Philips PET1000 10.2-Inch Portable DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I researched and tested portable DVD players for quite some time, wanted no less than a 9" screen and couldn't justify the expense of a quality laptop PC w/a DVD drive. It came down to the Panasonic DVDLS90 9" or the Phillips PET1000 10.2". I decided on & purchased the Phillips based on multiple online reviews and hands-on experience with both at the local electronics superstore. My comments:

The Pros:

1) EXCELLENT picture in all respects, best in the portable DVD world. Resolution/sharpness, response time, color accuracy, etc. is the best I've seen. The Panasonic had a TERRIBLE picture (non-progressive) that artifacted badly especially with animated material and was considerably less sharp and color accurate.

2) Handy slimline remote that does everything except load the disc and order the pizza.

3) All the cables you'll need (AV-RCA, Component vid, S-vid, Cig lightr cord, ac/dc cord). The Panasonic only came with AC & Cig lightr cords.

4) Overall sexy & high-end looking slimline player 10.2"W x 1.2H x 7.1"D (w/batt: 10.2W x 2"H at back x 8.5"D) The Panasonic unit is only slightly smaller (9.3"W x 2.06"H x 7.31"D) and has a smaller screen.

5) Plays multiple formats as listed in specs, but interestingly enough WILL also play a CDr filled with JPEG images despite reviews on other sites to the contrary (CNET.com). In fact, the unit has an image viewing menu that allows you to display thumbnails and view slide shows. The only drawback is that it will only display filenames up to 10 characters in the old Windows-style file reader, not a really big deal. NOTE: does not recognize avi, bmp, pcx, wav, wma, & wmv files.

The Cons:

1) DISSAPOINTING BATTERY: a) 3 flimsy plastic clips in a row that hold batt pack to player will take NO punishment before snapping off. b) When attached, batt sticks out 2" beyond back of player & 1" below. c) Batt life is rated 2.5hrs, I've averaged about 3hrs with brightness/volume set to mid levels. You'd expect a higher capacity batt with such a nice player. d) long recharge time.

2) Personal Pet Peeve: when playing any recorded disc that has multiple viewing angles (ex: The Vandals - Live at the House of Blues), there is a small but distracting angle icon that appears at the upper rt side of the screen. After some frustration & a useless conversation with a useless Phillips CS rep somewhere in India? who advised me to return the unit for repair (wrong), I found the answer on Phillips website: the icon cannot be turned off when playing a multi-angle disc, so be warned.

3) Some functions (slo-mo) are only accessible by remote so don't lose it. Also hard to read the remote buttons in average/poor light.

4) No included carry case, no handle on the unit.

5) You must press on the disc door near the "open" button in order to latch it, otherwise it won't stay shut.

6) Somewhat noisy drive mechanism during startup & when accessing chapters, but only a slight hum when it counts like when watching a movie. A minor con.

Other reviews have knocked the sound quality. I'm somewhat of an audiophile and have no problem with the quality from this unit. You won't either if your expectations are realistic about the sound that should come out of portable DVD players. Although the Phillips has some annoying design flaws mainly with the battery, it wins in my book because of the unequalled quality of its 10.2" picture, ease of use, cool remote & styling. An extra aftermarket or higher capacity Phillips (when available) batt pack should solve any playing time issues with you international travellers. Get a high-quality padded case and carry it around with the battery detached. I recommend this player for anyone that takes good care of their stuff, values an extremely high quality picture, decent sound and mutiple connectivity choices. This player is not for the kids in the back seat of the soccer mom SUV. Get them a 7" Mintek or Coby. You'll be less angry when they spill their Coke on it.

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Product Description:
Box Includes: DVD Player, remote, A/V cable and car adapter
The Philips PET1000 10.2" Portable DVD Player lets you enjoy a truly cinematic experience - no matter where you are. Thsi sleek widescreen display offer a great 10.2" screen that brings the colors and sharp images of your favorite films to life, on a slightly smaller scale. Its multiple connections let you connect to any PC or home entertainment system. Component and S-Video outputs for connection to home theater systemsRechargeable long-life battery (Lasts up to 2.5 hours)