Sharp DV-L70U 7" Portable DVD Player

Sharp DV-L70U 7" Portable DVD Player
Manufacturer: Sharp
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
The DV-L70, the industry's lightest portable DVD player available with a seven-inch LCD screen, offers an extended three-hour battery life, a 16:9 widescreen ratio and Virtual Dolby Surround. In addition, output from a video camera can be played back through the DV-L70 for crystal clear, convenient viewing on the player's large LCD screen. It provides high quality entertainment experience in the home or on the go. For outstanding sound, the DV-L70 incorporates a 10-bit D/A converter that processes 8-bit digital DVD data with four time's greater accuracy, resulting in playback of high-resolution video images with clarity and crystal clear resolution. A built-in Surround decoder circuit provides dynamic theater-quality audio playback of Dolby Digital 5.1 sound using only two speakers strategically placed into the base of the monitor screen.Sharp's exclusive Digital Gamma Correction feature enhances picture quality by affecting the level of bright images. This results in a clearer picture that allows viewers to enjoy movies in all types of lighting environments, even in extremely bright rooms. Digital Super Picture is another Sharp exclusive which increases the sharpness level of DVD software to enhance picture quality. Digital Super Picture also reduces noise that's present in Video CDs and other AV media, for crisp and detailed images. Equipped with Dolby Digital Surround decoders, Sharp's DVD players enable viewers to experience theatre quality sound in the home. In addition, Digital Theatre Sound compatibility permits the DVD players to maximize the high quality surround sound now available in many pre-recorded DVDs and to fully utilize the newest breed of surround sound that is meant for both movies and music.
Amazon.com Review
Give Sharp's new portable DVD player some bonus frequent flyer miles, book a flight to anywhere and watch this Moviegoer soar. The DV-L70U is ideal for long airline flights, since you can play both DVDs and music CDs--for free! It's also a great pacifier for anxious kids on highway journeys.

About the size of two DVD cases stacked on top of one another, the DV-L70U Moviegoer weighs just over two pounds with the supplied lithium battery pack, making it lighter than competing models. With a 7-inch diagonal, 16:9 aspect-ratio screen, the Moviegoer also offers one of the largest portable DVD pictures currently available.

The L70U's liquid crystal display is extremely impressive; it offers good brightness and contrast levels (even in high-ambient light) and we found absolutely no anomalies such as dead pixels. The DV-L70U exhibited a minimal amount of hotspotting--a common problem with LCD technology, where the lower-middle portion of the screen appears washed out. Although some grays appear slightly blue, colors remain faithful overall; flesh tones and outdoor scenes look natural instead of pink and neon green. In fact, the Moviegoer's vivid images seem to expand the 7-inch diagonal screen size instead of diminishing it.

The rechargeable lithium battery pack snaps into place and connects to the player via a short, pin-connector cable. An onscreen icon flashes when the battery is low. Sharp estimates the battery will last for up to three hours before it needs recharging. With the supplied AC adapter, you can recharge the unit in about five hours. The AC adapter allows you to play movies on the DV-L70U, which is useful if you want to watch DVDs in a hotel room. You can also connect the DV-L70U to a TV monitor and use it as a standalone DVD player.

Sharp supplies all the necessary audio-video (AV) cables, except the digital-audio optical link that's necessary to connect the DV-L70U to an outboard processor with DTS or Dolby Digital decoding. You can use the AV jacks for outputting and inputting audio-video signals. This enables you to use the LCD screen as a monitor to display images from a camcorder--or even a VCR.

The layout of the DV-L70U's features is very intuitive; its basic functions--play, stop, skip, and arrow buttons for navigating DVD menus--reside on top of the panel to the right of the disc-loading well. You can access additional functions, such as zoom, virtual sound, subtitle on/off, as well as disc programming features, from the supplied remote control. You can also get to basic features from an onscreen graphical user interface (GUI), but we found the GUI to be more cumbersome than the remote or panel buttons.

Our only other minor complaint concerns the Moviegoer's aesthetics. Although the faux brushed-aluminum design is very appealing, it reflects light back onto the LCD screen, particularly in the dark, which diminishes picture quality. We'd prefer a flat-black coating on the inside of the player.

Soundwise, the dual front speakers below the screen are merely adequate. However, since portable DVD players lend themselves to solitary viewing, most users will use headphones. We recommend that you purchase a high-quality set. We also strongly recommend that you purchase a carrying case, given the cost and delicacy of the liquid crystal display.

With an excellent set of headphones, a comfortable seat, and low ambient light, you may find yourself glued to the beautiful 7-inch LCD screen of Sharp's DV-L70U Moviegoer DVD player. --Eric Gill

Pros:

• Very impressive picture quality
• Extremely compact and lightweight
• Automatic anti-skip buffer
• Doubles as a stand-alone DVD player

Cons:

• Brushed-aluminum design reflects light onto screen
• Mediocre sound quality from built-in speakers

Average customer rating:

HP Pavilion dv1520us 14" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 735A (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-R/RW and CD-RW Combo Drive) Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard Office Product Group: Personal Computer Binding: Personal Computers ASIN: B000E1D9M6

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

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