Panasonic DVD-S27K DVD Player

We had a twelve year old Optimus (Radio Shack) single disc CD player, plus a two and a half year old Pioneer multi disc DVD player. Both of them died at almost the same time. I decided it would be best to replace both units with DVD players, one being a Sony multi disc machine and the other a Panasonic S-27. While this might seem redundant, it works out well. The Panasonic and Sony players offer different capabilities, and provide us with a back-up should one fail.

That said, we are using the S-27 primarily as a CD player, while the Sony is our primary DVD player.

The Form

The S-27 comes in both silver (more of a shiny grey in reality) and black. However, most retailers seem to think that only silver is in fashion and don't stock the black, which I would have preferred, since all of my other components are black. Furthermore, the white on grey markings on the front of this player are somewhat difficult to read.

The other latest fashion in DVD players is to make them low and wide, about an inch too wide to fit in a traditional stereo rack. Many earlier players worked just fine being a little taller and narrower, but it seems the longer, lower look is the regrettable trend.

The Function

Cosmetics aside, this player is otherwise very nice. I am amazed at how many useful new features are in here compared to my older player. Besides playing DVD movies and CDs, it also plays video CDs, and lets you show CD ROMs of your JPEG digital photos* as a slide show. (*see addendum below)

I haven't tried it with DVD-R, though others have reported mixed results. This is less a fault of the player than the fault of an industry that hasn't settled on a consistent format. The fine print on the box indicates that success playing DVD-R depends on recording conditions. In my work as an audio/visual technician in a conference facility, we find that some of the cheaper, unheard-of-brand-name players do better handling different DVD-R variations, probably because unheard-of-brand companies don't have any specific formats they are trying to promote.

Some have complained about the manual being inadequate. I did not find that to be the case. Everything you need to know is there in a nice, concise format, weighing in at only 16 pages. I found it to be much easier to use than the thick books that come with so many players. My Sony's manual weighs in at a whopping 86 pages, without really telling me any more than the Panasonic manual does about the S-27.

Set-up and setting of preferences is no better or worse than any other DVD player I have used. If you're not familiar with the process, read the manual carefully, or movies may not display properly. It is particularly important to choose the correct aspect ratio to match your TV (4:3 for standard TVs and 16:9 for widescreen digital/HDTVs).

One thing I am impressed with is the remote. Here Panasonic wisely chose function over form. It doesn't look fancy, and it doesn't glow, but it is well laid out and balances nicely in the hand. At the top are the power buttons, open/close, and four others relating to playback function. Below that is the numeric keypad, along with the track skip, search, and the marginally useful playback speed buttons. Next are the basic function buttons, play, pause and stop, which are much larger than the others, making them easy to find. Then we have the joystick navigation buttons common to all DVD remotes. These are also large and easy to find, just by feel if the room is dark. At the bottom are eight buttons. Three relate to DVD function, for selecting subtitles, audio tracks, and camera angles (where applicable). There is also a "play mode" button for programming track sequence, the "setup" button, a "sleep timer," and finally a "group" button which I have yet to need.

The front panel display can be dimmed with an option in the setup menu, a nice touch. There are three choices, bright, dim or auto. The latter makes the display bright when using the remote for some function, but dims it a few seconds after the function is complete, so as not to distract you from the TV image.

If you want to remove a DVD in the middle of a movie, and come back to the same point later, you can hit the remote's "position memory" button next to the numeric keypad, and it will remember where you left off. It will store up to five settings, after which it will erase the oldest memory in the queue.

A/V Quality

As a CD player it works very well, sound quality is terrific, and it is easy to use. DVDs play well, too, and the picture is of very high quality when played through an S-video cable, which is not supplied with the player.

Since this is my secondary DVD player, and my TV only has one S-video input, I am using a standard RCA video cable. Unfortunately, the video portion of the a/v cable that comes with the S-27 is junk. When using this cable the colors are oversaturated and the shadow areas look muddy. I replaced it with a high quality RCA video cable and the picture improved dramatically, though it was still not as good as with an S-video cable.

For DVD audio I use a Dolby Pro-Logic system, a basic surround sound system. It isn't the latest Dolby Digital, but it is still impressive, and the S-27 handles it well. At the very least, one should have the player connected to a good quality stereo system. Built-in TV speakers generally don't perform very well with movies. I have heard some impressive sound from some higher-end TVs with simulated surround effects, but these require you to sit directly in front of the TV for the proper effect.

One of the top buttons on the remote changes the "picture mode" giving you various preset options for adjusting brightness and contrast. These, along with a more ambiguous "a/v enhancer" strike me as more gimmicky than useful. If your TV monitor is properly calibrated, or even close, your DVD image will look just fine. Easy step by step video calibration tools can be found on many prerecorded DVD movies that have the THX Optimizer in the setup menu.

There is a zoom button for those who absolutely, positively, must fill their TV screen from top to bottom and crop out half the picture. For the rest of us, its not particularly useful for routine viewing, but it does provide some minor amusement.

Headphone Surround

Much more useful, however is one of the "advanced surround" options accessed via the remote, called Headphone surround. This is an under-promoted but wonderful setting that creates simulated surround effects with ordinary stereo headphones. If you watch movies with headphones when others have gone to sleep, this is a must-have feature. It really opens up the sound, eliminating that back-and-forth-inside-your-head feeling. It sounds as if there are speakers in front of and behind you, almost like a real surround system. It is very similar to the similarly under promoted Dolby Headphone soundtrack on the Pearl Harbor DVD, and a comparison revealed that Panasonic's system is nearly identical. My Sony DVD doesn't have this capability, so the Panasonic S-27 is my preferred DVD player late at night.

This player has other functions which I have not used, so I won't get into them.

Minor complaints

I have a few minor complaints. The first is the front panel display, which is too small to show both track/chapter numbers and elapsed time simultaneously. You have to toggle between them with a button at the top of the remote.

Also on the front panel, the buttons are not always responsive. When you press them, they barely move. They have sort of a non-committal feel, and don't always respond unless you hit them firmly square-on.

Finally, the on-screen menus can be a little confusing, and some functions are buried rather deep in there. This is especially true when playing back JPEG images for a slide show.

Overall Opinion

This player is a winner. It is versatile, its most commonly used functions are pretty user-friendly, it gives a good a/v presentation, and the price is reasonable. What more can one ask?

Addendum

Since writing this review, I have discovered a little quirk when playing JPEG slide shows from a CD. The player does not recognize grayscale black & white JPEG images, only RGB color images. To view black and white images on the player, convert them to RGB color in your photo editor before burning them onto a CD. They should then appear properly on the player.