Panasonic RP91 and Toshiba SD9200 both $500 at Tweeter - which would you buy? (1 Viewer)

[ThomasL]

I noticed recently that the Toshiba flagship player that used to go for $1300 (at least MSRP) is now $500 at tweeter. I also see that is what the Panasonic model is going for. If you had to choose, which one would you take? It seems to me that the SD9200 for $500 is a steal given it's build and features but it seems many people also like the RP91 for features and performance.

cheers,


--tom

 

[MikeSRC]

I'd get the RP91. The SD9200 has the chroma bug (although not as bad as some others) and it combs on lots of material. It's video performance otherwise is similar to the RP91 since they both use the old Genesis chip. You can get the RP91 online these days for less tha $450.

 

[KeithH]

Thomas, the Toshiba is a great deal these days given the build quality and audio capabilities. However, I feel the picture quality of the 'RP91 is better. The Toshiba is better in terms of build and sound quality, but the Panasonic wins on picture quality. It is also worth noting that the Toshiba unit is known to have a problem with a noisy transport, which has been described by some as a "rumbling" noise. It certainly does not occur on all units, but I have read complaints from enough people both here and on Audio Asylum to be concerned.

 

[ThomasL]

Keith and Mike, thanks for the input. Actually, what I'm grappling with now is the following. My wife would like a dvd player for the basement workout tv. More and more workout things are coming out on dvd and she loves the idea you can "program" it to play the same sequence over and over - essentially skipping the junk she doesn't want to do. we currently have two dvd players - an Toshiba SD1600 in the living room hooked up to a small but nice Toshiba 20AF41 tv. This is used in the winter when the fireplace is going and it's cold outside. In the home theater/family room, we have a Toshiba SD2700 hooked up to a Toshiba 27A40 analog set. It's a nice budget tv that we got a few years ago and I don't see us upgrading to an HDTV-ready set anytime soon (as in this year or next). Given these facts, I'd like to upgrade the main player and "move everyone up in rank" so to speak. Move the SD1600 into the basement, the SD2700 into the living room and get a better player for the family room. I am aware of Toshiba's poor 4:3 letterbox processing and since I don't need progressive and don't do the squeeze on my set, I guess what I'm looking for is the best 4:3 letterboxed processing in a budget player below $500. Currently, the audio portion of our theater experience is being handled by the Pioneer D811S receiver and it seems to perform well. While dvd-audio might be a treat, we're not into multi-channel music at the moment. We have a Marantz CC-3000 5 disc cd player that handles the two channel stereo music fine.
So, after that treatise , anyone have any thoughts on what players I should concentrate on. I don't mind if it does progressive or plays dvd-audio discs but my main goal would be the best video performance for a non-progressive, non-squeezed image. Or should I just stick with the SD2700 and buy a real cheapie for the basement and put my savings toward a new HDTV-ready tv?
thanks,
--tom

 

[John-Miles]

Save for the TV

 

[ThomasL]

John, in a perfect world, that would be the right answer but unfortunately, the 16x9 tv I'd like to get is still too expensive - if they could knock another 50 percent off the price, then I'd be there!
Actually, in reading some of the threads here, it seems that the Toshiba SD4800 is also getting good marks from people and is around $200-220 in price.

 

[KeithH]

Thomas, since you are not looking for a CD player upgrade and are not concerned with multi-channel music, you probably don't need to spend $500 on a DVD player. You could very well find that the Toshiba '4800 in interlaced mode would give a better picture than your current Toshiba unit. For the record, the '4800 throws in DVD-Audio. You might also consider $300-and-under offerings from Panasonic (DVD-RP62 and 'RP82), Sony (DVP-NS715P and 'NS755V), etc. The 'RP82 plays DVD-Audio discs, and the 'NS755V plays SACDs. However, you have a good group of players for $300 and less to evaluate in terms of picture quality and features.

 

[ThomasL]

Thanks Keith. After reading some more threads, I was thinking the SD4800 or the Panasonic RP82 models - and they both throw in dvd-audio and progressive scan, just in case. While I said we're not planning on upgrading the tv, one never knows what might happen in the next year.
cheers,
--tom

 

[KeithH]

Thomas, no problem. Beware. If you buy a progressive-scan player, you might upgrade that TV sooner than you think.

 

[ThomasL]

Keith, I know...it's a slippery slope!
Actually we were just discussing moving the 27A40 into the basement to be the workout/treadmill tv.
I do have one question though. How do these players handle non-anamorphic letterboxed material on a 16:9 tv? It seems you would have 4 black bars encompassing the material.
I assume if you have a 4:3 HDTV-ready tv that does the squeeze, you simply turn the squeeze off and put the dvd player into 4:3 letterbox mode. This leads me to another question for 4:3 HDTV-ready tvs, which is when switching to dvd menus and the extras on a dvd, do people keep switching the mode on the tv and dvd player to watch these in their proper format? This seems like it would be a small hassle but perhaps it is worth it to have full resolution and progressive scan .
cheers,
--tom

 

[KeithH]

Thomas said:

Keith, I know...it's a slippery slope!

Oh, don't I know that! My fiancee and I have plans to get a widescreen HDTV once we are married and she is moved in.
I can't answer your video question. I'm sure several other people here can, however.

 

[JohnDW]

I had the same question - rp91 vs sd9200 - has anything come out in the past six months to consider as well (pioneer dvd 47) ?These units starting to feel a little old...

 

[KeithH]

John, the Pioneer Elite DV-47A has gotten mixed reviews here and elsewhere. It shows the chroma bug, so it is not the ideal video unit for some. Also, its SACD playback has been called into question quite a bit here, on Audio Asylum (www.audioasylum.com), and in print. This issue was discussed here last week, so a search should prove helpful.
You might want to consider the Denon DVD-1600. Tweeter sells it for $500, but some folks have gotten for less at various dealers. Try 6th Avenue Electronics by phone (1-866-666-6283). They are an authorized Denon dealer.
The '1600 is a single-disc, progressive-scan DVD-Audio player. It has gotten high praise for both video and audio. My only gripe with the '1600 is that it was designed after the budget Panasonic DVD-RP56 (discontinued model). As such, the '1600 is lacking in a couple areas considering the $500 price tag. For example, I don't feel the '1600 quite shows the build quality that one should get for $500. The build quality more closely resembles the $200 'RP56 it was designed after. Also, like the 'RP56, the '1600 has no coaxial digital output. I consider that a serious drawback in a $500 player. Still, many have found the '1600 to be highly capable. It has been discussed here a lot over the past few months, so do a search.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I do have one question though. How do these players handle non-anamorphic letterboxed material on a 16:9 tv? It seems you would have 4 black bars encompassing the material.

The Panasonic RP-91 is vastly superior to the Toshiba 9200 in this category. The RP-91 has a built-in scaler that will zoom/scale a non-anamorphic transfer to the same dimensions as an anamorphic transfer. A quality non-anamorphic transfer, such as The Abyss or Planet Of The Apes, looks almost as good as an anamorphic transfer. With the Toshiba, you will need to use the zoom-only mode on the 16x9 TV (if it has one) to zoom the picture to fill the screen. On most 16x9 sets, this will result in an inferior picture compared to the RP-91.

I used to own the Toshiba 6200 until I upgraded to the RP-91. The picture quality on non-anamorphic titles was a huge leap forward, and the scaling feature is also a nice convenience when viewing supplemental material, which will alternate between anamorphic, letterbox and full frame formats -- you avoid constantly switching viewing modes on your 16x9 set.

If you have no plans for purchasing a 16x9 HD-ready set in the near future, I do agree that you are better off savings some money and buying a less expensive player.

 

[Gil D]

I am considering the Panasonic CP72 changer (essentially the same as the RP82 for video). Is their a compelling reason to get the RP91 over the CP72 for $200 more?

 

[KeithH]

Gil, I wonder if any compromises in the audio section were made in the design of the 'CP72 (and 'RP82) relative to the 'RP91. The 'CP72 is a changer, while the 'RP91 is a single-disc player. Plus, the 'CP72 is cheaper. The 'CP72 has two key ingredients to make it an inferior audio component when compared to the 'RP91. Also, consider that the 'RP91 was designed after the Technics DVD-A10, which was a step above most Matsushita audio component. My bet is that the 'RP91 beats the 'CP72 on the audio side. As for video, I have no idea. It seems that all Panasonic DVD players are highly capable on the video side. Anyway, I could be wrong about the relative audio performance of the 'CP72 and 'RP91, so I suggest you try a side-by-side comparison.