Group Review of 7" portable DVD players in UK market
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Introduction

Two years passed since I wrote my first review of portable DVD players in UK market. There has been three major changes: 1). The price has reduced significantly, the majority of 7" portable DVD players are selling under £150 even those big brands like Philips and Toshiba; 2). There are many more brands and distribution channels: previously there are only 4 makers: Panasonic, Toshiba, Mustek and Shinco, now even those electronic giants like Philips, Samsung and Hitachi have joined the games; while many online retailers and the majority of supermarkets are distributing them; 3). The players tend to integrate much more features, like DivX playback, dual headphone jack, integrated USB and card reader port and etc.

The purpose of this reviews is to compare the differences / performances of a few popular models in the market.

Group Comparisons

Four models which were previously awarded "best buy" in related magazine/online reviews are included in this group review: Toshiba SD-P1400, Shinco SDP-1720A, Panasonic DVD LS-50, and Philips PET710. Eight parameters were used to evaluate the players: Size, Weight, Image quality, Battery life, supported regions, supported disc format, supported media type, and price.

Size

mm (WxDxH)

200x195x32 (battery)

200x160x32 (w/o battery)

Score: 8

188x168x39 (battery)

188x142x26 (w/o battery)

Score: 9

185x165x35 (battery)

185x165x29 (w/o battery)

Score: 9

192x205x5 (battery)

192x160x31(w/o battery)

Score: 7

Weight

g

1200 / 900

(with vs. W/O battery)

Score: 8

1000 / 750

(with vs. W/O battery)

Score: 9

800 / 700

(with vs. W/O battery)

Score: 10

1200 / 900

(with vs. W/O battery)

Score: 8

Toshiba SD-P1400 loses some details on some brighter scene, and the color is a little bit too pinky (see the image below)

Score: 7

Shinco SDP-1720A displays images in natural colors (leaves are green and sand are white) which makes the overall feeling very good, although contrast is lower than Panasonic. (See the image below)

Score: 8

Panasonic DVD LS-50 displays images in a heavy red background which makes the overall feeling not very pleasing, however the contrast are the best among the four models. (See the image below)

Score: 7

Philips PET710 handles colors better than Panasonic and Toshiba, and contrast is good as well. (See the image below)

Score: 8

click on the image to enlarge

click on the image to enlarge

click on the image to enlarge

Region 2

Score: 9

Region 1,2,3,4,5,6

Score: 10

Region 2

Score: 9

Region 2

Score: 9

3 hr

Score: 8

3 hr

Score: 8

2 hr

Score: 6

3 hr

Score: 8

DVD, CD, CD-R/RW

DVD-R

Score: 6

DVD, CD, CD-R/RW

DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW

Score: 8

DVD, CD, CD-R/RW

DVD-R, DVD+R

DVD-RAM

Score: 8

DVD, CD, CD-R/RW

DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW

Score: 8

DVD, CD, JPEG, MP3 / WMA

Score: 9

DVD, CD, JPEG, MP3

VCD, SVCD

DivX

Score: 10

DVD, CD, JPEG, MP3

Score: 8

DVD, CD, JPEG, MP3

VCD, SVCD

Score: 9

£139

(Allcam)

Score: 8

£126

(Allcam)

Score: 9

£179

(Richer Sound)

Score: 7

£129

(Dixons)

Score: 9

Shinco SDP-1720A is a slim and compact machine yet support more disc and media type, and the picture quality is also good due to the natural colors. Philips PET710 also has good picture quality but the machine is heavy and bulky especially with the battery attached. Panasonic DVD LS-50 is the most portable unit, but it sacrifices the battery playback time.