Sony D-VE7000S portable DVD player

Posted by T3 Online on Tue 30 Oct 2007

Walkman branding can't save Sony's portable DVD.

Sony is trying to re-invent the humble portable DVD player with this Walkman-branded product, which has a tablet rather than a clamshell design.

The advantage of the tablet shape is that the player is slightly smaller and thinner than its rivals. The disadvantage is it's not very practical. The flimsy stand that pops out of the rear only works on flat surfaces like tables, and to keep the size down, Sony hasn't built any speakers into the case - if you want to listen to movies via speakers, you have to plonk it in its overly chunky docking unit. However, there are two headphone jacks, so watching films without the dock doesn't have to be a solitary experience.

As well as DVD movies, the device also plays MP3 files or DivX movies burned to CD or DVD. You can hook it up to a surround-sound system via the optical audio out and connect it to a telly using the composite mini-jack plug. However, most people will just rely on the player's screen for their movie watching.

Considering how brilliant the X-Black displays are on Sony's laptops, you'd expect the screen to be something special, but it's not. Although bright and sharp, the colours look washed out and the contrast is poor, so the playschool colours of Shrek look subdued and shadowy scenes in films like Cape Fear descend into blobs of blackness.

To make matters worse, the menu system and the membrane buttons on the remote are fiddly and the battery life is poor at around three hours.

Portable DVDs are in danger of being left for dead by video-enabled MP3 players and PMPs, and this doesn't do anything to help their cause. Not one of Sony's finest moments.