Panasonic DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55
- Thread starter Ilya
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HOLY CRAP!
Dunno if its the movie or this player, but I just brought home the new Indy flick (so we could watch it tomorrow) and the PQ was phenomenal. I watched the scene where they drop 3 times over the waterfalls, after they all end up laying on the bank, the sharpness and 3 dimensional feel was freaking awesome. Blu-ray is def the best offering right now for PQ.
Dunno if its the movie or this player, but I just brought home the new Indy flick (so we could watch it tomorrow) and the PQ was phenomenal. I watched the scene where they drop 3 times over the waterfalls, after they all end up laying on the bank, the sharpness and 3 dimensional feel was freaking awesome. Blu-ray is def the best offering right now for PQ.
H H Gregg are stores through the midwest. I have bought stuff from them in store, but not online. I think you should be okay with them.
I just ordered one from hhgregg.I had to pay tax since they are in NC now.$213.47 shipped is GTG with me.
Just finished hooking up my BD35 to a 32" 720p Samsung LCD in my bedroom and all I can say is WOW!!!
I popped in Spider-man 3 to test the DDTrueHD vs. 5.1 uncompressed audio tracks in my 3 speaker set up and definitely prefered bitstreaming the TrueHD to my receiver. Audio was better than I expected! I still may opt for 2 ch analog/PCM when listening to CDs, however.
I popped in Spider-man 3 to test the DDTrueHD vs. 5.1 uncompressed audio tracks in my 3 speaker set up and definitely prefered bitstreaming the TrueHD to my receiver. Audio was better than I expected! I still may opt for 2 ch analog/PCM when listening to CDs, however.
Which one to get for my dad??
I am going to get my dad a blu ray player for Christmas. I annoyed my girlfriend at best buy looking at all of the different ones and almost picked up a cheap insignia before seeing a samsung that seemed to have a much better picture.
To make a long story short I went home and researched and got stuck between the samsung the sony s550 and the bd35/bd55.
My dad's current set up is a 1080p projector with hdmi input and a 5.1 yamaha receiver with digital (optical) input but no hdmi.
I really want to get him the best one and I have no problem dropping the extra $100.00 but if it's not going to change the picture or sound quality, I don't want to spend it.
We only have 5.1 dolby digital...will the bd35 support that with the optical out output?
Also upscaling DVDs is going to be very important. I notice that both have about the same specs so does either upscale better than the other?
Thanks a ton for the info,
Matt
I am going to get my dad a blu ray player for Christmas. I annoyed my girlfriend at best buy looking at all of the different ones and almost picked up a cheap insignia before seeing a samsung that seemed to have a much better picture.
To make a long story short I went home and researched and got stuck between the samsung the sony s550 and the bd35/bd55.
My dad's current set up is a 1080p projector with hdmi input and a 5.1 yamaha receiver with digital (optical) input but no hdmi.
I really want to get him the best one and I have no problem dropping the extra $100.00 but if it's not going to change the picture or sound quality, I don't want to spend it.
We only have 5.1 dolby digital...will the bd35 support that with the optical out output?
Also upscaling DVDs is going to be very important. I notice that both have about the same specs so does either upscale better than the other?
Thanks a ton for the info,
Matt
Get the Panny 55. If your fathers reciever has 5.1 analog input, you can take advantge of the HD audio. Plus I think the upscalling is better with the Panny.
how can I tell if it has 5.1 analog input? Is the upscaling better on the 55 than it is on the 35? Analog= Red and white cables? If so, I can use the red and white cables with the 55 and that will sound better than the optical out with the 35?
Sorry guys,
I think I answered my own questions. After doing some research, I see that the "HD" audio (even though its still 5.1) can only be achieved either through HDMI or Digital to Analog conversion.
Since my dads receiver does not offer HDMI I am limited to DAC. So with the bd55 I can use the red and white analog cables and the player converts the digital sound to analog and amplifies it through the system.
Now with this being the case, I am assuming that they converted Dolby TrueHD sound converted from digital to analog and amplified through our system is going to definitely be worth the $100.00 when compared to standard dolby digital which is all I can expect from the bd35 connected via the optical port. Am I right?
My last question is how close is the sound quality produced by the truhd converted analog provided by the bd55 to the bd35 connected to the reciever with the real HDMI cable?
Thanks again for any information.
I think I answered my own questions. After doing some research, I see that the "HD" audio (even though its still 5.1) can only be achieved either through HDMI or Digital to Analog conversion.
Since my dads receiver does not offer HDMI I am limited to DAC. So with the bd55 I can use the red and white analog cables and the player converts the digital sound to analog and amplifies it through the system.
Now with this being the case, I am assuming that they converted Dolby TrueHD sound converted from digital to analog and amplified through our system is going to definitely be worth the $100.00 when compared to standard dolby digital which is all I can expect from the bd35 connected via the optical port. Am I right?
My last question is how close is the sound quality produced by the truhd converted analog provided by the bd55 to the bd35 connected to the reciever with the real HDMI cable?
Thanks again for any information.
jacketfan89, the two red and white cables are stereo-only. What we are talking about, is a set of 6 (in case of 5.1 audio) or 8 (in case of 7.1 audio) analog cables. The multi-channel audio inputs. Can you post the exact brand and model number of your dad's receiver? We might be able to help you figure out if the receiver has these inputs. If the receiver has the multi-channel analog inputs, that would be your best choice. Worth the extra $100, IMHO. Otherwise, go with Dolby Digital over toslink (optical) cable. In any case, forget about those red and white cables.
Alright guys thanks for the help. I have some good news! My dads receiver is a yamaha htr-5930 and it DOES have multichannel inputs! Will this receiver be able to match the dolby digital true hd sound with the bd55 converting its digital audio layers to analog?? Thanks a ton for all of the information!
Ah crap. Just realized something. Could some of you look at the specs on that receiver (its a little out of date) and see if I'm better off buying the bd35 and spending an extra $200.00 on a new receiver with hdmi and 7.1 support in case he ever wants to add the 2 speakers?
Looking at the HTR-5930 manual, the receiver does have multi-channel 5.1 input, so you can go with the BD55 and defer the receiver upgrade for a couple of years, unless you have other reasons to upgrade it now. The difference between 7.1 and 5.1 is not such a big deal unless you have a big room and many listening points.
I don't have BD55 to say how good its DACs are, but if they are anything close to those in my Toshiba A1, the difference between the analog outputs and the DD will be very noticeable: much better-defined bass, more natural sound, etc.
I don't have BD55 to say how good its DACs are, but if they are anything close to those in my Toshiba A1, the difference between the analog outputs and the DD will be very noticeable: much better-defined bass, more natural sound, etc.
I've been thinking along the lines of the Samsung bd-p2500 because it has netflix built in and will have hd in early Dec. Is the Panny 35 a better bet? I already have the Roku box but am short on HDMI inputs. But it does do a good job over component so I'm thinking the decision probably should be along the lines of which one does the better BluRay and upconverting. Also how fast is the Panny on loading. My first generation Sony takes forever.
I was pretty much in the same boat as you. REALLY wanted the Samsung 2500 for Netflix streaming, but went for the BD35 for several reasons:
1) Panasonic's better track record for BD players
2) Playback issues on some discs with the 2500 (noted in AVS owners thread)
3) No internal decoding of DTS-MA on 2500 (Samsung promises firmware update, but with Samsung, who knows?)
4) BD35/55 reviews; CNet editors choice for BD35 (first ever for a BD player)
5) Price. I got the BD35 for $237 at Amazon, figuring another $100 for a Roku and I'm at about the price of a 2500
6) Great deal! Got $300 off a Panny plasma with BD35 purchase on Amazon.
In your case since you already have a Roku, you could always get the BD35 along with a $30 HDMI switch at Monoprice and you're still cheaper than a 2500!
BTW, load time on the BD35 is pretty good, perhaps a hair slower than the PS3.
And don't forget about the 2 free movies. Certainly not a deal-maker but still better than nothing.
I ordered mine from Amazon yesterday and will have it on Monday. I can't wait to put my Sammy 1400 on e-bay.
I've got a Tivo that will download Netflix in December, so I'm good to go.
Thanks for the input. I think I'm leaning more towards the Panny BD35 now for the reasons you've listed. It would be good to know if there will be any PQ advantage to either between netflix streaming for the devices (Roku is talking about lower bitrate compared to xbox). It sounds like the Roku will be stuck at prologic 2 for the forseeable future. I'm not sure if the streaming for other devices will also be limited that way. I know Netflix streaming is still in it's childhood, but I really think it will be a big deal in the near future.
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