Sharp DV-L80U Portable DVD Player
Little Big Portable that can
First, it should be noted that I have not owned any DVD player before purchasing this product, so this review cannot be of such depth one can expect from an exprienced owner: however, I can detest that, since I own four computers -two of them laptops, am an engineer, and am a gadget freak, I think my review may be of some help for all the people browsing the web for their next 'big' thing. Well, here is a 'small' thing that really deserves your attention.<br />Having seen a friend own a Sharp DV-L70U, a two year old model DVD portable player with a 7 inch screen, I changed my mind from looking for cheap, regular DVD player that would sit like a duck under or top of a TV, eating dust, to looking for a portable player.<br />At first, the Sharp brand stood out from the pack due to reasonable price compared to others, its wonderfully crisp, 16:9 8 inch cinematic screen and dolby sound that can deliver dolby 5.1 surround when hooked upto an appropriate sound system.<BR>Oh well, enough of the specs and all that you can probably read over the net. I will tell you what I felt about this product.<br />First, the size: it is light and thin, even with the detachable Ni-Cd battery that lasts 3.5 hours. I think this is thinner and a lot lighter than a lot of books that I carry around. I applaud the Sharp engineers in reducing the weight to such an unbelievable level. <BR>Second, the screen: 8 inch really makes a difference in your point of view. All the movies I saw with the player never looked so better in wide screen.<BR>Third, the portability: you can take this ANYWHERE you want-see a movie while you eat, on your bed besides you, even inside a restroom-not a likely place, though. Most of all, this compactness will likely shine when you are on the move. I can easily agree to people who will envy you and your player during long and tedious plane trips.<BR>Last, value: currently, you can find great prices for Sharp portable DVD players including this model, and frankly, considering that you can easily hook this up to any modern TV/ VCR to play wonderfully high-quality motion and sound is worth the price difference than your sad, dust eating immobile DVD players.<br />There are few drawbacks-this player, I suspect that like others, skipped some scenes of DVD movies that I rented; probably due to scratched surfaces. Also, I'd like to see some visual aid when I play a audio CD on the player-the screen is just blank when you play one. Last, the concealed speakers of the player does not do justice-it's output dB is meager at best: of course, the compactness of the size limits its amplificating abilities, like all the other portables. Also, adding a fabric case for the player could have helped me from trying to find a way from possible scratch. Nevertheless, this is offsetted by the fact that they give you some good accessories, notably plenty of A/V connectors. <BR>The remote is pretty good, in contrast to some people's complaints that they are big. Big? Give me a break. How do you operate your 'big' TV remote? This is small- less than a credit car size but a bit more thicker- and well designed, and I had not many problems using it.<br />So far, I have played 'Shine','Apocalypse Now,' and 'Driven', with the DV-L80U and I must say, I was surprised that I have enjoyed them all! Also, when hooked to my plain TV, the screen never looked better with a small portable DVD delievering such a high quality input of sound and motion into it. And even with the player itself, I was able to appreciate 'Apocalyse Now' to the full with its 8inch screen, with a few drops of tears for 'Shine'.<br />All in all, I enjoy this player, and without hesitation, I give a five star: never mind about lack of some progressive scan abilities-even if you own a HDTV, do you get HD programs? Note that progams for HDTV will not be made in full force until 2005. Sure, wait if you want. Such as it is, this DVD player is strongly recommended for your evaluation if you are considering purchase of ANY type of DVD player, be it portable or not. <BR>Check it out.<BR>Now please excuse me as I am off to buy some DVDs...