Panasonic DVD-RP91N Progressive-Scan DVD-RAM Player, Champagne

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [4.57mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005BICV
• Item model number: DVDRP91N
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,204 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Color: Champagne

Amazon.com Review

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more feature-packed, superb DVD player than this one, which is available in this very cool champagne color or basic black. Not only does it do a wonderful job with DVD-Video discs--thanks to its progressive-scan output and advanced, 12-bit/54 MHz video digital-to-analog converter (DAC)--but it also plays the new generation of multichannel DVD-Audio software. The audio DAC offers scintillating 24-bit, 192 kHz resolution, capable of delivering a full two octaves' worth of high-frequency harmonics above standard CDs. And if you happen to own a DVD-RAM-based camcorder like the Panasonic VDR-M10, it plays those discs, too. In a word--Wow.

We're big fans of progressive-scan DVD players. Connect one to a digital television and you'll forget about the dearth of HDTV broadcasts. Why wait for broadcast when so many DVDs are available now? We quickly connected our review player to a 36-inch digital set using the component-video outputs and a 5.1-channel surround-sound system via the player's optical digital-audio output. The RP91 has extensive audio hookup capabilities, so no matter how sophisticated--or basic--your home theater is, you'll be in for the ride of your life. Even if you only use two speakers, it offers two levels of Virtual Surround to help envelop you in sound.

We loaded the obligatory Starship Troopers disc and loved it. The acting was as bad as ever, but the image moved to a still higher dimension of quality. By pressing the "progressive scan" key on the player's front panel, we experienced a seamless 480-progressive image rather than standard 480 interlaced--a picture that is much richer and more filmlike without the bothersome scanning lines. With 480P, you feel as if you could put your hand right into the screen. The audio track, while likewise superb, didn't sound noticeably superior to that of other players--probably because of the limitations of the Dolby Digital compression on that disc.

We were, however, able to get our hands on Swing Live, a new Bucky Pizzarelli DVD-Audio disc from Chesky Records, to properly audition the DVD-RP91 with the new music format. (To appreciate DVD-Audio, you'll need a surround receiver with 5.1-channel analog inputs, since the DVD-A signal is too high-resolution for standard digital inputs to accommodate it.)

We've been a bit skeptical about multichannel music, having heard some poorly engineered early attempts at 5.1-channel surround-sound music. Well, the engineers have learned from their mistakes, and this disc places you at a table in a nightclub, while guitarist Bucky and his friends play jazz standards like "Perdido" and "Sweet Sue." The sense of presence and realism was outstanding. The only thing missing was a nice Sapphire martini, straight up. (Note: this machine does not play SACDs, a competing multichannel audio system being promoted by Sony--but no one machine plays both formats.)

The appearance and playback capabilities of the DVD-RP91--with both audio and video--puts it in a class by itself. Yet it does have problems. The biggest drawback is the onscreen menu--the icons are inscrutable. Without the owner's manual at the ready, it's difficult to navigate through all the available options (and there are many). Not that most people will adjust their video Gamma settings, but we couldn't help wishing Panasonic had made the system more intuitive.

The remote has a very good feel, and a joystick makes adjustments and moves you through the menus. The remote is programmed to handle most TVs, and it handled my non-Panasonic set easily. But the remote really should have backlit keys rather than glow-in-the-dark buttons. This is a high-priced DVD player, so you should get a high-quality remote.

But what else can we say? This is a fantastic, technically advanced DVD player. Any home theater enthusiast should seriously give this one a long, hard look--then buy it. --David Elrich

Pros:

• As feature-loaded a DVD player as you can find
• Dynamite picture and sound quality
• Excellent connectivity options
• Intuitive remote with glow keys

Cons:

• Onscreen menus difficult to follow
• Remote should have backlit keys

Product Description

Black Stereo Advanced Virtual Surround Sound (V.S.S.)Product TypeBlu-Ray disc player Form FactorTabletop Width16.9 in Depth9.8 in Height1.9 in Weight5.7 lbs Enclosure ColorBlack DVDMedia TypeCD-R CD-RW DVD-RAM&

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent progressive output, October 3, 2001

By 

B. Compton "all-around okay guy" (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic DVD-RP91K Progressive-Scan DVD-RAM Player, Black (Electronics)

I bought this player almost totally because of the excellent reviews I had read about its image and sound quality, and the reviews appear to be accurate. This player replaced my old Pionneer DV-414 player, and it is much better.

The progressive output is amazing on my Panasonic Tau television. I believe this player does not exhibit the 'chroma bug' that many high-end AV magazines have found in some players, even some high-end ones.

If you don't have an reciever (or an external decoder) that can decode Dolby Digital or DTS, this player will decode them and pipe them into a reciever with 5.1 channel RCA inputs. My receiver has its own decoder, but I have decided to use the dvd player's decoder full-time as I appreciate the sound quality improvement it gives over my receiver.

I also haven't experimented with the DVD-RAM playback because as of yet I do not own a DVD-RAM drive, though I will probably remedy that in the near future.

This dvd player will also play DVD-AUDIO discs and CD-Rs with mp3s on them. The mp3 feature is pretty nice, though it won't decode id3 tags in your mp3 files. It played all of the CD-Rs that I presented it with flawlessly, however. If you play DVD-AUDIO discs on this player you'll definitely want to use its built-in decoders, as the analog outputs are the only way to get the true level of quality in a DVD-AUDIO disc (the digital outputs are downsampled to reduce the quality of a pirated copy -- it stinks, but that's how it is)

All in all, though expensive, this is a great dvd player, especially if you have a TV that can accept progressive output, and perhaps you need a DD/DTS decoder (or you'd like to upgrade the one you have). Right now the DVD-AUDIO, MP3, and DVD-RAM features are just icing on the cake, and shouldn't distract you from its extremely well-done core competencies of picture and sound quality.

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