Ease of Use (when it works), Picture (when it works)

Just doesn't work

This product does appear to only last 3 months, Which when you import is the guarantee length. So Disc Emporium would do NOTHING about helping me get it fixed.
I experienced terrible blocking at first, i guessed it had something to do with the processor. I got this replaced when i got it hacked for region 2. This appeared to cure it for another 3 months. Since then i would say i have problems playing over 150 discs, problems are: blocking;freezing;just not playing at all;crashing;not following the menu links properly, switch it off for an hour - works perfectly!

I was thinking of buying a panny tau tv - think i won't bother after reading these reviews.

I DID NOT WRITE ANY OF THESE OTHER REVIEWS, CHARLES

Was good for the first 6 months, then nothing but PROBLEMS!!!

CAN'T PLAY CERTAIN TYPES OF DVD WITH DUAL LAYER FORMAT, JUST SKIPS/PIXELATES/FREEZES.

PURCHASED AT GOOD GUYS ON MARCH 7, 1999, AND IT'S BEEN GIVING ME NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. WHENEVER I PLAY A DVD THAT SKIPS ON ME I GET FRUSTRATED AND PISS OFF BECAUSE I ACCUSE THE MANUFACTURER OF THE DVD. BUT THEN I TESTED ON MY BROTHER'S SONY DVD PLAYER, THE DVD PLAYED FLAWLESSLY!!! I'M JUST HAD IT WITH THIS PIECE OF CRAP, BUT LUCKILY I BOUGHT THE 5 YEAR PPG WITH THE GOOD GUYS, SO I WOULD PROBABLY LET IT DIE ON ITSELF BY 2004 AND JUST GET A NEW DVD PLAYER THEN. IT'S USELESS TO CONTACT THEM SINCE PANASONIC KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHEN THEY MADE THE PLAYER. AND ALSO IT'S WORTHLESS TO SELL IT ON EBAY, MOST YOU ARE GOING TO GET IS $100 BUCKS FOR IT, PLUS I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE WHO LOVES TO WATCH DVD TO GO THROUGH MY EXPERIENCE AGAIN!!! I SPEND ABOUT $650 ON THIS THING JUST 2 YEARS AGO!!! (PLAYER $475, PLUS 5 YEARS PPG $160) AND ITS DEPRECIATED TO ABOUT $100, SO THAT TELLS YOU HOW HORRIBLE THIS DVD IS!!!!!!! I'M GETTING THE SONY DVD TODAY!!!! ONLY $199 THANK GOD....

IF I COULD I WOULD GIVE THIS CRAP A NEGATIVE 5 STARS!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

THANK GOD THIS WAS MY FIRST PANASONIC, WOULD NEVER BUY PANASONIC AGAIN DUE TO BAD EXPERIENCE WITH THE DVD PLAYERS!!!

Fairly good picture and sound quality

As has been said many times below, short life span, horrible QC.

I too, like others in the recent postings here, contacted the Panasonic Customer Svc at the 800 numbers below and received a case numberr. I shipped my DVD-A110U (for some reason, the A110U listings are now unaccessible here in Audioreview.com (too many bad reviews?))to the Factory Service Center in Niles Illinois after talking to supervisor Autumn Lunhardt.

Today I received my A110U back from Panasonic after only sending it in for repairs a couple of weeks back (10 day turn around(!)). Panasonic replaced the optical pick up unit (part number VED0378) and a "software upgrade" was done on the unit and return shipped to me for no charge. I have not put the unit back through its paces to verify how fixed it really is. I was hoping for a new unit, but I guess this is second best. I am only out about $13 for shipping at this point. After I get a couple of hundred more hours on it, or if breaks again, I'll post another update.

So for those of you with broken players, if you can contact Autumn Lundhart at the Customer service center. She should offer you a free diagnostic check and return shipping. But as others have already stated, their A310's and A110's were "repaired" in a similiar process as my A100 just went through, but broke again...... Well I can we can all say I try it again for a while and .....

> :)

Fairly good picture and sound quality

As has been said many times below, short life span, horrible QC.

I too, like others in the recent postings here, contacted the Panasonic Customer Svc at the 800 numbers below and received a case numberr. I shipped my DVD-A110U (for some reason, the A110U listings are now unaccessible here in Audioreview.com (too many bad reviews?))to the Factory Service Center in Niles Illinois after talking to supervisor Autumn Lunhardt.

Today I received my A110U back from Panasonic after only sending it in for repairs a couple of weeks back (10 day turn around(!)). Panasonic replaced the optical pick up unit (part number VED0378) and a "software upgrade" was done on the unit and return shipped to me for no charge. I have not put the unit back through its paces to verify how fixed it really is. I was hoping for a new unit, but I guess this is second best. I am only out about $13 for shipping at this point. After I get a couple of hundred more hours on it, or if breaks again, I'll post another update.

So for those of you with broken players, if you can contact Autumn Lundhart at the Customer service center. She should offer you a free diagnostic check and return shipping. But as others have already stated, their A310's and A110's were "repaired" in a similiar process as my A100 just went through, but broke again...... Well I can we can all say I try it again for a while and .....

> :)

Fairly good picture and sound quality

As has been said many times below, short life spand, horrible QC

I too, like others in the recent postings here, contacted the Panasonic Customer Svc at the 800 numbers below and received a case numberr. I shipped my DVD-A110U (for some reason, the A110U listings are now unaccessible here in Audioreview.com (too many bad reviews?))to the Factory Service Center in Niles Illinois after talking to supervisor Autumn Lunhardt.

Today I received my A110U back from Panasonic after only sending it in for repairs a couple of weeks back (10 day turn around(!)). Panasonic replaced the optical pick up unit (part number VED0378) and a "software upgrade" was done on the unit and return shipped to me for no charge. I have not put the unit back through its paces to verify how fixed it really is. I was hoping for a new unit, but I guess this is second best. I am only out about $13 for shipping at this point. After I get a couple of hundred more hours on it, or if breaks again, I'll post another update.

So for those of you with broken players, if you can contact Autumn Lundhart at the Customer service center. She should offer you a free diagnostic check and return shipping. But as others have already stated, their A310's and A110's were "repaired" in a similiar process as my A100 just went through, but broke again...... Well I can we can all say I try it again for a while and .....

> :)

Pixelation, freezes at certain points, DTS won't work

I've experienced pixelation similar to what others have posted here. Also, there are occasions where the player would lock up at certain points in the movie. Turn on and off the DVD didn't really seem to help. Now, I'm trying to get the Pansonic service center to repair or replace it. Called on 5/7/01 - awaiting a call back. There customer service so far is not very good. They don't even have a list of ongoing problems with the A310 or won't reveal it to you. To make matters worse, I recently bought a DTS receiver, and CANNOT get the DTS to work! I'm strictly using the fiber optic cable and can get Doby Digital to work, but not DTS. I'm using a Yamaha HTR-5450 receiver. I will probably NEVER buy a panosonic anything again!

Fairly good picture and sound quality

As has been said many times below, short life span, horrible QC.

I too, like others in the recent postings here, contacted the Panasonic Customer Svc at the 800 numbers below and received a case numberr. I shipped my DVD-A110U (for some reason, the A110U listings are now unaccessible here in Audioreview.com (too many bad reviews?))to the Factory Service Center in Niles Illinois after talking to supervisor Autumn Lunhardt.

Today I received my A110U back from Panasonic after only sending it in for repairs a couple of weeks back (10 day turn around(!)). Panasonic replaced the optical pick up unit (part number VED0378) and a "software upgrade" was done on the unit and return shipped to me for no charge. I have not put the unit back through its paces to verify how fixed it really is. I was hoping for a new unit, but I guess this is second best. I am only out about $13 for shipping at this point. After I get a couple of hundred more hours on it, or if breaks again, I'll post another update.

So for those of you with broken players, if you can contact Autumn Lundhart at the Customer service center. She should offer you a free diagnostic check and return shipping. But as others have already stated, their A310's and A110's were "repaired" in a similiar process as my A100 just went through, but broke again...... Well I can we can all say I try it again for a while and .....

> :)

Fairly good picture and sound quality

As has been said many times below, short life span, horrible QC.

I too, like others in the recent postings here, contacted the Panasonic Customer Svc at the 800 numbers below and received a case numberr. I shipped my DVD-A110U (for some reason, the A110U listings are now unaccessible here in Audioreview.com (too many bad reviews?))to the Factory Service Center in Niles Illinois after talking to supervisor Autumn Lunhardt.

Today I received my A110U back from Panasonic after only sending it in for repairs a couple of weeks back (10 day turn around(!)). Panasonic replaced the optical pick up unit (part number VED0378) and a "software upgrade" was done on the unit and return shipped to me for no charge. I have not put the unit back through its paces to verify how fixed it really is. I was hoping for a new unit, but I guess this is second best. I am only out about $13 for shipping at this point. After I get a couple of hundred more hours on it, or if breaks again, I'll post another update.

So for those of you with broken players, if you can contact Autumn Lundhart at the Customer service center. She should offer you a free diagnostic check and return shipping. But as others have already stated, their A310's and A110's were "repaired" in a similiar process as my A100 just went through, but broke again...... Well I can we can all say I try it again for a while and .....

> :)

good picture quality and audio options for the time

bad design or manufacturing?

An update to my trials with the broken A310.

After paying 12$ to have my player shipped to the service center in Illinois at the request of the Panasonic Customer Service person, I received an invoice about 2 weeks later. It detailed my options, which were laid out as 50$ for a diagnostic(i.e. to even look at it and find the problem) or $154 to fix it outright(which suggests to me they already knew what was wrong).

Anyway, this annoyed me greatly. I didn't contact them back with any instructions. After 2 weeks emailed Panasonic detailing my experiences and dissatisfaction and also wrote a letter to the editor of one of the home theater places panning Panasonic. That made me feel better anyway.

Well last week I received several failed delivery attempts by UPS to drop my player back off. I assumed that since I had not replied, they packaged it back up and sent it back to me. Once I finally managed to get the package delivered, I found quite to my surprise that they had repaired it, at no charge to me, replacing the dreaded pickup assembly.

I don't know what caused them to do this, but whatever it was it seems to work again for now. I still don't intend on using it since I've purchased a replacement already, but I'll shrug it off onto some friends and hope it works out better for them!

Still not a fun experience to go through.
-Jason

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 434

Lightweight - Great while it lasted!

Remote control bulky and somewhat difficult to use. Toggle or "joystick" control not designed well.

I've owned Panasonic products in the past. So when I saw the A310 advertised at a local electronics store, I purchased this "state of the art" DVD player for our family for Christmas 1998.

We were excited to be able to watch movies with a clear picture, compared to old VCR tapes which get that grainey look after a while. Our DVD player worked just fine for about a year and a half.

One night we had some friends over to watch a movie. While showing our friends the true "joy" of owning a DVD player, the picture began to break into many pixels, and started freezing up. I figured it was a bad disk, so we suffered through it.

Over the next few weeks, other movies started doing the same thing. It finally got to the point where the digital readout would only display 1 or 2 zeros while beginning to read the disk, then give up and we would get a "no disk" or some kind of "incompatible disk" error.

Paying $500 for a "top of the line" DVD player, only to have it break down in under 2 years was extremely disappointing, and now that I have read EVERY review on this page about the Panasonic A310, I see a definite pattern of unreliability.

I am in a manufacturing business where the "red flag" goes up if only 3% of the products don't work. So needless to say, according to the reviews from the majority of Panasonic A310 DVD owners on this web site, that there is a serious problem which is basically being ignored by Panasonic.

Can they afford to do business like this? I'd be out of business if I ran my company this way. As for taking my DVD player in for repair, not if it's going to keep screwing up!!! If I can't get this problem resolved, I'll do business with a company that stands behind their products, instead of hiding behind them!!!

Anyone who has found a solution, other than using this DVD for target practice, please send an Email, thanks.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic TV