HT Equipment: Running the BDT320 through a Marantz AV7005, Parasound 5250 and 2250 Amps, MK S150 Speakers, and JVC X3 Projector, Stewart Firehawk screen.
Features: 1 HDMI, Slot Loading, Eco Mode, Touch Pad Remote, DLNA Certified (Does not support avi or Divx), Flac support, 24p output for DVD and VOD, 2D-3D conversion, Full 3D, built-in wireless or wired connections,
File Support: BD-Video, BD-RE, BD-R, AVCHD/3D, MKV, DVD, Music CD, VD-R/W, JPG, MPO, FLAC, MP3, WAV, MP4
Setup: Like all Panasonic players, setup was a breeze. They have gone to a sleek new grayish color instead of the blue. I like it. Advanced Chroma off, Super Resolution 0, Picture Mode Normal, Bitstream/Secondary Audio Off, 24p On. Immediately did the network setup wired and updated the software to Ver. 1.22. Total time about 15 minutes.
Blu-ray Playback: I loaded up one of my favorite movies, Wall-E. Loading is fast. I wasn’t sure I’d like the slot drive, but it is silent. It looked absolutely spectacular. Colors were accurate. I expected nothing less from Panasonic. Spot On.
Blu-ray 3D Playback: I used Avatar to test the 3D. Spectacular as always. Deep and rich colors.
Blu-ray 3D Playback: The 320 does a good job with 2D-3D conversion. I switched Wall-e to conversion, and it had good depth and color. They added pop out control this year. I'll need to play around with it some more, but on default settings it was very good.
DVD Playback: It’s a DVD. It does about as well as one can with 480 material. It will never look like BD. That said, I loaded up SW: Ep. 2. The beginning with the chase is a great test scene. You still need to go into the setup menu to enable 24p scaling for DVDs once te movie starts. It is now on the “Option” button on the touchpad remote. The display button from the X10 remote does not bring it up. No unexpected jaggies, good colors, and details. Still a big difference between this and the BD version.
Internet Apps: As usual, it comes completely loaded with everything except Blockbuster.
Netflix now supports 1080p Video when offered. As of the last generation, they support DD+ audio when available. I dropped them last year when they separated streaming from their plans and started charging 7.99 for it. I never used it that much anyways. Others have said it works and looks great.
Amazon Prime: I do have Prime. Unfortunately it still does not support DD 5.1 audio. Works and looks good. I’ve always thought NF looks better but who can complain for included in your membership. Watched the beginning of The Bodyguard and it looked good.
Vudu: The X20 series now supports Vudu 3D. It is done in 1080pSbS. I watched the Tangled preview. It looked pretty good, but I noticed jaggies on objects. Not sure if it is VUDU or my JVC as te JVC is not great with SbS material.
Impressions: Panasonic always puts out a great player, and this one will not disappoint. I wasn’t sure about the trapezoidal shape, but I like it. It is sleek looking. The slot drive is quite a pleasant surprise. The touchpad remote takes a little getting used to (slide and tap, slide and tap). OK starting to sound like Hermione Granger. There is a Keyboard button that brings up an on screen keyboard. This remote is different than the one that will come with the BDT500.
If you’re looking for a first or new player, this is the one for you. If you are looking to upgrade from the X10, then it might not be worth it unless you want the slot drive, touch remote, and 1080p Netflix.
S~
P.S. pardon the pictures. Taken with my iPhone.
Features: 1 HDMI, Slot Loading, Eco Mode, Touch Pad Remote, DLNA Certified (Does not support avi or Divx), Flac support, 24p output for DVD and VOD, 2D-3D conversion, Full 3D, built-in wireless or wired connections,
File Support: BD-Video, BD-RE, BD-R, AVCHD/3D, MKV, DVD, Music CD, VD-R/W, JPG, MPO, FLAC, MP3, WAV, MP4
Setup: Like all Panasonic players, setup was a breeze. They have gone to a sleek new grayish color instead of the blue. I like it. Advanced Chroma off, Super Resolution 0, Picture Mode Normal, Bitstream/Secondary Audio Off, 24p On. Immediately did the network setup wired and updated the software to Ver. 1.22. Total time about 15 minutes.
Blu-ray Playback: I loaded up one of my favorite movies, Wall-E. Loading is fast. I wasn’t sure I’d like the slot drive, but it is silent. It looked absolutely spectacular. Colors were accurate. I expected nothing less from Panasonic. Spot On.
Blu-ray 3D Playback: I used Avatar to test the 3D. Spectacular as always. Deep and rich colors.
Blu-ray 3D Playback: The 320 does a good job with 2D-3D conversion. I switched Wall-e to conversion, and it had good depth and color. They added pop out control this year. I'll need to play around with it some more, but on default settings it was very good.
DVD Playback: It’s a DVD. It does about as well as one can with 480 material. It will never look like BD. That said, I loaded up SW: Ep. 2. The beginning with the chase is a great test scene. You still need to go into the setup menu to enable 24p scaling for DVDs once te movie starts. It is now on the “Option” button on the touchpad remote. The display button from the X10 remote does not bring it up. No unexpected jaggies, good colors, and details. Still a big difference between this and the BD version.
Internet Apps: As usual, it comes completely loaded with everything except Blockbuster.
Netflix now supports 1080p Video when offered. As of the last generation, they support DD+ audio when available. I dropped them last year when they separated streaming from their plans and started charging 7.99 for it. I never used it that much anyways. Others have said it works and looks great.
Amazon Prime: I do have Prime. Unfortunately it still does not support DD 5.1 audio. Works and looks good. I’ve always thought NF looks better but who can complain for included in your membership. Watched the beginning of The Bodyguard and it looked good.
Vudu: The X20 series now supports Vudu 3D. It is done in 1080pSbS. I watched the Tangled preview. It looked pretty good, but I noticed jaggies on objects. Not sure if it is VUDU or my JVC as te JVC is not great with SbS material.
Impressions: Panasonic always puts out a great player, and this one will not disappoint. I wasn’t sure about the trapezoidal shape, but I like it. It is sleek looking. The slot drive is quite a pleasant surprise. The touchpad remote takes a little getting used to (slide and tap, slide and tap). OK starting to sound like Hermione Granger. There is a Keyboard button that brings up an on screen keyboard. This remote is different than the one that will come with the BDT500.
If you’re looking for a first or new player, this is the one for you. If you are looking to upgrade from the X10, then it might not be worth it unless you want the slot drive, touch remote, and 1080p Netflix.
S~
P.S. pardon the pictures. Taken with my iPhone.
