I'm a big fan of Panasonic products. When I was in the market for a DVD player a year ago, I immediately looked to see what Panasonic had to offer. If I bought a DVD player and it lasted anywhere near as long as the Panasonic 1980's style vacuum cleaner or that Panasonic adding machine that I still balance my checkbook with, I'd be thrilled.

So far, so good with my Panasonic DVD-RV30.

I bought this player last Christmas as a gift to myself and have been pleased with it ever since. The picture quality is terrific! I use S-Video to my 32" television. I was wondering if I should have sprung for a TV with composite inputs because the RV-30 has composite outputs but I found that the picture was crystal clear with your basic S-Video found on most large TV's.

I run component audio (white and red audio RCA plugs) through my average-sounding 4 speaker surround sound stereo and am thrilled with the results. There are options on the RV-30 to control the sound output to enhance voices and dialogue on movies. But once you arrange all the sound settings through the on-screen displays, you will probably never have to change them again.

As for durability, the player survived a move from one apartment to another and it's still running beautifully after one year of use. There may be a newer model out now that plays MP3's stored on CD's so check for that in the stores as well.

The remote is easy to use and if you can still find it in the Silver color (DVD-RV30S), then go for it! I spent a month trying to find the RV-30 in silver but had to buy the black before the time limits on my $25 rebate were up.

Once again, I fully recommend this Panasonic DVD player and all other Panasonic products. I ended up paying about $190 with the rebate, so I hope you can find a similar deal.

Good luck!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 190