Panasonic DVD-RV31K DVD Player, Black
Excellent player except for a few kinks...
I bought this DVD player 3 months ago and I could never be happier with it.  Since then I have bought 3 more of these players for friends and relatives.  I bought the Black or Silver they are exactly identical in functionality.  I prefer the Silver look myself.<br />The MP3 player was a big plus!  It plays my MP3 disks with ease.  The only problem is that it only displays the numbers of my MP3 files when playing it.  So you may have to memorize your MP3 via numbers.  It will play the files in the order the MP3 files are written.  Just make sure you make a list of the songs cause there is no way to memorize over a hundred songs in a disk.<br />Unlike the Toshiba DVD with the MP3 playing capability, the Panasonic DVD/CD/VCD/MP3 COULD Fast Forward/Rewind while playing the MP3 files.  Im glad I did not buy the Toshiba, pretty much all the Toshiba players I tried in the electronics store could not fast forward/rewind MP3 file/song.  This is bothersome especially if you need to scan through your MP3 songs.<br />Playback was excellent.  I haven't got any bad pixelations where the picture was not completely processed which leaves bigger squares of the image all over the place.  I did get a couple pauses/delay/discontinuity while playing the DVD on some disks.  The discontinuity usually happens while it switches to the next track.  It only happens rarely in the frequency of once in 10 movies I play.  It may just be the disk itself causing it, especially if it has scratches.<br />As far a CD playing is concerned, it has pretty much what a normal CD player has.  Search, Fast Forward, Rewind, Random, Scan and more...  Just read up on the specifications to find out the rest.<br />VCD Playback is excellent as well.  The image was nice and clear.  Of course it will never match up with the DVD's picture quality.<br />The component outputs and digital audio output is a plus for future expansions.  Most new higher end televisions and receivers have component inputs now.  And most receivers that support DTS/Dolby digital 5.1 will have digital audio inputs.  Though this particular player does not support progressive scan, the picture quality is up to par.  Panasonic makes a model that supports progressive scan but it is slightly more expensive.  It will look very similar to this one except it will say progressive scan on the front disk tray.<br />This player also implements special function for surround sound.  It will simulate a surround sound through your television even though you don't have any of the complex receivers/audio equipment.  Of course it will not match up with having your own surround receiver, but it is good enough if you don't have one.<br />This player has proven itself to be very reliable to me.  Its ease of use and functionality makes it my top pick especially for its price range.  At Amazons current pricing on this player (Black or Silver), you cannot find a better name brand in its class!