Excellent price, picture and sound quality

Size - wide and deep, watch that it fits where you want it

Wow

I was very surprised by the range of comments on this product. Having used my DVD player for about a month I can see the point of view of some of the negative reviews, although I think they some were too harsh while other reviews just seem to be, well, annoying (childish, had nothing better to do than bash a good product, etc)

To me, the Panasonic DVD-C220 represents last year's top of the line. Some of the newer features available this year are missing (zoom). It can't read CD-Rs... neither can any of the other players released last year.

It has great picture quality and sound and is generally easy to use. Among the best features is the ability to play audio CDs and skip over DVDs. Great if like me, you are using the DVD player as a CD player.

A couple of engineering choices seem to come up in a lot of complaints... the little lights on the front that sometimes tell what type of disk is in which slot. I say sometimes, because it only knows what a disk is once it has read from it. They could have made it scan all the disk everytime the tray is closed, but that would cause a minute delay before you could play anything. I take the goofy lights.

Speaking of the tray, no you can't push it closed - you have to push the button. Likely has something to do with having to rotate back the original position before closing. Alternately, they could have designed it to be able to rotate back while closed but I bet that would have cost money. I like the price the way it is.

Sorry for the length, I really like this product compared to any that I was able to find either in stores or on the web.

I strongly recommend it to anyone wanting a versatile, economical, good quality DVD player particularly if they want to also make use of it as CD player.

Picture, Sound Quality, Variety of Outputs

None worth complaining about.

I don't get all of the morons that gave this unit 1 star. It almost appears to me that it is the same person posting the same reveiw over and over. I personally like the fact that the tray doesn't close with a push. I have had people damage tray on other CD changers in the past because they have pushed it too hard. The remote isn't that bad either. Every remote that comes with a new product takes some time to get used to, no different with this product. The on screen menus are easy to understand if you read the manual and the indicator lights are informative as well. Some people need to read the instructions and learn how to use the product before they bash it. Plays all of the CD's and DVD's I have tried very well and hasn't skipped yet. Even plays one CD that won't play on my other systems. The audio is great for music and the audio on DVD is fantastic. The disk change is not slow at all and noise is to be expected but it is not annoying in the least. I have this unit hooked up to a Technics receiver and digital decoder and that is all running the sound to my Klipsch RF3's, RC3 and RS3 speakers. All of the movies that I have watched sound phenomenal. I highly recomend this product. It is not a progressive scan machine but how many people have TV's that can fully utilize the feature anyway. For a great CD/DVD changer you can't go wrong with this product.

Great picture, good sound,

Remote has small buttons that aren't backlit

This player has a great picture ( at least as good as the Sony I previewed), try running The Messenger DVD & look at the clarity, sharpness & color. The sound is as good as any CD player I've used. It has 2 sets of audio/video outs + S-VHS, component & 2 digital audio outs (1 coax + 1 optical). The Lights that everyone talks about take getting used to, but the remote has the play, pause & search buttons right where I want them. There is some noise during disk change, but the exchange is fairly quick. I paid about $350 at BestBuy so the price was right.

Changer capabilities. Number of inputs. Video and sound quality.

Remote...but nothing major

I bought this unit over Christmas from Roxy.com. $399 w/free shipping and a $100 rebate when total purchase hit $500. So bought a few DVDs and a Monster surge protector. Now, I am certainly no "audiofile", but I would say that music and mostly movies are my biggest hobby. I have this unit hooked to a Mitsubishi "50 and I think the picture and sound quality is excellent. Yes the remote could be back lit...and the display lights could be updated when the drawer closes, but the bottom line is this product should be evaluated on the quality of the sound and picture quality. Both excellent. And for the value, there is no better unit. I have heard things on CDs I have never heard before (with my Sony CD player). And the picture quality is excellent. Yes, I am sure there is better...but at the price, I highly doubt it. Speaking of Sony, I made a point of avoiding them. I have had it with their products. My Sony Hi-Fi VCR has a multitude of problems with it...cant keep time....remote is crap and buttons come off or dont work...sometimes cant be shut off unless you unpug from wall. This was one of their top of the line units when I bought it less than two years ago...paid $500 for it! What crap. I have a Sony receiver that is ready to be handed down to my kids too. It makes the strangest noises...especially when the power is off! After a couple of crap portable players and other problems with the above mentioned Sony CD player (that has already been handed down), I will never buy another Sony product again. This Panasonic is a good unit. Audiofile standards? Probably not, but as good as most. Now Im in the market for a new receiver (DTS) to replace the Sony and new speakers. I cant wait to see the Panasonic shine then.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Technics

to many to list

bad remote

I can’t believe what I’m reading about this product!!!!
Here is my home theater system
TV: Toshiba TW56X81
Receiver: OnkyoTX-DS777
Speakers: 4 B&W 601s2 front and rear CC6s2 center and a Paradigm PDR 10 sub
DVD: Panasonic DVD-C220
This information is to show that even though I may not have “top of the line” equipment, I certainly don’t buy “crap”!

I will admit that this DVD player was not what I wanted, or intend to be part of my system. But right now I feel that progressive scan DVD players are way to expensive to justify getting one.
I have been pleasantly surprised at the performance of this temporary addition to my system. When the progressive DVD’s get cheaper I will replace the C220 and either move it to my bedroom or use it as a CD player.

Knowing up front that any DVD player I got would only be needed for 6 to 8 months price was a factor. Bang for the buck, this was the DVD player to get. It has every feature you could want for under $400. Dolby digital, DTS optical out, Component video as well as s-video, and a 5 disk capacity. This unit also has it’s short comings: loud/slow disk changing, bad remote, and a display screen that is too small. And let’s not forget you need to turn the digital output on. The pros by far outweigh the cons.

O.K. here is the deal with the lights.
GREEN- either it is a cd or it is a DVD that has not been read yet
YELLOW- a DVD that has been viewed
OFF- no disk
When removing or changing a disk you should hit the # button of the disk you want to change then hit the disk change button ( I forget the exact name of the button but it’s the one next to the disk skip button) this will erase the player’s memory of the disk and change the color or turn off the light of the # disk you changed. If you don’t do this all of the lights will be on or a color that will be wrong. I must admit that it is very frustrating at 1st, but you’ll get the hang of it.

If you don’t need the “best thing going” you will be very happy with this DVD player. 4.5 stars


as a side note I think that audio review should do some monitoring of the reviews to delete the ones that are clearly spam. It’s difficult enough to make an informed decision on a product, the idiots just make it that much harder.

Not a Sony

For all of you Panasonic bashers out there who keep saying "wait for the Sony" all I have to say is that I bought the Sony and wish I had bought the Panasonic. Once again, Sony has made a poorly thought out product and is charging too much for it. They'll have to do some mighty fancy tap dancing to get me to look at their products again.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 850D

Lots of bells 'n whistles for the money. MSRP $399+/-

The Remote is a bit hard to use in the dark. Glowing main function buttons would be helpful.

Hello All! I've been waiting to buy a DVD player for a while now due mainly to the fact that the local video store had about 10 DVDs on the shelf. Lately I've noticed that more than 5 racks are now DVD (indicating they'll be getting more of the new releases when they come out. I can only watch the Matrix so many times :)

Oh! How do I like the actual PRODUCT you say? I'd have to say that aside from a few minor drawbacks, this machine is very nice.

I personally like the 5 LED disk display because it indicates which tray has the DVD based on the color of the LED. I admit a dimmer function is in order, tho'. The remote mainly functions as a paper weight because I'm using my universal (with the glow'in buttons) remote. The reason for this is I got tired of trying the guess, in the dark, which 2mm button was which. I guess I'll also throw in the fact that the color of the unit is a dark gunmetal that doesn't match my black brushed receiver :(

On the POSITIVE side, the unit palys all my CDs and DVDs...I don't make CDR copies (for evaluation purposes only of course!) so the fact that they don't play on the machine matters not to me. The VSS (Virtual surround sound) is pretty impressive and a neat feature for those with only 2 speakers, although it's like driving a fiero and thinking it's a ferrari...invest in the other three speakers you cheap-o.

Overall, the player performs as well as any DCD players I've tested, and I don't really know what else could be done to improve the picture anyways. The sound is also top notch, but make sure you invest in the optical cable (about $45) for the best sound if your receiver has that feature. I'd easily suggest it to someone who's looking in the $350-$450 price range. I bought mine for $399 here in Tampa Florida at Best Buy (sorry pedophiles...er...audiophiles *grin*)

Similar Products Used:

Tested other models in store only

Overall Value

Unit will not play CD-R disks

This is a very good overall unit. Panasonic has a front panel interface that takes some getting used to if you are used to Sony's CD carousels. The video and sound output are extremely good and the unit has yet to skip or misread and CDs or DVDs. It does have a rather narrow angle for the remote control signal.

While Sony's CD & DVD changers look better, my personal experience with all Sony equipment leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to reliability thus my mutiny to Panasonic/Technics. (Consumer Reports reliability charts support this as well.)

If DVD players were cars, the 220 would be a Camry.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic A120

5 disks changer, DTS, DD, component video out, SVideo out,
great image, great sound, price.

Can't seem to get time remaining to display

The remote feels cheap but that's OK.

The 5 lights are kinda useless. I know what they are for but yet they do not work exactly how would expect them to. If you have no discs in, and add 1 or 2, it will scan and work fine but once you have one in, it will not rescan the discs to tell you what is in it. At least if it had a function to scan all discs, maybe.

The image and sound are unbelievable. I only have a dolby pro logic receiver and I'm using the S-Video output. I can't stop watching the Matrix over and over again, the image is so fine and the sound absolutely perfect.

The price I got was unbelievable ( 325 shipped) I think I will live with the lights.

Overall, I think it's a great unit.

outputs. 10 bit dac video, 24 bit sound to 96hz

small remote buttons

I've been reading the reviews on the c220. and it seems as though the bad reviews are from persons that want mostly a cd player than DVD. I paid $399 FOR PLUS 5 FREE DVDS and 13 Free rentals. so i brings me down to under $300 in cost.and being not having a built in decoder,it offers other features for DVD that others dont give at this price. such as center channel volume boost when effects are loud so you can hear the dialog ok, also low volume loudness boost.I have a AC-3 seperate decoder unit and with i can do alot of sound adjustments on speaker volumes at 5:1. great machine!the C220