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Panasonic DVD-LS86

Manufacturer: Panasonic Part number: DVD-LS86

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$204.99 - $374.99 at 2 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 6 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Panasonic DVD-LS86 delivers some of the longest battery life we've seen in a portable DVD player--though not quite as long as Panasonic claims.
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CNET editors' review

Panasonic DVD-LS86

price range: $204.99 - $374.99

Reviewed by: Jeff Bakalar
Edited by: John P. Falcone
Reviewed on: 05/05/2008
Released on: 02/21/2008

The good: Portable DVD player with 8.5-inch collapsible screen; excellent digital file support includes DivX, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, JPEG compatibility; long-life battery; includes AV connectivity wires and car charger.

The bad: Battery life, while quite long, is still shorter than advertised; screen hides buttons when folded to tablet position; unintuitive control layout; no remote control; average picture quality; no USB port or flash card reader.

The bottom line: The Panasonic DVD-LS86 delivers some of the longest battery life we've seen in a portable DVD player--though not quite as long as Panasonic claims.

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As gadget categories go, the portable DVD player is a rather commoditized lot, with plenty of no-name brands available for $100 or less. To rise above the sea of mediocrity, a player needs some distinguishing characteristics: say, a large screen, improved digital file support (something beyond plain old DVD and CD), or long battery life. The Panasonic DVD-LS86 offers all three: a fold-down 8.5-inch wide-screen display; the capability to play DivX and MPEG4 videos as well as WMA and MP3 music files; and a battery that Panasonic claims will deliver enough juice for 13 hours of playback time. Alas, it didn't come close to hitting that number in our testing, but it still went longer than any player we've tested in recent memory.

The first thing you'll notice when you pick up the DVD-LS86 is its size. It's by far one of the widest portable DVD players we've reviewed--primarily because Panasonic chose to mount the speakers on the sides of the screen as opposed to below or above it. Weighing 2.5 pounds, the player is covered in a black plastic casing while the top of the screen is coated in a faux-leather design.

Speaking of the screen, Panasonic has taken an interesting approach in allowing it to essentially collapse and fold back onto the unit rather than swivel around. While the articulated hinge behind the 8.5-inch screen can be adjusted to a variety of vertical angles, the screen hides most of the player controls when it's completely folded down in the tablet-style display. Meanwhile, even the accessible buttons suffer from unintuitive placement. You'll find yourself fishing for the volume buttons on the player's right side, for instance. And the "play" and "stop" buttons--located on the player's front edge--double as the "on" and "off" switches. As a result, we found ourselves accidentally turning the device off when we held the player in our hands. However, we were happy to see on-the-fly screen brightness and size adjustment settings as well as fast-forward and rewind functionality just a button click away.

On the left side of the unit you'll find the dual earphone jacks as well as the AV input (for using the player's screen as a monitor) and output jack (for playing DVDs on a larger TV), for which Panasonic includes the necessary AV breakout cable. Also in the box is a power supply and a car charger--but you won't find any accessories to mount the LS86 on a car seat headrest. The only accessory we wish Panasonic would have included is a remote control. We know the idea of a remote for a portable player seems trivial, but the majority of players we've seen recently all include one.

In terms of performance, the DVD-LS86 works well. We weren't overly impressed with the video quality--we'd have to label it as just average compared with the other players we've tested. We were happy to see that the LS86 had no problem playing our DivX-encoded video files, MPEG4 videos, MP3 and WMA audio files, and JPEG photos. However, you'll need to burn all of these files to a disc (DVD-R, DVD-RAM, or CD-R); had Panasonic added a USB port or flash card reader, the digital file support would've been far more attractive and convenient. Sound quality from the two onboard speakers was good, but like with all portable devices, you'll probably be using headphones in most viewing situations.

The battery rests below the screen's hinge and doesn't protrude excessively from the player's body. Panasonic claims a whopping 13 hours of playback on a normal seven hour charge. However, in two separate tests, the battery did not last beyond 9 hours of DVD playback (you may get better performance when watching DivX file playback, however). So we'll ding Panasonic for overly optimistic advertising--but admit that 9 hours of battery life is about the best we've seen to date. (It's worth noting that the step down model, the Panasonic DVD-LS83, is essentially the same model that shaves about 4 ounces of weight by including a less robust battery rated at 6 hours.)

A few design and functionality caveats aside, the Panasonic DVD-LS86 is an all-around good portable DVD player. Its unconventional width may deter some buyers who are looking for the ultimate in portability, while some may be put off by the screen's unusual collapsible hinge. The LS86 does boast a decent amount of playable file formats, we just wish it came with a USB or flash card reader as well. Some may find the asking price of $200 a bit expensive, especially with other comparable players on the market (some with even more features like the iPod compatible Philips DCP851) priced even lower. But if you're looking for seriously long playback time, the Panasonic DVD-LS86 should be at the top of your list.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 6 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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8 stars

Excellent value. Great for traveling

by TTTMartz on July 19, 2008

Pros: Long battery life, small size, good picture

Cons: Can't use volume buttons when folded to tablet

Summary: I enjoy this player. It's small enough to use on an airplane (even in coach) yet big enough to watch a movie in a motel room. Long battery life ...

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Summary: I enjoy this player. It's small enough to use on an airplane (even in coach) yet big enough to watch a movie in a motel room. Long battery life is great. Easy to use once you learn the controls. You have to read the manual or spend a lot of time fooling around, but that's not a major issue. I consider this a good value and reliable.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
6 stars

Plays foregin dvds

by Pam344 on January 12, 2009

Pros: I bought a couple of these on sale this week at the bx,for $99 each,from a sale at the bx.They play american movies sold in Thailand.The pic is ok,and I can't complain about the volume.It says their dual voltage.It works in the car.I am ok with it.

Cons: none.I would have to check to see if it has ff,which I would like.

Summary: It plays everything I have,walmart album photos,Thailand album photos,american movies sold on the streets of Thailand.It has dual voltage,works in the car.The volume is ...

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Summary: It plays everything I have,walmart album photos,Thailand album photos,american movies sold on the streets of Thailand.It has dual voltage,works in the car.The volume is adequate,and I like the picture.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 stars

My portable dvd player broke in less than one year.

by leifda on June 29, 2009

Pros: small and light

Cons: I would not recommend this dvd player to anyone as mine had hardly any use and it stopped reading all DVDs. Battery life is short.Customer service is of no help.

Summary: Go for another cheaper brand!

Summary: Go for another cheaper brand!
6 stars

Battery Life

by jsoap on April 3, 2009

Pros: Its portable

Cons: Rather have a swivel screen

Summary: Why on earh would the reviewer think that Divx playback would achieve longer playback tim than DVDs. Its takes far more processing power to decode Divx than the DVD mpeg2 ...

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Summary: Why on earh would the reviewer think that Divx playback would achieve longer playback tim than DVDs. Its takes far more processing power to decode Divx than the DVD mpeg2 data. If you had bothered to test the playback time using Divx then the review may have had some value!

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8 stars

THIS IS ONE TERIFFIC DVD PLAYER

by oilmanowen on December 23, 2008

Pros: EXCELLENT BATTERY LIFE.THE LONGEST AVAILABLE

Cons: NONE REALLY, UNLESS YOU WANT TO NITPICK

Summary: 13 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE WILL GET YOU THROUGH LONG PLANE RIDES WITH EASE....IN MY OPINION THE BEST OUT THERE

Summary: 13 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE WILL GET YOU THROUGH LONG PLANE RIDES WITH EASE....IN MY OPINION THE BEST OUT THERE
9 stars

Nice, But needs a little improvements

by Leeroy_Johnson on October 27, 2008

Pros: Features are awesome
Great video quality
An open BUTTON!! (NOT a slider!)

Cons: Speakers take much room
Empty space left of speakers
No blueray
Lacks bass

Summary: Have you ever wanted a portable dvd but with good quality?

Look no further. Panasonic has created a phenominal portable dvd unit and has long been my favorite. I own ...

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Summary: Have you ever wanted a portable dvd but with good quality?

Look no further. Panasonic has created a phenominal portable dvd unit and has long been my favorite. I own this unit, in a matter of facts its right infront of me. The quality is simplly awesome. I'm watching Dan In Real Life on this thing right now as I'm typing and it looks better then (yeah im for real) my 42" sony hdtv. I am not kidding. The battery life is around 8 hours, but amazon says the battery life is up to 12 hours. Well i been owning the dvd for about 7 months, and never replaced the battery. The features are nice. 2 headphone jacks, audio and video output (or input? not sure never used), LCD size/brightness control feature, Top Menu, Menu,and AV Select. A nice, big navigational pad, containing up, down, left, and right big buttons plus a nice enter key in the middle. A big open BUTTON (not a slider!!) and speakers on the side are very good. Gives nice sound. Now the big part, a free style viewer screen! You can "pop-out" the screen so its like sticking out and make it flat so the dvd is as if the screen was built into the cd tray. Electronic skip protection (just a extra feature). And with the good comes the bad... The price. It costs (used - very good) $280 on amazon and the retail is $250. If panasonic would lower the price to maybe $150 then i would by like 50 of these. I recommend this for travalers, parents who have kids that want to watch movies in the car and people who want to work on the computer without having to look somewhere else for the TV. My unit is right of my screen and is good, but only problem the screen is a little too big to snugglly fit on my desk without me having to move stuff. The speakers are taking up most of the space, and there is a little blank space left of the speakers.
Rating:
Video Quality: 11/10 (BEST OF THE BEST!)
Speaker Quality: 8/10 (Lacks bass)
Features: 10/10
Playback Compatibility: 10/10 (No blueray, because this was released before blueray existed)
Overall: 9.5/10 (I need my bass!)

Updated on Oct 27, 2008
Oops, i didn't notice this was LS86, i reviewed LS82. Sorry for that mistake. If needed remove.

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Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Panasonic
Part number: DVD-LS86
Description: The large 8.5" widescreen display pivots for free-style viewing so you can adjust the position for optimum comfort and image quality. You can also adjust the screen brightness to get the best view of your DVDs in all kinds of light conditions. You get beautiful images while watching movies on a dimly lit airplane, or when you're relaxing in the sun at a resort or other outdoor spot. When you're in the mood for a movie, this versatile player can play back many different types of prerecorded DVDs, including DVD-RAM/-R/-RW1 and DVD+R/+RW1 discs. If you want to give your eyes a rest and listen to some tunes instead, our portable DVD player handles lots of the most popular audio formats around, including CDs, MP3s2, CD-R/RW3 discs and WMA4 files. The DVD-LS86 comes with a built-in rechargeable battery that gives you a full 13 hours of playback without having to worry about running out of power on long trips. That's long enough to watch up to six DVD movies5 on a single charge while flying from New York to L.A. and back, so leave the AC adaptor at home and forget about recharging at your hotel.

General
Product Type DVD player
Form Factor Portable
Width 9.6 in
Depth 7 in
Height 2 in
Weight 2.2 lbs
DVD
Media Type DVD, CD-R, SVCD, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL, Video CD
Media Format PAL, NTSC
Video D/A Converter 12bit / 108MHz
Audio D/A Converter 24bit / 96kHz
Search Speed Up to 200x
Supported Digital Video Standards DivX, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3, WMA
Display
Display Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 8.5 in - Color
Image Aspect Ratio 16:9
DVD Features
MP3 Compatible Yes
Additional Features Cinema mode, HighMAT support, Dialogue enhancer, JPEG photo playback
Audio System
Sound Output Mode Stereo
Surround Sound Effects Advanced Virtual Surround Sound (V.S.S.)
Speaker System Details 2 x Right/left channel speaker - Built-in
Additional Features IPod ready, Built-in FM transmitter

Remote Control
Type Remote control
Technology Infrared
Connections
Connector Type 2 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ), 1 x Composite video/audio (input/output)
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Car power adapter
Power
Power Device Power adapter - External
Battery DVD player battery - Rechargeable
Capacity 13 hour(s)

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