Panasonic DVD-RV31K DVD Player (Black)

Panasonic DVD-RV31K DVD Player (Black)
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Product Type: CE

Editorial Review:
Product Description
Panasonic DVD players are known for great picture quality and reliability. Now you can add versatility to the list. Their affordable DVD-RV31 is an all-purpose entertainer that plays DVDs, CDs, CD-Rs and CD-RWseven MP3 CDs (now it's easier than ever to enjoy your downloaded MP3 tunes on your home A/V system!). When it comes to watching DVD movies, the RV31 is ready to please. Panasonic's High Speed Smooth Motion Scan lets you zip through a DVD at up to 100X regular speed. A video black level control lets you adjust the player's video signal for a more film-like picture. A component video output lets you take full advantage of DVD's awesome video performance with compatible TVs.Whether your A/V system is simple or elaborate, the DVD-RV31 makes DVD sound more involving. Advanced Virtual Surround Sound simulates a surround effect using just the pair of speakers in your TV or stereo system. For surround sound systems, Dialogue Enhancer makes dialogue easier to hear by raising the center channel volume.
Amazon.com Product Description
Panasonic's DVD-RV31K DVD-video player delivers a combination of quality video and special features usually found only in more expensive players, if at all. Among many other features, the DVD-RV31K offers MP3 playback, robust connectivity, and an advanced version of Panasonic's simulated surround sound with proprietary Bass Plus technology and a dedicated subwoofer output.

This unit's state-of-the-art component-video outputs allow for digital video transmission to compatible video equipment. It also offers standard composite-video outputs and an S-video output. A built-in 27 MHz/10-bit digital-to-analog video converter maximizes picture quality from these outputs, while brightness, color, and contrast controls let you fine-tune picture quality.

A digital-cinema mode illuminates the picture and fine-tunes color, even in low-light scenes. Additional video features include one-touch cinema memory, freeze frame, frame advance, and black-level controls.

An optical digital-audio output channels a bit stream for DTS and Dolby Digital surround sound, fostering glorious home theater sound when decoded with an appropriate surround receiver.

Advanced Virtual Surround Sound simulates a surround effect using only your two front speakers. Furthermore, the DVD-RV31K's dialogue enhancer pumps up the center-channel output to emphasize a movie's spoken audio. A 96 kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog audio converter and dynamic-range compression (for late-night viewing) complete the DVD-RV31K's robust audio arsenal.

If you're not quite ready for 5.1-channel audio but already have a powered subwoofer, you'll appreciate the versatility of this player's discrete subwoofer output. The DVD-RV31K's pair of analog-audio stereo outputs along with its subwoofer output simulate theatrical sound by setting up a two-channel-plus-bass output that sends all low-frequency information to your subwoofer.

A built-in stabilizer and twin-laser pickup offers improved playability with the DVD-RV31K. Playback formats include DVD-video, Video CD, audio CD, MP3-encoded CD, CD-R, and CD-RW. (Please note, however, that MP3 playback may vary depending on the content and disc type used.) For your viewing convenience, Panasonic's high-speed scan comes with five speeds, and the player also offers chapter preview, updated onscreen menu icons, a front-panel jog-shuttle dial, and a multibrand remote control. Panasonic's DVD-RV31K comes in black and is Energy Star compliant. This model is covered by a warranty for a year on parts, 90 days on labor.

Average customer rating: 2.5

Very disappointed, very slow, hangs all the time, some software will not work on this!
Brittle Keys
Very happy with my purchase

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Toshiba Satellite A105-S171 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Celeron M Processor 380, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

Manufacturer: Toshiba
Product Group: Personal Computer
Binding: Personal Computers
ASIN: B000DT7XPI

Related Categories:

Notebooks

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Product Description

Includes: lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, & Microsoft Windows XP Home. Toshiba Satellite A105-S171 Notebook Computer - This notebook computer features impressive multimedia capabilities. The built-in Double Layer DVD SuperMulti drive gives you the ability to write to a host of different DVD formats. Double Layer +/-R are ones that can hold up to 8.5GB per disc. An ideal choice for large data backups and making your own DVD movies. You can also watch DVDs in style with the 15" widescreen LCD featuring TruBrite technology. In addition, you get advanced ATI Radeon graphics, a large 100GB hard drive, built-in support for wireless networking, and much more. Double Layer DVD SuperMulti Drive - supports 11 different formats, including Double Layer DVD-R/+R 15.4 Widescreen TruBrite LCD Native Resolution - 1280x800 ATI MOBILITY RADEON Xpress 200M graphics with up to 128MB of shared memory (memory is shared with the main system's RAM) Built-in Atheros 802.11b/g Wi-Fi Wireless Networking Support Built-in 56k Fax Modem Battery Life - up to 1 hr. 31 min. Ports - RGB VGA Out, S-Video Out, 4 USB 2.0, 1 Ethernet, Headphone Out, & Microphone In Unit Dimensions - 14.2 x 10.5 x 1.45 Unit Weight - 6 lbs.

Amazon.com Product Description

Easily mobile at just 6 pounds, the Toshiba Satellite A105-S171 makes it easy to get your work done with a large, bright 15.4-inch screen (which is also great for watching DVD movies when you need a break). This affordable notebook PC also features a battery-sipping 1.6 GHz Celeron M processor, a large 100 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), dual-layer multiformat DVD drive that also burns CDs, integrated 54g wireless connectivity with support, ATI Radeon XPress 200M video card with up to 128 MB of shared video RAM, and Windows XP Home edition operating system.

The Basics
<ul>

Hard Drive: A welcome size for road warriors, the 100 GB hard drive is definitely above average in size for notebook PCs--great for storing a digital medial library or graphics-intensive presentations--and faster than average at 5400 RPM. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.

Processor: The Intel Celeron M Processor 380 is designed specifically for mobile computing, offering a balanced level of mobile-optimized processor technology, good mobile performance, and exceptional value. The 1.6 GHz speed resides at the very top of the spectrum for this processor (as of October 2005). It also features a 400 MHz front-side bus (FSB) and large 1 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.)

Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory (PC4200, DDR2 SDRAM) is a good start for power users, and it offers a very fast 533 MHz speed. It has two memory slots, enabling you to add more power to handle graphics-intensive presentations and multiple open business productivity applications.

CD/DVD Drive: The double-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 4x DVD+R DL, 2x DVD-R DL, 4x for both DVD+R/RW, 8x DVD-R, 2x DVD-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, and 24x/10x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.

Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 85-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad. It also offers a launch button for the Express CD/DVD media player and control buttons (play, stop, next, previous). </ul> Screen, Graphics and Sound
The A105-S171 has a 15.4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the ATI Radeon XPress 200M IGP video/graphics card, which delivers good, though not high-end, 3D graphics. It delivers up to 128 MB of video RAM shared with the system RAM. ATI's HyperMemory technology allows the chipset to run in either Unified Memory Architecture (UMA) mode or with dedicated frame buffer memory to enhance graphics performance. It also features an integrated audio card with headphone and microphone jacks.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The A105-S171 has an integrated Atheros 802.11b/g wireless-LAN that enables you to easily connect at wireless hotspots wherever you roam You get a fairly basic offering of connectivity options: <ul>

4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players

1 VGA monitor port

1 S-Video out

1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus)

1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack </ul> It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Gigabit Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 operating system with Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes preloaded with Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, McAfee AntiVirus, InterVideo WinDVD and WinDVD Creator, Sonic Solutions RecordNow.

Dimensions and Weight
This notebook measures 14.2 x 10.5 x 1.45 (WxDxH) and weighs 6 pounds.

Power
It's powered by a 4-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 1.5 hours (depending on usage). It has a 4-hour full charging time with the notebook off, and 12 hours with the computer active.

What's in the Box
This package contains the A105-S171 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.

Customer Reviews:

Very disappointed, very slow, hangs all the time, some software will not work on this!.......2007-01-04

This is my second Toshiba and, unfortunately, it will be my last. The first Toshiba laptop I had began to have problems after about 18 months - slowed down considerably, had keys that kept falling off, and once when I had to re-install the entire operating system took TWO DAYS to install from the discs.

But, I bought another one thinking it was a good price and a solid computer. I do like the fact that it's very sturdy, you could basically drop it and it wouldn't damage and the screen is beautiful. But......it's very slow, I cannot get Adobe Photoshop to work on it without many launchings and rebootings (it freezes all the time). As I use Photoshop hundreds of times a day this is time-wasting and extremely frustrating. Some of the games I play on it have problems launching sometimes also.

Now, the Backspace key has fallen off (and I've only had this computer for 5 months) and it seems to be getting slower and slower. I've deleted programs, re-indexed etc. but it's not making any difference.

All in all, it's becoming frustrating to use this. There are some features I like but overall I feel like it was a big waste of money.

(April 22nd - I've now owned it for about EIGHT months and the DVD drive has stopped working. NO CDs, DVDs or Computer Games will play on it - NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!)

Brittle Keys.......2006-12-31

I've owned many notebook computers, but this is the first one I've had that started shedding keys from its keyboard--the little plastic snap moldings on the underside of the keys broke-off. After 6 months of problem-free use, I lost the "N" key. The day after I ordered a replacement key from an eBay vendor, I lost the "U" key. Shortly thereafter, it was the "S" key. So after $36 in replacement keys (including shipping), I finally ordered a replacement keyboard--which I received and installed today. Other than the keyboard, it's been a great computer, but the pain of the key issue earns it a mere 2 stars for me.

Very happy with my purchase.......2006-03-03

I bought this model with a dvd/cdrw instead of the dvdrw/cdrw. Though not guaranteed, mine came with a single 512 meg module, thus I could add more memory to the other slot without having to take any out.

I got this to succeed an HP Pavilion AMD Duron ZE series laptop. I got the HP a few years ago after trying a lot of laptops, because I liked the keyboard feel (I typed without looking on many keyboards and the HP had the fewest keyboard-caused typos) and I found the text sharp. Over time I was held back by: 1) the sound never worked without stuttering, 2) even with a memory upgrade, it was very slow running XP SP2, and 3) the screen was hard to read in a brightly lit room. I could fix none of these, even after removing every memory resident program, uninstalling all unnecessary software, and using a professional defrag program. But the laptop otherwise served me well. One thing I learned about laptops: their performance is influenced largely by the rotational speed of the hard drive and the amount of memory you put in.

The Toshiba, which I got on sale, has been a joy. For a budget laptop, it is one of the few I have found with a 5400 rpm hard drive, and this makes a huge real world difference! I also added another gigabyte to the empty slot for a total of 1.5 gigs: very easy to do. Everything works quickly and I have found no little annoying things! The screen is marvelous: huge and bright. Dvd's are gorgeous, especially when using the Dvd player's widescreen mode. The sound is great. 4 high speed USB ports are wonderful, as they fill up quickly! The wireless not only works very well, but has a conveniently located on/off switch, so you can turn it off to save energy, a feature not available on the wireless card I added to the HP. I also like the fact that the Toshiba's only "extra" buttons are dvd-type controls (play, pause, etc.). I find too many extra buttons goofy. The Toshiba is also lighter than the HP and is thinner. I'm amazed.

On the down side, yes they saved money on the battery. I do not have experience of long battery lives on laptops in the past couple of years anyway, so I wasn't surprised. The battery comes out easily if you want to buy an extra. I'm used to taking my a/c adapter everywhere. Yet another pleasant surprise is that the a/c adapter is smaller and lighter than my HP's. Since I take it wherever I take the laptop, this is actually an important feature!

Overall, I'm thrilled. I've read some complaints about other variations of the Satellite line, but I have read of no problems with the A105 series, and this was a very important consideration for me.

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