SL-77

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Voxson's SL-77 features a slot-loading optical drive instead of the top-loading versions favoured by most portable DVD players. As a result, it eschews the clamshell or notebook style designed in favour of a tablet shape. It has 7" LCD in a 16:9 aspect ratio, which sits in the centre of the silver front face, flanked by a grey border. Below is a pair of speakers, infrared sensor and navigation buttons. All connectors are found on the left-hand panel of the 20 x 16 x 4cm device, including a headphone output volume control, video output port, optical audio out port and 12V power socket.

Pros

  • Tablet-style form factor, good audio

Cons

  • No support for MPEG-4-based video formats

Bottom Line

The Voxson SL-77 offers quality DVD playback on the road, but a lack of support for compressed formats like DivX and XviD limits its appeal for power users.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 599.00 (AUD)

The rechargeable lithium ion battery snaps onto the base and doubles as a stand for tabletop operation. There's also a bundled remote control for the times you want to plug it into a TV. Like in the entry-level SL-50, Voxson's SL-77 can accept an AV input, so it's possible to connect a console to the unit for mobile gaming.

The machine can't handle video compression formats such as XviD and DivX, and can only play back DVD and audio CDs or burned discs containing MP3 or JPEG images. This wouldn't be a serious limitation for most users, but for watching DivX or WMV movies on the road, you would be better off opting for a model with specific support.

The machine worked flawlessly in our tests, managing to play back all tested DVD videos and audio CDs. It output correctly to both PAL and NTSC televisions.

The SL-77 includes a dedicated Dolby decoder, and the audio quality was outstanding when matched to a pair of quality headphones. The display was clear, and bright enough to be used in the back of a car. Unfortunately, unlike some other models in Voxson's range, the SL-77 doesn't ship with a car adapter, so you would have to pick one up separately if you intended to use it on the road.

The tablet form factor of the SL-77 is appealing, and the machine ships with a one-year warranty.

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