Panasonic DVD-S77S DVD Player

Best Up-Converting DVD Player

Strengths: Top Notch for the Price and then Some

Weaknesses: Confusing menus

Summary: After looking and reading a lot about up converting dvd players, I decided to go with this unit. Since the price was right and I heard nothing but good things about it. I'm using it thru its HDMI output directly into my HDTV and the colors and picture quality are incredible.

I had try other progressive players, but none of them gave me this quality. There was no artifacts or video distortion visible. Just be sure you use HDMI to HDMI instead of the component output. This will give you the best picture, since you can't up convert using the component output.

The menu system is a little hard to follow, so read the manual.

If you're looking in how to change the up converting resolution from 480p to 720p or 1080i, is under the display menu and not under setup where I was expecting it. Also there you will find how to turn off the "very bright" blue light that shines from the top of the disk tray. I think that most people will decide to turn it off. But I leave that to you.

I recommend this player, to anyone that want the best picture available to this date. Of course you can wait till the real

HD-DVD players come out, but that might take a while.

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Panasonic DVD-S77 DVD Player

Strengths: HDMI connector, straightforward to operate, HDMI cable included

Weaknesses: Not really sure you can see the "upscaling"

Summary: I bought this DVD to go with a new Samsung 40" LCD TV (LN-R409D). The picture is great, the included cable made the hook-up easy, and we got the picture going within 5 minutes. However, I have yet to integrate it with our amplifier/sound system so ...

I bought based upon reviews I read. The main selling features were the HDMI and "upscaling" (from 480i up to 720p or 1080i). I really can't tell the difference. However as one review states "the determing factor in picture quality was how these players handled the initial conversion from 480i to 480p ... before upscaling". I took their word for it.

Opting for a high end player versus generic given we just spent $3k on an LCD TV, the three choices were: Toshiba SD-5980, Samsung DVD-HD950, and the Panasonic. I would have liked to go with the Samsung (as it was the TV) but the short review for the Panasonic read "Delivered some of the best progressive-scan video seen at any price, and it's a fine music player to boot" (source: Soundvision Sept. 05).

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Panasonic DVD-S77S DVD Player

Strengths: Picture Quality. Comes with HDMI Cable. Looks cool with clear plastic disc tray and blue light.

Weaknesses: Menu system is a little confusing when first setting it up. Wish the remote had a jog dial. Position Memory system is cumbersome.

Summary: The Panasonic DVD-S77S DVD Player is probably the best value out there in under $200 DVD players. It has a Farajuda processing chip and is able to upconvert the resolution of the DVD to near HD Quality. I've got mine hooked up via HDMI to my Dell 42" HD Plasma and the picture quality is stunning on 720p output.

My only nitpicks are that I wish that it would remember the last spot I hit stop prior to turning off the DVD player with out the position memory function and that the remote is kind of cheap. But if you're looking for picture quality at a bargain price, this product is a winner.

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High end upconverting player looks good, comes with cheap extras and incomplete manual

Strengths: One of the top two or three upconverting players. Good look. Pretty much the same features as the S97, but at $30-$50 less.

Weaknesses: Extremely cheap, filmsy cable included with player, confusing onscreen menus need a lot of work, as does the manual

Summary: 2005-12-29 06:57:05 Very nice picture quality, upconverting works well - although it may not be the huge leap in quality you're expecting. Player looks good and is fairly quiet.

I almost bought the S97, but after looking around this is

going to give you pretty much the same picture quality and performance minus a few bells and whistles I didn't care about.

I was very disappointed in the cable included with this player, and after looking around online I found out I was not the only one. When I first hooked this up, there was no picture or audio. Then, after just leaving it on for a few minutes, it worked...then 10 minutes later in the middle of a movie, it stopped again and did not work anymore. I had to purchase a seperate cable just to get it to work. I honestly planned on getting a seperate one eventually anyway, but I'd at least like to be able to TRY this thing without worrying my player or TV is screwed up. If I were the only one who had this problem I'd just write it off as bad luck, but I have read of a lot of other people having this issue as well.

The manual is decent, but leaves out some important info. What's really baffling and most noticeable is the fact that it does NOT tell you how to use the upconverting feature, which is probably the main selling point of this device. For those wondering - press the "display" button on your remote, then go to other settings and then picture settings.

Those obsessed with always having it running in 1080i or 720p resolution may notice some macroblocking (distortion in the picture that appears "blocky")...it is possible to adjust some settings to reduce this, but it's not likely to get rid of it completely since the macroblocking is due to the source (meaning the disc). If you watch a high-quality DVD (ie Star Wars III, LOTR, Matrix...any of the "geek trilogy" movies) it's less likely to happen because the source is high quality. If you're watching some Schwarzenegger bomb that was released on DVD in 1999, you're likely going to get it due to low DVD production values and the fact that they just didn't have the technology they do now.

So at the end of the day I do recommend this player, but buyer beware. I am satisfied with the player, but if I had to do it again I'd probably go with the Oppo upconverting player, which also has excellent performance (arguably the best in this category).

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Best Player I've Owned!

Strengths: Incredible Picture, comes with HDMI cable, looks cool

Weaknesses: Manual sucks! HD converting not in setup menu

Summary: I just recently bought a Samsung HLR5078W which is one of the new 1080P sets that are starting to hit the market. I had a good DVD player already but I wanted to get one with an HDMI connection and converted the signal to High Def. I found this player and I'm very glad that I bought it. I have owned about 10 different players and this is by far the best one that I've owned!! I hooked it up using the HDMI cable and set it to 1080i and was completely blown away by the picture I was seeing! I switched my TV from Discovery HD over to the DVD player and couldn't tell the difference! I was going to wait until HD DVD hit the market to get a new player, but now I'm probably not even going to get one of those players. I'm pretty much getting HD DVD right now. The only bad things I can say is that the manual is completely useless and some of the settings that should be in the setup menu are elsewhere. If you're going to set this player to HD you have to hit the display button and go into other settings and then go into picture settings. Other than these 2 things this is a must have for HDTV owners!

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Review from a fellow

Strengths: Up-conversion to HD formats, Video mode presets for LCD, Plasma and Projection TVs, TONS of user options.

Weaknesses: Finnicky meny system, TERRIBLE user's manual

Summary: After reading reviews on-line for the last few years, I am finally giving back to the community after buying this DVD player.

I also tried a Samsung HD 850 DVD Player which was decent, but the Panasonic had a much more vibrant picture on my 32 inch Sharp Aquos LC32GA5U tv. As some of you may know, the various types of TVs out there all have their strengths and weaknesses (ex: The black on LCD tvs is not always as "black" as we would like it to be). What the Panasonic does extremely well is adjust the picture automatically by asking users what kind of TV they have during the initial set-up. This option alone made this player worthwhile for me.

Other neat features include the infinitely variable speed playback (variable slow motion forward and back, variable fast forward and reverse WITH SOUND!), the ability to dim the display panel and probably the overall best looking consumer DVD player on the market, complete with a see-through DVD tray. It even gives you the option of customizing the look of the on-screen menus (from semi-transparent to opaque). Yes, this might seem like a useless feature, but believe me that there are people (like me!) out there who appreciate the attention to detail. The remote is also really easy to use and far less plastic-y than the one that came with the Samsung.

Although the player comes with an HDMI cable, I recommend getting one of better quality such as the Acoustic Research models ($30 on Ebay). You will also have to supply your own digital optical cable if you want to use it's 5.1 capabilities (also check Ebay)

My only real gripe with this player is with the user's manual. I don't know why Panasonic would produce something so incredibly difficult to understand, but let's just say that the average person will need a week to learn all of its more complex features. Figuring-out how to enable the HD modes alone is a chore the first time. Some reviews say that the menu system is complicated, but I didn't have any trouble with it once I decyphered the user's manual!

Electronics these days really do have their own "personalities", from how they look on your shelf to the way they operate. This one was definitely the best fit for me.

Happy DVD'ing

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