Sony's new DVD-man...............................
e-town.com
September 17, 1998 -- I watched a movie in bed last night, my head comfortably resting on my pillow, staring up at the ceiling. The picture floated ethereally before my eyes, as if front-projected on an eight-foot screen hovering over my face with me just six feet underneath creating a "Brainstorm"-like experience. Except I didn't have a front projector or a hovering eight-foot screen, nor was I viewing a recording of someone else's dream. What I had was Sony's latest video-to-go gadget, the PBD-V30 portable DVD player and the new Glasstron video goggles.
The Glasstron is a headset with video goggles that flip up much like an outfielder's flip-up sunglasses. It is equipped with dual tiny liquid crystal displays with 180,000 pixels each that simulate the effect of a 52-inch projection TV seen from 6-1/2 feet away.
Ostensibly, the Glasstron is a separate device and can be used with a variety of video playback devices, with the Sony PlayStation being its most likely mate. But we include the review of them together with Sony's new personal DVD player because the two seem a more natural match than PlayStation/Glasstron; after all, video game playing is far more often a multi-person entertainment than movie watching. Plus, the fragile Glasstron's aren't exactly priced or designed for the gaming crowd.
Bottom line: the Glasstron is the ultimate video gadget. The flip-up goggles and attached earbuds totally immerse you in a film, but allow you to see out the bottom and sides. You feel as if you're watching a big screen, except you're never off center, no matter how you move your head. The Glasstron is light -- only 12 ounces -- and comfortable, although I wouldn't recommend going out in public right after watching a film -- the cushioned headset and contoured goggle-rest both leave subtle marks on forehead and nose, like those indentations left by eyeglasses on either side of your nose. Don't worry, the Glasstron marks do go away in about 15 minutes.
The DVD player itself has no screen, and needs to be attached to some sort of monitor device, like the Glasstron, a TV, or a projector. The player is lightweight -- less than a pound and a half -- although the battery makes it back-heavy (more on the battery situation in a moment). The buttons are arrayed in a manner that makes it easy to locate the correct control by feel. Rather than being convex (bump out), they are concave (bump in) so functions cannot be accidentally changed if you're carrying the player in a bag.
On the technical side, the player has 20-bit/96kHz digital audio processing, meaning it's not quite up to full DVD Audio specs. It's also Dolby Digital capable, and has a resume-play mode so the film picks up from where you left off when activated (although the Panasonic DVD-L10 does this automatically).
Overall, the player is quite speedy once you hit "play." Best of all, it must have some sort of anti-shock protection, because it didn't seem to be bothered by normal movement of the player during playback.
It's got a minijack PCM/Dolby Digital out, meaning it can be connected directly to a digital audio recorder with the proper optional cables. There's also a headphone jack and volume control, S-Video out, and a mini a/v out for primary connections to the aforementioned monitor, the cable for which is included. There's also a full-function remote control with similar menu control buttons as found on the player face.
The player measures about 5-7/8 inches wide by 1-1/4 high by 7-1/8 deep and weighs 1 lb., 5 oz without the battery. It really can't be compared to the Panasonic DVD-L10 weight-wise since the latter model has an attached LCD screen, but it is about 10 percent larger than the largest personal CD player I've used, the Aiwa Cross Trainer XP-SP1000.
Now let's talk about the battery. The unit uses Sony's now standard smart and long-lasting InfoLithium lithium ion camcorder batteries, which is a good thing. The recommended battery (NP750) supplies a minimum of 135 minutes of power (2.3 hours), the NP950 supplies about 200 minutes (3.3 hours). When you charge the batteries, the manual says that if you leave the battery in the charger for at least an hour after the charge light goes off, you'll get extra power. The NP750 batteries take about six-seven hours to fully charge, the NP950 about 11 hours to fully charge. And, as with all lithium ion batteries, partial charging doesn't bother them or cause a power memory problem.
The battery slides on to the back right of the player, once a flap is opened. The battery isn't exactly size-matched to the player; it's slightly thicker than the player and only half as wide, which makes the whole package just a bit awkward to handle. But the fact that the player uses these popular batteries is more than a fair tradeoff for this minor form and aesthetic inconvenience. The battery can also be charged on the player using the supplied 10-volt adapter.
Here's the problem, though: the player doesn't come with a battery. I can't believe Sony would package a portable device without a battery pack. The box does say right on the front that the battery is optional, but I think this is a horrible thing to do to consumers. I didn't look that closely at the box, and I doubt most consumers would. I wouldn't even occur to me that a battery wouldn't be included.
Unless the feckless sales person is on his/her toes (yeah, right), you'll get the unit home and immediately want to start to play, only to discover no battery. You'll empty out the contents looking frantically for the battery and not find it. Frustrated, you'll retreat to the box and discover the ugly truth, meaning a trip back to the store, an ugly confrontation with the flat-footed sales person and an additional, unplanned expense. That's a big boooo! to Sony for being so cheap.
Okay, let's talk about the Glasstron goggles some more. From the outside, they look like a pair of blue-tinted Oakley sunglasses. But this blue tinted screen can be lifted up to allow you to see through the picture, which really makes the images seem as if they are floating in mid-air. Spooky. There's also an a/v mute mode that cuts off the sound or picture to show only the surrounding environment.
The goggles are connected to the headband with a double dual-hinged piece that allows a great deal of flexibility in goggle positioning. This is necessary because the picture itself isn't focus adjustable for distance like, say, a pair of binoculars. In other words, if you wear glasses, you'll wear them when wearing the Glasstron, albeit with the picture a bit farther from your face. I assume that the movie would be even more immersive if you didn't wear glasses since the image would be that much closer to your eyes.
There are twin earbud headphones attached to either temple of the headset. They are retractable using an ingeniously simple sliding control on each side. The headset is rather comfy for the most part, but I personally hate earbuds, and these aren't padded, making a bad situation worse. I definitely recommend springing for some earbud pads because these suckers hurt after awhile. Another complaint is the headband itself, which is not easily adjustable for different head sizes.
The goggles are hard connected to a control module, reducing connection trauma. This control module doubles as small battery charger/power supply using a second InfoLithium battery to power the Glasstron. I don't know if the Glasstrons come with a battery, however, because I didn't get them with the box. Battery caveat emptor here as well. I also don't know how long the battery lasts, but I am forced to assume that Sony isn't stupid enough to supply a Glasstron battery that doesn't last as long as the typical movie. But then I would have assumed that batteries were included with the player. What is silly is that the AC/DC input for the DVD player is 10 volt, but the AC/DC in on the Glasstron is only 9 volt. Hello? From a user standpoint, not only should both be the same voltage, but an AC power supply should be available to power both from the same transformer. I understand the technical reasons behind voltage differences, but from an ease of use point of view, I don't care. If they can make this kind of technology happen, they can figure out the voltage issue.
The Glasstron control piece has the main Glasstron power switch (the aforementioned sliding control), and its own push-turn menu wheel to adjust Glasstron color, brightness, hue and audio controls, such as a bass boost and a faux surround, which isn't half bad considering, and AVLS (automatic volume level system) which makes the softer passages a little louder and the louder passages a little softer. The master volume control wheel is on the left side of the goggles. I do wish that the cable connecting the Glasstron to the DVD player were a little longer than 20 inches.
After the movie actually comes on, you may have to adjust the goggles slightly for optimum picture brightness and positioning. I assume those of us who wear glasses will adjust more than contact lenses or those of you with perfect vision (lucky stiffs).
Before you can watch anything, the Glasstrons step you through an initiation process, a series of about 10 screens warning you that eye fatigue or headaches could occur if the goggles are used too long or motion sickness if used in a car (they're right, but fatigue, headaches and motion sickness results will obviously differ from person to person), along with other assorted warnings and tests, such as intersecting lines to make sure your eyes are focusing properly.
As noted, the picture looks just like that produced by a front projector, complete with visible pixels. But persistence of vision and suspension of disbelief eventually eliminates most of that conscious annoyance as it does with any front projection system. If not for the pixels, the Glasstron is comparable to sitting in the center of a standard movie theater, with you barely perceiving your immediate aural and visual surroundings. Quite convincing, overall.
Want to use the Glasstron with another personal DVD player? Well, there are only two, and they're both from Panasonic. Unfortunately, neither Panasonic has a unified mini a/v output, just separate minijack audio and video outs. I'm not sure that even Radio Shack as the adapter cables to connect the two, but even if they did, these output jacks on the Panasonic are behind the battery pack, meaning that the only way to use the Glasstron with the Panasonics is to run the Panasonic on AC power. So to answer the question opening this paragraph, you can't.
All in all, this Sony DVD/Glasstron combo makes a great gadget for frequent travelers tired of badly edited airline films and babies crying. If not for the painful earbuds, it would become my preferred way to watch a DVD. Sony could solve the aural problem by applying its experience with headphone surround gained with its Orbit system. I'd love to see that technology combined with the Orbit surround technology -- maybe a Glasstron helmet?
I would give the DVD player a top ranking, but I'm knocking off an E because of the battery mishegas; I'm also knocking an E off the Glasstron because of the unpadded headphones. -- SW
Rating, both products: E E E E
-- SW
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