Product Reviews

Portable DVD players are facing stiff competition from increasingly inexpensive notebook PCs. Even the cheapest laptops are capable of playing DVDs, and they have larger screens as well. However, for simplicity and size the portable DVD player still can't be beaten.

Prices of portable DVD payers have tumbled, with small 7" screen models now costing around £150. Mustek's PL510 is a comparative monster with its 10" diagonal display. Putting it next to a 7" player we were surprised at how the larger screen made movie watching far more enjoyable. Despite the extra screen size it still rested comfortably in our laps, though, and it weighs a touch over a kilogram including the battery.

Battery life is around two-and-a-half hours, which is long enough to get through almost any film, bar the extended versions of Lord of the Rings. This comparatively short life isn't surprising given

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the extra drain on the battery from the large screen. The battery itself is detachable and clips on the rear of the unit, spoiling its sleek looks. The rest of the build quality feels average, although small jars and knocks did nothing to interfere with playback.

The screen provides above-average playback quality. There is a little noise in the picture on close inspection, but it is on a par with other players we've seen. Colour is good and skin tones look realistic. Unfortunately, the viewing angles are not so great. Moving the angle up or down immediately results in a milky or dark display. Viewing from left to right isn't quite so bad, but you will have to be pretty intimate with someone to watch a film together.

Twin headphone sockets are provided for this purpose, which is ideal for train or plane journeys with a friend. The unit supports Dolby Digital decoding and sounds great. Every crunch in Spiderman 2's Dolby Digital stereo mix was clearly rendered, and not at the expense of the dialogue.

The PL510 has an SD/MMC card slot for viewing photographs. It also has a progressive scan minijack output, though no lead is provided, and we can't see who would use it anyway. It also lacks DivX playback, so those who like to download movies should probably avoid it.

The PL510 is a decent portable DVD player. It would be ideal to take on holiday to keep the kids entertained in the evening. The bigger screen size is certainly worth paying for.