In the latest 'What Hi Fi?' mag, in the sound advise section near the back, look at the article headed 'Upgrading in stages to high-def sound'.
In the article, it is suggested by the what hi fi staff that the 'pana will deliver as good a DVD image' as the cambridge Audio Azur 540D v2 DVD player (£250, 5 star rated machine).
I have an article in this forum called 'Blu-Ray players playing DVD's - as good as a dedicated DVD player?' Have a look, as Clare from 'What hi fi?' suggests that the pana would be better to buy than the Denon DVD 1940, (latest Best DVD Award Under £300 player) and others similar.
Hope that helps......