Panasonic DVD-RP62 Progressive-Scan DVD Player
The Ultimate User Experience
You've probably already read the other review of the RP62 and been impressed by its technical guts and its impressive list of features. I'm going to run down the more experiential features of this DVD player. <br />First things First <BR>At the time of this writing, you aren't going to get this player for less than... I even tried price-matching at Sears, but couldn't find a cheaper price (by the way, if Sears carries it, they will price-match Internet prices!!!). The cons I've listed really aren't that big of a deal -- all DVD players take a few seconds to load the DVDs, the display isn't really that hard to read and the clock thing just doesn't matter. All in all the unit rocks. <br />First Impressions and Installation <BR>I have an HDTV-ready widescreen TV (Panasonic PT-47WX49 which I highly recommend, got it at Sears for....), so I wanted a progressive scan player. When I took the RP62 out of the box, it felt really light, and the case isn't 16 gauge steel -- it's plastic, thus the light weight. I figured after spending close to... the thing would feel substantive, but Panasonic obviously put the money to better use on the performance. <br />After taking it out, I realized that there was two cables -- power and a combo 3 RCA (video, 2 audio) cable. I kept looking for a decent cable to use for my progressive scan output, but to no avail. Luckily I had a cable that would suffice. <br />My biggest problem to begin with was that the RP62 out of the box only operates in analog (S-VIDEO or RCA), so you have to hook it up to your non-component input on your TV first. I didn't know this, so it took me about 45 minutes to finally get the unit pumping out a progressive signal. Once that was fixed, it was time to play. <br />Calibration <BR>I never had a widescreen TV before, so I got the Avia Home Theater Guide to set up my TV. Complex menus, lots of levels. The player was able to do everything on the disc flawlessly. I didn't really change anything on the DVD player beyond the progressive out setting. <br />First Movies <BR>Wow! The Matrix is one of my favorite movies, and the reproduction was amazing! I got the Matrix on DVD back in late 1999 or early 2000, so it is one of the first prints. Later I watched Jimmy Neutron. Everyone says how amazing the picture will be if you are watching it on a wide-screen progressive scan TV. Well, they weren't lying. The color reproduction was amazing. Movement was crisp and fluid, blacks were black and whites were white, as they should be. <br />I also burned a CD full of MP3s (156 of them, all at varying and variable bit rates) and played it at a party. The player nicely randomized all of the tracks, and displayed the ID3 Artist and Title tracks on the video out. It didn't have any problems playing VBR or high bit-rate MP3s. Pretty darn cool. <br />In the first fast forward level, it plays the video at 2x speeds but also plays the audio. It's not a perfect reproduction, but a nice feature for those who don't have a lot of time to watch a whole movie! <br />When you turn the unit off, the video out fades out, which is a cool little effect. Not a feature I'd buy on, but cool nonetheless. <br />Small Annoying Things <BR>Every good thing has its bad sides. Granted, this player doesn't have many, but there are a few. <br />First, every time you use a DVD for non-16:9 content, a message pops up on the screen telling you that the content is 4:3. Ok, I don't care. Maybe I can turn those messages off, but I haven't found a way yet, and maybe you can't. But they can be just a tiny bit annoying. <br />Next, on MP3 playback, the display only shows the time, whereas the MP3 info is displayed on the video out. This is OK if you have a direct-view TV, but for rear-projection TVs, that kind of constant, non-moving video can cause burn-in. I'd like to see the MP3 info displayed on the LCD on the front, the big DVD logo gone after 1 minute of MP3 play, and the info window to move around on the screen. Heck, build in a nice WinAmp like screensaver! :-) <br />Last, the documentation that comes with this amazing little device is lacking. I'd like to see a whole book on all the cool features of my DVD player, but Panasonic seems to have spent the money more on the features in the player than explaining them in a manual, which is OK with me. <br />A Ton Of Positive Energy <BR>Panasonic has a great, responsive tech support. I called about my installation issue and, though I got it fixed before they got on the phone, no more than 5-10 minutes was spent on hold or getting routed to the right place. For a company as big as Panasonic, I was impressed. The people also know enough about their products to help the simple to semi-difficult issues. <br />For the money, the quality of this and a lot of other Panasonic electronics is really amazing. I've had a Panasonic shelf stereo since 1992, and it still works great 10 years later after lots of college abuse and 7 moves! <br />So who is this really for? <BR>This is one of the better, low-end progressive-scan DVD players on the market right now. Audio/Videophiles will find the quality, video and audio reproduction more than acceptable at this price level. Casual electronic enthusiasts with a nice progressive-scan-capable TV will really enjoy both the video and audio output of this device. People considering getting a nicer TV in the future will find this device a solid investment, and a great player until then. <br />Not ever going to get a progressive-scan-capable TV? Not going to use the MP3/WMA/VCD/SVCD capabilities? Have a 13-inch TV? This is probably more than you need to be spending on a DVD player! There are decent, sub....DVD players on the market that will suit you just fine. But for those of you that want progressive scan, amazing image reproduction with very few (unnoticeable to the untrained eye) flaws, the ability to play practically any CD or DVD, and the features (Zoom, enhanced Bass, virtual surround sound, quick replay,audio fast forward), you can't get a better DVD player. Buy this one!