cortan

To go along with the reasons for owning one thread.....

What is the best one overall in terms of price, screen size, picture quality, and battery life?

I have heard good things about the toshibas.

Anyone who owns a portable, why did you pick the one you did and which ones would you recommend?

PlumPeach

I bought the Toshiba SD-P2000. One reason I like it is because it has one of the biggest screens for a portable DVD player, 8.9". Panasonic makes a 9" (I did a side by side comparison - liked the Toshiba better), and Samsung has a 10" (couldn't find one in my are to look at). The Toshiba is progressive scan which I think is pretty impressive for a portable. The battery lasts 3.5 hours (there's an optional battery that lasts 5.5 hours). Overall the size and incredible picture is what sold me in the end.

Li

Where'd you get opertunity to do this? These are the two players I'm concidering most, and I'd love to be able to look them both over in person. Is the battery pack as bulky as I've read (the Toshiba)? Panasonic's built-in battery pack has only a 2.5 hour life, and the optional battery pack it quite a bit smaller than the player itself.

PlumPeach

I compared the two and bought the Toshiba at Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha, NE. (There is an NFM in Kansas City now too.) The battery pack is the same size as the underside of the player, which in my opinion isn't that bulky - snaps on and becomes the underside of the player.

Li

I see. How much did you end up paying for it there?

Oh, and perhaps could you tell me what you thought when you were looking at both? A little more of why you chose the Toshiba? Was it's picture noticeably better? Was it smaller than the Panasonic? And/Or did you like it's look more? Just curious. Thanks.

PlumPeach

Well, the price started out at $779 and then I asked what the best price I could get with the Friends and Family Discount would be, since I know someone that works there (they never asked me my friend's name though this time). That brought the price down to $739 ($787.04 total with tax). There are probably better online deals out there, but I like dealing with NFM because they're pretty helpful if you have problems.

What sold me on the Toshiba over the Panasonic is a slightly better picture, longer battery life, and the progressive scan (I'm pretty sure the Panasonic is not progressive scan).

Ketamine

Is it progressive scan? BB says that it is not. BTW, the BB price is $760.

PlumPeach

Yes, the Toshiba SD-P2000 is a progressive scan DVD player. I double-checked the manual just to make sure. I first learned about this player over at the Home Theater Forum after doing a search. I was originally going to buy it at Best Buy or Circuit City, but neither of those stores had it. My area Best Buy only had the Mintek and Circuit City only had the Apex.

Li

Blah. I'm going on a trip the 22nd and I want to get a new portable DVD player to take along. The only problem is: I can't make up my mind. The Panasonic LA95 or the Toshiba SDP2000.

I know PlumPeach chose the Toshiba over the Panasonic, but I just don't know. I really like the look of the Panasonic, but there are a few things I'm unsure about. Most portable DVD players that I've handled are a little “top heavy” with out a battery "anchor". I'm not sure if the built-in battery gives the LA95 any stability. Plus, the battery only lasts 2.5 hours, and the optional battery is a bit smaller the bottom of the player. I can't imagine that not looking a bit strange.

The look of the Panasonic (from the many picture I've seen) is much sleeker than (from the few I've seen) the Toshiba. While the battery lasts 3.5 hours (Toshiba), it is bulkier than the built-in battery of the Panasonic.

Price wise:

La95----------------> $750

SDP2000-----------> $721


If there's anyone else with any experience with either players, please let me know! I'm not sure what I'm hopping to get out of this, however. It seems like I'm usually the one answering questions like this. Thanks!

Blade

I believe I've seen reviews for both of these over at www.cnet.com . The LA95 has a full review too. But ignore the negative user reviews...they're all comments about them costing too much, or getting a laptop instead by people who don't have the players.

I wish I could look at these first hand, but I haven't heard of anyone in Hawaii who has them.

-David

PlumPeach

It's a tough decision - I know because I just went through it. One thing I got from a comparison chart is the number of pixels on each player. I don't know, however, how greatly this affects picture quality. The Toshiba has 1.84M pixels, the Samsung has 1.15M, and the Panasonic only has 0.34.

Li

Yeah, I've read that review and about 10 others for the LA95; all were pretty positive, but none mention anything about whether it's "top heavy" or not. I'm not sure if that means that that's not an issue with this player? Who knows.

There's only one review for the Toshiba online that I could find (and believe me, I looked well), and it does mention that the Toshiba's battery is a bit bulky and that the LA95 is a more compact solution.

Now I did own a PDV-LC10 which has one of the bulkiest battery packs of any portable DVD player, and it didn't bother me then.

I'm just a little worried that no matter which one I chose, I'll end up regretting, for one of the reason's I've mentioned, not getting the other player...

PlumPeach

I found 13 reviews for the Toshiba on www.cnet.com. It's on the main list with all the other portable DVD players. The only negatives I saw were that the volume was low. But, I've found that if I turn on the dialogue enhancement mode it is more than plenty loud enough. (Maybe, some users aren't aware of the dialogue enhancement mode.) I listened and watched Pearl Harbor, which has the Dolby Headphone track, and it was simply amazing for headphones (20 year old pair of Sony Walkman phones by the way).

Li

Yeah, that's true. I was talking more about reviews like this (http://www.goodstereotogo.com/reviews_sd-p2000.asp).

That is a good point (pixel count). 1.84 Million Vs. 0.34 Million? How could the picture of the LA95 look as good as reviewers have said? I have no clue... I know little when it comes to LCD screens...

PlumPeach

The goodstereotogo review is a very thorough one. I agree with many of the reviewer's points. The bulky battery one I just don't get though. I guess it depends on how you're going to use the player. But if the player is going to sit on your lap or on a tray I think the battery is more of an asset because it seems to make the player more balanced and sturdy. The battery becomes the bottom of the player. Does this make the player thicker? Yes.
Does it make it heavier? Yes. But I don't see those as problems as the player is so small anyway.

Li

PlumPeach, correct me if I'm wrong, but the progressive scan feature the SDP2000 has only applies when the player is connected to an HDTV? It's not like the SDP1000, which, I've read, has a progressive scan screen, right? From what I've read, I believe that's correct, but I just wanted to clarify.

Li

By the way, I asked a question about the two players pixel counts to some people on askme.com. Hopefully their answers will be thorough enough for me to make a final decision... hopefully.

PlumPeach

This is a good question. According to the manual: "Video signals of both interlace and progressive scanning formats are output from the player's component video connector." So you're probably right that the benefit of the progressive scan is when it's hooked up to a monitor that is capable of reproducing a progressively scanned video signal (I'm not sure if the screen on the player is capable of this or not - but I'm leaning towards not).

Li, I like how you're really researching and trying to find the best player for you. I try to do the same thing when making a big purchase like this. Plus I think it's kind of fun to go into the store with more knowledge than the salesperson and be able to educate them on the product. I know the salesperson I worked with on the Toshiba really appreciated learning more about it, and in turn he was also very helpful. He opened one of the boxes and we went through all the accessories together. I appreciated this because most salespeople won't really take the time to help a customer with questions.

audrey

All LCD screens are inherently progressive.

Li

This is an answer I recieved from askme.com:

I will try to explain as best as I can....pixels are the points of light that emit from your screen,but another more imortant factor is resolution of screen..this is the spacing between pixels,the higher the resolution the closer your pixels are together and the clearer picture. I would suggest you take a look at the two models in stores if possible and see what kind of difference there is.Also check resolution and I am sure there will be a difference there also,perhaps the one with lower pixel count will have a higher resolution to compensate for this.

Li

Alright now... I'm planning on going to Best Buy and checking the Toshiba out for myself tomorrow. I called a few and finally found a store that has a display unit. If I like it, that's the one I'll get. If not, I'll hope the Panasonic is better and go with that. It's too difficult to make a decision without seeing either.

Mowork

Li, Please let us know what your final decision is.......

Li

Well, I took my trip to Best Buy yesterday. I got my opportunity to see the Toshiba SDP2000. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to get a feel for the quality of the LCD with a Scooby Doo cartoon playing. I got a chance to see the battery; and it was a bit bulky. In the end, I decided to go with the LA95. Statistically, the Toshiba screen should be a bit better, but out of all the reviews I’ve read for the LA95, few weren’t impressed with the picture quality. So there’s no way it could be bad.

Just a little while ago I ordered my LA95 from http://shop.store.yahoo.com/telren/index.html for $750 shipped. I hope I made the right decision.

PlumPeach

I'm sure you made the right decision. Enjoy the portable DVD player. They're definitely a lot of fun, and even though they're pricey, I think they're worth it.

Li

Blah. I'm such a cheap bastard. I think I have another option that could save me about $140.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/hypeaudio/sdp1500.html
has the Toshiba SDP1500 with an 8" screen for about $610 including shipping. I'm seriously wondering if 1" is worth the $140. When the SDP1500 first came out, I thought it was huge! I would have loved to have a 8" screen! I thought a 7" screen was big!

Believe me, I'm driving my family crazy over these stupid things (asking opinions) and I'm sure many who read this'll be rolling their eyes as well.

PlumPeach , I'd really like to know: When you compared the Panasonic to the Toshiba, did it seem as though the screen was lacking a little? If so, it might make me feel better about giving it up.

If anyone has anything to say, please feel free (opinions would be nice). If there's anyone who's had experience with the SDP1500 and could tell me what they thought, that'd be great too.

Now this all really depends on whether the other store’ll even let me cancel the LA95 order. I should really decide tonight so I can either E-mail them or call first thing in the morning.