LG DP9821P

First impressions of LG's latest portable DivX DVD player did not bode well for the system. The case exterior is modelled in a cheap-looking pearly plastic, making it look almost like a jewellery box, rather than a portable entertainment system.

Upon being opened, however, the system redeemed itself, presenting a well-organised, if not revolutionary, setup of buttons covering all the main functions of the system. We particularly liked the placement of the string of control buttons (play, pause etc.) along the front, giving easy access during car trips without blocking the screen.

The remote is equally well laid out, and was very responsive from all the angles we tested. It did, however, feel a little flimsy, like holding a piece of cardboard. This problem is also present in the system itself; the DVD lid seemed a little weak and perhaps not up to the task of long trips in the hands of small children.

The 7" screen has an aspect ratio of 16:9, although playback of 4:3 videos is also possible. The player supports a huge variety of formats, including music CD, DivX, DVD-Video, JPEG and MP3-CD. It is, however, region locked, so it will only play region 4 DVDs.

Another weak element of the player is the display itself. While adequate for most viewing in our tests, there was noticeable blurring whenever text was displayed. Small disclaimers and credits could be extremely difficult to read, and looking at it from any kind of angle darkened the image and heightened this problem. The colours and brightness were also somewhat washed out at times, but you can only expect so much from a 7" LCD.

Quoted battery life is three hours, and our testing indicated that's about what you'll get--just enough for two average length movies. The system comes packaged with a battery pack, power connector and a car adapter, so it can run from your car and ease the pain of a short battery life.