Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DVD-LA95 9-Inch Portable DVD Player

I purchased this product primarily for use by my 4-year-old daughter so she can stay occupied when we take long flights. I have only used it for one such case so far, in which we flew to Mexico from Seattle, but I was very impressed at Panasonic's execution with this DVD player. (Note that there is a newer unit, the DVD-LX9, available from Panasonic that has progressive scanning technology and stand-alone speakers, but it is also significantly more expensive and probably not worth it given the typical use cases of a portable DVD player.) The LA95 basically does everything right. For example, it has good sound quality and a more than sufficient amplifier so both the external speakers and headphones actually work reasonably. (Most portable devices have lousy external speakers and some even suffer from poor volume level even with headphones.) It also has a very clean picture and I saw no instances of pixelation or other bad DVD processing artifacts as I played with the forward and reverse controls. The best thing, though, was the optional extended life battery (the CGP-H501A). It lasts for up to 10 hours of DVD play: on one charge, we flew to Mexico and back, playing multiple movies in both directions, and I used it to watch two movies while in Mexico, and the battery pack is not all that heavy or obtrusive. If you're looking for a very strong portable DVD player, you will definitely not be disappointed if you purchase the DVD-LA95. Just be sure to purchase the extended life battery (there is an H502 also, but that has a *lower* life than the H501 - get the H501) and you might want to pick up a headphone jack splitter so you can have more than one person listen in with headphones.

panasonic definitely cut a few corners in producing their latest portable. the fit and finish of the la-95 is much improved over last year's dvd-lv75. however, the 9-inch screen, although larger, is of poorer quality. images aren't as sharp or as bright as on the older model's 7-inch screen (the older screen is truly and engineering marvel). my guess is that the pixel-count was not increased along with screen size to reduce manufacturing costs. when using headphones, annoying reverberations could be heard while listening to certain voices on some DVDs. another design flaw is found in the orientation of the LCD screen itself. the screen goes very dark when you try to view it from an open angle, leaving you with a much smaller viewing radius than with the older machine, which was manufactured with the pixels reflecting in the opposite direction.

the dvd-la95 is a very pretty gadget to look at, but falls short on video and audio performance. (...)

panasonic, if you're listening, your next model should combine the fit and finish of the dvd-la95 with the screen quality of the dvd-lv75 without the background audio artifacts and reverberation problems associated with either.

The 9" screen cannot be beat. Although I must admit that the sound and the picture quality on the Sharp 8" player (which is cheaper) is moderately better, the LA-95 is overall the best portable player. It also does not get any sleeker than this. It is very easy to use, extremely light, and has the best collection of portable accessories of any new players (many of the older Panasonic model's accessories work with the LA-95). After all - if I am going to watch a DVD movie at home - why wouldn't I watch from my big screen TV? I recommend getting the optional battery pack CGP-H501... and/or the the XTend airline power adapter if you plan on (as I do) using on long trips to keep your children occupied. I am not sure, though, if I will ever need to play any of those other formats (what exactly is DVD-RAM?). By the way - cartoons look the best and color sci fi the worst.

I was searching for a portable DVD player to take with me to Iraq (military) as I was worried about destroying an expensive personal laptop. I bought three other models and returned them before I found the LA95. I was concerned because the hinge feels somewhat flimsy compared to other models, and the base gets quite warm. However, I kept it because the picture and sound quality were far superior to the other models I tested. The others sounded fine with headphones, but they aren't exactly comfortable in the desert heat. After 6 months of extremely harsh conditions (sand & heat) this player has heald up very well. I highly recommend this one. I can find nothing to complain about on it. I also recommend the additional battery pack for about 10 hours of total play time (far better than any other model).

Trust me when I say that I looked at just about every portable DVD player on the market before deciding on this one. Yes, this Panasonic is relatively expensive and you can find much cheaper alternatives. However, the Panasonic has the best picture out there and a very large screen size to boot. Plus, the external speakers on the Panasonic are head and shoulders above anything else out there, especially for watching and listening to the unit in the car. The unit is very thin and light weight so you must be careful with it as with any portable DVD player. I recommend the well-padded Targus bag which converts to a seat mount in the car. Very cool, although it costs about $60.

In terms of battery life, I would say that you can get about 2 hours out of this thing, but not if you have it at the brightest screen setting and not if you have the volume turned up all the way. You can also buy an external Panasonic battery which mounts to the bottom of the unit for an additional 2-3 hour battery life, but this things costs close to $200 so I haven't done that yet. For the car, you can either buy Panasonic's car adapter ($100+ for some reason) or buy a power inverter from Radio Shack, Best Buy, etc. for about $40. The inverter will allow you to plug the AC adapter that comes with the unit into your car's DC cigarette lighter.

After using this unit for a couple months, I can highly recommend it to anyone. Yes, it costs more than most, but you get what you pay for. This thing has been great for taking my 1 year old on long trips to visit relatives. It's also good to bring with you to restaurants in case the little one gets impatient. Plus, you will get a lot of compliments from the restaurant staff and other patrons who tell you it's just about the coolest thing they have ever seen.