Panasonic DVD-LS50 7-Inch Portable DVD Player
Small, light, versatile and fantastic
I frequently take the 4 hour bus ride between New York and Boston and was growing tired of lugging my 7lb laptop to watch DVDs. I was also concerned about this $2000 work computer getting lost/stolen. So although it was tough to justify the cost because I already had something that was 'free' and had a 15\\" screen, I was ready to buy a portable. <br /> <br />When I first shopped a year ago, I really liked the look and feel of the Toshiba P-1200. But online reviews citing battery problems scared me away. And a guy in work had it happen to him. It just died. I was hoping they fixed it with the P-1400, but I still saw a few users saying they had battery issues. Meanwhile, the reviews for the Panasonic were glowing. Here were the pros and cons between the two: <br /> <br />- Toshiba $70 less vs. Panasonic <br />- Toshiba 3-3 1/2 hr battery life vs. 2-2 1/2 hr for Panasonic <br />- Toshiba credit card remote vs. big remote on Panansonic <br />- Toshiba comes with car charger, but Panasonic has charger AND case via rebate <br />- Toshiba 3.25 lbs vs. 1.75 lbs for Panasonic <br /> <br />So it came down to this. Should I pay more money for a smaller, lighter product that had better reviews, even though the battery life might be an issue. So I went to see them in person.  <br /> <br />The result? No contest. The Panasonic is very small and very light. Much easier to toss in my carry-on messenger bag. And the screen is bright and clear. The coolest thing is how the screen can be contorted into so many angles, which is very helpful when the person in front of you reclines their seat halfway into your lap. Additionally, the remote is a non factor for me. I leave it at home. Why? The Panasonic has a very slick shuttle dial that lets you FF and REW through the DVD at different speeds.  <br /> <br />In summary, I've used it on one bus ride and one flight so far and it's been great. While I don't want to completely diss Toshiba (I just bought an awesome 30\\" Toshiba HDTV), for my money the Panasonic has been the right choice.