Outstanding picture quality and breaktaking sound

Remote is horrible and so are the on-screen menus. Unit is unusually light and lacks style

I initially purchased the Sony DVP-S360 but returned it because the picture was too soft for my liking. Everything else about that unit was great, except the picture. With the Panasonic, the picture and sound are awesome but everything else is not. I guess picture and sound quality are what really matter in the end, so I decided to keep this unit.

The buttons in the remote are poorly designed and I find that I have to turn on a light to use it. The buttons are all similiarly shaped and the play button is next to the eject button, which is annoying if I press the latter by mistake.

The onscreen menus consist of a series of icons which are impossible to interpret unless you've read the manual from front to back. It doesn't really matter to me because all I do is pop in a disc and play it.

In general, this player is a good choice, especially when it comes to the stuff that really matters: picture and sound quality. Great value for what you get, but there are still many improvements to be made. I haven't had any pixellation or skipping problems as of yet.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S360

Good assortment of features, and nice remote.

Cheap build and feel, and noisy transport (tray).

I brought this one home after swapping back a Samsung 611 (stay away from).

I was a bit nervous to buy a Panasonic after reviewing some of the comments here, but took the plunge after noting that the Panasonic DVD player is made in Japan, and comes with a plethora of useful features; cinema video setting, dialogue enhancer, "resume" function (will resume movie from where it was left off even after powering off the unit).

So why did I return it? Two major reasons. The first was a tendency for the machine to "chirp" as soon as a disc was loaded. The first machine I brought home was so bad that I immediately returned to Best Buy and exchanged it for the same model. The second one was marginally better, but still much noisier than any name-brand audio components that I have owned (Sony, Denon, Technics).

The second problem I had was with the method for accessing the menus. While some features must be accessed from the setup button, others are only accessible from a separate "action" button. Why Panasonic designed it like that is puzzeling.

I finally settled on a Toshiba SD-2200 and am more than satisfied. I bought it on Mercata, and after my 20% discount (for a first time buyer) paid a bit less than for the more basic Panasonic. Way cool!

Similar Products Used:

Samsung 611, Toshiba 1200

Reliability and low noise.

The remote.

I was wondering about the CD-R problem. Are we talking about music CD-R [digital audio] that are NOT finalized or data CD-Rs?

I do not see that other CD players know the difference between a finalized (Table of Contents)CD-R [DA] and a commercial music CD. I have not found that to be true.

I guess it would be nice if non-music CD-Rs could be played. If you are looking to play MP3 files from data CD-Rs, maybe you do.

So why are Panasonic remotes so annoying? My Panasonic VHS recorder is the same way.

Fantastic picture quality, and I have it hooked up through composite inputs. Sound is excellent. Remote is fine for me. Menus aren't that hard to navigate.

None at all.

This is an excellent player that met all my requirements. I searched for a long time to find a good value player and this is it. No artifacts and or washed out colors. I don't mind that there's no zoom or coaxial output, optical is perfect and as long as it has superb image quality and sound it's good enough for me. Go buy this player and enjoy all the great dvd movies that are out there.

Similar Products Used:

Looked at many different ones. Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer.

Build Quality, Finish, Quietness, Picture / Sound Quality

Doesn't have Coaxial Digital Output, Needs Larger Remote Handset for Larger Hands

Overall Very Good Quality Picture and Sound on DVD and CD, however can be a little too mellow when playing CD's, otherwise the best value DVD Player for approx $699 New Zealand Dollars (equivalent to US$0.44)

KIWI from Down Under :-)

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 535

A very nice DVD for the money spent.

The 'EG' version does _not_ play MP3s, other than that - nothing!

I live in Sweden and the model there is called DVD-RV31EG. That extra EG made me somewhat suspicious but the seller said that there was no difference in the models. He was wrong. As fas as i can tell all functions are there, but the MP3 decoder. This makes the unit a bit less interesting so I returned it.

Aside from not playing MP3s the unit is very nice, it does not feel cheap in anyway, runs silent and has what I think a nice remote. The only disc it wouldnt play was a rented one and after a quick wipe it worked perfectly, I never tested any scratched och otherwise damaged discs.

The extra functions i.e. ABCD and all that... didnt find any use for them at all. maybe fun at first but nothing you use in the long term. Besides if you've got a reciever, many of the functions has no effect.

Even though it does not have many functions (aside from MP3 which this unit didnt have anyway ;) it is a very solid and nice unit which I had second thoughts about returning or not.

Similar Products Used:

none, this was my first.

Subwoofer Output, Built Quality, Picture Quality, Quite Operation.

Remote responds really slow, have to aim really good. No zoom. DVD sticker seems like its gonna fall off.

I've only used this DVD player for a week, I was surprised at the sound and picture quality for the price of this unit. I didn't expect too much from this unit when I first got it, since I wasn't too experienced wiith Panasonic products, but considering Techinis and Panasonic are the same company, I might as well give it a shot. I am really impressed, and glad to see so many positive reviews. The subwoofer output is very appealing. Very quite operation. The hiss and static from my receiver was more noticeable! Sony str-de545 ( a mistake)
My setup
Sony Str-de545
Kenwood cd-m425 200 disc Cd changer
Panasonic RV-30 DVD Player
Panasonic M-25 VCD Player (IN ASIA ONLY)
Kenwood KVS-407 3-way Speaker System
Yamaha NS-AP101 Center and Surround Speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-2300

Great price, great picture & sound, DD & DTS outputs

Only an optical digital out (no coaxial), remote missing at least one feature on deck itself

The Panasonic RV30 is just as good a player as the well-regarded Sony S3000 to my eyes. The picture is outstanding & not overly soft like the Sony. The sound feels as robust & dynamic as the Sony's. It has both DD & dts out. I tried several reference DVDs like "A Bug's Life", "The Matrix" & "Saving Private Ryan" (DTS), and they all look & sound spectacular.

Beside the minor complaints listed above, the construction of the RV30 isn't as solid as the Sony's, but it has definitely got a better built than the Apex (the other DVD player I own).

Overall, I'm very impressed with this player.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S3000, Apex AD-600A

Good picture

no coaxial output so a problem connecting this dVD player a satellite dish and a vhs to my tv all at once.
Still checking out brightness variation.

Just bought this based on reviews here. Great picture on Highlander Disk but when played Gladiator Disk picture fluctuated from dark to light in about a 20 second cycle. Do't know if problem is player or disk.

Great picture and sound.

None for the price.

This review is for the RV21 the Costco model. Only difference is the RV21 doesn't have the shuttle knob. But..heck I don't plan on leaving the couch anyway. Iwanted the Costco model since they will give me a new one if it dies out of the 90 day warranty. And they don't charge for the extra warranty. After my friends Sony 360 died right after 90 days. (told him about the reviews at this website).I stayed away from Sony altogether. This model meets my needs. Looks great on my Toshiba 36 inchs and sounds great on my HK receiver with my old L26 JBL's and surrounds.

Similar Products Used:

None