Surprising Picture Quality - Panasonic DVD-S54

Advantages: Incredible picture quality when compared to my old non-upscaling player with a scart lead
Disadvantages: Sometimes disc drive can be really noisy when DVD's initially load.

...At first I wasn't convinced by up-scaling DVD player technology but was persuaded after reading an article in "What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision" magazine. Unable to afford a Blu-Ray player my sister and I bought the Panasonic DVD-S54 to match our parents brand new Panasonic TX-32LZD80 LCD television as their Christmas 2008 present. Admittedly it was a slightly selfish purchase as we both live at home and wanted to watch DVDs on the big new TV ourselves! We bought the player from the electrical retailer Comet for about £100 just before Christmas so there were no discounts applied. On Christmas day when opened we found a relatively small box tightly packed with the player in polystyrene packaging. All the components such as cables, remote and manuals were well presented in their own protective plastic bags, to keep them protected. The player...

bobbacon985 12.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Panasonic DVD-S54

The Charles Bridge

Advantages: Free entrance, beutifully built, historic attraction
Disadvantages: Can get very busy

...Charles Bridge is probably one of Pragues most recognised landmarks. For many years, Charles Bridge was the only way to cross the River Vltava that flows through the middle of the City. Nowadays there are many bridges connecting Old Town Prague and the New Town but there is still something very special about the Charles Bridge that makes it stand out from all the others. Charles Bridge is an old stone gothic bridge which is lined with numerous statues of saints. The bridge was built from sandstone blocks and was commissioned by Charles IV, after whom the bridge was named, in 1357. Today, the Charles Bridge can only be crossed on foot, but with it being a very popular attraction in Prague, it is literally crammed with crowds of people all day long. There is no fee for crossing the bridge but tourists are invited to walk up the tower...

Jamie73 13.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Charles Bridge, Prague

YAMAHA DVD-S 557 this is THE DVD player of all time.

Advantages: Brilliant DVD player, perfect quality
Disadvantages: cant think of any

......

plainpaul 22.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Yamaha DVD-S 557

FREE DVDs

Advantages: Free trial, large choice, post included,new realeases
Disadvantages: see review

...I like movies and I like freebies, so when you get offered both in one swoop you?re bound to accept! I used my two week free trial with this company and remained with them for a couple of monthsbefore moving on to try many other companies free trials (and winning a new DVD player on Tesco DVD rental site on their free trial offer). I then had an email from DVDs 365 asking me to go back, and offering me a free DVD if I did so. I had just left Tesco (with my new DVD player) so I chose to go back with them. ∆◊◊ THE SERVICE THEY OFFER ∆◊◊ Basically it?s like going to a video shop and hiring films on DVD, except you don?t pay for each film you chose ? rather a monthly fee for which you can watch as many movies as you can fit in, for us this is usually around 8 a month (2 a week usually weekends...

dabmim 15.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of dvds365.com

More Prince Charles than King Charles...

Advantages: Grand, atmospheric bedrooms and posh bathrooms
Disadvantages: Disappointing breakfast, lack of facilities, distance from town centre.

...I'd wanted to go to Prague for YEARS and finally got my wish in December 2008 when my boyfriend and I went over for three nights to get into the Christmas spirit with mulled wine and gingerbread. I'd thoroughly recommend the city for a short break, but this review is about our hotel. We booked through lastminute.com, and it came down to a choice between the King Charles and a very modern plate-glass-and-red-Perspex type edifice that was only built in 2007. We decided to go with the King Charles as I thought it looked a little bit grand and Gothic and atmospheric and was more in-keeping with the 'feel' of Prague. I'm not one for all mod-cons. It was listed a four-star hotel but it was on offer so we paid only about £25 each per night. When we received our confirmation email, the hotel reception also offered to come and collect us...

Teteenlair 26.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of King Charles Boutique Hotel Residence, Prague

DVD S-27 the best a man can get

Advantages: looks good, great picture and sound playback, slimmline, easy to use
Disadvantages: no obvious disadvantages

...I have owned my Panasonic DVD S-27 now since late 2004 after a number of magazines rated it as a good quality entry level player and I liked the design and range of features it offered for what was at the time a reasonable price (£149.99). Being rather slimline for DVD players of its time, the front loading unit is only 5.5cm high and 43cm in width, which meant that it could sit on top of my TV within the cabinet without blocking the remote control sensors. I was mightily pleased with the performance, picture quality and sound that came when playing DVDs through the S-27 but my enjoyment was multiplied when I upgraded my TV to a Plasma LCD with surround sound. At the recommendation of a friend from work I tried running DVD's through my XBOX 360 as he had mentioned the picture quality to be much better than his own DVD player...

tristangodfrey 07.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of Panasonic DVD-S 27

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Advantages: Very pretty, very loyal, dont need as much exercise as other breeds
Disadvantages: Highly strung, expensive

...My dad has always kept dogs. At the moment he has two: Charlie, a Chocolate Labrador and Roger, an Old English Sheepdog, before them there was Jasper, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Magic, Border Collie and Cassie a German Shepherd. If you take all the pets we had growing up throughout our childhood we could easily have run a farm! I loved Jasper. He became one of my favourite pets. I know, I know, I shouldn't have favourites but he was gorgeous! Sure he could be highly strung sometimes but he was so cute and adorable you couldn't help but love him ~*~ History ~*~ Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's originate from King Charles Spaniels, don't get them confused, they are separate breeds. They were bred to have a more pronounced head and a flatter face. Cavaliers were a cross between King Charles and the Cocker Spaniel...

angel530 03.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

SDR S26

Advantages: Size, quality, reputation, ease of use. truly pocket size
Disadvantages: none

...Having been stuck with a busted camcorder on the morning on an important family visit, I dashed to a major electrical store to source a replacement, stumbled across this camera, researched the others on display and chose the S26 for ease of use, merit for the make (I bought Lumix TZ5 and have been really pleased with it, quality, capabilities etc, great lens) and general feel for the camera. in my opinion, X70 zoom works very well, resolution excellent for an "older" user and their "junior" assistants. I think that Transfer speed is not rapid, but "so what" in a camera at this price point. Very happy to recommend for general everyday trouble free use. BUT buy it on line for £60 less than the big stores and be even more satisfied that I am Ron...

migloi2 17.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Panasonic SDR-S26

A great DVD player if you're not into HD yet

Advantages: Picture and sound quality, plays most file formats, huge array of options
Disadvantages: No HDMI or upscaling

...With the plethora of DVD recorders out there, and now the availability of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, does it still make sense to buy a plain old DVD player? If that player is the Panasonic S-33, then the answer is yes. Barring the HD formats above and SACD, it will play just about any format you throw at it. Its DivX playback is probably one of the reason you are reading this. Of course, you can get most of these playback features with a cheapo, low-quality player, but read on... The DVD picture quality on a standard TV is, quite simply, stunning for a DVD player at any price. However, it lacks the HDMI output and upscaling of of its sister product the S-53, so this player is perhaps not the first choice if you have an HD TV. But on my CRT telly, the picture is above broadcast quality in my view, with no visible compression artifacts...

PGregory 20.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Panasonic DVD-S33

Fuji FinePix S1500. Descendant of the S1000fd

Advantages: Huge zoom, Focus Tracking, Easy to use
Disadvantages: Bulky, A little slow, AA batteries are a bit inconvenient

...The Fuji FinePix S1500 is the latest incarnation of the very successful FinePix S1000fd. It is very SLR-like in appearance and the added bulk of the battery-holder/grip does give it an assured feeling in your hands. Of course, this can be a disadvantage, and if you want a camera that you can just slip in-and-out of your pocket, then maybe a slimmer compact should be considered. The 12x optical zoom is excellent and it equates to 33-396mm in 35mm terms - and if this isn't enough, there is a 5.7x digital zoom feature too. The menus are friendly and easy to navigate, and there are helpful explanatory prompts that appear on thew LCD screen when the mode-dial setting is changed. There are 14 preset scenes to choose from, each setting the camera to its optimum settings for the given scenario, but on top of this, the camera can be used...

rabidbadger 31.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Fujifilm FinePix S1500