chick flick. My portable DVD player allows me to have both at the same time. It has brought a whole new level of decadence to my evening bubble baths, not to mention the fact that I languish in the tub a little longer. Pass the bon bons, please.