Panasonic DVD-S97S Progressive Scan DVD Player Silver
Superb video quality
There are so many progressive-scan DVD players out there nowadays -- with some costing less than $35 -- one must wonder what's the point of spending more than $100 on a DVD player.  The answer, not surprisingly, is you get what you pay for.<br /><br />In the case of the Panasonic DVD-S97 DVD player, you are getting every penny's worth, if your goal is to get the best possible picture quality out of DVD movies.  Of course, if you are still using a standard analog TV, you won't see the kind of high quality we HDTV owners do.  To get the max out of the player, you need an HDMI-capable HDTV monitor and need an HDMI cable.  The all-digital connection does two things: 1) transmit the video (and audio) signal in digital, and 2) allows the Panasonic's upconverter to work.<br /><br />The upconverter basically converts the NTSC resolution on today's DVDs to HDTV resolution.  It's pretty much like digital zoom on your digital camera.  Does it work?  Surprisingly, it does in many cases.  At least it will not degrade your picture quality (unless you have the expensive but poor-quality Samsung HD841 which amazingly manages to *degrade* video quality).  The Panasonic is a consistent performer that helps you take advantage of your HDTV monitor... until the day HD DVD arrives.<br /><br />The Panasonic is solidly built and easy to operate.  Its superb video output is what makes it a five-star DVD player that's also very affordable.