Panasonic DVD-S29 DVD Player

The Panasonic DVD-S29 DVD Player lies roughly at the same price point as a number of cost-effective DVD players, most notably the flexible but inconsistent Philips DVP-642 and the robust Sony DVP-NS50P. While it is a pretty good value, often available for under $60, it does not really live up to Panasonic's earlier work. It has the usual complement of composite, S-video, and component outputs. It is reputed to play all commercial and recordable media--DVD and CD, including + and - RW, as well as JPEG files, though not DivX--and appears to have a host of flexible features for modifying picture, sound, and functions. Its set-up is very straightforward.

First of all, the claims about what media the Panasonic DVD-S29 plays are overstated: it is rather selective. I found that on discs of identically generated JPEGs, some randomly trigger a readout of "image cannot be displayed," which they do not on other players. The unit also won't read some DVD-Rs or DVD+Rs, especially those not recorded with Panasonic's proprietary software (about which they warn you in the small print), but which pose no problems even on older players. The picture quality is acceptable, though there is a grainer texture to composite video than I usually see; and component video is soft with black levels that obscure detail. The video adjustments consist of factory presets: "standard," "cinema 1," "cinema 2," "dynamic"; custom settings--which would be really useful especially for brightness, and sharpness--are not available. An "A/V enhancer" for the composite picture mode simply lowers the contrast level. There is an unusually flexible 5-level zoom function, but this is generally a seldom used feature. The basic quality of the sound is acceptable but its adjustments, including a "dialogue expander" and "sound enhancer"--the latter described as a high-frequency augmenter--seem completely ineffectual. Most strikingly, there is no means for locating a specific point on a disc: no function is provided to search by hour:minute:second; only "skip" and "scan" are available. This omission is very troubling because it is precisely that kind of exactitude for which the digital medium was created. There appear to be no screen-saver options, and unless I am missing something, it will not go into "sleep" mode, a potential problem that could produce TV screen burn-out. Unlike almost all players, including the Sony DVP-NS50P, the Panasonic *does* give the user the gratifying option of turning off the on-screen display.

Physically, there are some very flimsy areas of construction. Most notably, the disc tray is so thin and pliant that one minor impact could splinter it; one sees this foolish cost-cutting means in the new Toshibas and elsewhere but it is never acceptable. The remote is not universal but it is comfortable and intuitive. However, the configuration of jacks in the back is poorly arranged and confusingly labeled.

In this price range, and particularly on sale, I half-heartedly recommend the Panasonic DVD-S29. For less than $10 more, however, one can acquire the Sony DVP-NS50P, which, although it has a number of it own very frustrating eccentricities (see my review: http://www.epinions.com/content_216429792900 ), it is built and performs better. Nevertheless, especially because it is easy to use, and frankly, because it allows the user the now-rare courtesy of being able to shut off the OSD, I give it a three-star rating.

--Robert E. Seletsky