The Panasonic DMP-BD55 Thread

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Blu-RayLover

The 7.1 analog audio outputs are just for that reason to allow anyone with 5.1 or 7.1 inputs to utilize the players internal decoder. This will allow the playback of the new codecs of Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA. As far as HDMI goes, well the jury is still out on whether or not this new hook-up is better than descrete, single cables for each channel. While I have used both HDMI and analog outs, it's too close to call, although HDMI is a single (one) cable as opposed to 8! It's now probably more of a convenience to use HDMI over the old analog line. Personally, I do find it easier to deal with.

Aside from the convenience of a single cable, the main advantage of HDMI is that it allows you to do bass management, time management, and EQ in your receiver. With analog, all of those things have to happen in the player before the digital-analog conversion. Most players have fairly limited speaker set up tools. Receivers are generally better.

Analog uses the DACs in the player while HDMI uses the ones in the receiver. You will get better sound from the device with the better DACs, all other things being equal, of course. That's one of the selling points for the Pioneer 51FD and 05FD, which use very high quality Wolfson DACs.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by MATTYBLU2

cool, thanks for the input.

so basic cables is ok to use? no need for those expensive gold plated ones right?

Right. I use "premium" cables from monoprice - $3 or so for a pair of them.

[Blu-RayLover]

Originally Posted by BIslander

Aside from the convenience of a single cable, the main advantage of HDMI is that it allows you to do bass management, time management, and EQ in your receiver. With analog, all of those things have to happen in the player before the digital-analog conversion. Most players have fairly limited speaker set up tools. Receivers are generally better.

Analog uses the DACs in the player while HDMI uses the ones in the receiver. You will get better sound from the device with the better DACs, all other things being equal, of course. That's one of the selling points for the Pioneer 51FD and 05FD, which use very high quality Wolfson DACs.

You’re right on the money! The DACs in a receiver/processor are probably better than an internal one in the player. But then, I’m using a Pioneer BDP-05FD and have already experimented! My conclusions aren’t really so clear on this issue. However, I must admit that bass management is vital to any Home Theater System, especially since most of us have been so use to using the old Optical or Coaxial 2ch digital system of the past. There are arguments made by die-hard analog freaks that say single, discrete cables offer a more cleaner and brighter signal. Yet, the big scoop about this analog question, centers around the new, upcoming Pioneer BDP-09FD, that is said to have what many consider to be the finest DAC circuitry ever devised for internal decoding. Pioneer even goes on to advise in their selling point for the 09 to exclusively use the 7.1 analog outputs and not the HDMI output. The idea that the analog outputs be used in favor over the HDMI has created a bit of a controversy and now most everybody is back to where they started arguing again! There are also two HDMI outputs on the 09! One for video and the other for audio! This leads some to feel that even the HDMI will perform at a higher standard, if it is also made discrete!! All of this comes at a very high price, with the BDP-09FD being valued at 2200 dollars!!! Already, Sony has countered with their new 2000 dollar entry, the ES5000S, that most likely is in the same league as the Pioneer player. It’s now believed by most industry pundit’s that Pioneer is saying that the use of single, discrete cables, connected to high-grade DACs is the best way to go. Whether this is factual is still under some debate, but it does pose a question on the issue of what is essentially the best method to create surround sound at the highest quality? Certainly, if the analog issue has any life left, it might all boil down to what the “high-end” side of the business decides!

[originalstarlite]

If you are like me and depend upon a Logitech Remote to control the HT process, then this reply email I got from them today matters to you.

When I went to their database and attempted to add the BD55, the final step was a confirmation that a similar device the BD50 was substituted. So my email to them was questioning when the actual BD55 would be there. Surprising, I got this reply.

The Harmony database is a client run database, which means that we will not get any new codes/commands in the database, unless one of our clients, like your self, is adding the codes to the database. Eventualy, we will get the codes, but because the database is client run, we have no way of giving you a timeline for the new codes.

I already added the substituted device to my database and plan on doing that several more times until I finally get the real deal. Then I can delete the pretenders.

[Snowball]

Ordered my Panasonic BD55 to-day Circuit City will be delivered on 10-16