Ready to take the plunge into the digital world of DVD? If you're on a budget, a good choice is the Panasonic DVDA120. This moderate-priced digital video player delivers a clean, crisp picture and crystal-clear digital sound, making it the perfect starting point for your home-theater setup. With over 500 lines of resolution, you'll immediately recognize the difference in video quality offered by DVD. If your TV is capable of S-Video input, you'll want to use that connection to experience the highest video quality.
In addition to DVD video, the DVDA120 will play your music CDs and CD-video (CD-V) format. While CD-V format has not proven especially popular in the United States, there are thousands of movie titles available in Asia on this pre-DVD format. The CD-V feature will enable you to play some fairly rare imported films.
For the full home-theater experience, check out the latest DVD video titles, which are often presented in the amazing multisound Digital Dolby (AC3) and DTS digital-audio formats. Connecting this unit to a full set of surround-sound speakers gives you the best audio quality. Since this DVD player does not come with a built-in Dolby Digital decoder, you will need a separate AC3 receiver to experience every earth-shattering rumble and action-packed explosion thrown at you in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. However, this model is equipped with a special surround-sound mode that satisfies those of us who don't yet own a Dolby Digital receiver or five speakers and a subwoofer. With just two speakers, this virtual surround sound mode offers expanded sound quality that is noticeably better than standard stereo sound.
The sound and video quality is also improved by this unit's design, which contains separate paths for audio and video output and input. As a result, this configuration helps eliminate the cross-talk interference that can impact both the video and audio during DVD playback.
Pros:
- Great picture quality at a reasonable price
- Virtual surround-sound support for those who lack a full home-theater setup
- Compatible with CD-videos and audio CDs
Cons:
- Dolby Digital decoder not included
- Lacks some advanced features of higher-priced models
