The Panasonic DMP-BD10 Review Thread -v. 2.4 Firmware available now-

[Jeff®]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=243666

A Panasonic DMP-BD10 review

Ben Williams
HTF Disney/Miramax Reviewer

Build Quality:

"Right out of the box, this is a noticeably well-built player..."

Picture Quality:

"So, here’s the big question: Does the Panny deliver the goods in picture quality? Quite simply, it certainly does. I decided to start my viewing on a down note with “The Fifth Element”. The Panasonic proves that the problem with this disc was the transfer and not Blu-Ray technology. All the same source problems that were detected on the Samsung player were present on the Panasonic. However, colors seemed to be better represented on the Panasonic and there was a definite increase in sharpness. There was slightly more of that 3D HD effect during the movie than on the Samsung. Overall, the picture seemed slightly more rich. I also didn’t really notice too much macroblocking. As a matter of fact, I only detected it once during the course of the move during a very hectic fight scene. On the Samsung, I noticed macroblocking much more frequently. Of course, all the dirt and grime on the print is still there on the Panasonic. It is still a very imperfect transfer and a sub-par entry for blu-ray, but the Panasonic did a nice job of making the good parts look slightly better.

I moved on from there to “Eight Below” which is included with the player. Now, this is what HD is all about! From moment one the Panasonic really impressed me. Colors were spot on without a hint of oversaturation. Whites never bloomed and blacks were rock solid. I noticed a small amount of film grain that was consistent with how a filmed piece is supposed to look. It was never distracting and very naturally presented. Fine details (The fur on the dogs) were immaculately rendered."

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=243666

[Dave]

Excelent! The whole review is fair and proves the real thing!

10x Jeff!

[KenThompson]

Now thats what a review should look like. A definate step up on the Samsung. Hope the Sony I'm waiting for gets the same praise when reviewed.

[Jeff®]

He added some pictures to the review now.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=243666

[GoldenRedux]

Originally Posted by Jeff®

He added some pictures to the review now.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=243666

Not exactly the best pictures in the world there.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by GoldenRedux

Not exactly the best pictures in the world there.

What is wrong with the pics?

[quattro_man]

Hi, Has anyone managed to unlock the region restrictions (DVD or BLU Ray) from this machine. I know it is early days, but someone may have tried.

Thanks

Peter

[Chris Beveridge]

Originally Posted by quattro_man

Hi, Has anyone managed to unlock the region restrictions (DVD or BLU Ray) from this machine. I know it is early days, but someone may have tried.

Thanks

Peter

I'm hoping some of the hacks listed on www.videohelp.com will work since some of them were just command codes. But I haven't heard of any successes yet.

[Deciazulado]

After reading the last couple of posts and one from Blue,

Originally Posted by Blue

...and don't forget Australia (not counting HD playback in a couple of Toshiba laptops) Release less than 30 days away, not that anyone is counting

..since I'm counting , I got curious, and found this:

http://panasonic.com.au/products/det...?objectID=3556

Which has some interesting tidbits and info about frame rates and deinterlacing which sound great. (Except... I don't like the part about 2:2 pulldown being done only for DVDs. What about a High Definition Oklahoma!, shot at 30fps? It would need 2:2 puldown. There's also music videos and animation done at 30fps too, among other things. And what about programs shot on film at PAL rate (25fps), like the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour and Farscape, for example?)

[vick vega]

So what do you think about getting the Panasonic over the Sony now that it has been delayed? http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-...&s=electronics

[bferr1]

Originally Posted by vick vega

So what do you think about getting the Panasonic over the Sony now that it has been delayed? http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-...&s=electronics

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...87&postcount=1
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...2&postcount=10
http://www.animeonblu-ray.com/blog/?p=162

I say go for it!

[phloyd]

Originally Posted by vick vega

So what do you think about getting the Panasonic over the Sony now that it has been delayed? http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-...&s=electronics

There are two 'new and used'. Note that the shipping rate for anything over $999.00 is $300!

Note that the cheapest price is $999.99.

Still cheaper to get it from abt. And about the same as any full retail no tax free ship places.

[ethan]

Any news on it's availability in canada ?

[Josh]

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PANASONIC-DM...QQcmdZViewItem

Only 1 left. I just ordered one. All said and done, it was $1119.97, which is about $100 cheaper than ABT sale. Just a heads up til its gone.

[Jeff®]

Originally Posted by joshd2012

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PANASONIC-DM...QQcmdZViewItem

Only 1 left. I just ordered one. All said and done, it was $1119.97...

[Josh]

Update:

I just got my tracking number for the shipment.

Its on the way!

[phloyd]

Ok - got my Panasonic and hooked it up.

Comparing to the Samsung, I feel it looks a little deeper but really there is very little in it (perhaps good news for Samsung ownwers! ). This Samsung has the firmware upgrade.

The only direct comparisons I have made where 5th Element and T2, so not reference movies - perhaps a better image quality disc would reveal more.

In other comparisons, the load time is quite similar - maybe a slight edge to the latest firmware Samsung.

The sound on the Panasonic is great (not really made a direct comparison here to Samsung) but it took me a while to get it working right.
Heads up: if you have the TV connected via HDMI the player will set itself to the TV audio (usually 2.0) so you have to turn the audio on HDMI off to get 5.1 out of the player.

I have not noticed the Panasonic being particularly loud - you can definitely hear it seek the disc but in playback mode it is quiet. And I can't here the fan - perhaps some fans are more noisy than others...

All in all I am very happy and look forward to watching some movies

[phloyd]

Since I didn't use the Magnolia coupon that was sent to me I am offering it up here. It is a 10% coupon for Magnolia Home Theater (which I believe is the ones in the Best Buy stores).

Send me a PM if interested. Note that you can't get 10% off the discounted price - only the retail. There are many other limitations (like no special orders, no Bose,...) so I am not sure what you can use it for or if the Panasonic is considered a special order (few stores have it in stock though the warehouses do have them).

Anyways let me know if you are interested... expires 10/29 so we gotta be quick! I am in California so perhaps consider that...

[Rob Tomlin]

Looks like the Panasonic has the dreaded CUE bug when playing SD DVD's:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...17#post8755817

[phloyd]

Yeah that is weird.

Glad that I never intend to do that