9th Panasonic LS83

Panasonic LS83
RRP 159.99
Best of the web 146.00 at pixmania.co.uk
Overall

Performance

The 8.5-inch screen is big enough for two people to watch at once, and picture quality is reasonably good, although it does lack clarity on some of the finer details, especially if the on-screen action is fast-moving. The sound quality is good, although it is frustrating that no headphones are provided. A slight clunking noise as a disc plays can become irritating. Battery life is up to six hours.

Ease of operation

Most of the controls are intuitive, although we spent an age trying to find the volume buttons, which are black on a black background. There's no remote control, either. The battery pack is light and compact and very easy to fit.

Buying

While the recommended retail price is similar to that of other players, we struggled to find a substantial discount online. However, the player is relatively new to the market, so larger discounts will follow in time. For now, though, remember to compare it with players of a similar price once discounts have been applied.

Quality

The player is solidly built, although the plastic casing does look a bit cheap. The controls are fine, but some wobble in their housings and feel a little flimsy. The battery pack is a highlight, though, and is the smallest and easiest to fit among the players that we tested.

Special features

The LS83 plays most DVD formats and DivX, jpeg and MP3 files. The screen unclips and can be watched at a variety of angles. The player comes with a rechargeable battery, car adaptor and mains leads, and a mounting bracket for putting the player on the back of a seat headrest.