Panasonic DVDLS50EBS > Reviews > Scarface on the 12.05 train from Paddington

Author's product rating:   

Picture Playback	Excellent
Sound Level	Excellent
Ease of Use	Very Easy
Durability	Excellent
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Watch DVDs on the go, great playback and audio, long lasting battery, 7 - inch widescreen display
Disadvantages:	Expensive to purchase additional batteries, purchase price of unit, buttons are small and close together, no remote

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I travel by train quite regularly and find myself bored rigid on 3-4 hour journeys from London to Newcastle so after dropping a number of hints prior to Christmas I received the Panasonic DVDLS50, a tidy portable DVD player costing £279.99.

Like most portable and static DVD players new on the market, the DVDLS50 has silver colouring and gives off an air of assured quality thanks to the lightweight metal covers. Despite the metal covers and 7-inch widescreen display unit located on a support strut above the DVD drive, the DVDLS50 isn't heavy at all and doesn't compromise its portability at all. The actual weight of the DVDLS50 is only 0.8 kg, similar to a medium sized laptop computer.

The base unit containing the top loaded DVD drive is fairly slim, the fully dimensions being 19cm wide by 2.9cm deep. With the screen fully upright the entire unit only stands 16.5cm. The screen folds down very quickly when on the move and automatically turns of the player once it locks onto the base unit.

Before starting it is recommended that the battery pack located on the underside of the unit is fully charged for at least 12 hours. This is done via an AC Adapter that charges the unit as a whole without the need to remove the battery. Additional batteries are available to purchase but are expensive at £49.99.

The DVDLS50 has the capacity to play Region 2 DVD's in addition to MP3 files and VCD's. Once the battery is fully charged and a DVD inserted the player is ready to use and I personally wasn't disappointed at all. The picture is bright, clear and doesn't suffer from any form of distortion, a problem I experienced trying to play DVDs via my laptop. The sound quality via the speaker is also dazzling, and comparable to the audio playback of a TV. I had no complaints with the actual playback or audio apart from the speed at which the batteries drained when using the external speaker rather than headphones.

A good point to the player that makes viewing easier is the tilted adjustable screen. This means that the screen can be moved back and forth to suit the viewer rather than having to move the entire unit.

There is no remote control with the player therefore the only way of using the player is via the buttons located on the top of the base unit. These are standard buttons. There is the ability to play and pause, stop and skip between scenes in addition to scene search forward and backwards.

Battery life is very good. I find that after charging the unit for 8 hours in an evening it will playback for 4 hours if the headphones are used, but only 2.5 hours if I use the external speaker. I don't see either times as problems as it gives me the chance to watch at least one film before the unit needs recharging, which can be done as soon as I reach my destination.

Overall the DVDLS50 is a very handy piece of equipment that keeps me entertained on long journeys away from home, the playback is superb and it never suffers from a jerky picture even when going over uneven surfaces. The only problem or fault I can find with the player is the fact that the buttons located on the top of the base are quite small and at times I find myself pressing two buttons at once. The play and stop buttons are simply too close together.

There are lots of portable DVD players now on the market and widely available. I myself have purchased a Toshiba unit from Argos for £89.99 as a gift but wasn't impressed with the build or playback. I am really impressed with the DVDLS50, it may cost more than a run of the mill portable DVD player but it makes up for it by way of superior playback, sound quality, battery life and ease of use. This is a piece of equipment clearly aimed at people who do a large amount of travelling and I would recommend it. I personally think it is worth every penny spent on it and I will continue to enjoy movies on the go.