Panasonic LS90 - A reliable, feature-packed, and inexpensive DVD player?

Author's Rating:

Pros: Large 9" screen, Sound, Reliable, Lightweight

Cons: Price is still steep at some stores, Picture could be better.

The Bottom Line: 
An excellent portable DVD player that isn't just pretty to look at.

Author's Review
After spending nearly 500 dollars on my Sony FX1 DVD player and being utterly disappointed with its performance, I made the decision that I would never again spend that much money on a portable DVD player. Hoping that the old adage "less is more" would hold true, I chose Panasonic’s LS90 portable DVD player, which boasted a price tag that was nearly half that of my old FX1. Panasonic won me over with their claims of 6-hour video playback, a large 9" screen, positive consumer reviews, and as I mentioned, a great price tag. Having said that, the Panasonic LS90 seemed to offer lots of bang for the buck.

What you get in addition to the DVD player:

Car DC adapter, AC adapter, audio/video cable, rechargeable battery pack, remote control (includes batteries).

Noteworthy features:

-Ability to search through a DVD at up to 200 times normal speed.
- Fully functional remote control
- Dual headphone jacks
- The ability to connect player to a TV or a larger screen
- Built-in battery charger
- Virtual surround Sound via 2 built-in speakers
- The ability to charge up the battery using your car's cigarette lighter.
- LCD selector: normal, full, zoom
- Multi-format playback: DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, +R, +RW, CD, CD-R/RW, WMA, HighMAT, MP3 and even JPEG.


Picture:

Picture quality with the LS90 is a mixed bag. Depending on how high you set the brightness level, picture quality ranges anywhere from simply adequate to extremely good. With the LCD screens brightness level set to max the picture quality improves immensely over the factory set levels. Although the LS90 doesn't offer progressive scanning and only has a few picture quality control functions (brightness, color control, and cinema modes) the picture is usually vivid; objects are sharp and colors are generally true to life. The only slight gripe I have with the LS90's picture quality is its inability to adequately capture objects in dark scenes (especially in zoom mode). Even with the cinema feature, which is designed to enhance dark scenes, I still find myself adjusting the brightness level to max all too often. Adjusting the brightness level doesn't always do the job, however, sometimes actually making a scene look even worse by distorting colors and washing out foregrounds. Besides watching DVD movies, I also use this player to view JPEG files. The LS90 seems to be much more forgiving when viewing JPEG slide shows; I have never had any gripes with a JPEG appearing washed out or too dark.

LCD:

One of my favorite features of the LS90 is its unique pivoting 9" LCD screen. Unlike the LCD screen on my FX1 and most sub 250-dollar portable DVD players on the market, the LS90's screen can be pivoted much like a tilt and telescoping steering wheel. This tilt feature allows for multiple viewing angles for optimal viewing comfort. If you are looking for a larger viewing screen you can always use the optical audio and composite video outputs to connect to your home theater system.

Sound

While the LS90 won’t double as a boom box, its ability to produce quality stereo sound from its 2 small built-in speakers is one of its finest attributes. Matching the sound quality produced by my more expensive Sony LX1, the LS90 produces a powerful sound with clear dialogue. The LS90 comes equipped with a dialogue enhancer feature that works wonders, especially when watching older movies where dialogue can be almost unintelligible on a portable DVD player. You can also play music CDs with this unit, however I imagine most music fans will find the sound of this player a little weak for rockin’ out.

Battery Pack:

Panasonic claims that the lithium ion battery pack (included) will last up to 6 hours before it needs recharging. While 6 hours of continuos play is possible, you must have the sound turned down to a whisper and have the brightness level set to minimum. I have never been able to watch three full-length movies on one battery charge as Panasonic suggests, at least not with volume and brightness set at appropriate levels. Realistically the LS90's battery charge will last about 4 hours when using this DVD player's full potential. Still, 4 hours of continuous play is better than what most portable DVD players offer. One should note that it takes about 8-9 hours to fully charge a completely depleted battery pack.

Remote Control:

I rarely ever use the remote unless I have this player connected to my television, however Panasonic has provided the LS90 with a fully functional remote equipped with most of the main unit operation controls. According to Panasonic you can be upwards of 23 ft away from the unit and still use the remote, however I have never been able to get close to that kind of range (10 ft max).

Reliability:

After owning a string of low cost and very unreliable electronic equipment, the LS90’s low sticker price did have me a bit concerned when it came to reliability or lack thereof. Panasonic has made the LS90 a very solid unit, however. Unlike my Sony FX1, in the 6 months that I have had this player I have never had any problems with a CD or DVD not playing, no spells where the unit refuses to power-up, or any problems at all for that matter. My Panasonic LS90 even plays some of my old scratched-up DVDs that even my Pioneer home theater system refuses to play.

Ease of use:

Using the portable LS90 is as painless as any conventional DVD player. Mastering all of the menu items and the multi functional buttons will most likely take a few days, however Panasonic has done a good job keeping this player user friendly. Also, thanks to its relatively lightweight of less than 3lbs, toting it around is made easy. Note: This player does not come with a case.

Price/Warranty:

The price of the LS90 ranges anywhere from 200 bucks at places like eBay to $400 at Panasonic's website. I ended up paying 239 dollars on eBay, which was a great deal considering most portable DVD players in this price range don't come close to offering comparable quality. If anything goes wrong with your new Panasonic LS90, Panasonic gives it a 1-Year warranty for parts, 90 days for labor, and a skimpy 10-day warranty for the battery pack. Note: There are extended warranties out there ranging anywhere from 10-30 dollars.

Final Thoughts:

This has been an excellent portable DVD player that offers good picture quality, better than average battery life, reliability, and an excellent price tag to boot. If you are on the market for a new portable DVD player that won't break the bank, I highly suggest checking out the Panasonic LS90. -4 stars-

Thanks for reading!