Features: Multiple Display Angles for Comfortable ViewingThe large, bright widescreen display on this portable DVD player pivots to different viewing angles so you can adjust its position for optimum comfort and image quality.
Slim and Stylish DesignIts slim profile and light weight makes this portable DVD player easy to carry around and store, while its stylish good looks make it easy on the eyes. It'll fit right in with whatever hi-tech gear you're toting around.
Long Playback TimeWatch the whole movie and not just part of it thanks to the extended battery life in this portable DVD player--up to 2.5 hours1 with the built-in rechargeable battery. For those really long car rides and flights, add an optional external battery pack and extend your viewing time even further.
Listen to Many Different Music FormatsIf you're not in the mood for a movie, give your eyes a rest and try some tunes instead. This portable DVD player not only handles movies, but lots of the most popular audio formats including MP3s2, CDs, CD-R/RW3 discs, WMA4, and DVD-Audio discs.
Use It As a Home DVD Player TooGo from the portable screen on the road to the big screen at home-this portable DVD player does double duty as a home DVD player too. Use the A/V output to connect your portable DVD player to your TV, kick back in your favorite chair with the included remote control, and relax. It even has an optical digital audio output so you can hook it up to your surround sound receiver and play Dolby Digital® and DTS® soundtracks.
Larger than most portable disc players but still far more portable than a laptop, Panasonic's DVD-LX8 DVD player offers a 9-inch, 16:9 aspect-ratio (wide) screen whose adjustable "Mono Arm" broadens the range of available viewing angles, making the player perfect for suddenly bright and suddenly dark airplane cabins or desktop use in an office. The player handles DVD-Video, high-resolution DVD-Audio, DVD-R, and DVD-RAM playback--as well as standard and recordable audio CDs, including MP3- and WMA-encoded discs. Its slender chassis holds a built-in rechargeable battery good for about 2.5 hours between charges.
Designed to take full advantage of both audio and traditional video DVD formats, the DVD-LX8 delivers super high-fidelity (192 kHz/24-bit) sound of DVD-Audio. DVD-Audio software titles offer classic music titles in both multichannel and stereo, though be aware that this model plays discs in stereo only. Most DVD-A discs have compressed Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround tracks, however; these can be passed through the unit's digital-audio output to a compatible surround receiver and speaker system.
Audio features also include DTS and Dolby Digital 2-channel decoding and multichannel passthrough, built-in stereo speakers, and Panasonic's Dialogue Enhancer for DVD movie viewing. Advanced Surround Sound (VSS) simulates surround effects from any two speakers or from headphones.
Cinema Mode reduces the detrimental effects of screen glare from ambient light, rendering cinematic colors in pictures that are gentle on the eyes. Further, Cinema Mode improves the visibility of details in dark scenes by automatically adjusting picture contrast. High-speed, five-step Smooth Motion Scan provides crystal-clear forward and reverse scan. At the highest setting, the unit scans at an incredible 200 times normal speed. Panasonic's Dialog Enhancer boosts the center channel volume--where most of the principal dialogue emanates when playing a Dolby Digital 5.1 disc--by 6 dB.
This player is HighMAT compatible. High-Performance Media Access Technology is a standard codeveloped by Panasonic and Microsoft to improve interoperability for digital media programming between PCs and electronics devices. HighMAT provides an efficient method for arranging digital photo, music, and video collections on recordable media.
What's in the Box
DVD player, remote control, AC adapter, audio/video cables, rechargeable battery pack, user's manual, and warranty information.
1 Looked and Looked and did I mention I LOOKED
and this is the best portable DVD player on the market. Paid $399 with no shipping or tax. Spent an extra $60 to extend the battery life to 8.5 hours. Also, not sure why it does not have dual headphone outlets (the smaller one does), but for $6 at Radio Shack that problem was solved. What I love - the picture - the fact that you can lay it down flat - and the best sound of all that I have tried. I am VERY happy with this player.
2 Finally.
Finally we have the best portable on the market. This is the one I've been looking for. The screen is better than all its peers, high resolution VGA, absolutely beautiful. It's like an HD plasma screen. You can pick it up cheap too, for $300-$400, extra battery for about $50 and you're all set. The screen folds atop itself, show me a laptop that can do that. Portable players are very convenient and fun. The market is slowly dying due to laptops, and the oncoming HDDVD and Blu-Ray, but that's good for us because it means lower prices. Some people prefer laptops, but these things speak to the inner kid in all of us.
3 Answers I couldn't find from other reviews here
After much research, I was convinced that the Panasonic portable DVD players were the best. More expensive than many but worth the price. Seeing Nemo play on it convinced me and my spouse. Terrific screen resolution. I decided I wouldn't use the external speakers or the card slot on the LX9 and the LX8 was otherwise the same unit and cheaper. I haven't been disappointed. We love it. After reading reviews here on the LX8 and the Lx9, I was concerned about the heat discharge if it was in your lap. That has not been a problem. I was especially concerned about the short battery time on the factory battery. I opted to buy a Lenmar DVDP501 battery pack (6800 mAh)that attaches underneath the unit and does not require carrying along an extra charger. With the combined batteries I get 8 hours of play time at mid-level screen brightness, which is fine. This extra battery was definitely the way to go. Just to test it, I set the brightness at full level and got 6 hours and 40 minutes of play time. The normal 8 hours is plenty for me on any flight. Panasonic is running a special now for a free $29 travel case and a free airplane/car travel adapter), both by rebate. You won't be sorry with this player, if you get the extra battery.
4 Outstanding buy for the price
I researched portable DVD players for some time and found that Panasonic had the best products. I finally settled on this model after trying out three (the LA-95, the LX-9, and the LX-8) in a store. The LX-8 has not disappointed. We have used it on four road trips throughout Europe with NO problems. My daughter even dropped it off her lap and it did not miss a beat. The ability of the screen to move in any vertical direction (including flat) is a hugh bonus. It bascially eliminates any glare on the screen.
The only minus I would say would be the life of the battery. It lasts about 2 hours and 20 minutes on a full charge. We had to get a car adapter so that it could be played longer on trips.
Another benefit if you are planning to use the player overseas is that it takes 110-240 Volts and 50-60 Hz so that you can charge it over in Europe using the provided power cord.
I would highly recommend this player to anyone. It certainly is worth the price.
Brad
5 nice player
I like the picture quality and the sound is great. You may only get a 2.5 hour battery with the player but the option to buy an 8 hour battery is very nice since no other player offers that.
6 GREAT PLAYER, VERY PRICEY AND MISSING SOME FEATURES
Alright, I had this thing for about 2 weeks when I returned it. The picture is awesome, very clear and the sound from the little speakers is superb. I bought it in a retail store for $699. Very expensive. The battery may last 2.5 hours but not with the brightness turned up. My biggest complaint is that it DOES NOT have an AUX imput feature. For that much $ I wanted a little monitor that I could plug whatever I wanted into. You cant with this one, you can only use it as a disc player. Also it does not have the card slot. The best things are the flip flop screen that is nice but not necessary and the fact that it does have progressive scan (or so the box states). Its a great player but the high price tag along with the missing AUX made me pass on it. I think I will get the DVD-LA95 from Panasonic, a price drop has made it a good buy.
7 GREAT PICTURE AND SOUND
I was debating b/w sony and panasonic before I bought the LX8. This little player is far from little. It offers great sound and a sharp crisp picture. It is great for travelling. The only draw back is the 2.5 hour charge time.
