good for the price

doesn't play CD-Rs

This board just doesn't work that well. Almost every review with rare exceptions gives a rating of five stars or one star. Very few in the middle. Five stars means perfect beyond any criticism at all. Naturally in the real world ALL products that you personally buy are perfect. That's because, in your eyes, YOU are perfect and you just love to tell that to the whole world every chance you get. That's the problem with a democracy is that all the idiots get to vote.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Harmon Kardon, Onkyo

Price, smooth scan up to 100x, optical digital out, component and composite video out, subwoofer out, quick load

No zoom

I researched before I made my purchase on the RV30. I weighed all my options and found that the RV30 was right what I wanted. I read the reviews here and some other places and I saw mostly positive reviews. When I came across this at an auction I was surprised I won the auction with a bid of $175. I have used the player for about a month now and haven't had any troubles with it. I am happy with the purchase. One of the options that I like is the quick load function. It's one of the little things that I like, because I am an impatient person. The player takes about 5 seconds to load rather than 10 to 15 that I have experienced with the Toshiba. The player is well worth the money that I spent on it and I know you can find it for 200 bucks if you look around the web.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 1200

excellent menu.. the fact that the menu can be positioned out of the way of the movie is a great idea

none that i have seen so far.

i did a bit of research on this product and found it to be the best rated.. now i know why.. it was reasonably priced and not over bloated with design and function to make it an eyesore ... excellent quality fast response superb picture and sound.

Similar Products Used:

none

Nothing to compare with, but I like everything so far.

As a long-time VHS viewer/collector, I was amazed at the sharpness of the picture from DVD, and from what I've read here, it looks like I ended up with a good one! I was just "looking" at Sears, and when I asked the salesperson for a recommendation, without ANY hesitation he said "the RV30". Sure glad he did, otherwise who knows what kind of junk I might have gotten! Now I have to start collecting DVDs....and figure out what to do with my 400+ tapes.

Just went to the Panasonic web site http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/promotions/rebate_offers.htm and found that they have a rebate in effect, starting Nov 15 running until Jan 31....$50. Coupon is printable. I bought mine on the 16th, what timing! Also another offer for free movies for purchases between Oct 1 and Jan 31.

Picture quality, sound quality, silent transport

Remote not backlit. No zoom.

This is my first DVD player, and it's a winner. I'm running it via component video to a 36" Toshiba direct view TV, and the image quality is outstanding. Sometimes problematic discs (for example, "The Matrix") played flawlessly. In "The Patriot," the scene where the redcoats were pushing their way through the cornfield was crisp and clear, with a sharp demarcation between the red and green with no visible digital artifacts. (Some other DVD player/TV combos at electronics stores have a problem with this scene.)

Using good cables probably helps. (Bought Acoustic Research from AVConnect.com, for a third of what Best Buy was asking for Monster Cable.)

The sound - output via Toslink to a Kenwood dolby digital receiver feeding Boston Acoustics speakers and a Yamaha subwoofer - is all I could ask for; clear, with no audible hiss.

The transport is, as far as I can hear, silent. The on-screen menus are OK, provided you read through the manual once. (Probably could skip the manual if you've used another player.) The displays on the front of the unit are pretty much useless, as they are on all DVD players I've looked at. The unit has fewer jacks than many others, but the ones it DOES have are the ones I want. You don't have to flip a switch to choose between composite, component, or S-Video like some Pioneer players require. The low profile is a plus.

Delivered price (after rebate and Mercata new-customer discount) was comparable to the "no name" brands sold at Kmart and Target.

All I can say about the remote is that it's functional. Too bad it's not backlit. Zoom would be nice to blow up the image a little from the 2.35:1 anamorphic; sometimes, cropping just a little at each side would be worth a taller image. But I'm not paying current prices to buy a 16:9 TV! (These minor shortcomings are why I don't give the unit 5 stars overall.)

Overall, an excellent player in this price range, and a super value.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer, etc., but only while comparison shopping.

Great picture

remote

Works great, not a problem. Bought it to replace Hitachi 305 which was 20 bucks cheaper. Definitely worth the price. Use with my Panasonic GAOO and am now sold on panasonic.

Similar Products Used:

Hitachi DVP 305, 505; RCA

Great picture quality, smooth and quiet transport, PANASONIC RULES!!!

none in this price range

This player is perfect! The picture is clear and vibrant and it produces a sound that is very detailed without being harsh. We love the dialouge enhancer option and have always owned Panasonic products and really like the stunning blueish led that they have always used. This dvd player has worked perfectly and although we were a bit nervous about changing over from vhs, after seeing this panasonic there is no going back!! Tested out Sony and Pioneer but found problems in both. Sony: loud tray noise, very annoying and picture quality was "fuzzy" at times. Pioneer had a better picture than Sony but felt really cheap. Panasonic all the way!!

Similar Products Used:

pioneer 333, sony 360

Superb Picture: Great sound:FAST.

No coaxial out & no zoom

This is a secondary player used in another room.I have played approx.15 dvd's & 10 cds plus one vcd on this player. There has been no problems whatsoever. Every function has been flawless as well as being the fastest player (loading,play, function change etc.) i have had. Picture and sound quality are top rate. With the rebate this unit has the upper hand although it would be nice to have a zoom function.A solid unit!!

Similar Products Used:

Toshibas