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Step into the Personal Theatre Zone

The personal theatre market is very young. While small screen TVs have been around for a while, they rely on broadcast signals and mostly look somewhat crude. Thanks to digitalization and miniaturization, though, a new niche market is emerging. This market can truly be called the cutting edge of technology.

Simply consider the speed at which new products shrink and become pocketable. Audiocassettes played for years and years before the Sony Walkman was introduced. Portable CD players postdated home CD players by a much smaller margin. DVD players are still coming up as mainstream consumer electronic commodities, yet Panasonic and Sony have already introduced portable models. VHS tapes slowly surrender ground to DVDs. (If we could just shrink that damn vinyl.)

Of course, critics of this consumer frenzy maintain that this frantic pace exists simply to increase the profit rate of corporations, that these products alleviate a sense of envy rather than fulfill a need. As companies innovate, consumers replace their gear. This is probably pretty accurate in many cases, but there are plenty of items that make a lot of sense. Some products seem like they were a long time in the coming, if not overdue.

DVDs fall neatly into this category. VHS tapes are large, flimsy, and wear poorly. Rent an old movie from a large chain and the copy will most likely have been viewed scores of times, leaving you with a crappy viewing experience. Compare that to a small, thin disc capable of holding much more information, containing a sharper image, and boasting gorgeous sound.

You already know about the various and sundry home DVD units presently available, but what about watching movies in the palm of your hand? There are presently two such beasts on the market. The Panasonic DVD-L50 is a full movie box: screen and speakers included. The Sony rig is actually two products: the PBD-V30 player and the PLM-A55 video headset. Here's the haps.

Panasonic DVD-L50

You have to hand it to Panasonic for their pioneering work in this field. They often go without credit for their innovations. Although Sony is generally considered the leader in consumer video technology, last year Panasonic introduced the PalmTheater, the first of its kind. This year, the DVD-L50 has much in common with its predecessor.

To start with, at 1.4 pounds with a three-hour battery life, this thing is really portable. Its scant weight belies the impressive list of features hiding within the slick-looking silver case. The L-50 has a 5-inch LCD screen that uses over 280,000 pixels to produce an extremely clear image. The TFT active matrix LCD monitor greatly reduces glare. The screen's 16:9 ratio allows you to watch movies at their widescreen format. Of course, you can also switch to 4:3 ratio for conventional or letterbox formats. For the sound, Panasonic has incorporated two small speakers, left and right. Using what they call "Advanced Virtual Surround Sound," the L-50 synthesizes surround sound with two speakers. (Real surround sound is achieved with at least four speakers.)

While it is certainly not your home theater, the wide sound is pretty pleasing. Although the onboard sound is not that hi-tech, you can plug the L-50 into your home system and achieve all the deep sound you could desire. As Panasonic states, "Thanks to Dolby Digital and DTS outputs, you can even enjoy the thrilling sounds of 5.1 channel surround sound. Just connect the player to an optional Dolby Digital or dts decoder to reproduce amazing digital surround sound through your multi-channel audio system." A credit card-sized remote is also included. These number and facts don't really capture how cool this thing is. Go into a used CD store with this little fellow and watch people gawk. Don't want to watch Ghost DAD on the plane? Plug in some headphones and enjoy your own adult entertainment. All of this pleasure can be yours for about $1,300.00.

Sony PBD-V30 player and PLM-A55 video headset

As I mentioned before, the Sony setup is actually two Sony products used in conjunction. First, there is the Sony PBD-V30, the actual DVD player. At 1.25 pounds, this is the lightest DVD player in the world - about 2 ounces lighter than the Panasonic. (Unlike the Panasonic, though, the V30 is only a player, no screen or speakers.) You can send the signal from this unit to any kind of monitor or television. With 500 lines of resolution, the V30 offers a nice, crispy image. Composite video, S-Video and stereo audio outputs are outfitted on the unit, so you can rest assured that your system at home is compatible. Dolby Digital direct digital outputs mean that the sound will be crystal clear and will fully surround you. If you are watching movies on the go, the 3.5-hour battery life should easily take you from the beginning to the end of your flick. Like the Panasonic, the V30 comes with a remote control.

But what good would all of this be without some sort of monitor? Enter the odd-looking PLM-A55, a personal headset screen. Made of a durable magnesium alloy, the A55 is both sleek and foldable. The "Glasstron" audio/video headset reproduces the feel of viewing a 52" television from approximately 6-1/2 feet away. Pretty cool.

The headphones deliver full stereo sound, with Mega Bass Sound and Surround Sound. There is a volume limiter that smoothes out volume levels by reducing sudden peaks in sound. Color, hue, and brightness are adjustable just like on your TV set at home. The "screen" is like a shutter. You can open it a bit so that you can see the outside world while watching your flick. You can also close it fully for the full theatre experience. The coolest thing about this headset, though, is the amount of attention it is sure to command. You can talk to your friends and watch a movie with the shutter slightly open at the same time - amusingly annoying to them. The combined cost is a hefty $1,500.00.

These two systems do the same thing very differently from one another. Watching movies during travel is going to make enough people curious, so if you have even the faintest hope of subtlety, the Panasonic does the job. However, if you want to attract attention or really enjoy the feeling of watching a movie in a theatre, the Sony takes it. Plus, the Sony gives you something that you can wear to raves. One of the best traits that these units share is their ability to be used with a home system. You could bring either of these bad boys to your pal's house and get down DVD style. In fact, either of these could conceivably be used as your home player.

-- Mike Wiley thinks that 500 lines of resolution is perfect for movies showing the "bathing suit areas."