jakesdad

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $297.00 from onecall

Summary:
great "bridge" player until the dust settles in the format war. modest investment if you're planning to get an HD player (if one ever actuallys ships and there are titles available). some (newer) movies look nearly indistinguishable from the same title (s) on the HD movie channels (HBO, Starz, etc.). I've had mine for a little over a year and love it.

Strengths:
great value until format war's won, incredibly "tweakable", fairly small form

Weaknesses:
so tweakable it's almost overwhelming, it's easy to make it look worse instead of better than defaults, tray is pretty flimsy (we have a 3 & 1 1/2 yr old), personally I find the blue light annoying (especially in low light) but that's just me.

Similar Products Used:
Phillips (don't have model handy) progressive scan w/component (no digital)

lrstevens421

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.89 of 5, 9.00 votes

Price Paid:  $229.00 from J&R

Summary:
I'm what you would call a hybrid in the home theater world, I'm an audiophile, home theater enthusiast, and videophile all rolled into one person. As you can imagine I am very critical of video and sound, however I am not rich, as much would like to purchase the Denon DVD-5910 with the Teranex processor, I can not afford to (as my wife constantly reminds me). The Panasonic is a real world player, with a real world price tag. I have owned several dvd players over the last year, varying in price. I've owned the Denon DVD-2200, the Onkyo DV-SP800, the Pioneer DV-59AVI (my wife is still upset at me over this one), and a Vinc Bravo D2. Based on picture quality, the Bravo D2 and Denon DVD-2200 had the best picture quality of the above players, with the edge going to Bravo D2 but let's talk about the Panasonic player. I've had the Panasonic for 5 months now and I'm loving it more and more everyday. Initially I wasn't that impressed with the picture quality compared to the Bravo player, the picture was good but it lacked the detail and brightness that the Bravo had. As time went on, I got more and more familiar with this player, I have never used a dvd player with more picture adjustments than the panasonic. There are a ton of picture ehancement modes. After dedicated several hours to adjusting picture levels, I am now amazed at this player, the picture quality via the 1080i hdmi output to my LCD rear projection tv is staggering. I know that it isn't true high-def, but with well recorded dvd's it's hard to tell, believe me, I have a very critical eye, it's hard to tell the difference on SOME dvd's. Older dvd's lack the same luster, but they never look bad. I have not run into the macro blocking problems that others have experienced, playing with the picture adjustments can lessen this effect. What impressed me most about this player was it's ability to display a bright image that is sharp, not washed out, with a respectable black level. The DVD-Audio on this player is quite good as well, not as dynamic as the DV-59AVI, but it is respectable. In picture quality i have to give the nod the Panasonic due to it's adjustments. The Bottom line is, if you have the time to properly calibrate this machine you will have a dvd player that is incredibly satisfying until the blu-ray - HD/DVD war is over. I am still amazed at what $250.00 can buy you in a dvd player. There's a reason why this thing is sold out everywhere. My System: Panasonic PT-50LC13 LCD RP 16:9 HDTV Sherwood Newcastle R-865 Receiver Nad S-200 2channel Power Amplifier Panasonic DVD-S97S Dvd Player Sony DVP-NC555ES (SACD/CD Player) Philips DVDR77 Dvd Recorder Belkin PureAV PF40 Power Center NHT ST4 (Fronts) NHT SC2 (Center) NHT SB3 (Rears) NHT SuperzeroXU's (Suroound backs) Velodyne DPS-12 Subwoofer Monster Cable Reference Interconnects

Strengths:
Amazing picture quality Tons of Audio/Video adjustments Attractive Styling Great price

Weaknesses:
Cheap build quality when compared to similar video quality players (those players also cost alot more). Only comes in silver.

Similar Products Used:
Denon DVD-2200 Onkyo DV-SP800 Pioneer DV-59AVI Vinc Bravo D2

jupmalis

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.77 of 5, 22.00 votes

Price Paid:  $300.00 from 2001 audio video

Summary:
See my review of this piece under Panasonic XR 70 AV reciever review. An excellent DVD player at the cutting edge of current technology. Made to complement the Panny XR 70 AV receiver. A great combination. Both support HDMI technology, which means you get big bandwidth at mass market prices.

Strengths:
HDMI technology. A beautiful picture, especially if you have a DVI or HDMI capable television. Competes with the best DVD players up to $1000 USD, at a third the price. Surprisingly, produces beautiful audio when matched with the Panny XR 70 AV receiver. Big soundstage, very detailed and dynamic and involving.

Weaknesses:
Light build. I am afraid I will break the clear plastic tray, which looks like it is made of the same material as CD cases.

Similar Products Used:
Old Panny DVD player, which has served me well.