dmp-bd55

Panasonic's DMP-BD55 is the best standalone Blu-ray player yet, but you shouldn't buy it

The Panasonic DMP-BD55 basically has it all. It's Profile 2.0 compliant, has onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and features excellent image quality. Not only that, but we've given it the highest rating we've ever given any standalone Blu-ray player, making it only outclassed by the Sony PlayStation 3. And even with all that, the vast majority of home theater buyers looking to get into Blu-ray shouldn't buy it--even if they're set on a standalone player.

That's because, as good as the DMP-BD55 is, Panasonic also has the less expensive … Read more

Pricing revealed for new Panasonic Blu-ray players?

When Panasonic announced its two new Blu-ray players in early September--the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55--the press release was long on features but mum on pricing. Now Video Business (via The Digital Bits) is reporting that the BD35 will retail for $400 and the step-up BD55 will cost $500. (Except for the latter model's analog 7.1-channel audio outputs, the players--both of which will boast cutting-edge Profile 2.0/BD-Live capability--are largely the same.)

By comparison, the older Panasonic DMP-BD50 retails for around $600. The new models are said to deliver improved video quality, faster disc-loading times, and lower power consumption, … Read more

Panasonic announces DMP-BD35, DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players

Rumors of new Panasonic Blu-ray players have been kicking around for weeks, but now it's official. Panasonic has announced two new Blu-ray players at CEDIA, the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55, which look to be mostly a refinement of the cutting-edge DMP-BD50 that was released this spring. There is no pricing or release dates yet, but let's take a look at the major features of these new players.

Panasonic DMP-BD35

Key features of the Panasonic DMP-BD35:

Blu-ray Profile 2.0 Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as bitstream output Blu-ray and DVD playback at 24 … Read more

Rumor: Panasonic, Yamaha to announce new Blu-ray players at Cedia?

Cedia is still a couple of weeks away, but a few rumors are starting to trickle out about what will be announced at the show.

According to Blu-ray.com (which is not the official Blu-ray site), both Yamaha and Panasonic will be announcing new Blu-ray players. Yamaha will reportedly be rolling out the S2900, which will be a Profile 1.1 player and looks to only support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bitstream format. There's no price yet, but we have to imagine it will be relatively affordable given the spec sheet.

For Panasonic, the rumor is … Read more