Panasonic DMP-BD55 Blu-ray Player (December review link) The Best BLU-RAY player made

[HDTV1080P]

According to the following professional review the Panasonic DMP-BD55 is the best BLU-RAY player every made in terms of picture and sound quality. It is also the fastest BLU-RAY standalone player with only the PS3 beating it in speed. The Panasonic DMP-BD55 does not include 1GB of internal memory for BD-LIVE and a 1GB or larger SD card is required for BD-LIVE (Hopefully future 2009 models will have at least 1GB of internal memory built in to make it more consumer friendly). The Panasonic will upconvert film based 480I DVD's to 1080P/24 using a reverse 3:2 pulldown process which is a rare featrue for a BLU-RAY player. Most BLU-RAY players upconvert to 1080P/60 only.

Following quotes from the December UltimateAVmag.com review

"Additionally, the BD55 offers 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog audio converters to decode and output all audio formats from its 7.1 analog outputs, something the PS3 will never be able to do and an upgrade over the 5.1-channel analog outputs on the BD50."

"For newer AVRs and pre/pros with onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA decoding, the BD55 can send the raw bitstreams over HDMI. You lose the secondary audio with PIP as well as the clicks and beeps in the menus of Blu-ray discs, but it's nice to have a choice in the matter. For owners of these new AVRs and pre/pros, the BD35 should be your machine of choice since you won't need the analog outputs."

"To comply with BD-Live, a player must have 1GB of persistent storage. The BD55 accomplishes this with an SD card slot hidden behind the flip-down front panel. Not only does this supply the required storage, it also allows the player to display photos from a digital camera and AVCHD video from HD camcorders. Like the BD50, the BD55 does not ship with a 1GB SD card. These aren't expensive at about $10, but I wish Panasonic had included 1GB of internal storage with its fourth-generation player."

"An Ethernet port on the rear lets you connect the player to the Internet not only for BD-Live online features, but for firmware updates as well. Each time you turn on the BD55, it checks for a firmware update. Within the first week of the review period, the firmware upgraded from version 1.3 to 1.5. The entire process took about 10 minutes and couldn't have been easier. The PS3 operates in a similar manner, which is more user-friendly than having to download and burn your own firmware disc—a regular occurrence with many Blu-ray players."

"Additionally, the BD55 offers 1080p/24 output of 480i DVDs, which helps to minimize the judder of 3:2 pulldown."

"I would like to see a button on the remote to enable/disable secondary audio on the fly instead of having to venture into the menu whenever I want to watch a PIP feature, especially considering the slower loading times of Blu-ray discs. Hopefully, this is something we'll see in future players."

"Implementing 24p playback with DVDs is a two-step process. First, it must be enabled in the setup menu; then, when the DVD starts, you have to hit the Display button on the remote to activate 24p playback. (For Blu-rays, 24p output is automatic if it's selected in the setup menu.) My experience with 24p playback of DVDs was less than satisfactory with various Toshiba players, including the XD-E500, HD-XA2, and HD-A35, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case with the BD55. Watching the opening sequence of Star Wars IV: A New Hope, the BD55 provided judder-free movement of both the opening back-story crawl and a smooth pan down to the planet before the action begins. Detail was also a bit sharper with 24p output compared to 1080p/60. Comparing the two output modes was simple because you can toggle between them without entering the setup menu."

"As with every Blu-ray player I've used, the picture quality was excellent from the BD55. Color saturation was phenomenal, black levels were inky and deep, and every minute detail was rendered with lifelike clarity. Even older movies on Blu-ray look spectacular, particularly Fox's release of Planet of the Apes. The sci-fi classic from the '60s has never looked better, although the higher resolution of Blu-ray reveals some shortcomings in the apes' make-up."

"The BD55 is still slower than the PS3 in all three tests, but the gap is closing overall. I've changed my testing methodology since I reviewed the BD50, but my impression is that the BD55 is slightly faster than the previous generation, and it's one of the fastest dedicated players available with Java-intensive titles."

"The BD55 is the first Blu-ray player I've used that provides satisfactory DVD playback. The player's UniPhier processing chip improves its upconversion versus the BD50—in fact, it was nearly as good as my reference Oppo DV-983H. The layer change wasn't seamless, but it took less than 0.75 second using Star Wars: Episode II as my reference, which is on par with the Oppo."


"Comparisons & Conclusion
As with every other Blu-ray player I've tested, the BD55 doesn't measure up to the PS3 in its speed, but it's better than most dedicated players. The responsiveness of the PS3 is hard to beat, but if you need multichannel analog outputs, the PS3 isn't even in contention. Other notable flaws with the gaming system include its crop-duster-loud CPU fan and having to use an aftermarket IR remote.
The BD55 is a step up in performance from every other Blu-ray player I've tested. It supports BD-Live, bitstreams the high-res audio formats or decodes and outputs them over HDMI or 7.1 analog outputs, and offers improved disc navigation and high-quality DVD performance, all for a wallet-friendly price of $400. If you don't need the analog-audio outputs, you can save $100 with the otherwise-identical DMP-BD35.
The PS3 still sets the benchmark for speed, but the DMP-BD55 rises to the challenge in every other respect. In fact, it's the best dedicated player I've used so far—bar none.

Highs
Spectacular audio & video
Very good DVD performance
Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreaming
Internal decoding of Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio

Lows
SD card not included
User interaction still much slower than the PS3"

http://ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/panasonic_dmp-bd55_blu-ray_player/index.html

[LittleBear]

Well, I went with the Panasonic DMP-BD55K

Plus I got the $100 off and 4 Blu-Ray DVD's (Blood Diamond, GoodFellas, The Perfect Storm, Batman Begins) with the deal.

All the above plus delivery for $304.00!

[welwynnick]

I don't think he's suggesting that its the best Blu-ray player, and hence better than the top of the line Denon and Marantz or forthcoming Pioneer.

He just said it was the best he had used or tested. Still, that's pretty good. It's probably the obvious machine to get if you need 7.1 analogue outputs, and it seems rather better at DVD playback than earlier Panny machines.

Nick

[kokketiel]

Home Theater magazine said of the BD35 / 55 that they have the best video of any player at any price today...