Rating: 
Summary: Excellent DVD player
Review: I am quite pleased with this DVD player. The only thing I would improve is the MP3 playback, which is very basic. The files are played in alphabetical order, and no information is given on the screen, which just displays the DVD logo.
Otherwise, the DVD playback is excellent, the sound is good, and it is quite easy to use.
Rating: 
Summary: Used for a year, color processing went out.
Review: I bought the Panasonic DVD-RV30 based on the reviews from this website over a year ago and have used it less than 50 times. Last night, while watching the Sopranos, I was mid-way through the second episode when the color started flickering and turned to full black and white in less than a minute. I checked the S-video cable and switched it out with a normal video cable, same black and white screen. Even when the DVD player has no disc in the tray, the default "DVD Video" screen is black and white. I called Panasonic and they told me that since I had tested both types of video connections and my TV was not at fault, the "video processor" in the DVD player had gone bad. I inquired about the warranty, but I was way past the 1 year parts, 90 days labor so they told me that I would have to take it to a repair technician. After learning that the closest facility was 30 miles south of downtown Chicago, I called to see if it was even worth bringing the DVD player in. The tech told me that my situation could be a number of things, but the average cost of a DVD repair is over [amt]. Considering the player was only [amt], I think it might be time to buy a new one, definitely not Panasonic.
Rating:
Summary: The bottom-line is affordable quality
Review: I was looking at this and its silver-colored sister from Amazon.com, when I got an additional discount (plus free shipping) & decided to buy this player.So far, I've played quite a few DVDs (Netflix.com) & found the playback (esp., frame-advance & review while paused) to be awesome. Layer-switching hasn't been noticeable, & the player hardly makes any noise or heats up (although the disk is warm when I eject it & feel it). It played a PAL VCD as well. I could see the full picture on my TV, although it looked stretched vertically.. but this could be my imagination (actually, I think the VCD is decoded in the Pan&Scan mode by my player & in the Letterbox mode by the Apex playes). I must explain a little about my setup here: I have a TV with only an RF input. So I have to connect the analog (video & audio) outputs from this player to my VCRs inputs. Naturally, I won't get the best picture or sound.. but they're really fine. It's always best to have an S-video ready TV & at least a Dolby-ready receiver (with optical input.. there is no coaxial digital-audio output from this player) for the full DVD experience. This player seems to have a few features that haven't been advertised.. one of them is a Dolby PCM digital-audio output. Another, as you read on, will be multi-format (NTSC/PAL disk) capability (the BestBuy site lists this). I wasn't aware of these when I bought this player.. and I'm still not absolutely sure. I borrowed an MP3 CD from a friend & tried that out as well. It sounded great (on my TV !!).. definitely better than playing it on my PC (headphones). Imagine what it would be with a receiver ! There was a downside.. it doesn't display anything about the MP3 file. There is no random or programmed play. If you need to play a particular song, remember its track no. & enter it yourself ! Just after I bought this, I found a couple of players just as versatile as this.. if not more; Apex AD-1500 & AD-3201. These are heavier, but can let you browse MP3 CDs by directories & display filenames ! They're multi-format & let you select NTSC or PAL output (I suspect this Panasonic player is also multi-format - although it does not say so anywhere - but I didn't find any option to switch NTSC/PAL output). They are very inexpensive as well, but be warned.. they heat up a bit (my friend owns one).. and read the reviews ! In summary, this player is for you if & only if: you want a reliable, highly-rated, versatile (CD-R/RW, MP3, VCD), name-brand player
you want to listen to your MP3 songs, but don't have a huge collection of MP3 CDs (I have over 2 GB of songs.. it'll all fit in 3 CD-Rs !!)
(?) you own an NTSC-compatible TV & don't watch more than a few PAL VCDs/DVDs
(?) you don't play SVCDs/HDVCDs (I don't even know where to find these things now, or how they're different from plain-VCDs.. leave alone whether my player plays these !)
(?) I'm not sure.. So if you have a PAL-only TV and want to watch NTSC VCDs/DVDs as well, or own a few SVCDs/HDVCDs (whatever they are), then get the Apex player if you want to be sure. Note: Most newer TVs are multi-format themselves (I know this for sure in Asia) ! They'll display NTSC & PAL signals just fine !
Rating: 
Summary: Panasonic DVD-RV31K DVD-Video Player with MP3 Playback
Review: it's was good machine until it freeze on some DVD, the first one was terminator2, and it freeze again on tom raider, I send it to panasonic and they made an upgrade, I try it and it freeze again on dithy harry series. My sellers told me that i was the one he see who has this kind of trouble with this machine. One of my freind has the same and he don't have trouble.
Rating:
Summary: Great value...at first....
Review: I too am getting the dreaded "H02" error associated with the player locking up during playback. This started happening after owning theunit 8 months (I guess I should be happy I got 3-4 months more than the other posters with similar issues :-(). This happens with discs that used to work and varies where/when it happens on the disc. To fix it, $90 plus shipping et al. Might as well buy a different brand.
Rating:
Summary: Great value...at first....
Review: I too am getting the dreaded "H02" error associated with the player locking up during playback. This started happening after owning theunit 8 months (I guess I should be happy I got 3-4 months more than the other posters with similar issues :-(). This happens with discs that used to work and varies where/when it happens on the disc. To fix it, $ plus shipping et al. Might as well buy a different brand.
Rating: 
Summary: Best DVD Player!
Review: This DVD player has everything you could want. When hooked up with component cables the picture is absolutely amazing. It has the best picture of any DVD player I've seen before.
Rating:
Summary: Good stuff
Review: I bought one of these as a xmas gift for someone. The picture quality was clear and the sound had no distortions. MP3 playback was as expected, good even with the lack of additional info on the display. My only complaint was the DVD menus that appeared on the tv. Some were really tiny and blurry. It could be due to the composite hookup. All in all though, its a great player. Which is why I'm buying another one for myself.
Rating:
Summary: A cautious and compromised choice for DVD-RV31K
Review: In upgrading to digital sound, I did a lot of research and end up with PAN DVD-RV31K. This is certainly not the high-end of the product line, (I would say mid-end), but I got most I need with a good brand name famous for its quality. (I think Panasonic is on the conservative side -- personal view.)
Instead of mentioning the features again, I would like to mention the features that it is missing, and the reason I don't need them.
1) No progressive scan. But I don't have a digital video minitor anyway. I will wait another few years for HDTV.
2) No digital coaxial output. But the optical output is enough, and I just have to be careful about the optical cable as to not break it. A digital coaxial output would give me a choice.
3) No 5.1 channel output. This is useful when you have a 5.1 channel ready receiver. But I use a digital receiver instead.
4) No front headphone jack. A HPJ might be useful sometimes, but usually not. I am an audio fan, so a headphone is not good for me. I don't do night viewing.
5) The scanning frequency (27MHz) is not the best. But the picture is good enough for me (no HDTV). The above points serve as a reference alert for prospecting DVD player buyers.
In short, I made a good balanced choice for a reasonable amount of dollars.
Rating:
Summary: Someone else's review (very informative)
Review: As you will see from the description below, the RV31 is a great DVD player. Given the choice between it and other DVD players in this price range (Sony NS300, Toshiba SD1600, SD1700, Pioneer 343, Samsung M301 and others) I would take RV31. The RV31 costs less than the predecessor (RV30), plays MP3, CD-R and CD-RW. Majority of DVD players play CD-RW, but not CD-R, which RV31 does. The front panel features a shuttle control so you can adjust playback/scan speed, as well as buttons for basic and some advanced functions, including skip, cinema mode control, etc. The shuttle controls speed for DVD-Video as well as CD-Audio and even MP3 playback! The tray looks very solid and its operation is very smooth. The word "flimsy" does not belong here, everything is rock-solid. The player has the same width as stereo components and "component-width" VCRs, so you can stack them up. I put the player on my VCR and have no problems with heat dissipation. The player has quite small size in depth. Finally a brand-name manufacturer released a DVD player with MP3 playback (and the one that doesn't cost a fortune). Before that you would have to settle for Apex or other player from the manufacturer you know nothing about with questionable reliability. Now you can have an MP3 playback without sacrificing reliability, ease of use and picture and sound quality. Samsung M301 plays MP3s too, but given the choice between Samsung (with well-known issues in previous models) and Panasonic... Give me RV31 and you can keep M301. I made a CD-RW with 3 albums of Nirvana (located in different directories) and the player quite quickly read the file structure and allowed me to play all the songs in succession. The sound quality was excellent (I usually use MP3s encoded at at least 128Kbit/sec) and the shuttle control could be used to adjust the playback/scan speed. The only issue is that there is no way to program the MP3 playback and it does not show file names when playing MP3s. The existing file structure gets "flattened" - you see the song's number but not the name (i.e. "3 of 97"). As manual says, the playback order depends on file names. I also tried a homemade Video CD. Using Adapted Easy CD Creator 3.5c Deluxe I created a Video CD CD-RW with a couple of MPEGs and it worked well. Keep in mind that in comparison with DVD, the picture quality seems significantly worse. The RV31 plays both CD-R and CD-RW discs - it employs twin-laser pickup (for CD-R/W playback) and built-in stabilizer. The ability to play computer CD-R/W - recorded CD-R/W is essential when you want to play your MP3s or custom-made Video CD. It plays Video CD, DVD-Video, CD Audio and MP3 discs. The first thing I noticed in comparison with my Sharp 600U, is that the operation is superfast. There is no delay after you press a button, everything happens immediately. The disc is also very quick to "load". The RV31 features excellent picture and sound quality. I have never seen better picture quality from a non-progressive-scan player. The detail level is high, even in the dark areas. You easily can see the texture of the people's skin in "The Mummy" and small details. The sound is excellent, especially when using "real" surround sound (not VSS). My old Sharp DVD-600U (which I happily sold on Ebay) used to provide much worse Dolby Pro Logic sound.
Panasonic CD and DVD players are known for ability to play scratched CDs and DVD discs much better than other players, and RV31 is no exception. On the DVDs that my Sharp wouldn't even load, RV31 never skipped once! The RV31 features Advanced Virtual Surround Sound (VSS) circuitry that simulates the "presence effect" by downmixing Dolby 5.1 signal to two channels, so you can enjoy audio effects with just 2 speakers. But RV31's version also includes an additional channel for subwoofer (AVSS with Bass Plus). Although not replacement for "the real thing", it is a nice feature. It finally happened: Several days ago, while watching U571 (a movie that has a lot of sound effects (read explosions), which completely drown (pun intended) out dialogues) with my surround sound system running at 60% of its power, I heard somebody knock on the door. It was the apartment complex manager who asked me to turn the volume down, because my neighbors complained to her. She wasn't happy. Neighbors weren't happy. And after I turned the volume down, I wasn't happy. To make everybody happy, this player has dialogue enhancement feature, which boosts the volume of the center channel by 6 dB when playing a Dolby Digital 5.1 disc so that the dialogue doesn't become drowned out by the left and right speakers. I also found this feature helpful when watching "Trainspotting", where it's hard to hear what people say, especially taking into account their accents. The player has the Digital Cinema Mode in which (on paper) the picture is enhanced by reducing glare, softening resolution, and improving visibility of details in dark scenes, resulting in a more realistic, cinemalike image. For me it looks like the lightness is increased and the black areas become gray, so you have to decrease lightness on the TV. You also have a choice of a "User" mode, where you can control brightness, contrast and colors manually, and "Standard" mode. I leave it in its standard setting and have no complaints. Audio: the player has analog audio outs (left and right - RCA-type jacks) as well as an optical digital audio output (both Dolby Digital and DTS compatible), which you can use to connect it to Dolby Digital or DTS receivers or mini-systems. Optical digital out is immune to the electromagnetic interference. There is no coax out. Video: you get a composite output, S-video output and component video out (some other players lack the component outs). You can use either S-Video out to connect the player to your TV or, even better, component video out, which is the best possible way to connect DVD player to your TV. The component out digitally separates the video signal into its luminance (Y) and separate chrominance (PR and PB) elements, allowing delivery of a reference-quality picture with precise color reproduction. Of course you have to have a TV that is compatible (has component inputs) to utilize the benefit of this feature. But you will have to deal with 3 cables instead of one S-Video cable. Besides, the difference between component connection and S-Video is difficult to see. The "standard" composite connection, on the other hand, will create cross-luminance artifacts (rainbow like Moire patterns, dot crawl, etc.), due to the inability of a TV's comb filter to correctly separate luminance and chrominance. Thus, if your TV has an S-Video input, S-Video cable will improve your picture tenfold comparing to the composite connection. The cheapest S-Video cable will provide significantly better picture than the most expensive premium composite cable. Note: From the descriptions at the online stores it looks like the player comes without an A/V cable, but it does include it. I bought one in anticipation of the receipt of my new RV31 and now will have to return it. But you will have to get your own S-Video cable, if you need one. The player features still and frame advance (both directions) modes, chapter preview mode. As every Panasonic DVD player, this model features high-speed, five-step, smooth-motion scan, which provides crystal-clear forward and reverse scan in five speeds. The front panel has a jog/shuttle control to allow you to adjust the scan speed. Once again, I was surprised to find out it works in CD-Audio playback as well as in MP-3 playback. That is you can adjust the "scan" speed in audio playback modes also. And during high-speed scan you can hear audio. Although it works only in the first high speed and you can hear sounds and some short words, but there is no way to understand what people are talking about. The RV31 remembers where you stopped and can resume from that moment. The "Play Mode" button allows the player to remember where you stopped, even if the player is turned off (it employs "soft" power button). There are also 5 bookmarks you can return to and you can jump to any moment on the disc by entering the time. The player also has shuffle/random mode, direct track access. The menus can be switched between English, Spanish and French. The menus are very intuitive with descriptions of what buttons to use. The onscreen displays allow you to control everything on the fly and even move itself in vertical direction. The remote control is very easy to use. The button layout is intuitive and the remote is lightweight. It allows you to operate the player without pointing the remote directly towards the player. But it does not allow you to control your TV and "Eject" is located directly above "Play", so I pressed it accidentally a couple of times. Remote is not backlit and the battery compartment door is flimsy. And the directional buttons take too much effort to push. Also, there is no way to slow down the fast scan or slow motion from the remote - you have to press "Play" to go to normal playback and go from there. It would be nice if that sh
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