Panasonic DVD-F87S 5-Disc Progressive Scan DVD Player
A pretty darn good space saving, high performance machine
I picked up this little beauty to replace both an ancient and cranky 5-disc CD Player and a single disc DVD player.  I now have breathing room in the old entertainment center, so even my antique turntable can take a creaky spin every now and again.<br /><br />Seeing that I can't connect a toaster without help, I called on my trusty better half to unravel the mystery of setting it up. In non-technical language, a.k.a. plain English, this is what you need to know about this mighty machine:<br /><br />1. The manual needs a lot of work.  It's neither user-friendly nor idiot-proof.  Ditto for the boxy silver remote.<br /><br />2. It is easy to set up if you already know how to do that sort of thing.  (We have component video connections to the TV and digital coaxial connections to the receiver.)<br /><br />3. It gives excellent sound from both CDs and DVDs. With the benefit of 5.1 surround, movies like Master and Commander can literally move you, and CDs have never sounded better.<br /><br />4. It is as convenient as a 5-disc CD changer as it is a 5-disc DVD player, except that when you're playing more than one CD you'll need to put it in \\"CD Mode\\" first.<br /><br />5. It can easily play different types of media, such as audio Cds, MP3s, DVDs and those other mysterious formats - just put in the discs and play away.<br /><br />6. The video quality is very good on a regular TV.  You can set up different pre-defined picture quality modes, or customize to suit your own taste if you're a techie or a buff.  If you have difficulty making up your mind, ignore this option.<br /><br />7. The player is chock full of options, but you have to explore for yourself, which can be a bit confusing until you get the hang of it.  Read the manual, you say? See Item 1 above.<br /><br />8. There's on-screen information for MP3s and photo CDs, with different views available for the contents. (Groups/folders or entire playlists)<br /><br />9. I can't comment on the progressive scan feature, since I don't have an HD or HD-ready TV - yet. (Still waiting for that lottery win)<br /><br />10. It is supposed to play DVD-Audio discs, but you need 6.1 channel inputs on your receiver to play them. Unfortunately, our receiver is lacking these inputs, but then again, I am also lacking any DVD-Audio discs.<br /><br />Electronics buffs will probably say that it needs a bit of \\"tweaking\\" to get it to look and sound just right, but it looks and sounds great to me.  All in all a very good player, perhaps excellent when you factor in the price.<br /><br />Amanda Richards, October 1, 200410. It is supposed to play DVD-Audio discs, but you need 6.1 channel inputs on your receiver to play them. Unfortunately, our receiver is lacking these inputs, but then again, I am also lacking any DVD-Audio discs.    Electronics buffs will probably say that it needs a bit of \\"tweaking\\" to get it to look and sound just right, but it looks and sounds great to me.  All in all a very good player, perhaps excellent when you factor in the price.    Amanda Richards, October 1, 2004