Blu Ray Disc Players

For those who have been in the video industry for a long time, will surely say that the pioneer is one of the most respected brand names in the optical video industry. They had always played a major role in the history of the evolution of the video formats. Pioneer is one among the nine companies that are a part of the Blu-ray founders group. Here we discuss on Pioneer’s BDP-LX91, which is the latest hi-end model of the company that can almost be labelled as the reference model of Pioneer. The LX91 is the first Pioneer Blu-ray player to be tuned by London’s famous Air Studios. It is also Pioneer’s first Profile 2.0 and BD-Live compatible machine that comes complete with an Ethernet socket for internet connectivity.

The Pioneer BDP-LX91 Blu-Ray Disc Player has lot of its features taken from its last years BDP-LX71 model that had set a trend. As soon as you unbox the product, you would get the feel that a real treat is waiting for you straight away.

Built like a tank:

Pioneer describes the design of the player as, “ Built like a tank” and the player’s design justifies it being a square glossy tank. It is a bulky device weighing 13.8 kilograms and mimics the current series of the LX-AVR in terms of balance and finish. This player is made out of solid aluminium and the design is quite modular and the unit possesses a unique architecture such that each board is designed to perform a specific job which is unlike the current Panasonic Blu-ray players that do all their functions using a single chip. May be its that, having dedicated parts for each job, makes the job done to be perfect.

Pioneer BDP-LX91 BD-Live Blu Ray Player is certainly not a style icon, but has an interesting bulky look. The facia of the unit has a glossy black finish. This gloss black that the player is having cannot be compared to that of the other gloss blacks of that of the cheap players or even that of the PS3. This gloss black is less reflective and is completely scratch proof, finger prints are unavoidable though, but you will be able to wipe them off with a soft cloth and hence not ruining the delicate appearance of the unit. A great deal of attention has been paid to built quality and the components, for instance the choice of the capacitors used and the copper plated screws, which hold the entire system together. The wiring of the system has been twisted in a way that it minimises the noise.

Remote control:

The Pioneer BDP-LX91’s remote control is a good looking one and suitably functional. The brushed steel appearance adds a lot to its good looks, so good that it makes us wonder why Pioneer did not use it on the front of the player instead of going with the glossy black finish. The directional pad has a clicky feel and the ‘OK’ key in the middle of it too.

Hefty selection of outputs:

The rear of the unit has a quite a large selection of video and audio outputs. There are two HDMI outputs of which, one can be used to send video to a display and another to output only the audio to your speaker system. You might be wondering what is the need of two separate outputs, it is because HDMI packets the audio and video signals together and hence, this kind of a set-up will reduce distortion in the audio signal. The other connectivity available are, analogue Component video outputs and standard definition S-Video and Composite outputs. The availability of the analogue 7.1 surround outputs will make the owners of slightly older versions of audio equipments happy, that would allow them to enjoy high definition output in their existing device. There are eight Wolfson digital to analogue converters which means, one for each channel, but usually the other players in the market have one digital to analogue converter (DAC) which will be shared by the channels. A feature called Precision Quartz Lock System ( PQLS) is employed which is highly significant, which allows to control the clock frequency of the Blu-ray player. The audio clock has been entirely redesigned the audio clock to reduce jitter across all the outputs. The pure audio mode shuts down the video board maximising the performance. In addition to all these audio enhancing capabilities, the analogue audio board has a dedicated power supply which would give a final touch to the finishing.

The standard definition digital outputs are available, which means one optical and coaxial outputs are available. Being a profile 2.0 player, it supports a port for LAN, which enables the device to be connected to internet and also in firmware updates. The proprietary Pioneer control jack in the rear aids in the integration with the other Pioneer products. It has an internal memory of 4GB and so completely eliminates any need of memory cards. You will be able to view the BD live downloads and corresponding features with no fuss.

Clear menus:

The Pioneer BDP-LX91 Blu-Ray DVD player’s own on-screen menus are clear, concise and easy to navigate. The videophiles will be having a great time with the player as its comes with an extensive range of video adjustments. The adjustments that you can make includes black level, gamma correction, hues and colour intensity, sharpness and many more. The adjustments that you had made can also be saved to the memory in areas call “user banks”, three of them are available in Pioneer BDP-LX91 Blu-Ray DVD Player for your use. you you do not know that well about all these terms, Pioneer has offered you an excellent option, it has offered you modes that are designed specifically for different kinds of displays like projectors, LCD screens and Plasmas and it also has a specific video output optimised for its ninth generation Kuro PDPs.

Menu description:

Having included a lot of video adjustments, we will discuss about a few of them here. The prog motion adjusts the motion detection. This option is not effective for 1080p/24 BD movies. The pure cinema has its options as, Off, On, Auto1 or Auto2. The off will keep the player in the video deinterlasing mode, the on will consider the content as progressive weather or not it is so and the two Auto modes will attempt detection of the correct film cadence. YNR and CNR are temporal noise reduction options. Sharpness High and Sharpness Mid boost the sharpness of the High frequency and Mid frequency respectively. Using the Anamorphic Zoom mode, the player can be instructed to vertically stretch 2.35:1 material to remove letterboxing, so that an anamorphic lens can be placed in front of the projector to restore correct aspect ratio on a dedicated 2.35:1 projection setup.

A master in all the three playbacks:

The videos that are played using BDP-LX91 Blu-Ray Player from Pioneer cannot look better else where and with is DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack, the whole experience will be breath taking. If this is the case with the blu-ray side of performance, the LX91 is an excellent DVD player too having no jaggies and just the perfect quality. Its abilities as a CD player are surprising. With the absence of PQLS compatible amp, the details were very smooth and the images were at their best. With PQLS switched on the results are stunning audio fiesta of sound that is rich, crisp, potent and articulate.

The player is a breeze to use. The disc loading times have been improved considerably when compared with the previous Pioneer models. Though the speed is not as much as that of the PS3, it is still doing a great job.

Picture quality:

The deepest blacks are very pure, with rich colour rendition and naturality. The motion handling has also been phenomenal. The Pioneer BDPLX91’s unique Adaptive Length Expansion technology can reproduce the colours of a movie in their purest form, as they were originally recorded in which is done by restoring the eight bit video signal from a blu-ray disc back to the higher sixteen bit deep colour signal. The above processes produce high definition (HD) images with deeper colour tones in a natural range, with smooth colour graduations through the HDMI forty eight bit deep colour format. The seller point of the player is its audio quality with its high bit rate audio. DTS-HD Master Audio are encoded at 24bit/96KHz which is a gorgeous option adopted.

HDMI implementation:

Coming back to the implementation of the HDMI, you can use the High Speed HDMI cable to maximise performance. The HDMI organisation now categorises HDMI into Cat 1 which guarantees delivery of 1080i and Cat 2 which accommodates Deep Colour and 1080p. Setting the High Speed mode to On in the player will enable a 10/12/16bit output, a value that will depend on the kind of display used.

Warranty:

Pioneer BDP-LX91 comes with one year limited warranty.

Verdict:

The Pioneer BDP-LX91 is more than just another high end player in the market. BDP-LX91 is a brilliantly constructed machine which plays 1080p/24 Blu-ray Disc as well as the best of them via HDMI. It has emerged out to be a champ in all the three departments of Blu-ray, DVD and CD with excellent audio capabilities. This is a royal player which will be a must needed addition to your home theatre. The LX 91 is expensive, but the performance, especially with picture and audio, fully justifies that price tag.

Check the Latest Blu Ray Players, other models of Pioneer Blu-Ray DVD Players in our website.

Pioneer BDP-LX91 Blu-Ray Player - Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Pioneer
Model Name	BDP-LX91 Reference BD-Live Blu-ray Disc player
Product Type	Blu-Ray Disc Player
Dimensions ( H x W x D)	420 x 143 x 365 mm
Form factor	Table top
Number of disc trays	One
Weight	13.8 kg
Playable disc types	Blu-ray disc (BD-ROM, BD-R/RE) DVD-Video (DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW) AVCHD (DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW) CD (CD-DA, DTS-CD, PC-Files
Playable file formats	DivX, MP3, WMA, JPEG
Blu-ray Profile	BD-Live Ready
KURO LINK	Yes
Remote control	Yes
Audio features	192 kHz/24-bit D/A Converter Torodial Power Transformer for Audio Dolby Digital Plus DTS-HD High Resolution Audio PQLS with HDMI Dynamic Range Control Pure Audio Auto Lip Synchronous Function
MP3 compatible	Yes
Surround Sound	Yes
Built in Decoders	Yes
Video features	PureCinema Progressive Scan: PAL/NTSC Super Fine Focus Digital Filter Noise Reduction Pixel Scaler Deep Colour x.v. Colour Anamorphic Zoom
Photo display option	Yes
S-video	Yes
Progressive scan	Yes ( NTSC/PAL)
Input terminals	1 x LAN
Output terminals	2 x HDMI 1 x digital audio (coaxial / optical) 1 x component video 1 x s-video 1 x video 1 x 7.1ch Analogue Audio out 1 x Ethernet 1 x RS-232C (gold-plated terminals)
Power consumption	59 Watts
Warranty	One Year

Since the start of the Blu-ray revolution, Sony had been one of the very few companies that made stand-alone players of that kind. But since their manufacturing of their own game console PS3, it had been the leading player beating the other Blu-ray players and Sony’s too. Though Sony released a lot of other Blu ray players, the PS3 still was dominant. Finally, it has released the Sony BDP-S550, which seems to a smarter buy than the PS3 and a great consolation for the non-gamers.

Subtle but stylish design:

Sony BDP-S550 Blu Ray Player is having a chunky but a sturdy design. It is neither too big or sleek with its dimensions being (W x H x D) 430 x 70 x 220 mm and weighs 3.3 kg. The style factor has been obtained with the help of the attractive glossy blue-black facia and top panel. The glossy finish is little and not tacky as the other rivals which should be appreciated. When you look from the front, the player has a very basic design. The disc tray is placed in the center of the player which is concealed by an automatic flip down door. On the right of the disk tray, there is a LCD display that is quiet small and further towards the right, you have some of the basic playback controls sans the chapter forward and backward buttons. Strangely, the power and the disc open/close buttons are placed towards the top of the player bringing in some inconveniency.

Ample connectivity:

Ample connectivity is provided by Sony for its BDP-S550 Blu Ray Disc Player. The HDMI output, component-video output, legacy composite-video and S-Video connections are available for you to enjoy high-def video up to 1080p resolution. For audio enhancements, you are provided with both, optical and coaxial digital-audio outputs. But, if you are possessing older receivers, you need not worry as the player also has the 7.1 analog-audio outputs. Ethernet port is available using which you can get firmware updates and will be able to download BD-live content. You must keep in mind that there is no Wi-Fi.

One of the design blots that this player has retained form its predecessor is that, the USB port is recessed deeply inside, which means many of the standard USB drives might not fit in. However, the player comes with a 1GB USB drive that fits in perfectly in the port and so this should not be an issue of great concern for most of you.

Logically designed remote control:

The remote control that comes with the Sony BDP-S550 Blu-Ray DVD player is quite good. The main navigational pad is in the center of the control and is surrounded by other important controls such as, home, menu and options. The channel changing rocker and the volume rocker are separately available below and hence this remote can also be used to access your TV. The layout is logical and the buttons are differentiated with enough space that you will be able to access it even without seeing and just feeling. It is certainly backlit.

X-cross media bar menus:

Sony has stuck to the X-cross media bar menus which is seen in PS3 which is Sony‘s customary PS3-style menu system, which not only looks slick but is also intuitive and easy to navigate. The set up of the unit is also very simple and basic.

Features:

Video features:
Coming to the features, the Sony BDP-S550 Blu ray player is profile 2.0 complaint. And hence, you will be able to access the BD-live features, ie, the internet enabled features. This is usually available in some selected movies. In order to access these features, the BDP-S550 has to be connected to the internet via the Ethernet and have the USB connected. You might be wondering for what is the USB port? Since there is no internal memory, this is a must and rather a compromise.

Audio features:
The audio support that is provided by the player is quite comprehensive. BDP-S550 offers onboard decoding for formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio that are of high resolution and so, you will not have to go in search of a new receiver that allows you to enjoy the complete quality. The tracks of this format can also be output in the bit stream format. You will not be able to find even the slightest degradation in the sound quality.

Supported media type:
The media types supported by this player are, CD , DVD , BD-R , CD-R , BD-RE , CD-RW , DVD+R , DVD-R , BD-ROM , DVD+RW and DVD-RW.

Miscellaneous:
Other features that distinguish it from the cheaper player are the inclusion of a dedicated set of eight-channel analogue outputs and onboard DTS-HD Master Audio decoding.

Sony BDP-S550 special features:

Sony has incorporated the new Precision Drive HD that helps to detect and correct wobbling discs from three directions, stabilizing playback of bent or scratched Blu-ray Discs and DVDs. The BonusView functionality is also available that allows you to view two separate video streams from the same Blu-ray Disc on screen at the same time. BRAVIA Sync technology makes connecting the players to BRAVIA televisions and Home Theatre systems from Sony a piece of cake.

The list of other convenience features include the easy set up, PhotoTV HD, Frimware update via Ethernet, Local Storage for BD-Live, Child Lock (Tray Lock), screen saver, Video Bit Rate Indicator  and Parental Control.

Sony BDP-S550 as a Blu-ray dic player:

The performance of the player as a Blu-ray player is good. Colours and contrasts are clean and punchy, offering a vitality to images that is a match for its rivals. All the pictures were detailed and no image instability will be noticed. Jaggies will be completely absent. The image quality is excellent when compared to BDP-S550’s rivals in the same price range. But, when it comes to the disc loading speed, the Blu ray players always suffer and BDP-S550 was no exception. The disc loading speed differs from disc to disc, while some load in 25 seconds, some of the discs take as long as one minute 40 seconds. However, you have the Quick Start-up mode, that enables you to enjoy your Blu-ray movies already after just six seconds

Sony BDP-S550 as a DVD player:

There will be no movie enthusiasts without and DVD collections. The performance of  Sony BDP-S550 as a DVD player is good but cannot be said as excellent. Though you will be able to witness some instability in the images, they will be jaggie free. 1080p images are punchy, displaying good levels of detail.

Verdict:

Features like being profile 2.0 complaint, 7.1 analog outputs, onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio and image quality that is equivalent to that of the top tier players is a great deal of specification for a Blu-ray player for this price range. And the price has also dropped by 100 pounds within six months. Unlike the game console, you need not sacrifice much in terms of the movie watching quality. If you are in need of all these functionalities, then, the Sony BDP-S550 is the best choice. If you are not cared about the analog outputs, then you can choose Panasonic DMP-BD35 that offers all the functionalities of the BDP-S550 at a lesser cost. The Samsung BD-P2550 has more in their offer like HQV video processing, plus Netflix and Pandora streaming for the same price. Sony’s BDP S350 is also a good choice if you do not need any analog outputs or DTS-HD Master Audio decoding.

Sony BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Disc Player Comes with 1 year warranty.

Read reviews of Sony Blu Ray Disc players and best selling Sony BDP-S500, Sony BDP-S350 in this website.

Technical Specification Details of Sony BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Disc Player

Manufacturer	Sony
Model Name	Sony BDP-S550
Form factor	Table top
Dimensions (WxHxD)	430 x 70 x 220 mm
Weight	3.3kg
Remote control	Infrared remote control
Supported media formats	CD, DVD, BD-R, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, BD-ROM, DVD+RW, DVD-RW
Recordable media	BD-R, BD-RE, DVD, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, JPEG
Built-in Audio Decoders	DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD
Supported Digital Video Standards	AVCHD
Supported Digital Audio Standards	MP3, PCM
Upscaling	Yes
Output resolution	1080p
Sound output mode	Surround Sound
Digital audio format	Dolby Digital output, DTS digital output
Connector type	1 x Ethernet 1 x HDMI output 1 x 7.1 channel audio line-out 1 x SPDIF output 1 x SPDIF output 1 x Composite video/audio output 1 x S-Video output 1 x USB
Additional features	BD-Live BonusView Cinema mode JPEG photo playback Progressive scanning Parental lock TV Screen Saver MP3 Compatible
Power device	Power supply
Warranty	1 year

Panasonic is undeniably a leader in the industry of the Blu-ray players. It has been continuously producing new landmarks in the history of the Blu-ray players. Its latest range of players seem to prove this fact time and again. The company has brought in three strong line-ups this year, which includes DMP-BD60, the Blu-ray/VHS combi DMP-BD70 and the set-up DMP-BD80. Panasonic DMP-BD60K is the successor of the DMP-BD35 and has kept all the excellence of its previous model. The greatest feature inclusion in this model is that of the Viera Cast, a functionality that is also available in some of  Panasonics latest television ranges. But the Viera Cast is just the cherry on the ice cream, the DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player is loaded with a lot of other features and picture enhancing technologies such as the onboard decoding for DTS-HD Master Audio Essential and Dolby TrueHD.

Pedestrian design:

The Panasonic DMP-BD60K is not having a very attractive look but is not ugly too. We actually get this feeling after looking at the eye-popping gorgeous design of the Samsung BD-P4600 and the latest LG Blu Ray players. It still has the slim profile with a sleek black finish with silver letterings. It would not be fair, if we do not mention that the built quality is outstanding. In the center of the facia is the disc tray behind an automatic flip-door and towards the right end is the SD/SDHC card slot, a USB port and some basic playback controls such as the stop, play and pause, behind a manual flip-down panel. The chapter forward and backward is missing in that line up. The DMP-BD60K is the first player in the market to feature both a USB port and an SD Card slot. On the far left is a LCD panel whose light can be dimmed but not completely turned off.

Basic connectivity:

The rear side of the DMP-BD60K Blu Ray Disc player has just the required amount of connectivity similar to the other similarly priced players in the market. The connectivity ports just formed a small cluster which included component, composite and the stereo audio outputs, an Ethernet port, HDMI 1.3 as well as an optical digital audio output, but the multi-channel analogue outputs are absent and if you really cant do without them, you can opt for DMP-BD80.

Well designed remote control:

The remote control is same as the one used by its predecessor. It looks colourful and well-designed with exceptionally clear labelling. The remote lacks any kind of back-lighting but its playback buttons are highlighted. The main playback controls are big and in a distinguished blue colour. The main directional pad is surrounded by unique and important buttons which also includes the pop-up menu, disc menu and a general display button, and the circular design of these buttons add to the good looks of the remote control. The display button brings up for you a menu that contains picture presets, dialogue enhancer and sound modes. The seller point, the Viera Cast’s dedicated button is a tiny one placed in the bottom of the remote in a way that it can go unnoticed. With Panasonic boasting so much about the Viera Cast in its online portal, we had actually expected a special place for it. There is one caveat in the design that you will have to remember while accessing the Viera Cast menu, that is, you will have to press the left direction key to go back to the previous menu and not the top menu button that is easily pressed which switches you to the blu-ray disc menu. This remote can also control a TV and an AV receiver.

User friendly but unattractive menus:

The user interface in Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu Ray High Definition Player is also the same as its previous years model which is easy in terms of navigation but does not score for the “attractiveness” factor, on which its competitors give some attention and work. All the menu options are grouped in a very logical fashion and the cursor gives instant responses. The picture presets offered by Panasonic include Normal, Soft, Fine, Cinema and User. The setup menu explains many of its options, but for such opaque choices as Still Mode with its Auto, Field, and Frame selections, you must consult the manual. When you press the remote’s Display button to obtain information on what you are watching, you get an impressive menu that offers such options as signal information a subtitle toggle, but not elapsed or remaining time, or the current chapter.

Formats supported:

The SD/SDHC card support allows you to play the files of the format JPEG, AVCHD and MPEG-2 files whereas, the USB port allows you to play MP3, DivX and JPEG formats. The SD slot is also used to store the content that you download via the Ethernet as this player does not have any internal memory like the current hi-end BluRay players. The deck also supports DTS HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD, Dolby TrueHD,  outputting them as a bitstream or uncompressed PCM from the HDMI output. The disc formats supported by DMP-BD60 includes BD-RE, BD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/+R DL and CD-R/-RW. This Blu-ray player offers 1080/24p output and hence, to appreciate and enjoy the complete features of  BD60k, you will need a good hi-end TV.

Features:

The Panasonic DMP-BD60K being Profile 2.0-compliant, it is capable of handing any kind of Bonus View and Bd live content that you wish to play but the Wi-Fi feature is not available. The absence of Wi-Fi is quite unfortunate as most of the home theatres do not support an Ethernet cable.

Viera Cast technology:

Viera Cast is a technology that allows you to access the internet through the players Ethernet connection and browse through some of the targeted sites such as YouTube similar to LG’s BD370. But unlike LG BD370, it does not stop with browsing sites, you can also have your hands over Google’s Picasa web album. But the Amazon VOD and Blooberg support is not available that is included in the US version of this player which is expected to be added soon.

The VieraCast interface is more aesthetically pleasing than the standard interface.

When you press the above mentioned seperate Viera Cast button in the remote control, the main menu of this feature will greet you with the YouTube in the left of the display and Picasa in the right. If your selection is YouTube, the following screen will be taking you to the video browse of YouTube where you can choose from “Featured”, “Most Viewed” or the “Top Rated”, all the terms that YouTube fans will be familiar of. You can also have your own search using the virtual keyboard. You can also narrow your search to a specific region and sign in into your account. The video clips are lined up in the left side of the window and they are played in the right. All that you need to do is highlight over the video that you want to watch and press enter, this will take the video into your full screen. An interesting beep is played when the cursor is moved which might annoy some and some might enjoy. There is no aspect ratio control and you will not be able to pause your video using your remote control, you will have to use the on-screen playback controls. The whole system is simple and straightforward.

The Picasa also functions in a similar fashion. You can type in your search contents and get the images that you want or you can also play the entire range of images as a slideshow along with any track as background music. As all the images are displayed in crystal clear hi-definition, it will definitely be a treat to your eyes.

UniPhier single chip, P4HD and PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus:

The Panasonic DMP-BD60K blu-ray player uses the same UniPhier single chip LSI which produced incredible picture qualities in its predecessors. In this technology, the entire signal processing circuit has been packed in to a single chip which results in reduced power consumption. The DMP-BD60 uses sixteen percent lesser power than its predecessor DMP-BD35. This is what Panasonic means by the term up gradation. The P4HD, a component of the UniPhier LSI chip not only handles all the major video works such as, diagonal processing , 1080p DVD up scaling and 16-level motion detection, but also is capable of processing and optimising more than 15 billion pixels per second. The P4HD emphasises on the fine patterns and textures without introducing any unwanted noise or crawling. Panasonic has also employed the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus which takes the role of processing and correcting each and every pixel ensuring the highest level of accurate colour reproduction.

Time consuming Start-up:

The DMP-BD60K blu-ray Player from Panasnoic features a Quick Start mode which eats up ten times more power in the stand-by mode than the usual. This mode boots up the player swiftly. The disc loading time of this Blu-ray player is very disappointing when compared to its rivals by taking a minute to play after shutting the disc. But once the picture is put-up, it immediately makes you feel that “its worth the wait”.

Picture performance:

The picture quality displayed by the player is sensational leaving its similarly priced rivals perplexed. The pictures look much sharper and smoother around the edges comparatively. The colours are very rich and vibrant and the deep black levels gives the most adorable finishing touch to the images. There is a staggering amount of details added to the pictures, courtesy, P4HD. The clarity of each picture is astonishing. You will not be able to find even the slightest of a jaggie. The excellency of the dark scenes are obtained with the excellent contrast range which retains the visibility of the darkness.

The incredible video performance is well complimented by the audio performance. Even the delicate nuances of sounds are well presented.

Verdict:

The overall performance of Panasonic DMP-BD60K blu-ray player is excellent. The Viera Cast is certainly going to be the magnet of the YouTube and Picasa fans. Though the price is a little higher than the other models, it justifies its price with its awesome performance. We are fully impressed and hence we recommend Panasonic DMP-BD60K.

Check other Latest Panasonic Blu Ray DVD Player reviews in this website.

Panasonic DMP-BD60K - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	Panasonic
Model Name	DMP-BD60k
Product Type	Table top, Blu-ray disc player
Dimensions (H x W x D)	49 X 430 X 249 mm
Colour/Finish	Black
Weight	2.6 kg
Compatible media formats	CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD, CD, DVD+R DL, BD-R, BD-RE, BD-ROM, DVD-R DL
Video DAC	12bit / 148.5MHz
Audio DAC	24bit / 192kHz
Memory card compatible video formats	AVCHD, JPEG (HD), MPEG-2
Media Load Type	Tray
Video specifics	Viera Cast PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus, P4HD Precise< Pixel Generation, 16-Level Motion Detection with Pixel-Based Motion Adaptive, Diagonal Processing, 3:2, 2:2 Pull-Down Progressive Processing, Up-conversion to 1080p Playback, Progressive Scan, Digital Noise Reduction (3D-NR/ Integrated NR), Picture Adjustment, NTSC Output Selectable.
Built-in audio decoders	DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus
Supported audio formats	DTS digital output , Dolby Digital output , DTS-HD digital output , Dolby True HD digital output
Audio details	Sound Output Mode is Surround Sound, Surround Sound Effects, Response Bandwidth- 4 - 44000 Hz, Digital Audio Format is DTS digital output, Dolby Digital output, Signal-To-Noise Ratio 115 dB and Total Harmonic Distortion 0.003%
Remote control	Yes, universal remote control
Output Resolution	480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Dynamic range	100dB
Input and output connectors	1 x 7.1 channel audio line-out ( RCA phono x 8 ) - Rear, 1 x HDMI output ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Rear, 1 x Ethernet ( RJ-45 ) - Rear, 1 x SPDIF output ( RCA phono ) - Rear, 1 x Component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear, 1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ) - Rear, 1 x SPDIF output ( TOSLINK ) - Rear
HDMI Ports	One, supported version is HDMI V.1.3a and supported features are Deep Colour, x.v.Colour, High Bit rate Audio
Digital audio output	1 Optical and 1 Coaxial
Memory card slot	1 x SDHC Memory Card
Video upscaling	Yes
Additional features	BD-Live; BonusView JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning, 3:2 pull down compensation VIERA Link(HDAVI Control 3), Super Hi Speed Scan Audio/JPEG Navigation Menu
Power	AC 120 V
Power consumption	22 Watt

Panasonic’s DMP-BD60 had a great success which was attained with the help of its stunning picture quality, functionality and killer features. All of which made the player to slide in flying colours to the top of the hi-def player premiership, and with this height being attained by DMP-BD60, let us see what it’s successor DMP-BD80 has come up with.

Design and built:

Everybody will always expect the successor of any product to be having a better built quality to that of its parent, but the Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu Ray Player looks the same as BD60 except being 5mm taller. The Blu Ray Disc Player has an attractive look and is constructed in a robust way but fails to match the built quality of the Pioneer players. It has the most appealing reflexive facia and black finish. The display is clear and clear but is not as fashionable and flashy as that of the Samsung and LG blu-ray players.

The USB and the SD card slots used to play back the digital media is placed on the front. The BD live capability of this Panasonic Blu Ray player urges you to insert a SD card with the capacity of minimum 1GB in order to store the web downloads. The rear side of the player supports the ports for HDMI, multi-channel analogue outputs, component and composite, stereo audio and optical/coaxial digital audio outputs along with an Ethernet port. Panasonic is still being hesitant to include the Wi-Fi and the built-in memory which when included would have made the DMP-BD80 a better choice to that of Samsung’s BD-P4600, yet these absences are made-up with the inclusions in the picture processing area.

Generosity in features:

Being the latest sensation of Panasonic, the DMP-BD80 Blu Ray DVD Player is generously equipped with a great deal of features that we have ever seen in Panasonic products. Some of the inclusions that makes Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu-ray Player stand out from the Blu-ray family are, the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus, High Precision 4:4:4, 7.1ch Lossless Decode and Analogue Output, VIERA CAST, Networking with SD Memory Card and USB Terminal and of course, as always, the player is environment friendly.

The step-up from DMP-BD60 offers you 7.1ch Lossless Decode and Analogue Output which is going to be an eye-candy to the owners of the older amps who would want to taste the high resolution delights of the Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. This Blu-ray player decodes these formats into uncompressed PCM giving them out as analogue signals without compromising on the audio quality. The DMP-BD80 also has a superior audio circuitry to that of BD80.

The Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu Ray Disc Player features a playback information window which can be called up while watching a movie. This information window will display to you all the information of the disc that is being currently played such as the native resolution, frame rate of the source content, the HDMI o/p format, the video/audio codecs, the bitrates used and the current HDMI audio settings. All these might seem to be unfamiliar to most of you out there except for a few Blu-ray anoraks and hence we recon that the difference in the prices between the BD60 and BD80 is a bit too much .

The enhancements:

Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu Ray Player has included an useful list enhancements, chief among them being the P4HD and PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus, developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, enhances all the core picture elements such as contrast, colour and detail. The P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD) handles the basic video functionalities like 3:2/2:2 cadence detection, up-scaling and diagonal processing. P4HD processes more than 15 billion pixels per second and applies the optimal processing to every pixel. This is made possible with the help of the of the single chip LSI which makes it possible to pack an entire video signal processing circuit onto a single chip. This helps lower power consumption, reducing the number of parts needed and giving way for a more compact design.

Supported formats:

DMP-BD80 gets a five star when it comes to its audio processing credentials. It decodes Dolby Digital Plus, DTS HD, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio and can output any of them as uncompressed PCM or a bitstream via HDMI. When it comes to the case of multimedia, it can handle JPEG, MP3 and DivX from USB, CD and DVD, while via SD card it plays the MPEG-2, JPEG files and AVCHD.

The VIERA Cast:

The VIERA cast was previously introduced in Panasonic’s PZ850 2008 Viera Plasma. Viera Cast is nothing but an internet enabled technology that lets the consumer to access the net without the need of either an external box or a PC and enjoy the content of the sites such as Amazon VOD, YouTube, Google’s Picasa Web Album, Bloomberg, and a weather channel.

The Viera Cast is going to be a great news to the you-tube lovers. You would have lots of fun being able to access the clips on your TV. The you tube videos are categorised in a similar fashion as that of the actual website and you can search for your contents using a virtual keyboard. The black spot with this feature being that, this feature allows you to only enjoy the HD video clips in low resolution, being played in a large screen, it is watchable but the laden noise is unbearable. The interface of Viera cast is user friendly as is has a good layout and a responsive on-screen display.

The Picasa portal feature enables you to view pictures in high resolution. This feature too is well designed in an user friendly fashion.

Performance:

The slow loading of the Blu-ray discs that was witnessed in the BD60 was seen in this latest model too. The quick start mode is available which powers up the player quickly. Unlike some of the other complicated models that are available in the market, the Panasonic BD80 is not hard to use which boasts a straight-forward and decent looking setup menu. This menu presents the options that are potentially complicated with absolute ease. The remote control is also being presented with absolute simplicity. The only negativity that can be sensed with the player is that, we have to reset the  HDMI connection before accessing the setup menu or playing a disc . This also brings up a blank screen for a while.

Tantalising picture quality:

Coming to the player’s highlight, its picture talents,  DMP-BD80 from Panasonic is nothing but tantalising. It handles every single pixel with absolute sacredness producing its intricate details providing it with the maximum sharpness and lucidity. With superb edge definition, the picture appears to be clean and focused throughout. The success with the picture quality was also helped by the excellent purity in the colours, skin tones, the solid blacks and the expansive contrast range.  DMP-BD80  was almost flawless while handling the HQV discs. It chose to play the correct video by suppressing the jaggies. Its results with the 1080p DVD playback was brilliant.

Best complimenting audio:

With such a stunning quality in pictures, Panasonics efforts would have been in vain without being complemented by it audio capabilities. Externally decoded TrueHD and Master Audio tracks sound great, but the player does a wonderful job of decoding them itself. This Blu-ray Disc player features a high definition audio decoder that takes advantage of the exceptionally high quality 7.1 channel surround sound, integrated in Blu-ray Discs.

The energy rating:

In order to obtain a reduction in power consumption the Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu Ray Player uses Auto Power Stand-By, a function that automatically turns off the player when you return to TV operation using the VIERA Link menu.  The Stand-by Power Save automatically turns off the player’s Quick Start function and when VIERA is turned on, Quick Start also turns on. As we mentioned earlier, the UniPhier plays an important role for the player to be energy rated.

Inside the box:

The packaging provides the basic audio/video cable, a remote control, a pair of batteries and the AC power cord. The power cord is not being permanently attached to the unit as in the case of the Samsung players.

Verdict:

With such hefty features in audio and picture quality, Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu-ray Player is certainly one of the best seller in the market. Certain features such as the Viera Cast  is an example for Panasonic’s desire to take forward the blu ray technology and link it more to the internet.

Yes, all these features are stunning but not stunning enough with the premium amount that was increased in its cost. In that case, the DMP BD60 is a better option.

Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu Ray Player - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Panasonic
Model Name	DMP-BD80
Product Type	Table top, Blu-ray disc player
Dimensions (H x W x D)	55 X 430 X 249 mm
Colour/Finish	Black
Weight	2.6 kg
Compatible media formats	CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD, CD, DVD+R DL, BD-R, BD-RE, BD-ROM, DVD-R DL
Video DAC	12bit / 148.5MHz
Audio DAC	24bit / 192kHz
Memory card compatible video formats	AVCHD, JPEG (HD), MPEG-2
Media Load Type	Tray
Video specifics	PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus, P4HD Precise Pixel Generation, 16-Level Motion Detection with Pixel-Based Motion Adaptive, Diagonal Processing, 3:2, 2:2 Pull-Down Progressive Processing, Up-conversion to 1080p Playback, Progressive Scan, Digital Noise Reduction (3D-NR/ Integrated NR), Picture Adjustment, NTSC Output Selectable.
Built-in audio decoders	DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus
Audio details	Sound Output Mode is Surround Sound, Surround Sound Effects, Response Bandwidth- 4 - 44000 Hz, Digital Audio Format is DTS digital output, Dolby Digital output, Signal-To-Noise Ratio 115 dB and Total Harmonic Distortion 0.003%
Remote control	Yes, universal remote control
Output Resolution	480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Dynamic range	100dB
Input and output connectors	1 x 7.1 channel audio line-out ( RCA phono x 8 ) - Rear, 1 x HDMI output ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Rear, 1 x Ethernet ( RJ-45 ) - Rear, 1 x SPDIF output ( RCA phono ) - Rear, 1 x Component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear, 1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ) - Rear, 1 x SPDIF output ( TOSLINK ) - Rear
HDMI Ports	One, supported version is HDMI V.1.3a and supported features are Deep Colour, x.v.Colour, High Bit rate Audio
Digital audio output	1 Optical and 1 Coaxial
Memory card slot	1 x SDHC Memory Card
Video upscaling	Yes
Additional features	BD-Live BonusView JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning, 3:2 pull down compensation VIERA Link(HDAVI Control 3), Super Hi Speed Scan Audio/JPEG Navigation Menu
Power source	AC 220V, 50Hz
Power consumption	24.0 W

Sony is one of the major players in the race for production of various consumer oriented electronic appliances. In the arena of Blu-Ray Players which are nothing but a format of optical discs that releases the whole potentiality of a HD or High Definition Television or Gaming with the use of blue-violet laser, Sony plays a lead role. The BDP-S5000ES will give the viewer the pinnacle of audiovisual entertainment with its ES model.

PRODUCT PERCEPTION

The Sony BDP-S5000ES Blu-Ray & DVD Player provides the viewer one superb and incomparable HD video and audio with 1080p and various other special interactive inbuilt multimedia and HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping technology which gives more sharper and vibrant images.

Watching cinemas or hearing your favourite music, gaming, ensure recording and storing them and all the little knickknacks of perfection that one would love to enjoy is presented in a silver platter by Sony in its BDP-S5000ES. Sony had lifted the rating and excellence of their Blu-ray to an exceptional height with all the support and backing from the studios of Hollywood, major computer companies, music maestros and their companies.

The technology of Quick Mode and the new 14-bit HD processor that Sony had developed in their product had taken into perception all that a consumer would like to have in their audiovisual experience and had delivered.

SPECIAL FEATURES IN DETAIL

1080p - Real life picture

The ultra New Precision Cinema HD upscale technology easily converts the signals of standard-definition with 480i to 1080p with full HD resolution signal.

Sony BDP-S5000ES blu-ray disc player just simply erases those memories from the mind when television transmitted feature films where all those images and the audio did not have syncing and the whole sequence sometimes looked totally unrelated. The movie director’s bird’s view of the picture is originally transmitted through the 24 frames per second output. All the visual images that are seen in this blu-ray disc player, give a real life-like image quality to the viewer.

Earlier the DVDs and the Video formats used to play speeder than the original recording since they played in the PAL format (50Hz) or 25 frames per second and this mostly would not coincide with the voice recording. But now with the 24p True Cinema of Sony technology, viewers can enjoy the films as they were originally made.

Disc Capacity

The blu-ray discs of BDP-S5000ES are not different in the size of the disc. It has a 12-cm diameter like that of a CD or DVD. The major difference is in the capacity to hold more HD data in the form of audio, video or images. It uses the blue/violet laser which is focused in a precise manner that uses reduced space (almost five times less). The data tracks are compressed in such a way that with the help of the blue/violet laser technology, the BD disc can hold data of 25GB in a single side of a single disc. Double-layered disc has the capacity to hold about 50 GB of data in total HD effect and all the accessory interactive features to it.

HD entertainment of audio/video

HD experience is not merely about good and effective picture quality. Also with it the sound effect plays an important role. Modern day movies are loaded with the multi channel digital sounds and Sony is very conscious about this vital part of any feature film. This latest Sony blu-ray disc player is multimedia guaranteed with all the latest features of BD-ROM/R/RE, CD Playback, AVCHD Playback, DVD-+Video/R/RW.

There is the 7.1 ch Linear PCM output in associate with DTS-HD bitstream audio output to external AV receivers/decoders/Dolby True features. The 7.1 ch analogue output with Advanced Current Segment Audio D/A converters for legacy AV receivers/decoders is a highlight to this latest model disc player. This Sony Blu-Ray Player actually is able to give the originality of the music in the HD format when it is played with any device that is compatible with the technology of HDMI.

Internet activity

In the BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray DVD Player, one of the breathtaking features that makes this Sony blu-ray disc player a unique electronic device is its ability to interact online. Keeping in mind the taste and requirement of the new generation viewers, Sony has designed a highly sophisticated technology. This bluray disc player has an inbuilt BD-Live Profile 2.0 which allows the viewer to relax and entertain the Live Contents. The 1GB storage which is exchangeable helps in saving all the content that is downloaded from the internet via BD-Live content.

The pop-menus can be activated without distracting the running program or with an internet connection you can download added data related to the movie like subtitles in the local language or the directors’ comment etc. This feature is also making the movie industry to support the blu-ray format of Sony exclusively.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

There are still yet more interesting and special features that make the Sony BDP-S5000ES quite exclusive. The x.v.Colour is one new development that can recognize much more colours in the HD technology. One can say that the perception is somewhere near 1.8 times higher when compared to the standard RGB. It presents with more colours, perfect details and precise accuracy in its presentation.

The Bravia Theatre Sync simply astounds the viewer with the best theater performance by enabling the button for it.

The Video D/A converter in this latest model have a high performance and are 14-bit/297MHz which gives a superb analogue visual output.

Along with the 1080p DVD upscaling, there is the AVC-HD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) Disc Playback. This new technology helps to compress the HD videos during the recording process itself and is twice efficient than the MPEG-2/4 formats. The gold plated HDMI port and other Audio and Video ports and a special solitary audio board provides an immaculate sound quality.

The bitrate display shows the number of units or bits that is processed during a video or audio streaming in a course of time.

The infra red control inputs with the RS-232C which is an interface that allows the Bravia Sync or home cinema projector to easily communicate with the alternate serial devices. The projector is easily compatible anywhere.

ACCESSORIES

The various accessories that support this Sony blu-ray disc player are the coaxial digital audio cables, HDMI cables, the Stereo audio cables, the Optical digital audio cables, and the Component video cables.

IN PACKAGE

The Sony BDPS5000ES Blu-Ray Player when packed is complete with video and stereo audio cords, remote control, mains lead, batteries for remote control and the User manual.

Sony BDP-S5000ES Blu-Ray Player - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	SONY
Model Name	BDP-S500ES
Type	Tabletop Blu-ray disc player
Dimensions (W x H x D)	430 x 125 x 365
Weight	10 kg
Colour and display	Blue-Black with a front panel for display with rigid mechanical design
System Specifics	BD-ROM Profile 1.1/2.0 and BD-R/RE Playbacks, and more playback support for AVC-HD 8c/12cm DVD, DVD Video, Audio CD, DVD-R /RW(Video Format), DVD-RW, DVD + R/RW, CD-R/RW, and JPEG.
Picture Specifics	1080p output (via HDMI), 1080p DVD upscaling or Precision Cinema HD upscale, Video D/A Convertor, 24p True Cinema, x.v. Colour, Progressive Scan Output, Precision Drive HD and Preset Picture Mode
Audio Specifics	8ch Linear PCM bitstream output, Dolby Digital decoding and bitstream output, Dolby Digital Plus decoding and bitstream output, DTS decoding and bitstream output, DTS HD High Resolution Audio decoding and bitstream output, DTS Master Audio decoding and bitstream output and Audio D/A converter 192kHz/24bit
Output terminals	HDMI port 1 x gold plates of Component Video Output S-video output Composite Video Output Digital Audio Output: Coaxial Digital Audio Output: Optical 7.1ch Analog Audio Output Analog Stereo Output RS-232C Ethernet
Added Specifics	Quick setup XrossMediaBar Easy set up Bravia Theatre Sync Photo TV HD Step forward and rewind Parental control and disc resume Child lock Screen saver A/V bitrate indicator Start up screen with background graphics Local Storage for BD-Live of 1GB USB Flash Memory
Power	220V- 240V Operation 42W Standby 0.4W
Remote	Yes with TV control Model RMT-B101P