Panasonic DVD-S53 - HDMI and Upconversion up to 1080p for $89?
Written: Apr 30 '07
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Pros: Low price, features and performance, HDMI up to 1080p, easy to use, looks nice
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: The Panasonic S53 is a very good and rather inexpensive DVD player with HDMI, progressive scan, upconversion and lots of useful features. It is a great...
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| dkozin's Full Review: Panasonic DVD-S53 DVD Player |
I am really glad that the AVIA DVD is available and lets me evaluate the resolution of DVD players objectively. For example, I suspected that one of my DVD players (Craig DVD player) was not up to par with my other DVCD players in terms of resolution, but only after accessing resolution patterns on the AVIA disc was I able to confirm that finding objectively.
Which brings me to a point: sometimes you think that you are getting a good deal whereas you are not. You can get a cheap DVD player and it might work for a while and satisfy you with its performance. E.g. my Craig DVD player has fast response and nice user interface. But its resolution is lower than that of a high-quality machine.
The Panasonic DVD-S53 is a new model and I evaluated it as a successor to the DVD-S52. I currently use the cheaper Panasonic DVD-S1S since I discovered that I can save some money if I forgo some features that I did not really need. Although I have been using a Philips DVP642 DVD player most of the time, it had some usability issues. The video quality was not quite top notch, the highest scan speed is only 8x, the component video out does not work, the menus and onscreen displays are very poor and the remote is just terrible. It does play AVI/MPEG and DivX and looks semi-nice. It plays PAL. But Panasonic DVD players have consistently had better user interface and very good performance.
Some older Panasonic models like RP56 were (and still are) among the best progressive-scan players, regardless of the price. I have always used Panasonic DVD players despite the fact that DVD players from Panasonic and other manufacturers get flimsier and flimsier. Although my previous Panasonic died from the drive motor failure (HO2 error) a while ago, I still expect good image, sound, tracking/error correction and convenience/ease of use from any Panasonic DVD player.
For my evaluation, I got the Panasonic DVD-S53 for $89 (the same price I paid for the S52 a while ago).
What is Panasonic DVD-S53?
The Panasonic DVD-S53 is a single-disc DVD player with progressive scan, variable and auto zoom, CD-R/W, DVD-R/W, DVD+R/W, MP3, DVD+R Dual Layer, HDCD and JPEG playback. It plays DVD-RAM, WMA and has MPEG noise reduction unlike the cheaper S1S and plays DVD-Audio as well.
The player features include Dialogue Enhancer, Advanced Virtual Surround Sound (for simulating surround sound using two speakers), Dynamic Range Compression (for night viewing), 200x high-speed scan (5 different speeds), twin laser pickup for better CD playability, quick replay, progress indicator, CM skip, slow and fast audio playback.
The jacks include progressive/interlaced component video out, S-Video, composite video out, 2-channel analog audio out, optical digital and a coaxial digital audio outs as well as a HDMI out with EZ Sync HDAVI Control. It also upconverts 480i DVD discs to720p, 1080i or 1080p.
Connectivity
The player has an HDMI out, which is very nice at this price point. It also has both optical and coaxial digital audio outs. An S-Video out is also present along with a progressive/interlaced component video out in addition to its composite out. The player also has analog audio stereo out. The coaxial and optical digital outs support PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS formats. HDMI supports DVD-Audio as well as PCM, DD and DTS for audio and 720p/1080i/1080p upconversion.
No Useless Shuttle Knobs
The front of the player is devoid of the useless shuttle knob, unlike the knob my S35 had. I have never used it on the S35 for the simple reason: it did not do what it was supposed to. In previous generations of Panasonic players it used to control the scan speed (and still was of the questionable value since nobody sits so close to the DVD player). In the S35, it controlled zoom.
The S53 has more buttons on its front panel than the S1S. The look is clean and modern high-tech. The S53 is available as S53S in silver or S53K in black.
The disc tray is rather solid for the current crop of DVD players, despite the low weight of the player itself. The S53 has a slim profile and looks nice. It is compact and lightweight, as is the majority of modern DVD players. The rear panel is well-organized and clearly labeled. The front has a display, unlike some cheaper models that have none.
Progressive Scan and Upconversion
You can use progressive scan only if your TV is a High-Definition (HDTV) or EDTV, if you connect the player to your TV using the component video out or use the HDMI out (preferred). The Progressive scan produces more stable picture with less flicker. In any case, this player also provides excellent picture quality in standard (interlaced) mode - the mode some people will use it in for the lack of appropriate TV.
If you have an HDTV (be it CRT, rear-projection, LCD or plasma), I highly recommend progressive scan or, better yet, upconversion to your HDTV set’s native (or highest supported) resolution: 720p, 1080i or 1080p through the S53’s HDMI out. You can connect the HDMI out directly to your TV or through a compatible receiver.
Image Quality
I have watched this player over HDMI only briefly, but the image quality was the best I have seen using any of its available resolutions. Over the component video out, I was not disappointed with the image quality either, especially comparing to Philips and Craig DVD players. The picture is crisp and noise-free with vivid colors and well-defined object edges. The detail level is high, even in dark areas. There is no oversaturation or super-contrast, just good honest video of top-notch quality. On some of my DVDs with high MPEG compression, the player did rather well suppressing mosquito noise.
The resolution patterns on AVIA DVD were crisp all the way to the end, unlike the Craig DVD player that would make them undistinguishable even before you hit 400 lines.
Ease of Use
The player features a much better ease of use than Philips. Well-designed menus, onscreen icons and the remote. Fast response time and descriptive icons. Better remote than the S1S, which lacks some buttons. Much better remote than Philips DVP642.
Playback Speeds
You can use several slow and fast scan speeds, which work in virtually all formats player supports. The fast scan in DVD playback goes up to 200x (5 speeds total), which is the same as I had in the S35, but much better than 16x of the Craig or 8x of Philips.
Formats
Along with its ability to play DVD-Video and Audio CD, the player can also play MP3 and WMA compressed audio files as well as display JPEG images (somewhat slow) on your TV, play burned CD-R, CD-RW and DVD-R/W as well as DVD+R/W, DVD-RAM and even DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL.
MP3/WMA
The MP3 playback is one of the player’s best features. The MP3 playback interface is easy to use and shows file names and directory tree structure. The sound quality is very good, depending on bit rate.
Features
The player features playback at multiple high and low speeds, variable zoom, angle select, soundtrack select and subtitle select, parental control, bookmarks and more.
Aspect Ratio Control
One feature I missed after switching from Panasonic to Philips was lack of proper aspect ratio control. The S53 let me select 16:9 widescreen as my monitor and set playback to Auto. This was, the faces in non-widescreen recordings are no longer stretched.
Sound
The sound quality from the analog outs is good. I would not use them anyway since I have a receiver and 5.1 speaker system. I used the coaxial digital audio out and therefore the sound quality depended solely on my receiver and speakers. Needless to say, I got excellent sound from my Athena AS-P400 subwoofer, Athena AS-F1 floorstanding mains, C.5 center, S.5 surrounds powered by Panasonic XR55 digital receiver. If I had a receiver with HDMI, I would definitely used HDMI connection.
CD Playback
Unlike my cheap Craig DVD player, the S53 uses dual-laser pickup and does not skip during CD playback. I am glad to see that Panasonic spent money where it counts. The player also plays HDCD well (although I have only one HDCD disc).
HDMI and Upconversoin
The S53 can upconvert all the way up to 1080p, which is the highest resolution available. Its HDMI out also features the technology to deal with the lip-sync problems of the earlier HDMI versions.
Bottom Line
The Panasonic S53 is a very good and rather inexpensive DVD player with HDMI, progressive scan, upconversion and lots of useful features. It is a great value and excellent performer, especially if you have an HD TV or monitor, including fixed-pixel ones like LCD or plasma. Its newest version of HDMI at a low price makes it a great buy.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 89
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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 in Electronics |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 850
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About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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