Panasonic DVD-LV55 Portable DVD Player

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [2.99mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 7 x 2 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004U30H
• Item model number: DVD-LV55
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,445 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

For movie buffs, few experiences in life are as rewarding as watching your choice of DVDs on a train, plane, or automobile. Heads turn, new friends are made, and best of all, we have the chance to catch up on our movie watching. The Panasonic DVD-LV55 delivers all of that, with some true state-of-the-art features.

Surprisingly slim (especially before the rechargeable battery snaps on), the DVD-LV55 easily fits into a briefcase or backpack. As with all electronics, we suggest you treat it gently--even though the build quality is exceptionally solid. Similarly, the unit can take a good amount of jostling without any compromise in picture or sound. (You can also use it as a portable CD player!) The DVD-LV55 appears to share the same chassis as its bigger brother, the 7-inch LV75. The extra margin around the 5-inch LCD screen draws even more attention to the display's slighter stature.

The picture is bright and sharp, even on fine details and when viewed up close, which is really the only way to watch a 5-inch screen. For optimal playback on the built-in 16:9 monitor, we recommend watching anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 widescreen movies. However, be forewarned that you will lose a bit of quality on nonanamorphic titles, and 2.35:1 CinemaScope movies, which introduce a black bar at top and bottom, will look really small. You can also connect a video camera to view your camcorder work on the 5-inch screen.

The two 1-inch speakers located left and right, just below the screen, are a pleasant alternative to headphone listening, but their size and design make them inherently limited. While voices and most higher frequencies sounded just fine, there was no bass to speak of, and loud noises at high volume constantly taxed their limitations. And even the highest volume is not very loud. The virtual surround sound (VSS) works to expand the sound stage when using outboard speakers or headphones, and creates the illusion of rear-channel effects. VSS is quite convincing, and offers two settings, depending on just how much processing you enjoy.

Through a proper audio-video setup, picture and sound are both outstanding, with a crisp, colorful image through the S-Video connection and rich reproduction of both Dolby Digital and Digital Theater Sound (DTS) soundtracks. Technical performance is as good as most dedicated home theater decks on the market.

The slim-line remote control has 35 soft-touch keys that provide all the functionality you'd expect from any full-size DVD player. Although the 60-degree signal sensor window is a bit narrow, the more than 20-foot range is impressive. All of the basic functions are accessible on the unit itself, with an innovative directional disc in place of arrow keys. The small LCD panel reports system status, including a battery-life indicator. But the single greatest convenience might be the marker system for the start-again, stop-again viewing habits of on- the-go folk, who might need to switch off in the middle of a designated chapter.

Although you can get an additional couple of inches in screen size for a few hundred dollars more, Panasonic's DVD-LV55 is a great portable movie machine that offers excellent picture quality, numerous features, and a lightweight design that we can heartily recommend.

Pros:

• Audio enhancements make the most of movies-to-go
• Excellent forward/reverse scanning, up to 100x normal speed
• Battery now good for one full movie up to about three hours; charges in four

Cons:

• No headphones included
• In general, seems second best to its same-generation partner, the 7-inch DVD-LV75

Amazon.com Product Description

The Panasonic DVD-LV55 portable DVD player sports a 5-inch LCD screen and optical output for both DTS and Dolby Digital surround sound. Additional built-in features include stereo speakers, a battery recharger, and a headphone jack. This player offers S-video and composite-video outputs as well as a 24-bit, 96 kHz audio digital-to-analog converter and 10-bit video conversion.

The zoom screen selector allows you to watch movies in the standard 16:9 widescreen format or conventional formats such as letterbox and pan and scan. Additional features include icon-based onscreen programming, virtual surround sound, a slim remote, frame advance, chapter preview, auto off, five-speed smooth scan, and title/chapter search with marker function.

The player measures 7.25 by 0.9 by 5.5 inches and comes with a remote control, rechargeable battery pack, audio/video cables, and an AC adapter. You can expect up to 3.5 hours of playback time with the battery pack.

Panasonic offers a one-year warranty on parts, 90 days on labor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for the plane, hotel, and road trips!, May 8, 2001

By 

drofnala "DataDude" (Silver Spring, MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic DVD-LV55 Portable DVD Player (Electronics)

This little unit, while being on the small side in terms of screen size, is great. I travel cross-country on planes at least twice/week and have never been able to sleep while sitting in the ever-shrinking, upright, rigid airline seats; this device has made these sardine-can trips bearable!

Pros: better than expected sound out of little speakers; ease of hookup to full size monitor; easy-to-operate controls on both remote and unit top; bright picture, even in bright light conditions; electronic brightness and color adjustment controls; battery life (3.5 hours with a "0" brightness setting on a -5 to 5 scale) that averages better than listed in the specifications (2.5-3 hours); stands up to jostling and bumping of airline travel well (skip-free play sideways and inverted); extended electronic sound processing features (simulates theatre surround modes while using headset); healthy substitute for full-size DVD player in the home

Cons: battery cannot charge while unit is plugged in and in use (i.e., must be turned off to charge); remote cannot be used while unit is operating on battery power; manual is poorly organized, but after a couple of times through, the technically-challenged can operate this unit; no carrying case or headphones packaged with unit; lack of dynamic range dampening feature requires a quick finger on the volume control when using a headset; (not completely sure about this but) optical output jack on the back of the unit is not truly optical-cable compatible

Suggestions: for successful audio during air travel, get a noise-dampening headset that either covers the ear completely or some headphones/earbuds that insert into the ear canal; if you connect to external monitors routinely, invest in an S-video cable as well (not included with model, but RCA style video and audio cables are).

I compared this 5" model to the larger screen Panasonic model and found that the extra money for the latter wasn't warranted. With this unit roughly 15 inches from my eyes, the picture is crisp, but not too grainy ("liney") and I have yet to come across a movie where something wasn't resolved well enough on the screen to see it.

I give it 5 stars for overall quality and ease of use minus a star for not including a case and headphones. Bottom line: pros far outweigh cons, great bang for the buck.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value for the cost, November 12, 2000

By 

Pearl Hoenniker "wolferiver" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic DVD-LV55 Portable DVD Player (Electronics)

I bought one of these immediately after a particularly frustrating transcontinental flight, so I wasn't in the best frame of mind when I made my choice. I also only had a choice between this one and one made by Pioneer.

Nevertheless, after two very long business trips I have been extremely satisfied. I not only used it during the flights to watch videos, but also to listen to CDs. The battery lasts for slightly longer than 3 hours (just about as long as I want headphones on my head) and easily charges up overnight. (In the future, if I do longer trips, I might consider buying a second, backup battery.) Additionally, the unit seems rugged. I use a soft-sided totebag for travel, rather than a hard-sided briefcase, and it gets thrown/stuffed/mushed around a lot. I liked the fact that the unit was small enough, even with the battery pack, to allow me to cram a lot of other stuff in with it. (You know how we women are with our handbags and travelbags!)

The hotels I stayed at only had about 10 channels available for viewing on their TV, so I also used this unit in the evenings, for both DVDs and CDs. This allows me to catch up on all of those alternate soundtracks on DVDs -- something that I'm often too busy to do at home.

One very small complaint I have is that the picture seems a little grainy. However, I could have bought the Pioneer unit sitting in the display case next to this one, which had both a very good quality picture as well as a slightly larger one, but cost ($) more. Obviously, price was a factor in my decision.

This unit didn't come with headphones, so make sure you purchase a set when you get yours. The unit's speakers sound pretty tinny - but what else could you expect in a small DVD player? Use the headphones, which have a perfectly acceptable sound. And don't forget, you can select two settings that simulate surround-sound. I found that some DVDs had an improved sound with these settings, but some didn't. (There may be a technical explanation for this but I can't tell you what it is.)

The unit comes with a remote but it only works when the unit is running off of a wall outlet. I found that for basic watching, the unit's own buttons can get you through any DVD menu selections, forward/freeze/reverse/zoom options, or player setup you wish to do. (Note that most home DVD players don't have enough buttons, and require the remote for accessing all of its functions.)

I found the instructions easy to follow -- I'm the type of person who reads almost every page -- and was soon able to navigate through the unit's setup menus.

Overall, considering this unit's price, the amount of features provided, and the enjoyment I've gotten with it, I consider this a very good deal.

One last thought. If you travel with a laptop, why get one of these? Well, if your laptop has a DVD drive, you don't really have to get one of these. However, I like how compact this unit is, allowing me a little more privacy. No...I don't watch any X-rated stuff, but I also do consider my fellow travelers who might not want to see any explicit scenes in their peripheral line of sight. I can also fit this along with a cup of coffee, a snack, or a book (when listening to a CD)on the seat tray. When listening to a CD, this unit fits into my lap or between me and my handrest more easily than a laptop would.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great product but needs more "stuff" to be a true traveler, November 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Panasonic DVD-LV55 Portable DVD Player (Electronics)

I bought this to entertain the kids during a cross-country drive. The picture is amazingly clear and the sound generally good (a little tinny on the high notes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). During the highway drive, I received no complaints of skipping. I was surprised to find out after I bought it, though, that the manual forbids use of a car power adapter. On calling their 800#, they recommended a $99.95 adapter made by another company. The battery is long lasting, but the drive was longer. I would also suggest that they include ear phones and, because it's a delicate piece of machinery, a carrying case. All of these things can be bought elsewhere, but I didn't figure in these costs when shopping for the DVD itself.