Panasonic DMP-BD35 Questions

[JJ]

I've read up on the proposed release date (within the week from Amazon, apparently) and read the one review of it on cnet.com - does anyone else have any other information about this player? I'm looking to get a standalone and this one is looking just gorgeous at $300.

[Big N' Tasty]

Im in the same boat as you are. It does look very yummy at this point from what Im gathering and I will be buying this one very soon. It is a very good player and at a very good price.

[JJ]

Should I just go by the 55 thread? No one knows anything new?

[bdforum]

It's basically the same as the BD55 without the 8 analog outputs. The BD35 only has two.

[Mr. Bear]

Am also looking into this player.

Can anyone tell me if it plays Double Layer BR disks?

I spoke to Panasonic over the phone nad they said it did not.
But Pany makes these disks and I find ths rather odd.

Thank you,

Mr. Bear

[demonfoo]

Originally Posted by Mr. Bear

Can anyone tell me if it plays Double Layer BR disks?

Of course it does. Anything with the Blu-Ray product logo would have to - there are a lot of movies out there that are dual-layer BD (not as many as with DVD, but still a good number), and that would cut an owner off from a good slice of the available BD titles. I own at least one that is (in a brief check, "Layer Cake" is a dual-layer BD), and my BD35 plays it fine.

[WSYacullo]

I have spent the last year investigating blu-ray players. I currently own a Pioneer Kuro Elite 42' monitor. Quite simply, it is phenominal. I wanted to purchase a blu-ray player that is a match for my plasma monitor.

There appear to be some issues with the two current Pioneer blu-ray players. After doing considerable research, I narrowed my selections to either the Sony 350/550 and the Panasonic 35/55.

CNET gave the Sony 350 a good rating. HomeTheater Magazine also recently gave the 350 a very strong rating.

CNET gave the Panasonic 35 and 55 even higher ratings than the Sony 350. In fact, CNET gave the Panasonic 35 its Editor's Choice Award -- the first time that they have given this distinction to a Blu-Ray player. Sound and Vision Magazine recently gave the Panasonic 55 an excellent review. Blu-ray performance was rated as excellent; they indicated that DVD upconversion was "stellar." They highly recommended the Panasonic 55.

Based on these reviews, I purchased the Panasonic 35 this past weekend at Circuit City (using the $40 coupon which is available on this site). The Panasonic 35 and 55 are identical in terms of video performance. The major difference is that the 55 has 7.1 channel analog outputs. Also note that there currently is a promotion for the Panasonic 35 (link available on this site as well). You can receive blu-ray discs of Ratatouille and Nightmare before Christmas. (Both discs are highly rated by Blu-Ray.com).

Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. The remote is very functional. I find the player very easy to program and use.

I tried at least 20 different standard DVDs. I have been very impressed with the video performance.

I only have two Blu-Ray discs. Once again, the picture quality is excellent.

So far, I have had no problems with any discs. The player is reliable. One disadvantage, is that you cannot stop a blu-ray disc without having to restart the disc. However, you can stop a standard DVD; the disc will resume at the same point in the disc (assuming that you do not remove the disc).

I researched players for almost a year. I was somewhat fearful of purchasing a player. I did not want to make a mistake. However, my year of research has paid off. For only $259, I have purchased an excellent player. Down the road, I may consider purchasing a higher end model. However, for the time being, I am completely satisfied with my purchase. I expect that I will get many good years of enjoyment from this player. I highly recommend the Panasonic BD 35.

I hope that you find my comments useful.

Regards.

[JDTalbert]

I just got one over the weekend and love it. Its a wonderful player. It loads the movies pretty fast, The picture quality is amazing. For the price, its one heck of a BD player!