component video

no CD-R, overheating - design flaw

Starting from about 8th month on I had picture freeze
problem. I noticed that the lock up occurs after about
80-90 minutes of playing.
Lucky me, I bought extra warranty and I don't have to pay for diagnostic and repair.

Panasonic knows about problems with this player but doesn't care at all. I'LL NEVER BUY PANASONIC PRODUCT.

digital decoder; component, composite, shvs, digital outputs, outstanding picture

momentary freeze when layer switched, no true black adjustment

I've had this dvd player since 8/98 and have not seen any consistent problems like those mentioned. I did experience a jump when switching layers in the "Blues Brothers" (the scene where Carrie Fisher confronts Jake Blues) but only a couple of times--most times okay. The only dvd where I saw the pixelating was the "Alien Legacy" disc (the redeem by mail deal) where it was unwatchable after 24 minutes. I also had a problem with a couple of the bonus scenes in "John Carpenter's The Thing". BUT, other than that, no problems (and this unit gets a workout). I rent on a very steady basis as well as playing my own library of DVD's--like I said above, many times the layer switch is noticeable on many dual layer discs but not on each one and when it happens--not a show stopper.

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STILL LOOKING BUT HAVE NOT FOUND ANY YET!!!!

LET'S JUST SAY THAT IT'S A PIECE OF JUNK AND LEAVE IT AT THAT!!!

I SENT THE UNIT INTO PANASONIC TO SEE IF THEY WOULD REPLACE IT. BUT AFTER GETTING THE RUN AROUND FOR OVER A MONTH THE SENT IT BACK TO ME. THEY SAID THAT THEY FIXED IT AND THAT IT SHOULD WORK FINE. YEAH RIGHT!!! STILL FREEZES UP. HEY CHARLES DOWN BELOW PLEASE CALL PANASONIC BACK AND TELL THEM NOT TO GET ME SO THAT I CAN SLEEP AT NIGHT!!! YOU ARE REALLY NUTS AND YOU SHOULD SEEK HELP!!!

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SONY 7700

Great picture and features; bang for the buck leader; played every disk

died before it was 2 years old

This was my first DVD player, and until it died, it was an excellent machine--absolutely zero complaints. It had great features for the money and a great picture. It played every disk I threw at it--including notoriously difficult ones such as The Matrix--with no problems. It was exactly what I've come to expect from Panasonic.

At about 1 1/2 years, I started getting the pixelization/unrecognized disk problems described here and elsewhere on the Net. Contacted Panasonic customer service, made a pain out of myself, got bumped to some sort of special group, got a call about 2 weeks later, and they're going to send me a nice new DVD RV-65 (which has roughly the same feature set as my A310) and I send them the dead A310. It'll take 6-8 weeks, but it's a better outcome than I'd expected based on the comments of others.

Assuming the new one works, I'll be a happy Panasonic customer again.

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Excellent DA convertion for Audio or Video

Will not play CDR's

I keep reading about how many of you have problems with DVD pixelating or skipping. Well, clean your disks. I have had that happen, only to discover that there was a small piece of dirt on the disk. When cleaned, it worked perfect. The Matrix has never looked so good.

Also, for those who have DVD trouble, the DVD transfer is not always perfect - hense the reason ID4 took so long to come out (and its still not perfect).

This unit sounds great as a CD player, and shows crystal clear images for video.

Great, when it actually recognizes a DVD.

"Lock-ups", pixelization, you name it, it's there.

I purchased my Panasonic A-310 in April of 1998. Around September, I noticed some intermittent lock-ups. I called Panasonic customer support and they said it was due to the DVD's that I was playing. According to Panasonic Technical Support, this was not caused by their player so there was no need to send in the machine for repair. Funny these DVD's play without a problem in other brand players.

Right now, I am lucky to get 6 DVD's out of a collection of 54 to play without locking up in the first 15 seconds. Looks like I will never purchase a Panasonic device ever again. I will also be recommending AGAINST the purchase of any panasonic device to anyone who asks.

Word of advice, stay away from Panasonic players, you'll save money, time, and headaches.

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Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer

DD and DTS compatibility, coax and optical digital outputs, good software compatibility, well-designed remote and interface

long-term reliability?

I appear to another of the exceptions. I've had my A310 for close to 2 1/2 years now, and have had very good results with it. It is both worrying and upsetting to see so many of these players dying already, since it's a model that's only a few years old (SS made a comment about "no wonder they stopped making this model" -- the A310 was on the market for quite a while, but it was early in DVD's market life, and the model was eventually replaced by next year's line, much like the A120 replaced the A110). I chose Panasonic based on positive experience with their VCR's (I have a Super-VHS VCR from 1995 that still performs wonderfully, and my dad has a Super-VHS camcorder from around 1989) and the features, performance, and interface compared to the comparable players at the time (mainly Toshiba).

The player has proven able to handle every disc I've tossed at it (and it's played a lot of discs), without need of any "upgrades" (something that the Toshibas from the same period were somewhat notorious for). Hopefully my A310 will live for a several more years. If it falls victim to the problems others here have sighted, at least Panasonic has been good enough to replace the failed units. An RV65 doesn't have as high a sticker price as the A310, but the specs are definitely comparable and the reviews here at AudioReview of the RV30 and RV80 speak highly of Panasonic's current model line.

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Toshiba SD-1600, Panasonic DVD-A120

sound and picture when it works

doesn't work

I have to add this review to balance out following person's. I spent $280 to have my K510 (310 with karaoke function) fixed about half year ago. It comes back again now. I will file a complain to Panasonic. Any suggestions?

on board dolby digital decoder

reliability

I actually bought this used from my brother (he had owned it for about 2 years already) a few months ago because he had bought a panasonic dvd changer. i paid him 300 bucks for it (i know over priced for a used dvd player but he was my bro.) and i didn't know of all these reliability problems or i would've just bought a new one. It was working fine until I watched the T2 Ultimate Edition and it pixelized and literally, like a computer crashed on me... frozen. A few times it would not open up to release the tray and i had to unplug it to "reboot" the system. I have since ordered a sony dvp-s360... just a simple dvd player without the dolby or dts decoder because my sony str-935 has both decoders.

the panasonic really sux.

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After experiencing repeated problems, espcially pixel deterioration, I decided to check this page. It appears that everyone is having problems with this model sooner or later. A design defect seems likely.

For those of you who don't think that this player sucks, just wait. You will. I can't exceed 35 minutes viewing time without experiencing a problem. Never again will I purchase a Panasonic dvd player.