Before I begin regaling you with my thoughts of the
Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-Ray Player, a little background may be in order. Certainly, this is not one of the newest players on the market, and has actually been around for a year or so as I type. So, you ask, why did I buy it? Why didn't I get one of the newer models, with a lot more bells and whistles and all that jazz?
Again, the background. About a year ago, I bought a
Toshiba HD-A3 HD-DVD player. Yes, the "other format" (aka losing one) in the High Definition Video Wars. I can't say I got burned on it since I it was rather inexpensive and I received a bunch of free movies with it, too. But when Toshiba announced they were discontinuing the format soon after, I gingerly limped away from the DVD field altogether for a time. In fact, I gave serious consideration to simply watching my HD movies On Demand or recorded from cable on my DVR, since the picture is close to (though not entirely as good as at 720P vs. 1080P) Blu-ray quality.
Time heals all wounds, however, and as the Christmas deals started to pop up I decided that I might want a Blu-Ray player after all. So, when Costco had a stack of Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-Ray Players on sale for just $170 each (HDMI cable included!), I bit the bullet and advised the wife I'd like one under the tree.
To be sure, this player isn't for everyone. It's a bare-bones Profile 1.1 model that allows for picture-in-picture special features from compatible discs. It does not, however, offer access to the online content that Profile 2.0 features, and has no Ethernet port for internet access, either.
That was not a concern for me, however, since I rarely spend much time on special features anyway, let alone on-line ones. I just want to watch movies with brilliant video and sound quality. And for that, the Panasonic DMP-BD30K is sufficient to the moment.
What You Get The player of course, a full function remote control, batteries, manual, RCA patch cords, and (surprise!) an HDMI cable.
Setup Is easy enough, especially with the attached HDMI cable. You can connect to your TV via RCA, S-Video, HDMI, component, digital, and/or optical outputs, either directly to the set or in some cases through a compatible amplifier. The DMP-BD30K is, in many cases, much like a computer, and as a result has a cooling fan in the rear. If you're installing in an AV rack or entertainment center, make sure you leave enough room in the back for circulation.
Once you've connected your player, you'll likely appreciate (as we did) the sleek, compact, and elegant design of the DMP-BD30K. Only two controls mar its smooth surface, and those are the two you'll use most often: ON/OFF and OPEN/CLOSE. But don't fret, because a nigh imperceptible front panel pops down to give you access to more functions (as well as the SD card slot) for that day when you inevitably can't find your remote.
The first time you start your player, you'll be asked to setup screen dimensions. You can select from pan and scan, 16 by 9 widescreen, and 16 by 9 full. The latter will try to fit the film to the full display of a 16 by 9 HDTV. Curiously, however, this doesn't seem to work at all. Toggling between the settings on several Blu-Ray discs delivered no results at all, and the screen format remained unchanged. This was rather annoying considering my HD-A3 performs this function flawlessly every time.
Supported Formats The DMP-BD30K supports Blu-Ray BD-R and BD-RE video, standard DVD, CD, CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM, MP3, SD, and .jpeg formats. Probably more.
We're Ready to Rock and Roll-Upconverting After the easy setup, you're ready to watch your first film. We connected our player to a 720P
Vizio VX37L via HDMI.
The
DMP-BD30K will upconvert your standard DVDs to 720P/1080i, and while some might have been anxious to jump right into a true HD Blu-Ray film, I was a bit curious to see how well my old movies looked.
For reference, I went back and forth between my new Panasonic unit and the Toshiba HD-A3. In the end, I found the results dead equal: the DMP-BD30K upconverts to about the same degree that my HD DVD player does. It should be noted, of course, that the disc in question has a lot to do with your final results.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith didn't fare well on either player, with flat colors and lack of detail.
Star Wars: A New Hope and
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (seventies vintage), looked amazingly crisp and vibrant, delivering near-HD quality on both units.
We're Ready to Rock and Roll-Blu-Ray And now, a dramatic pause as we prepare to watch our first Blu-Ray disc....just a bit more....almost there....wait for it...bingo! Actually, there is a pause with the DMP-BD30K, but it's anything but dramatic. That's because the player takes forever to load-it's even slower than my HD-A3 in that regard. It's slow loading your disc, and slow accessing the top menu. Once your disc is loaded and you hit play, it's slow loading the movie, too.
Once your video finally does load, however, you'll be amazed by the crisp detail and vibrant color Blu-Ray delivers. Films such as Dark Knight and
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull deliver breathtaking realism, and in this respect the DMP-BD30K delivers as well as units costing hundreds of dollars more.
And while it is true that you won't be able to enjoy all of the "extras" an internet-connected 2.0 model delivers, you can still access normal on-disc bonus features and even relay some content to your PC via an SD card (not-included). The latter also serves to allow you to display .jpeg images on screen.
Remote We remarked that the remote is a bit bulky, especially given that it only boasts a few more features than the basic stop, pause, rewind, fast forward, etc. available through the onboard panel. You do have access to the menus, though, which you can't get from the unit.
Sub Menu,
Pop Up Menu, and
Top Menu all have their own buttons, but be careful-if you access any of thee while in the midst of a movie, you have to use the
Return button the get back to the flick. To be sure, the temptation (and natural inclination) is to press play. If you do, though, you'll get booted out all together and lose your place-as well as have to wait all over again for your feature to load.
Overall The DMP-BD30K has been on the market for over a year now, and as a result it's a bit dated. And while it does have its flaws, the price is right if you're just looking for an entry-level unit to get into the Blu-Ray market.
