Panasonic DVD-LS86 8.5-Inch Portable DVD Player

This DVD player worked great out of the box. No need to charge, just get up and go. I have only used it while powered by the car or home, so I can't speak of the battery life. The quality of the picture is great. It entertained my kids for a long 11 hour car trip each way. This is a must for any family going on a trip. The kids didn't even ask for food or to stop at all. The only thing I heard was giggling and questions for another video.

I purchase in 2004 a Panasonic DVD-LX9 portable DVD player for $800. Until recently, it worked fine. However, the built-in but detachable battery just went bad and needs replacing. Panasonic has discontinued the battery, and without it the player won't work even on mains power ! So, my expensive investment is now quite useless ! All Panasonic is prepared to do is offer a small discount to buy a much inferior unit. SO MY ADVICE IS : DON'T BUY PANASONIC LEST THEY DISCONTINUE THE BATTERY LATER !!

after an overnight charge, lasted about 8 hours, enough to get the kids through a 14 hour flight

I have had several of these over the years and this one is, by far, the absolute best of the bunch. Outstanding screen\picture, clear, crisp, great colors. The surround sound is superb (although using the enhanced bass setting is just too much bass). Does not last the 13 hours per. the company's claim but still the longest in the entire group- around 8 to 9 hours, enough for FOUR MOVIES, the longest. Can't recommend this one enough, love it, great for travel or home use.

Pros: Light weight. Zoom feature (smooth manual zoom too). Long battery life (5 hours on highest setting, reduce brightness for longer run time). Plays DivX movies (I rip 6 DVDs and compress it to 480x272 and burn them onto one DVD-R). Smaller charger compared to the old model.

Cons: Display only 480x234, out-dated compare to newer 800x480 displays. Remote not included anymore.