Review of Panasonic DMP-BD35 blu ray player

50 Responses to “Review of Panasonic DMP-BD35 blu ray player”

1. Anonymous says:

   December 6, 2008 at 8:59 am

   DOES THE JOB
   GOOD PLAYER. WORKS. PLAYS BLU-RAY 1080p. PLAYS DVD MOVIES TOO.
   
   LOOK AT YOUR DIGITAL PIX ON YOUR TV. WHAT A DEAL…

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2. Anonymous says:

   December 6, 2008 at 6:30 am

   Whoa!!
   Remember the old, “Product specifications are subject to change without notice.” Well, they did. Before I bought this, I downloaded the manual to make sure I would have no connection problems. Okay: HDMI to the Panasonic Plasma Display and Digital Coaxial to my Onkyo. When the BD35 arrived, the manual was the same as downloaded, but there simply was no Digital Coaxial Output on the back of the player. None, zero, zip. A quick trip to Radio Shack and a new $27 Optical Cable made everything right with the world. Just a note to prospective buyers, if you need the Digital Coaxial Output, you’re in trouble with this unit.

   Otherwise, I am very pleased so far.

   TBT
   
   Memphis, TN
   

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3. mountcarmelakola says:

   December 6, 2008 at 1:34 am

   The best stand alone Blu Ray Player on the market today
   “THE BEST Stand alone Blu Ray player in the market today”

   by veridikal on December 4, 2008

   Pros: Snazzy good looking. Fully loaded with all HD sound formats.

   Cons: No position memory to remember positions of multiple discs.

   Summary: This is Thee Best stand alone Blu Ray player on the market today. I was able to get it at Sears for $138 + tax on 11/23/08. I bought three v1.3 HDMI cables for $8 each at Monoprice.com.

   This player is very sleek looking. It is connected via HDMI to my 34″ widescreen CRT Panasonic TV. Even at this screen size, I am able to notice significant improvement in picture quality over a standard progressive scan dvd player.

   I cannot comment on the HD sound quality because I am getting standard 5.1 Dolby Digital through my Optical Digital cable to my non-HDMI receiver.

   I am disappointed that this player cannot remember multiple disc positions like my previous DVD player which had an independent Position Memory button to remember upto 5 disc positions. This player remembers only one disc (standard or Blu Ray) only if you press STOP once. If the tray is opened, the memory is erased.

   The player is pretty fast. It takes less than 5 seconds for the FBI warning to appear on the screen once the tray is closed.

   This player is the best. Once I upgrade my TV and receiver, I shall update this review.

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4. Anonymous says:

   December 3, 2008 at 1:19 pm

   Very frustrated… May return
   I waited forever to get my hands on the DMP-BD35K and when i actually got it home i was blown away by the picture… Upconversion is as good as the PS3 upconversion (which says a lot) and the bluray picture is amazing… Sound quality with TrueHD is also that much better with the proper amp and speakers…

   But why my low rating? This thing takes about a full minute just to turn on… Normally, you push eject on something and the tray opens within seconds… This thing powers on, says hello, hangs out, drinks a beer, plays hide and seek, takes a quick nap AND THEN ejects for you…

   Its also sensitive to scratches and smudges on your discs… I can understand Bluray discs, but on a normal DVD, theres no excuse… I’ve had DVD players that would play the most scratch-ridden discs flawlessly… But this one, no way… the lightest fingerprint or nick in the disc would cause the player to skip stutter and stop…

   Overall, I call BS on this player… Sure, its sleek, sexy and looks great… But, as my mother always taught me, its whats inside that counts… And this product is getting returned ASAP…

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5. afroloq says:

   December 3, 2008 at 11:38 am

   Good bang for the price
   I read the reviews here before I purchased this player. I wound up getthing this on sale on Monday after I took back a Sylvania player that was on sale at Sears for 200 bucks. For 50 dollars more, I got a player that has a very small profile (about the same size as the DVD player that I just replaced)and easy setup.

   After doing a few small tweaks to the setup which was easy, the player was up and running in about 10 mins. The picture was amazing on both Iron Man and one of my other favorites, The Kingdom of Heaven. The colors were rich and details were outstanding which now has me stoked for next week’s release of The Dark Knight. My receiver got a very good workout especially the subwoofer as it picked up all the necessary tracks needed.

   Someone complained earlier about the upconverting feature and the audio…well come on now, if you aren’t using the proper equipment, you get what you give! Speaking of, I ran Lord of the Rings and Return of the Sith thru the player and it really looks good!

   Now…secretly, I am holding out for a combo player as I still have some old HD DVDs around…sigh…but this blu ray player will do til they come down more in price!

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6. bicentennial_committee says:

   December 2, 2008 at 1:10 am

   Note to ONKYO HT-SR800 7.1 Owners
   If you own a ONKYO HT-SR800 7.1 then you should consider getting the DMP-BD55K instead of this one. The reason is that the ONKYO does not accept audio through the HDMI cable. Crazy, no? If you really want 7.1 for your system then I’d suggest getting the Panasonic DMP-BD55K which has audio outputs that can go to the ONKYO. Otherwise, for the BD35K you only have optical output which is limited to 5.1 apparently.

   If anybody has a slicker way of getting around this conundrum, please jump in.

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7. Anonymous says:

   December 1, 2008 at 5:03 pm

   Great picture!
   This is from the perspective of a non-expert in home theater with fairly limited equipment. (46″ Samsung 720p DLP TV and a 2-channel low-end audio receiver). Setup using an HDMI cable was very quick and easy. The instruction manual is clear and easy to follow, but the nuances of configuration can largely be bypassed for those like me seeking instant A/V gratification. My sound setup is 2-channel stereo ported from the TV to my cheap receiver. The sound quality in this mode is excellent. One can, of course, avail themselves of much more elaborate output modes (5.1, etc.), but I did not and it still sounds really great. As far as the picture quality: I am used to getting HD from my cable TV provider, which like almost all cable companies compresses their HD signals a lot to fit more channels onto the limited amount of bandwidth available. This compression results in pixelation and motion artifacts when there is a lot of movement and/or bright lights on the the screen. Many people assume the fault is with their television when they see this kind of pixelation, but in most cases it is not, rather it’s just caused by a heavily compressed HD signal. This Blu-Ray player is the solution to that issue. Picture quality is fantastic, with absolutely zero motion artifacts or pixelation of any kind, even in scenes of extreme movement and bright light on the screen. So if you want to see what your HD television is really capable of, then this Blu-ray player is for you. If it can make my outdated 720p set look good then I’m sure it can do wonders for a newer 1080i or 1080p set.

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8. Anonymous says:

   November 30, 2008 at 12:27 am

   Budget BD player but full of features, futureproof.
   I got this BD player as part of an Amazon money back package deal with my purchase of a Panasonic plasma HDTV. This player is surprisingly full featured and supports alot of the new features showing up in Blu Ray disks. The clarity of Blu-Ray disks is amazing at 1080p. Upconversion of standard DVDs through HDMI input into the HDTV is also excellent. I already have a large collection of standard DVD movies and I’m currently rediscovering them, upconverted to 1080p. I am convinced that in the case of animated feature films, that paying the extra for the Blu-Ray version is unnecessary with this player. Spending the extra for Blu-Rays can be focussed on visually complex features like Planet Earth etc. As far as I can see, the only feature that the BD-35K lacks (and the BD-55K has) is RCA jack 7.1 analog audio output (7.1 audio is still available on the 35K through HDMI and optical output).

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9. Anonymous says:

   November 26, 2008 at 9:17 pm

   Good Product
   I bought this product based on the reviews from [...]. It was a good price and a profile 2.0 player. It has network support for easy firmware updates and additional content. The player is not sluggish at all. I first plugged it in with component cables and there was a noticeable line refresh problem so I connected with an HDMI cable and the problem is gone. You might want to consider BD55K. I did not troubleshoot the problem. It could have been the component cables. I inserted my SDHC card and it viewed pictures ok but would not show or play .AVI files…bummer!

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10. Anonymous says:

    November 25, 2008 at 9:20 am

    Bluray hooray!!!
    What can I say? Finally got my first bluray dvd player. Everything is working great so far. Still need to buy an HDMI cable and test out the PQ of this baby. From what it says, this player plays everything, which works out really great. No complaints. Delivery was very fast. Still waiting for another month before my 50″ baby will come to town. Come on Amazon!! Faster with the tv delivery!!!

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11. jmb1015 says:

    November 25, 2008 at 7:23 am

    THE BEST
    THIS IS THE BEST STAND ALONE BLU RAY PLAYER OUT THERE….AWESOME PICTURE AND AWESOME SOUND.

    GD Star Rating
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12. Anonymous says:

    November 25, 2008 at 5:47 am

    Blu-Ray Picture is Amazing
    I was not planning on getting a blu-ray player, but this came free with the Panasonic TV we ordered on Amazon (at the time). How can you beat that!!

    Needless to say, we will never go back to regular DVD! We watched Tropic Thunder the other night, the colors were so bright and the picture almost seemed 3-D at times.

    Had it not been free, I might have considered a player with a few more options (or a PS3), but for a pretty basic player, works like a charm.

    GD Star Rating
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13. rayjconnelly says:

    November 24, 2008 at 12:55 pm

    Very Good Product
    Panasonic DMP-BD35K 1080p Blu-ray Player

    This unit is easy to set up and it does a very nice job with both Blu Ray discs and standard DVDs. Set up was easy, manual is well written. I would recommend this product.

    GD Star Rating
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14. Anonymous says:

    November 24, 2008 at 12:43 am

    The Panasonic DMP-BD35K Is The Best Blu Ray Player Ever!!!!!!!!
    This thing has all of the Blu Ray features!!! Bonus view, BD-Live, Internet Connection, SDHC memory card slot, can play avchd dvd+r and dvd-r discs you burn on your computer made from video from a Hi-Def camcorder or online HD source, decodes every HD audio format – Dolby True HD, DTS HD Master and everyting in between!!!!

    There are players that cost $500 and even higher that don’t have all of features and quality of this player!!!!

    One little fact some people may not know, the Panasonic company masters and authors a lot of blu ray discs for many of the major motion picture companies including Lions Gate, The Walt Disney Company, and 20th Century Fox, just let some of these movies play all the way through past the credits and you will see the Panasonic Hollywood Labs logo. They put all of the technology it takes to get the best sound and sharpest picture out their newest line of Blu Ray players, the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55.

    The only difference in the BD35 and BD55 is that the BD55 has analog audio outputs and support and DIVX video playback.

    I had the older Sharp BD-HP20U Blu Ray player and it was terrible with sound on 2 different hdtvs, an Emerson 32″ and LG 46″. You could barely hear talking on sountracks that were True HD or DTS HD even with the sound turned all the way up on the tv. So if you don’t have an HDMI Dolby HD and DTS HD surround sound system, this Panasonic DMP-BD35 blu ray player will make the soundtracks loud, clear, and explosive just being connected to the HDTV itself, you may need to play with the setup settings on the player for best quality on your particular HDTV.

    This has a much sharper picture than both the Sharp Blu Ray and PS3 from what I’ve seen!!!!! The depth and sharpest are life-like and spelling binding!!!!!! Guess that’s got to do with all of Panasonic’s experience with Hi-def and blu ray.

    If this was a person, I would love this player like a close friend or family member!!! All of the professional reviews you may have read online or in magazines that raved about this player and its older brother are 100% correct.

    GD Star Rating
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15. Anonymous says:

    November 21, 2008 at 5:57 pm

    Great picture and sound for a good price!
    I’ve been using an OPPO DVD player that upconverts to a pretty nice picture, but with the price of the Panasonic DMP-BD35K Blu-ray player at less that $260, I decided to take the plunge and buy one. What a difference! The picture is amazing on my 106″ front projection screen. The difference was so stark, that I decided to upgrade my receiver so I can hear the difference with the TrueHD sound, and I’m glad I did. The detail you can hear in the audio really makes the movie experience special. I don’t know if this is the absolute best available for the money, but I know what I like.

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16. carstairs38 says:

    November 21, 2008 at 5:27 pm

    In Which I Happily Jump on the Blu-Ray Band Wagon
    By the time the format war was over, I knew I need a high def player of some kind. I started by buying a HDTV, but I wanted to wait until the final profile was available before I bought a blu-ray player. And, as long as I was waiting, I wanted the prices to drop some. As soon as I heard about this player, I was sold. I got one two weeks ago, and I am thrilled.

    Before I got it, I was trying to understand what I would need for set up. Turns out I was making too much of things. All I had to do was hook up my new player via HDMI to my TV and I was good to go, although a direct connection between this and my TV and another one between this and my sound system is even better.

    I have a 720p/1080i TV, but the difference was immediately evident. I’ve watched several movies, and they look amazing. I did some comparisons between blu-ray and DVD, and there is no comparison. Every scene I paused and compared looked so much better in blu-ray.

    I also did some comparing with upconverting my DVDs. The quality of the upconverted picture really depends on the quality of the disc. Some of my older TV shows don’t look that impressive. But new TV shows and old movies that have been restored look great. Not blu-ray great, but certainly better than they did.

    You may have noticed that I mentioned hooking my player directly up to my TV. I know true home theater buffs are screaming in frustration. But there’s a simple reason for it. My sound system is ancient. Probably 7 years old. It doesn’t have an HDMI input. While initially, I ran the sound from my TV into the system, I am now using an optical digital cable to run it directly from the player into the system. The first option sounded fine, but the optical digital cable is awesome. Of course, I tweak some settings on my sound system, so I am getting far superior output from it now, too, than I was before. I may not be able to put this player through all its paces, but what I am getting is amazing.

    This player is final format 2.0 compliant. That means you can hook it directly up to the internet for firmware updating and Blu-Ray Live features. I’ve already had one firmware update, and it was quick and painless. The SD slot is right in front of the TV, so using that for Blu-Ray live (or to show off pictures) shouldn’t be a problem either.

    I’d heard horror stories before I bought my machine about how long it takes to load a blu-ray movie. I haven’t noticed it being that bad. True, it takes a few seconds longer then a DVD does, but it’s not the slow start up and loading time I had feared. Of course, even with my DVD player, I generally set the disc in it and grab some water before I sit down to watch. This habit makes my wait time absolutely nil.

    One feature I love with the remote is the fast forward. There are multiple speeds, but on the slowest, you can still hear the dialogue. People’s voices and even emotion are still discernable. It’s a great way to watch something a little faster if you want to move on to a favorite scene.

    It’s been hard waiting to get a blu-ray player, but this one was well worth the wait. I will be enjoying watching movies on it for a long time to come.

    GD Star Rating
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17. ressemls says:

    November 21, 2008 at 8:51 am

    Best thing out there
    If you don’t want to spend the money on a PS3 for then your best off buying this Blu-ray player. If you need analog conneciions or 7.1 surround than get the 55. the 35 suited me just fine and works great.

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18. jeffindurham says:

    November 20, 2008 at 8:56 am

    Really happy with this
    I had a very old DVD player and hadn’t experienced “upconverting” before. Even your plain old-school DVDs will look much better on this machine and Blu-ray discs look very, very good. I’m not maxing this thing out by any means (50″ 720p plasma and 2-channel audio thru a 1st-generation Bose 3-2-1) but the difference vs. my old player is dramatic. Cnet convinced me to buy this model; you might want to check out their review. And Netflix only added $1 more per month to add Blu-ray to my account, so I’m renting lots of movies I’ve seen before to check out what they look like now. Great stuff!

    GD Star Rating
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19. Anonymous says:

    November 17, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Great Blu-ray player
    I am very impressed with this Blu-ray player. It works great and has outstanding picture and sound quality. I am very pleased with my purchase.

    GD Star Rating
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20. Anonymous says:

    November 16, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    Finally! affordable and functional
    I had made a decision that I would get a blu-ray player when the price dropped below $300 for a newly released model. since the predecessor to this model had gotten good reviews, I decided buy this one when it was released. I was not disappointed.

    Unlike the old model, this one can get its firmware upgrades via an ethernet connection to the Internet. I was going thru the initial setup when it notified me that a firmware upgrade was available and how to get it. The procedure was simple and straight-forward. The upgrade was downloaded and installed with no problem.

    Blu-ray video output is superb. It is fun to watch a blu-ray disc of something you already have on DVD and marvel at all those details you never saw before. Upconversion of regular DVDs is subtle and without the harsh edges earlier upconverting players produced. I should point out that load time for blu-ray discs is reasonably fast.

    The sound produced from blue-ray discs is outstanding. I had debated getting the BD55K with discrete Dolby 7.1 outputs, but that was a hundred bucks. Since I have a Panasonic receiver/amp that handles 7.1 encoding, all I needed to do is connect to it with an HDMI cable to get superb sound.

    Now, all I have to do is decide which items in my DVD collection will be replaced with new blu-ray discs.

    GD Star Rating
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21. Anonymous says:

    November 16, 2008 at 4:45 am

    So Far So Good
    I’m still getting used to this player, but so far I like what I see.

    GD Star Rating
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22. Anonymous says:

    November 15, 2008 at 6:26 am

    Panasonic DMP-BD35 Decent for the Money
    I Have only one issue with this player so far. The DTS-HD Master Audio Does not output with Bitstream. I’m using a Yamaha RX-V3800 to decode all the audio coming into it via HDMI. It’s not the wire, it’s not the receiver. It is definitely the Panasonic player that is not sending out the DTS Mater Audio. The TrueHD audio works just fine but not the DTS. The movie that I am using the DTS audio is “The Mummy”. I have used this same movie to test with the Samsung BD-P2550 and the Sony S550 models. Both worked fine with my Yamaha receiver and would display the DTS-HD Master Audio coming through.

    Not sure if this is something a firmware update could fix or not? Currently Panasonic has nothing listed on their site and I have not seen anyone else post a problem with the DTS audio on any forums? It’s possible that I just received a bad player from Panasonic. After I take it back and test it out. I will try reposting whether that will fix the issue or not. FOr now… the player only gets 3 stars from me.

    Video Looked great! Both Blu-Ray and standard DVD’s looked superb in 1080P. One thing I did notice is that it did not keep the 24 frames with Upconverted DVD’s. Not sure why, but the 24P only works with the Blu-Ray discs. If video is all you are worried about, then this player is for you. If audio is another big step and you don’t want to use the PCM audio out…. well then you might want to wait and see what Panasonic has to say about the DTS-HD MA not working properly for some models.

    Perhaps the DMP-BD55 is the way to go? I’ll have to check that one out as well…

    UPDATE: After taking back the player and trying a new one, I found that the DTS-HD MA worked fine. I must have received a bad player or something. I did the same thing with turning off the Secondary Audio and the DTS-HD MA lights began to glow on my receiver without hesitation. This player is getting 5 stars for me based on performance, features, and PRICE!

    GD Star Rating
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23. Anonymous says:

    November 7, 2008 at 7:04 pm

    Very Slow start and navigation!
    I just bought this BD player, and i must say that even being quite impressive in its picture quality, don’t surpasses at all the PS3 (I also have it) and it’s very slow loading the disc and begining the reproduction, much more than the PS3. I proved 2 discs, one; Damien Omen II, from the loading of the disc to the start of the movie have been passed 75!!! seconds. And one of the discs of Smallville-Season 6 that it will take 40!!! seconds to start.

    Until now, I’m very disappointed with this machine, and i problably return it to the store and change it for another PS3. For being a third or fourth generation of a BD Player, I think that Panasonic needs to correct this kind of technical glitches.

    The navigation through the menus is quite slow too, the disc ones, and the player ones. Sorry, but I can’t share the other reviewers entusiasm.

    GD Star Rating
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24. Anonymous says:

    November 2, 2008 at 3:58 am

    First week with DMP-BD35
    I’m impressed with the Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-Ray player. I’ve watched The Hulk, Iron Man, and the Fifth Element and been very pleased. No unexpected pauses, or glitches of any kind. This is my first Blu-Ray player, so the load time between disk insert and play takes a little getting use to – its not as fast as DVD players, but not bad. Video output on a 2001 model 51 inch Sony RPTV is better than DVD – consistent detail and colors that seem deeper than the DVD versions of the same movies. I’m pleased that the combination of component output at 1080i and optical PCM audio output works as desired – don’t *have* to upgrade to an HDMI-capable display and AV receiver to get a great picture and the awesome Dolby Master Audio quality sound. The conversion of all the great audio formats to PCM as well as the price sold me on this particular Blu-Ray player. I found the optical audio out low frequency effects (LFE) volume level is down about 10 db, which appears to mimic the analog outputs of some players. Wish that was mentioned in the user manual. Fortunately, my AV receiver (Denon 2803) boosted the LFE volume on optical input when the “external LFE boost” setting was enabled. Bottom line: At $300, my price, capability, and quality point was met.

    Pros
    
    Broad audio decoding to PCM
    
    Great DVD video output
    
    Acceptable load times
    
    Good price

    Cons
    
    No technical issues yet
    
    User Manual non-HDMI use is minimal

    GD Star Rating
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25. hughnwalton says:

    October 29, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    Panasonic DMP-BD35K vs. Sony BDP-S350: DVD Upconversion, etc.
    I recently went to Circuit City and purchased the new Panasonic DMP-BD35K Blu-Ray Player to compare it to the Sony BDP-S350 I have at home. I purchased the Sony a month before the Panasonic came out and wanted to see how it measured up. I had read a review online that stated that the Panasonic DMP-BD35K was the better player, and that it handled certain tasks better than the Sony BDP-S350, so I thought I would see for myself. As Blu-ray players the two appear to be well matched, but what I am particularly interested in is their ability to upconvert my collection of standard definition DVDs.

    A couple of months ago I compared the Sony BDP-S350 with the Panasonic DMP-BD30K (review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YF58AGU36JWQ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm). The results surprised me, and the Sony BDP-S350 was the clear winner. Since then, Panasonic has updated their Blu-ray players and have introduced the DMP-BD35K and DMP-BD55K. The players are definitely going to give Sony’s new line of players a run for the money.

    The start up time was very respectable for both players, although the Panasonic generally took an extra few seconds to load DVDs and Blu-ray discs. The Panasonic for some reason has to pause for approximately 5-10 seconds before the tray opens. The Sony is overall much faster to respond, making the user experience more pleasurable. The menu interfaces for both players are straight forward and relatively easy to navigate. Panasonic has opted for a standard setup menu that is accessed via the setup button on the remote, while Sony has chosen to have a media bar style menu launch at the beginning of every start up. Some people have complained about having to go through the media bar every time a new disc is inserted, but I don’t find this a problem at all. After setting up both players, my first test was to compare their ability to upconvert standard definition DVDs.

    The older Panasonic DMP-BD30K did a poor job of upconvertion, so I was especially interested to see if Panasonic had made improvements in this area to their new line of players. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Panasonic DMP-BD35K did a good job of upconvertion. The picture quaility was comparable to the Sony BDP-S350 (see note below). I found that the image was a little less sharp on the Panasonic, and that it’s colors appeared slightly muted. The Sony’s image was slightly sharper, and its colors were more saturated from the start. I made a number of picture adjustments to my home theater projector (Panasonic PT-AX200U) in the hopes of enhancing the Panasonic’s color output to better match the Sony’s, but no matter what adjustments I made I was unhappy. The one down side I found to the Sony’s upconversion abilities is that it sharpened elements in the foreground more than in the background resulting in a uneven level of sharpness throughout the image. Generally head shots looked great, but people in the background appeared a little soft. The Panasonic did a better job of applying a more even sharpening to the entire image (both foreground and background) due to the fact that it produced a softer overall image that better matched the soft background detail. Both players do a good job of upconversion, although I prefer the image rendered by the Sony.

    Note: Both players do a decent job of DVD upconvertion, but they both pale in comparison to dedicated upconverting standard definition DVD players like the OPPO DV-993H, DV-981HD, or DV-980H. If you are a true videophile you will probably want to purchase an OPPO player to watch your standard definition DVDs and use your Blu-ray player exclusively for watching Blu-ray discs.

    Although I currently own the Sony BDP-S350, I was very excited that the Panasonic DMP-BD35K offered 24 frame per second (24 fps) playback for both Blu-ray AND standard definition DVDs. The Sony player only offers 24 fps playback on Blu-ray discs. As I tested the Panasonic I found that this feature contains one major flaw. You have to manually enable 24 fps playback for each DVD that is loaded into the player. The process is a simple one, but none the less, an annoying one. I don’t understand why Panasonic didn’t find a way to have this feature activate automatically the same way the player detects 24 fps playback on Blu-ray discs, or why Sony decided to only provide 24 fps playback for Blu-ray discs. Once activated, my projector received a 1080p24 signal (rather than a 1080p60 signal), but to be honest I couldn’t see much of a difference in image quality or movement. At least not enough of a difference to convince me that I can’t live without this feature.

    When playing back Blu-ray discs I found both players to be more or less the same. The image and sound quality was excellent on both players. Again, the only inconsistency I found was that the Panasonic took an additional 5-10 second to eject any disc.

    One feature that Panasonic has done a better job of incorporating into their new players is the use of external memory. To fully utilize Blu-ray Live 2.0 features both players require the use of external memory. Sony has opted to use USB Flash memory, while Panasonic has opted to use SD Media Cards. Sony has stupidly placed the external memory card slot on the back of the player, making access difficult or impossible for people who place it within an AV cabinet or entertainment console. The Panasonic on the other hand has located the SD slot at the front of the player, making accessibility a snap. I have little problem reaching to the rear of my Sony player, so this is a non-issue, but if you plan on using the memory slot frequently the Panasonic might be the better choice.

    Another reviewer states that both the Panasonic’s image and sound quality is clearly superior to the Sony’s. My tests made it clear to me that both players produce an excellent image when playing Blu-ray discs, do a decent job of upconversion when playing standard definition DVDs, and produce excellent quality sound. To proclaim one player the clear winner over the other seems biased to me.

    In conclusion, Panasonic has clearly stepped up to the plate and delivered a very nice Blu-ray player, but that being said, I found the overall design and DVD upconversion to be more pleasing on the Sony BDP-S350. Also, after suffering through the slow eject and load times of my now obsolete Toshiba A20 HD-DVD player, the Sony’s slightly faster response time was very important to me. I had hoped that the Panasonic was going to blow the Sony out of the water and that its ability to play standard definition DVDs at 24 fps would seal the deal, but this was not the case. Considering that the Sony, in my opinion, does a slightly better job of upconversion and can cost around $40 less than the Panasonic, my decision has been made to return the Panasonic DMP-BD35K to Circuit City and keep on using my Sony BDP-S350 until both companies learn how to upconvert standard definition DVDs as well as OPPO. My suggestion to anyone considering either of these players is to weigh their strengths and weaknesses and buy the player that best suits your needs. For some, that will be the Panasonic, for others, that will be the Sony. Either way, you are going to be very happy with your new purchase.

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Your 1080p widescreen HDTV is not being maximized unless you add a Blu-Ray player to it. The Panasonic DMP-BD35K 1080p Blu-Ray Player is a highly affordable way of viewing the latest Blu-Ray discs that deliver clear, ultrasharp and vivid images of new and favorite movies. Blu-ray means incredible full-HD images, breathtaking sound and 5x the data capacity of DVDs. Now Blu-ray means something else too: an entirely new movie-viewing experience, made possible by Final Standard Profile, which adds features never seen before, like four Picture-in-Picture modes including Enhanced Commentary (from directors and actors), Backstage Pass, Peek Behind the Animation and Audio Mixing. It will also play your current DVD discs (albeit at lower resolutions) and CD discs. The only disc that the DMPBD35 won't play is DiVX (Panasonic DMP-BD55K will play DiVX). So make everyday a special holiday when you watch discs on your HDTV played by the Panasonic DMP-BD35K 1080p Blu-Ray Player. Advanced Picture Processing for 1080p (including 1080p/24 output for Blu-ray and standard DVD) On-board decoding or bitstreaming of 5.1 and 7.1-channel high bit rate audio including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio (via HDMI output only) VieraLink - Control your Panasonic Viera TV and DVD player with just one remote SD Memory Card Slot - Enjoy Precious Memories on your screen (Photos and Video) Approximate Unit Dimensions (H x W x D) 2-5/16'' x 16-15/16'' x 12-5/8''; Weight 7.3 lbs

Panasonic's two new slim, BD-Live compatible, feature-filled Blu-ray players, the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55, offer cutting edge technologies focused on producing the ultimate movie-viewing experience.

The BD35 and BD55 both feature an HD Audio Decoder (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTSTM-HD Master Audio Essential), delivering 7.1-channel surround sound through a 7.1-channel receiver equipped with an HDMI terminal. The DMP-BD55 features high-end audio components and can also output analog signals for 7.1-channel sound, so even receivers that are not compatible with HDMI can produce the newest 7.1-channel surround sound.

Both models are equipped with an SD Memory Card slot that makes it easy to transfer images from an HD camcorder or digital still camera that uses SD Memory Cards and are compatible with Panasonic’s VIERA Link function so they can be operated by the VIERA HDTV remote control.

The combination of a Panasonic Blu-ray player, Home Theater audio system and a VIERA HDTV converts the home entertainment experience into a true-to-life cinematic experience. Consumers can now view and enjoy movies the way the film maker intended -- in stunning High Definition video and audio – right from the comfort of their own home.

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True-To-Life Colors with PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus

The PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus video processor was developed after more than 15 years of collaboration between Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory and professional cinema studios in Hollywood. With PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus, users viewing content on Blu-ray Discs enjoy crisp, vivid colors that are extremely close to the original.  A high-precision 4:4:4 function creates video signals in which each pixel of the signal from the Blu-ray Disc is color-compensated, so when the player is connected to a Panasonic VIERA HDTV, the colors are even sharper and more vivid.

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UniPhier System

UniPhier is a Panasonic-created system LSI developed by applying 45-nanometer processing to a consumer product – a world’s first.  This single-chip integration technology also contributes greatly to the BD35’s world's slimmest height of 49mm.

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Blu-ray Video Features

More Picture

See Everything Your HDTV Can Show You with Full HD. 6 Times the Picture Data on DVDs See everything your HDTV can show you. Blu-ray Disc's Full HD 1080p resolution produces over 2 million pixels per frame to produce a razor-sharp picture with unmatched depth and clarity that takes full advantage of the capabilities of today's 1080p HDTVs. That's six times the picture data contained on DVDs, which are encoded at only 480p. 24p True Cinema Video Output Most of all Hollywood movies are shot at 24 frames per second, and Blu-ray Disc movies are mastered at 24 frame per second. Blu-ray Disc Players can output films at 1080/24p for a true film-like experience at home, as well as 1080/60p for more traditional HDTV sets on the market. Backwards compatible and Upscaling All existing Blu-ray Disc players will play your standard DVD collection without a problem. And with built-in 1080p video upscaling, they'll look even better.

More Space

Blu-ray Disc has 5x more storage capacity than DVD, which allows more content to fit on the disc. The extra storage capacity also means more room for special features like inline navigation, Bonus View, interactive games, deleted scenes, director commentary and more
Navigate to special features, other scenes, or settings without leaving the content you are watching.	Bonus View lets you watch special features and commentary inline without leaving the movie.

More Bits

In the digital world, picture quality is not just about resolution, but also about bit rates. The higher the bit rate, the more data that is processed, typically resulting in higher video quality. DVDs have a maximum video bit rate of about 10 megabits per second (Mbps). In comparison, Blu-ray Disc is capable of video bitrates up to an incredible 40 Mbps. The bottom line, higher bit rates allow for the least amount of data compression for HD video that looks closest to the original video source.

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BD-Live

Both the BD35 and BD55 feature BD-Live compatibility which enables users to connect to the Internet to download images, subtitles and other data, and take part in interactive activities and multi-player games linked to bonus cinema content found on Blu-ray Discs. BD-Live is a Blu-ray feature that enables you to access  special content via an internet-connected Blu-ray player. Because it's not coded into the disc, BD-Live content is always updated, always fresh. With BD-Live, your Blu-ray disc is different every time you view it. Check out the latest previews,  download special scenes, exclusive features and ringtones, and participate in online communities or games. As BD-Live continues to grow and expand, even more features will become available, customizing features and content to your location or preferences.

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Life-Like Surround Sound

The BD35 and BD55 both feature an HD Audio Decoder (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTSTM-HD Master Audio Essential), which supports the 7.1-channel surround sound newly adopted in Blu-ray Discs.  Users can enjoy 7.1-channel surround even with systems that do not support HD Audio -- as long as the DMP-BD35/55 is connected to a 7.1-channel receiver equipped with an HDMI terminal. The DMP-BD55 can also output analog signals for 7.1-channel sound, so even receivers that are not compatible with HDMI can produce the newest 7.1-channel surround sound by simply connecting to the DMP-BD55.

Dolby TrueHD, Dolby’s next-generation lossless technology developed for high-definition disc-based media, delivers tantalizing sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master.

• Delivers enthralling studio-master-quality sound that unlocks the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs.
• Offers more discrete channels than ever before for impeccable surround sound.
• Compatible with the A/V receivers and home-theaters-in-a-box (HTIBs) of today and tomorrow.
• Dialogue normalization maintains the same volume level when you change to other Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD programming.
• Dynamic range control (Night mode) enables you to customize audio playback to reduce peak volume levels (no loud surprises) while experiencing all the details in the soundtrack, enabling late-night viewing of high-energy surround sound without disturbing others.

The Panasonic BD55 goes a step further with a high-end audio design and components. Thanks to a 192kHz 24bit audio digital-analog converter and high quality insulators, electrolytic capacitors, copper-foil film capacitors and ultra-low-impedance electrolytic capacitors, the DMP-BD55 delivers the same kind of exciting surround effect and lifelike ambience as today's finest cinemas. The DMP-BD55 can also output analog signals for 7.1-channel sound, so even receivers that are not compatible with HDMI can produce the newest 7.1-channel surround sound by simply connecting to the DMP-BD55.

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HDMI Features

x.v Color

RGB Color Range

xvYCC Color Range

Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for shortactually offers  an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors

Deep Color

So, where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color. Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors Enables increased contrast ratio Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white

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Connectivity

Both models are equipped with an SD Memory Card slot that makes it easy to transfer images from an HD camcorder or digital still camera that uses SD Memory Cards. Simply insert the SD card into the DMP-BD35/55 and it plays AVCHD-format video images or JPEG stills in full 1920 x 1080 resolution on your flat panel HDTV.  The DMP-BD35/55 can also play slide shows, complete with background music. The DMP-BD35/55 models are also compatible with Panasonic’s VIERA Link function so they can be operated by the VIERA HDTV remote control. Inputs/Outputs HDMI Component Video Out (Y, PB, PR) Video Out 2ch Audio Out Digital Audio Out : 1 optical SD Memory Card Slot Ethernet for Network

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Specifications

VIDEO

PHL Reference Chroma Processor : Yes
P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD) : Yes
Precise Pixel Generation : Yes
16-Level Motion Detection w/ Pixel-Based Motion Adaptive : Yes
Diagonal Processing : Yes
3:2/2:2 Pull-Down Progressive Processing : Yes
i/p Conversion for 1080p 3 Playback : Yes
Up-conversion to 1080p 4 Playback : Yes
Video D/A Converter : 148.5MHz/12bit
Progressive Scan : Yes
Digital Noise Reduction : 3D-NR/Integrated NR
1080/24p Playback : Yes
Deep Color : Yes
x.v.Color : Yes
Picture Mode : Yes (Normal/Soft/Fine/Cinema/User)
Picture Adjustment : Yes (Brightness, Color, Contrast, Sharpness, Gamma Correction)

s

Audio D/A Converter : 192kHz/24bit
Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital Plus Decoder : Decode and Bitstream output
Dolby True HD Decoder : Decode and Bitstream output
DTS/DTS-HD High Resolution Audio Decoder : Decode and Bitstream output
96kHz Surround Re-Master : (for all formats)
Advanced Surround (V.S.S.) : Yes
Night Surround Mode : Yes
Dialogue Enhancer : Yes
Dynamic Range Compression : Yes
Audio S/N : 115dB
Dynamic Range : 100dB

CONVENIENT

Super Hi Speed Scan : Yes
Audio/JPEG Navigation Menu : Yes
VIERA Link (HDAVI Control 3) : Yes

INPUT/OUTPUT

HDMI: Support features: Deep Color, x.v.Color, High Bit Rate Audio
Component Video Out (Y, PB, PR) : Yes
Video Out : Yes
7.1ch Audio Out : No
2ch Audio Out : Yes
Digital Audio Out : 1 optical
SD Memory Card Slot : Yes
Ethernet for Network : Yes

FORMAT

BD-ROM Playback : BD-Live
BD-RE / BD-RE DL : BD-MV (BD-RE version3), BDAV (SESF), JPEG (HD)
BD-R/BD-R DL : BD-MV (BD-R version2), BDAV (SESF)
DVD Playback : DVD-Video
DVD-RAM Playback : DVD-VR, JPEG (HD), AVCHD
DVD-R/-RW/-R(DL) 1 Playback : Yes
+R/+R(DL)/+RW Playback : DVD-VR, AVCHD
CD, CD-R/-RW 2 Playback : CD-DA, MP3 (CD-R/-RW only), JPEG (HD) (CD-R/-RW only)
SD Memory Card : AVCHD, JPEG (HD)

POWER

Power Source : AC 120V, 60Hz
Power Consumption : 20W (approx)

DIMENSIONS

Dimensions (H x W x D) : 1 15/16' inches by 16 15/16 inches by 9 13/16 inches
Weight : 5.7 lbs

• Blu-ray Player
• BD Live
• VIERA Link: Operate with your VIERA Remote Control
• SD Card Slot

Dimensions

• Height: 1.69''
• Length: 9.8''
• Width: 16.94''
• Weight: 5.73 lbs