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I have owned the Panasonic A-310 for 10 months now. I paid $500 when it first came out. I chose the Panasonic A-310 because it was the first DTS compatible player on the market that had component video, and it was rumored to be a very good player. It is. The A-310 has worked flawlessly. The only exception is that on the DVD of The Saint, there is noticable pixelization in some scenes (which aren't there on other players). This is the only DVD I've encountered it on (I've seen close to 100).

Frankly, with the exception of aesthetics, I see no need for anyone to buy a better DVD player than the A-310. The picture and sound are superb. Layer changes are very quick. In these respects, the Panasonic is better than the Sony 7000 and 7700. The Panasonic is also very easy to use and setup. The remote is great, and the joystick is invaluable.

As a CD player, the Panasonic sounds like most other mid-fi CD or DVD players, meaning it's not bad and not good. It is on the bright side, however. The review in Audio Magazine saying it was almost as good as the $4000 Meridian 508.24 is a joke, but for a solidly mid-fi HT, the Panasonic would work admirably as a CD player. It does take awhile to read the disk, however, and you can't advance the tracks until the CD starts playing. It also does not play CD-Rs.

I tried the built-in Dolby Digital decoder. While it was noticably a step below my (now sold) Denon 2700 receiver, and two steps below my Sherwood Newcastle pre/pro, it it's not as bad as people make it out to be. Bass management is not a problem, either.

Now, ten months later, the Panasonic is still a competetive player. It has fewer glitches than most other DVD players, and still performs admirably. If I were to buy a DVD player now, I'd probably opt for the newer A-120, which has similar performance, component vidoe, is cheaper, and has fewer glitches. But it is basically the same player. If you find a good deal ($300) on the A-310, go for it. Highly recommended.

Product Weakness:	A glitch on The Saint DVD. Has been replaced by an updated model.
Product Strengths:	Excellent picture and sound. Easy to use and setup. Fast layer changes. A good value.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Panasonic A-310 DVD Players JimB 23:11:28 5/01/99 (0)
  In Reply to: Panasonic A-310 DVD Players posted by Justin Doring on April 20, 1999 at 22:57:12:

  I have owned a A310 for about 9 months and agree with this very thorough review but want to add a couple of things. The remote has been knocked by various home theater magazine reviews as having a "too small" and "almost useless" joystick. These guys modt have fire plugs for fingers because I think it works fine. I like it. The second thing is a flaw I have seen only in dark, night scenes with bright, point sources of light also in the scene. This results in blue horizontal light streaks to flash across the scene. It's only happened 3 or 4 times out of 50 to 60 DVDs.

  JimB
  
  
  

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• Re: Panasonic A-310 DVD Players TomD 09:47:50 5/01/99 (0)
  In Reply to: Panasonic A-310 DVD Players posted by Justin Doring on April 20, 1999 at 22:57:12:

  I agree with this review. Just a couple more items. I also saw pixelization on "The Assignment" around chapter 25. The comments on layer change are right on. I now have the toshiba SD-9000 and there is a pause on layer changes that did not occur with the 310.
  
  

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