Panasonic DVD-RP56 Progressive-Scan DVD Player
Small but mighty!
I upgraded from the previous 310 model Panasonic DVD player and am absolutely amazed by the performance of this little machine. While the actual box is a bit smaller and lighter than the previous Panasonic I owned, the machine itself is much better. The progressive-scan output on component video is truly the best I've ever seen. I am currently using it on the new 34\\" Sony wide-screen HDTV and I can't imagine a better picture. The colors are clear and crisp, the optical sound output is bright and lively.  The menus are clear and attractive and seem to be programmed better for 16:9 tvs. The previous model had some distortion in the menus because it did not seem to output them in amamorphic wide-screen. While I'm not sure if the menus on the new model are anamorphic, they certainly look much better on a wide-screen tv.<br />The manual warns that there may be compatibility issues with progressive-scan output, but even on my non-Panasonic TV, I did not have to do the adjusting solution. It worked like a charm from the very first try. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon blew my socks off!<br />While the previous version did not have too much trouble with layer changes, it still had trouble with a few disks. This new model, on the other hand, handles the most problematic disks I had with great success. Fear and Loathing in Las Vagas, for example, used to pause almost 3 seconds (and sometimes froze). Now it switched layers with lightning speed. <br />Another great feature is the MP3 playback capability. With this feature, I can play mp3 disks which can hold around 600+ minutes of cd-quality music. Very useful for parties or entertaining, where I can stick in a CDR of my own make and not worry about changing the cds during the evening.<br />My only complaint, and it is a very small one, is that the remote is not as nice as the previous models. All the buttons are visible from the get-go, whereas the previous model's had a nice little flap that covered the lesser used buttons. Also, the buttons must be pressed a bit harder than the previous model's. Nevertheless, this is a very small complaint considering the great performance of the component. <br />All in all, for the money, this is a fantastic progressive-scan dvd. Given how expensive similar models were a year ago, it is clear that this technology is evolving to a cheaper production method with great success.