Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)UPDATE - July 2010
New features added to Network
Tageschau - Daily News feed in German
Pandora - Internet Radio
Fox Sports - Coming Soon
Twitter - Coming Soon
5 Stars sounds really generous, but for the money this is a GREAT Network ready BDP.
This is the third network BDP I have set up and used, I recently reviewed the Samsung BD-P1590 - Blu-Ray disc player - upscaling - Netflix, Pandora against which (for similar money) this is a far superior machine. I also think the picture quality and upscaling for SD DVD's in much better than the similar priced LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player
Running several Blu-Ray movies for testing, including BD live enabled content, boot times were very fast. The quick set up guide asks you about this and explains that it uses more power in standby mode, but it's worth it for very quick loading.
Blu Ray looks SUPERB - Panasonic web site says (PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus is a high quality image-processing technology developed to precisely process each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the vertical direction) Sounds geeky, but the picture is great at both 1080i and 1080p. By default the 24fps is set to off, but if you have a home set up that supports it, it's easy to switch back.
SD Card slot, and USB interface great for home pictures, movies and photo's, very easy to use. Nicely tucked away under a discreet panel in the front so no fiddling among the back wires.
Out of the box set up for networking took me about 15 minutes.
Very easy on screen instruction, easy to use remote, and set up can be either set to easy mode, or you can revisit the main menu at any time for finer adjustments on audio, video output, resolution and aspect ratio etc.
The more involved set up options are however a little limited if you are used to close to pro tweaking on high end visual and audio equipment. But then again, this is an entry level kind of priced machine.
What do you get for network? The VIERA system is a breeze, nice graphics, menu screen and options.
I hard wired mine to the back Ethernet port with a Cat6 cable - Cat5 works without a problem, but for streaming (especially HD content) the Cat6 made the Netflix signal bar light up to HD most of the time.
It is wireless ready. You can use a USB dongle (takes some tweaking) or better still a Linksys by Cisco Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming and Video Adapter. What's nice is that(unlike Samsung) you don't have to buy a special adapter.
My preference would always be to hard line, but if that's not an option, and you must have wireless (assuming you have boat loads of bandwidth) you can buy an adapter, or pay $80 more and buy it's big brother the Panasonic DMP-BD85 WiFi Enabled Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black)
Whats on the Network?
1)Netflix - unlimited free streaming movies (a lot in HD if your connection is good enough) documentaries, and TV shows from their "Watch Instantly" library, if you are a current subscriber of at least their $8.99 plan - free trial available.
2)Amazon on Demand - Bags of movies and content to rent, buy, or even view free webisodes, trailers, documentaries and so on. Not a huge thing for me personally as I like Netflix, but very nice to have. Simply activate online at Amazon and you're there - very easy on screen user friendly menus.
3)Blomberg - Sort of on screen RSS feed with stocks, bonds and news headlines. Nice to have but not essential.
4) Weather forecast, enter your zip code and set to default, or store multiple sites across the US for up to date weather news and information. Again, not something I need but nice to have.
5)Picasa Web albums - share pictures with friends and family, look at your own, and other albums on your TV. Nice feature.
6)You Tube - browse, or log into your account online
7)Coming Soon?? - Your guess is as good as mine, could be for VUDU or something else, at least they are thinking ahead, and have the settings already started.
What you don't get.....
1)Pandora - a quirky to use online streaming internet radio site that's free with a lot of music. Doesn't float my boat either, I don't like radio sites that choose my music based on a song, or an artist - there are over 30,000 online internet radio stations that are free, Pandora doesn't let you search any particular station in any part of the World, just their selections on what they think you like.
2) Blockbuster Online - unless you have an account and use the in store returns on DVD and Blu stick with Netflix, their watch instantly movies are free with membership.
3)VUDU - next generation 1080p streaming to rent and buy, this would have been nice to have, but I can live without it for now. Amazon more than makes up for it as far as I'm concerned.
4) Any others I may have forgotten about (I'm sure there are more out there)
Sum up
PROS
Excellent value for money
Looks sleek, discreet and runs quickly AND quietly (unlike some BDP's)
Very easy to Set Up - VIERA interface for online content is great.
Superior BD playback picture and sound quality - just when you thought it couldn't get better
Great upscaling, best I've seen on a machine of this price or on any machine without a REON chipset.
USB, SD slots on front convenient and discreet
Optional "wireless ready"
Nice Remote
CONS
No 3D - even if the content isn't there yet on BD live, you know it's coming. Only the Sony BDP-S470 Blu-ray Disc Player in this price range is equipped. This would have been nice
No onboard memory - BD live requires a USB or SD, but that's the same for most machines
No VUDU on networking - not a deal breaker, but may be for some.
Bottom line.................Great machine if you want to get into network and streaming movies. Quality and everything else for the price is unbeatable.

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Start watching your favorite high-definition movies almost instantly with the Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-ray Disc player, which features an ultra-fast 2-second boot time. You'll also enjoy BD-Live and Panasonic's VIERA Cast functionality for accessing Internet video content thanks to the Ethernet port and Wireless LAN capability (DY-WL10 wireless LAN adapter sold separately).
It also includes both a USB port and a Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot, making it easy for you to view and share both digital still images and HD video recorded with an HD camcorder in the AVCHD format. Other features include compatibility with a wide variety of disc formats (including standard DVD movie discs), Energy Star certification, and Panasonic's VIERA Link function--allowing you to operate multiple audio/video components using a single remote via HDMI. Additionally, Panasonic's lineup of 2010 BD Players are designed to reduce power consumption and also feature a slimmer, more efficient design to reduce packaging waste.


Key Features
High-quality image processing via PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology for clear and vibrant color reproduction that is faithful to the original film (learn more).
High-definition audio decoder (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Essential) takes advantage of the 7.1 channel surround sound now incorporated in Blu-ray Discs.
VIERA Link utilizes HDMI to enable control all VIERA Link combatable products with one remote.
SD memory card slot enables you to play your photos and movies taken with digital cameras and camcorders by just sliding in an SD memory card into the SD slot.

What's in the Box BD Player, remote control (with batteries), power cord, operating instructions
VIERA Cast Online Content Panasonic's VIERA Cast service allows you to stream movies, TV shows and music from a variety of sources without the need of either an external box or a PC. Powered up with Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, you can also access YouTube, Picasa, Bloomberg, and other Internet sites from the special VIERA Cast screen. And as additional sites are added to the 2010 VIERA Cast service, they are added automatically. You'll need to be connected to your home network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi (using an optional Wireless LAN adapter).
Specifications

Disc/Media Compatibility

Learn More
Experience Movies Like Never Before The DMP-BD65 employs the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus. Developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, this high image processing technology reproduces clear, vivid colors that are faithful to the original film.
Panasonic's Blu-ray Disc players employ high precision 4:4:4 signal technology, which working in tandem with PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus processes each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the horizontal direction to compliment vertical direction processing. P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD) is another technology that contributes to the superior picture quality of the Blu-ray players. P4HD processes more than 15 billion pixels per second and applies the optimal processing to every pixel.
Panasonic's Blu-ray Disc players further utilize 16-level motion detection to categorize the image motion of each pixel into one of 16 levels; diagonal processing to detect diagonals and correct the pixels accordingly; 1080p up-conversion to up-convert content recorded in the 480i/p or 720p format to 1080p.
This Blu-ray Disc player also provides 1080/24p output, reproducing cinema images from a Blu-ray Disc and DVD in their original 24p form with no need for conversion--enabling you to enjoy cinema images in the same format used in cinema with a 1080/24p-compatible TV.
Complimenting the HD audio codecs, the BD65 Blu-ray Disc player features 96kHz surround re-master, a function that enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources, and even improves the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.

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