Video Asylum

Best DVD Players; the results are in.

66.90.208.252

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Thread: Display Email Next ] [ Video Asylum ] [ FAQ ]

j_thunders

(A)

Anyone wanting to learn more about DVD technology in general, check out this site: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com
They just completed their 3rd Progressive Scan DVD Player Shootout here: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_1/dvd-benchmark-guide-to-progressive-scan-shootout-1-2003.html
Top honors this time went to the Panasonic DVD-RP82. Funny, because it retails for only $229.00. Funnier, because you can't get them anymore--they've been discontinued. Check out how the $8000 Krell player fared.

Follow Ups:

I've never found their evaluations to be at all relevant (nt) - Rich 07:10:23 01/19/03 (0)
Re: Best DVD Players; the results are in. - Rich H 10:04:41 01/17/03 (0)
Interesting. I actually had the RP82 at my house for three weeks and recently returned it. I own the Panasonic RP-91 DVD player, and in direct comparison I could not get the RP82 to look quite as good as the RP-91 in overall video quality, no matter how I tweaked. They looked very similar (as they share much the same chip set), but the RP82 I had didn't produce *quite* as clean and sharp an image as the RP-91. I'm sure the RP82 is better at passing de-interlacing torture tests, but in normal use - which for me is watching films for the most part - the RP-91's de-interlacing held up fine.
So...back went the RP82. YMMV of course.
Rich H.
Any successor to the RP82? - kendo 16:02:57 01/16/03 (2)
I had just decided that the RP82 was the player for me. Wouldn't you know that it would slip away?
Has Panasonic announced a successor to the RP82? The DVD shootout clearly shows that the RP62 is not the one.
- Re: Any successor to the RP82? - R. Hertz 16:08:50 01/16/03 (1)
  I have the RP-62 but I don't notice any of the faults listed in the review. For $175, it works for me. Additionally, I use it for DVD only, connected via component cables directly to my TV. As one poster noted, some of the faults pointed out in the reviews sound more serious and noticible than they really are. I'm sure Panasonic has a replacement for the RP-82 in the works if it isn't already out. Based on my experience with the 62, I would encourage you to have a look at it.
  - Re: Any successor to the RP82? - Tablahead 17:50:05 01/16/03 (0)
    I recently purchased the CP-72. Same decoder and capabilities as the RP-82, but it's a 5 disc changer. This was after I went looking for the RP-82 and couldn't find it. I am quite happy with its performance, and would highly recommend you give it an audition.
Here's the StHT shootout "express line"... - Joe Murphy Jr 21:00:33 01/15/03 (0)
Here's a link to the "meat and potatoes" of the tests. It sure is sad that Pioneer (the former champion of picture quality when laserdisc was king) and Toshiba (a main co-developer of the DVD format) just can't seem to get video right.
- http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all
Re: Best DVD Players; the results are in. - R. Hertz 19:49:52 01/15/03 (5)
As is frequently the case, price and performance aren't related. The Krell did pretty well, but for an $8000 price tag, it should be at the apex of DVD technoloigy, which it clearly was not. Also disappointing was the performance of the Theta unit. Sure glad I didn't buy any of the Pioneer players!
- Re: Best DVD Players; the results are in. - j_thunders 20:54:57 01/15/03 (4)
  Roger the price/performance. You gotta watch out a little with their tests, though. They are only after the creme de la creme of progressive video performance, don't test interlaced performance, and the flaws they find to be egregious, most of us probably wouldn't even notice. Also true, they don't care at all about audio performance. I have owned two of the top machines on their list, the Camelot and the new champ, the RP82. Both have flawless video performance. The Camelot, as you might imagine, also had great 2 ch. performance. But I've heard better sound out of a sea shell than the RP82. It's horrible.
  - Audio? - Joe Murphy Jr 21:09:37 01/15/03 (3)
    The audio should be DAed via a surround processor/receiver. You can't expect a $200 DVD player that rates #1 in video to do audio right, can you?
    :-)
    - Re: Audio? - j_thunders 21:14:08 01/15/03 (2)
      Ahem, umm.......yes. I do. :-P
      - U so silly! - Joe Murphy Jr 20:19:21 01/16/03 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Audio? posted by j_thunders on January 15, 2003 at 21:14:08:
        
        Panasonic should have foregone the analog audio section and devoted the $3 in parts (or $2.25?) to other things. So it goes...
      - Re: analog audio ... - Aroc 15:06:51 01/16/03 (0)
        
        In Reply to: Re: Audio? posted by j_thunders on January 15, 2003 at 21:14:08:
        
        I imagine for most purchasers of an RP82 will
        1.) run the audio directly into their widescreen projection TV's audio inputs (assuming they have a nice TV)
        2.) run a bitstream digital connection to a receiver or pre/pro for digital-domain bass management
        so you can't assume matushita's engineers really gave the analog audio outputs much of a thought in a $200 unit. Why engineer something relatively few users will care about? Hell even as a CD_TRANSPORT the rp8 SUCKS. I know, I've tried. you can't have it all for $200. Heck, I tried for two years to find a decent sub $500 DVD 5disc carousel to use a cd tranport - couldn't find a single think worth using that wasn't a total POS. Let alone analog audio outputs. And this was at the $500 dollar mark. Sad.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Schiit Audio

You can not post to an archived thread.