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

[Bryan Guth]

Color me humbled. I have been actively seeking a "this is it, I am wowed" DVD player, and naturally assumed that I must look to the hottest, newest players in the $1,000+ price range. Thus I sallied forth and DVD-hoed with players from Denon (the much maligned and also revered 3800) Sony ES (the newfangled '999ES) Marantz(the "multiple personality" DV-8300), Pioneer (the Haley Joel Osment-apporved 47ai), and Arcam (the startospherically-priced DV27). After auditioning all of these players against my Toshiba 5700, I was not impressed enough to keep any of them, especially the hugely disappointing, almost unmanageable Arcam unit. I noticed a lot of you were gung-ho for the Panasonic RP82, and on the additional recommendation of a friend. I decided to try this bargain-priced unit. My oh my but was I impressed with this little silver-faced marvel! Finally (and for only about $200) here was the noticeable improvement I was looking for, but figured was out of my reach given the number of players that found a temporary home in my A/V rack. Images are cleaner, crisper, and more dimensional than any of the above players. "Monsters, Inc." popped off the screen. "Moulin Rouge" was an explosion of trippy color. And "Attack of the Clones" made me want to sell my soul to Lucas himself. I basically sat on my couch slack-jawed as movie after movie regaled me with what I regard as pretty darn near close to perfection. The sound was aces too, though I have yet to give this winner the CD workout. Even if that disappoints, I have a dedicated CD player I already love, and the PQ on this is so superb that I have no room to complain. The only other player I have seen that comes close to this is the Kenwood Sovereign DV-5700. But that's $600 more, and I have a sneaky suspicion Kenwood will be replacing this unit next year with the newest Faroudja chipset. Plus the slow-loading changer aspect didn't thrill me--the Panny is fast, smooth as silk, and comparatively quiet. Thanks to all fellow RP82 owners who posted about this player. This forum is truly an excellent source to share valuable information and experience!

 

[RANDY FISHER]

Man, the Fed-Ex guy will be delivering my RP-82 today or tomorrow. After reading that review I can hardly wait to hook it up. I am upgrading from a Sony 700p.

Randy

 

[Oswald Pascual]

Bryan what T.V. is it hooked up to?
I am looking at upgrading my Toshiba SD-6700, and am considering the Denon 3800 for now. I am trying to see if my dealer will let me try it first. I will be hooking it up to a Sony FPTV. Have not had a chance to play with the RP-82 either. I heard it had some scaling problems with certain DVD's that are not flagged properly. What does one do if you have one of these mislabeled DVD's? I am also looking for an improvment on the audio side as well. Not specifically for DVD-A or for CD. I am using it strictly for movies in this room.

 

[StaceyS]

I heard it had some scaling problems with certain DVD's that are not flagged properly.

It does not scale DVDs, it like most DVD players, plays them at their correct aspect ratio only.

It does pop up a message in 480p telling you the aspect ratio of the first title it encounters. Each title on a DVD can be encoded with a different aspect ratio. Most of the FBI warnings are encoded as 4:3. So it tells you this disc is 4:3, which only means the FBI warning.

 

[Phil Nichols]

Bryan,

It's not quite clear in your opening comments - so would you please elaborate on how you came to the conclusion that PQ from the 5X more expensive Denon DVD-3800 is no better than that of the the RP82?

 

[BenK]

He did state his reasons.

Images are cleaner, crisper, and more dimensional than any of the above players.

 

[DougR]

Randy,
I think we both order our "82's" the same day ??
Mine didn't come today !! :frowning:

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I just ordered this player yesterday from Amazon and it's on it's way! After reading so much positive feedback I can't wait to see this machine in action!

 

[RANDY FISHER]

DougR, Mine didn't arrive yet either!:frowning: I have been tracking it via the Fed-Ex web site. I am hoping for delivery tomorrow. Have fun.
Randy

 

[Chas_T]

Doug, Larry, Randy

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this machine when you receive it. I'm not requesting a heavy duty review. Just some quick thoughts if possible.

I recently took back a Denon 1600 and the entry level Pioneer Elite as I thought the cost did not constitute a $500 investment over the improvement of a current Sony player. It was not worth $500 for the improvement I saw in PQ and audio.

However, at the price point of $200-250, I might be encouraged to make the investment in the Panasonic.

Thanks guys,
Charles

 

[Bryan Guth]

Oswald, my display is a Toshiba 65HX81.

Compared to the Denon 3800...there is no comparison. Yes, the Denon is extremely well built but just did not thrill me picture-wise, not for the price. The Panasonic produces film-like images that are virtually free of artifacts, jagged edges, and video noise. It's superior to all of the other players I auditioned. Is there an even better player out there? Probably. But for now, this suits me just fine, and I can invest the $800 I saved in more movies or other fun stuff! I have read some posts from others that say this forum is too pro-Panasonic and pro-Sony. Panasonic wasn't even on my long list of contenders and I took a chance and was very surprised. The fact that so many others own and love this player is merely icing on the cake!

 

[ReggieW]

Well Bryan,

I am happy you found YOUR perfect player, but for me, the Panny RP-82 was far from it imho, but still a great buy for the money. I picked up a Denon 1600 and personally saw no difference in picture quality between the RP-82 and it, which actually isn't surprising since both are virtually idential video-wise internally - they share the same MPEG decoders. I chose the Denon because I preferred the audio quality for redbook and DVD-A playback. The 1600 uses Burr-rown DAC'S for analog audio reproduction, and excellent audio playback for DVD-A is a must for me. During my search, I found the Denon 3800 and Kenwood 5700 superior picture-wise and Definitely sound-wise to the RP-82. I am glad you are happy with the RP-82, but this is what makes this hobby interesting. Different smoke for different folks.

Reg

 

[Bryan Guth]

Exactly. And I am more of a videophile anyway. Based on the players I auditioned, the audiophile edge goes to the Marantz 8300 and Sony 999ES

 

[Matthew_F]

I have a RP82 as well and it rocks. It's excellent video quality is comming from a very good video chip which is in it. I forgot the name, starts with an F. I do know the company which makes those chips makes their own video processor units.

 

[MikeSh]

Hey people bear with me a minute, please. I think I understand but would like clarification.

I have a Toshiba 50" analog rptv. This being a "standard" TV it shows the picture in 480i format. True?
It has one set of component inputs, what Toshiba calls ColorStream inputs.

If I buy the Panny rp-82 or cp-72 it will output in 480i through the component outputs, again true?

These players will also output in 480p. If I upgrade the TV sometime in the future, then I don't have to worry about the DVD player Again true?

So the advantage to me with this player now would be a generally better player over my 3 yr old Toshiba 2800. Better picture quality using component vs s-video. Correct?

Anything else I should know about this subject?

The wife and daughters want to know what to get me for Christmas. A new DVD player is about it. This Panasonic sounds about right.

Thanks

 

[Reece]

Bryan,
Since the rp-82 and the cp-72 have the same chip and the cp-72 can hold more than one disk, is there a reason why you chose the 82 over the 72? Or did that not factor in your decision?
The reason I'm asking is because I have been following all the discussions on these players and I'm about to pull the trigger on a sale I read on the web. The ability to handle more than 1 disk at a time is making my choice the cp-72 since they are roughly the same player for the same price.
(Once I'm in the sweet spot, I'm too lazy too get up )

 

[RANDY FISHER]

Ok, Fed-Ex dropped it off this morning. I'll be hooking it up tonight and comparing it to my Sony 700p. I'll report back in the next few days with an impression.

Randy

 

[Grady]

How does the RP 82 display a 4x3 progressive image on a 16x9 set? Specifically, will it display it 4x3 with black side bars on a 16x9 set that has the "lock in full" problem with a progressive signal?

Does the RP 82 allow you to adjust sharpness?

 

[Bryan Guth]

Reece,

I chose the RP82 over the RP72 because the 72 does not have a coaxial output, and that is what I prefer for viewing (not to mention I spent a small forunte on a coax cable). If the 72 had this output (and I don't know why it doesn't) it would have been a tough choice, as I am warming to the idea of a multi-disc player. If the coax isn't important to you, by all means buy the 72. I understand Panasonic is offering a $30 mail-in rebate on all of their changers. How cool is that?

 

[Paul Arnette]

It does not scale DVDs, it like most DVD players, plays them at their correct aspect ratio only.

Forgive me, but I am confused as to what this feature, which is listed on Panasonic's Web site, means then:

4:3 Shrink Function w/ Letterbox Zoom & Shift

Panasonic lists the DVD-RP82 as Yes, while the DVD-RP62 as No.

Initially, I took this to mean that the player did indeed to scaling as the DVD-RP91 did.

Thanks.