• Home
• 3D Blu-Ray Players
• BUY NOW
• Blu Ray Facts
• Blu Ray FAQ
• Firmware Updates
• Glossary
• Contact Us

• Where to Buy Blu-Ray Players?
• List of Top 5 Best Blu-Ray Players
• Cheap Blu-Ray Players
• Hot Deal Alerts
• Privacy Policy

awdawdawdawdawd

Panasonic DMP BD60 Blu Ray Player Review

The second generation Blu-ray players have started showing up at retails. Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony have produced some of the best stand alone Blu-ray players since the adaption of Blu-ray as the high definition format. Panasonic DMP-BD30 and DMP-BD50 variations have consistently been a great buy with great features with consistently good pictures. The Profile 2.0 supporting the BD-LIVE features were somewhat of luxury on the last generation players. Not so with players coming out this year. Along with Profile 2.0, high definition audio decoding and streaming capabilities have become defacto standards for most of the players announced at this year’s CES. At 2009 CES, Panasonic announced two mainstream Blu-ray players, DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80, along with the VHS/Blu-ray combo player. As expected from the model numbers, the DMP-BD80 represents the high end model with more features than the DMP-BD60. Today, we are going to take a look at the DMP-BD60 model.

Features

The DMP-BD60 resembles high end players from the first generation players. The player comes with Profile 2.0 and all the high definition audio decoding out of the box. In this respect, the DMP-BD60 resembles the newly released Samsung BD-P1600. However, unlike the Samsung BD-P1600, the DMP-BD60 does not come with Netflix or Pandora compatibility. Instead, Panasonic introduces the Viera Cast. The Viera Cast is Panasonic’s own online streaming service available on some of the HDTV and the newer Blu-ray disc players. While it’s not complete, you can access YouTube, Picasa, weather, and stock quotes from the Viera Cast. The announced Amazon video streaming service has not been implemented yet. Most of the users will be familiar with the YouTube service. The Picasa is web based picture sharing/editing tool. While these services are nice, the inclusion of Netflix would have been better. The Amazon video service should offset the lack of Netflix if you are looking for streaming capability.

Our favorite gadget: A closer look at remote control

A lot of the buyers don’t pay too much attention to the remote control when they are purchasing television or disc players. The remote control for the DMP-BD60 doesn’t change much from the previous remote controls. The top of the remote houses the volume and channel buttons. This can take some time getting used to since most remotes have them in the middle or the bottom. However, there is separate volume button for your receiver. This is particularly convenient if you have receiver set up and don’t have a universal remote control. The numeric buttons are right below the channel and volume buttons. The playback function buttons and directional buttons are in the middle. The menu buttons surround the directional pad. The bottom of the remote houses the special function buttons like Viera Cast and set up buttons. Overall, it’s a solid remote control. It’s not Harmony but you can do much worse.

Find out how you can save up to 50% off on name brand Blu-Ray Players!

Design: Nothing new

There’s nothing remarkable about the design of DMP-BD60. It’s almost identical to the DMP-BD35. It lacks the glossy finish like the Samsung BD-P1600. Like the previous model, the middle portion houses the disc tray with LCD to the right side. The right side includes a manual flip down tray which houses the playback function buttons along with SD card slot and USB port. Back of the player contains the HDMI, component video, optical digital audio ports, and stereo analog audio output. It also has the RJ-45 port for the internet connectivity. Missing are the analog 5.1 channel or 7.1 channel audio ports.

Picture Quality

The real strength of the Panasonic players were the video qualities. The variety of Blu-ray discs movies had no problems on the DMP-BD60 model. As with other reviews, I used the Batman Begins and the Matrix Blu-ray movies. The regular viewing showed no signs of jaggies or moires. There were no blocking issues in fast motion sequences. Only noticeable defect was when I paused the video during the Batman Begins. One of the scene produced noticeable jaggies. This was only noticeable during the pause and normal viewing should have no noticeable jaggies. Overall, the video quality is second to none when compared against other mainstream Blu-ray players.

Performance

Compared to the DVD players, the Blu-ray players have been plagued with slow loading times. This is expected as Blu-ray discs are much more complex than the DVD discs. However, the newly released Samsung BD-P1600 reduced the loading times significantly over the previous models. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the DMP-BD60. The loading of Batman Begins and Matrix took close to two minutes compared to less than half on the Samsung BD-P1600. This might be a major problem for some but shouldn’t be a turn off for most as the video quality is excellent. For most part, I didn’t mind the waiting.

Audiophile rejoice!

The audio quality is fairy similar across all makes and models. Unless you are an audiophile, you will not notice significant differences between makes and models. The real choice between the players is the audio decoding options. The DMP-BD60 doesn’t disappoint in this department. The DMP-BD60 can natively decode Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and the DTS HD audio formats. These should cover most decoding needs for most consumers. The only drawback on audio front was the lack of 5.1 or 7.1 analog audio output. If you have receiver, you won’t miss the lack of output. However, if you don’t own a receiver, you might want to invest in a receiver if you plan to utilize the existing speakers.

All said and done

The DMP-BD60 is a nice improvement over the DMP-BD30/35 models. The inclusions of Profile 2.0 as well as the onboard decoding options are very nice addition. Even with lack of Netflix support, the streaming options are fairly nice via the Viera Cast. The upcoming addition of the Amazon Video On Demand service should add nice value to an already great player.

Pictures

Buy Panasonic DMP-BD60 Now and Save Money!

Video

Discuss This Review at Blurayforums.net

Click here to find out how you can save up to 50% off on name brand Blu-Ray Players!

LG BD370 Blu Ray Player Review

LG was first to introduce the Blu-ray/HDDVD hybrid back when there was two competing formats. It’s not surprising that LG was the first to introduce network capable Blu-ray player in the LG BD300 with Netflix streaming. At this year’s CES, most of the Blu-ray manufacturers announced their second generation players. Samsung also included Netflix streaming with their new players while Panasonic added Viera Cast streaming to their players. LG BD370 is no exception. The BD370 model continues the inclusion of Netflix as well as addition of Youtube compatibility. In line with other second generation players, LG BD370 adds additional features not found on the LG BD 300 model. At 2009 CES, LG announced two new mainstream Blu-ray players. The BD 370 is the entry level model while BD390 is aimed at higher end market.

Features

The features on BD 370 are comparable to the features found on the new Samsung BDP-1600 and Panasonic DMP-BD60. It is profile 2.0 player with USB and RJ-45 ports. All of the high definition audio decoding options are present including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Another feature that’s being more and more integrated into the Blu-ray player is the integration of remote functions for same brand A/V equipments. LG calls their integration the LG SimpLink. It behaves similar to the Sharp Aquos Link where you can operate the television via one remote. Most of the manufacturers including Sony and Samsung also feature similar functionality. As with BD300, the BD370 features Netflix streaming. Combined with Youtube access, the NetCast offers free Netflix trial out of the box. Also, LG has promised to introduce CinemaNow by May. CinemaNow works like video on demand provided by the cable or DirecTV. While Netflix does offer streaming, most of the newer movies aren’t offered for streaming. CinemaNow should fill in the gap quite nicely.

Modern design?

Although I don’t consider design to be a big factor in purchasing a Blu-ray disc player, the LG BD370 offers a nice looking player. The dominant feature of the design is the flip down tray on either side of the silver square badge in the middle. The left side hides the disc tray while the right side houses the playback functions, USB port, and LCD for playback information. The silver badge in the middle has two playback functions on the bottom corner of the badge while the power button is placed in the middle. This design does add some cool look as well as functionality. The only drawback is the placement of USB port. If you want to utilize the BD-LIVE functions, you need to have USB drive plugged into the port. This means you have to keep the tray in open position. The USB port at the back of the player would have been a better placement.

The back of the player includes the HDMI, audio, and RJ-45 ports. The BD370 comes with standard component video and analog audio output. It also comes with both optical and coaxial digital audio output. If you need the 7.1 channel analog out, you will need to purchase the BD390 model due out in May.

Aesthetics of remote, a sight to see

The included remote is very functional remote. The layout is pretty good with directional buttons in the middle and the special function buttons separated by different colors. The playback function buttons are located below the special function buttons. The numeric buttons and other less used buttons are hidden beneath the sliding cover at the bottom of the remote. This was nice design feature as it hides away the seldom used buttons. I found this design to be really nice as it made the remote less cluttered. If you need to use the numeric buttons often, this might cause some hassle. But, most users will appreciate the out of sight numeric buttons.

Picture is worth a thousand..... well you get the "picture"?

A lot of defects in video processing seen on first generation players are virtually eliminated in the newer players. The major brand players all have similar video qualities. It’s fairly difficult to spot any video processing defects like in first generation players. BD370 is no exception. Put through several different movies, the player handles them without any deficiency in video processing. The player handled Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and Marley and Me without any hitch in true 1080p 24fps format. The upcoversion of regular DVDs were also fantastic. In some cases, the upconverted DVDs looked almost as good as the Blu-ray discs. Most viewers will have no problem with the video quality. As with other newer players, BD370 improves significantly on the loading times. All three Blu-ray discs took less than 25 seconds to load which is fairly fast by any standard.

An earful for audiophiles

The audio performance boils down to the decoding options. Depending on the sound system setup, most users won’t be able to discern different audio outputs from different players. The BD370 offers decoding for DTS, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD MA. These should cover all the audio formats on all of the Blu-ray disc movies. Only downside is the lack of 5.1 or 7.1 channel analog audio output. Like the new Samsung and Panasonic player, the entry model lacks the multi channel analog outputs. You will need to step up to BD390 for the 7.1 channel output.

Overall

LG BD370 is another solid entry level player in the already crowded entry level player market. It’s becoming harder distinguish between different manufacturers when it comes to overall quality and value. They are all coming equipped with similar features and streaming capability. BD370 is a solid addition to the entry level market. However, if you want WiFi and internal memory as well as the 7.1 channel analog output, you will need to wait until May to purchase the BD390.

Pictures

Buy LG BD370 Now and Save $$

Video

Discuss This Review at Blurayforums.net

Click here to find out how you can save up to 50% off on name brand Blu-Ray Players!

Hot Deal Alerts - Click Now!

Vote For 2011 Best Blu Ray Player!

Please click here to vote for The 2011 Top 5 Blu Ray Players!

Top 10 Best Selling Blu-Ray Players

• Playstation 3
• Oppo BD 93
• Panasonic DMP-BDT210
• LG BD630
• Sony BDP S580
• LG BD670
• Sony BDP S380
• LG BD640
• Panasonic DMP-BD75
• Panasonic DMP-BDT110
• Panasonic DMP-BDT310

Deals on Blu Ray Player at Amazon