A Nice Change To My Signature

[Blundaar]

Goodby "functioning Sony", Hello Panasonic S97. Got it from J&R Music/Computer World (via Amazon) for $239.00 with free shipping. I'll keep the component hook-up for the next day or two, but a couple of things stand out right away...
The set-up menu was easy. So much better than the sony.
So this is what the color black looks like!
Great, sharp pictures so far (I've only gone so far as to play The Core from start to finish).
Looking forward to checking out the audio capabilities of this player down the road. The only real negative so far was how the player was shipped (the DVD box in a bigger box with NO packing material and almost six inches of headroom). Almost had a heart attack, but everything seems in perfect working order. You can officially put me on the sidelines of the HD-DVD fiasco for a few years.

 

[Audioholics]

Congrats on your new player!

 

[j_garcia]

I've owned a number of Sony players and Panasonic players, and I have to say I've been happier with the Panasonics overall. Actually, my first player was a first generation Panny A300U. Now a Denon guy I still think some of Panasonic's menus are better than Denon, but they're not too far behind. Congrats!

 

[spartanstew]

I'm new so not sure of the etiquette, but are we supposed to start a thread everytime we get a new piece of equipment?

 

[Blundaar]

I'm new so not sure of the etiquette, but are we supposed to start a thread everytime we get a new piece of equipment?

Why not? Good audio equiptment should last for years and "I Got A Shiny New Toy" thread does not happen all that often. I upgraded my player thanks to all the information I picked up in this forum.
As a follow-up, I finally bought a HDMI-DVI connector this weekend and checked out a few more movies... in 720P. I thought I saw one for-sure incident of macro-blocking in Finding Nemo (I figured if I saw it in any movie, it would be this one), but it was slight and at the very end of the movie. As Squidward Tentacles once said, "ALL THOSE WASTED YEARS !!". I'll pass on my old Sony to someone who doesn't know better (which is most people outside this web site).

 

[j_garcia]

I don't have a problem with a thread talking about new gear... but now that means we need a "mini review" too

 

[Blundaar]

I don't have a problem with a thread talking about new gear... but now that means we need a "mini review" too

Sure! Like I said, the 720P picture is better than I ever imagined (I've been laid-out all weekend with a knee injury, so I watched a LOT of movies, including all the Star Wars episodes). If the average Joe had a player like this, HD-DVD would be hurting for buyers BIG TIME (like me).
The biggest surprise, though, came when I finally hooked up the analog outs this weekend. The difference is nothing short of amazing! The Audioholics review mentioned that it would be a pitty if people who own this player didn't utilize its' audio capabilities- and they're spot-on (as usual)! People who are looking for a multi-use DVD player need look no further!
.... How's that for a mini-review

 

[Johnd]

Congrats on the upgrade. What did you replace it for? I bought a Denon 2900 a couple of months back, and will not be looking at hd/br for at least a couple of years (I'm hugely impressed with its' performance over my old 5000). Cheers.

 

[Blundaar]

Congrats on the upgrade. What did you replace it for? I bought a Denon 2900 a couple of months back, and will not be looking at hd/br for at least a couple of years (I'm hugely impressed with its' performance over my old 5000). Cheers.

My old player was some Sony progressive-scan DVD player I bought at Best Buy a while back. The more I used it, the more I realized how grainy (and sometimes blocky) the picture was. On top of that, I could never adjust the black levels to my liking (not without getting a worse picture than I already had). Thanks to this forum, I've learned just how big a difference a good DVD player can make (although I've always tried to be informed on speakers and receivers). Thanks Audioholics

 

[Daz3d&Confus3d]

NICE!!!.....Congrats on your new toy!