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Review: First look at Panasonic DMP-BD55 blu ray player

December 6, 2008



The Panasonic DMP-BD55 represents a very real challenge to the PS3 for Blu-ray supremacy. Playstation 3 represents a near perfect Blu-ray player through constant updates and its variety of audio decoding options. Some of the earlier players lacked the latest profile and the plethora audio decoding options that Playstation 3 is capable of. Furthermore at the price around $400 which includes game playback, the Playstation 3 is very attractive option for high definition player.

The Panasonic DMP-BD55 offers up a great alternative to Playstation 3 if your not looking for a game machine along with your Blu-ray player. The one thing that bothered me a lot with Playstation 3 was that it used Bluetooth for remote interface. This was hinderance if you wanted a universal remote control for your entire high definition enertainment system.

The main attraction for this player is that it has the latest features when it comes to Blu-ray discs. This means profile 2.0 that supports BD-Live features that are included in most of the newer Blu-ray
movies. Also, the player has ethernet port that naturally comes with profile 2.0 players. This means it will be fairly easy to update your player should there be need for future updates. Another nice addtion
is the SD card reader. You can pop in your SD card from camera or other devices such as mp3 player. You can view picutres from your digital cameras. The unit itself is standard looking player. The center has the disc tray for your disc with LCD on the left. On the right there is flip down face that has access to SD card slot and playback function buttons. The player seems smaller than most other players. It's not work of art. It's functional unit thats easy on the eye.

The video and audio playback is the real selling point of this unit. The test run with several Blu-ray movies revealed nothing out of ordinary. I played the Batman Begins and Transformers. Both of these
movies have great action sequences that should reveal artifacts and jaggies. I paused in several places to look for jaggies and none were present. I'm sure more comprehensive tests could be done but 99.9% of the people wont notice any difference even on big screen television sets. The upconversion was excellent as well. Some of you with the big DVD collection might place importance on upconversion capability.

The audio quality was great. I have a receiver that decodes high definition audio streams so the onboard decoding wasn't as useful as it might be for some other people. The onboard decoding can handle Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD master audio. The player also supports the legacy analog audio via 7.1 channel connectivity.

Overall, this is an excellent stand alone player if you don't wish to go with Playstation 3. The price point of around $400.00 (less during holidays) might be little more expensive than some players. But, it
is well worth the price for this feature rich player.


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Rating:

Video Review

Written by admin · Filed Under Exclusive Reviews, Reviews 

Review of Panasonic DMP-BD35 blu ray player

December 6, 2008



Panasonic updates their mainstream consumer Blu-ray disc player with the DMP-BD35k. Like Samsung and for obvious reasons, Sony, Panasonic has jumped on Blu-ray band wagon early on. They introduced the popular DMP-BD30 as the mainstream consumer model. However, the DMP-BD30 lacked many features that are now standard on most of new models. Mainly, it lacked high defintion audio decoding and Profile 2.0 compliant with the BD LIVE features on the newer Blu-ray movie discs. The DMP-BD35 fixes these problem.

The DMP-BD35 supports new sleek design over the DMP-BD30 model. The length is same as the old model but the width and depth has been drastically reduced. Also, the new model cuts about almost 4 lbs over the older model. The DMP-BD35 sports black glossy finish. The disc tray is located in the middle with the LCD to the left of center. The other function buttons are hidden behind pull down tray at the base of the player. There are plenty of connectivity including HDMI, component video, SD card reader and the important Ethernet. There are no direct 7.1 channel audio output which might deter some buyers. But, the SD card reader is definitely a big plus. The player supports the Profile 2.0 out of the box which is nice bonus. And, future firmware upgrade should be easy with the ethernet port.

The video quality is stellar. The colors were spot on without any noticeable hue difference. Again, different set up might produce different results from the player. I've ran it through two different television set and found them to be consistantly excellent. I noticed no jaggies or artifacts watching Batman Begins disc. The addition of high definition audio will be a great plus for many buyers. If you have older receivers, the decoding of high defintion audio might not be possible. This model will decode most high definition audio formats including Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD Master audio. As I've stated earlier you can go with analog 7.1 channel only thorugh receiver. Otherwise, the quality of audio is simply amazing.

If you already own older model with latest receiver, this might not be a necessary upgrade. Even if you want the Profile 2.0 which has limited support as of now. However, for little more money, this player will had onboard decoding of the latest high definition audio as well as latest profile support. And the video and audio quality simply amazing.


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Rating:

 

Video Review

Written by admin · Filed Under Exclusive Reviews, Reviews 

Exclusive Review: Sony BDP-S550 Blu Ray Player

December 6, 2008



The Sony BDP-S550 represents an upgrade to the popular entry level BDP-S350. Like Samsung's BD-2500's upgrade over BD-1500, this player adds few more features as well as audio processing from the entry level models at a nomial cost increase. The BDP-S550 includes out of the box support for most of high definition audio decoding as well as bitstream capability. Also, it includes ethernet and USB connectivity as well as internal storage capacity.

As with Samsung's upgrade, the Sony BDP-S550 looks remarkably similar to the BDP-S350 model. The tray dominate the middle of the player with LCD screen to the right of the tray. The basic play back function at the far right. The true 24 fps light is there when the play back is at true 24 frames. The back contains all the connectivities. These include the analog 7.1 channel output, HDMI, ethernet, usb port, and your s-video, and component outputs. Most people would probably only use the HDMI and the various audio outputs.

BDP-S550 adds profile 2.0 out of the box unlike the previous BDP-S350. It's not a huge deal since BDP-S350 can be upgraded to profile 2.0 via firmware upgrade. Most significantly, The BDP-S550 adds the onboard decoding capability of DTS-HD high resolution audio and DTS-HD Master audio. These can be handy if you don't have receiver capable of decoding these audio. Also, the 7.1 channel might be useful if you have that home theater set up. Another addition is the 1 GB worth of internal storage available which might come handy for various BD-LIVE features or just storing digital medias files.

The video quality is outstanding as usual. Most players will display great video quality. The pictures were vibrant and sharp. I didn't notice any artifacts or jagginess. The fast motion sequence were
flawless as well. The upconversion of regular DVDs were not as sharp as I'd like them to be. However, you can't expect too much in upconversion as it is just a bonus in my opinion. You buy the Blu-ray player to play Blu-ray movies. This does not mean it looks terrible. It just means your dvds are not going to be as good as the blu-ray movies. The plethora of audio output option is nice to have. I have the 7.1 channel set up and it sounds pretty good. I've ran it through receiver and directly from the unit itself. I did not notice any drop off in sound quality.This is a great player to go along with your high defintion television set. As of writting, you can purchase this player at sub $400.00 price mark in various retailers and internet retailers. This is solid performing unit at a competitive price.


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Rating:

Video Review

Written by admin · Filed Under Exclusive Reviews, Reviews 

Samsung BD-P2500 Review - First Impression

November 29, 2008



As the manufacturer to first release a Blu-ray disc player, Samsung has enjoyed the status as one of premier manufacturers when it comes to Blu-ray disc player. Most of us don't need introduction to Samsung as they make great consumer electronics. The korean company has come very far in reaching and perhaps surpassing Sony as the most recognized consumer electronic brand. As such, we come to expect solid, if not great players from Samsung. Their previous main consumer player, BD-P1500, has been pretty popular player with solid performance at a great price. This player builds on the success with added features such as Profile 2.0, ethernet and USB connectivity, and added audio supports.

The player looks pretty identical to the BD-P1500. You have the tray on the left side of the player. The LCD display is positioned in the middle with basic playback function buttons on the right side. The glossy finish welcome change from the BD-P1500's finish. Other than that, it is pretty similar player with different connectivity. The player comes with ethernet and USB connectivity. This is handy for updating firmware as well as enjoying the BD-LIVE feature on the new blu-ray movies. One thing that is missing is the SD card reader. The SD card reader would have been nice little addition as most consumers have digital cameras.

The video quality is just amazing on this player. All the blu-ray discs played without any flaws. No jaggieness, motion blur, or choppy sequences were detected in any of the blu-ray movies I played. I played the entire Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy on the player and detected no artifacts. If there is any defects, I doubt anybody can notice it without trying. The audio options are great. It has your standard analog 7.1 channel audio ports should you not have a receiver. It can natively decode DTS-HD, Dolby digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD. Rest of the high definition audio formats can be bitstreamed to your receiver for decoding. If don't have receiver for your audios, this player might be pretty good choice.

Overall, this is solid successor to the BD-P1500 player from Samsung. At this time, this player can be pruchased at less than $400.00 in various retail outlets as well as internet. There are no visible flaws with this player in terms of video or audio quality as well as solid construction. Highly recommended!

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Rating:

 

Video Review

Written by admin · Filed Under Exclusive Reviews, Reviews 

Newly released Blu-ray player Sony BDP-S350 review sent in by Daniel Cantwell from Ottawa.

November 21, 2008



I bought this player with the1.2 firmware and it was great. Yes, it did take a very long time to load Independence Day - almost 3 full minutes. That is due to the disc predominantly using Java (BD-J) for interactivity. Few days ago I flash updated the firmware to 2.60 in about 15 minutes. See manufacturer's web site for the firmware and carefully follow the instructions. They will even provide you with the disc.
I purchased a 46" HDTV and a Toshiba HD-A20 1080p HD DVD Player player along with this Blu-ray Disc Player. I wanted to see the results of both Blu-Ray and HD DVD before investing in more expensive units. I must say that the image and sound quality of the Blu-Ray player is quite impressive There needs to be a ethernet port or some other way to access updates online direct to this player, a wireless method possibly? My Toshiba HD DVD player has the CAT-5 ethernet port and it makes updating (not exactly simple) more flexible. Manufacture's website offers the image (ISO) burn to DVDR method for updating, but this seems not convenient at best. One other thing I immediately noticed is how whisper quiet this player is. There is no noticeable fan noise whatsoever. Compare this to the Toshiba HD-XA2 fan, which has a sound resembling the whine of a tiny fighter jet.

The remote often does nothing. Why? I assume something is happening; chapter moves are iffy. ou need to weigh the benefits carefully. If you are moving one chapter forward then you may as well wait - the remote control operation is that flaky. We have DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 coming out now. The color quality is exceptional and images are very sharp. When playing regular DVD's the images aren't as sharp naturally. There is small fan noise during dvd playback, which was only audible with the tv turned off. While the movie is playing, I couldn't hear the fan at all. The display on the front is a gray-blue. There are 4 brightness settings (High-Med-Low-Off), which can be accessed with one button on the top bottom of the remote. Very convenient. With the display turned off, this is a very nice viewing experience. There is also an additional display button on the remote, which tells you the TRT of the disc, which chapter you are watching, time remaining in the chapter, and bit rate.

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Rating:

4 Blu-ray rating

 

 

Review was sent in by Daniel Cantwell. Send in your reviews to Admin@buyblurayplayers.com

Written by admin · Filed Under Reviews 

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