PANASONIC DVD-S54EB-K

[admin_exported]

Hello

No reveiws of any Panasonic DVD players on the site..? How comes?

Recently got a new panasonic TV and wanted a DVD player to go with it, been looking at the DVD-S54 but there are only a couple of reveiws on Amazon... anyone had any experience of one of these? Is their actually a benefit of having the viera link? As thats the only reason i want panasonic really.

 

[professorhat]

The only real benefit to the Viera link is sharing a remote control between the two devices. This can easily be done by buying one of the Logitech Harmony remotes though (e.g. the 555 which can be got for about £50) and this will also control everything else you have and allow you to set up macros so you can switch between inputs with one button etc. Personally I would do this and this then gives you the option of buying any DVD player you want (like the Toshiba XD-E500).

 

[professorhat]

Ah - also just found a review of the Panny DVD-S54 in my archive - was reviewed in the WHF October 2008 issue and got 3 stars. "a definite lack of true black to pictures" and "the DVD-S54 is uncomfortable with movement - those edges can get ragged pretty quickly" are two quotes from the review, though apparently this is all down to the upscaler, so if you have a regular standard def TV rather than an HDTV, it's worth considering.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much, thats exactly what ive been looking for... 100% off the idea of the panasonic now...

I have looked at the Toshiba XD-E500 - ive heard it doesnt display 4:3 - only stretched to 16:9 - is there any truth in that? We watch alot of tv comedy shows so this might be annoyng/ a problem?

Was also considering the Samsung DVD-HD870 which seems impressive for the price... is the XD-E500 really THAT much better? Never been a fan of Samsung.

 

[professorhat]

Well I haven't seen it personally but I remembered this thread in which it was described as being an excellent player and better than the Samsung. Not sure on the 4:3 issue either but I would have thought a quick call to whoever you're thinking of buying from should answer that query.