Panasonic DVD-S97S Progressive Scan DVD Player Silver
I Really Like Panasonic DVD Players; And This S97 Model Is No Exception .... It's A Silver Dandy!
I had to get another DVD player when my last Panasonic unit (an RP62 model which gave me 3.25 years of faithful service and outstanding DVD quality) pooped out, via the dreaded \\"H07\\" error message. Hopefully that problem won't crop up with this player.<br /><br />So, I turned to Panasonic once more for another DVD machine....and chose this top-of-the-line (circa 2005-2006) little beauty -- the DVD-S97S model.<br /><br />I couldn't be more pleased with the operation, performance, functionality, and overall user-friendliness of the S97 Progressive Scan DVD-Video/DVD-Audio Player from Panasonic.<br /><br />I like pretty much everything about this sleek baby (with the exception of not being able to view the \\"time elapsed\\" function and the \\"chapter\\" information on the front of the display at the same time). You can view either of those things; but you've got to toggle between the choices via the \\"FL Select\\" key on the remote control (just below the \\"DVD Power On/Off\\" button).<br /><br />The S97 unit I received (which arrived with lightning-like speed from \\"One Call\\" in May 2006) defaulted to the \\"Number Display\\" for the front-of-the-unit LED visuals, instead of the \\"Time Display\\". But, thankfully, I was finally able to figure out how to get the Elapsed Time to display on the LED monitor (after initially being disappointed by this seeming lack of functionality). Just thought I'd mention that here, in case other buyers of this product have suffered from the same \\"Why Can't I Get This Thing To Show The Time Indicator?\\" problem that I encountered before discovering how to fix it. The solution was in the Owner's Manual all along; I just didn't notice it for a little while. :)<br /><br />This top-notch DVD player can handle just about any disc you pop into her, including DVD-Audio discs (and without having the full \\"enhanced resolution\\" audio downgraded to Dolby Digital).<br /><br />The S97 has many newer features that my older RP62 model did not have -- such as:<br /><br />>> HDMI output capability;<br /><br />>> \\"Advanced\\" Progressive Scan (which I can only assume is better than \\"regular\\" or \\"ordinary garden-variety\\" PS ~wink~);<br /><br />>> \\"AV Enhancer\\" (with three different \\"user\\" settings available);<br /><br />>> A built-in DTS decoder (so DVDs with DTS soundtracks can be heard even without the aid of a DTS-capable receiver);<br /><br />>> Dolby Pro-Logic II capability;<br /><br />>> Loads of extra menu and set-up options for \\"tweaking\\" purposes;<br /><br />>> Picture-quality controls available right on the remote control (e.g., buttons to directly adjust Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness, and Color);<br /><br />>> And varying \\"Play Speeds\\" during playback. .... Although, to be honest, that Speed feature is little more than a curiosity in my opinion, with few practical applications that I can think of. But if you want to slow down everybody's dialogue to make them sound like they're drunk while talking, or speed up the action to make everyone sound like an auctioneer....then the \\"Play Speed\\" feature is for you. :)<br /><br />--------------------<br /><br />The S97 player's menus and \\"Setup\\" areas are also more detailed than previous Panasonic models, and there seems to be a slight improvement in the response time when any of the remote-control buttons are selected. This unit responds instantaneously to all remote commands. Not a hint of a delay at all. Very nice. And much-appreciated over the long haul.<br /><br />And I like the quick-eject too (i.e., the disc tray pops open really fast when it's given the command to open up; which is possibly why Panasonic decided to not include an \\"Open/Close\\" button on the remote control, as there doesn't seem to be much of a need for such a remote button at all; although it would still be kind of nice to have it on the remote).<br /><br />And the glowing blue fluorescent-type light that highlights the disc-tray area is another small perk that makes this unit even more attractive. Looks really cool (IMO). When the clear disc tray is open, it appears as if the whole tray is glowing neon-blue. A pleasing little effect, especially nifty in a darkened room setting.<br /><br />But if the glow of the blue light on the front panel is bothersome to some people, it can easily be switched off via one of the many menu choices this player offers. You can select \\"Bright\\", \\"Dim\\", or \\"Auto\\" to control the display lights -- with \\"Auto\\" being my option of choice. That option turns on the blue light when a remote key is pressed, but it automatically dims all of the front-panel lights once a disc starts to play, which includes having the fluorescent blue neon light turned off completely when a disc is in Play mode.<br /><br />The overall operation of this player is whisper quiet too. It's quite a bit less noisy than other DVD players I've had. The transitions which are made when the player is directed to move from one item to another on a disc are barely noticeable. Very nice.<br /><br />I currently am not using the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) output, because my HDTV isn't HDMI-compatible. But through the Component Video output (480p), the S97 provides excellent-looking video. This player also supports S-Video output and standard composite (RCA) \\"video out\\".<br /><br />Another feature I like on the S97 is the increased ability to scroll between the audio choices on a DVD via the on-screen audio options, which can all be displayed at the same time (similar to a pull-down menu). The same type of \\"See All The Options At Once\\" feature can also be found when the \\"Subtitles\\" button is selected. If no subtitles are available on the disc, however, nothing will show on the TV screen at all when the \\"Subtitles\\" key is pressed, which is unlike previous Panasonic models I have owned.<br /><br />Here's something interesting that I discovered via this player's detailed user manual that I don't think was covered in the manual of the RP62 player (I couldn't find it in there anyway) -- If you want to turn on the \\"Closed Captioning\\" on any DVD, the Progressive Scan feature must be turned off. Closed Captions are not viewable if Progressive Scan or HDMI are enabled. Seems kind of odd to me...but that's the way it is. And I'm guessing that all other \\"Progressive\\"-capable Panasonic models are the same way. No wonder I could never get the captioning to work on my RP62. I had no idea that \\"PS\\" had to be disabled to see the captions.<br /><br />--------------------<br /><br />I'm looking forward to several years of nice-looking DVD video and audio quality as a result of my recent purchase of this stylish and handsome Panasonic S97S DVD/CD Player.even more attractive. Looks really cool (IMO). When the clear disc tray is open, it appears as if the whole tray is glowing neon-blue. A pleasing little effect, especially nifty in a darkened room setting. <br /> <br />But if the glow of the blue light on the front panel is bothersome to some people, it can easily be switched off via one of the many menu choices this player offers. You can select \\"Bright\\", \\"Dim\\", or \\"Auto\\" to control the display lights -- with \\"Auto\\" being my option of choice. That option turns on the blue light when a remote key is pressed, but it automatically dims all of the front-panel lights once a disc starts to play, which includes having the fluorescent blue neon light turned off completely when a disc is in Play mode. <br /> <br />The overall operation of this player is whisper quiet too. It's quite a bit less noisy than other DVD players I've had. The transitions which are made when the player is directed to move from one item to another on a disc are barely noticeable. Very nice. <br /> <br />I currently am not using the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) output, because my HDTV isn't HDMI-compatible. But through the Component Video output (480p), the S97 provides excellent-looking video. This player also supports S-Video output and standard composite (RCA) \\"video out\\". <br /> <br />Another feature I like on the S97 is the increased ability to scroll between the audio choices on a DVD via the on-screen audio options, which can all be displayed at the same time (similar to a pull-down menu). The same type of \\"See All The Options At Once\\" feature can also be found when the \\"Subtitles\\" button is selected. If no subtitles are available on the disc, however, nothing will show on the TV screen at all when the \\"Subtitles\\" key is pressed, which is unlike previous Panasonic models I have owned. <br /> <br />Here's something interesting that I discovered via this player's detailed user manual that I don't think was covered in the manual ofthe RP62 player (I couldn't find it in there anyway) -- If you want to turn on the \\"Closed Captioning\\" on any DVD, the Progressive Scan feature must be turned off. Closed Captions are not viewable if Progressive Scan or HDMI are enabled. Seems kind of odd to me...but that's the way it is. And I'm guessing that all other \\"Progressive\\"-capable Panasonic models are the same way. No wonder I could never get the captioning to work on my RP62. I had no idea that \\"PS\\" had to be disabled to see the captions.  <br /> <br />-------------------- <br /> <br />I'm looking forward to several years of nice-looking DVD video and audio quality as a result of my recent purchase of this stylish and handsome Panasonic S97S DVD/CD Player.