Panasonic DMP-35K vs PS3 ?

[Electric_Haggis]

I've been looking to upgrade my first-gen Samsung blu player for quite a while.

I've always assumed its successor would be a Playstation 3, as it's the fastest, most flexible, most advanced Blu player on the market.
But as the point-of-purchase nears, I'm noticing that standalone players have finally come of age.

The only serious challenger is the new Panasonic DMP-35K (or DMP-BD35 as it's called in some regions).


Here's what I've surmised so far. Please feel free to disagree or chime in...



PS3 ADVANTAGES:

* FLEXIBLE... Also a games machine, a web-browser and a media server.
* Fastest load times
* Very fast response time using the remote.
* Maybe less compatibility issues: There are frequent firmware updates for the PS3.
* Enormous user base (and growing).
* Won't be superceded any time soon.
* The optional Blu-ray remote is bluetooth: so you don't need to aim for the player when operating (handy in my case).
* Auto-resume after you hit stop.
* Forced 24p possible.
* No front-panel display to illuminate a darkened room.
* Upscaling: Compared to an HQV-equipped player like the Toshiba XE1, it's damn close. I'd be surprised if the DMP-35 is actually any better.
* Playback quality? See below
* Region-free? See below


DMP-BD35 ADVANTAGES:

* Slimmer
* Quieter
* Cooler
* FAR less power consumption... only 20 Watts !
* Cheaper by around AU$300
* Audio can be bitstreamed over HDMI for decoding by the receiver.
* Remote control is excellent, with large primary buttons - probably better in the dark.
* Front display is sometimes handy (Hopefully it can be dimmed down or switched off when not wanted).
* SD card slot (especially handy if you have an AVC HD camera like the Canon HF11 )
* Infra-red means no problem with universal remotes
* Maybe comes DVD region-free out of the box (?)
* Playback quality? See below
* Region-free? See below



DEAL-MAKERs or BREAKERS:

* Some reviews have suggested superior quality pictures and sound on the Panasonic. Some users have retorted that the PS3 is still superior.
I find all this a little implausable, as the 1080p signal and audio tracks are simply being read, decoded and output... What more need be done?

* A huge deal-maker would be region-free blu-ray playback. It looks like the PS3 is definitely un-hackable. If there was a way of making the DMP-35K, that would really swing it.


As I say, please feel free to chime in or disagree.
Thanks in advance...

[callas01]

I would have to say that they PS3 is a great player, but with the standalones, like you say, coming of age, they are just as great. I do not own a PS3 but I do have the BD-35K and I can say that the load times are really quick, and everything I have read is that the new panasonics are great at upscaling,and personally I think so too... audio, whether it decodes or bitstreams comes out great via my Sony 920 AVR, I have tried both and both are great. Personally, the only advantage I see the PS3 having is the fact it plays games. I would totally recommend the bd-35 to anyone considering it, plus its cheaper.

[alain turgeon]

I have both the ps3 and the bd 35,ps3 is a bit faster but it can't pass dolby true hd and dts hdma through bitstream and i've found that the sound is a little better decoded by my Denon receiver. Anyway you can't go wrong with any of these players,the ps3 can do so much so it's higher price is justified imo.

[blujacket]

Originally Posted by alain turgeon

I have both the ps3 and the bd 35,ps3 is a bit faster but it can't pass dolby true hd and dts hdma through bitstream and i've found that the sound is a little better decoded by my Denon receiver. Anyway you can't go wrong with any of these players,the ps3 can do so much so it's higher price is justified imo.

Well stated. I have came to the same conclusion, with the same equipment.
BD35 bitstreamed to my Denon 3808CI. My PS3 was just too darn loud also.

[MALFEITOR1]

I was in the same situation last month becasue I had the Samsung BD-P1400. It was between PS3 or the BD-35 but when Sears posted the BD-35 on there website for $150 my choice was purchased pretty quickly. I am very happy with it and the performance is amazing for blu-ray, dvd, and picutre's from my 12MP camera (sdhc slot).

[andyman1970]

Originally Posted by alain turgeon

I have both the ps3 and the bd 35,ps3 is a bit faster but it can't pass dolby true hd and dts hdma through bitstream and i've found that the sound is a little better decoded by my Denon receiver. Anyway you can't go wrong with any of these players,the ps3 can do so much so it's higher price is justified imo.

I have a PS3 and plan to replace it with the Panasonic DMP-BD35K at the first of the year simply for the fact that the PS3 can not bitstream the Dolby TruHD and DTS HD MA as this is an important factor for me. Also I have heard that the Panny offers a better picture and overall Blu-ray movie experience. In fact the only real advantage the PS3 has is built in WiFi and front loading. Otherwise the Panny is just as good if not better despite a little longer loading time.

[Electric_Haggis]

I didn't realise the PS3 couldn't send bitstream audio for decoding by a receiver.

That could really swing things...

[neos_peace]

My PS3 is awesome and Id say it loads faster then any standalone. My average laoding time from the time you put the disc into the tray to the time it gets to the menu screen is about 5 seconds, some are a tad slower most are faster. And my PS3 is whisper quite. And has never ran warm.

[maygit]

It could also depend on the tv you have. Both my friend and I own Samsungs 40" 650 series(ln40a650) and he just picked up the BD35 about 2 weeks ago while I've had a PS3. Basically, i noticed that glitches from the frame interpolation(120hz + Automotion Plus) set on medium were less often on the BD35 and it performed awesome even on a high setting. The PS3, however, can really only perform with no glitching on a low setting, some glitches on medium and too annoying on high unless it is slow action like Planet Earth. I've been really considering replacing my PS3 with the BD35 but i'll probably hold off for another year or two and just get a new model at that time.

[HeavyHitter]

I used to have the PS3 - now have the BD35 which I prefer. I found the BD35 to be just very slightly better at 1080p/24 with BD and maybe more notably with DVD. It does 24hz with DVD nicely.

[Electric_Haggis]

Originally Posted by maygit

It could also depend on the tv you have. Both my friend and I own Samsungs 40" 650 series(ln40a650) and he just picked up the BD35 about 2 weeks ago while I've had a PS3. Basically, i noticed that glitches from the frame interpolation(120hz + Automotion Plus) set on medium were less often on the BD35 and it performed awesome even on a high setting. The PS3, however, can really only perform with no glitching on a low setting, some glitches on medium and too annoying on high unless it is slow action like Planet Earth. I've been really considering replacing my PS3 with the BD35 but i'll probably hold off for another year or two and just get a new model at that time.

Huh??
Try switching 120Hz/Automation off altogether... That way you'll both get motion as it was intended to look - and no glitching at all!!!

Still, it's odd that there's any difference. Maybe try both players on the same TV to be sure.

[Electric_Haggis]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

I used to have the PS3 - now have the BD35 which I prefer. I found the BD35 to be just very slightly better at 1080p/24 with BD and maybe more notably with DVD. It does 24hz with DVD nicely.

In what way is it better with 24p?
Less noise? Cleaner edges? Less judder?

What TV/projector are you using?

[maygit]

Originally Posted by Electric_Haggis

Huh??
Try switching 120Hz/Automation off altogether... That way you'll both get motion as it was intended to look - and no glitching at all!!!

Still, it's odd that there's any difference. Maybe try both players on the same TV to be sure.

I prefer it on. I'm not a movie guru who cares about it looking how it was intended to look. I prefer the more realistic motion, the documentary type feeling you get with the motion enhancer on that makes you feel as if your standing behind the camera watching the action unfold right in front of you. I also like the tv set to Movie Mode with a Cool 1 color tone over a calibrated picture. IMO when the tv is calibrated it looks crappy. I've tried to grow used to a calibrated set and after about a week of it still looking crappy and everyone asking me "why's it look so faded?" or "why this/that?" etc, i change it back.

Edit: After re-reading the above, i sound sort-of rude. Don't take it that way i did not intend for the paragraph to be written with that attitude.

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by alain turgeon

I have both the ps3 and the bd 35,ps3 is a bit faster but it can't pass dolby true hd and dts hdma through bitstream and i've found that the sound is a little better decoded by my Denon receiver. Anyway you can't go wrong with any of these players,the ps3 can do so much so it's higher price is justified imo.

I have the same equipment, too. I liked the PS3 while I used it for BD's, but since I got the Panny BD35, I love the sound far better coming from my Denon 3808.

If you into gaming, then the PS3 is a good choice. If not, go with the Panny.

[Colglizity]

If I could do it all over again, I would have bought the Panny 35 over the PS3

[nohjy]

Since I have really been unable to find a thread which provides a direct comparison between these units, I have taken it upon myself to begin one.



Background:

I have owned a PS3 for the last 18 months and to say I have been happy with it would be a vast understatement. In my humble opinion it is the single best piece of consumer electronics ever developed. It not only serves as a wonderful Blu-ray player it also performs admirably a host of other services including acting as: media server, CD player, SACD player (I have the original PS3), gaming machine, etc. Unfortunately these added attributes may not appeal to everyone, so the value added varies depending on the consumer. As such, we will be concentrating on on the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player only.

As I am an avid home theater enthusiest, I want to make sure that the audio quality and picture quality of my Blu-ray player is the best available (quality vs. $$). In this interest, I decided recently to purchase a Panasonic BD-35 to compare with my existing PS3. Below is summary of my findings based on perceived strengths. Both players are extremely competent, but one does stand above in both PQ & AQ. Please know that, when all was said in done, I wanted that player to be the PS3...

My Equipment:

JVC 61" Hdila LCOS RPTV
Integra DTC-9.8 Pre/Pro
Parasound Halo A21 Amp
Parasound Halo A51 Amp

Revel Performa F52 Fronts
Revel Performa C52 Center
Revel Perform M22 Surround & Rear
AV123 MFW-15


Sony PS3

- Is easily 20% faster than the BD-35 in loading to the main menu of a BD. Just getting a disc in the BD-35 seems to take forever. I for one really like the PS3s slot loader. Many seem to think that speed is not important. Trust me the waiting gets annoying. Especially when you are used to using the PS3.

- The PS3 is very responsive to remote commands (even with the USB dongle). The BD-35 by comparison seems to have delayed reaction to the remote.

- The PS3 in-movie information window is so much better. I love the fact that it shows the audio and video bit rates.

- When you stop the PS3 in the middle of a movie you can push play and it will restart from the place in the movie at which it stopped. the BD-35 DOES NOT DO THIS!! It reloads the disc all over again.

Panasonic BD-35

- Is compatible with Universal Remotes because it uses IR. The PS3 is bluetooth and therefore can't be turned on with an IR remote (even with the USB dongle).

- Is much quieter. The PS3 can get loud especially if it is running hard for a long time.

- Has a slightly more detailed picture. I think this has something to do with color decoding. The BD-35 just has more vivid colors. The PS3 seems somewhat dingy and/or muted by comparison.

- Sounds better when using bitstreamed HD codecs. I know that many will say there is no difference - lossless is lossless! Trust me there is a difference. It probably wouldn't be noticed by 90% of the viewing/listening public, but it is there. There is a greater sense of overall fullness to the sound when bitstreaming. This was something I absolutely refused to believe, but, after listening to the same sections of a number of movies over and over again, there is no question in my mind that the BD-35 is the better sounding player. This is not, however, by order of magnitude. It is a small, but noticable difference.

So, while I really wanted the BD-35 to suffer by comparison, it didn't quite work out that way. I have to admit from an operational standpoint I really hate the BD-35, but it will have to peacefully coexist with my PS3. Unfortunately, it is just a better player from an AQ & PQ standpoint.

[Electric_Haggis]

Wow. Great summary... Thanks so much for that.

In some ways, I'm even more torn now!
(I'm not a gamer, but there are a handful of PS3 games that I'd love to have on hand.)

Five points worth raising...

1. When you say that the BD35 has a more vivd picture with beter colour, do you think that finely calibrating the display would make up for the difference? (I'm using a Benq W5000 dlp projector and a 90" screen.)

2. Henning on www.HDDVD.org found the same thing when comparing PQ on these units. Describing the BD35, he used the words "smoother" and "more detailed". Smoother suggests less edge enhancement, noise and jaggies, yet more detailed suggests... more detail. I wonder how the two can coexist?

3. Has the PS3's PQ changed at all as firmware updates have come through?

4. Might the newer 80gb PS3 have different PQ/SQ performance?

5. I can see how the PS3's audio decoding might fall a little short. My experience with Sony's DVD players, for what that's worth, is that the audio is never quite there. Of course it then comes down to how well your receiver/pre-pro handles the decoding. (I'm looking to use the Denon AVR-2809 as a pre-pro with Rotel amps and VAF Research DC-X speakers.)
The big question is this... Why the hell can't the PS3 pass bitstream audio, and might this change?

[cartman781]

Originally Posted by Electric_Haggis

Wow. Great summary... Thanks so much for that.


The big question is this... Why the hell can't the PS3 pass bitstream audio, and might this change?

It never will. The PS3 is limited by its use of HDMI 1.3. I believe it would need to be at least 1.3a.

[Electric_Haggis]

Originally Posted by cartman781

It never will. The PS3 is limited by its use of HDMI 1.3. I believe it would need to be at least 1.3a.

And the 80gb PS3 isn't 1.3a, right?

[Electric_Haggis]

Originally Posted by cartman781

It never will. The PS3 is limited by its use of HDMI 1.3. I believe it would need to be at least 1.3a.

Looks like the PS3 has always been 1.3a...
http://www.gizmocafe.com/blogs/gizmo...04/101815.aspx