Customer Reviews

Panasonic DVD-A120 DVD Player

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

I purchased one of these about 6 months ago. I was initially very pleased with it, but it now tracks really poorly, leading to annoying pixelation, even on brand-new disks. I wouldn't recommend it given the failures mentioned in other reviews.

All the good reviews are right - the picture is great the sound is great, etc. I enjoyed mine immensely - until it turned into a giant paperweight, with the pixelation/lock-up problems mentioned in numerous reviews. I would not recommend this nor will I ever buy ANY product made by Panasonic ever again, due to their total lack of customer support. Buy a Sony, a Pioneer or a Toshiba - anything's better than Panasonic.

PS: For all of those who wrote positive reviews, I am sorry in advance for when your machines fail...

It seems there is a trend here. I also loved my Panasonic player until it melted down - just like the others in these reviews.

The repair guy says he can order a new board (as the chips aren't replaceable) for $150 - total repair price over $200.

I bought it exactly 13 months ago - so much for a one year warranty. Panasonic won't admit to any problem with these chips and won't repair it under warranty.

If this many machines are going bad with exactly the same symptons (pixelization, sound cutting in and out, then locking up), shoudn't Panasonic step up and recall them or at least honor the warranty one month over the date?

I am buying a Sony and will never buy Panasonic again.

I purshased the DVD-A120 from a local electronics retailer in June, and while it's seen less-than-average usage over the months, I've been very pleased with this units' performance. I was immediately drawn to it for it rich feature set (e.g. component video outputs, co-axial and optical digital audio outputs), within it price point. Over the months, though, I've haven't had any of the problems such as lock-ups and pixellation that some of the other reviewers have had, and I continue to be pleased with the units high-quality image, outstanding sound, and overall high-quality feel. Given an unlimited budget, the high-end ($1,000 +) Sony model would have been my choice, but for the money, I feel the Panasonic is one of the best players available.

The other comments about problems with this player are all true. Give this one a miss and buy another brand. I bought a Sony and are very happy after numerous problems with the Panasonic, including pixilation & lockups leading to total failure. Panasonic were totally unresponsive so I cut my loses!!!

Well I really didnt go to get this brand when I got it, but the fact it had 2 lasers, 1 for music and one for movies sold me. The picture is great and so is the sound. I havnt had a glitch yet. This would probably be the best bang for the buck. If you dont have 5 speaker surround This machine offers a virtual surround which is pretty cool. Over all its a really good deal.

I know how many opposing reviews there are and I know this is just another one to take in but, what I speak about the DVD-A120U is the truth. The PANASONIC DVD-A120U is a very respectable DVD player for the money it is worth. It has a lot of the features more high priced DVD players have (ex. Virtual Suround Sound, CD/VCD capability, S-Video/Component Video, DTS outputs, and Angle Selections) and it has no problem playing DVD's with superior visual effects, such as the "Matrix" and "The Rock". Unfortunately, I don't know how well the player plays DVD movies longer than 2.5 hours (I have just purchased "Salem's Lot" which is 3 hours long so, I will soon find out) but I will say that if you are planning to purchase your first DVD player, I would HIGHLY recomend this one!

P.S. If you are also shopping for a TV with your DVD-player I would Highly Recomend NOT to get an RCA or a GE Brand due to faulty soldering in both brands' tuners which causes picture distortion and visual noise.

I have had the same experience as many of the other reviewers on this forum, pixelation and freeze-up. I have had mine for less than one year and it has now failed for the third time. Panasonic is absolutely no help and will not recognize that they have a faulty product. I will never purchase any of their products based on the service I have received

I had one of these and just like one of the other comments here, it was faulty and Panasonic were no help. There are apparently common problems with Panasonic DVD players that involve having to replace the laser assembley. This costs in labor alone, around $100 and the warranty with this player is only 90 days on labor and 1 year on parts. Take my advice and avoid this until Panasonic sorts out these quality problems. There are web sites dedicated to people that have experienced these problems, listing hundreds of named dissatisifed customers. Amazon should not sell this player!

Well, after reading all of these other reviews my worst fears have come true. The player will stop mid-movie and at one point I could not turn it off nor remove the disk. It just froze up for about 10 minutes. When it works it is great, but I will never purchase another one like it.