Hi,

I want to upgrade to a progressive scan dvd player. The basic requirements are good video quality and mp3 playback. From what I read, Panasonic RP56 is the best in my price range, but it does not have a coaxial digital output and I don't want to throw my cable away and get an optical one.

Other players I am considering are:

Toshiba SD3750
Toshiba SD3755
Samsung N701
Apex AD800

How do they compare to the RP56? Are there other good players in this price range? Any player that can display mp3 title encoded in songs?

Thanks!

Spend $15 for the optical cable. It's worth it.

Does your TV accept a progressive signal? If not a progressive scan DVD player will be useless to you.

I'm starting to look at the progressive models myself. Do all the these to the 3:2 pulldown?

I know the Pannie does, don't know about the others. The RP56 is $217 at Best Buy this week.

I have a Toshiba CW34X92, very nice 16:9 set. BTW, what's different for Toshiba's Color stream component video input, are they just a marketing thing for component video input?

It's just a marketing thing. I actually heard a salesman at "big box" electronics store say to a couple, "this player has Color Stream outputs(pointing at a Toshiba) and this one doesn't(he was pointing to a Panasonic 56, which does have component outputs)."

I have the Toshiba 6200 dual-tray and am very happy with it. Since it's last year's model, I'm sure there are some decent prices to be had on it.

The only progressive deck I've seen that doesn't do 3:2 pulldown, is the Pioneer 424.

The JVC SV-X60 can be had for about $210-$250, and it competes fairly well with the Panasonic RP56. With its SAGE deinterlacing chip, the RP56 is supposed to deinterleave better than the JVC, but the JVC has a lot of scaling features that the Panasonic doesn't.

The scaling is more important if your display locks you into a "standard" format whenever it sees a progresive input. Most largly a problem if you're trying to watch a full frame DVD (like a TV show). But ... not all TVs lock in format with a progressive input. If your's does, take a good look at the JVC.

Edited for this PS - The JVC does have a coaxial digital audio connection.

And this one ... As far as I know, the JVC and the Panasonic are two of very few machines that don't have the chroma bug.

Ooops. Missed this part of your original question.

See my first post in this thread (just a couple posts up from here). The JVC I mentioned in that post does do MP3.

I recently bought the RP-56 to replace my old player which finally died.
Aside from having to buy another digital cable, I've been very satisfied with the purchase.
The image quality is outstanding. The sound quality is as well. It's going to take a little while to get used to Panasonic's on screen menu system, though.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the player. Especially at this price point, it's an excellent player.

Ditto everything in this post, especially about the menu system. It's so bad and time-consuming that I'm planning to get a universal remote with lots of macros to make things like changing subtitles and audio streams one-touch. It was all so easy and intuitive with my 1997 Sony 3000, but really clunky on the 2001 Panny 56 - the technology has advanced, but the ergonomics have receded.

Does anyone here have the Tosh 3750? I was leaning towards the Panny RP56, but after looking over the Tosh, it looks like a great player and is cheaper by me (its $199 at a local 6th Ave. electronics, as opposed to the $220 at my local BB).

I have a 36" Sony XBR400, and would really like to take full advantage of what it has to offer - I currently have a Tosh 2109. I love it, but if I could do better...........