Audio Video News

Amidst all the hullabaloo about HD DVD and Blu-ray and HDMI and DRM and, well, all the other high-def disc stuff the world is buzzing about, Sony thought they'd squeeze a few more bucks out of the "old" DVD format by releasing a couple of portable DVD players that "offer cutting edge versatility and are designed to fit into any hectic, on-the-move lifestyle."

The D-VE7000S is Sony's first DVD Walkman player. It comes with a 7-inch widescreen LCD, a non-removable, rechargeable battery, a high-powered speaker cradle that is also a charging dock and A/C adapter, dual headphone jacks, and a carrying case. The D-VE7000S supports playback of DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, and DVD+R dual-layer discs as well as MP3 and JPEG files on CD-R/RW. (But no Blu-ray playback capability...) The unit also has Dolby Digital and DTS outputs with a selectable video in/out so you can use the LCD as a monitor for a camcorder, game system, or the composite video output of an HD DVD player.

The cool looking DVP-FX810 is Sony's "portable cinema" model said to be "ideal for family travelers". The player's 8-inch widescreen LCD is encased in a hard acrylic shell and can flip over the player and swivel 180 degrees. Sony claims the internal battery will provide up to six hours of life when using headphones. The unit includes dual headphone jacks, a dual sensor remote control, and a car adapter. Similar to the DVD Walkman model, the DVP-FX810 supports playback of DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, and DVD+R dual-layer discs as well as MP3 and JPEG files on CD-R/RW. (But no Blu-ray playback capability...)

You can expect to pay around $200 for either model.