Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DVD-A120 DVD Player

I purchased one of these about 6 months ago. I was initially very pleased with it, but it now tracks really poorly, leading to annoying pixelation, even on brand-new disks. I wouldn't recommend it given the failures mentioned in other reviews.

All the good reviews are right - the picture is great the sound is great, etc. I enjoyed mine immensely - until it turned into a giant paperweight, with the pixelation/lock-up problems mentioned in numerous reviews. I would not recommend this nor will I ever buy ANY product made by Panasonic ever again, due to their total lack of customer support. Buy a Sony, a Pioneer or a Toshiba - anything's better than Panasonic.

PS: For all of those who wrote positive reviews, I am sorry in advance for when your machines fail...

It seems there is a trend here. I also loved my Panasonic player until it melted down - just like the others in these reviews.

The repair guy says he can order a new board (as the chips aren't replaceable) for $150 - total repair price over $200.

I bought it exactly 13 months ago - so much for a one year warranty. Panasonic won't admit to any problem with these chips and won't repair it under warranty.

If this many machines are going bad with exactly the same symptons (pixelization, sound cutting in and out, then locking up), shoudn't Panasonic step up and recall them or at least honor the warranty one month over the date?

I am buying a Sony and will never buy Panasonic again.

I purshased the DVD-A120 from a local electronics retailer in June, and while it's seen less-than-average usage over the months, I've been very pleased with this units' performance. I was immediately drawn to it for it rich feature set (e.g. component video outputs, co-axial and optical digital audio outputs), within it price point. Over the months, though, I've haven't had any of the problems such as lock-ups and pixellation that some of the other reviewers have had, and I continue to be pleased with the units high-quality image, outstanding sound, and overall high-quality feel. Given an unlimited budget, the high-end ($1,000 +) Sony model would have been my choice, but for the money, I feel the Panasonic is one of the best players available.

The other comments about problems with this player are all true. Give this one a miss and buy another brand. I bought a Sony and are very happy after numerous problems with the Panasonic, including pixilation & lockups leading to total failure. Panasonic were totally unresponsive so I cut my loses!!!