Although this is a "bottom of the line" DVD player it is an extremely well built product and a great value for the money. The 110 doesn't have the bells and whistles of the big boys but it also doesn't carry the same price tag. I compared this with the rest of the panasonic line, sony, denon, kenwood, and a few others that escape me at this time and I can tell you there is no viewable difference when it comes to picture quality. The thing you will be lacking with this player are the toys. I got my player on sale for $189 and would have gladly paid $300 for it. If you are just interested in the basics of movie watching and don't need the zoom function and a few other things then this is the player for you.

Got the A110 about a month ago and i must say that I have no complaints. I've tried many different DVD's with it and not problems with pixelation etc. Sound is very good and it has the DTS out which is a plus. All in all a very very good budget player. Only complaint is that I would like more bells and whistles, such sa sample rate etc. But what can ya expect for $300.

I got this unit for $360 including tax. Here is the info:
Play CD/Video-CD/DVD
Stereo Dolby Digital / DTS audio outputs
Composite and S-video outputs
96-kHz/24-bit built-in D/A converter

I am playing the Panasonic DVD A110 thru a Sony Pro-Logic receiver for now so I really don't know the audio quality in DD or DTS mode yet. However, I have listened the unit with some of my favorite CDs in stereo mode, and I can say with certainty that the audio quality improve significantly over the cheapo Technics CD player. It has more depth and sound stage. Even in Pro-Logic mode, it puts out spectacular sounds when I played the Dolby trailers of the DVD Spectacular.

The video quality is really good with really good details and colors. It is certainly better than any video quality ranging from cable for VCR signals (please note that I am not comparing this unit to other DVD units or Laser Disc units as I am sure that there are better units out there).

Associate equipments:

Sony Pro-Logic Receiver (I can't remember the model, and I will get a new unit
with DD/DTS in the near future)
Atlantic Technology L/R Center and Surround speakers (151, 152, and 153)
Infinity RS-10 Subwoofer
Radio Shack interlinks and speaker cables (I am still working my way up ...)
Sony 27-in TV ( Same as above)

5 stars -- Excellent!!!
4 stars -- Good.
3 stars -- Average
2 stars -- Need improvement.
1 star -- Stay away!

For the price 5 stars because I don't think you can find anything cheaper.
For the sound 4 stars (I reserve 5 stars for better units and with
component video output)
For the video 4 stars (I reserve t stars for better units)
For happiness and enjoyment 4 stars
Bottom line: 4.25 stars, but I will round it down to 4 stars (GOOB BUY!)

Good player...while it lasted

It died on me

Things were going great for about a year. I would have very minor problems from time to time like some pixelization and a skipped chapter a couple of times, but I was happy. Now after a year and 3 months, it will play for about an hour and then stop. Now I have major pixelization and I think it is a matter of time before it stops completely. To top it off, this started happening a day after I got my Sony STR-915 out of the shop. Even worse, I finally got my first sub-woofer while my reciever was toast, so I have only gotten to use it for about one day. Don't buy this product, it wont last.

Flawlesss picture, simple layout, superb sound

None noted.

Unlike many others here I have been extremely pleased with my A110. I am in the process of upgrading to an HT setup, but run the A110 through a stereo amp into my main speakers. I have had this unit for almost 2 yrs and have none of the problems reported in these postings. I have a fan cooling my entire stereo cabinet - not sure if this has extended the life of this unit. It is Svideo connected to my 32" Sony. It has played over 100 disks, the Matrix (as this is apparently a benchmark movie) and Saving Private Ryan notably,with absolutely no problem and stunning effects. In all of these disks I have had 1 instance of pixelization and it was momentary (

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Toshiba

Good performance when working.

Design flaw causes unit to stop working.

NO DISC. I used the player for about 2 years before it completely stopped working. The disc won't even spin. I used to get pixellation on some DVDs and some minor glitches, but overall it was good while it worked. But since it completely stopped functioning out of warranty, it's just a useless hunk of scrap. I think this player has a fundamental design flaw, Panasonic knows it, and they should stand behind their product and fix it at no cost to the consumer. Since they won't, I will never willingly buy another Panasonic product. What else could I give it but the lowest possible rating?

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DVD333

good picture quality with my Panasonic Superflat TV (when worked, that is)

unreliable in long term, faulty laser pick-up unit

First, let me thank to all of you, who shared their information about the Panasonic DVD A-110 on this page.
I've bought mine in July of 1998 and about three weeks ago it started to behave badly. Yes, it was the same pixelation/freeze-up problem as it was described in multiple reviews in this community. I decided to take the path, as it was described by some of you, which results in unit replacement:

1. I called Panasonic on Saturday, March 24 and talked to the guy (Cornell) who suggested to take it to the nearest Panasonic service center. I, of course, mentioned the net forums, where the problem was described very well. Nevertheless, he insisted to take it to the center and did not give me any refernce number;

2. On Monday morning, March 26, I called Panasonic again (this time I was handled by Patricia), described the problem and asked for a reference number. I've got the usual routine first:
-did you plug the unit directly into your TV?
-yes, mam, video is plugged directly into the TV and audio goes through the DD5.1 decoder/amp/receiver;
-NO, sir, both audio and video should be plugged into the TV directly. This is your problem.
-???, Well, mam, you are right, I just checked it and it all goes to the TV set(I did not want to argue with her).

I managed to get the reference number with a promise that somebody will get back to me in 24-48 hours.

3. Wednesday, March 28, late evening got a call from Panasonic (Chris) who said that Panasonic will pay for an evaluation of the DVD player at their Cypress, CA service center. And then "we will go from there" - her exact words.

Right now I am waiting for the letter from Chris to arrive and then will send my A-110 to California. Clearly, all of us have the same problem with the A-110 unit (pixelation/freezup)and the Panasonic's selectiveness in the problem resolution somewhat bothers me. Why some people are getting their units replaced free of charge and some don't?

People, who got their units replaced free of charge and had them actually received, can you, please, provide your claim number with Panasonic on this site for future reference? This will greatly help the others, who just starts the process.

Many thanks to all of you for posting your reviews. I'll keep you updated on my case.

Sincerely,
Tagir.

Similar Products Used:

none yet

None.

Does not play anything you put into it.

My A110 likes to fail around Christmastime, just when you get a new pile of DVDs to watch. I bought it the week after Thanksgiving 1998. It failed last year, one week out of warranty. I sent it to Panasonic and got it back a month later at at cost of $107.00 to repair. Panasonic customer service s**ks, in case you don't already know that. A couple of nights ago, I was watching Gladiator, an excellent movie BTW, and it froze. After trying to restart the movie, I got the No Disc error. I tried the Vaseline fix but no luck. It looks like it is not even trying to spin the disc. Oh well, I guess 480 bucks for a piece of rubbish is a pretty good deal. I would stay away from Panasonic DVD players. I know I will.

Played very nicely for 1 year, 22 days

Just died!!! Pixilation problem!!! All DVDs or CDs loaded result in "No Disc Loaded" error message.

For $384.00 a player should last for more than just long enough for the warranty to expire. I bought an A120 for my brother for Christmas. We will promptly return and replace it with another brand if Panasonic does not do the right thing and stand behind my defective player for me.

Similar Products Used:

None

Great Fast/Slow Forward/Reverse flexibility. Simple to use.

Pixilation during layer switching. Unreliable audio on older discs.

I've used this unit for a year now. I had to take it back to the shop once to have the laser unit replaced. I always buy the extended warranties no electronics with moving parts, since I usually have bad luck, even with top brands.
The unit recently started skipping audio on rental discs from Netflix. I probably should have cleaned them before playing them. Original repair for total disc freezing on Star Trek's First Contact, through Best Buy took over a month. When working, I really like the picture, sound and features. Panasonic has been the most reliable brand I have bought, so I am disappointed in this instance.