DVD L50 still working 18 years after purchase

I have owned a Panasonic L50 since 2002. The unit has given me 7 years of trouble-free service until recently, and for a player that has been around the world with me many times, from frozen Antarctica to steamy Kenya, I'd say it was a fantastic bargain.

Unfortunately the player is now having trouble reading all but brand new DVDs. If I could find a used L50 that was region free I'd buy it (I still have many functioning batteries for my player) as Panasonic don't include a remote with their new portable DVDs.

I guess my next player will be the Sony DVP FX-870.

One of the pioneer in portable home theater

GETS HOT AT THE BOTTOM!!! I saw this in every review. I believe that this could be a product defect. The wiring inside the player actually got scorched after 18 - 24 months of use. Please contact me if you get this problem. Together, we might be able to ask PANASONIC to fix this problem.

I bought it sometime September, 1999 and it was one of the first portable sold in 1999. I agree with all the reviews here but I would like for some of the reviewers here to contact me if they find their L50D flashing a U11 code for no good reason, then eventually dying out after 18 to 24 months of use. My particular L50D, died on me after 20 months of use (not regular use). I opened the drive and noticed that the wiring that triggers the "ON" got scorched by the heat and therefore does not turn on the player anymore. I asked for a repair estimate and FNAC here in France (I live here now) quoted me $560.00. I can actually buy a brand new one for less!

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Phillips, Sony, Mustek, Pioneer

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if anyone knows how to hook this player up to surround sound please mail me, weve had trouble for a while

Similar Products Used:

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Good quality sound and picture

rare occasional freezing bottom gets hot quickly runs on battery alone for only a few hours

This is a good dvd player. I purchased it from amazon.com''s used products section for only 440. The portable dvd player plays dvds in great quality picture and sound. The only weaknesses are some dvds freezing on the player on a few occasions (though they work better the next time I put them in), the player running on its battery for only a few hours, and its bottom getting hot after usage but these are minor problems.

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Magnavox dvd611 samsung dvd611 (which sucks)

Size, Plays everything, Looks Cool

The bottom gets very HOT

Best product I bought for traveling. With two batteries, I'm able to watch 2 to 3 movies. Riding a plane from Hawaii to east coast (9 hours plus), it helps me sit in my coach seat.

I have a Sony 3000 for a home unit and use this as 2nd DVD unit.

Paid $700 for the unit plus $120 for another battery.

Would I buy it again...YES.

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Full size DVD Players

I purchased this after reading the reviews on this site which showed a rebate of 100.00 from costco and one from panasonic. I am not able to get a rebate from costco, only one from panasonic. It is a great player but it would have been better for 300.00 (I paid 499-100 rebate).

Small & Lightweight, long battery time (usually can get two movies in on one flight),plays everything

fast forward and reverse scan without remote is a pain. Still pretty expensive/doesn't come with Toslink cable

IF you don't need portability stop reading this and buy full sized player. If you need small or travel alot this is your best buddy.

Picture is excellent compared with the Aiwa portable(Aiwa looked kind of cartoony) and is similar in clarity to the pioneer(although Panasonic is smaller). However it plays everything, I tried to demo the pioneer with armagedon and it would not play-could have been the unit but it works fine on my panasonic.

Sound is okay for tiny little speakers but I don't use them very often. Toslink connection is outstanding with sound system and anolog is fine for regular stereo tv viewing. Good headphones are a must. If you are going to use these on a plane I am about to give you the best advice you will ever hear. Ready...got a pen...GET A PAIR OF NOISE REDUCTION HEADPHONES. Backround noise of engines, crying babies, and air blowers are very hard to overcome with normal walkman type headphones. I almost returned the unit after my first flight because I could barely hear it through my regular walkman headset and the DVD I was watching didn't have closed captioning. I picked up a pair of noise reduction headphones from recotron at UBID.com for $24.00 and it was the best money I've ever spent. They counteract outside noise and make it disappear(I know sounds like hype but you would never believe how well they work) (I don't work for them either. Look up University of Pennsilvania phsyics dept. for more info.) Without them I couldn't use it on a plane or when working out because the outer noise is to much.

Features are great and little credit card remote is cool. Fun to whip the little bugger out and watch everyone else wish they had one. Easier to carry around than a lap top and recharges overnight in about 3-6 hours.

Would have been nice if they found a place to attach the remote control, so I don't use it because i'm afraid i'll loose it. But since that's really more important if your going to use this for your home unit so I won't knock it in the rating since this is really not desinged for that application.

Price is still a little high, I paid $720. in Chinatown-San Francisco but I've seen it for that at Ubid and E-cost and they go for less on e-bay. Probably will sell for $400. next year but If you fly a lot you've got to have it.

5 for features and 4 for value
Will happily reply to any questions.

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Full size DVD-Toshiba SD-5109 progressive scan

plays just about everything, flexibility, features, coolness factor, sound quality

LCD screen is only OK, expensive

My Model: L50-D

This has to be the coolest, most flexible device I've seen in a long time! It functions well as a portable unit and equally well as a home player. Physically(with LCD closed and battery detached), it looks, feels & weighs similar to any old portable CD player.

The first thing I did was plug it in and watch several movies just using headphones and the LCD display. The sound was good and the "Virtual Surround Sound" sounded like the "SuperBASS" function on many boom boxes. The video quality on the 16x9 LCD screen was acceptable--after all it is a portable. There were some dead and miscolored pixels(normal according to the manual) and some artifacting and shimmer too but it wasn't bad at all! ZOOMed movies look the worst but still watchable. I think the only real problem you'll find when using this player as is: answering all of the questions people are going to ask you about it!

Next, I plugged it into my main system via S-Video and a digital mini plug to toslink connector. This digital cable is the same one used by portable Minidisk players but unfortunately not provided in the box. Your local Best Buy or electronics store that sells minidisk should have this cable. Anyways, I put in a few movies and I couldn't believe my eyes and ears! Performance in all aspects was at least equivalent to the A110 I used to have if not better(I also have a Pioneer DV-09 and Sony s7000). It played practically any disk I threw at it, DTS, DD5.1, DPL, even known problem disks like Matrix, imports and VCD's made from CD-Rs and Karaoke CD-RWs! I can now bring my L50 over to a DVD-less friend's house and hook it up to their TV for an instant party. Awesome!

Next test, I used the L50 as an audio only player and transport. As mentioned before it plays CDs, 24/96 DADs, CD-Rs and CD-RWs(Note: The manual says it doesn't do CD-R or CD-RW)!! As a transport(to the EP9ES D/A section) it sounded fine, there was some slight smearing of the upper frequency(which I attibute to jitter) but it was very acceptable and listenable. I would suggest some type of jitter correction device if you are using it as a transport. Also as a transport, it converts 96K disks to 48K.. slight bummer... As a CD Player(to a Linn analog preamp), the smearing was gone.. The sound was open and excellent, a little neutral(never harsh) with good bass definition(from such a small unit!). I would be very happy to listen to this player all day.. Verdict: The unit is equivalent to a very good CD player. It sounded MUCH better than the "sterile" sounding A110 I had.

Lastly, I just had to review the one last cool feature of this player... It can accept a video and audio input like any TV! Just for grins, I slipped the switch on the side to "IN" and I plugged in my Dreamcast and was playing games on the little 5" screen with the audio coming out of the speakers!!! Very Cool.. The only down side to this is that it only accepts composite video and analog sound so the colors were a little smeared.

Final Verdict: Sure, laptops with DVD drives are probably just as good(or better video wise) but they certainly aren't as portable or have some of these very unique features. Plus, not every one wants to mess around with a computer. If you are a gadget person or are just plain addicted to DVD and have about 900 bucks to spare(750 online), run (don't walk) to your dealer and get one of these..

--mike

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none

Screen quality, portable, plays CD-Rs

bottom of player gets hot

I purchased the Panasonic DVD L50 on eBay, so it was used. At first, the player would not play any disc. I worried it was defective. So I had a friend, who knows a lot about repairing CD lasers, open it up to check the laser mechanism. To my surprise, the laser mechanism was very dusty. After blowing the dust out with a can compressed air, it works like a charm. I use it in school to kill free time, and it is fun to see people's reaction. Everyone who saw it said it was the coolest thing they have ever seen, and everyone who saw it wanted one upon laying eyes on it. After a few minutes, a small crowd gathered around and I had to explain to them what it was. The battery life is sufficient for my needs so it is not a big deal for me. The DVD L50 has one of the finest screens I have seen on a portable DVD player. Panasonic's third generation portable DVD LV55's screen is of lower sharpness. Comparing the L50 to the LV55, the L50 screen simply blows the LV55's screen away in terms of sharpness. This portable player was worth every penny. I haven't tried hooking it up to a TV though. Unlike the Panasonic home DVD players, this portable can play CD-Rs. I have a Panasonic DVD A105 in my basement and it does not read any CD-Rs! Having this capability on the portable is a big plus. For the price I paid, it can't be beat in terms of value. At first I was considering the Pansonic DVD LV75 or the Sony DVP FX1, but those were cost prohibitive. This portable DVD player will keep me happy for a long time to come, and it has become a dream come true. I wanted a portable the moment I laid my eyes on one. I would recommend this player to anyone at the price I paid. But be careful if you decide to bid on one from auction sites. I have gone through 2 bad auction experiences winning this DVD player. If you decide to find it cheap on auction sites, take my advice: LOOK CAREFULLY AT A SELLER'S FEEDBACK! Some sellers create new ID's to give themselves a positive feedback rating. If you have any questions regarding the Panasonic DVD L50 or any of the players I listed under "Similar Products Used," feel free to email me at devideman@yahoo.com

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Panasonic DVD A105, Pioneer DV525, Sharp 600U