Panasonic DVD-S54 - HDMI and Upconversion up to 1080p for $89?
Written: Sep 18 '08 (Updated Aug 11 '09)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Picture Quality:
Durability:
Pros: Features and performance, HDMI up to 1080p, easy to use, looks nice, VIERA Link, formats
Cons: Could be cheaper and/or have USB port
The Bottom Line: The Panasonic S54 is a very good DVD player with HDMI, progressive scan, upconversion and a lot of useful features. It is a very good performer, especially if...
dkozin's Full Review: Panasonic DVD-S54 DVD Player
For some time I have been using the AVIA DVD to evaluate the resolution of DVD players objectively. Before I got it, I suspected that one of my DVD players produced slightly soft images, but I was unable to objectively define it. Now I know that the Craig DVD player is not up to par with my other DVD players in terms of resolution, since I checked it using resolution patterns on the AVIA disc.
So although you can get a cheap DVD player with all the right specs, it does not necessarily mean you are going to get full advantage of the technology or specs that it supposedly provides. 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-S54 (or rather the DVD-S54K, where K stands for Kuro/black) is a new model and I evaluated it as a successor to the DVD-S53 (which I tried before).
I and my family members currently have and use a variety of DVD players, including Pioneer DV-400V, the aforementioned Craig, and Philips DVP642 DVD player (as a CD player mostly). The Philips is used as a CD player because of some usability issues as a DVD player: the video quality being not quite top notch, no HDMI or upconversion, the highest scan speed being only 8x, the menus and onscreen displays being very poor. The terrible remote is just the icing on the cake. Still, this is a solid transport and plays CDs well. Plus it plays AVI/MPEG and DivX and looks semi-nice. It also plays PAL.
The Craig is fast and has decent interface, but it skips while playing CDs and has no upconversion or HDMI either.
The Pioneer DV-400V is the player I use most of the time to play standard DVDs and upconvert them to 1080p. It also plays multiple formats, has HDMI, USB port and very nice user interface.
Since Panasonic DVD players have consistently had excellent user interface and very good performance, I decided to test the S54.
Previous Panasonic Models
Some older Panasonic models like RP56 were (and still are) among the best progressive-scan players, regardless of the price. In the past, I have always used Panasonic DVD players despite the fact that DVD players from Panasonic and other manufacturers get flimsier and flimsier. Although one of my previous Panasonics 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-S54 for $89 online (the same price I paid for the S53 a while ago). It is not bargain-basement pricing of some other DVD players, but comparable to the prices I paid recently for my Pioneer DV400 and some newer Philips models with comparable features.
What is Panasonic DVD-S54?
The Panasonic DVD-S54 is a single-disc DVD player with progressive scan, HDMI, 1080p upconversion, variable and auto zoom, CD-R/W, DVD-R/W, DVD R/W, MP3, DVD R Dual Layer 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), 64x high-speed scan, 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, coaxial digital audio out as well as a HDMI out with VIERA Link Control. It also upconverts 480i DVD discs to 720p, 1080i or 1080p.
It plays DivX, MPEG4, MP3, WMA and SVCD in addition to various types of CD and DVD.
Connectivity
The player has an HDMI out, which is a virtual necessity in this day and age of HDTV. It also has a coaxial digital audio out, but no optical out. 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 digital out supports 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 S54 has more buttons on its front panel than the cheaper and older S1S. The look is clean and modern high-tech. The S54 is only available in black as S54K.
The disc tray is rather solid for the current crop of DVD players, despite the low weight of the player itself. The player 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 S54'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 using its HDMI out and the 1080p upconverted resolution. The image quality was among the best I have seen using any of its available resolutions. It was virtually the same as my trusty Pioneer DV400. 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.
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. On some of my DVDs with high MPEG compression, the player did rather well suppressing mosquito noise.
The Pioneer has more video adjustability resulting in slightly more life-like video reproduction when adjusted. Still, the S54 was very close.
Ease of Use
The player features a much better ease of use than Philips. It has well-designed menus, onscreen icons and the remote. The S54 features fast response time and descriptive icons. Better remote than the S1S, which lacks some buttons and much better remote than Philips DVP642. Comparing to Pioneer, the S54 is about the same when it comes to ease of use, user interface and remote.
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 64x (unlike the previous models that had up to 200x), still 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 S54 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. And unlike Pioneer, which would sometimes forget my screen's aspect ratio and required a restart, the S54 always retained the settings.
HDMI and Upconversoin
The player 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 and can control compatible Panasonic TVs using VIERA Link.
Sound
The sound quality from the analog outs is good. I would not use them anyway since I have a receiver and a 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 definitely would have used its HDMI connection. One minor disappointment was the player's lack of an optical digital audio connection, but it is understandable that the manufacturer thinks it is unnecessary now in the era of HDMI.
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 MP3/WMA (see above).
Bottom Line
The Panasonic S54 is a very good DVD player with HDMI, progressive scan, upconversion and a lot of useful features. It is a very good 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 good buy. Still, it could be cheaper since it lacks a USB port of some competitors. If you do not have a need in VIERA Link or other advanced features, check out the Pioneer DV-400V.
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