BeatCrazy
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Rp-82? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Gordon Groff
- Start date
John-Miles
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Bob, I just read what you said and noticed you are from NF as well, you arent located in St John's are you? cause if you are i am pretty sure i knwo where you can get your hands on one 
I personally do all my shopping at WestEnd electronics, what about you? assuming that is you live in st john's
I personally do all my shopping at WestEnd electronics, what about you? assuming that is you live in st john's
Neil Joseph
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I ordered mine from Future Shop. They had none in the store, except for the demo unit, but said a shipment would be coming to their warehouse so I got one of those that came in. No problem.
Matt Odegard
Stunt Coordinator
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Speaking of build. I have gone through 2, yes count them 2 Elite DV-37's(Picture went to hell, and the drive tray broke on the other). I have gone through 2 of them in the same time I've had my CP-72. I have had NO problems with the CP-72.
You tell me what matters more. Cause, a cheaply built DVD player that cost me $190 has outlasted 2 tank's of a DVD player that cost $800 and the CP-72 has better pq to boot.
Needless to say that was the last belief in 'weight'+'build quality'='better product' I had. Atleast in DVD players,
You tell me what matters more. Cause, a cheaply built DVD player that cost me $190 has outlasted 2 tank's of a DVD player that cost $800 and the CP-72 has better pq to boot.
Needless to say that was the last belief in 'weight'+'build quality'='better product' I had. Atleast in DVD players,
Sebastien David
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Hey guys!!
I'm happy my comments have started a stimulating conversation. I just don't want this to become a flame war, and that's why I make the following comments without intention of personally attacking anyone or diminishing the importance or validity of their points of views.
First of all, yes, I do believe that all manufacturers have testing programs and some sort of quality control. yes, they must run their players 24/7 as part of a torture test. they do not, however, hold the same standards, and therefore that procedure does not tell you HOW LONG the DVD players have lasted under such conditions. Good example: JVC portable CD players (XLPG/PVxx). They must have some form of torture test or something to that effect, after all JVC is a big, respectable company. However, and I'm not even afraid to go out and say it publicly, because it's true, their portable CD players are CRAP. Worse than SOny and Panasonic, of course, but also even worse than RCA, which doesn't hold the greatest reliability/build quality reputation. I can't tell you how many of their players have come back for repairs, and I know for a fact most of them weren't dropped or misused. I would never buy one, or let someone I know (and like) buy one. They are pieces of crap.
Now I'm not saying it's the same case for the RP-82, just that quality control is all well and good, but it all depends on what standards you use to determine whether your product is ready for marketing. Therefore, I don't think the argument posted earlier is valid.
Secondly, I may be a salesperson, but, contrary to most, being still living with my parents, I don't NEED the money desperately. Not being greedy, I don't crave it either. I'd much rather enjoy what I'm doing, as this is why I got into the field in the first place, knowing I could make more money in other jobs. I don't sell expensive speaker cables to people who don't need it, I've even been known (to the great dismay of my manager) to discourage misinformed people from buying an expensive item, encouraging them, if they really wanted to part with their money, to buy something else that would bring them more satisfaction/performance. and when I stated I "convinced" people to buy DVD-1600 instead of RP-82s, I should probably have phrased it differently. let's just say i presented both options, explaining to them in half-veiled terms that I thought the RP-82 was on a much lower plane quality-wise than the Denon and so on, and they made their decision. I'm not such a good salesman anyways, because I hate being pushy.
So much for defending myself. Now I know that a lot of people are not even gong to use their DVD players that much, much less run it 24/7. I still think those people are better off buying a higher-quality player, for three reasons: very often, they are not that much more expensive (RCA vs. Panasonic entry-level DVD players, for example). Second, it's all about risk. No, the RP-82 will probably not break down on you if you use it normally. But there is still a higher RISK that it will, compared with another player. Then you've got three choices: spend money on an additional warranty, not such a bad idea since you can probably get a discount on the player (since we make more money on the warranties and like to sell them) and may very well need it with such a badly built item. you could also spend the additional money and get a better player that will last longer, which, as I will argune later on, is the best idea. lastly, you could just run the chance of having it break down, which in itself is a cost as well, although not a monetary one.
let's examine the second option, going for a better built player. of course, you gain more reliability. that is mainly a risk you diminish. you also gain, in many cases, more performance. not necessarily the case video-wise with the example of the 1600 vs. RP-82, so let's forget about that, even though there is still the audio part. you gain more prestige. even though lots of people are going to deny it, nobody is insensitive to possessing a prestigious, expensie piece of equipment. but again, let's even forget about that issue.
what you deniably gain, however, is a feeling of quality that, although not easily measurable, is still there. mechanism is quieter, operation is smoother, faster in many occasions. look is better, again in most cases. problems are less frequent. it could be compared with owning good-quality clothes. it's hard to quantisize it, but you know you've got a 100$ shirt on as opposed to a 30$ one. the cheaper one will probably not fit as well, it will have more chances of ripping, and the feeling you get when you wear it is different.
now I'm not saying everybody should buy for quality, no matter what the price is. I'm just saying, if you can afford it and have access to a store, why not take a look at several units and allow build quality and feel to weigh in your decision?
the reason I posted this in this thread, as opposed to many other ones where I could have, is because Gordon posted that he "would like to get this right as I'm spending a good piece of change on the rest of the system.", suggesting to me he was not adverse to spending a sizeable amount on the DVD player as well. this, to me seemed to indicate he would have been much better off with at least a 1600, or maybe even a 3800 (I discount the 2800 for its lower-than-can-be-expected video quality, but its build quality is great, IMO). besides, both players would look much better together with his Denon receiver... which again, seems to be a ludicrous argument to make, but in the end, should somehow weigh in the decision.
BTW, I have nothing against Panasonic. I love their entry-level playes (better built than the 82 IMO) and the RP-91 is my all-time favorite player for its combination of great looks and VERY solid build quality. too bad the performance part isn't competitive enough anymore, or I would have one, and I don't even have an HDTV.
I simply find it sad that people are so obsessed by measurable and quantifiable performance, at the expense of build quality and feel. and I think that, along with people shopping based on price alone, is one of the reasons the new Panasonic players look to be total duds in the quality department, according to early reports. The saddest thing is, if they kept offering the same performance level (which they probably won't due to the foregoing of the faroudja deinterlacer), people would still buy them en masse over the Net, and we would then see some threads popping up with "my RP-82 is noisy and badly built, and even though its performance is still top notch it's not up to my standards, and I wish people weren't going so crazy about it, you guys made me buy a low quality piece of crap". you know I'm exaggerating, but you've probably seen some of these threads around...
cheers, Seb
edit- OH MY GOD!!! I had not idea this would turn out to be that long... I would just like to add that weight and place of construction, although strongly correlated with build quality, do not necessarily imply it. I don't even know where the 3800 is built, and I also know, even though they are quite heavy, that my older speakers were crap.
but more weight in electronics most often mean more metal, bigger heatsinks, beefier power supply, and so on, and I also know that, in general, labour is more skilled in Japan and factories more modern than in countries like China or Malaysia.
and computers are really cheap. they are so badly built, because again, people look at performance almost exclusively now, and that's why I already had to replace two power supplies on my home computers. from now on I buy Antec PSs, which offer pretty similar performance, but much more reliability and quality. I will admit it's less of a problem in computers, though, since they become outdated (and thus have to be replaced) faster.
we are turning into an all-disposable society, where we will use a product for like a year, then replace it because it's almost at the end of it's useful life anyways. in general, electronics are getting cheaper and cheaper every year, and it makes my job less fun, because I have to deal with problems more often, and I have more trouble getting that quality feeling when I buy a product.
I'm happy my comments have started a stimulating conversation. I just don't want this to become a flame war, and that's why I make the following comments without intention of personally attacking anyone or diminishing the importance or validity of their points of views.
First of all, yes, I do believe that all manufacturers have testing programs and some sort of quality control. yes, they must run their players 24/7 as part of a torture test. they do not, however, hold the same standards, and therefore that procedure does not tell you HOW LONG the DVD players have lasted under such conditions. Good example: JVC portable CD players (XLPG/PVxx). They must have some form of torture test or something to that effect, after all JVC is a big, respectable company. However, and I'm not even afraid to go out and say it publicly, because it's true, their portable CD players are CRAP. Worse than SOny and Panasonic, of course, but also even worse than RCA, which doesn't hold the greatest reliability/build quality reputation. I can't tell you how many of their players have come back for repairs, and I know for a fact most of them weren't dropped or misused. I would never buy one, or let someone I know (and like) buy one. They are pieces of crap.
Now I'm not saying it's the same case for the RP-82, just that quality control is all well and good, but it all depends on what standards you use to determine whether your product is ready for marketing. Therefore, I don't think the argument posted earlier is valid.
Secondly, I may be a salesperson, but, contrary to most, being still living with my parents, I don't NEED the money desperately. Not being greedy, I don't crave it either. I'd much rather enjoy what I'm doing, as this is why I got into the field in the first place, knowing I could make more money in other jobs. I don't sell expensive speaker cables to people who don't need it, I've even been known (to the great dismay of my manager) to discourage misinformed people from buying an expensive item, encouraging them, if they really wanted to part with their money, to buy something else that would bring them more satisfaction/performance. and when I stated I "convinced" people to buy DVD-1600 instead of RP-82s, I should probably have phrased it differently. let's just say i presented both options, explaining to them in half-veiled terms that I thought the RP-82 was on a much lower plane quality-wise than the Denon and so on, and they made their decision. I'm not such a good salesman anyways, because I hate being pushy.
So much for defending myself. Now I know that a lot of people are not even gong to use their DVD players that much, much less run it 24/7. I still think those people are better off buying a higher-quality player, for three reasons: very often, they are not that much more expensive (RCA vs. Panasonic entry-level DVD players, for example). Second, it's all about risk. No, the RP-82 will probably not break down on you if you use it normally. But there is still a higher RISK that it will, compared with another player. Then you've got three choices: spend money on an additional warranty, not such a bad idea since you can probably get a discount on the player (since we make more money on the warranties and like to sell them) and may very well need it with such a badly built item. you could also spend the additional money and get a better player that will last longer, which, as I will argune later on, is the best idea. lastly, you could just run the chance of having it break down, which in itself is a cost as well, although not a monetary one.
let's examine the second option, going for a better built player. of course, you gain more reliability. that is mainly a risk you diminish. you also gain, in many cases, more performance. not necessarily the case video-wise with the example of the 1600 vs. RP-82, so let's forget about that, even though there is still the audio part. you gain more prestige. even though lots of people are going to deny it, nobody is insensitive to possessing a prestigious, expensie piece of equipment. but again, let's even forget about that issue.
what you deniably gain, however, is a feeling of quality that, although not easily measurable, is still there. mechanism is quieter, operation is smoother, faster in many occasions. look is better, again in most cases. problems are less frequent. it could be compared with owning good-quality clothes. it's hard to quantisize it, but you know you've got a 100$ shirt on as opposed to a 30$ one. the cheaper one will probably not fit as well, it will have more chances of ripping, and the feeling you get when you wear it is different.
now I'm not saying everybody should buy for quality, no matter what the price is. I'm just saying, if you can afford it and have access to a store, why not take a look at several units and allow build quality and feel to weigh in your decision?
the reason I posted this in this thread, as opposed to many other ones where I could have, is because Gordon posted that he "would like to get this right as I'm spending a good piece of change on the rest of the system.", suggesting to me he was not adverse to spending a sizeable amount on the DVD player as well. this, to me seemed to indicate he would have been much better off with at least a 1600, or maybe even a 3800 (I discount the 2800 for its lower-than-can-be-expected video quality, but its build quality is great, IMO). besides, both players would look much better together with his Denon receiver... which again, seems to be a ludicrous argument to make, but in the end, should somehow weigh in the decision.
BTW, I have nothing against Panasonic. I love their entry-level playes (better built than the 82 IMO) and the RP-91 is my all-time favorite player for its combination of great looks and VERY solid build quality. too bad the performance part isn't competitive enough anymore, or I would have one, and I don't even have an HDTV.
I simply find it sad that people are so obsessed by measurable and quantifiable performance, at the expense of build quality and feel. and I think that, along with people shopping based on price alone, is one of the reasons the new Panasonic players look to be total duds in the quality department, according to early reports. The saddest thing is, if they kept offering the same performance level (which they probably won't due to the foregoing of the faroudja deinterlacer), people would still buy them en masse over the Net, and we would then see some threads popping up with "my RP-82 is noisy and badly built, and even though its performance is still top notch it's not up to my standards, and I wish people weren't going so crazy about it, you guys made me buy a low quality piece of crap". you know I'm exaggerating, but you've probably seen some of these threads around...
cheers, Seb
edit- OH MY GOD!!! I had not idea this would turn out to be that long... I would just like to add that weight and place of construction, although strongly correlated with build quality, do not necessarily imply it. I don't even know where the 3800 is built, and I also know, even though they are quite heavy, that my older speakers were crap.
but more weight in electronics most often mean more metal, bigger heatsinks, beefier power supply, and so on, and I also know that, in general, labour is more skilled in Japan and factories more modern than in countries like China or Malaysia.
and computers are really cheap. they are so badly built, because again, people look at performance almost exclusively now, and that's why I already had to replace two power supplies on my home computers. from now on I buy Antec PSs, which offer pretty similar performance, but much more reliability and quality. I will admit it's less of a problem in computers, though, since they become outdated (and thus have to be replaced) faster.
we are turning into an all-disposable society, where we will use a product for like a year, then replace it because it's almost at the end of it's useful life anyways. in general, electronics are getting cheaper and cheaper every year, and it makes my job less fun, because I have to deal with problems more often, and I have more trouble getting that quality feeling when I buy a product.
Gordon Groff
Second Unit
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All good points, Sebastian. Enough to make me wish I'd taken more time on this purchase. Especially since I overpayed (a LOT!) for my RP-82.:b Balancing that, however are all the posts from folks who really like their RP-82's in systems like the one I'm building, so it seemed like a "safe" decision on my part. I've got to admit, I'd love to see a Denon player w/my Denon receiver. That may come w/my next round of upgrades in year or so.
Gordon
Gordon
Sebastien David
Second Unit
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Gordon,
as i see it, you have two options: resell the RP-82, and lose some money, or keep it until it craps out on you or you get tired of it.
since it is a very high-peforming player, you will most likely be happy with it until you start getting problems, at which point it will be time to "upgrade" to a better-built player (not necessarily with better video performance, but better sound wouldn't hurt). so i say just keep it and enjoy it.
one thing I would consider is buying a separate CD player such as a Cambridge to make the most out of your system, if you listen to a lot of music. then again, I would probably also recommend a separate two-channel setup with CD player, stereo preamp and amp, but I think you spent enough already, don't you?
as i see it, you have two options: resell the RP-82, and lose some money, or keep it until it craps out on you or you get tired of it.
since it is a very high-peforming player, you will most likely be happy with it until you start getting problems, at which point it will be time to "upgrade" to a better-built player (not necessarily with better video performance, but better sound wouldn't hurt). so i say just keep it and enjoy it.
one thing I would consider is buying a separate CD player such as a Cambridge to make the most out of your system, if you listen to a lot of music. then again, I would probably also recommend a separate two-channel setup with CD player, stereo preamp and amp, but I think you spent enough already, don't you?
Gordon Groff
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?
Sebastien David
Second Unit
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of course that's what's going to happen with the RP-82. However, the analog outs of the Cambridge (or any other good CD player) will sound much better because its DACs are better than the 3803s. Ideally, with a good DVD/CD player, you would use both digital and analog, digital for movies and analog for CDs. In the case of the RP-82, my guess is just use digital, it won't sound worse...
Bert D
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Sebastien; I may be wrong about this, but I understand that the Denon 1600 is basically a Panasonic RP82 inside except it has better DAC's, so would the build quality not be mostly RP82 based and similar ?
Someone with more info. chime in here if you know more specifics, I just remember reading this on this site.
Someone with more info. chime in here if you know more specifics, I just remember reading this on this site.
Sebastien David
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because of the collaboration between Denon and Panasonic, and because of the fact both players have the same video specs, and even though I haven't read this anywhere, I certainly wouldn't be surprised.
I do know, however, that the loading mechanism, chassis, and other important mechanical components, as well as most likely the power supply, and of course the audio side, make the two players much more different than their specs would suggest... and that was exactly my point. yes, the RP-82 has all the picture quality of the Denon, however they are not "dressed" the same, if you will, and that is where build quality becomes different.
having the same circuit boards does not imply the same build quality...
I do know, however, that the loading mechanism, chassis, and other important mechanical components, as well as most likely the power supply, and of course the audio side, make the two players much more different than their specs would suggest... and that was exactly my point. yes, the RP-82 has all the picture quality of the Denon, however they are not "dressed" the same, if you will, and that is where build quality becomes different.
having the same circuit boards does not imply the same build quality...
Ryan N
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I think Sebastien's comments are very interesting. Build quality is definitely overlooked and not considered important when purchasing a DVD player. Although this would not lend much weight when making a decision from my perspective, at least where DVD players are concerned, I think it is a valuable consideration. For instance, if I were choosing between Player A and Player B, and the price/performance were approxiametly equal, I'd take the one with better build quality. But I'll take performance over build in any case, and it is not uncommon to find exceptional performance in lower-cost DVD players. I see no reason to spend more than $200 on a player at this point. I have seen all of the high-end DVD models with premium connections on premium equipment and they are never any better than the CP-72s of the world- even though the salesmen will try to convince you of it at times. Plus, the displays are never calibrated properly and greyscale is unheard of to most of these guys. Seeing the DVD players on properly calibrated displays would be extraordinaryly helpful, but that opportunity does not exist in my area. Too bad. Anyway, my 2 cents.
Adam_R
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WHAT??? Shootout is the end-all be-all word on everything!!!
Panasonic RP-82 is the BEST DVD player there ever was or ever will be!!! I have one. I haven't even hooked it up yet, and it blow's away my old Denon StarDVD Super Extra Special Jammy 9000. The picture quality is unbeleivable. It's bette that real life. I heard that the picture is so real that you can actually jump through your TV screen. NASA is using it for experimental Virtual Reality tests.
Ok, just kidding. I thought a little humor was in order.
Panasonic RP-82 is the BEST DVD player there ever was or ever will be!!! I have one. I haven't even hooked it up yet, and it blow's away my old Denon StarDVD Super Extra Special Jammy 9000. The picture quality is unbeleivable. It's bette that real life. I heard that the picture is so real that you can actually jump through your TV screen. NASA is using it for experimental Virtual Reality tests.
Ok, just kidding. I thought a little humor was in order.
Sebastien David
Second Unit
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lol
Correct me if i am wrong.. The RP 82 originally shipped with the Faroudja DCDi chip, right? If it did, apparently, Panasonic ran out of the contract and the later built ones were'nt shipped with that proprietary chip. This according to a fairly knowledgeable on-line salesperson i was talking to. Anyone know of this running change? Yes, i am aware that it is no longer being shipped.
Sebastien David
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don't know, can't tell you, as I can't open one up, since they're all gone...
Gordon Groff
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don't know, can't tell you, as I can't open one up, since they're all gone...I have one now. Just received it yesterday. If I opened it up, how would I know if I've got a Faroudja DCDi chip?
BTW- The picture and audio are stunning. Better than any DVD player I've ever seen.
Of course, it's hooked up via composite to my 20yr old 27" Zenith console TV using it's built-in stereo speakers and it's my first DVD player.....
Based on this report, y'all better go out and get one too!
Gordon
Can't wait to get my HS-10 w/killer audio system put together!
Kevin. W
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Matt Odegard
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elMalloc
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If you rent DVDs, that's enough beating for the RP82. Mine's in the shop getting it's ROM re-flashed.
-ELmO
-ELmO
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