Panasonic DMP-BD60 June 2009 review link (One of the best quality players under $500)

[HDTV1080P]

Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Player
(June 2009 Home Theater magazine review link)

The following quotes are on the Panasonic DMP-BD60 which is one of the best quality BLU-RAY players currently available for under $500 in terms of picture and sound quality. The Panasonic is not perfect, the Playstation 3 has built in memory for BD-LIVE with 1GB speed Ethernet for wired networking connections. The Panasonic offers 100MB ethernet connection instead of 1GB Ethernet connection. The Panasonic DMP-BD60 does not have 1GB of memory built in and requires external memory to be purchased. One positive about the Panasonic is that it uses a SD card slot on the front of the player for BD-LIVE compared to many other brands of players that use front and rear USB flash memory (SD memory looks better cosmetically). I wish all BLU-RAY players would have at least 1GB of memory built in with the option of adding more memory with a front SD card slot. Like most new BLU-RAY players the new Panasonic DMP-BD60 has dropped the legacy 480I S-video connection as a cost cutting feature.

Quotes from the review

" The DMP-BD60’s load times were about average for the newer players I’ve reviewed. Various manufacturers have definitely made improvements in this department, but there’s still room to grow. The DMP-BD60 was a bit sluggish with BD-Java-intensive titles, like those from Disney and Fox. This is still one of the biggest complaints I hear about Blu-ray, and it remains one of the biggest steps back from DVD (along with not being able to resume a disc if you hit Stop). I’m still at a loss as to why this next-generation format didn’t put usability farther up on the priority list."

" It lacks the DMP-BD80’s 7.1-channel analog outputs, but it still shares many core components and features with its big brother."

" The HDMI output is version 1.3a, with Deep Color compatibility and onboard decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio (to PCM). It has the ability to transmit both lossless formats as native bitstreams. The DMP-BD60 includes component video, S-video, and composite video connections, along with a TosLink digital audio connection." Note: The player does not have a legacy 480I S-video output, that quote from the review is a error.

" It also supports DVD upconversion to 1080p via HDMI and is among the few players that offer an upconverted 1080p/24 output from DVDs."

" DVD playback was solid, and I was impressed by the player’s 1080p/24 playback with DVD sources. Some of my more difficult test discs revealed some slight artifacts during playback, but typical studio discs played fine. It’s nice to see a manufacturer that pays as much attention to SD playback as HD."

"Unlike some Blu-ray players, the Panasonic player does not have a bitrate meter for video or audio, but it does include a status bar, along with indicators for the audio/video codecs."

"While this player lacks a marquee brand video processor like Faroudja or HQV, Panasonic’s UniPhier is one of the best performers in terms of overall video processing. It offers outstanding color fidelity and resolution."

" The DMP-BD60 sailed through our video processing tests. It supports full deinterlacing of high-definition and standard-def DVD playback with great results. This is the same performance that the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 offered, and it’s nothing short of spectacular, especially considering the price point."

" The big difference in this player versus previous Panasonic models is its inclusion of Internet-based video and picture viewing via Panasonic’s Viera Cast."

"Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Viera Cast options, there’s no denying that for $300, Panasonic delivers a Blu-ray player that’s hard to beat. The video performance is better than most higher-priced players I’ve tested, and the feature set gives you the most from your Blu-ray and DVD collection."

http://hometheatermag.com/discplayers/panasonic_dmp-bd60_blu-ray_player/

[STARSCREAM]

I've read alot of AVS on this player and there seems to be a big problem with freezing.

[SpHeRe31459]

Originally Posted by STARSCREAM

I've read alot of AVS on this player and there seems to be a big problem with freezing.

I think that's an overstatement from what I've read on AVS, there appears to be a bad batch from the factory that got out, most people have simply exchanged it and it's been fine.

[Blove23]

Originally Posted by STARSCREAM

I've read alot of AVS on this player and there seems to be a big problem with freezing.

I will say this, I have the BDP-55 and have not had a problem with mine. When it comes to electronics there is a 3% error of getting something defective. The PS3 this is a great entertainment system, but the Panny is a great player for people just to home into. I will compare AQ & PQ with a PS3 vs a Panny any day.

Like I said be before the PS3 is a great multi-media device, but the stand alone players have caught up with the PS3 in PQ & AQ. Step outside of the boxes sometimes to see new things.

I know people are going to go wild when I say this, but HD-DVD had the capabilty of playing back movies when you turned the device off. I know we don't speak of that much, but what has Blu-ray really changed.

[Cortiz]

Originally Posted by SpHeRe31459

I think that's an overstatement from what I've read on AVS, there appears to be a bad batch from the factory that got out, most people have simply exchanged it and it's been fine.

I have exchanged my BD60 three times and still freezes. Although is more like a pause that last about 5 seconds. I've given up exchanging this player so I just hope Panasonic release a firmware update to fix this issue.

[Mr. Cinema]

0 issues with mine. I've owned the Panny 10A, 30, 35, and now the 60 and never encountered any problems. They've been as consistent as anyone.

[Sonny]

I've played tons of BDs on my Panny 60 & it has never froze. It's a good little player.

[wafi]

Originally Posted by Sonny

I've played tons of BDs on my Panny 60 & it has never froze. It's a good little player.

I'm sold!

[robertc88]

I'll vouch for the Panny BD60 so far and the quality, especailly for SD DVD playback. It isn't loads better for BD playback as I have the BD30 but it is better.

I had only a few pauses (not freezing, whereby there is a lockup and cannot go further) as I've been throwing BDs left and right at this player to test it. For those rather few instances, I took out the discs, cleaned them, and all was well.

Build date on the one I have is January 2009. I got it for $249 at Best Buy. No reason not to try it if it has the features you want and you are interested!

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by Cortiz

I have exchanged my BD60 three times and still freezes. Although is more like a pause that last about 5 seconds. I've given up exchanging this player so I just hope Panasonic release a firmware update to fix this issue.

See my post just above. Did you note the build date of the player? Did you get total freezing or just pauses? Did you clean the discs?

Sorry for your bad experience with the player.

[gekke henkie]

Originally Posted by Cortiz

I have exchanged my BD60 three times and still freezes. Although is more like a pause that last about 5 seconds. I've given up exchanging this player so I just hope Panasonic release a firmware update to fix this issue.

By the way, if you bought a player from a faulty batch (see above) at your local store, chances are that when you exchanged it at the same store, you got another player from the same faulty batch...