Panasonic DVD-XP30

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  David Katzmaier
• Reviewed on: 09/30/2002

Though Panasonic's DVD-XP30 doesn't have all the bells and whistles of its more feature-rich and pricier brother, the , it does offer the same ultraslim, chrome-clad design and strong, progressive-scan video performance. For some folks, forgoing a few extras--most notably DVD-Audio (DVD-A) support--will make it worthwhile to save $50 or so on this model. However, buyers with an audiophile streak will want to spend the extra dough on the XP50.Though Panasonic's DVD-XP30 doesn't have all the bells and whistles of its more feature-rich and pricier brother, the , it does offer the same ultraslim, chrome-clad design and strong, progressive-scan video performance. For some folks, forgoing a few extras--most notably DVD-Audio (DVD-A) support--will make it worthwhile to save $50 or so on this model. However, buyers with an audiophile streak will want to spend the extra dough on the XP50.

Design
Like the XP50, the XP30 is a shade taller than two inches and takes up precious little space in an entertainment center. Still, this deck looks best atop a silver TV because its few buttons--Open/Close and Transport--are mounted on the top rather than out front. In fact, the only things that fit on the slim, mirrored face are the disc drawer and a spacey, violet-backlit LCD.

That novel display is the XP30's biggest flaw: it's tiny, hard to read, very bright, and impossible to dim. In terms of irritation, just imagine a 10-foot-tall exit sign at the front of the movie theater. OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the picture.

The rest of the XP30 is far more copacetic. The remote's buttons, while not backlit, are arranged well, which allows for easy navigation by feel. The setup menus lack explanatory text, but navigating them is simple enough. Another plus: a well-designed display menu gives access to more advanced functions that are relevant during playback, such as Search and Picture modes.

Features
As noted, the XP30 isn't quite as decked out as the XP50 in the features department. While this Panasonic handles a multitude of formats--including DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RW--it doesn't support DVD-RAM and DVD-A discs. DVD-A uses 5.1-channel, analog-audio outputs and requires a receiver or a pre-amp with matching inputs. Also, the XP30 leaves out such audio bonuses as Panasonic's Remaster feature, which resamples CD music to 24 bits, and Audio Only, which shuts off the video circuitry to supposedly reduce interference.

The XP30's MP3 capabilities are among the best that we've seen, and along with the XP50, this deck is one of the first to support WMA files. The XP30 displays filenames and the disc's file tree, including folder names (for instance, album titles). It can play an entire disc of MP3s at random and can even search for a song anywhere on the disc when you enter a few letters of the filename--very nice. Continue reading

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