- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 9 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Excellent, well built product."
Pros: solid build quality, dual headphone jacks, one-piece tablet
Cons: Exposed screen, no lanyard
Summary: Full user opinion
The Sony D-VE7000S is a very nicely built device that will be appreciated by those who like a quality-feel to their electronic equipment. I've only had this device for 48 hours and therefore do not have any long-term data yet. However,what attracted me to this device was precisely the one-piece tablet construction as well as the solid feel of the device itself. One of the reasons that I had deferred purchasing a portable DVD player in the past was the fact that all previous portable DVD players I had seen on the market were quite flimsy in construction with their typical screen-lids being prone to breakage and wobble after some usage. The Sony D-VE7000S remedies all that with the solid one-piece construction. I find it amusing that a previous reviewer was critical of the left-sided placement of the duel earphone jacks (causing the earphone cords to cross in front of the screen in order to reach a second viewer seated to the right of the unit.) The gentleman/woman is evidently spatially challenged as the obvious solution is simply to have the second viewer sitting to the left of the one holding the device. Another reviewer disliked the built-in battery, but this is actually an advantage in that the battery cannot get lost and is not easily damaged. Recharging is fast and easy using either the speaker docking cradle or the AC adapter. In addition, I believe (but am not yet certain) that the device can be powered directly from the AC adapter if the battery runs down. The absence of built-in speakers is not a negative point at all but rather an intelligent design item that allows for a better build in the main unit itself, leaving the speakers in the docking cradle. This allows for much better sound quality and stereo effect from the speakers in the docking cradle, being wider apart than would have been possible if they were in the unit itself and allows the viewer to take full advantage of the sound equalizer which can be set for various sound modes. In any case, it is rare that more than two people ever effectively crowd around a portable DVD player anyway, and those two people each have their own separate earphone jacks. Not a problem, but rather a plus, in my opinion. I found picture quality to be excellent while viewing "Saving Private Ryan" with great detail during the Normandy Beach Landing scene. The sound quality was excellent from both the earphones as well as the docking cradle speakers. The only criticism I have so far is that the main unit does not seem to seat firmly on the contacts of the docking cradle, there being a little "wobble" in the coupling, but this is a minor point that may be improved with any subsequent generation of the D-VE7000S, should there be one. I would highly recommend the separate purchase of a high quality carrying case as the one supplied with the D-VE7000S is too thin to provide any significant protection from dropping and has no storage compartments for accessories. I also purchased a screen protector intended for a laptop computer and cut it to size to fit the D-VE7000S's screen in order to protect the high quality LCD screen from scratching. All in all, the D-VE7000S appears to be an excellent product from Sony. Highly recommended.Updated
P.S. The other issue that is a negative is the lack of a lanyard or strap to secure the unit to the hand. One drop onto a hard surface could cause some serious damage. Therefore, I would recommend using this DVD player only while seated at a table or while reclining on a sofa or bed.
