Panasonic RP82--One Player to Rule Them All! (1 Viewer)

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

I don't think Panasonic is discontinuing the RP82. The same thing happened this time last year with the RP91. Panasonic likely again underanticipated the demand, plus it's Christmas season.

 

[harana]

Haseeb, my RP82's manufacture date is September 2002. Got my unit from Crutchfield. I don't have the answers to your other questions.

Does anyone out there have answers to these questions?

Q's:
1. What are the fixes/ improvements in the RP82 firmware version D287 over D282?
2. Does this have DVD-A bug where you have to set "sub" on?
3. How can I upgrade my firmware?

Thanks!

 

[Jake N]

I'm looking for the RP82 as well! :frowning:

 

[Neil Joseph]

Let me just say that after reading this thread, I am convinced. I have been really slow to upgrade my trusty (old) DVD player, a Toshiba 3108. Although it looks great, I fully expect improvement with the RP82 so as soon as I can, I will make the purchase.

 

[Aaron H]

I got my RP82 at Outpost.com. Might be worth checking into if all of the other retailers are out and you need one soon.

Aaron

 

[Andrew_B]

How loud is this player when playing a DVD? There is nothing more annoying that hearing the "whir" of the DVD player during quiet scenes.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Andrew, I hear no noise during playback. Like the RP91, the RP82 does make noise when loading a disc & navigating around the disc, but not during movie playback.

 

[Aaron Whitaker]

I love the sound of the disc tray coming out. Actually there really isn't a sound that I can hear which I love. It's so smooth, it's cool. I had a cheap Apex DVD player before the RP82, so it was a huge improvement. The Apex sounded like a cheap DVD-ROM drive on a computer probably because it was.

 

[Bryan Guth]

Mine is very quiet during playback. Admittedly, I sit approximately 18 feet from the unit (I have a weird room) but even up close, with my ear inches away from the unit, all I can hear is a quite whirr and gentle hum. I know others with this unit have had noise issues, but I guessed I lucked out. My RP82 has a Sept. 2002 manufacture date.

 

[Brent_H]

I have the Pioneer 45a and 4:3 stuff looks horrid most of the time.... (namely Sports Night and Felicity). I have the Panasonic 53wx42 RPTV, and I'm pretty sure its not a problem with that baby.... Anyways, which player, the 82 or 91 would work best with my 4:3 viewing? I don't really mind my displays stretch modes, in fact, I'm quite used to it....I would just like a better picture!!

Also, how does the onboard DD/DTS decorder do for movies? I would kind of like the changer in the 72 (?) but it doesn't have the coax out...I actually like using my Pioneer's onboard decoder rather than the coax out.....hows the Panny do in this area?

Any input would be appreciated!!

~Brent

 

[Sach]

http://www.hometheatersound.com/equi...c_dvdrp82s.htm

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Brent, I also have the Panny 53WX42. If you get the RP91, 4:3 & nonanamorphic DVDs will get scaled so they look right on your TV in "full" mode. The RP91's 480p picture is excellent. With the RP82, you don't get the scaling feature, but you do get a noticeably better 480p picture (thanks to the Faroudja chip inside). I sold my RP91 recently & now have the RP82. The RP82 is better in every aspect, but I do miss the RP91's scaling feature. For 4:3 & nonanamorphic DVDs, I either use my Malata N996 (which has scaling) with the TV in "full" (better option) or I use the RP82 with the TV in "zoom" (grey bars on sides). The Panny 53WX42 thankfully doesn't lock into "full" when fed a 480p signal.

I'm hoping we'll see DVD players in early 2003 with the new Faroudja chips & scaling features. That would be the best of both worlds.

 

[Bryan_P]

Ok, so HERE's the question. I'm pretty much sold on the RP-82, but would it still be so great compared to other players in a TV that already has the Faroudja DCDi chipset? I have the Samsung DLP 50 inch, and that has the Faroudja in it, so I'm wondering if the Panny would still have such and advantage over all these other players. Can anyone help???

 

[Ralph Bru]

is there truth to that review posted on the interlace mode ?
http://www.hometheatersound.com/equi...c_dvdrp82s.htm
I hear some of you say its nice but the review says its awful. im looking to upgrade for dvd-ram compatibility with my dmr-e30 and in the near future upgrade my tv for progresive perfomance but for now im wondering how the interlace mode peforms on a regular tv. I own a pioneer dv-333 and 343 right now and bought new when they came out but with the chroma bug on these units im sure the upgrade would be worth it ? yes? no ?

 

[Don Munsil]

The short answer is, no there is no truth to the idea that there is anything wrong with the interlaced mode on the RP-82. It is very close to reference level quality.

The writer of that article doesn't understand the technology very well. The TV has to be calibrated separately for the two players. He didn't do that, and that explains the differences he was seeing in the colors. Two DVD players should not (and don't) have differences in color, once calibration is performed.

It's theoretically possible for the color to be massively screwed up in a way that you couldn't recalibrate for with the display controls, but I have never seen such a thing, even on super-cheap Chinese players.

So basically, as soon as you see an equipment reviewer comparing the "color saturation" of two players, you can pretty much ignore the rest of the review.

Don

 

[Ralph Bru]

Thanks for clearing that up Don.

 

[StaceyS]

There is one issue with the RP82 and 480i out, it does not pass BTB when set to darker. 480p passes it.

The person who did the review had it set to lighter. Why do I believe that? he commented on the brightness difference between the two outputs. 480p is always set to 0 IRE (Darker, even if you change, it ignores it) 480i defaults to lighter (7.5 IRE).

Using a PLUGE pattern and adjust brightness custom for each output will remove this difference. If the display does not have fine enough control, which some digital dispalys suffer from, then you can't perfectly match them.

 

[StaceyS]

I have the Pioneer 45a and 4:3 stuff looks horrid most of the time.... (namely Sports Night and Felicity)

Unlike prevous Pioneer Elite players, this one is a PURE flag reader. Felicity is encoded as video so you are seeing it softer than it should be.

 

[Dan Joy]

Well I bit the silver bullet Ultimate Electronics had the RP82 in silver for $206.00. My trusty salesman gave it to me for 189.00 He said they were discontinued and soon to be replaced! I got a one year service agreement for 24.00. If any thing so much as picture freeze occurs, I can return it and get the upgraded model at the time. The only problem is I can't hook it up until after Xmass!

 

[Dan Joy]

I noticed on a previous post that on the back of the RP82 that the s-video out says to please plug directly into tv. I already use my av receiver as video switcher. Anyone using their receiver as av swithxher connected via s-video? Any problems?