REVIEW: Toshiba SD-P1200 Portable DVD/CD Player

[JMedeiros]

Quote:

Originally posted by Gergor Thanks for the review John! Please let us know what you think of the panasonic. I have a years old panasonic one which I think was pretty good. It's probably time to upgrade!

I can tell you that so far I am very pleased with the Panasonic DVD-LA95, but I have only had it for a week so far. The 9" picture is great. Crisp and clear. The sound is excellent through my PortaPros. It is capable of playing DVD Video, DVD-A, DVD Ram, DVD R, Video CD and Audio CD discs. The unit has a headphone out as well as Analog and digital line outs. DD 5.1 and DTS have an onboard processors and there are also dedicated outs for all 6 channels.

I have tested the battery life and it's much better than I hoped. The brightness of the monitor ranges from -5 to +5 with +5 being the brightest. My eyes prefer the -3 setting. At this brightness setting and using the headphones, the built-in (but removable) battery lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes before I got the "low battery" signal. I then connected my Energizer ER-DVD Universal Portable DVD battery ($100) and so far have gotten an additional 4 hours out of this little powerhouse and it still appears to be 1/2 charged. I am very pleased with this extra battery...it seems to me the way to go for extra power on the go.

I have every hope that this Panasonic will prove as reliable as the ones I have enjoyed in the past. And the screen is large so I do not need my reading glasses to watch it

The other player I recently considered and spent some time with is the Panasonic LV70 ($490 at J&R). It has a 7" screen and is really a nice player. I opted for the larger screen of the LA95...but the LV70 has a fantastic 5 hour battery life...the best out there right now.

John

 

[Gergor]

Thanks John,

Are you going to try the DVD-A feature? I'd be interested in knowing how well it works.

 

[JMedeiros]

Quote:

Originally posted by Gergor Thanks John, Are you going to try the DVD-A feature? I'd be interested in knowing how well it works.

Funny you should mention it...I went to look at the DVD-As at J&R and could not find any I liked...where online is a good selection?
John

 

[akar]

When I picked up my SD-P1500 I bought the long life 5 hour battery as well. A 5 hour battery is the way to go, if it is an option.
When I travel I take the 3 hour and the 5 hour batteries with me.
8 hours will get me just about any place I would want to go.

 

[AndrewG]

John,

Thanks for the great review. Which has the better screen quality, the SD-P1200 or the LV70?

 

[Gergor]

Quote:

Originally posted by JMedeiros Funny you should mention it...I went to look at the DVD-As at J&R and could not find any I liked...where online is a good selection? John

Sorry John. I don't have a DVD-A player, so I haven't been shopping for DVD-A (but I'm interested). However, I know Tower sell DVD-A, what do you think of the selection there?

 

[austonia]

John, I wanted to give my thanks for the comprehensive review. I love reading about new electronics, especially portable audio/video stuff. I still feel like a kid when I get a new toy. (new iPod is on they way!)

If you find a portable DVD player that satisfies you better, be sure to let us know

 

[JMedeiros]

Quote:

Originally posted by Gergor Sorry John. I don't have a DVD-A player, so I haven't been shopping for DVD-A (but I'm interested). However, I know Tower sell DVD-A, what do you think of the selection there?

I may hit Tower this weekend...I went to Music Direct online..they seem to have a large selection. The only thing in the whole list that jumped out at me as something I would like to get is Neil Young's Harvest...maybe I'll give it a try.

The Gary US Bonds concert looks like a possibility too.

 

[JMedeiros]

Quote:

Originally posted by AndrewG John, Thanks for the great review. Which has the better screen quality, the SD-P1200 or the LV70?

Definately the LV70. The black level on the Tosh is just set too low for me and it does not change even when turning "brightness" all the way up. Some may like this..but at that size..the darkness lost too much detail for me.

Like a laptop LCD, the Pannys are not able to render true black..but they are far more adjustable to individual viewing preferences.

 

[JMedeiros]

Quote:

Originally posted by austonia John, I wanted to give my thanks for the comprehensive review. I love reading about new electronics, especially portable audio/video stuff. I still feel like a kid when I get a new toy. (new iPod is on they way!) If you find a portable DVD player that satisfies you better, be sure to let us know

Thanks...I love big boy toys too...alot

A week in and I am really happy with this Panny LA95. There is a new 9" Panny just shipping that has progressive scan and I am sure the picture is fantastic...but it has a suggested retail of about a grand to start out...the LA95 is available for about half that now. Here are specs on the new LX-9 from the Panasonic website. I comes wirth speakers and a docking station:

http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp...odelNo=DVD-LX9

I have a ton of work to get done this weekend but I will try and work up a review of the LA95 soon.

John