Entered CNET Catalog: 08/05/2001
SKU: DVD-LV60
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Manufacturer description
The DVD-LV60 portable DVD player from Panasonic offers popular home theater features like Cinema Mode and Dialogue Enhancer in an ultra lightweight and compact package. Convenience features include high-speed smooth-motion scan, auto switching field/frame still, forward and reverse frame advance, and chapter preview. With twin laser pickup, regular-format CDs as well as home-recorded CD-R and CD-RW media with MP3s can be played along with your DVDs. The LV60 player is equipped with S-video outputs, Dolby Digital and DTS output, standard audio/video outs, and optical digital-audio outputs for convenient connection to a TV and audio system. An easy-to-use joystick-type control is featured on the unit. Nothing brings home the cinema experience like DVD, including the enjoyment of rich theater like sound. But sometimes a movie's soundtrack can overwhelm a scene and even drown out the dialogue. The Dialogue Enhancer feature conveniently solves this problem by boosting the volume of the center channel, where most of the principal dialogue emanates when playing a Dolby Digital 5.1 disc, by 6 dB, so viewers don't have to strain to hear the actors during a noisy scene. The Cinema Mode feature is sure to be a film aficionados' favorite. When selected, Cinema Mode enhances the picture by reducing glare, softening resolution, and improving visibility of details in dark scenes, resulting in a more realistic, cinema-like image. The model DVD-LV60 features an impressive 5.8-inch 16: 9 widescreen LCD monitor and built-in stereo speakers. It is expected to deliver up to three hours of playback time (on the lowest brightness setting) from a single charge from the included rechargeable battery pack. The Panasonic DVD-LV60 is Energy Star compliant and comes with audio-video cables, an AC adapter, and slim remote control.Product summary
The good: Sleek, compact design; decent battery life; plays MP3s, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs.
The bad: Could be a little less expensive.
The bottom line: If you're looking for a no-frills ultraportable player, this is a good choice.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 06/11/2002
A shade more than a pound
At 1.19 pounds with the included battery pack attached, this portable, 1.1-by-6.25-by 5.5-inch player takes up little space in a travel bag. It has only a 5.8-inch, wide-screen display, which we found to be quite acceptable for viewing movies. We would have even been willing to go a little smaller had Panasonic been able to trim the player and its price a bit.
Like the other models in Panasonic's line of portable DVD players, the DVD-LV60 is sleek and offers the same attractive blue trim and multidirectional mouse button/jog dial as the DVD-LA95, as well as a small, easy-to-use remote for home use. This model's mouse button doesn't have a blue backlight, and neither the transport (next chapter, previous chapter, pause) nor the power on/off buttons are backlit. That would have been a nice touch, but we didn't find this to be a major drawback.
Around the side, you'll find a couple of minijack outputs that allow you to connect the player to your TV, as well as a surround-sound A/V receiver. As noted, the player supports playback of DVD-As, CD-Rs, MP3 CDs, and select DVD-Rs. Additionally, there's a Dolby Digital and a DTS-compatible optical audio output (cable not included). You get a minimal set of picture-adjustment options--we kept the brightness and color setting set to their lowest levels--as well your basic DVD features, including the ability to scan forward and backward at multiple speeds by simply holding down the chapter-advance or Back buttons.
All in all, we had no major gripes with the display, and found we could still view the movie from an off-axis position, which means someone sitting in the seat next to you on a plane won't have a problem watching the movie along with you. That said, a more expense portable player such as Toshiba's SD-P1500, has a sharper screen.
Works fine at home, too
Besides using the player on a few coast-to-coast flights, we took the time to hook it up to a 30-inch, HD-ready and an analog 27-inch Toshiba set. Viewing the Training Day DVD, we noticed that picture and sound quality was what you'd expect from a $150 home player--that is, decent but not exceptionally good. While there's an S-Video output, there's no component video connection for optimal picture quality. Since this unit is interlaced-only, users with higher-end TVs will want to invest in a progressive-scan player. The LV60 is ideal for setting up with a hotel room TV or in a conference room.
Aside from a more compact design, the other main advantage to having a smaller screen is increased battery life. Panasonic says you can get up to four hours of battery life from the included detachable, lithium-ion battery pack, and we were able to match and even exceed that number by a few minutes, so long as we kept the brightness set to the lowest level. In other words, it's possible to watch two movies on a flight.
We're not quite sure how well the DVD-LV60 would fare with the kids in the back of a car since a car-mounting kit isn't offered, but we can say this unit is pretty ideal for frequent travelers who want an ultraportable, nearly one-pound player that sticks to the basics and doesn't cost a boatload. If you can find this one for $550 or less, it's seriously worth considering.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9out of 9 user reviews
Perfect size
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FANTASTIC PACKAGE
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One GREAT investment
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out of 9 user reviews
4hrs battery, can play mp3 CDs, period!!!
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out of 9 user reviews
too expensive... small screen
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out of 9 user reviews
Great CD/DVD Player
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Best deal I've seen
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out of 9 user reviews
Beats all the rest
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out of 9 user reviews
if you travel and need a second player in the house, why not
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