Panasonic Gets It Right The Second Time Around
Panasonic DMP-BD30 - sleek, compact, and snappy!
One of the problems of almost all ( well, every one I saw) of the first generation Blu-ray players was the excruciatingly long start time from disc insertion to play. Perhaps this was due in part to the amount of anticipation that was supposed to build while the disc was loading, but it was frustrating. The Panasonic DMP-BD30 improves upon this slow time to ready by a wide margin, and brings pictures up much more like a standard DVD player.
The unit works well with upconversion of standard DVD titles also, so keeping an older player around for that purpose is no longer necessary. Old Faithful can be retired to the bedroom, a kid’s room, or perhaps the den.
The unit is very compact, measuring 2.3 by 16.9 by 12.6 inches (HWD). This is significantly smaller than many other components, but fortunately the width is close to the 17 inches that has become a de facto standard. It will blend.
a good layout of rear ports
On its rear panel, the DMP-BD30 provides a wide array of video ports, including HDMI and component. Audio output options (in addition to HDMI) include coaxial and optical digital as well as stereo and 5.1-channel analog. Audiophiles will appreciate the BD30’s ability to deliver bitstream audio output to a compatible AVR (via HDMI) with high-quality audio formats such as Dolby Digital + , Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD (regular and Master Audio).
One thing a little absurd, especially after the latest shakeup in DVD players, is the lack of an easy way to update firmware. There is no ethernet port, an although there is an SD card reader, updates cannot be loaded from it. No, the method is downloading an update on a computer, then burning to compact disc, then loading into the player. It should work fine, but seems a little convoluted for the largest electronics company in the world to produce.
The SD slot loads and shows pictures very easily, and has a good browser for viewing in an order of your choosing. Perhaps another compact disc update will allow the SD slot to load firmware, so that compact discs will not need to be wasted on updates.
Picture quality is good, with all inputs, the controls on the front panel and remote are thoughtfully laid out, and the unit is a good value at its list price of just a nickel under $500. Hopefully, the unit will come down with further competition, and larger adoption by the viewing public.
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