Don't be fooled by the price

I have always been impressed with the quality of Panasonic products. So when my elcheapo first DVD player bit the dust after only 8 months of occasional use I decided to go with the electronics brand I have never been dissatisfied with, Panasonic. I walked into a neighborhood electronics store with a $100 gift card, $25 in my bank account with 3 days til pay day and a rented DVD at home that I really wanted to see that night. Walking in I was worried that my gift card would only get me another elcheapo DVD player in which case I would wait until payday. After browsing thru the selection of players I came upon the Panasonic DVD RV32K, after looking at the price tag several times out of disbelief and checking the connections on the back of the unit and reading the product info card I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed with this player.
The picture quality from this player is somewhat better than VCR quality using a RCA video connection but is superbly crisp and clear using S-video connection. This player does also have component video output as well but unfortunately my TV does not provide the corresponding inputs. In my personal opinion there is very little difference between S-video and component video connections unless you are a professional. Basically, component video connections does what it says breaks the video signal down into 3 separate components using a separate RCA type cable to transfer the video signal from the player to the TV. The big plus here is that you have 3 different cables carrying the signal compared to one.
This machine does lack progressive scan which is supposed to improve picture quality but to be honest with you I can't tell with this machine. The player does also have a neat little feature called Cinema. Cinema has 3 different settings:
Cinema 1: mellows images and enhances detail in dark scenes Cinema 2: sharpens images and enhances detail in dark scenes
Normal: no adjustment to the picture

The sound quality from this machine is also excellent when connected to a surround sound system using the optical output on the DVD player, personally I don't care but for those of you that prefer to use a digital coax instead of optical you will be out of luck with this machine because it does not have a coax output. If you don't have a surround sound system this machine has a neat feature called advanced surround which basically tries to imitate true surround sound using only two speakers. Of course a true surround sound is much better but the imitated surround sound is quite good if you are at the right viewing distance. To figure the optimal position to get the most from advanced surround you should measure the distance between the 2 speakers (either on the TV or stereo speakers) that will carry the DVD audio and then multiply that number by 3 or 4 and that is the optimal distance to enjoy the advanced surround sound.
One of my favorite features of this player is the dialogue enhancer. It does basically what it says, increases the dialogue volume in relation to background music, sound effects, etc. I find this feature very helpful when watching action/war type movies that have alot of gunfire, explosions, helicopters, etc in the midst of dialogue.
The final audio feature of this machine is called Bass Plus it is utilized by connecting a subwoofer to a dedicated subwoofer output on the back of the unit, supposedly it increases the bass level but unfortunately I have been unable to test it because my sub does not offer a corresponding input.
The operation of this player is also very good. All of the setup menu's are quite easy to navigate and adjust.
My only complaint about this machine is the remote design. The remote is about as comfortable to hold as a porcupine and has many small buttons that can be easily confused when trying to find the right button in low light.