Panasonic DVDS97EBS

[chris210972]

does anyone own this dvd player, if so how do u rate it?
i i've just ordered a hitachi 32pd5200 plasma and was thinking of getting this dvd player.

[andya]

have connected it to my sanyo z3 projector and thought the quality was awful until my mate came around and changed the settings ,now i have a fantastic picture at 720 p the menu is a bit fiddly but once you are used to it its ok through hdmi it is amazing really sharp and bags of detail highly recommended considering its low price

Hi Chris,

I have it with the same plasma as you (albeit 42pl5200) and I am extremely pleased with this.
Like the post above it requires a bit of tweaking, but the results are brilliant (more so when you consider the price).
I'm not sure if the 32" hitatchi has a DVID input. I assume it does as mine does, and if so, buy a DVID to HDMI cable (or get adapter which is cheaper) from keeneelectronics.com and run the audio thro' your amp.
the results are quite brilliant.

I would recommend this player very highly. I looked at a few comparable and found this to be the best for me.

[Such]

I have one too - what tweaking did you need to do?

Thanks

Hi, sorry I should explain, the tweaking was really on the plasma to compliment the original settings on the dvd player.



cheers

[3wrLcs]

Not used my S97 yet as only received it today, good to see in the manual that there is some adjustment for lip sync for people without that facility on their amp.

Brendan

[chris210972]

i have a problem guys that hopefully u'll be able to help we with.

i have received my 325200 today and i hooked it up to my pioneer 575 dvd player (no received panasonic player yet) using an ixos component cable.

problem i am having is the colour of the picures, they are almost yellow.

i've tried scart to scat and thats fine its just a problem when i use the compionent leads.
it makes no difference whether i set the player to interlaced or progressive, its still got that yellow picture.

can anyone help???

[John redcliffe]

Hi,

Can anyone help?

I have connected my pan dvd from HDMI TO DVI on plasma, I can only get sound via stereo jack to phono, not through the HDMI lead is this correct. Also when changing to the DVD channel on my tv the screen flickers and ni sync signal appears and then flickers some more and goes off everything is ok from there. The picture (colours) are outstanding, I played bad boys 2 in re-mastered HD format, amazing, even standard dvds are better, but I just have the issue with the screen flickering at the beginning. Also I have no where to plug in my surround sound?

Cheers

John

[Freightmaster]

Originally Posted by John redcliffe

I have connected my pan dvd from HDMI TO DVI on plasma, I can only get sound via stereo jack to phono, not through the HDMI lead is this correct?

Yes. While HDMI is a combined audio+video connection, DVI is video only,
as it was originally designed for use with computer monitors. So if you use
an HDMI to DVI cable (or adapter), you will only be able to feed the video,
not the sound...

I have no where to plug in my surround sound?

To get DD/DTS, you will have to run an optical or coaxial cable
from the DVD player to your amp.


HTH,


~ MARK ~

[gandley]

I use the S97 along with the Sim2 300extra-H and i must say the pic the S97 spits out is very very good. However to get the best from it you will need to upgrade to firmware version 541. this fixes a few faults and after a bit of watching has tamed MBE (macroblocking).
Also it is very imprtant to calibrate your display as best you can, setting brightness and contrast just right is vital (get a copy of Avia or Digital video essentials for all the test patterns etc). bit tricky to get right but once done the picture takes on a new dimension. I must say i find the HDMI output of the S97 quite a bit better than the component out. in fact i wouldnt use it if i was forced to component, but with HDMI the pic is on par with the denon 3910, but not quite as sharp as say the pio868 but suffers less problems so is a trade off. For £149 its an absolute steal if you can find one.

[mgebbet]

Is the firmware upgrade a dealer only upgrade or is it possible to do it yourself?

Do most new players have this latest firmware?

Thanks,

Mark

[p5yco]

i know this has probably been asked before but here goes anyway, if i was to get a panasonic s97, what is the latest firmware available for it which i need. bearing in mind that i live in the uk, it will be a uk player, playing all pal discs? thanks

[gandley]

OK

the firmware is no different from other region models, except i guess the far east.
The latest firmware revision is 541.
The update is very easy to do, you download the file and burn it to disc as a normal data file. easiest way is to use win XP own burning software.(ie use 'send to', to send the file to your re writer.
Plug the disc in with your tv turned on. if you need the update the S97 will say "you need this update do you whish to continue" or somthing like that. click yes and it updates. follow last few onscreen instructions and your done. Its that easy.

[p5yco]

with version 541 does this affect the playability at all, i read somewhere that people were upgrading to 536 as a newer version has problems playing with pal discs?

p.s where is the easiest and safest place to download 541?

[gandley]

There is also version 540 which some reported issues but i didnt see any but a slight pixel crop which was the same as version 536.
Pixel crop has been reduced with 541 and i see no other issues.

Pal playback seems aok to me.

Download firmware 541 from here. (as said im using this and i am UK based)

720p output does seem cleaner now than it did before.

http://www.mechwollier.de/pana_s97/DVDPUPDT.FRM