Today I'll have both the Panny & the Sammy!

[Jim L]

While I've been waiting for the my Sony BDP-S1 which is on order, I had an unusual thing happen.

I purchased a new Sony 60" SXRD 1080p display (the KDS60A2000) 2 weeks ago and the Sony Blu-ray player along with some accessories and installation. Today was the day that everything was supposed to be delivered and set-up. Due to a mix-up, my entire order was lost.

When I told the manager that I was unhappy with the situation, he said he would work some miracles for me and get everything here today. When asked about the Blu-ray player he said that it was still on back-order. To make up for it he said he'd bring me out a Panasonic Blu-ray player as a loaner or give it to me at the same price as the Sony.

I already have a "temporary" Samsung with the latest firmware that I was planning to take back when I got my Sony. The end result is that I'll have both of these players to compare on a top-of-the-line 1080p display. Anyone have any tests they'd like me to perform? I have 12 discs (including Tears of the Sun). Of course I will be comparing them. I wonder (if the Panny is great) whether I should keep it. Is it a bargain at $999. Or should I just wait for the Sony? Anyway I'll have a month to decide.

Oops. The installers just arrived. Gotta go. I'll update everyone later.

[theknub]

"damn you to the pits of hell" - stewie from family guy

i envy you

[phloyd]

I would keep the Pan at that price myself

From what I can tell, the Pan has 7.1 analog out and the Sony does not.

The Sony potentially has 1080p at 24 fps out which I believe the Pan does not.

Otherwise... who knows.

There are also some 'bugs' (though not critical in my mind) with the Panasonic's video output - the kinds of things that show up on test patterns but don't affect real video much if at all (like no blacker than black over HDMI which means nothing to an SXRD TV, only CRT).

But it is worth knowing about these things...

[ProvenFlipper]

I'd keep the Panny at $999. That's a great deal. Even if the Sony has support for 1080p24, your SXRD doesn't support it. Don't forget too, the Panny is going to decode next gen audio, where as the Sony probably won't, unless this is the 'software' issue they are referring to.

[theknub]

will your guy let you test the sony next to the panny and make a decision?

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by Jim L

I'll have both of these players to compare on a top-of-the-line 1080p display. Anyone have any tests they'd like me to perform?

Yes please.
If you have or get the Dinosaur disc, compare the SXRD image to this:

[Jim L]

Originally Posted by theknub

"damn you to the pits of hell" - stewie from family guy

theknub: I'm sure you meant that in a good way.

I'm still evaluating everything, but all I can say right now is "WOW!" (I won't tell you how late I stayed up last night playing with everything.)

There are several things that have enhanced my initial impression of Blu-ray. Now I'm watching everytning on a new 1080p SXRD display. (Broadcast HDTV is phenomenal!) The other thing that is probably adding another level of detail is the HDMI interface. All my watching before was on a CRT RPTV that only had component inputs. Now I see what makes people use the term "3-dimensional" for Blu-ray discs.

The picture quality on TOTS (Tears of the Sun) is incredible. It does look 3-D. I haven't tried The Great Raid yet but I might pop it in tonight.

I can say this so far about the Panasonic, it looks very nice from an aesthetic standpoint. A quality piece. The remote is ok for me. I turned off that stupid jog-wheel in the setup menu. It's way too sensitive. I like the fact that it plays CDs and DVD-As. I like the resume function. The one thing I don't like is the fact that you can't eject the disc from the remote. The flip-down panel on the front doesn't have to be manually operated. I used to own a Pioneer LaserDisc player that had a similar setup, but the flip-down panel was spring loaded and was pushed out by the disc tray. When the tray closed, the panel flipped back up. I think Panasonic could have designed this better, but it's a minor quibble. (My Denon DVD player has some ergonomic flaws too, but is a fine player)

I'm still playing this weekend and will update everyone later. Let me know if there are any other tests you want me to do.

[theknub]

jim, i actually meant it in a joking way.

can you verify the CUE effect when upconverting on the panny?

[Jim L]

This was a big weekend for setting up and testing out my new display. Also a rare opportunity to have both the Panasonic and Samsung Blu-ray players to compare on my 1080p display.

Here are my findings:

Blu-ray playback

My favorite live-action reference title at the moment is Tears of the Sun. I remember the first time I viewed this title on the SXRD it was stunning. When I cued up a few test chapters on the Sammy I started to see the difference. (This Sammy has the latest firmware update) The Sammy looks good, but the picture is still slightly softer than the Panny. It looked passably good, but I was not awed.

When I put TOTS in the Panny and viewed the same chapter sections, the difference was immediately obvious. Not only did the Panny have the extra resolution which made the picture look 3-D, but the blacks, colors, and contrast were better as well.

I also watched Corpse Bride on both. The Panny has better contrast and resolution, but it is not as obvious on this material.

Standard DVD playback

I used Toy Story 1 Chapter 4 as the test material and have a Denon DVD-2200 as a reference to compare to. The Sammy definitely has the CUE bug. The Panny doesn't and I tried every available output resolution through HDMI (480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p).

Other considerations

• The Sammy loads slightly faster (25 seconds from tray open to playing the studio logo vs. 37 seconds for the Panny).
• The Panny is nicer looking
• The Panny has a better remote
• The Panny has 7.1 analog outputs
• The Panny will be upgraded to the advanced audio formats
• The Panny comes with a free movie and 2 other free discs via mail
• The Panny has a nicer setup menu
• The Panny has a modest front panel display which can be dimmed

I'm returning the Sammy today. I don't yet know what I'll do about the Panny vs. the Sony. I think I'm going to keep my Denon for SACD playback.

[thunderhawk]

Nice, thanks for the heads up.