Rating: 
Summary: Excellent CD Playback, Good DVD Playback and Average on MP3
Review: ... While all the features and functions are great, I have not used the VSS since I send the audio signals directly to a receiver through an optical output. While playing mp3's I note that any CD with more than 99 songs do not play. If anyone can send a work-around it would be great since I can actually have 150 tracks in one CD (640 MB). Further, this player does not display tracks on the TV like in a Pioneer 440. Disadvantage if you are trying to seek one track out of 150 (in my case 99). Overall good buy but for the above shortcomings. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Unreliable DVD player
Review: We bought this player, our first DVD player, almost a year ago, and have had nothing but trouble. A few days after the 3-month full warranty ran out, it started freezing while playing a disc, and we would then have to turn it off and wait several hours before trying again. Eventually it stopped running altogether.... And it still isn't working....
Rating: 
Summary: I can't believe that Panasonic isn't getting the hint !!!
Review: As is the case with dozens upon dozens of reviews, I just got the dreaded H03 error on my DVD-RV31 and like many other users, I will agree that "it was great when it was working." In fact, mine has been working without incident for approximately 18 months - which is apparently "on borrowed time" for this unit. It simply stopped working today in the middle of a disc for no apparent reason. After reading a great many reviews here and feeling that I had little to lose, I gave it a thump on the top on the chassis and at least I was able to retrieve my disc. Until performing this little manuever, I was unable to open the drawer or get the unit to read the disc at all through any of the "resetting" procedures that Panasonic will suggest that you do. To oversimplify - I must have unstuck whatever was stuck. So I continue on borrowed time for now while I keep an eye out for another player. To make things worse, I purchased this lemon at a Sears department store in Southwestern Ontario for about twice what I now hear that it's worth. It's not like me not to research something like this more thoroughly, so I'm feeling unbelievably stupid right about now. Working for years in Customer Service myself, I can't imagine that Panasonic is fielding all of these complaints and not issuing some kind of corrective action. I don't honestly think that this is symptomatic of every product that they make but I can't believe that they're not getting the hint regarding this particular model! They clearly have a very serious issue here. Oh well, I guess "denial" is a river in Egypt. In any case, please, please, DO NOT BUY THIS DVD PLAYER!! If you already have and are experiencing any of these problems, step up and be counted. The only way that Panasonic will ever address this situation is if they know exactly how big it really is.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK
Review: This machine after 11 months of light use stopped playing and gave me an H02 error. The customer service told me to reset the machine, but this is useless. I will never buy another Panasonic. Please, please, don't buy this DVD player unless it is under [$$$]. THis machine cost me [$$$] last year. It will cost me more to fix it..
Rating: 
Summary: I liked it at first...
Review: But I would prefer if it were a little sturdier. It just feels so light and flimsly. Like it could break at any moment. Especially the DVD drawer. Be careful with it. I find this model particulary cool because it can play CDRs, which is something a lot of them cannot do. But recently I have found a few problems with playback. This may be due to age (a year now) and wear and tear but sometimes it will freeze, skip and refuse to eject. I don't know if it is a common fault but I had to send it off to Panasonic the first time. Now I have discovered that a good thump on the top will pop the drawer open and reset the machine. My machine is also non region-encoded so I can play movies from anywhere in the world. I can only assume that this one is too considering it is the same model. I have it connected to a widescreen TV and Sherwood 5.1 decoder with beautiful Eltax speakers around my living room. The player is a vital component in that great package. And with a lesser model the DTS/Dolby sound and the picture would not be as cool. I just wish I could have more trust in it.
Rating:
Summary: Do your research before spending!
Review: This DVD player is wonderful, while it works! Be prepared for this player to mysteriouly quit. After less than a year and a half the player came up with an h02 error. Panasonic help line will tell you that it's a humidity problem and that all you need to do is reset the player but this is not true. Research on the internet will tell you that this is because of the faulty lens. Do your research first and be sure to buy the extended warranty!
Rating:
Summary: Caveat Emptor: Transport Mechanism Stinks
Review: Transport Mechanism goes kaput after about 10 months or so.
Panasonic (in its infinite wisdom) does not cover labor under warranty past 3 months. I was quoted around $150 as labor charges.
That is almost the price of this DVD player and there is no guarantee this won't happen again! This goes in the dumpster after I send a scathing letter to Panasonic!
Rating: 
Summary: This is the one!
Review: I cannot say enough positive stuff about the performance of this DVD player! Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware (and how to give it CPR to get your disc back)
Review: I have had this dvd player for exactly 8 months. During this time it has been heavily used to view anywhere from 1-3 movies per day. It was low priced and loaded with features, so that part of the deal was great, but unfortunately I have also been experiencing the dreaded seizing up problems so many fellow reviewers here have noted. I have never seen an "H0" type error message though. The darn thing just freezes. The first two times it happened I was able to just eject the disc and start over. The last time nothing would work. Following the advice of some other reviewers here (thanks folks!) I took the cover off the machine and spun the disk by hand (use your finger to spin the white wheel on top). Lo and behold it started working again and I was able to get my disk back. I have successfully watched 3 other discs, but I realize I am living on borrowed time here and the machine is not going to last a whole lot longer in all probability. I do have another observation to throw into the discussion here. I may be wrong but it appears to me that the three times the machine froze it was undergoing the dual layer transition. As you may be aware the longer DVDs on the market nowdays are in the so called "dual layer" format where there are actually two layers of programming on the disc. When the player reaches the end of the first layer there is a pause while the machine repositions itself to begin reading the second layer. These dual layer DVDs usually have a statement on the back of the packaging that says something like "there may be a slight pause when transitioning to the second layer". I have indeed noticed that pause many times. If I'm not mistaken that's where this Panasonic DVD player is hanging up. If that is the case, and this problem continues, I guess I will leave the screws out of the cover for faster easier access to the innards and just spin the disc by hand when it freezes and get as much life out of this thing as possible before sending it to the scrap heap. If you are in the market for a low cost DVD player I would recommend avoiding this product like the plague, even it you have to spend more money than you originally wanted to to go with a better product. If, like me, you are stuck with this pig, give the hand-spin technique a try. But PLEASE, disconnect the power cord before opening the box and touching anything inside! Also remember to touch something metallic to discharge static electricity before touching the iside of your player. Good luck.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS!
Review: Have had the player for less then a year, received the dreaded H02 error, unfortunately when I bought it, the player wasn't out long enough to see, when it worked, it was great. Now it's just been a huge waste of money. I'll never buy a Panasonic Product again after reading all of these reviews.
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