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 frames per second
• Ethernet port for firmware and content
• Deep Color and x.v.Color support
• SDHC card slot

Panasonic DMP-BD55

Key step-up features of the Panasonic DMP-BD55:

• 7.1 multichannel analog outputs
• High-end internal audio components

The DMP-BD35 looks to have a pretty solid feature set. Profile 2.0 support means you'll be able to take advantage of BD-Live features available on some newer Blu-ray discs, and onboard decoding for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio means you'll be able to take advantage of both high resolution soundtrack formats with any HDMI-capable receiver. This model seems to be pretty close to the DMP-BD50 in terms of features, but we're hoping it sports a price tag under $400.

While the step-up features on the DMP-BD55 look pretty minor, we're happy to see this kind of product differentiation on Blu-ray players. The majority of home theater fans don't need 7.1 analog outputs--and can opt for the cheaper DMP-BD35--while the few people that do need it can opt for the more expensive DMP-BD55. Of course, we'll also be interested to see if there are any performance differences between these two players, and we're hoping for improved DVD performance from players, as the DMP-BD50's DVD playback had room for improvement.

[sellis16]

What does "high-end internal audio components" on the BD-55 mean?

For an HDMI-er, BD-35 seems perfect. Just want to be sure I'm not missing something with this "high-end internal audio components" thing. I suspect it's along with and related to the "7.1 multichannel analog outputs," but want to be sure.

It's not something good with regard to CD playback or something, right?

[taslortiz]

I'm trying to choose between the Panasonic DMP BD55 and the BD35 blue ray player. My concern is not video quality since all reviews seem to suggest that they are comparable. However, I noticed under the specs "Sound Output Mode" the BD55 is listed as "surround" and the BD35 is listed as "stereo". I have an HDMI connector from the player to the TV and an optical cable for sound to the receiver. While the CNET review seems to suggest little to no difference between the two players, what's the likely impact of this "surround v. stereo" designation under the sound output mode and is it worth the extra $$ for the BD55?

Thanks for any help.