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Panasonic DVD-A120 DVD Player

Panasonic DVD-A120 DVD Player

List Price: $299.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent DVD Player
Review: I had initially purchased Pioneer DV525 which is also a nicemodel in the sub $300 range. However I switched to A120 because Ineeded a DVD player which could switch "black level". DV525 doesnt have that option. Also 525 is noisy compared to the A120. I have played over 30 Dolby Digital 5.1 DVDs (mostly rented)and did not find a single glitch either in picture or audio. There was no lip sync problem either. The picture quality is great (I have a Sony WEGA, which also makes a difference!). As far as audio is concerned, it plays regular audio CD perfectly (almost). However compared to 525, it is slightly behind in "crispness" of the sound. I have the player hooked to a Yamaha Dolby Digital receiver via an optical cable (Monster)and the S-Video goes straight into the WEGA. The disc loading time is also very small which is nice.You don't have to wait for ages to get the disc loaded. One aspect of A120 which I did not like is that you cannot change the audio/video settings while you are playing the disc. The Pioneer DV525 does let you change picture modes and audio settings while the disc is being played. Also, I wish the A120 had an amber display instead of white. Oveall an excellent buy for sub $200 price. I dont think any other player would come even close to this ! If you can get it for even sub $230, BUY IT.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Nice unit, but may completely die
Review: I have had 2 A120 units for about 5 years. One started acting up a couple months ago, with display problems. Now it just says "NO PLAY". I opened up the unit and it is dust free; I don't think there's anything I can do. No info at Panasonic web site.

So these units seem pretty good, until they're not.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A DVD Workhorse
Review: I have had one of these for four years now, and my parents have had two of them for five years. And all three of them have performed flawlessly all these years. And, believe me, all three of them see ample use.

The price has really gone down a lot since these came out, making these a wonderful bargain. If you are looking for something low cost that will keep on ticking movie-in, movie-out then this is the unit for you.

There are many features that I like about this as well. You get full digital sound from the player. It has an S-Video output option as well as component outputs. If you turn off the player than it will resume playing where you left off. The remote control is easy to use. I can't think of anything bad to say about this unit othe than the fact that it isn't progressive scan.

Highly recommended!!!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Sure, it's great, until optical unit dies... (Updated)
Review: (Corrected and updated) Like most here, I had no problems with my A-120 DVD player for the first 10 or 11 months of ownership. Then I started getting consistent "NO PLAY" messages at about the 1-year mark, with occasional errors in play plus minor pixellation or noticeable minor audio glitches. I thought at first it had to to with dust or disk errors (even though I am a light renter, and take great care of the ones I own). But the player soon had to be coaxed to play almost anything I owned -- only by repeatedly opening and shutting the front tray could I get it to sometimes play a disk in spite of this. Horribly frustrating, especially for an appliance that's in flawless condition, and seems way too new to me to simply conk out after light use.

But it's dead. Now it won't play anything at all, and I'm definitely an unhappy camper. Panasonic reps were rude and basically told me to "buy another one."

Um... no. Like I told Panasonic, I think I'll just try Sony next time instead... a really disappointing experience, from a company I used to trust. Stay away from Panasonic unless you can afford to replace what doesn't work the first time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not a flashy performer - decent player
Review: This was my first DVD player (received as a gift in Dec '99) and is still working ok. I have never received any error messages when playing scratched DVD's (mostly rentals) - but it does show some pixellation when it encounters this - or skips to the next chapter, which can be aggrevating...Never had a problem with new DVD's. I was disappointed that I could not play CD-R, CD-RW, etc a year after I got it, but at the time, I was just elated to get a DVD player! The optical audio output has been nice (to my Harman/Kardan AVR85). The remote is pretty easy and comfortable. I have since purchased the Sony 725 (for it's flexibility - I am making more and more home movies of the kids and I want to watch my DVD creation on the big tv.

All in all, in has been a faithful performer that has run its course - or is a good player to have in the kids room, bedroom, etc..

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Sure, it's great, until optical unit dies...
Review: Like most here, I had no problems with my A-120 DVD player for the first 10 or 11 months of ownership. Then I started getting consistent "NO PLAY" messages at about the 1-year mark, with occasional errors in play plus minor pixellation or noticeable minor audio glitches. I thought at first it had to to with dust or disk errors (even though I am a light renter, and take great care of the ones I own). But the player soon had to be coaxed to play almost anything I owned -- only by repeatedly opening and shutting the front tray could I get it to sometimes play a disk in spite of this. Horribly frustrating, especially for an appliance that's in flawless condition, and seems way too new to me to simply conk out after light use.

But it's dead. Now it won't play anything at all, and I'm definitely an unhappy camper. Panasonic reps were rude and basically told me to "buy another one."

Um... no. Like I told Panasonic, I think I'll just try Sony next time instead... a really disappointing experience, from a company I used to trust. Stay away from Panasonic unless you can afford to replace what doesn't work the first time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Over 3 years and still working.
Review: I bought this player in early 1999. I use a disk every 100 or so hours of playtime to keep everything clean. I've never had a problem with it and it even plays superbit dvds for amazing sound and picture quality. :-D


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