* Speed : the BD60 is not quite as fast to load discs as the
Samsung BD-P3600
or the
LG BD300
, though it is faster than last year's Samsung models . ( 12 / 03 / 09 update - this is about 20% faster with the 2.0 firmware and above )
* Limited online content : YouTube on a Blu-ray player is cool , but it doesn't compare to Netflix online streaming in terms of quality and selection of content ( Netflix is available on LG and Samsung players ) . Amazon's On-Demand streaming service has been announced for VIERA Cast but is not yet available ( update : it is available now ) . The good news is that VIERA Cast can be enhanced with more content over time without requiring the purchase of a new player .
* Less than integrated operation : moving between Blu-ray and VIERA Cast online content is not as seamless as it could be . You have to completely stop playback and exit back to the Panasonic player's splash screen in order to get to the VIERA Cast home screen to access online content . And what's with that annoying BEEP when you go through the VIERA Cast menus ?
* SD card requirement : Like its predecessors , the BD60 lacks on-board storage so you'll need to add an SD or SDHC card to enjoy BD-Live content . Panasonic at least could have thrown in a 1GB or 2GB SD card in the box .
Also , while the BD60 adds a USB port to the front panel , it does not support DivX or Xvid video playback so this limits the USB port's usefulness . A USB storage device connected to the BD60 ' s USB port can only be used for playback of MP3 music files and viewing of JPEG digital images .
If your primary goal is to get a reliable , high performance Blu-ray / DVD player then none of the above should really matter to you ( except possibly the operation speed , which is really about average as far as the current players go ) and you should strongly consider the BD60 . But if you're more interested in viewing content online as well as on those shiny silver discs , then you might want to wait to see what else VIERA Cast has to offer over the coming months . Or get the best of all possible worlds by buying the BD60 for Blu-ray and DVD and picking up a
Roku box
just for online streaming .
In terms of differences between the BD60 and the step-up
DMP-BD80 model
, the main enhancements in the BD80 are multi-channel analog output ( for compatibility with older non-HDMI receivers ) , Divx playback , vibration isolating feet and High Clarity Audio which allows you to disable the analog video processing if you're using HDMI for the video signal , thereby ( theoretically at least ) improving overall sound quality . If these features are not essential , then save yourself some money and get the BD60 instead .
12 / 03 / 09 Update : Some owners of the BD60 , BD70V and BD80 have reported a random freeze or pause in playback while watching Blu-ray Discs . While we never saw it during our review of the BD60 and BD80 , we did see it on the
DMP-BD70V
( review available on Big Picture Big Sound web site ) . Panasonic released firmware version 2.2 this week to address this issue and so far ( though it's early ) , the consensus on the great and vast interwebs is that it may have actually worked .
1 / 19 / 10 Update : Netflix is coming to VIERA Cast ( yay ! ) but it will only be available on 2010 players and displays ( boooo ! ) . If you've been holding out for Netflix on the BD60 , BD70V or BD80 , you're out of luck . At CES earlier this month , Panasonic told us Netflix will be available in the 2010 players ( DMP-BD65 , DMP-BD85 , DMP-BDT350 ) as well as in 2010 HDTV models with VIERACast but they will not be able to retrofit it to the 2009 players .
001 4 With the BD60 , Panasonic adds VIERA Cast online content access to their previous entry-level model , the
DMP-BD35
. You would think this makes an excellent Blu-ray Player even excellenter ( yes , I know that's not a word ) , and it does . The BD60 excels in its Blu-ray Disc playback and is very good at DVD upconversion as well , passing difficult tests like the HQV benchmark discs with flying colors ( as well as looking good on real movies ) . The BD60 can decode all of the latest surround codecs ( including DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD ) to PCM over HDMI or it can stream these to a compatible receiver in their native formats . Also , if past Panasonic players are any indication , the BD60 should prove to be among the best at disc compatibility , something which has plagued many players from other brands .
But there are still a few drawbacks with the BD60 that keep it from getting 5 stars :
* Speed : the BD60 is not quite as fast to load discs as the
Samsung BD-P3600
or the
LG BD300
, though it is faster than last year's Samsung models . ( 12 / 03 / 09 update - this is about 20% faster with the 2.0 firmware and above )
* Limited online content : YouTube on a Blu-ray player is cool , but it doesn't compare to Netflix online streaming in terms of quality and selection of content ( Netflix is available on LG and Samsung players ) . Amazon's On-Demand streaming service has been announced for VIERA Cast but is not yet available ( update : it is available now ) . The good news is that VIERA Cast can be enhanced with more content over time without requiring the purchase of a new player .
* Less than integrated operation : moving between Blu-ray and VIERA Cast online content is not as seamless as it could be . You have to completely stop playback and exit back to the Panasonic player's splash screen in order to get to the VIERA Cast home screen to access online content . And what's with that annoying BEEP when you go through the VIERA Cast menus ?
* SD card requirement : Like its predecessors , the BD60 lacks on-board storage so you'll need to add an SD or SDHC card to enjoy BD-Live content . Panasonic at least could have thrown in a 1GB or 2GB SD card in the box .
Also , while the BD60 adds a USB port to the front panel , it does not support DivX or Xvid video playback so this limits the USB port's usefulness . A USB storage device connected to the BD60 ' s USB port can only be used for playback of MP3 music files and viewing of JPEG digital images .
If your primary goal is to get a reliable , high performance Blu-ray / DVD player then none of the above should really matter to you ( except possibly the operation speed , which is really about average as far as the current players go ) and you should strongly consider the BD60 . But if you're more interested in viewing content online as well as on those shiny silver discs , then you might want to wait to see what else VIERA Cast has to offer over the coming months . Or get the best of all possible worlds by buying the BD60 for Blu-ray and DVD and picking up a
Roku box
just for online streaming .
In terms of differences between the BD60 and the step-up
DMP-BD80 model
, the main enhancements in the BD80 are multi-channel analog output ( for compatibility with older non-HDMI receivers ) , Divx playback , vibration isolating feet and High Clarity Audio which allows you to disable the analog video processing if you're using HDMI for the video signal , thereby ( theoretically at least ) improving overall sound quality . If these features are not essential , then save yourself some money and get the BD60 instead .
12 / 03 / 09 Update : Some owners of the BD60 , BD70V and BD80 have reported a random freeze or pause in playback while watching Blu-ray Discs . While we never saw it during our review of the BD60 and BD80 , we did see it on the
DMP-BD70V
( review available on Big Picture Big Sound web site ) . Panasonic released firmware version 2.2 this week to address this issue and so far ( though it's early ) , the consensus on the great and vast interwebs is that it may have actually worked .
1 / 19 / 10 Update : Netflix is coming to VIERA Cast ( yay ! ) but it will only be available on 2010 players and displays ( boooo ! ) . If you've been holding out for Netflix on the BD60 , BD70V or BD80 , you're out of luck . At CES earlier this month , Panasonic told us Netflix will be available in the 2010 players ( DMP-BD65 , DMP-BD85 , DMP-BDT350 ) as well as in 2010 HDTV models with VIERACast but they will not be able to retrofit it to the 2009 players .
235 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Bought two of these when Amazon had them for $122 including shipping in November 2009 . Already own a BD - 35 which I purchased a year ago on Amazon for $129 .
This player is essentially the same with the same remote . Upgrading the firmware on the BD - 60 is easier than on the BD - 35 . The auto update for some reason on
this BD player works better from the Panasonic website . . The BD - 35 seems to require a CD instead of doing it from the internet connection . This BD player gives a great HD picture with
great lossless sound if your receiver can do the Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master sound . Regular SD DVDs seem to up-convert well and also look better than 480i / 480p ,
in my opinion . Cannot go wrong with this player for the price . The Oppo 83 is better but this player is about 1 / 4 the price !
236 4 Bought two of these when Amazon had them for $122 including shipping in November 2009 . Already own a BD - 35 which I purchased a year ago on Amazon for $129 .
This player is essentially the same with the same remote . Upgrading the firmware on the BD - 60 is easier than on the BD - 35 . The auto update for some reason on
this BD player works better from the Panasonic website . . The BD - 35 seems to require a CD instead of doing it from the internet connection . This BD player gives a great HD picture with
great lossless sound if your receiver can do the Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master sound . Regular SD DVDs seem to up-convert well and also look better than 480i / 480p ,
in my opinion . Cannot go wrong with this player for the price . The Oppo 83 is better but this player is about 1 / 4 the price !
007 4 This Panasonic DMP-BD60 blu ray player is amazing and a part of their new series of blu ray players . Finally , a quality blu ray player at a reasonable price . Seems the long wait of inflated costs for a player is settling down . Here you pay a reasonable price for high quality .
Just last November I purchased my first blu ray player . I have a high end tv - 37 hd LD and a high end receiver - Sony STR-DG920 . I wanted to get a player at an adequate price so I could explore and see if blu ray was for me . i bought the Memorex MVBD2510 . The first 5 movies I played were ok but the machine was big and clunky , took minutes to load and was very difficult to maneuver with the remote . Then discs wouldn't play for I needed a firmware upgrade . Got one 12 / 18 - very difficult process . Some movies played and then all the latest blu ray releases would say I needed another firmware update and Memorex did not have one . My machine was useless . But at least I did see that I loved blu ray when I was able to view it .
So I started my research and ended up with the new Panasonic machines . I read excellent reviews by consumers and critics alike and checked their past pattern with firm upgrades , customer service and overall quality with reviews of their previous players . Seemed Panasonic was the way to go . Again , I am thrilled with this player . Finally I can play all blu ray discs and the loading time for all seems to be under 10 seconds . The picture quality is also so much better than the video I got with the Memorex player . This player is small , sleek and impressive looking and does a superb job all around .
The remote is ever so simple to use , the set up of the machine took a few mere minutes . The player also comes with an actual easy to read instruction manual rather than just providing a cd like many modern electronics do . To hook it up to my computer was so easy and BD Live works flawlessly . Also the machine manually checks for updates every time I turn it on . When a put a disc in I can sit back , relax and not wait minutes for the disc to load or watch a YOU NEED AN UPGRADE screen appear .
I also think it is very important when reviewing a blu ray platyer and its capabilities to remember that the player is only as good as the other equipment you have . The better hd television you have , the better the picture quality . The better receiver , the better video and audio you will have . I found the upconversion of standard dvds here to be amazing . Dvds that were faint and difficult to watch with the Memorex player took on a whole new life here . Finally I don't mind watching regular dvds . The manual says how it will upconvert to 1080p or whatever the highest option is but the piece of equipment the player is hooked to must also be able to display such options or you will not get the quality . My receiver upgrades to all the same levels that the Panasionic player does so I am guaranteed the best video and audio all the time . Also , all my hookups are done simply with HDMI cables and this guaranrtees the highest quality and performance from your equipment . ( I just want to again note that if you feel this player does not work as well for you that you take a look at the quality of your other equipoment . )
Blu ray is an investment but now is a great time to build up a high quality home theatre system . Here we have a high end blu ray player with all the whistles and capablities at a great price . It is now possible to get blu ray movies at much more reasonable prices as well and more and more films come out on blu ray every week . I find that a true blu ray experience is better than seeing a film at the movies . The picture clarity is astounding and the audio with all the tru and lossless options on all discs now make the films more than come to life . Even dialogue driven films sound amazing . This Panasonic player also delivers video with great color contrast , crisp detail and a great line between blacks and whites . Audio again is impeccable .
I have only the highest praise for this player and also Panasonic themselves . I has to call them for one question I had and I was on hold only 1 minute and got the most helpful person . Everytime I called Memorex it included at least a 20 minute wait . Here is a blu ray player of the highest quality that will perform for you and it is available at a price that won't break your wallet .
Highly recommend .
003 4 Update 12 / 10 / 2009 :
Panasonic recently released firmware revision 2.2 . This firmware appears to have resolved the issue that I explain below . If it's not fully resolved , it at least reduces the number of occurrences very significantly . I would urge everybody who purchases this player to update their firmware to the latest revision to prevent potential freezing problems . Although I believe the issues I had were resolved , I am keeping the review at 2 stars . Right now , I believe the player ( with the latest firmware ) deserves at least 4 stars , and possibly 5 . Hopefully , people who are less technically savvy will read this negative review , and then make sure that they are running with firmware 2.2 or higher if they decide to purchase this unit . Please read the player's manual to see how to do this .
My original review is below :
I purchased one of these from Amazon , but was experiencing random freezing in Blu-ray discs . The disc would simply stop playing for approximately 10 seconds , and then resume as if there was no problem . I tried to replay over spots where I encountered the freeze , but was never able to duplicate it . After my 4th movie that froze , I returned the unit to Amazon and got a replacement . Even the replacement unit had this problem , so I shipped that one back too . [ . . . ] . So far , Panasonic has not issued any kind of statement or even acknowledged that this is a problem . I would recommend people look elsewhere for their player . I am highly disappointed , because this player had the potential to be a great , yet affordable , unit .
[ . . . ]
A quick summary of the facts on this problem :
1 . The freezes are random . They don't occur in the same place in a movie . People have reported freezing in MANY movies , not just a select few . If a movie that froze in the past is viewed again , it may not freeze at all .
2 . This problem occurs on the BD60 and the BD80 .
3 . Current firmware ( 1.7 ) does not resolve the issue .
4 . People have been reporting what their unit is connected to ( TV , receiver , etc ) , and it doesn't matter what it's connected to .
5 . Manufacture date doesn't matter
6 . Overheating is apparently not the issue . People have reported having plenty of space around the unit to keep it cool and it still occurs .
7 . Several people have reported watching several movies without problems , and then having several consecutive movies freeze .
8 . About a week ago , one of the editors from [ . . . ] that Panasonic MAY have seen the problem , and it has to do with the video buffer not being flushed properly . They didn't give any indication when a fix would be released , or how difficult it will be to resolve .
Edited on 07 / 28 / 09 :
Firmware 1.9 has been released , and the problem still has not been resolved . Additionally , an editor from a well-respected home theater site has been in contact with Panasonic . According to him , Panasonic has stated that they have fixed all known freezing issues , and that they are unable to find this particular problem . It may still be quite some time before it is resolved . ( Amazon edited out a link to another website before , so I don't want to post another link that will just be removed . )
Edited 11 / 21 / 09 :
Firmware 2.1 has been available for a while now , and people are still reporting freezes . At this point , it looks like Panasonic either cannot or will not fix the problem . I would urge new owners to wait a while before posting a review . There's a good chance that you won't experience any freeze issues , but there's also a good chance that you'll see the problem only after you have watched several movies .
Edited 11 / 30 / 09 :
Firmware 2.2 has been released for the BD60 / 70 / 80 players . This firmware SUPPOSEDLY provides a workaround for the random freeze issues . I don't really know what a workaround means in this context , but if it prevents movies from freezing , then it's probably sufficient . It may take a while to prove or disprove that 2.2 actually resolves things , but I will update my review again once more concrete information is available .
Edited 12 / 08 / 09 :
Firmware 2.2 has been available for just over a week , and nobody has reported encountering a freeze in that timeframe . While I'm not quite ready to state that the problem is definitely resolved , things are looking go so far .
005 4 I purchased this player to replace a Samsung BD-P2500 that was giving me major compatibility problems with Blu-ray discs , and so far haven't been disappointed . Picture quality on Blu-ray is stunning and I've had no compatibility issues thus far ; upscaling on standard DVDs is great . VieraCast is a novel feature that could someday find greatness if Panasonic expanded support to include Amazon , Netflix and Hulu . ( I understand Amazon support is on the way . )
I have not experienced the freezing issues that some describe here , but I think that's due to how I use the player more than anything else . ( I watch a disc or two at a time , then power the unit off between uses - for a technical explanation of why this apparently sidesteps the problem , see the next paragraph . ) In any case , I've read online recently that Panasonic has finally figured out the cause of the freezing issue and is now working on a firmware update to fix it .
( For you techies out there , here's a bit more detailed explanation of the freezing issue , based on what I've gleaned online : Blu ray discs make heavy use of Java , and the BD60 apparently has garbage collection issues that cause the freezing . Powering the unit off periodically clears out what's in memory , minimizing the likelihood of another freeze-up . Since I tend to watch one or two Blu-Ray discs at a time and then shut the unit off for between uses , I haven't experienced any freezes . )
The only other quirk I can report is that while the unit does support 24fps playback on DVDs , you have to switch it on manually every time . Kind of a pain , but only a pain if you're a video purist .
That's it . No other issues . Sorry for the boring review , but this player just does everything that it's supposed to without complaints . I consider it one of the best A / V investments I've made in a long time , and would recommend it to others without hesitation .
008 4 The Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu Ray DVD player is an excellent DVD player . It raises the bar on Blu Ray players that other manufactures will have to surpass in order to be able to compete on quality and price . The Panasonic BD60K player features a PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus Digital Video processor . ( According to Panasonic website this processor produces crisp , natural colors that are extremely faithful to the original movie and features the advanced encoding and authoring technologies developed by Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory ( PHL ) in collaboration with film industry professionals . ) The beautiful images are complemented by an accurate sound achieved leading-edge audio technologies such as Dolby Digital Plus , Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD . The player outputs 1080p / 24fps . The remote has an excellent layout and easy to use interface .
What led me to buy this player over other players was the Ethernet capability , USB port & SD card slots , Viera Cast and 1080p up-conversion . Some of these features are available in other players but to my knowledge not all are available in one single player as is the case with BD60K . The Viera Cast currently lets one access You Tube videos and Picasa Web albums . Panasonic has announced that Amazon VOD ( video on demand ) will soon be available on Viera cast . In my experience both the Picasa web albums and the You Tube videos worked very well . The pictures on Picasa website are very crisp and in high resolution ( but accompanied every time by the same background music that gets annoying to listen to over and over again ) . You Tube videos look okay ( but grainy when expanded to cover the screen ) . One cool feature is the ability to continually play videos through your search one after the other . The Amazon VOD is not available yet so I can't comment on it , but I am eagerly expecting its launch through Viera Cast .
I upgraded the player to 1.5 version of firmware using the Ethernet port and I had absolutely no problems after upgrading the firmware . I am using the Panasonic Blu Ray player with the Onkyo 805 receiver and a 1080p overhead Mitsubishi LCD projector ( HC4900 ) on a Carada Precision Series 106 projection screen and the Blu Ray picture quality ( PQ ) is absolutely stunning . The PQ for standard definition DVD is bearable on a projection screen and not the same quality as the Blu Ray DVD . I also played this DVD player through a 42 Panasonic Plasma TV ( 720P ) and the PQ for standard definition DVD or Blu Ray DVD is outstanding . There can be no guarantee for technological obsolescence in today's fast changing world but the Panasonic BDP-BD60K holds promise .
011 4 Well , I did a lot of research before buying the BD60 from Panasonic and I believe it was a good move . I cannot agree with the previous reviewer today who stated that the unit loads in very short time , because mine does not . However , load time is not a feature that means a hill o ' beans to me for a movie player . If pauses were happening during playback , that would be another story .
The video and sound quality are excellent , which is what I expected . I have to say that the remote is also pretty good . I've played everything under the sun on it from olllllllllllld DVDs to Blu Rays with no problems . I would recommend it and would buy it again if I had to do it over .
Lamar
017 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I purchase the Panasonic DMP-BD60 on recommendations from various internet sites . It lives up to its excellent reputation . . . in most cases ! I am very impressed with the picture it sends to my Samsung HDTV . It communicates with my TV , so all I have to do is hit eject on my blu-ray remote and it turns on the TV and switches it to the HDMI channel to play ! My Samsung remote will even control the Panasonic ( play , rewind , ff , stop ) , but not pause . The picture is awesome , and the load time issues are non-existent . Really , if you don't have the time for this to load you need to loosen up your schedule ! I did have a scare with my first blu-ray ( what are the odds of my first blu-ray not playing but every other one being fine ) not playing . It was a Netflix blu-ray with hardly a scratch . After calling 6ave ( who sold the unit through Amazon ) they were very nice and suggested trying another blu-ray in it , or to send back this unit . It's been perfect since then . The one minus of ordering online is that I would have had to wait a week for another one , where buying at a store you could just run down and swap it out ( which wouldn't have solved my problem anyway . . . ) But is that worth paying sales tax and a higher price for the unit ? To some it is . . . not me ! Small nitpicks : the SD card slot where you can view your pictures from a digital camera is a reason I bought this player , and it works . . . but you can't skip over pictures you don't care to see , and it will only play a certain number of them . Those of you with thousands of pics on your 8G SD cards will be disappointed that it will only play a couple hundred . The online connections are to Picasa , YouTube , and weather for your area . These are OK , but wish it could link up to Netflix . I have not explored the Amazon HD downloadable videos yet . The upconverting DVD aspect to this player does work , but it seems some do better than others . The newer DVD movies seem to do better than my older ones . I was not as impressed with my regular DVD set of BBC Planet Earth . . . get the blu-ray of that ! But my LOTR trilogy was satisfying to watch . My old DVD player had a button for subtitles so you could instantly turn it on and off - this player doesn't . You have to turn it on in the main movie before you watch , which is a bit of a bummer . But with everything this player does right , that is a small price to pay . It is also very sleek looking and I can't even see it in my cabinet unless it is on !
023 4 Quick free shipping from Amazon - I received the player in two days after ordering with Amazon Prime .
I purchased the BD60 because of prior great experience with other Panasonic Blu Ray players which I own - the BD30 and BD55 . I also didn't want to learn new setup menus with a new brand and could go to single site for firmware downloads .
The player I received was mfg in Feb 2009 and shipped with firmware version 1.1 . Using a CD-R , I manually updated the firmware to version 1.7 ( as of 6 / 5 / 09 ) . ( Note the player is capable of updating the firmware using an Ethernet connection to your Internet . )
As I have with my other Panasonic players , I use freeware Express Burn ( nch.com.au ) to create an ISO compliant CD-R data disk to update the firmware . However , after I put the CD-R in the BD60 , I got a flashing message L DRV . About a few minutes later it ejected the disc and displayed a message UPD NG . In short the firmware update had failed due to the player not correctly reading the update disk and I was essentially stuck with a non-operable player in the firmware update mode . This error has been reported by others . . . Google BD60 UPD NG .
I was ultimately able to resolve the problem with creating a new firmware update data disk on a different PC using Roxio Creator DE . Roxio has been suggested by others . My Roxio CD write settings were TAO Open , Mode 1 , ISO + Juliet , and Use Disc for Only One Recording .
Once I got past the firmware update snafu , the player operated flawlessly . Like my BD55 it plays standard DVDs with very good picture quality . The player appears to have good DVD up conversion to 1080p . It has all the capabilities of a good Blu Ray player for HDMI , 24p output , Dolby / DTS HD decoding , etc .
The player has some differences from the BD55 . The BD60 has a quick start feature which provides power to the internal unit even when it's turned off ( standby mode ) . Using this feature I noticed a startup time of about 8 seconds compared to 15 seconds . Note the player draws about 5W of power ( so much for being Green ) in standby mode with the quick start feature enabled , compared to 0.5W when you disable the quick start feature and 22W when it is operating .
The BD60 also has a USB port in addition to the SD card slot . The BD60 lacks the analog 5.1ch analog audio out connectors . I doubt if many people used the 5.1ch analog connectors and Panasonic eliminated them to reduce COGS . The BD60 also has some features ( Viera Cast ) to access content on the Internet , which I have not used .
032 4 I immediately ran into a technical difficulty the first time I hooked up this player to my receiver ( Onkyo TX-SR604 with HDMI 1.1 ) . I had the player hooked up through an HDMI switcher , XtremeMac HD . The receiver couldn't detect the signal . I hooked up the cable directly to the receiver . Again , the receiver couldn't detect the signal . Maybe I need a newer receiver that has HDMI 1.3 inputs , I don't know . This is an issue to consider for those who have TVs with only one HDMI input and one or more HDMI components ( like XBOX 360 , Tivo HD , etc ) . Thinking that perhaps I needed to update the firmware , I ran a update setup and found that I had version 1.1 and could update to 1.5 . It took , maybe , about 3 - 4 minutes to update , using ethernet .
I was hoping that the update would fix the HDMI issue . But , it didn't . In any case , in worked perfectly fine when I hooked up the HDMI cable directly to my TV ( Samsung PN - 50A55 plasma ) . I had to hook up a Toslink / Optical audio cable to the receiver for sound . Out of the box settings were fine for the most part - - I tweaked the front light to be dimmer , set the resolution from auto to 1080p , set the 24p output to ON , and HDMI RGB output range to enhanced . I popped in a Blu Ray Disc ( Sunshine ) to test ; It took around 40 second to get to the main menu . The quality is , as expected excellent and is better than 1080i HD TV broadcast ( I have Comcast ) . I was actually surprised to find that the sound quality was amazing for both BR and DVD .
Now , what I was really concerned was how well it would upconvert DVD discs . I wanted it to be as good as my Oppo 981HD DVD player so I could sell it . I didn't want too many components . Panasonic upconversion is quite good but not as great as the Oppo . What I saw in Panasonic which I hadn't seen in the Oppo player was , 1 ) occasional jaggies in fast motion scenes , 2 ) the images were slightly softer and black levels could only be adjusted to high and low . That said , I was still very happy with the result and would have no problem giving up the Oppo player to minimize the setup .
Finally , I tried the Viera link option - - currently available are YouTube , Picassa , Weather and Stock . I wasn't impressed . I have Tivo HD which has YouTube , Netflix , and more . Weather graphics were pretty amazing , though . But I really don't care for it .
All in all , I am pretty happy with it . I picked it over the new Samsung BD-P1600 because I read everywhere that the DVD upconversion was better . I am now kind of curious to try out the Samsung .
034 4 This product is fantastic . The picture quality and features are more than I bargained for with a $ 200.00 blu ray player . The set-up was ridiculously easy and as long as you have the player hooked up to the internet it is easy to update .
The only thing that can be considered as a con is that there is no memory in the player ; you have to buy an SD card . You aren't able to access the LIVE functions without it .
All-in-all , I am really satisfied with this player .
035 4 I looked for a long time before picking out this Blue Ray . I read dozens of reviews and after looking at them , I decided that this was the best I had seen for the money .
It proved to be right ! The remote is very simple to use and the read time is extremely short . The response time of the machine is excellent and the picture is beautiful .
There is no problem if you have to pause or stop it , for it comes right back to where you left it .
For a person like myself who knows very little about these things , it is perfect . You can't go wrong .
Jim White .
038 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
The first thing I need to say in this review is that I'm not a hardcore techie and will not be able to provide you with all of the megachip or spins per second kinda data you might be interested in . All I am is an average person who wanted to get the most out of my plasma tv . Naturally Blu ray seemed the only way to go for the best home movie experience .
With that being said I'm not a complete newb either , I have done some homework . So here's what I think about this player without having much experience with any others :
LOAD TIME : I've noticed many customers are interested in how fast the blu rays load . . I can't really compare this player with many others , but I know I'm an impatient person and have yet to feel annoyed by any loading times . So even if it's not the best , it's certainly good enough .
PICTURE & SOUND : Of course this is what it's all about , and I must say the quality is very good . The blu rays look and sound amazing and though it's less noticeable , when I play a regular DVD there is for sure a sound improvement , but the picture is a little harder to notice . . . maybe it's just my untrained eye .
SETUP : As I said , I'm not a techie , but this was a breeze to setup . Plug and chug , you barely even need to consult the instruction booklet . Having had a Panasonic dvd player before , I was delighted to see the remote was nearly identical to my old one , and wasn't confusing at all .
- - -
Overall analysis : The truth is , Blu Ray is still a new technology . There's going to be improvements , there's going to be price drops ( a certain W retailer is currently selling one for $98 ) . At $200 the price has already dropped enough to make it an affordable splurge , and even though this system is nice I've been increasingly jealous of some of the other amenities more fancy players come with . For example , the Netflix and Amazon streaming ability is something I'm really wanting , although you CAN stream youtube with this player . Some players also include built in wi-fi which sounds like a much easier way to access the internet through the player .
So . . should you get this one ? Well , I can't say no , because I love it and think it works great . Is it the best value right now ? Well . . I dunno . Maybe if you just want to try blu ray out it'd be worth going as cheap as you can get until they master all the cool gadgets and add-ons . Is blu ray in general worth it ? Absolutely . If you have an HD tv , you have to have blu ray . It's the only way to watch a movie .
039 4 The first thing I need to say in this review is that I'm not a hardcore techie and will not be able to provide you with all of the megachip or spins per second kinda data you might be interested in . All I am is an average person who wanted to get the most out of my plasma tv . Naturally Blu ray seemed the only way to go for the best home movie experience .
With that being said I'm not a complete newb either , I have done some homework . So here's what I think about this player without having much experience with any others :
LOAD TIME : I've noticed many customers are interested in how fast the blu rays load . . I can't really compare this player with many others , but I know I'm an impatient person and have yet to feel annoyed by any loading times . So even if it's not the best , it's certainly good enough .
PICTURE & SOUND : Of course this is what it's all about , and I must say the quality is very good . The blu rays look and sound amazing and though it's less noticeable , when I play a regular DVD there is for sure a sound improvement , but the picture is a little harder to notice . . . maybe it's just my untrained eye .
SETUP : As I said , I'm not a techie , but this was a breeze to setup . Plug and chug , you barely even need to consult the instruction booklet . Having had a Panasonic dvd player before , I was delighted to see the remote was nearly identical to my old one , and wasn't confusing at all .
- - -
Overall analysis : The truth is , Blu Ray is still a new technology . There's going to be improvements , there's going to be price drops ( a certain W retailer is currently selling one for $98 ) . At $200 the price has already dropped enough to make it an affordable splurge , and even though this system is nice I've been increasingly jealous of some of the other amenities more fancy players come with . For example , the Netflix and Amazon streaming ability is something I'm really wanting , although you CAN stream youtube with this player . Some players also include built in wi-fi which sounds like a much easier way to access the internet through the player .
So . . should you get this one ? Well , I can't say no , because I love it and think it works great . Is it the best value right now ? Well . . I dunno . Maybe if you just want to try blu ray out it'd be worth going as cheap as you can get until they master all the cool gadgets and add-ons . Is blu ray in general worth it ? Absolutely . If you have an HD tv , you have to have blu ray . It's the only way to watch a movie .
040 4 I picked this player as a replacement for my first Blu-ray player-the Pioneer BDP 51 . The Pioneer was picky about playing certain discs . So , I exchanged it for this Panasonic player . Compared to the Pioneer , it is very small and lightweight and rather insubstantial-looking . However , the picture quality , both on BDs and upconverting standard DVDs is superb . It does not stream Netflix , so if you want a player for streaming , be advised it only streams Amazon on demand and YouTube . I bought it just to play BDs , so I have no complaints .
I was one of the people who were also afflicted with the random freeze with this player . You could be watching a BD , and the program would stop , as if you had pushed the pause button , and after a few seconds , play would resume . This problem did not rear its ugly head until I had the player for over a month . The freeze is random in that you never know when it will occur . It is unrepeatable . You can replay a disc that froze , and the replay may not freeze at all . However , the freezes were ( in my case ) few and far-between .
A couple of weeks ago , Panasonic released a firmware update which ( so far ) seems to have successfully fixed the random freeze issue . I paid $249 for my player in April 2009 , and stuck with it throughout the freeze issue in the hope that Panasonic would fix it . With this player's stellar picture and audio , and its current ( Dec . 2009 ) price , it is a steal . It certainly would make a great first Blu-ray player for anyone .
041 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This player meets or exceeds my expectations for both Blu-ray and standard DVD playback . Response time to commands is fairly quick . This product is much improved from the early BD decks . This player can now be had for less than $150 . . . to me thats a good value proposition .
043 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
So much fun - set was easy , deciding whether to go wireless or wired took some thought . I decided wireless , My home is wireless using a Linksys WRT545G saving $ $ using a WGA54G Gaming adapter as bridge instead of a normal bridge to connect , I highly recommend letting a Linksys Technician do a remote using you computer to set that up - and it works great with a few minutes the Firmware update was downloaded , I was on Viera Cast linked my Picasa web album and linked my Amazon account to the Viera cast by Registering my Blu-Ray registration code generated on Viera Cast - to get Amazon Video-On-Demand , was able to Get YouTube , set my local weather to default . Next purchase will be sound system .
045 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I returned a low end Magnavox BluRay player to Walmart when I received this Panasonic . The difference is as between night and day . The picture quality is superb - the sound quality amazing . I use it with my NEC projector and an eight foot screen . The setup was a snap and loading time is half what it was with the Magnavox . Overall , I am very happy with the machine . One thing - don't go out and purchase duplicate BluRay DVDs to replace your older non-BluRay discs . It is not necessary . A regular DVD looks fantastic on this machine . Save your money for new releases . If you want to see what this machine can really do , buy the BBC Earth series
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series
. The quality is stunning . I would highly recommend this machine for anyone looking to try BluRay for the first time .
049 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I've had this bluray player for a few weeks now , I'd have bought it sooner , but was waiting for the price to fall a bit . It works well along with my Panasonic HDTV and Panasonic receiver via Viera link . It displays a great picture using bluray discs , but the upconverted picture ( while viewing regular DVD discs ) isn't all it's cracked up to be . I wish the player had more than one HDMI input / output as well . The delay in loading a bluray disc isn't that bad . Heck , why not grab another soda or beer from the fridge while you wait for it to load ? I love the fact that it has a USB input and an SD input on the front of the player . This makes it easy to pop in a usb flash drive with mp3 files and an SD card with digital photos on it . I highly recommend purchase of this Panasonic bluray disc player .
053 4 I did a fare amount of research before buying this player . I chose the Panasonic for two reasons : 1 - I have a Panasonic projector ( PT AX200u ) and hoped they would play well together and 2 - It had the least amount of firmware issues of any blu-ray player I studied . The latter was the more important issue in my mind . I had resisted blu-ray for a while , mainly because I believe digital downloads are the future of all media . But a few months ago I watched a blu-ray disc on my father-in-law's 60 Mitsubishi DLP HDTV and was convinced of its superiority . I was shocked to learn that the technology isn't quite settled , and unlike standard dvds , which just work , blu-ray requires occasional firmware updates in order to watch newer discs and access special features .
Upon setting up the player I immediately connected it to my home network via ethernet cable ( no built-in wifi ) , updated to the latest firmware and haven't had any issues . The DMP-BD60 does quite well up-converting standard dvds and blu-ray is excellent . Had a couple of friends over last weekend and we watched the blu-ray of 2001 : A Space Odyssey , cranked the projector up as big as I can ( about 8 ' x14 ' ) and it was amazing . No stuttering , no stopping , no issues whatsoever on any of the dozen or so discs we've watched thus far . As far as playing well with the projector , they work great together but I doubt it really makes a difference that they are both Panasonic products . ( Sony , for one , is notorious for making components that don't work well with one another , and they're one of the most successful electronics companies in the world ! )
Regarding Viera-cast , I have my system hooked up to a media center pc , so I can already watch Hulu , Netflix instant view , and any other web-based video on my tv or projector , so it's really not a big factor for me . ( For those who don't have a media center pc , you might want to look at LG or Samsung blu-ray player , as Netflix is an especially great feature . ) Having said that I checked it out and it works fine for Youtube . I didn't bother with the Amazon on demand , but I'm curious how the hd streaming looks , though not so curious that I'm going to shell out for it .
Overall , it's a great blu-ray player for a fair price . I would advise anyone to avoid the less expensive , lower end blu-ray players and stick with the name brands if only because the technology is so unsettled at this point that you might get stuck with a brick that doesn't play a huge number of the discs available out there . Sometimes you really do get what you pay for .
057 4 There's a reason why this player is currently the top-selling BD player on Amazon : it offers the best performance at the lowest price . No , it does not offer WiFi connectivity ( who wants to stream HD over WiFi anyway ? ) and you cannot access Netflix ( although Amazon VoD is a good alternative , especially for those who do not want to subscribe to a service ) . What the BD60 does offer is great BD playback performance for under $200 . As others will attest , you may encounter an occasional freeze during playback , although these incidents are infrequent ( average of around one per 20 hours of playback for me ) and last only a few seconds after which the player resumes as if nothing had happened . Virtually every standalone BD player on the market ( except perhaps the Oppo BPD - 83 which costs $300 more ) has some playback issues . Blu-ray is still a new standard and if you buy now you are beta-testing the technology to some extent . The good thing is that you will not find a company with a better track record of customer support and reliability than Panasonic . Since I have had this player ( a little over a month ) Panasonic has released two firmware updates for the player . It doesn't get better than that , IMO .
Picture and sound quality are as good as it gets with this player . Check any review on the web and you will see that there is not a player out there , regardless of price , that outperforms the BD60 in picture and sound . Load times are average , although BD-Live enabled discs can be slow to load sometimes . BD-Live functionality can be turned off which would probably eliminate this problem although I have not tested this . Load times have never been a concern of mine . The difference between 20 and 40 seconds is irrelevant to me .
The only other player I would consider at this price point is the JVC XV-BP1 . JVC does not have the track record that Panasonic does with respect to Blu-ray , but the XV-BP1 seems to be a very nice player . The JVC reportedly loads almost as fast as the Oppo . It does not have video streaming content , however . It also lacks WiFi capability like the BD60 . I'd still go with the BD60 just based on Panasonic's reputation .
059 4 I had this unit for 1 day and watched 1 DVD movie with no issues . On the second DVD movie , the audio / video would intermittently drop out ( TV went dark , no sound ) . I'm using HDMI to connect to a new plasma TV . The cable is new and is made by MonsterCable ( not a no-name one ) . I checked the Firmware release which was 1.9 . There have been two successive releases since 1.9 came out so I figured that might be the cause of the problems . The unit isn't located where I can easily connect it to my router so I created an update CD to install Firmware release 2.2 , following closely the directions on Panasonic website .
According to the directions , if the update is successful , there should be a FINISHED message displayed on the unit . I instead got a L DRV message followed by a UPD NG message that is accompanied by the unit ejecting the disc . I'm thinking the latter message means update no good but there's no mention of that code in the manual . I called Panasonic and we tried resetting the machine with no success . They offered to take the unit in for repairs , which would take about a month . Because I don't want to go a month without a player , I elected to return it to Amazon .
The player may be great when it works ( there are a lot of positive reviews of it by Amazon customers and professionals ) but I won't be finding out because I won't get another one . This update ordeal has been very frustrating . I politely told the Panasonic rep that if the update process is this dicey , they shouldn't even suggest to the consumer that it could be done , except by a qualified technician . Or , the unit should have a failsafe built in so that if a problem comes up during the update , the old Firmware could be restored .
I use computers all day long and am pretty knowledgeable about A / V equipment so I don't think I did anything incorrectly . I followed Panasonic's directions to the T and still have a 1 day old useless machine . Maybe I got a lemon but there have been others that had problems with Firmware updates .
065 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I bought a panasonic veira tv and had good luck with it ( see my review for the tv ) so decided to try this blu ray player out . I have to say it is great . Picture is excellent , sound is great and my wife and I tried the amazon on demand which worked well . I would recommend this blu ray player to anyone . Also , dont waste money on fancy hdmi cables . get the one from eforce city . it is .12 cents with 3 dollars for shipping but you will love the cable .
overall great product and very please with panasonic .
066 4 I bought a panasonic veira tv and had good luck with it ( see my review for the tv ) so decided to try this blu ray player out . I have to say it is great . Picture is excellent , sound is great and my wife and I tried the amazon on demand which worked well . I would recommend this blu ray player to anyone . Also , dont waste money on fancy hdmi cables . get the one from eforce city . it is .12 cents with 3 dollars for shipping but you will love the cable .
overall great product and very please with panasonic .
067 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Well , I took the plunge and got this blu-ray player . I looked around at the various models and it came down to what features I wanted regarding blu-ray . I already have my computer and X-Box networked together to view Netflix streaming , access local hard drive etc , so I didn't need the features that other brands offer . The reason I got one was to view blu-ray discs . This unit is superb in that regard . I have watched a number of blu-ray discs since I got it and each one has been excellent quality . Of course one reason might be that I ordered the ones that are rated top ten by various websites . The first thing I did was hook it up to the internet and downloaded the latest firmware . Connection to the internet was flawless as was the install of the firmware . I read about the freezing that some have encountered so I wondered if I too would have that problem . I have not experienced that issue at all . I have up-scaled a number of DVD's and yes , you can see a difference . In most cases it was minor however , not a significant change from how it looked before . Regarding the sound , I don't have a Home Theater receiver that accepts HDMI so I can't comment on the HD sound or other sound attributes that are beyond the capability of the digital audio that I am using . As an aside , I needed a new HDMI cable so I ordered one right here on Amazon for a total of $2.98 that works great - you can read reviews on them and decide if you want to purchase one for $149 or $3 .
To sum up , if you are looking for a great blu-ray player for under $150 you can't go wrong with this one .
068 4 Well , I took the plunge and got this blu-ray player . I looked around at the various models and it came down to what features I wanted regarding blu-ray . I already have my computer and X-Box networked together to view Netflix streaming , access local hard drive etc , so I didn't need the features that other brands offer . The reason I got one was to view blu-ray discs . This unit is superb in that regard . I have watched a number of blu-ray discs since I got it and each one has been excellent quality . Of course one reason might be that I ordered the ones that are rated top ten by various websites . The first thing I did was hook it up to the internet and downloaded the latest firmware . Connection to the internet was flawless as was the install of the firmware . I read about the freezing that some have encountered so I wondered if I too would have that problem . I have not experienced that issue at all . I have up-scaled a number of DVD's and yes , you can see a difference . In most cases it was minor however , not a significant change from how it looked before . Regarding the sound , I don't have a Home Theater receiver that accepts HDMI so I can't comment on the HD sound or other sound attributes that are beyond the capability of the digital audio that I am using . As an aside , I needed a new HDMI cable so I ordered one right here on Amazon for a total of $2.98 that works great - you can read reviews on them and decide if you want to purchase one for $149 or $3 .
To sum up , if you are looking for a great blu-ray player for under $150 you can't go wrong with this one .
069 4 I was a bit of a holdout on going the blu-ray route , partly because titles were still pricey and also because they were not many rentals available .
I finally decided to take the plunge on this , and I am happy I did . One of the most important features , at least for me , is upscaling of older DVDs since I have those . This machine does a great job in the upscaling so there is still alot of mileage left in your DVD collection ( and an improvement to boot . ) Of course if you have a good upscaling player already , that may not be worth it , but then you really need to consider blu-ray itself .
Movies really do look great and the extras on a blu-ray disc are alot of fun and entertaining . Think of it as a souped of version of DVD ( I like looking at behind the scenes and making ofs , etc . This brings more to the table . )
This player let's you access it all .
070 4 Pros
Great PQ / AQ , Profile 2.0 , decodes as well as bitstreams DTS HD MA & Dolby True HD . Sleek design , decent BD load times , affordable .
Cons
BD Live load time could be quicker ( To be fair though I've only tested the feature once ) .
This is my first stand alone Blu-ray player . I picked this up about 2 weeks ago after my PS3 overheated . This little player is great . The most important thing to me was playback reliability . I didn't want a player where every other movie there's a problem . I decided on a Panasonic b / c of the good reviews on playback and easily available updates . I also have a Panasonic 50 plasma so I know Panny makes good stuff . The picture quality is amazing . I almost want to say even better then the PS3 . Set up was a breeze . Out of the box to Quantum of Solace in 10 mins .
I did have to laugh at the fact that a Blu-ray player would come with composite cables . You'd think they'd at least throw in component cables if they couldn't find some cheap HDMI's to include . The SD card is not included either . Considering I found a 2GB card online for less than $7 I think one could have been included as well , no biggie though .
Performance wise I'm very pleased . I've had no playback issues to this point . I love the ethernet port for quick updates when needed . The Vierra Cast feature is neat but not sure how much I'll use it . Same goes for BD-Live which I tested with Transformers and found the load time to be a bit long for my liking ( didn't count but I'd say about 2 - 3 mins ) . Movie load times are much better , I'd say 20 secs min , 40 secs max so far .
Overall I'd say this is an excellent entry level player . If you want a reliable player for movie watching and don't plan on a lot of BD-Live stuff or Netflix streaming ( which this player doesn't do ) then I say get this player . I'm glad I spent a little extra and got this instead of going for that $99 Curtis Mathes deal a couple weeks ago . Very satisfied .
072 4 Overall I've been happy with this player . It's my first blu-ray player , I looked at this and the new Oppo . I felt for the price the BD60 would be a good introduction . I've put it through it's paces today and am generally happy . PQ is very good and I thoroughly enjoyed the inaugural James Bond movie , Quantum of Solace . Flipping to 24p was fantastic . . . . SQ I have some playing around but I'm confident I'll find the best way to integrate with my existing A / V kit .
Ease of use is good and plugging to the internet was a big factor for me to stay up to date on updates . Look and feel of the machine is good . My only complaint so far is the machine is a little sluggish on load times and flicking to the menus . The remote is also a little more complicated that I would've liked ; but in all likelihood I'll be switching to a Harmony sooner rather than later .
All in all a good purchase , a very reasonable price and a good introduction to Blu-ray without all the bells and whistles .
073 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I waited until the price of Blu-ray players fell below $200 . I read everywhere that this Panny produced an exceptional picture . I also read that it had all the various sound modes I could want . As far as I could tell the only advantage of the next more expensive model is that it could accomodate analog connections . I had converted to all HDMI so this low cost model seems preferable .
My old Phillips DVD player had many user interface problems but it did have an excellent up converting mode . The Panny DB60 is at least as good .
So what else ? Audio , video and up-converting are universally agreed to be top notch . The only issue seems to be loading times .
The $500 Oppo Blu-ray player is said to have the fastest loading times . Should I have paid more than three times as much just to get a faster loading time ? As it happens there is a new firmware release which may speed up loading operations . I saw that this was available and I downloaded it ( very easy ) at once . That is my one regret . Had I been more patient I would have timed the loading and other operations before the download , I would then have before and after statistics and know if the early critiques of loading were still valid .
BTW the YouTube option isn't very useful . I'm surprised . I have a good number of uploaded videos on YouTube . I expected to use this feature . Alas , the low res Flash videos with low bit rate mono audio don't benefit much from being experienced on a big screen with a Dolby 5.1 speaker system .
074 4 I waited until the price of Blu-ray players fell below $200 . I read everywhere that this Panny produced an exceptional picture . I also read that it had all the various sound modes I could want . As far as I could tell the only advantage of the next more expensive model is that it could accomodate analog connections . I had converted to all HDMI so this low cost model seems preferable .
My old Phillips DVD player had many user interface problems but it did have an excellent up converting mode . The Panny DB60 is at least as good .
So what else ? Audio , video and up-converting are universally agreed to be top notch . The only issue seems to be loading times .
The $500 Oppo Blu-ray player is said to have the fastest loading times . Should I have paid more than three times as much just to get a faster loading time ? As it happens there is a new firmware release which may speed up loading operations . I saw that this was available and I downloaded it ( very easy ) at once . That is my one regret . Had I been more patient I would have timed the loading and other operations before the download , I would then have before and after statistics and know if the early critiques of loading were still valid .
BTW the YouTube option isn't very useful . I'm surprised . I have a good number of uploaded videos on YouTube . I expected to use this feature . Alas , the low res Flash videos with low bit rate mono audio don't benefit much from being experienced on a big screen with a Dolby 5.1 speaker system .
079 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This Blu-Ray player works very well . No hitches on setup . It integrates well with my Panasonic Viera 42 Plasma set .
This is the first player I've owned that upconverts standard DVDs . I'm not crazy about this . To me the colors looks overly saturated and I don't think the picture is as good . Not sure if this is the player or simply this is what upconversion is all about . I prefer to play standard DVDs at their standard resolution .
Since I bought this player for its Blu-Ray capabilities I'm giving it 5 stars .
080 4 This Blu-Ray player works very well . No hitches on setup . It integrates well with my Panasonic Viera 42 Plasma set .
This is the first player I've owned that upconverts standard DVDs . I'm not crazy about this . To me the colors looks overly saturated and I don't think the picture is as good . Not sure if this is the player or simply this is what upconversion is all about . I prefer to play standard DVDs at their standard resolution .
Since I bought this player for its Blu-Ray capabilities I'm giving it 5 stars .
083 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I'm not a high-tech guy , so I can't tell you anything about the techy stuff .
I had a DVD player that finally died . . . but , I still have about a hundred DVDs that I want to be able to watch . Since I don't have an HDTV yet the expensive Blu-ray technology seems like a bit of a waste . However ; some day I'll have an HDTV , and when that day comes , I thought it would be nice to have Blu-ray capability . . . I just didn't want to have to spend a fortune .
This is an inexpensive Blu-ray / DVD player . If you're a total tech person - I'd guess it's not something you'll even be considering . If you're just someone who wants to watch the pile of DVDs you've accumulated over the years - but you still want the Blu-ray option without the major price hike - then this is a great piece of equipment .
~ KB
084 4 I'm not a high-tech guy , so I can't tell you anything about the techy stuff .
I had a DVD player that finally died . . . but , I still have about a hundred DVDs that I want to be able to watch . Since I don't have an HDTV yet the expensive Blu-ray technology seems like a bit of a waste . However ; some day I'll have an HDTV , and when that day comes , I thought it would be nice to have Blu-ray capability . . . I just didn't want to have to spend a fortune .
This is an inexpensive Blu-ray / DVD player . If you're a total tech person - I'd guess it's not something you'll even be considering . If you're just someone who wants to watch the pile of DVDs you've accumulated over the years - but you still want the Blu-ray option without the major price hike - then this is a great piece of equipment .
~ KB
090 4 This Blu-ray disc player by Panasonic impresses me . The setup is very easy ; you'll need a HDMI cable but that's about it for setup . It works very well with my HD television . It's important to note from the start , however , that the degree to which this will display images and produce high quality sound is only as good as the rest of the other devices you're using - - for example , the HD television and / or receiver . The load time is a few seconds more but for the splendid picture quality along with that crystal clear audio it's well worth waiting a few extra seconds .
I use this almost exclusively for watching Blu-ray discs ; the quality of the sound and video is flawless . The upconversion for standard DVDs is also nothing short of wonderful , too ! However , there's more to this machine if you want to use it to its fullest capabilities . Through the Internet you can use this player to view YouTube , weather and more . You can also watch video using Amazon's On-Demand streaming service ; and that's excellent . In addition , I like that the player has an Ethernet port , a USB slot - - and there's a slot for a SD card , too ! It has the energy star seal of approval , too .
It's very important to note that this is , in a sense , a type of computer . Therefore , expect the machine to check for necessary updates ( aka firmware ) . Just in case this doesn't happen , don't panic - - there's a way to get around this potential problem . Go to the Panasonic website and you will find very clear instructions to let you download the required updates so this Blu-ray player will continue to function . Specifically , download the updates onto a blank CD-R and then just copy them to the player by inserting the CD-R with the updates into the player's drive . That will do the trick - - after all , you don't want to have this player cease to function ; it would be reduced to a black box , left all alone to gather dust in the land of unwanted , forgotten and castaway toys . This is a rather minor inconvenience ; the player works so well that I can practically overlook this .
Overall , this is a good Blu-ray player although I hope that down the road Blu-ray players won't need updates . I highly recommend this Blu-ray player by Panasonic .
094 4 This player may not have all the bells and whistles of some of the higher priced models , but for $127 ( minus a $30 Amazon VOD creadit ) it's a great player . The Vieracast has Amazon Video on Demand , YouTube , Picasa , the weather , and Bloomberg business news , and hopefully they'll add more content in the near future . I am going to upload more pictures to Picasa . . . they look amazing on the big TV screen .
But really , the main reason to get a blu ray is for the blu ray movies . The picture quality really is sooooo much better than a regular DVD . Stunning . Spectacular .
The Panasonic BD60 is a great player . It automatically checked for a firmware update , and downloaded and installed it in a matter of a few minutes . I haven't experienced any of the freeze ups others have , so maybe this firmware update was all it needed .
You will need an ethernet cable to connect this player to the internet . It does not have wireless like other higher priced models do , but I'm told ethernet is faster than wireless on a blu ray player . If you want to use BD Live , you'll need to buy at least a 1 GB SD card to install in the player . I also had to allow the player to format the SD card before any content could be downloaded to it .
I'm so glad I bought this player , and with the $30 Amazon VOD credit , I'll be able to rent or even buy a bunch of movies and Tv shows .
096 4 This is my 2nd Blu-ray player . My first was a basic Memorex unit which has now moved upstairs .
Thus far , this is one of those rare products which I can find few faults with , especially for the price . Buying it from Amazon is a no-brainer as you get $30 worth of on-demand video with the package .
I have the BD60 hooked up to a Pioneer Elite AV Receiver feeding a 65 Hitachi television set . Both the standard DVD and Blu-Ray picture are fantastic . The upconversion works very well , I notice a signifcant picture improvement for standard DVD's versus the Memorex .
Standard DVD loading is nearly instant . Blu_ray takes a bit longer but is far faster than the Memorex . The menus for navigation and setup are very intuitive .
Although most BluRay players now offer this , the ability to hook up to an internet connection is almost a must have . The BluRay consortium is far more concerned about making the studios happy than they are the customers and are constantly changing encryption so as to mandate firmware updates to your BD player . With the Memorex I often found that a new BD disc required a firmware upgrade which was a major pain to apply . The Panasonic is always connected so it handles these update automatically .
The Amazon on demand feature is really great . Although Comca $ t offers a lot of on demand , Amazon is less expensive with a larger library . I do notice that some of the SD titles ( i.e . IceAge 3 ) are a bit washed out versus watching from disc . The HD titles are very good quality . I did notice that when watching HD there were a few occasions when the network buffer needed to catch up . I am using a Netlink device which sends signal via home wiring . In any event , you want to provide as fast a link as you can .
098 4 For the money , this is probably the best blu-ray player currently on the market . I got one on Amazon for $125 in mid-November 2009 . I saw these going as low as $109 on Amazon a few weeks later .
Picture and sound are top notch . BD-Live features are fun and all you need is an ethernet cable . I hooked mine up to the internet and watched some You Tube videos , another nice feature ( vieracast compatible ) . Also , the Amazon video on demand is seamless with this player . So you are really getting a lot more than just blu for close to $100 .
I have watched about 10 blu-ray discs , and many standard DVDs on the unit and have not once experienced any of the issues with freezing .
Can't go wrong here , if the price is right , pick one up !
100 4 I bought this based on the other reviews here . I was mainly looking for something that would give me the best possible picture at a reasonable price . After using the player for a couple of months , I'd have to agree with the majority of the reviewers here . A summary of my PROs and CONs are :
PRO
1 ) Great picture quality .
2 ) Has read every disc I've thrown at it ( smudges and scratches aside ) .
CON
1 ) Very slow to start up and load discs ( much more then what I had expected - its really painfully slow )
2 ) The player gets hung up on discs that have the slightest smudge ( both of my older standard DVD player have no problems with the same slight smudge , so this was surprising )
3 ) Navigating Blue-Ray menues can be a little slow .
In summary , if your looking for a player that puts out a top quality picture at a low price point , and don't mind wiping smudges off your discs before loading or waiting around for it to start up , then it's a good player to consider ( I'd give it 5 - stars if it wasn't for those two things ) . If it drives you crazy to wait for a player to startup / load , or if you want a player with all the latest features ( Netflix streaming for example ) then you might want to look elsewhere .
102 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Just what I would expect from Panasonic . A great Blu-Ray player at a reasonable price . Almost no functions on the unit itself , but remote is large and easy to use . This is not compatible with Netflix new streaming video service , which would have been a bonus . I buy Panasonic for reliability and solid performance . This does not disappoint .
105 4 Our old Dell plasma quit on us last month and Dell refuses to sell parts to repair their TVs so our choices boiled down to buying a new set or quit watching TV altogether . We picked out a TV ( Panasonic 42 - inch G10 plasma ) and , low and behold , Amazon threw this Blu-ray player into the deal for free . After a short period of deliberation ( lasting one second ) we decided against quitting TV watching and jumped on it .
The blu-ray discs we have played were very good . The surprise was that it plays DVDs almost just as well . I do not know whether this is because of the higher quality display or if the player does a particularly good job of upconverting . The DVDs we played showed a markedly better picture when compared to the old setup which was an Oppo player hooked up to the 720p Dell plasma . Anyway , if you are using this unit with a 1080P display , your DVDs are going to look really good .
Amazon gave us a five dollar credit to try out their Video on Demand service . We gave it a try and watched an episode of ' The Office ' in HD . Our player is hooked up to a wired network and our DSL internet connection speed is middling . The playback was flawless with no buffering at all . Absolutely perfect . However , the service is too expensive to use very much .
SOCIAL COMMENTARY : I wonder where all of these digital gizmos and high def entertainments are taking us . I am pretty sure I can keep it in perspective because I grew up before the Onslaught . But I'm worried about the Post-Onslaught crowd .
I'm giving this four stars instead of five because it does not yet connect to the Netflix streaming service . We have a Netflix subscription and we want to use it with our TV but we can't . And we can't buy a Roku player either because if we did then Panasonic would announce Netflix functionality for this product first thing in the morning the next day . So that's where it sits . But we are happy anyway . Thanks to Amazon for the good deal .
UPDATE : If your TV has a VGA port and you have a laptop with an open VGA port , you can watch Netflix instant movies on your TV using your laptop as the data source . Get a VGA cable long enough to go from wherever you will place your laptop to the VGA port on your TV ( you can get one cheap from Amazon ) . On your computer , go into your display settings and set it to multiple screens . Then set your TV display setting to get data from the VGA port . Then start your Netflix movie on the laptop and it will be shown on the TV simultaneously . You can use your laptop speakers for sound or you can connect your laptop sound card to somewhere on the TV or your receiver . Its pretty clunky but it works . My setup is a laptop with a wired network connection , a good video card , and a 1080p plasma TV and the picture was very good .
If you have a laptop with a DVI port and your TV has an open HDMI port , you can connect with a ' DVI to HDMI ' cable and I would presume that this would give you an even better picture although I have not tried this .
UPDATE DATED 11 / 13 / 2009 : I notice that now Netflix shows on their website that the followed branded Blu-ray players support their streaming service : Insignia , LG , Samsung and Sony . See anybody missing here ? Get with it Panasonic or you'll end up out in the cold .
UPDATE DATED 11 - 27 - 2009 : Lost patience and went to Best Buy on Black Friday and got a deal on an Insignia player that connects to Netflix . So now we have two players . If Panasonic does not provide a Netflix upgrade within a few months , we'll sell it . If they do , we will probably sell the Insignia . In any event , we are hooked up and will soon be cancelling our cable service thus saving money in the interin and beyond . Next task is to get OTA ( over-the-air via antenna ) reception set up for live local programming . We are on a glidepath to a place called Economical Entertainment .
UPDATE DATED 11 - 29 - 2009 : We now have 50 very nice movies in our instant Netflix que and have watched a handful of them . The resolution is much better when they stream directly to your TV than when hooking your laptop up to your TV . You can find quite a few very worthy instant movies on Netflix if you take the time to learn the ropes .
107 4 Hi . I am the polar opposite of a techie . I am completely new to HDTVs and Blu-Ray Discs . I bought this player because of the great reviews it received , and because of the AMAZING price .
I love it . The picture quality is excellent . Everything looks like it is in 3 - D . The picture is so crisp and sharp and bright and simply amazing . I think it does a very nice job of upconverting regular , non-blu-ray DVDs .
Unfortunately for me , it does not eliminate the motion blur problem I have with my new Samsung HDTV ( a TV that advertises its auto motion plus blur reduction feature ! ) .
The load time took some getting used to . I'm very impatient , and will need to adjust to this . Are all blu-ray players like that ? I have no idea .
Overall , I'm very happy with it though and have already highly recommended it to friends . Believe it or not , there is an another model of Panasonic Blu-ray player sold on Amazon that is a combination Blu-Ray / VHS player . I still have a bunch of videocassettes in my home . It was either pay too much money to have them converted , never watch them again as long as I live , or buy this player . So I think that will be my next purchase .
111 4 This thing got good reviews and marks from professional sources for picture quality , which is the whole point , right ? Blu Ray looks great on my projection screen . It was the best bang for the buck I could find at the time . Lots of good reviews here so I won't repeat the pros except for 1 ) 1080 / 24fps playback is a must ( and I was skeptical at first ) 2 ) viera cast cool 3 ) supports full HD audio which is a must these days . Blu ray is slower loading than DVD , the only thing I can compare this model to is a friends early first gen Sony Blu-Ray which takes almost 10 minutes ( not joking ) to get to the movie . This is slow compared to DVD ( 1 - 2 min to turn on and start watching the main feature ) but tolerable . From reviews I read it's average for this price range .
for the the cons :
1 ) you can't turn off the upconverting DVD part easily . I have a mid / high end AV receiver that does video processing and up conversion . It does a better job at upconverting DVDs than this player does . I wish there was a toggle to turn off the upconversion . for me , I just use a DVD player for DVDs and this for Blu-Ray . It's nit picky , but to me a simple On / Off toggle would be great .
2 ) Amazon video on demand delivers decent picture quality ( between DVD and BR at full bandwidth if you can get it ) on my 1080p projector , but the audio is just stereo . So it's nice for a quick fix , but doesn't get you the full surround experience . good for comedy , etc . Not as good for action / adventure movies . I don't know how other online services compare . I'm sure it's a bandwidth issue . I just don't know if I will pay $5 when I can rent a DVD cheaper elsewhere and at least get 5.1 sound . As far as it's implementation on this device , it works well and is easy to use .
3 ) no way to stop and resume movies , although I think this is a blu ray problem and not just the panny .
besides being real nit picky about dvd upconversion and amazon video on demand , it's a great player , I'd buy it again .
115 4 I was looking for a blu ray player to complete my home theatre colection which include
Mitsubishi hc 1600 projector
Panasonic plasma
panasonic home theatre
toshiba hd player
The toshiba hd player was good but i needed a blu ray player since hd movies
was no longer available for new movies .
The picture quality of the panasonic player was excellent . surprisingly
ordinary dvd player look much better than on the hd player .
In addition movies in tv format 4 : 3 can be displayed in widescreen format .
The sound quality is excellent . My home theatre ( Panasonic sc - ht4o )
does not have hdmi so i connect it using the optical digital cable
and the sound is excellent .
If you are interested in good picture and sound at an
affordable cost this is the player to buy .
116 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This blu-ray player is all that they say it is and for the money you can't go wrong . I would by another at anytime . It is a little slow loading , but that does not bother me . For the difference in pricing the loading is very exceptable .
121 4 This is my first BD player and after a lot of online researching I decided on this Panasonic model . I'm using it in my home theater viewing through a Philips CRT HDTV and listening through a Yamaha 5.1 receiver with Sony speakers and sub all VERY common moderately priced components . My living room is not overly large so the sound and video coverage is more than adequate in the viewing area .
Setting up the player was easy as was upgrading it to the latest firmware via internet . This player does not have built in wifi so I just set a wireless bridge to my router . This was easier for me than running cat5 cable .
Getting everything hooked up was very easy using HDMI .
There are a lot of audio options if you're connecting digitally and very few if you're using analog . This is one area of this player that could be a little confusing if you're using toslink or SPDIF to connect to your receiver instead of HDMI . Picking an audio mode that will give maximum performance with your equipment might take some fiddling . Video connection and mode selection was very easy since the player lists all of the modes that your television will support via it's HDMI input .
The remote control works well and it was easy to get it to work as a somewhat limited control for my TV and receiver . It can change the channel and adjust the volume but that's about it for those components . The control surface seems to be reasonably well designed .
Most of the time the menus for setup and operation are pretty fast . Sometimes they are very fast and sometimes not but overall the player is reasonably responsive to commands via remote . There are also some limited front panel controls for playback , eject and power .
On the front under a flip down cover there is a place for an SD card and a USB port . I have not tested the USB yet but the SD works well for showing pictures on the TV . It's also needed for memory if you wish to use BD Live features . Any spare SD card should probably work ok for this and I'm using a 1GB card .
Picture quality is really very nice . I'm amazed that my 5 year old television looks this good . Blu-ray is a dramatic upgrade from DVD when watching movies even on only a 32 inch screen . The detail of the picture is spectacular and the video seems to be mostly free of compression artifacts . Explosions and fire look great .
This player has some internet functionality that's useful . The customizable weather report and Bloomberg news are handy . You Tube is somewhat a mixed bag . Entering data into the search engine function via the keypad is tedious and the picture is shown in a frame ( not full screen ) . This is probably good due to the sometimes low quality of You Tube . Navigation / playback functions are limited too . But this feature does work ok and streaming worked fine for me without any hiccups . I found it best to just add videos to my favorites via my computer and then watching them later on TV . Also they do have some hot lists with popular content that's easy to access . I have not tested the Amazon streaming service yet .
Regular DVD's play back really nicely on this player and they upscale well . Audio CD playback works nicely too .
128 4 The player itself gets five stars , but I've seen it at local stores as a special sale item for $99 . Be sure to check your local Ultimate and Best Buy before you pick this one up . The player itself is outstanding .
Amazon had a promotion to get $30 worth of free online movies played through the player which totally made it worth it . Linking your Amazon account to this player is a snap , and 720p high def movies stream directly to the unit . Very few connection hiccups , and outstanding sound and video quality ( my Internet service is > 10Mbit , so your mileage may vary ) . Just be aware that your Amazon HIGH DEF rentals CANNOT be viewed on your PC and must be streamed to the player . Found that out after I tried to finish a movie on my computer that I had started earlier .
The first disc set I purchased was Planet Earth , and I highly recommend it . The player is everything you'd want for $120 . Be aware that there is only an optical 5.1 sound output , and no coax . As usual for players at this end of the market , NO INCLUDED HDMI cable . Do yourself a favor and buy one online . They cost about 1 / 10th of what they do in stores .
Menu responsiveness is acceptable , but not anywhere as nice as a PS3 .
142 4 I've had this player for a few months now and have had nothing but excellent performance . While it does take a little bit longer than most players ( from what I have read ) to load up a disc , the price of the player makes up for it . The picture and sound quality are second to none , using 24 frame playback mode makes everything look so smooth and crisp . I have friends that can't wait to come over and check out new blu-ray releases on my 46 Panasonic plasma and they can't every stop talking about how awesome the picture looks . The sound is equally amazing and if I had a receiver with some of the new codecs it would blow me away even more . The up-converting on the player does a fantastic job and as one of my friends said the other day when we were watching a regular DVD he couldn't believe that it wasn't in HD . I'm so satisfied with this player I've purchased a 2nd one for my parents for Christmas . You really can't go wrong with this player .
I have only run into one playback issue and that was with Crank 2 . The picture wouldn't come up when it got to the menu of the movie , but with a few tries I got it to work . They do a good job of keeping it up to date with new firmware updates and like others have said if you have a SD card in the player it helps out with most playback issues you should have .
144 4 First of all , with all electronics always update firmware . Second , in the winter months unpack the device and let stand unwraped until the unit reaches room tenperature before plugging it in . Temperature changes can cause condensation inside electronics causing it to malfunction or reduce the life of the unit .
Third , all electronics need a burn in period , reaching peak operating temperature for a sustained period of time before optimal performance . ( watch a few movies before rating the unit )
This unit does not have coaxial out , it uses an optical out port for Surround . Not a big deal , optical works just as good . If your not using HDMI make sure you pick up a optical cable .
My Harman / Kardan A / V reciever will not transfer audio thru HDMI , I must use optical for both Component video or HDMI .
I had to check the manuel for my A / V 154 5.1 channel reciever before plugging this unit in .
when all else fails , read the directions
This unit has beautiful picture and sound quality ! And works as described ! Period .
146 4 I love this player . DMP-BD60 viewed on Panasonic TC-L32G1 .
1 . DVD play back is really nice . The up conversion gives true colors etc . Its a very nice step up from progressive scan DVD playback . A lot of forum talk is spent on dvd up conversion not all up conversion is equal .
2 . Viera link . I had the player installed in a hidden view . partly for the clean look , but mostly so the 2year old would not find a new toy . I still remember my friends 2 year old feeding the VCR a pb & j sandwich . LOL what a mess that was . My options get a Panasonic VieraLink player or a remote extender . The link is perfect . I can power on or off the player via the tv remote . Search Amazon video on demand , YouTube , Weather , etc all with the tv remote . The tv remote also works nicely for Blu-Ray playback too . Simply press the VieraLink button then ok and your menu will popup .
3 . Viera Cast . This is a very nice feature . Current options include weather , stocks , YouTube , Amazon Video on demand . They have more coming , but have not announced who / what in the US . Europe is expanding VIERA CAST service to include Germany's largest news and entertainment portal , BILD.de , as well as several European TV broadcasters such as ZDF ( Germany ) , NOVA ( Czech ) and , in the near future , RTVE ( Spain ) . Furthermore , Eurosport will be available in two additional languages ( Swedish and Polish ) . The only complaint is my Internet service provider slows down the connection of streaming video . Unfortunately this hits Amazon video service . Amazon HD is clearly better than YouTube HD , but YouTube does not suffer the pause to load that Amazon gets . * I get this with netflix playback on my pc too . * I put in a sd card hoping it would work for the Amazon video as it is needed for Blu-Ray Live features on some disks . Unfortunately I could not discern a difference in the playback .
4 . Blu-Ray playback . Video and sound are excellent . * You need a 1gig SD card to use Blu-Ray live . It is in the manual , but not prominently listed as it should be .
5 . Firmware . When I connected to the net it popped up and asked if I wanted to install the newest version . When I clicked ok it was painless . I just had to wait for it to download and restart . Very simple no hassle upgrade .
I played DVD's and Blu-Ray disks before upgrading the firmware . I did not notice any problems before or after the upgrade . I have had the player less than a month , so I cannot comment on durability , aside from it worked correctly out of the box . The build quality looks and feels solid to me . I have a 25 ' run of HDMI cable connecting the unit with the TV . No issue with connection just a wait screen as the player boots up . I did not bother to time it , but it is slightly longer than it takes my Samsung phone to turn on and access the phone contacts menu .
* * A note to people that use fiber optic cable for sound . Regardless of the brand of the device you use . You will get a slight delay in the sound . Simply choose the TV speakers or the theater speakers , etc . If you don't you will hear a type of echo effect . Choosing to use HDMI pass through should allow both to be used together .
* * Its is definitely worth looking into using the same brand to reduce the remote clutter . Check you Tv for linking options .
* * If you want to stream video etc from your pc or nas this is not the player for you . Check out the LG its probably the best at streaming content from your nas or pc .
* * * The DMP-BD60 does give you the option to store video and pictures on a SD card in JPEG , AVCHD , and MPEG2 format for play back . ( AVCHD is a High Definition video format that you can use with standard DVD discs or an SD card . )
You can connect USB devices that support bulk only transfer . CBI ( Control / Bulk / Interrupt ) is not supported . This allows you to connect some cameras to view pictures etc via usb cable or usb memory dongle . To note the manual does not list a video format supported via USB only JPEG pictures and MP3 sound formats .
152 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Excellent value . Everything works as advertised . The only complaint is the boot time and response time to commands is longer than I would like .
154 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Nice Blu Ray for the price . After reading some of the reviews I had gotten a little nervous about hearing that this model would freeze up . I have not had that problem but am still a little weiry . So far so good . Also a week after I had bought my Blu Ray at Amazon for $172 It went down in price almost $40 cheaper . Still a good price though . Other movies not in Blu Ray also look better with the upconversion .
157 4 I've seen reviews complaining about the wireless connections . I contacted Panasonic direct to ask them if I could use the wireless adapter I have for my DTV receiver . They said yes and they were right . I unhooked my wireless adapter from my DTV receiver into this DVD player and have already downloaded the version of V I missed this week . Took no time to download and started playing instantly . I didn't need an SD card inserted like a couple of reviews said I would need . I think this is one feature of this player I'm greatly going to use . I don't particularly like DTVs video on Demand and if I have to I'll just keep switching this back & forth until the price of purchasing another one of these adapters comes down . $80 - $90 is still too high for me to spend on another one of these adapters . There may be other adapters you can connect more than 1 device but with the economy the way it is , I'm making do with what I have now . Can't believe I was able to get Blu-Ray but the price on this one was too good to pass up .
We did watch one Blu-ray DVD last night and it hung briefly one time . Not enough to mess up watching the show . I don't know if this will be the norm but for the price I paid $119 ( with gift card I can't complain . This is definitely a good low-budget player .
This is definitely a good model for beginners ( like me ) as my husband had it hooked up in no time and I had it connected to the internet quickly too .
160 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
It has played well so far . Remote is easy to use . Only draw back is having to run a cable to my router to get firmware updates as it is not wifi .
165 4 bought the bdu 60 with a samsung 46 inch tv . hd 1880 120mh . I am glad I researched and read reviews . The combination of the 60 with the samsung and ultra high speed cables made for the the best picture i have seen on a big screen tv .
The bd 60 made old dvd's look like brand new movies ( sharp and clear ) . The first movie I watched was the oldest dvd I have ( vanishing point ) blew my socks off . It was like living in my old car 38 years ago .
Thanks for the good reviews .
167 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Got this for about $200 because I was sick of waiting for PS3 to drop price . Hooked it up to my 50 panasonic plasma ( G10 - which I love ! ) via HDMI . Blu rays look killer , dvd upconverts very well . The only sacrifice is that discs load slower than the fastest players , but I can live with that to save $ $ $ . If you want great picture quality for an honorable price . . . Highly reccomended .
170 4 I actually had to upgrade my 2 year old 37 720P TV to keep up with this one . You know . . . others can rant and rave about all of the technical stuff . All I have to say is that :
- It looks great in my entertainment center
- People notice and say , Wow you have a Blu-Ray
- The picture and framerate is stunning if you have it hooked up to a HDTV that can keep up with it ( which I had to get because my 2 yr old TV wasn't up to 24fps 1080P ) .
I don't know squat about the YouTube and other networked capabilities . I just know that it's been terrific . I poured over research for two days before buying this here and after a month of use , couldn't be happier with the result .
UPDATE 1 / 23 / 2010 : Now I do know more than squat about the networking . It works great , plus the automatic firmware updates make this a very attractive option . I use it to watch my Amazon VOD purchases and it looks great in HD or SD . I just buy or pick my Amazon movies and tell it on my PC to save for viewing later on my Panasonic . . . then go to the VieraCAST section of my player and can view my entire purchased Amazon library on my HDTV . Streaming on mine is very fast ( though I'm sure that has more to do with my 802.11n router ) . This machine continues to exceed expectations .
171 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Since this Panasonic is my first Blu-Ray player , I cannot compare it with other brands or models , but I'm very happy with the high-def image and sound .
I had some compatibility problems with my DVI television . They were solved with a phone call to Panasonic's excellent tech support .
172 4 Since this Panasonic is my first Blu-Ray player , I cannot compare it with other brands or models , but I'm very happy with the high-def image and sound .
I had some compatibility problems with my DVI television . They were solved with a phone call to Panasonic's excellent tech support .
174 4 After doing a ton of research into Blu-Ray players , I decided to go with this one and have not been disappointed . It was on sale here for ~ $250 and I feel like it was a great deal .
I wanted a machine that would deliver excellent video quality to my TV and was not too concerned with all the latest bells and whistles . Every Blu-Ray ( Batman Begins , Taken , Enchanted , Iron Man , Bank Job ) and standard DVD ( Miracle ) I have run thru it over the past couple weeks have looked and sounded fantastic !
Running the firmware update was a snap . Downloaded the software , burned it to a disc and ran it in the machine . It took maybe 5 - 10 minutes and worked as advertised . I haven't hooked it up to the Internet yet and don't know if I will . Perhaps when I find some compelling BD-Live content , but otherwise I'm not in a rush to bother with that . The Amazon HD Video-On-Demand is supposed to be available soon , so that might tip the scale a bit . Have to see , I guess .
All in all , I am very pleased with the product and highly recommend it , especially for someone looking for great video who is not necessarily concerned with tons of other features .
176 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
The Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray produces an excellent picture . If you're not looking for a player with all the latest extras and just want one of the best blu-ray disk players go with this one . Response time is a tad slow but I read this wasn't the fastest BD player on the market , but I'd rather wait a few seconds and get the best picture BD can provide . It has multiple settings to match your home theater system . I like most of the Viera Cast internet connection features also .
My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is Amazon's Video on Demand . I wouldn't hold it against Panasonic but I did get this player from Amazon . My problem is with the HD movies I've rented so far . I paid an extra $1 for HD but because of a throttled internet connection it switches to SD during most of the movie . I understand this isn't Amazon's fault because they recognize this problem with ISPs in their trouble shooting . They should use the SD card in the player like the BD Live uses to download movies to avoid connection issues . Also I just paid for a HD TV show which won't play in HD at all , I only get a black screen . Apparently Amazon is still working out the bugs with VOD . Good thing Amazon gave me $40 in movie credit so I haven't had to waste my money , but until they solve these issues I won't be using my own money on movies once the credit runs out .
177 4 The Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray produces an excellent picture . If you're not looking for a player with all the latest extras and just want one of the best blu-ray disk players go with this one . Response time is a tad slow but I read this wasn't the fastest BD player on the market , but I'd rather wait a few seconds and get the best picture BD can provide . It has multiple settings to match your home theater system . I like most of the Viera Cast internet connection features also .
My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is Amazon's Video on Demand . I wouldn't hold it against Panasonic but I did get this player from Amazon . My problem is with the HD movies I've rented so far . I paid an extra $1 for HD but because of a throttled internet connection it switches to SD during most of the movie . I understand this isn't Amazon's fault because they recognize this problem with ISPs in their trouble shooting . They should use the SD card in the player like the BD Live uses to download movies to avoid connection issues . Also I just paid for a HD TV show which won't play in HD at all , I only get a black screen . Apparently Amazon is still working out the bugs with VOD . Good thing Amazon gave me $40 in movie credit so I haven't had to waste my money , but until they solve these issues I won't be using my own money on movies once the credit runs out .
178 4 Hi , I would like to interject some insight here :
First of all , I think it's a good idea for a little background : I am a Broadcast and video student so video concepts and equipment are not new to me .
Second of all the average consumer doesn't think about copy protection and other licensing issues that go along with these technologies .
With This said , the Panasonic unit described has preformed beautifully no freezes on blu ray discs or standard DVDs . I am legally blind , so i was a bit unsure how much difference i'd noticed with blu ray on my 26 HDTV and was really pleased with the results . Sound and video quality are great over HDMI Cable . Panasonic has a very solid reputation with their products and company support . And I would recommend any of their products including this one .
As far as firmware updates go , many updates for any player are primarily addressing the same types of issues . added features , bug fixes and updated copy protection . I'm willing to step out and say many playback issues are connected to copy protection somehow , while it's possible to have faulty unity The question would be then , why out of all the reviews posted here , ( including mine ) do only a few people here and there have issues ? ( Product defects that stand out , usually happen on a larger number devices produced ) There are just so many different configuration differences and hardware devices out there , that no all are going to play nice , it's like anything else , computer related .
Anyway The panasonic is also a nice alternative appletv with amazon video on demand now supported .
I find youtube to work flawlessly I have the unit hardwired to my airport extreme base station .
Closing thoughts , The panasonic is a solid unit for blu ray beginners and an intermediate user . If you want more stable licensing and reliable playback encourage people not to pirate their movies . That's what it boils down to when companies enforce copy protection and blu ray uses HDCP which is a nightmare , everything has to authenticate and talk nice before video will even play
I did quite a bit of testing of three units before settling on this , since walmart has a 3 month return policy on electronics i tend to take advantage of that when buying . If something doesn't suit my needs i try a different unit . I tried the BD 360 from sony and for bd it worked great but it would choke on some of my DVD + Rs recorded on TV done on a cheap sanyo recorder , it would force the unit to turn off e.g . it crashed . The panasonic plays everything I throw at it perfectly including these discs . My goal is to size down to one player that does everything to save space .
I just want to offer a tip for reviews . I rarely take negative reviews seriously , reason being many people speak out of frustration , other times the average consumer has a lack of understanding of electronics licensing etc . and some just have un realistic expectations . However If the person sounds sincere , I take note of the concern . Also , when writing about problems , it seems foolish to assume everyone else will have the same issues you in all cases . Like i said above there re just so many different products out there that I'm sure there are compatibility issues that some may have others may not . Likewise some people just seem to be the type that always end up receiving any bugs a product might have . There are jut so many factors when it comes to electronics that should be considered before knocking a product or even praising it .
One example is I also have a panasonic home theater ( don't have model No on me ) but i purchased it before i even considered user reviews . well when i went to look at it just to see , a lot of people bashed the unit or had issues with it in less time then i've used mine . I have had mine 5 or 6 years with moderate use and it still operates perfectly without flaws .
Just an example of circumstantial experience .
Either way , it's technology , expect glitches regardless of the price , product and company name . If such things make you that mad , i'd consider either anger management or not investing in technology : )
180 4 I do not have an HD TV , but I ' can ' say that the BD60 delivers great picture and sound on even an older Mitsubishi 36 tube TV ! I can only imagine , for now ; ) , how it would look on an HD display . I find this unit quite enjoyable . After hooking it up , I also connected a broad band ( cable ) hookup , did a firmware update ( took about 10 minutes ) , spent a couple of hours watching YouTube videos , and watched a standard definition DVD .
Want to watch mpegs on your tv ? No problem , when using an SD card . Want to listen to your favorite mp3 ' s ? Just insert your USB memory device . Connect the unit to broad band , and watch YouTube , see your local weather ( sites are configurable ) , read current stocks and news , and more . I guess that some computers can even be hooked up with this unit . I haven't tried that yet , but it sounds exciting .
For it's ease of use ( both remote and onscreen ) , ease of hookup , its sound and video quality , its ease of upgrading via the internet , and the internet features itself , I highly recommend the BD60 as a compliment to any current or future HD entertainment system . And as another has commented , there's not much difference between the BD60 and the BD80 . . . other than the BD60 costs about $100 - $150 less . That fact , and the resulting research , was what made me decide on the BD60 . I'm happy that I did ; ) .
181 4 I bought this player to replace by Panasonic BD - 30 , which stopped playing Blu-ray discs after only two years of service . I was hesitant to get another Panasonic player , as the BD - 30 was the most expensive player I ever bought ( back in Dec 2007 ) and it lasted the least amount of time . Sears had the BD - 60 on sale locally for a great price , so I took the chance based on the good reviews and promises of expanded online content .
The picture and sound are great . No complaints there . The load times were better than my BD - 30 , so I really didn't have any problems in that dept either .
The Viera Cast interface is very poorly designed , and the promised coming soon of Netflix and Pandora are never going to happen on the BD - 60 based on Panasonic's decision not to support existing customers . You have to get the BD - 65 if you want Netflix , and I understand that Pandora still hasn't materialized on that model yet .
Amazon VOD is nice , but not a good value compared to Netflix , in my estimation . The prices for on demand rentals is comparable to other services ( 2.99 - 4.99 ) , but When I can get a Redbox movie for a dollar , and Netflix unlimited for 8.99 per month , I am not going to pay $3 - $5 per movie , and certainly not going to pay $15 for a digital copy to own .
The YouTube interface is terrible . I don't know why anyone would browse YouTube videos from an interface like this rather than on a PC . The weather service is very basic , and pales in comparison to the weather service on the Wii , and certainly doesn't compare to what you get when connecting through a PC .
Sorry for the ramble . To summarize , this player is great if you don't care about online content . I just hope this model has better reliability than my BD - 30 . I returned my BD - 60 to Sears , who took it back even though it was beyond the 30 day return period . I purchased a Samsung BD - 5500 , which so far I am very happy with .
187 4 I've had this player since November and it's been a very good player . The amazon VOD has been a nice bonus . The picture quality is terrific and I haven't had major problems , only a temporary minor one with some audio / video that didn't synch near the closing credits of a disc .
Great value and the player generally just works .
191 4 If you are looking for a nice Blu Ray player at a really good buy , then this is the player for you . I use the HDMI hookup directly into my HDTV and use the optical audio cable to my receiver for the surround sound . You can't go wrong however you use the audio as you will get great audio through the HDMI hookup . I have an older receiver that still sounds terrific , but does not have the HDMI hookups . Either way , this player puts out crystal clear and powerful sound . Very nice . The picture quality is outstanding as you should expect with a Blu Ray player . I am impressed with how the player handles DVDs . They come out looking beautiful and better than ever . Some Blue Rays in the past have had problems with DVDs , but not this one . You can't beat the stylish sleek look to this player either .
There are a few down sides , but they are minimal and should not effect your decision to buy the player . The remote is a little difficult for me to navigate . It seems you have three different menu buttons that all do one thing or another and it took me awhile to get the hang of it . No problems now , but it might be slightly frustrating at first . I have encoutered minimal freezing problems . I have had it freeze on two Blu Ray movies and it was only for about 3 to four seconds and resumed playing fine , so not an issue anymore since all the players you buy now , will have the needed updates already loaded on the player . I have experienced no load time for DVDs and maybe 30 seconds at most for most BDs . Not bad really . Also , there is no SD card in the box , so you might want to consider that when purchasing . I don't have one , but I only use it to play movies , so it will depend on what you want the player to do .
The Player does have wireless capabilities , but I don't utilize that so I am unable to comment on its performance in that area . In short , if you are looking for a value that plays cyrstal clear movies and audio than this is your player . It looks great on the shelf and works wonderfully out of the box . I highly recommend it . For the quality and value , you will be hard pressed to beat it .
192 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
We purchased this player to replace an aging Panasonic DVD-RP56 , which played standard DVDs over an SD television using the analog component outputs . The RP56 served us well for many years but had begun to have some problems , including an inability to track disks with even moderate scratches . This new player seamlessly plays discs the old one couldn't handle at all . The color saturation is better as well ; even my kids noticed . In hopes of avoiding the freezing problem other reviewers have noted , I upgraded the firmware to v2.2 the day I hooked it up . So far it has behaved perfectly . I can't speak to its blu-ray capabilities , but for normal DVDs played on an SD television , it's everything we needed , for a very reasonable price .
202 4 This unit has some drawbacks including very slow load time and some glitches during scene change . All of the BluRay movies I have watched so far ( including rental and purchased ) have problems changing scemes and a very long initial load time . Since this is the only Bluray set I have used I can't be sure they all don't do the same thing .
The particular unit I bought was a refurb and turned out to still be defective . The sound circuit shuts down after about 30 of play and will not return until you remove the disk and restart from the beginning . The company is sending a new unit at this time and I hope the problem will be solved .
As for the picture : It is without a doubt the best picture I have ever seen on my High Def TV . Panasonic offers an amazing picture .
205 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This product is very good . It was easy to use and setup . We haven't used all the features yet .
My husband is a sci-fi fanatic and he was impressed with the picture and sound both blu-ray and
up converted movies we watched .
206 4 This product is very good . It was easy to use and setup . We haven't used all the features yet .
My husband is a sci-fi fanatic and he was impressed with the picture and sound both blu-ray and
up converted movies we watched .
207 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
When I purchased this Blu-ray player I felt like I had done all the research and most of the review were excellent . I was using a DVD player with an upverter until I made this purchase . It loads the Blu-rays quickly and looks real nice , but I didn't see the picture quality I was hoping for even with the full HDMI hook-up . The upvert done by this player does not come close to matching the quality I received from my Sony DVD player but it does look decent . The remote is fairly easy to use , but as one other review pointed out , it is odd that you must push select rather than play when going from the main menu to actually play a movie - not a huge deal , but it is odd . Overall , this was a decent purchase for the money , but I wish I had spent a bit more to get something nicer .
210 4 I wanted a Blu-ray disc player that was relatively inexpensive and had good quality ratings .
This Blu-ray disc player was very easy to set up . The instructions gave examples of several wiring diagrams , making cable connections easy .
The remote control has a logical layout and the keys are identified well .
Wireless networking capability would have been nice , but it wasn't an issue with my particular installation . While watching movies through Amazon's Video On Demand , I haven't noticed any significant issues with picture quality or sound .
If the reliability holds up , I'll consider this product one of the best I've purchased .
215 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This is my first Blu ray player I've owned and it seems like a great choice . As somebody who is brand new to the HDMI / Home theater setup I am blown away by the quality of Blu Ray movies . I can't really tell you why it's better than other models , all I can say as a first time Blu Ray player owner I am in love with it and just cannot look at TV or DVD anymore without them seeing antiquated .
Great price too .
Note : In Windows 7 I was unable to burn the firmware update onto a CD to a format the player would recognise . Went through 5 blank CDs trying different ways to burn it . ( This is the standard burning program in Windows ) I had to use my wife's setup with Windows XP for the firmware to burn successfully . All the different ways I tried to burn in Windows 7 the player didn't recognise , but the first XP burn attempt updated it . You can also update the player's firmware through the internet if it's convenient for you to get it from where the player is to your router .
216 4 This is my first Blu ray player I've owned and it seems like a great choice . As somebody who is brand new to the HDMI / Home theater setup I am blown away by the quality of Blu Ray movies . I can't really tell you why it's better than other models , all I can say as a first time Blu Ray player owner I am in love with it and just cannot look at TV or DVD anymore without them seeing antiquated .
Great price too .
Note : In Windows 7 I was unable to burn the firmware update onto a CD to a format the player would recognise . Went through 5 blank CDs trying different ways to burn it . ( This is the standard burning program in Windows ) I had to use my wife's setup with Windows XP for the firmware to burn successfully . All the different ways I tried to burn in Windows 7 the player didn't recognise , but the first XP burn attempt updated it . You can also update the player's firmware through the internet if it's convenient for you to get it from where the player is to your router .
219 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
My wife got me this blu-ray player for Christmas , and it is fantastic ! I'm not much of an audio / videophile , but I can tell that from a normal person's view , the picture and sound quality are fantastic . I've been disappointed with the quality of DVD playback on my XBox360 since I got it a few years , so I'm thrilled to have a player that does high-quality DVD playback . Bluray movies are awesome on this as well . Watching Planet Earth and Star Trek were both stunning experiences . And then on top of all that , there is the hook-in to Amazon Video On Demand . That's probably our most used feature ! It's great to be able to easily rent and buy stuff online that isn't available through Netflix , and now that we've got this player ( in addition to Netflix through our xbox ) , we can watch almost everything on-demand on our tv . My only complaints are that the remote is overcomplicated and the VieraCast or whatever has a fairly slow navigation response time . It works great once you're playing Video On Demand stuff , though . Overall , a GREAT product for the price , highly recommended .
223 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I'm not gonna go into detail on the players exacts because there are tons of reviews giving the detailed scoop on the product . The DVD player is great . My only complaint is it is slow at startup / shutdown and going in and out of Panasonic VIERA .
232 4 This Panasonic serves as my first ever standalone Blu-Ray disc player , and I am truly pleased with my purchase decision ! ! !
I received this about one week before Christmas , and I can't tell you how amazed I am at the features included for such a low price . I purchased when it was sitting at about $127.30 , and at that time , Amazon was issuing $30 in free Amazon Video On Demand credits , plus another $10 and another $4 upon activation . All in all , $44 in free content - completely worth it if you have a broadband internet connection .
If you aren't looking to take advantage of Amazon Video On Demand or YouTube on your television , this is still an exceptional buy . The price point was what enticed me to give it a second look , and I've known Panasonic to be a quality brand for many years .
For those who DO have broadband internet , be kind and give this baby the true power it deserves - an ethernet cable connection direct to your router / modem . Within seconds , I was auto-configured with DHCP settings , and was on board with Amazon Video On Demand . Setup was a cinch ; required me to be at the computer and enter the five digit code to link my player with my account . An automatic password feature is enabled so you must enter your Amazon PIN to complete purchases ; perfect if you want to prevent the kids from ordering endlessly .
The best part of it all is the savings - I really only needed this as a Blu-Ray player ; I was tired of watching movies on my PC because I no longer had a PS3 . But because this allows you to search for YouTube videos , stream HD and SD movies on Amazon VOD , bring up your local weather , check Bloomberg News , etc . , you get so much more than $127 can usually buy . Not only that , but if you normally buy movies on demand with your cable provider , HD features are usually $4.99 , and are also subject to taxes . Rentals with Amazon VOD are usually $2.99 - $3.99 , so you're saving more cash . Most SD shows and movies are paid and become yours to watch forever ; most HD movies are rental only ( not a problem for me - I usually watch it once and that's it ) .
For those interested in streaming content in HD , I've read that the films are encoded for 3.5 Mbps streaming ; therefore , you should have a private , dedicated internet connection that exceeds 5.0 Mbps , or cable / FiOS service exceeding 10.0 Mbps ; in my case , I have Comcast and get about 21.0 Mbps down , so connection is no issue .
All in all , a great buy - worth every penny . Typing out characters on a remote control is no big deal ; I mean we are talking about use with a television here : - ) .
247 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Nice bluray player . Works nicely with our panasonic 46 . Only had one freeze up for just a second and it was on a blockbuster rental . No problems with our movies or new movies . Makes regular DVD's look even better . Very simple remote . It's nice to have one remote for the sound and controls . Really don't have anything to compare it to except our old up convert DVD player which was really not very good so of course this is a huge step forward for us . Pretty happy with our purchase . We are huge panasonic fans !
250 4 This Blu Ray player is a solid device .
I purchased with the 50 Viera G15 and the two integrate perfectly .
My road runner remote controls everything as well once the products are set up .
Access to online HD movies , You tube , and Viera cast ( coming ) is supported .
Also a slot for flash card up to 16GB as well as USB .
Very happy with this purchase : )
253 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Purchased as a Christmas present for others so I haven't used it except to initially test it out . I downloaded the updated software and tried several dvds and recent blueray discs .
It worked great . It starts up faster than my more expensive Samsung player . Picture and sound looks great.And at just over $100.00 it is a great buy .
254 4 Purchased as a Christmas present for others so I haven't used it except to initially test it out . I downloaded the updated software and tried several dvds and recent blueray discs .
It worked great . It starts up faster than my more expensive Samsung player . Picture and sound looks great.And at just over $100.00 it is a great buy .
255 4 For the price , I am very pleased with the unit . The remote is too much , and there is clearly a delay when turning on / off and when loading and ejecting , but it's nothing too severe .
Good product for the price .
037 4 When my final DVD player failed for the final time , I decided it was time to consider a BluRay player as its replacement . I read reviews from all over the Internet , and everything I read pointed to this device as being one of the best overall choices available for my particular needs . I was amazed at the price . . . it was over $50 less than what I payed for my Toshiba DVD player just a year ago . It took only minutes to set it up and , since it's connected to the Internet , I downloaded and installed the latest firmware with no problem . Video quality is excellent . . . I have a Samsung PN58B650 Plasma TV and a Denon multichannel receiver . I can find no fault whatsoever with this player . Some have commented on the delay reactions . . . long load times , unload times , etc . , but I've not found the amount of time required for these functions to be any more than what I experienced with DVD . DVD's played on this unit have far better video quality than they did with my Toshiba up-converting DVD player , too . I'd definitely recommend it to anyone considering a BluRay player purchase .
082 4 I bought the Panasonic BD60 Blu-ray a few weeks ago . I can't say enough good things about it . I haven't had any problems with freezing up or anything like some of the people in the reviews have stated . I would definitely recommend hooking this player up to the internet . I love the youtube feature on it . It has already been upgraded to include Amazon.com movie rentals . Picasa access is also very nice . I highly recommend this . Amazon was cheaper by $50 than anywhere else . Buy and enjoy .
101 4 This Blu-ray player has had some so-so reviews based on the fact that it isn't on the bleeding edge of current generation player technology and features . Let Samsung and the others throw $500 + players at the public . Personally , I shop for value , and I found it in this player for just a little over $200 at the time of purchase . The BD movies look great , as do regular DVDs . The load time is not horrible , especially when you compare it to first-gen players . I bought into HD-DVD fairly early on , and that player took 3 - 4x longer for the unit to even power on fully . Basically , I would recommend this player to anyone that doesn't want to buy a PS3 anytime soon , and would like to enjoy high quality movies in either the BD or DVD format .
103 4 Just what I would expect from Panasonic . A great Blu-Ray player at a reasonable price . Almost no functions on the unit itself , but remote is large and easy to use . This is not compatible with Netflix new streaming video service , which would have been a bonus . I buy Panasonic for reliability and solid performance . This does not disappoint .
159 4 This was my first Blu-ray player purchase . Got it for $136 with $50 Amazon gift certificates from banks reward program , jus couldn't pass on it . The pic quality is excellent , I haven't had any problems with load time for blu ray or dvd , they start right up . Good deal if you can get under $200 , worth more tho , thanks Amazon .
166 4 This was my first Blu-ray player . I have used it just a few times and it has been great . Picture quality is wonderful , no complaints .
113 4 This blu ray player is an awesome addition to my home theater set up ! It does as a blu ray player should and so much more . . . Make sure when you receive your player to update the firmware as it performs noticeably better with it updated . I've had this player for a few weeks now and have watched more than 10 movies , dvds and blu rays discs , on it since then . . . The upconversion of dvd movies on this player is amazing and brings dvds almost up to blu ray quality depending on the transfer . Blu rays also perform outstanding with the video quality and the audio . I currently have this connected via optical cable to my receiver and movies haven't sounded any clearer . . . It's nice and small . . . the remote works great and has options to program the volume for your receiver and the volume , channel , power and input control for your HDTV . . . I recommended this player to a friend who immediately purchased this player as his first blu ray player and he's been loving everything about it as well . No wifi output but that isn't a problem for me because I do all my youtube watching on my computer and only connect my player to the internet when I know there is a firmware update . . . All in all great blu ray player and for the price you can't beat it !
048 4 My unit freezes periodically with the exact same symptoms as others have mentioned here and on avsforum . It had firmware 1.5 when I received it in June and now we are up to 1.9 with no improvement . I don't know why Panasonic has such a problem finding this problem . It usually happens at least every other movie and sometimes twice in a movie .
123 4 First thing I did was update the firmware . Have not had any problems so far . I haven't noticed any delay in playing discs , at least none that are not normal for any dvd . I have a Panasonic HD TV so the remote and features go together which is really nice . I'm enjoying Blu-ray very much , the picture and sound are awesome . I'm not that impressed with Amazon VOD though , to many problems with the high def movies and I've read it's not true 1080p and digital sound . But I'm not basing my review on that since it's not the reason I bought the player .
173 4 I purchased this product from Costco on May 27 , 2009 . I got a rebate , but I find it would have been less expensive through Amazon . Oh well . I have an extensive selection of regular DVDs . I have tried all my favorites and not a blip or a pixilation or a pause yet . The upgrade is very pleasing to the eye . My player was built in April , 2009 . I have 4 Blu-Ray Discs and haven't had a bit of trouble with any of them . The picture is fabulous . I have it hooked to a 50 Plasma HDTV via HDMI to the TV and a HD DVR hooked up to the TV via HDMI also . It makes me a happy camper . A lot of people feel that Blu-Ray will not take off as DVDs first did . Maybe so , but I feel I have all my bases covered with this little jewel , at a reasonable price . News for deaf & hard of hearing , which includes me : I cannot get CCs on HDMI or Component hook-ups . Subtitles , yes . I can only get CCs when hooked up to AV 1 , which is composite , I believe . That is for what it is worth .
259 4 I am an early adopter of BluRay . My first player was a pansonic BD - 30 , which was a great Bluray V1.0 player . I upgraded to BD - 60 after reading the reviews in [ . . . ] . The audio in BD - 60 is outstanding , and excellent upgrade from BD - 30 . Response time is faster than BD - 30 . I played some movies from Amazon VOD , and quality was excellent . Make sure you have a good wired connection to the Internet . The only complain is the freezing issue reported by many users . Apparently the latest and greatest firmware fixes this issue . I am yet to upgrade the firware to the latest version . I have seen the freezing a few times . Movie freezes for 15 secs and will start again . It freezes only with some movies and may be only once in a movie . I recently got a PS3 on Black friday . I compared both PS3 and BD - 60 side by side . The results : No question , BD - 60 wins hands down in both audio and video quality . I use PS3 only for Netflix streaming . If Panasonic provided Netflix streaming it would be a great feature and a full package . Many bluray players support both Amazon VOD and netflix . But considering the audio / video quality of this player , I dont mind the absence of Netflix streaming .
119 4 I feel , I did a reasonable amount of research on Blu-rey players before making this purchase . For my own personal requirements this item fits my needs . I also felt it had one of the best overall reputations for support , picture quality and sound quality . However , I really have no other Blu-rey player on hand to do a side by side comparison . So my comments are simply that my comments . I whole-heartily agree with what most of my research revealed . This is a very good Blu-rey player and in my mind has excellent picture and sound quality . I would highly recommend this unit if it fits you needs , requirements and desirements .
126 4 I have had this since Nov of 09 and it has worked flawlessly . The dvd upconvert makes regular dvds look almost like blu rays . And my blu rays play perfectly . So far no freezes or any problems what so ever . The amazon on demand is amazing and the you tube is fun . I say you should buy this player and I plan on buying this model for friends and family .
130 4 I can't believe Amazon gave me this player for $124.99 . I feel like I stole it . The picture and audio quality rivals that of very expensive players . I'm very happy with this purchase and I may just have to start looking harder at Panasonic products . Very impressed ! It's products like this that will help push more Blu-ray movies out of the door at retailers .
163 4 my first and only experience with a blu-ray player and i'm glad i purchased this one . i guess sometimes it loads a little slowly , but not that big of a deal to me . i have no lagging problems that some complain about either .
185 4 Very pleased with the performance of the Panasonic blu ray player . Not only great to watching blu ray movies on it but also upconverts standard dvd's to look great as well .
199 4 An excellent entry-level Blu-ray player . Outstanding picture quality . Somewhat slow response times , but not a major drawback .
204 4 I purchased a Panasonic G15 42 last fall from Amazon and love the TV , but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with Blu Ray so we purchased this BD player based on Amazon reviews and price . From my point of view the thing works great and looks great . Yea , it isn't as fast coming on and responding as the old DVD player we had , but not enough to bother me . If my budget for this kind of thing was unlimited I would have loved to have the OPPO , but it isn't . Personally I don't see much difference between 1080 P and the 1080i of my cable dvr so an unlimited budget would probably be wasted on me anyway .
238 4 this is a great blu ray player for the money . only downfall is its not wifi . but does have an ethernet port .
208 4 When I purchased this Blu-ray player I felt like I had done all the research and most of the review were excellent . I was using a DVD player with an upverter until I made this purchase . It loads the Blu-rays quickly and looks real nice , but I didn't see the picture quality I was hoping for even with the full HDMI hook-up . The upvert done by this player does not come close to matching the quality I received from my Sony DVD player but it does look decent . The remote is fairly easy to use , but as one other review pointed out , it is odd that you must push select rather than play when going from the main menu to actually play a movie - not a huge deal , but it is odd . Overall , this was a decent purchase for the money , but I wish I had spent a bit more to get something nicer .
078 4 I thought the bd - 60 player was overall really good . I did return the product because I decided that I wanted netflix . When I bought my samsung BD - 1590 , I did notice that the upconversion of the panasonic was much better . I also felt the loading time of the panasonic was much faster than the samsung product .
134 4 Got good price here on Amazon . Player works great . If you press stop , it goes back to the beginning of the DVD . Remote can be confusing . I bought this to play Blue ray disks . I don't care to much about all the special features . It does exactly what I bought it for and does it well . Plays every DVD I've ever put in it . Would recommend to my friends . Great price and good player .
168 4 Got this for about $200 because I was sick of waiting for PS3 to drop price . Hooked it up to my 50 panasonic plasma ( G10 - which I love ! ) via HDMI . Blu rays look killer , dvd upconverts very well . The only sacrifice is that discs load slower than the fastest players , but I can live with that to save $ $ $ . If you want great picture quality for an honorable price . . . Highly reccomended .
197 4 If you just want the basic features of a blu-ray player this is the best value .
246 4 I'm pleased . Start-up time is not as bad as some make it out to be ( those must be incredibly impatient people ) . The remote is good . The Amazon VOD is great and works well , even for HD content . If it eventually gets Netflix compatibility , it will be a well-rounded product .
212 4 The Panasonic aarrived in great time from Amazon and has worked flawlessly since.The picture quality and adjustability are exellent and it looks great on my 37 inch Sharp HD TV . My only complaint is that the upconversion of tthe BD player does not seem to allow SD material transferred through the HDMI connection to be stretched without significant loss on the the sides ( unlike my older player ) . The Sharp TV itself does a better job of upconversion when given a 480i signal via component video . I also noted some blurring and blocking on some fast moving images on DVD that are not present from my older DVD player . On the HD front however the picture is spectacular even at 720 p and 1080i . No complaint there ! For $149.00 this is an awesome BD player . Fully recommended !
042 4 This player meets or exceeds my expectations for both Blu-ray and standard DVD playback . Response time to commands is fairly quick . This product is much improved from the early BD decks . This player can now be had for less than $150 . . . to me thats a good value proposition .
155 4 Nice Blu Ray for the price . After reading some of the reviews I had gotten a little nervous about hearing that this model would freeze up . I have not had that problem but am still a little weiry . So far so good . Also a week after I had bought my Blu Ray at Amazon for $172 It went down in price almost $40 cheaper . Still a good price though . Other movies not in Blu Ray also look better with the upconversion .
209 4 I bought this player back in Sept . 2009 . I'm very happy with it . Apparently the Blu-Ray players take more time than regular players to load the discs .
Other than that , it plays great , both Blu-Ray discs and regular DVD's . My regular DVD player is also a Panasonic , and if you throw a banana inside , it will play it as well . So , no complaints on Panasonic products .
220 4 My wife got me this blu-ray player for Christmas , and it is fantastic ! I'm not much of an audio / videophile , but I can tell that from a normal person's view , the picture and sound quality are fantastic . I've been disappointed with the quality of DVD playback on my XBox360 since I got it a few years , so I'm thrilled to have a player that does high-quality DVD playback . Bluray movies are awesome on this as well . Watching Planet Earth and Star Trek were both stunning experiences . And then on top of all that , there is the hook-in to Amazon Video On Demand . That's probably our most used feature ! It's great to be able to easily rent and buy stuff online that isn't available through Netflix , and now that we've got this player ( in addition to Netflix through our xbox ) , we can watch almost everything on-demand on our tv . My only complaints are that the remote is overcomplicated and the VieraCast or whatever has a fairly slow navigation response time . It works great once you're playing Video On Demand stuff , though . Overall , a GREAT product for the price , highly recommended .
051 4 I have used just about every feature on this player and so far . . . it hasn't let me down . The picture and sound are unbelievable . From blu ray discs to regular dvds . . . this player delivered with quality . You probably will NOT find a better player on the market for the price ! ( $199 ) Just yesterday . . . ' Amazon On Demand ' came online and Viera Cast has enable this player to deliver a video store in your living room . This feature works flawless . Just make sure you have a good broadband connection and you're good to go . It's been awhile since I've been this thrilled in making an electronic device purchase . It is safe to buy this player .
245 4 This is a quality product at a very good price . I would highly recommend it .
252 4 Simply put , this is the best player you can get for the price it's selling at . Just as good as the 300 - 500 dollar players . I've had it for 6 weeks and love it . Good response time , picture and audio quality are excellent . DVDs look fantastic on it as well . I've compared the blu-ray and dvd of the same movies I own and the quality is nearly as good . Ironically it makes buying blu-rays seem unnecessary . Highly recommended !
248 4 Nice bluray player . Works nicely with our panasonic 46 . Only had one freeze up for just a second and it was on a blockbuster rental . No problems with our movies or new movies . Makes regular DVD's look even better . Very simple remote . It's nice to have one remote for the sound and controls . Really don't have anything to compare it to except our old up convert DVD player which was really not very good so of course this is a huge step forward for us . Pretty happy with our purchase . We are huge panasonic fans !
033 4 it does not recognize or play any copy dvds or vcds . everything you want to play has to be an original dvd or a bluray
132 4 This unit works fine . It does freeze once in a blue moon due to the low refresh rate . The biggest complaint is that in order to select subtitles you have to go through several button selections to get there . It would have been nice to have a subtitle button on the remote . You can't beat the price for what you get . I bought two of these and have been pleased .
153 4 Excellent value . Everything works as advertised . The only complaint is the boot time and response time to commands is longer than I would like .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
After buying and trying a
VIZIO VBR100 Full HD Blu-ray Player
for my bedroom player , I found myself disappointed with that player for a variety of reasons ( see my review of that player on the product page for same ) . It was OK at best , but I wanted more and given the chance to upgrade to something else I did just that ( sold the VBR100 to a friend , thankfully he hasn't killed me yet ; - ) )
The DMP-BD60 came in at a nice price point , actually lower than what I had paid for the Vizio player when I had purchased one and yet in most ways I find the BD60 to be a much nicer player , at least when comparing features between them .
The DMP-BD60 features Viera link which includes Amazon video on demand . Some buyers will be disappointed that there isn't any support for the major movie rentals by mail company's streaming video , but that doesn't mean this player isn't a very good Blu-ray or DVD player and in reality the Amazon video on demand library is pretty nice . In sampling some of that library I found the entire process , from setting up the player to stream video to purchasing a video and playing it back , fairly smooth and simple . The instructions provided on the screen were sufficient to keep me from having to run back to the user manual . Video playback was good , though I encountered a few pauses in the playback as other members of the household were using more bandwidth than I had expected .
Firmware updating is a simple process , something that I had found a bit frustrating with the VBR100 ( especially coming into the process as someone that has a couple of
PlayStation 3 120 GB
systems ( actually an original 60 GB unit and later a 40 GB unit to be accurate ) ) . Where a PS3 is easily upgraded through it's menu , the VBR100 imposed a firmware download process upon the end user where the end user has to download the firmware , write it to a disc and then upgrade from there . With the DMP-BD60 the upgrade process is done as it would be on a PS3 , enter the appropriate menu , select check for updates and go from there . No need to download on a PC or Mac , write a disc , take the disc to the player , update from there , etc .
Disc loading is reasonably fast , video quality is good , and for the money , well the DMP-BD60 is a relative bargain . Another bonus is that the DMP-BD60 ' s remote control also controls the volume on my TV ( which was one of the reasons I had purchased the Vizio VBR100 , since I have a Vizio TV ) .
Later , when Blu-rays support 3D ( in conjunction with 3D T。 's ) the DMP-BD60 may be pushed out of regular usage in my home , but then again I'm not rushed to run out and spend a lot of money on a new TV given that it's only recently been that I've upgraded all of the TVs in the house to HD . For now I'm quite pleased with my purchase of the DMP-BD60 and look forward to making a lot more use of it over time .
230 4 After buying and trying a
VIZIO VBR100 Full HD Blu-ray Player
for my bedroom player , I found myself disappointed with that player for a variety of reasons ( see my review of that player on the product page for same ) . It was OK at best , but I wanted more and given the chance to upgrade to something else I did just that ( sold the VBR100 to a friend , thankfully he hasn't killed me yet ; - ) )
The DMP-BD60 came in at a nice price point , actually lower than what I had paid for the Vizio player when I had purchased one and yet in most ways I find the BD60 to be a much nicer player , at least when comparing features between them .
The DMP-BD60 features Viera link which includes Amazon video on demand . Some buyers will be disappointed that there isn't any support for the major movie rentals by mail company's streaming video , but that doesn't mean this player isn't a very good Blu-ray or DVD player and in reality the Amazon video on demand library is pretty nice . In sampling some of that library I found the entire process , from setting up the player to stream video to purchasing a video and playing it back , fairly smooth and simple . The instructions provided on the screen were sufficient to keep me from having to run back to the user manual . Video playback was good , though I encountered a few pauses in the playback as other members of the household were using more bandwidth than I had expected .
Firmware updating is a simple process , something that I had found a bit frustrating with the VBR100 ( especially coming into the process as someone that has a couple of
PlayStation 3 120 GB
systems ( actually an original 60 GB unit and later a 40 GB unit to be accurate ) ) . Where a PS3 is easily upgraded through it's menu , the VBR100 imposed a firmware download process upon the end user where the end user has to download the firmware , write it to a disc and then upgrade from there . With the DMP-BD60 the upgrade process is done as it would be on a PS3 , enter the appropriate menu , select check for updates and go from there . No need to download on a PC or Mac , write a disc , take the disc to the player , update from there , etc .
Disc loading is reasonably fast , video quality is good , and for the money , well the DMP-BD60 is a relative bargain . Another bonus is that the DMP-BD60 ' s remote control also controls the volume on my TV ( which was one of the reasons I had purchased the Vizio VBR100 , since I have a Vizio TV ) .
Later , when Blu-rays support 3D ( in conjunction with 3D T。's ) the DMP-BD60 may be pushed out of regular usage in my home , but then again I'm not rushed to run out and spend a lot of money on a new TV given that it's only recently been that I've upgraded all of the TVs in the house to HD . For now I'm quite pleased with my purchase of the DMP-BD60 and look forward to making a lot more use of it over time .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I bought this based on the other reviews here . I was mainly looking for something that would give me the best possible picture at a reasonable price . After using the player for a couple of months , I'd have to agree with the majority of the reviewers here . A summary of my PROs and CONs are :
PRO
1 ) Great picture quality .
2 ) Has read every disc I've thrown at it ( smudges and scratches aside ) .
CON
1 ) Very slow to start up and load discs ( much more then what I had expected - its really painfully slow )
2 ) The player gets hung up on discs that have the slightest smudge ( both of my older standard DVD player have no problems with the same slight smudge , so this was surprising )
3 ) Navigating Blue-Ray menues can be a little slow .
In summary , if your looking for a player that puts out a top quality picture at a low price point , and don't mind wiping smudges off your discs before loading or waiting around for it to start up , then it's a good player to consider ( I'd give it 5 - stars if it wasn't for those two things ) . If it drives you crazy to wait for a player to startup / load , or if you want a player with all the latest features ( Netflix streaming for example ) then you might want to look elsewhere .
099 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I bought this based on the other reviews here . I was mainly looking for something that would give me the best possible picture at a reasonable price . After using the player for a couple of months , I'd have to agree with the majority of the reviewers here . A summary of my PROs and CONs are :
PRO
1 ) Great picture quality .
2 ) Has read every disc I've thrown at it ( smudges and scratches aside ) .
CON
1 ) Very slow to start up and load discs ( much more then what I had expected - its really painfully slow )
2 ) The player gets hung up on discs that have the slightest smudge ( both of my older standard DVD player have no problems with the same slight smudge , so this was surprising )
3 ) Navigating Blue-Ray menues can be a little slow .
In summary , if your looking for a player that puts out a top quality picture at a low price point , and don't mind wiping smudges off your discs before loading or waiting around for it to start up , then it's a good player to consider ( I'd give it 5 - stars if it wasn't for those two things ) . If it drives you crazy to wait for a player to startup / load , or if you want a player with all the latest features ( Netflix streaming for example ) then you might want to look elsewhere .
149 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I purchased a 46inch Panasonic 1080P plasma tv and this Blu-Ray to go with it . It is stunning , pure viual and sound enjoyment . The tv was about $1,000 and the Blu Ray was like $140 ( delivered ) and you simply can't beat it . Addmittedly I do run a nice Denon reciever with Paradigm speakers for sound but as far as the visual quaility this set up ROCKS ! ! ! If you are 2nd guessing , STOP RIGHT NOW AND BUY ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
194 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This is our first blue ray , and we love it ! After 2 months of regular use we have no complaints whatsoever . Picture quality on our panasonic plasma is awesome - even upconverted dvd's come through as 1080 . Scratched dvd's that would not play on our other player play flawlessly on this one . Remote has full functionality , the player has every rear panel hookup we could ask for ( hdmi is a must - HUGE difference ! ) Have not connected to the internet yet , so I cannot attest to the viera cast online content , nor has it been hooked up to a home theater as we our rebuilding ours at the moment - but everything else works perfectly . If you're new to blue ray , they do take a minute to load - literally a minute ( I've seen complaints concearning load speeds - not a big deal ) Highly recommend this player , and Panasonic in general - have several of their products and am impressed with all of them .
195 4 This is our first blue ray , and we love it ! After 2 months of regular use we have no complaints whatsoever . Picture quality on our panasonic plasma is awesome - even upconverted dvd's come through as 1080 . Scratched dvd's that would not play on our other player play flawlessly on this one . Remote has full functionality , the player has every rear panel hookup we could ask for ( hdmi is a must - HUGE difference ! ) Have not connected to the internet yet , so I cannot attest to the viera cast online content , nor has it been hooked up to a home theater as we our rebuilding ours at the moment - but everything else works perfectly . If you're new to blue ray , they do take a minute to load - literally a minute ( I've seen complaints concearning load speeds - not a big deal ) Highly recommend this player , and Panasonic in general - have several of their products and am impressed with all of them .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I had a panasonic dmpbd - 30k but wanted a profile 2.0 . I bought this on amazon.com for a little over a two hundred $ ( gone way down in price since june 15 2009 ) . Its blu-ray playback is fantastic truly breathtaking with a good disc . Up conversion is improved over my 30k , I hear its the same as the dmpbd - 35k . With a firmware update it opens in about 7 seconds vs 15 on the 30k and 45sec on my Toshiba a - 35 . It also loads faster as well which is a great feature . Sound is also outstanding hampered only by having dtshdma essential It decodes all the Dolby digital formats including Dolby true hd . With dts it only decodes dts master audio any thing else dts ex , dtshd it only sends out the core standard 5.1 dts . You can bitstream audio over hdmi and have the receiver do the decoding . There is no 5.1 or 7.1 analog outputs . It has a very nice online viera cast feature . You can go to YouTube and stream amazon video on demand . I have not really used this feature much though . It remote is OK and works automatically with my panasonic TV , otherwise you have to use a code in the instructions . It is very reliable every on of the blu-rays , DVDs , and Cd's I put in has played . scad and dvd-a are not supported Only problem I ever had was it would very rarely freeze for a few seconds then fix itself . I would rewind and watch the same bit and it would not freeze . A firmware update seems to have fixed this for me . This is the most solid and well featured player at this price I have seen . Panasonic's dmpbd - 60k delivers performance well beyond its price-tag .
012 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
BDiscs and DVDs occasionally freeze for a couple of seconds while playing or right after fast forwarding . There is also temporary random loss of audio / sound after freeze or fast forwarding . Have to SKIP back or forward to resume sound . The problems occur to multiple discs already so I'm sure it's not the problem of the discs . Already asked Amazon for a replacement . Will report back if the problems persist in the replacement unit . A good player otherwise .
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Update : the replacement unit has the same problem of random loss of sound . Returned it to Amazon again . Very disappointed in this potentially solid player . Amazon has a great return service though .
013 4 BDiscs and DVDs occasionally freeze for a couple of seconds while playing or right after fast forwarding . There is also temporary random loss of audio / sound after freeze or fast forwarding . Have to SKIP back or forward to resume sound . The problems occur to multiple discs already so I'm sure it's not the problem of the discs . Already asked Amazon for a replacement . Will report back if the problems persist in the replacement unit . A good player otherwise .
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Update : the replacement unit has the same problem of random loss of sound . Returned it to Amazon again . Very disappointed in this potentially solid player . Amazon has a great return service though .
221 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I had a panasonic dmpbd - 30k but wanted a profile 2.0 . I bought this on amazon.com for a little over a two hundred $ ( gone way down in price since june 15 2009 ) . Its blu-ray playback is fantastic truly breathtaking with a good disc . Up conversion is improved over my 30k , I hear its the same as the dmpbd - 35k . With a firmware update it opens in about 7 seconds vs 15 on the 30k and 45sec on my Toshiba a - 35 . It also loads faster as well which is a great feature . Sound is also outstanding hampered only by having dtshdma essential It decodes all the Dolby digital formats including Dolby true hd . With dts it only decodes dts master audio any thing else dts ex , dtshd it only sends out the core standard 5.1 dts . You can bitstream audio over hdmi and have the receiver do the decoding . There is no 5.1 or 7.1 analog outputs . It has a very nice online viera cast feature . You can go to YouTube and stream amazon video on demand . I have not really used this feature much though . It remote is OK and works automatically with my panasonic TV , otherwise you have to use a code in the instructions . It is very reliable every on of the blu-rays , DVDs , and Cd's I put in has played . scad and dvd-a are not supported Only problem I ever had was it would very rarely freeze for a few seconds then fix itself . I would rewind and watch the same bit and it would not freeze . A firmware update seems to have fixed this for me . This is the most solid and well featured player at this price I have seen . Panasonic's dmpbd - 60k delivers performance well beyond its price-tag .
222 4 I had a panasonic dmpbd - 30k but wanted a profile 2.0 . I bought this on amazon.com for a little over a two hundred $ ( gone way down in price since june 15 2009 ) . Its blu-ray playback is fantastic truly breathtaking with a good disc . Up conversion is improved over my 30k , I hear its the same as the dmpbd - 35k . With a firmware update it opens in about 7 seconds vs 15 on the 30k and 45sec on my Toshiba a - 35 . It also loads faster as well which is a great feature . Sound is also outstanding hampered only by having dtshdma essential It decodes all the Dolby digital formats including Dolby true hd . With dts it only decodes dts master audio any thing else dts ex , dtshd it only sends out the core standard 5.1 dts . You can bitstream audio over hdmi and have the receiver do the decoding . There is no 5.1 or 7.1 analog outputs . It has a very nice online viera cast feature . You can go to YouTube and stream amazon video on demand . I have not really used this feature much though . It remote is OK and works automatically with my panasonic TV , otherwise you have to use a code in the instructions . It is very reliable every on of the blu-rays , DVDs , and Cd's I put in has played . scad and dvd-a are not supported Only problem I ever had was it would very rarely freeze for a few seconds then fix itself . I would rewind and watch the same bit and it would not freeze . A firmware update seems to have fixed this for me . This is the most solid and well featured player at this price I have seen . Panasonic's dmpbd - 60k delivers performance well beyond its price-tag .
227 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I like this blu-ray player , which was my introduction to modern home theater . Hook this baby up to your computer network , and you can easily hook into Panasonic's Viera Cast , which allows you to download movies from Amazon . It is easy to use , and makes it a lot easier to watch movies at home without having to return the discs to the video store . As for the player part , it is easy to use , has a great picture , although it is a little slow to start reading the discs . The prices of blu-ray players is dropping like stones , so I would definitely recommend getting one , and this is a very good all purpose one to start with .
228 4 I like this blu-ray player , which was my introduction to modern home theater . Hook this baby up to your computer network , and you can easily hook into Panasonic's Viera Cast , which allows you to download movies from Amazon . It is easy to use , and makes it a lot easier to watch movies at home without having to return the discs to the video store . As for the player part , it is easy to use , has a great picture , although it is a little slow to start reading the discs . The prices of blu-ray players is dropping like stones , so I would definitely recommend getting one , and this is a very good all purpose one to start with .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Our old Dell plasma quit on us last month and Dell refuses to sell parts to repair their TVs so our choices boiled down to buying a new set or quit watching TV altogether . We picked out a TV ( Panasonic 42 - inch G10 plasma ) and , low and behold , Amazon threw this Blu-ray player into the deal for free . After a short period of deliberation ( lasting one second ) we decided against quitting TV watching and jumped on it .
The blu-ray discs we have played were very good . The surprise was that it plays DVDs almost just as well . I do not know whether this is because of the higher quality display or if the player does a particularly good job of upconverting . The DVDs we played showed a markedly better picture when compared to the old setup which was an Oppo player hooked up to the 720p Dell plasma . Anyway , if you are using this unit with a 1080P display , your DVDs are going to look really good .
Amazon gave us a five dollar credit to try out their Video on Demand service . We gave it a try and watched an episode of ' The Office ' in HD . Our player is hooked up to a wired network and our DSL internet connection speed is middling . The playback was flawless with no buffering at all . Absolutely perfect . However , the service is too expensive to use very much .
SOCIAL COMMENTARY : I wonder where all of these digital gizmos and high def entertainments are taking us . I am pretty sure I can keep it in perspective because I grew up before the Onslaught . But I'm worried about the Post-Onslaught crowd .
I'm giving this four stars instead of five because it does not yet connect to the Netflix streaming service . We have a Netflix subscription and we want to use it with our TV but we can't . And we can't buy a Roku player either because if we did then Panasonic would announce Netflix functionality for this product first thing in the morning the next day . So that's where it sits . But we are happy anyway . Thanks to Amazon for the good deal .
UPDATE : If your TV has a VGA port and you have a laptop with an open VGA port , you can watch Netflix instant movies on your TV using your laptop as the data source . Get a VGA cable long enough to go from wherever you will place your laptop to the VGA port on your TV ( you can get one cheap from Amazon ) . On your computer , go into your display settings and set it to multiple screens . Then set your TV display setting to get data from the VGA port . Then start your Netflix movie on the laptop and it will be shown on the TV simultaneously . You can use your laptop speakers for sound or you can connect your laptop sound card to somewhere on the TV or your receiver . Its pretty clunky but it works . My setup is a laptop with a wired network connection , a good video card , and a 1080p plasma TV and the picture was very good .
If you have a laptop with a DVI port and your TV has an open HDMI port , you can connect with a ' DVI to HDMI ' cable and I would presume that this would give you an even better picture although I have not tried this .
UPDATE DATED 11 / 13 / 2009 : I notice that now Netflix shows on their website that the followed branded Blu-ray players support their streaming service : Insignia , LG , Samsung and Sony . See anybody missing here ? Get with it Panasonic or you'll end up out in the cold .
UPDATE DATED 11 - 27 - 2009 : Lost patience and went to Best Buy on Black Friday and got a deal on an Insignia player that connects to Netflix . So now we have two players . If Panasonic does not provide a Netflix upgrade within a few months , we'll sell it . If they do , we will probably sell the Insignia . In any event , we are hooked up and will soon be cancelling our cable service thus saving money in the interin and beyond . Next task is to get OTA ( over-the-air via antenna ) reception set up for live local programming . We are on a glidepath to a place called Economical Entertainment .
UPDATE DATED 11 - 29 - 2009 : We now have 50 very nice movies in our instant Netflix que and have watched a handful of them . The resolution is much better when they stream directly to your TV than when hooking your laptop up to your TV . You can find quite a few very worthy instant movies on Netflix if you take the time to learn the ropes .
004 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I purchased this player to replace a Samsung BD-P2500 that was giving me major compatibility problems with Blu-ray discs , and so far haven't been disappointed . Picture quality on Blu-ray is stunning and I've had no compatibility issues thus far ; upscaling on standard DVDs is great . VieraCast is a novel feature that could someday find greatness if Panasonic expanded support to include Amazon , Netflix and Hulu . ( I understand Amazon support is on the way . )
I have not experienced the freezing issues that some describe here , but I think that's due to how I use the player more than anything else . ( I watch a disc or two at a time , then power the unit off between uses - for a technical explanation of why this apparently sidesteps the problem , see the next paragraph . ) In any case , I've read online recently that Panasonic has finally figured out the cause of the freezing issue and is now working on a firmware update to fix it .
( For you techies out there , here's a bit more detailed explanation of the freezing issue , based on what I've gleaned online : Blu ray discs make heavy use of Java , and the BD60 apparently has garbage collection issues that cause the freezing . Powering the unit off periodically clears out what's in memory , minimizing the likelihood of another freeze-up . Since I tend to watch one or two Blu-Ray discs at a time and then shut the unit off for between uses , I haven't experienced any freezes . )
The only other quirk I can report is that while the unit does support 24fps playback on DVDs , you have to switch it on manually every time . Kind of a pain , but only a pain if you're a video purist .
That's it . No other issues . Sorry for the boring review , but this player just does everything that it's supposed to without complaints . I consider it one of the best A / V investments I've made in a long time , and would recommend it to others without hesitation .
009 4 I just purchased the Panasonic DMP-BD60 a couple of days ago . My criteria for purchase were as follows : great reviews from amazon , sound and vision award winner for the BD60 ' s predecessor product the BD35 and finally a great price .
Here is a link to the award winning BD35 ( Sound and Vision Magazine product awards April / May 09 ) :
Panasonic DMP-BD35K 1080p Blu-ray Player
I had been using an upconverting HDMI output Sony DVD player which I bought a couple of years back . Until now , I had been fairly satisfied with the picture quality of the Sony . Not anymore . The Panasonic MP-BD60 blows it away in picture quality . I project on a 130 inch diagonal screen and the difference is easy to see . My regular DVD's look like high definition blu-ray discs ! The upconversion is that good .
I was holding off my purchase thinking the Sony was good enough for my needs . Boy , was I wrong ! The Panasonic is one solid performer as far as I am concerned .
Hooking the unit to the internet allows watching YouTube videos and Picasa photos . The first thing I did was update the firmware to the latest version ( 1.5 as of this writing ) . This took about 5 - 10 minutes and went without a hitch .
In conclusion , if you have a large DVD collection and want to watch it all in stunning 1080p , you will not go wrong with this player . For between $200 and $250 you will be getting an amazing player .
019 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
My 18 month old Sony BDP - 300 died .
I spent weeks researching new players and kept coming back to the Panasonic , not only because of the solid reviews , but because we have a Panasonic plasma tv .
It arrived yesterday , it took 5 minutes to hook up , and all I can say is WOW !
The loading time is minimal compared to the Sony .
The difference in all of our Blu-rays and regular dvd's is positively stunning . The colors are intensely gorgeous and I can tell you , the clarity is light years better than on the Sony .
We are jaw-dropped at what , for the first time , makes real use of our tv .
I recommend this player without hesitation or reservation ! ! ! ! !
022 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Quick free shipping from Amazon - I received the player in two days after ordering with Amazon Prime .
I purchased the BD60 because of prior great experience with other Panasonic Blu Ray players which I own - the BD30 and BD55 . I also didn't want to learn new setup menus with a new brand and could go to single site for firmware downloads .
The player I received was mfg in Feb 2009 and shipped with firmware version 1.1 . Using a CD-R , I manually updated the firmware to version 1.7 ( as of 6 / 5 / 09 ) . ( Note the player is capable of updating the firmware using an Ethernet connection to your Internet . )
As I have with my other Panasonic players , I use freeware Express Burn ( nch.com.au ) to create an ISO compliant CD-R data disk to update the firmware . However , after I put the CD-R in the BD60 , I got a flashing message L DRV . About a few minutes later it ejected the disc and displayed a message UPD NG . In short the firmware update had failed due to the player not correctly reading the update disk and I was essentially stuck with a non-operable player in the firmware update mode . This error has been reported by others . . . Google BD60 UPD NG .
I was ultimately able to resolve the problem with creating a new firmware update data disk on a different PC using Roxio Creator DE . Roxio has been suggested by others . My Roxio CD write settings were TAO Open , Mode 1 , ISO + Juliet , and Use Disc for Only One Recording .
Once I got past the firmware update snafu , the player operated flawlessly . Like my BD55 it plays standard DVDs with very good picture quality . The player appears to have good DVD up conversion to 1080p . It has all the capabilities of a good Blu Ray player for HDMI , 24p output , Dolby / DTS HD decoding , etc .
The player has some differences from the BD55 . The BD60 has a quick start feature which provides power to the internal unit even when it's turned off ( standby mode ) . Using this feature I noticed a startup time of about 8 seconds compared to 15 seconds . Note the player draws about 5W of power ( so much for being Green ) in standby mode with the quick start feature enabled , compared to 0.5W when you disable the quick start feature and 22W when it is operating .
The BD60 also has a USB port in addition to the SD card slot . The BD60 lacks the analog 5.1ch analog audio out connectors . I doubt if many people used the 5.1ch analog connectors and Panasonic eliminated them to reduce COGS . The BD60 also has some features ( Viera Cast ) to access content on the Internet , which I have not used .
024 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I purchased this player from the good reviews on Amazon , and the price . When I got the player I hooked it through my Denon AVR2807 receiver via HDMI . No screen . I changed HDMI cables , no screen . I changed to composit cable , got a screen , upgraded firmware to 2.0 . Put HDMI cable back in , no screen , got error U73 on display . Went to AVSForums and there are several people that are having this issue . They also stated that Panasonic tech support was not very good . There is a ' handshake ' problem with the Panasonic player and other HDMI receivers and switchers . If you are using this player directly connected to a TV , it would probably work . If you are using this player through an HDMI switching receiver , you may have problems . I did and returned .
026 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Great Bluray player . I didn't buy this player to watch downloaded movies at 480 or 720 , so a players ability to download VHS / DVD quality movies from various services is not what I want from a Bluray player . I like to watch my movies in HI DEF ( 1080i / 1080p ) otherwise I can use my $40 DVD player and be happy . Connect this bluray player to a HI DEF TV , good receiver , and decent 5.1 speakers and you won't care about watching movies at 480 and 720 . Each time I demo my setup with the first car chase and shootout in the movie Wanted , the response is always the same - I've seen the movie several times and I've never seen and heard all that stuff ( especially Angelina Jolie's sigh as she avoids being hit by a truck ) . If you want a quality Bluray player and don't want to spend and arm and a leg , this is the player . I have 400 + standard DVD movies and 60 + Bluray movies . I have the Panasonic BD35 ( predecessor to BD 60 ) and the BD60 . I've never had a disk that wouldn't play , or hangs up , or any of the things some of the other reviewers claim . Most Bluray players play Bluray movies OK . The sounds ( they can decode ) and the upscaling of regular DVD's is where you find significant differences in the brands . This is probably the best player for the money . A $1000 player will use better chips and will allow you to tweak settings a little more but for the most part the biggest visual improvements are only when you're playing regular DVD's . If you have a high end plasma or LCD TV ( top of the line Sony , Samsung - i.e . $3000 - $5000 TV ) you may see a difference . If not , you probably won't see the difference . Most of us just want a machine that has a great picture and runs well right out of the box . This is it . This is a no brainer . Check the audiophile and cinemaphile sites and you will find the Pannys are recommended as the entry level Bluray machines to buy .
030 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
If you've been holding back on a Blu-Ray Disk , or BD , player because of player price , performance quirks , rapid changes in the BD standard , movie cost and availability , the time may have come to upgrade . The BD60 performs for me much like many of the reviewers here have spoken off , but Panasonic products have a large reputation for reliability , has its prior model of BD60 proven for over a year , has its current model out for over 3 months with glowing user reviews , and BD movies have dropped in price quite a bit since 2009 began .
To highlight specific issues that are circulating on other review web sites :
My disk load time is mostly under 1 minute , more like 30 seconds . Its longest only if the BD has to start up from power off . There is a quick load feature , but this keeps the unit partially powered on , so the phantom power is 6 watts OFF , versus 0.5 watts if the quick load feature is off .
I have the disk freeze , seen after 40 hours of usage . It lasts under 3 seconds , so it easily tolerated when it occurs . Its detailed here by another reviewer . It has not happened when playing main movies , but only with extras if they are HD but not 24 fps material . It has happened 4x in 40 hours .
The remote is ugly but very ergonomic . It was far easier to program my basic Sharp TV control codes into it that most remotes . Its buttons are logically arranged , so its easy to find related functions for menus .
Unlike DVD , there is a noticeable pause between moving between the movie and some menu items , such as fast forwarding . Given that the BD is 7x more data than DVD9 , the delay seems proportionate . However , the frame advance , slow mo etc . , are as responsive as my DVD player . My DVD player remembers were I left off when changing player functions , while the BD60 may restart the disk .
However , all these subtle annoyances disappear once the BD movie's breathtaking clarity takes hold .
Compared to my Sony DVD player , the upconversion of DVD is also more vibrant , and noticeably superior . Until more BD movies are available , even watching DVD on this unit shines .
A good number of DVD and BD movies are being sold for near the same price , at least from Amazon . While the boxes and inserts are far more Spartan for basic BD movies versus DVD , the disk data is the thing , and the picture quality in incomparable . With blank BD media running $4 - 5 25GB disk , and over $10 for a single blank 50GB disk , re-releases sold for $10 - 15 a disk are a bargain .
One critical item that has held me back from BD , besides the HD vs BD wars , was that BD or HD disk mastering or player technology itself had on occasion provided marginal improvements over DVD imagery . This has led to a plethora of review sites comparing HD or BD to DVD , so upgrading your old DVD collection is not a no-brainer , and one should look into BD reviews before upgrading your current DVD collection .
036 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
When my final DVD player failed for the final time , I decided it was time to consider a BluRay player as its replacement . I read reviews from all over the Internet , and everything I read pointed to this device as being one of the best overall choices available for my particular needs . I was amazed at the price . . . it was over $50 less than what I payed for my Toshiba DVD player just a year ago . It took only minutes to set it up and , since it's connected to the Internet , I downloaded and installed the latest firmware with no problem . Video quality is excellent . . . I have a Samsung PN58B650 Plasma TV and a Denon multichannel receiver . I can find no fault whatsoever with this player . Some have commented on the delay reactions . . . long load times , unload times , etc . , but I've not found the amount of time required for these functions to be any more than what I experienced with DVD . DVD's played on this unit have far better video quality than they did with my Toshiba up-converting DVD player , too . I'd definitely recommend it to anyone considering a BluRay player purchase .
047 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
My unit freezes periodically with the exact same symptoms as others have mentioned here and on avsforum . It had firmware 1.5 when I received it in June and now we are up to 1.9 with no improvement . I don't know why Panasonic has such a problem finding this problem . It usually happens at least every other movie and sometimes twice in a movie .
055 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I am having the same freezing issue as other reviewers here . While watching a Blue-Ray movie , the image freezes and the whole machine reboots . The freezes do not occur in the exact same place , but roughly in the same spot which makes me wonder if it isn't a memory problem ( perhaps it fails to flush-out images as they go by , and eventually fills-up ? ) .
The video quality is actually quite good , and if not for this one issue , I'd love the thing . However , this one thing is enough to ruin a movie entirely , and thus defeats the entire purpose of it , good image or no .
I have contacted Panasonic , who claims that this problem is unknown to them .
I will try to exchange this for another brand , though I hate to lose the link with my Panasonic TV , as it seems both this and the
Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player , Black
have the same problem .
061 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Great value for the money . Upon being pluged-in it immediately phoned home and updated its internal firmware . Does a great job with a Blu-Ray disk but I was surprised it does a much better job of upconverting a DVD than my previous player by Onkyo .
063 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Got it on Amazon . As always delivery was quick . Connected to TV / Internet and downloaded update 2.2 in just few minutes . UI interface is clean .
Best part was connecting to You Tube . Displays you tube videos very well . Only ugly part is entering search information using remote . To avoid this just update your playlist and favorites from computer and later access them from your BD Player .
Picasa works very well .
MP3 mode is great . Just use your USB stick and enjoy music .
Enjoy .
071 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Overall I've been happy with this player . It's my first blu-ray player , I looked at this and the new Oppo . I felt for the price the BD60 would be a good introduction . I've put it through it's paces today and am generally happy . PQ is very good and I thoroughly enjoyed the inaugural James Bond movie , Quantum of Solace . Flipping to 24p was fantastic . . . . SQ I have some playing around but I'm confident I'll find the best way to integrate with my existing A / V kit .
Ease of use is good and plugging to the internet was a big factor for me to stay up to date on updates . Look and feel of the machine is good . My only complaint so far is the machine is a little sluggish on load times and flicking to the menus . The remote is also a little more complicated that I would've liked ; but in all likelihood I'll be switching to a Harmony sooner rather than later .
All in all a good purchase , a very reasonable price and a good introduction to Blu-ray without all the bells and whistles .
077 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I thought the bd - 60 player was overall really good . I did return the product because I decided that I wanted netflix . When I bought my samsung BD - 1590 , I did notice that the upconversion of the panasonic was much better . I also felt the loading time of the panasonic was much faster than the samsung product .
081 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I bought the Panasonic BD60 Blu-ray a few weeks ago . I can't say enough good things about it . I haven't had any problems with freezing up or anything like some of the people in the reviews have stated . I would definitely recommend hooking this player up to the internet . I love the youtube feature on it . It has already been upgraded to include Amazon.com movie rentals . Picasa access is also very nice . I highly recommend this . Amazon was cheaper by $50 than anywhere else . Buy and enjoy .
085 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Everything works fine but it doesn't remember where you are on a movie if you stop it and start it again later , very annoying .
087 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I actually have 2 of these . I have them both updated to the latest 2.2 firmware . I have to say , even before that , I haven't had any skipping or freezing issues , knock om wood . As far as image quality , in my estimation , it's superlative . DVD upconversion is better than my Pioneer DV - 48 Elite player , with sharper detail and better color saturation . My biggest knock is the slow response speeds , but it's tolerable and the reason it is 4 stars to me . I think that the player for the money is a great compliment to any Panasonic TV . I believe that most of the new players have great picture quality no matter the brand.If you keep your expectations in check , you'll be pleased.I'd recommend without hesitation .
091 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
We received this player as part of a combo order with a Panasonic plasma , and we are not disappointed . Although it is not a top of the line player , it is still a very nice one . Picture and sound quality , which are what matter the most , are outstanding . Blu-ray discs are amazing , and the upconversion of DVDs is also very good . The remote is a little confusing but you get the hang of it after a while . All of the frequently used buttons are large and easy to read . The disc read speed is very good ( a few seconds , versus minutes for other players ) , and we have yet to encounter a disc that it will not play with the current firmware ( the player has an ethernet port , so updates are easy ) . The player also sports the same Vieracast interface as the Panasonic high def TVs . It's a nice feature , but it's rather slow and lacks Netflix support . The unit is fairly solid , although disc tray does feel like it could be a little stronger ( it wouldn't take much to break it off ) . The reception of the remote receiver could also be better , as the remote needs to pretty much be pointed directly at it to receive the signal ( other AV components seem to work better bouncing the IR signal off of a wall ) . The unit lacks the 7.1 outputs on the back , but if you have a TV that can take advantage of the 1080p signal and a moderately new receiver , this shouldn't be an issue ; you should be using HDMI anyway . Overall , it's a very nice unit , and I can't complain for the price .
093 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This player may not have all the bells and whistles of some of the higher priced models , but for $127 ( minus a $30 Amazon VOD creadit ) it's a great player . The Vieracast has Amazon Video on Demand , YouTube , Picasa , the weather , and Bloomberg business news , and hopefully they'll add more content in the near future . I am going to upload more pictures to Picasa . . . they look amazing on the big TV screen .
But really , the main reason to get a blu ray is for the blu ray movies . The picture quality really is sooooo much better than a regular DVD . Stunning . Spectacular .
The Panasonic BD60 is a great player . It automatically checked for a firmware update , and downloaded and installed it in a matter of a few minutes . I haven't experienced any of the freeze ups others have , so maybe this firmware update was all it needed .
You will need an ethernet cable to connect this player to the internet . It does not have wireless like other higher priced models do , but I'm told ethernet is faster than wireless on a blu ray player . If you want to use BD Live , you'll need to buy at least a 1 GB SD card to install in the player . I also had to allow the player to format the SD card before any content could be downloaded to it .
I'm so glad I bought this player , and with the $30 Amazon VOD credit , I'll be able to rent or even buy a bunch of movies and Tv shows .
095 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This is my 2nd Blu-ray player . My first was a basic Memorex unit which has now moved upstairs .
Thus far , this is one of those rare products which I can find few faults with , especially for the price . Buying it from Amazon is a no-brainer as you get $30 worth of on-demand video with the package .
I have the BD60 hooked up to a Pioneer Elite AV Receiver feeding a 65 Hitachi television set . Both the standard DVD and Blu-Ray picture are fantastic . The upconversion works very well , I notice a signifcant picture improvement for standard DVD's versus the Memorex .
Standard DVD loading is nearly instant . Blu_ray takes a bit longer but is far faster than the Memorex . The menus for navigation and setup are very intuitive .
Although most BluRay players now offer this , the ability to hook up to an internet connection is almost a must have . The BluRay consortium is far more concerned about making the studios happy than they are the customers and are constantly changing encryption so as to mandate firmware updates to your BD player . With the Memorex I often found that a new BD disc required a firmware upgrade which was a major pain to apply . The Panasonic is always connected so it handles these update automatically .
The Amazon on demand feature is really great . Although Comca $ t offers a lot of on demand , Amazon is less expensive with a larger library . I do notice that some of the SD titles ( i.e . IceAge 3 ) are a bit washed out versus watching from disc . The HD titles are very good quality . I did notice that when watching HD there were a few occasions when the network buffer needed to catch up . I am using a Netlink device which sends signal via home wiring . In any event , you want to provide as fast a link as you can .
104 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Our old Dell plasma quit on us last month and Dell refuses to sell parts to repair their TVs so our choices boiled down to buying a new set or quit watching TV altogether . We picked out a TV ( Panasonic 42 - inch G10 plasma ) and , low and behold , Amazon threw this Blu-ray player into the deal for free . After a short period of deliberation ( lasting one second ) we decided against quitting TV watching and jumped on it .
The blu-ray discs we have played were very good . The surprise was that it plays DVDs almost just as well . I do not know whether this is because of the higher quality display or if the player does a particularly good job of upconverting . The DVDs we played showed a markedly better picture when compared to the old setup which was an Oppo player hooked up to the 720p Dell plasma . Anyway , if you are using this unit with a 1080P display , your DVDs are going to look really good .
Amazon gave us a five dollar credit to try out their Video on Demand service . We gave it a try and watched an episode of ' The Office ' in HD . Our player is hooked up to a wired network and our DSL internet connection speed is middling . The playback was flawless with no buffering at all . Absolutely perfect . However , the service is too expensive to use very much .
SOCIAL COMMENTARY : I wonder where all of these digital gizmos and high def entertainments are taking us . I am pretty sure I can keep it in perspective because I grew up before the Onslaught . But I'm worried about the Post-Onslaught crowd .
I'm giving this four stars instead of five because it does not yet connect to the Netflix streaming service . We have a Netflix subscription and we want to use it with our TV but we can't . And we can't buy a Roku player either because if we did then Panasonic would announce Netflix functionality for this product first thing in the morning the next day . So that's where it sits . But we are happy anyway . Thanks to Amazon for the good deal .
UPDATE : If your TV has a VGA port and you have a laptop with an open VGA port , you can watch Netflix instant movies on your TV using your laptop as the data source . Get a VGA cable long enough to go from wherever you will place your laptop to the VGA port on your TV ( you can get one cheap from Amazon ) . On your computer , go into your display settings and set it to multiple screens . Then set your TV display setting to get data from the VGA port . Then start your Netflix movie on the laptop and it will be shown on the TV simultaneously . You can use your laptop speakers for sound or you can connect your laptop sound card to somewhere on the TV or your receiver . Its pretty clunky but it works . My setup is a laptop with a wired network connection , a good video card , and a 1080p plasma TV and the picture was very good .
If you have a laptop with a DVI port and your TV has an open HDMI port , you can connect with a ' DVI to HDMI ' cable and I would presume that this would give you an even better picture although I have not tried this .
UPDATE DATED 11 / 13 / 2009 : I notice that now Netflix shows on their website that the followed branded Blu-ray players support their streaming service : Insignia , LG , Samsung and Sony . See anybody missing here ? Get with it Panasonic or you'll end up out in the cold .
UPDATE DATED 11 - 27 - 2009 : Lost patience and went to Best Buy on Black Friday and got a deal on an Insignia player that connects to Netflix . So now we have two players . If Panasonic does not provide a Netflix upgrade within a few months , we'll sell it . If they do , we will probably sell the Insignia . In any event , we are hooked up and will soon be cancelling our cable service thus saving money in the interin and beyond . Next task is to get OTA ( over-the-air via antenna ) reception set up for live local programming . We are on a glidepath to a place called Economical Entertainment .
UPDATE DATED 11 - 29 - 2009 : We now have 50 very nice movies in our instant Netflix que and have watched a handful of them . The resolution is much better when they stream directly to your TV than when hooking your laptop up to your TV . You can find quite a few very worthy instant movies on Netflix if you take the time to learn the ropes .
106 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Hi . I am the polar opposite of a techie . I am completely new to HDTVs and Blu-Ray Discs . I bought this player because of the great reviews it received , and because of the AMAZING price .
I love it . The picture quality is excellent . Everything looks like it is in 3 - D . The picture is so crisp and sharp and bright and simply amazing . I think it does a very nice job of upconverting regular , non-blu-ray DVDs .
Unfortunately for me , it does not eliminate the motion blur problem I have with my new Samsung HDTV ( a TV that advertises its auto motion plus blur reduction feature ! ) .
The load time took some getting used to . I'm very impatient , and will need to adjust to this . Are all blu-ray players like that ? I have no idea .
Overall , I'm very happy with it though and have already highly recommended it to friends . Believe it or not , there is an another model of Panasonic Blu-ray player sold on Amazon that is a combination Blu-Ray / VHS player . I still have a bunch of videocassettes in my home . It was either pay too much money to have them converted , never watch them again as long as I live , or buy this player . So I think that will be my next purchase .
108 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I have owned this Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-Ray Disc player for a little over a month now . This is my first Blu-ray Disc player . My experience with this product is categorized as follows .
PURCHASE : The purchase was smooth and the product arrived very quickly . BUT there was one thing had I known before I purchased , I would have NOT bought this product from Ritz Camera who was the Amazon Marketplace seller . Ritz Camera has a VERY LOUSY return policy , which includes a 15% restocking fee . This means that if I did not like the way the product performed and returned it , I would be out of 15% and the cost of shipping it back . BEFORE PURCHASING A PRODUCT FROM AN AMAZON MARKETPLACE VENDOR REVIEW THE RETURN POLICY OF THE VENDOR . My recommendation in general is to buy the product only when it is being sold directly by Amazon .
SETUP : The setup was easy and straight-forward . I used an HDMI cable to connect to my flat-screen TV , and a optical audio cable to connect the audio output to my Yamaha 7.1 receiver . This player ONLY has an optical digital audio out , no coaxial . I had the player connected and was watching a DVD within 15 minutes .
PICTURE QUALITY : I have a Sharp Aquos 65 LCD TV . I only own DVDs so far as this is my first Blu-ray player . The picture quality of the DVD with the 1080p up-conversion is excellent on the big screen , with no picture noise .
REMOTE CONTROL : The remote control has medium sized buttons that are easy to navigate with the naked eye even for someone like myself who needs reading glasses .
NETWORK : I connected the player to my WiFi network using a Linksys wireless gaming adapter , and the player connected with no problems , and I was even able to upgrade the firmware to a newer version over the internet . I now have an issue after the upgrade . The player will not connect to the internet any longer . I have not had a chance to call customer service on this issue . After I do I will come back and revise this review .
OVERALL : Overall I am very satisfied with this product , and would recommend it .
112 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This blu ray player is an awesome addition to my home theater set up ! It does as a blu ray player should and so much more . . . Make sure when you receive your player to update the firmware as it performs noticeably better with it updated . I've had this player for a few weeks now and have watched more than 10 movies , dvds and blu rays discs , on it since then . . . The upconversion of dvd movies on this player is amazing and brings dvds almost up to blu ray quality depending on the transfer . Blu rays also perform outstanding with the video quality and the audio . I currently have this connected via optical cable to my receiver and movies haven't sounded any clearer . . . It's nice and small . . . the remote works great and has options to program the volume for your receiver and the volume , channel , power and input control for your HDTV . . . I recommended this player to a friend who immediately purchased this player as his first blu ray player and he's been loving everything about it as well . No wifi output but that isn't a problem for me because I do all my youtube watching on my computer and only connect my player to the internet when I know there is a firmware update . . . All in all great blu ray player and for the price you can't beat it !
114 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I was looking for a blu ray player to complete my home theatre colection which include
Mitsubishi hc 1600 projector
Panasonic plasma
panasonic home theatre
toshiba hd player
The toshiba hd player was good but i needed a blu ray player since hd movies
was no longer available for new movies .
The picture quality of the panasonic player was excellent . surprisingly
ordinary dvd player look much better than on the hd player .
In addition movies in tv format 4 : 3 can be displayed in widescreen format .
The sound quality is excellent . My home theatre ( Panasonic sc - ht4o )
does not have hdmi so i connect it using the optical digital cable
and the sound is excellent .
If you are interested in good picture and sound at an
affordable cost this is the player to buy .
118 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I feel , I did a reasonable amount of research on Blu-rey players before making this purchase . For my own personal requirements this item fits my needs . I also felt it had one of the best overall reputations for support , picture quality and sound quality . However , I really have no other Blu-rey player on hand to do a side by side comparison . So my comments are simply that my comments . I whole-heartily agree with what most of my research revealed . This is a very good Blu-rey player and in my mind has excellent picture and sound quality . I would highly recommend this unit if it fits you needs , requirements and desirements .
120 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This is my first BD player and after a lot of online researching I decided on this Panasonic model . I'm using it in my home theater viewing through a Philips CRT HDTV and listening through a Yamaha 5.1 receiver with Sony speakers and sub all VERY common moderately priced components . My living room is not overly large so the sound and video coverage is more than adequate in the viewing area .
Setting up the player was easy as was upgrading it to the latest firmware via internet . This player does not have built in wifi so I just set a wireless bridge to my router . This was easier for me than running cat5 cable .
Getting everything hooked up was very easy using HDMI .
There are a lot of audio options if you're connecting digitally and very few if you're using analog . This is one area of this player that could be a little confusing if you're using toslink or SPDIF to connect to your receiver instead of HDMI . Picking an audio mode that will give maximum performance with your equipment might take some fiddling . Video connection and mode selection was very easy since the player lists all of the modes that your television will support via it's HDMI input .
The remote control works well and it was easy to get it to work as a somewhat limited control for my TV and receiver . It can change the channel and adjust the volume but that's about it for those components . The control surface seems to be reasonably well designed .
Most of the time the menus for setup and operation are pretty fast . Sometimes they are very fast and sometimes not but overall the player is reasonably responsive to commands via remote . There are also some limited front panel controls for playback , eject and power .
On the front under a flip down cover there is a place for an SD card and a USB port . I have not tested the USB yet but the SD works well for showing pictures on the TV . It's also needed for memory if you wish to use BD Live features . Any spare SD card should probably work ok for this and I'm using a 1GB card .
Picture quality is really very nice . I'm amazed that my 5 year old television looks this good . Blu-ray is a dramatic upgrade from DVD when watching movies even on only a 32 inch screen . The detail of the picture is spectacular and the video seems to be mostly free of compression artifacts . Explosions and fire look great .
This player has some internet functionality that's useful . The customizable weather report and Bloomberg news are handy . You Tube is somewhat a mixed bag . Entering data into the search engine function via the keypad is tedious and the picture is shown in a frame ( not full screen ) . This is probably good due to the sometimes low quality of You Tube . Navigation / playback functions are limited too . But this feature does work ok and streaming worked fine for me without any hiccups . I found it best to just add videos to my favorites via my computer and then watching them later on TV . Also they do have some hot lists with popular content that's easy to access . I have not tested the Amazon streaming service yet .
Regular DVD's play back really nicely on this player and they upscale well . Audio CD playback works nicely too .
122 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
First thing I did was update the firmware . Have not had any problems so far . I haven't noticed any delay in playing discs , at least none that are not normal for any dvd . I have a Panasonic HD TV so the remote and features go together which is really nice . I'm enjoying Blu-ray very much , the picture and sound are awesome . I'm not that impressed with Amazon VOD though , to many problems with the high def movies and I've read it's not true 1080p and digital sound . But I'm not basing my review on that since it's not the reason I bought the player .
125 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I have had this since Nov of 09 and it has worked flawlessly . The dvd upconvert makes regular dvds look almost like blu rays . And my blu rays play perfectly . So far no freezes or any problems what so ever . The amazon on demand is amazing and the you tube is fun . I say you should buy this player and I plan on buying this model for friends and family .
127 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
The player itself gets five stars , but I've seen it at local stores as a special sale item for $99 . Be sure to check your local Ultimate and Best Buy before you pick this one up . The player itself is outstanding .
Amazon had a promotion to get $30 worth of free online movies played through the player which totally made it worth it . Linking your Amazon account to this player is a snap , and 720p high def movies stream directly to the unit . Very few connection hiccups , and outstanding sound and video quality ( my Internet service is > 10Mbit , so your mileage may vary ) . Just be aware that your Amazon HIGH DEF rentals CANNOT be viewed on your PC and must be streamed to the player . Found that out after I tried to finish a movie on my computer that I had started earlier .
The first disc set I purchased was Planet Earth , and I highly recommend it . The player is everything you'd want for $120 . Be aware that there is only an optical 5.1 sound output , and no coax . As usual for players at this end of the market , NO INCLUDED HDMI cable . Do yourself a favor and buy one online . They cost about 1 / 10th of what they do in stores .
Menu responsiveness is acceptable , but not anywhere as nice as a PS3 .
129 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I can't believe Amazon gave me this player for $124.99 . I feel like I stole it . The picture and audio quality rivals that of very expensive players . I'm very happy with this purchase and I may just have to start looking harder at Panasonic products . Very impressed ! It's products like this that will help push more Blu-ray movies out of the door at retailers .
131 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This unit works fine . It does freeze once in a blue moon due to the low refresh rate . The biggest complaint is that in order to select subtitles you have to go through several button selections to get there . It would have been nice to have a subtitle button on the remote . You can't beat the price for what you get . I bought two of these and have been pleased .
133 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Got good price here on Amazon . Player works great . If you press stop , it goes back to the beginning of the DVD . Remote can be confusing . I bought this to play Blue ray disks . I don't care to much about all the special features . It does exactly what I bought it for and does it well . Plays every DVD I've ever put in it . Would recommend to my friends . Great price and good player .
135 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Great blue ray player . I have last years model ( bd35 ) & they both work perfect . This one ( bd60 ) was only 1 / 2 the price of last years model . Installation was a snap . Would buy another one if I needed another blue ray player . Plug in your electric plug and a HDMI cable & your done.I bought a Mediabridge Ultra Series cable on Amazon & it works just as good as my Monster cable on the other player for 1 / 4 the price !
137 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I bought this Panny Blu-Ray for myself about 2 months ago . Very simple firmware update over the net . Not only does this unit have unbeatable blu-ray video quality , but the upconversion of standard DVDs is truly outstanding . I was so impressed with this blu-ray player , I bought 2 more as Christmas gifts .
The only drawbacks for the videophile are the lack of Netflix and the slow load times seen in nearly all blu-ray players . For this price , I can accept these shortfalls . I am hoping Netflix will be added for this unit at a later date .
139 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Great product . It was delivered 2 weeks ago . Works great and gives excellent pictures even for ' old ' DVDs . It talks to my TV via HDMI and to the internet ( did a firmware update first thing ) . Setup is easy . No complaints so far .
141 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I've had this player for a few months now and have had nothing but excellent performance . While it does take a little bit longer than most players ( from what I have read ) to load up a disc , the price of the player makes up for it . The picture and sound quality are second to none , using 24 frame playback mode makes everything look so smooth and crisp . I have friends that can't wait to come over and check out new blu-ray releases on my 46 Panasonic plasma and they can't every stop talking about how awesome the picture looks . The sound is equally amazing and if I had a receiver with some of the new codecs it would blow me away even more . The up-converting on the player does a fantastic job and as one of my friends said the other day when we were watching a regular DVD he couldn't believe that it wasn't in HD . I'm so satisfied with this player I've purchased a 2nd one for my parents for Christmas . You really can't go wrong with this player .
I have only run into one playback issue and that was with Crank 2 . The picture wouldn't come up when it got to the menu of the movie , but with a few tries I got it to work . They do a good job of keeping it up to date with new firmware updates and like others have said if you have a SD card in the player it helps out with most playback issues you should have .
143 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
First of all , with all electronics always update firmware . Second , in the winter months unpack the device and let stand unwraped until the unit reaches room tenperature before plugging it in . Temperature changes can cause condensation inside electronics causing it to malfunction or reduce the life of the unit .
Third , all electronics need a burn in period , reaching peak operating temperature for a sustained period of time before optimal performance . ( watch a few movies before rating the unit )
This unit does not have coaxial out , it uses an optical out port for Surround . Not a big deal , optical works just as good . If your not using HDMI make sure you pick up a optical cable .
My Harman / Kardan A / V reciever will not transfer audio thru HDMI , I must use optical for both Component video or HDMI .
I had to check the manuel for my A / V 154 5.1 channel reciever before plugging this unit in .
when all else fails , read the directions
This unit has beautiful picture and sound quality ! And works as described ! Period .
147 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I recently decided to buy a Blue-ray player , only because they've come down so much in price . I bought the first one at Best Buy for the living room because they were selling it at $129.99 . After loving it , I went on Amazon to learn that they had it for the same price after BB raised theirs by $30 . I bought one for my parents and another one for bedroom . So after purchasing 3 of these , I highly recommend you take advantage of the pricing and offers . It also came in a day earlier than expected ! In case it matters , they're being used on a 42 Samsung Plasma 720p / 1080i , 50 Samsung 1080p , and a 37 Panasonic LCD 720p .
I'd say the only con , is that unlike it's Samsung equivalents Panasonic doesn't come Netflix or Blockbuster ready . Though none of the Samsung blue-ray players had the reviews anything close to what this player .
156 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I've seen reviews complaining about the wireless connections . I contacted Panasonic direct to ask them if I could use the wireless adapter I have for my DTV receiver . They said yes and they were right . I unhooked my wireless adapter from my DTV receiver into this DVD player and have already downloaded the version of V I missed this week . Took no time to download and started playing instantly . I didn't need an SD card inserted like a couple of reviews said I would need . I think this is one feature of this player I'm greatly going to use . I don't particularly like DTVs video on Demand and if I have to I'll just keep switching this back & forth until the price of purchasing another one of these adapters comes down . $80 - $90 is still too high for me to spend on another one of these adapters . There may be other adapters you can connect more than 1 device but with the economy the way it is , I'm making do with what I have now . Can't believe I was able to get Blu-Ray but the price on this one was too good to pass up .
We did watch one Blu-ray DVD last night and it hung briefly one time . Not enough to mess up watching the show . I don't know if this will be the norm but for the price I paid $119 ( with gift card I can't complain . This is definitely a good low-budget player .
This is definitely a good model for beginners ( like me ) as my husband had it hooked up in no time and I had it connected to the internet quickly too .
158 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This was my first Blu-ray player purchase . Got it for $136 with $50 Amazon gift certificates from banks reward program , jus couldn't pass on it . The pic quality is excellent , I haven't had any problems with load time for blu ray or dvd , they start right up . Good deal if you can get under $200 , worth more tho , thanks Amazon .
162 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
my first and only experience with a blu-ray player and i'm glad i purchased this one . i guess sometimes it loads a little slowly , but not that big of a deal to me . i have no lagging problems that some complain about either .
182 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
The only negative thing I can say about this player is that it is slow to turn on and off . I upgraded from a 1st generation DVD Player , so the slower times may be the norm and I just don't know any better ? Other than that , it's a great player at a great price !
184 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Very pleased with the performance of the Panasonic blu ray player . Not only great to watching blu ray movies on it but also upconverts standard dvd's to look great as well .
186 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I've had this player since November and it's been a very good player . The amazon VOD has been a nice bonus . The picture quality is terrific and I haven't had major problems , only a temporary minor one with some audio / video that didn't synch near the closing credits of a disc .
Great value and the player generally just works .
188 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I am very happy with this player . Setup was very easy and was playing HD quality within 1 / 2 hour of taking it out of the box . Excellant quality picture and sound . Still learning how to use all of the features
190 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
If you are looking for a nice Blu Ray player at a really good buy , then this is the player for you . I use the HDMI hookup directly into my HDTV and use the optical audio cable to my receiver for the surround sound . You can't go wrong however you use the audio as you will get great audio through the HDMI hookup . I have an older receiver that still sounds terrific , but does not have the HDMI hookups . Either way , this player puts out crystal clear and powerful sound . Very nice . The picture quality is outstanding as you should expect with a Blu Ray player . I am impressed with how the player handles DVDs . They come out looking beautiful and better than ever . Some Blue Rays in the past have had problems with DVDs , but not this one . You can't beat the stylish sleek look to this player either .
There are a few down sides , but they are minimal and should not effect your decision to buy the player . The remote is a little difficult for me to navigate . It seems you have three different menu buttons that all do one thing or another and it took me awhile to get the hang of it . No problems now , but it might be slightly frustrating at first . I have encoutered minimal freezing problems . I have had it freeze on two Blu Ray movies and it was only for about 3 to four seconds and resumed playing fine , so not an issue anymore since all the players you buy now , will have the needed updates already loaded on the player . I have experienced no load time for DVDs and maybe 30 seconds at most for most BDs . Not bad really . Also , there is no SD card in the box , so you might want to consider that when purchasing . I don't have one , but I only use it to play movies , so it will depend on what you want the player to do .
The Player does have wireless capabilities , but I don't utilize that so I am unable to comment on its performance in that area . In short , if you are looking for a value that plays cyrstal clear movies and audio than this is your player . It looks great on the shelf and works wonderfully out of the box . I highly recommend it . For the quality and value , you will be hard pressed to beat it .
196 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
If you just want the basic features of a blu-ray player this is the best value .
198 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
An excellent entry-level Blu-ray player . Outstanding picture quality . Somewhat slow response times , but not a major drawback .
201 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This unit has some drawbacks including very slow load time and some glitches during scene change . All of the BluRay movies I have watched so far ( including rental and purchased ) have problems changing scemes and a very long initial load time . Since this is the only Bluray set I have used I can't be sure they all don't do the same thing .
The particular unit I bought was a refurb and turned out to still be defective . The sound circuit shuts down after about 30 of play and will not return until you remove the disk and restart from the beginning . The company is sending a new unit at this time and I hope the problem will be solved .
As for the picture : It is without a doubt the best picture I have ever seen on my High Def TV . Panasonic offers an amazing picture .
203 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I purchased a Panasonic G15 42 last fall from Amazon and love the TV , but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with Blu Ray so we purchased this BD player based on Amazon reviews and price . From my point of view the thing works great and looks great . Yea , it isn't as fast coming on and responding as the old DVD player we had , but not enough to bother me . If my budget for this kind of thing was unlimited I would have loved to have the OPPO , but it isn't . Personally I don't see much difference between 1080 P and the 1080i of my cable dvr so an unlimited budget would probably be wasted on me anyway .
211 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
The Panasonic aarrived in great time from Amazon and has worked flawlessly since.The picture quality and adjustability are exellent and it looks great on my 37 inch Sharp HD TV . My only complaint is that the upconversion of tthe BD player does not seem to allow SD material transferred through the HDMI connection to be stretched without significant loss on the the sides ( unlike my older player ) . The Sharp TV itself does a better job of upconversion when given a 480i signal via component video . I also noted some blurring and blocking on some fast moving images on DVD that are not present from my older DVD player . On the HD front however the picture is spectacular even at 720 p and 1080i . No complaint there ! For $149.00 this is an awesome BD player . Fully recommended !
213 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Panasonic DMP-BD60 blu ray player is amazing - with great sound and picture quality and a great price . I have had no problems of picture freezing and I did not upgrade to any software . Even the regular DVD upconversion is great . I do not think I can watch any movies without Blu-ray anymore ! . The only drawback is that it takes atleast 10 sec . for the player to open for placing the dvd and quite slow to read the disc . I wish that the player was faster to read the dvd . On the whole , the DVD player is mind-blowing . I use it with the Plasma Panasonic 50 Viera TV ( which is also a 5 - star TV ) and with a 5.1 home theater system with Klipsh speakers and a Yamaha receiver .
217 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
So far so good , this is my first Blue-Ray but its very easy to set up and players great . The 1080 upconvert on regular DVD's is not the best but what do you want at this price . Overall picture is great for Blue Ray Disc's .
225 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This player works terrific with BluRays . Picture is the best you can hope for . As for the Upscaling of the DVD's , here it lacks . I think the problem is that it's upscaling the DVD too much . It makes the DVD's have jagged edges around people or objects in the movie . Where as my Xbox upscale on the same movie will look 50X better . This was with Transformers 2 DVD that I tested this with . So upscaling is not equal for each player . Also , the BluRays do load very slowly so do not be in a hurry . But as far as BluRay playback the player works great . I updated the firmware to 2.2 as soon as I got it . Zero problems with it so far . Remote is great as well as is the quality of the player . Nicely built all around . Right now minus the Netflix feature , this is the best player to get until they come out with new versions .
233 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I shall state up front that this is my first Blue-Ray player and have owned it for one month . The picture it displays on my 46 - inch Samsung LCD TV is beautiful . After much research on the TV and player , I was expecting great results . I have them . Blue-ray playback is astounding . The DVD resolution upscaling is truly amazing . Mind you , my viewing is on a screen where flaws are easily discernible . What's really surprising is even compressed ( avg 70% ) , backup copies of movies I own look fantastic ! My only gripes are : 1 ) the player's startup is slow ( the time it takes to turn on , open the tray and start reading the disc , but again , this is my first Blue-Ray player so maybe it's no slower than other players and I'm just being impatient . 2 ) The Open Tray button sticks a bit , sometimes requiring a second or third push on the console ( but not the remote ) . This isn't annoying enough to warrant return to the seller . Internet connectivity offers data streaming ( eg . news , weather , sports and stocks ) . I don't care about that . Video streaming is something to consider . This unit is not Netflix compatible but does offer Amazon Videos which I tried and works well over 5Gbs cable . In comparision , Netflix upper echelon memberships are a much better deal , so you should decide if you'd rather a Netflix player . Once again , this did not influence my decision . I wasn't looking for a unit with bells and whistles . I wanted a Blue-ray player that produces great disc playback and upscaling , and that's what I have . Panasonic ( IMHO ) has always produced quality electronics . I have never shyed away from its products and would choose over contendor Sony and Toshiba players . This unit definitely lives up to my expectations . At sale price of $140 on Amazon , it's a great bargain . I highly recommend this disc player .
237 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
this is a great blu ray player for the money . only downfall is its not wifi . but does have an ethernet port .
240 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I have several Panasonic products and when I decided I wanted a reliable Blu-ray Disk Player , I decided to go to a reliable firm and went with Panasonic . I have only owned it for 3 weeks and I am extremely pleased with my purchase .
242 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Arrived on time , great price and a solid player . Jumped right on the home network and updated . Picture quality is excellent , would be the perfect player if it was linked up with netflix but I guess that would be the next model up . I'd def buy again .
244 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This is a quality product at a very good price . I would highly recommend it .
249 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This Blu Ray player is a solid device .
I purchased with the 50 Viera G15 and the two integrate perfectly .
My road runner remote controls everything as well once the products are set up .
Access to online HD movies , You tube , and Viera cast ( coming ) is supported .
Also a slot for flash card up to 16GB as well as USB .
Very happy with this purchase : )
251 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Simply put , this is the best player you can get for the price it's selling at . Just as good as the 300 - 500 dollar players . I've had it for 6 weeks and love it . Good response time , picture and audio quality are excellent . DVDs look fantastic on it as well . I've compared the blu-ray and dvd of the same movies I own and the quality is nearly as good . Ironically it makes buying blu-rays seem unnecessary . Highly recommended !
256 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I read the previous reviews which helped a great deal . I found the best price on Amazon and it was here in about 2 days . Easy to set up ( we are not techies . Very happy and would recommend it .
258 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I am an early adopter of BluRay . My first player was a pansonic BD - 30 , which was a great Bluray V1.0 player . I upgraded to BD - 60 after reading the reviews in [ . . . ] . The audio in BD - 60 is outstanding , and excellent upgrade from BD - 30 . Response time is faster than BD - 30 . I played some movies from Amazon VOD , and quality was excellent . Make sure you have a good wired connection to the Internet . The only complain is the freezing issue reported by many users . Apparently the latest and greatest firmware fixes this issue . I am yet to upgrade the firware to the latest version . I have seen the freezing a few times . Movie freezes for 15 secs and will start again . It freezes only with some movies and may be only once in a movie . I recently got a PS3 on Black friday . I compared both PS3 and BD - 60 side by side . The results : No question , BD - 60 wins hands down in both audio and video quality . I use PS3 only for Netflix streaming . If Panasonic provided Netflix streaming it would be a great feature and a full package . Many bluray players support both Amazon VOD and netflix . But considering the audio / video quality of this player , I dont mind the absence of Netflix streaming .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
The Panasonic DMP-BD60 is a good entry level Blu-ray player . It doesn't have every bell and whistle some of the pricier players have , but it seems to be much better equipped than the other Blu-ray players in the same price range I looked at . I've been using it for a couple of months now and I'm pleased with the performance for the price . The DVD performance is excellent . Blu-ray performance , while very good overall , can be a bit twitchy . I'm splitting the difference between Blu-ray and DVD performance , giving it four stars .
Here are what I consider some highlights :
- Top-notch DVD performance
- Blu-ray audio and video take home entertainment to a new level of quality , but you might have to put up with some quirky behavior from this player on Blu-ray discs
- Low priced , but not completely stripped down
- Small footprint and thin profile ; it doesn't draw a lot of attention to itself
- Mechanically quiet
- Easy to read front panel display that includes current chapter / track
- If you are unsure about investing in Blu-ray , this is a good low-cost way to dip your toe in the water
For a more long-winded description with observations and opinions , read on :
I'll start with the bad . I purchased the movie Up on Blu-ray and invited friends over to see it , none of whom own a Blu-ray player and were very interested in seeing the movie . I put it on and eight minutes went by before the main menu appeared ! People were yawning and making cracks about how great Blu-ray is . I was a bit embarrassed . I should have made a test run before screening it . Once the movie started , they did comment on how terrific and almost three dimensional it looked . I didn't encounter the long wait with subsequent viewings of that particular disc . I'm not entirely sure if the problem was with the disc , the player , the network connection or some combination of the three . I also experienced a couple of brief freezes on other titles . According to other reviews I have read , this is a potential problem with this player . The freezes didn't last long ( around four or five seconds ) , and it has only happened twice . I played the discs a second time where the freeze occurred and it didn't happen again . Not a huge issue , but it shouldn't happen at all and I shouldn't have to test discs ahead of time when screening them for friends . These problems were only with Blu-ray discs . I should add that the player has a 2G SD card installed , is internet connected ( broadband ) and has the latest firmware updates . Beyond this , I haven't encountered any other performance issues . Blu-ray discs take slightly longer to load than DVDs , but not to the point where I feel impatient , except the first time I ran Up .
Now for the good ; DVD performance has been flawless . Images look slightly sharper and brighter than they did from my old player . I'm skeptical upscaling has anything to do with it . The type of connection to your TV is important . There are three ways to do it . Composite , Component or HDMI . Composite video ( single plug ) will only give you 480i resolution . Component video ( separate RGB plugs ) will give you resolution up to 720p or 1080i . HDMI gives you up to full 1080P , assuming your TV supports this resolution . If it doesn't , don't worry . I have an observation about that later in the review . I've used this player with both component and HDMI connection to my TV . The HDMI connection provides a couple of additional features I wasn't expecting . When I hit play ; the TV automatically switches to the correct input . Nice . The other and most important feature ; everything is automatically displayed in the correct aspect ratio . To me , this is almost a bigger benefit than the increased resolution from Blu-ray and worth the price of admission all by itself . No more changing the screen settings on the TV from 4 : 3 to full , or zoom depending upon the disc contents . I'm a stickler for having the correct aspect ratio and corresponding screen setting , so I really like not having to mess around with that anymore . I would assume it works this way on most flat panel HDTVs and it works for both DVD and Blu-ray .
Blu-ray audio seems a little more life-like and detailed than DVDs or CD audio . I have a pre-HDMI A / V receiver , so I'm using an optical connection for the audio . I made a direct comparison between the digital audio on a Criterion Collection Laserdisc of 2001 : A Space Odyssey and the Blu-ray version . On Blu-ray , the orchestra had a little more sense of atmosphere and presence than the standard digital audio on the laserdisc . I'm not a super-fussy audiophile , but it is nice to hear an improvement in sound quality . I've noticed this on all the Blu-ray discs I've played . 2001 was the only title I had on hand , in a different format , where I could make a direct comparison . On this particular player , you have a choice of HDMI , Digital ( Coaxial / optical ) or analog stereo ( L / R ) for audio output . More expensive players feature multiple analog outputs for Dolby 5.1 and 7.1 . This might be handy if you have a receiver that doesn't support HDMI but has multichannel analog audio inputs . My receiver has this , but I'm very satisfied with the sound quality from the single optical connection and the cost savings on the player were worth it .
Another nice feature on this player is VIERA CAST . When connected to the internet , you can use the player to look at weather conditions and forecasts , access video on demand from Amazon , look at on-line Picasa web photo albums and watch YouTube videos . I already have these features ( and more ) on my TiVo HD ,
TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder
so it's redundant for me , but it's something you will really enjoy if you don't already have some form of internet access on your TV or a device connected to it . Speaking of internet access , the only way to connect this is through an Ethernet jack on the back of the player . There is a USB port on the front , but if I understand the instructions correctly , it is only for data such as mp3s and jpegs . More expensive players feature Wi-Fi or USB ports to connect a wireless hub . The direct Ethernet connection is faster and more reliable than a wireless connection , but you have a cord to deal with . There is probably some kind of wireless workaround , but I didn't investigate it . Once again , for the lower cost of the player , this limitation isn't an issue for me , but it is something to consider if you want this to be continuously hooked up to the internet and your modem and / or router aren't in the same room .
To sum it up , I would consider this one really terrific DVD player that also happens to play Blu-ray .
As mentioned earlier , here's a note about resolution . 1080p or not 1080p ? That is the question . I think the 1080p number is overused as a selling point ; especially for TVs . All high definition displays are supposed to conform to high definition broadcast standards which are 720p or 1080i . 1080p isn't a broadcast standard and some newer low-cost TVs and nearly all TVs manufactured before 2006 don't support it . What's the difference ? My personal experience is not much on an average flat panel TV . I have a 42 inch plasma display and tested the difference between 1080i and 1080p . With 1080p resolution , small diagonal lines appeared a little smoother than they did with 1080i . This was the only difference I could see and I was standing two feet from the screen with my strongest reading glasses on to see it ! It's unnoticeable from a normal viewing distance . It might become noticeable on screens larger than 50 inches . In other words , if you want to take full advantage of Blu-ray , don't think that you have to run out and buy a new TV that supports 1080p resolution if yours doesn't .
015 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
The Panasonic DMP-BD60 is a good entry level Blu-ray player . It doesn't have every bell and whistle some of the pricier players have , but it seems to be much better equipped than the other Blu-ray players in the same price range I looked at . I've been using it for a couple of months now and I'm pleased with the performance for the price . The DVD performance is excellent . Blu-ray performance , while very good overall , can be a bit twitchy . I'm splitting the difference between Blu-ray and DVD performance , giving it four stars .
Here are what I consider some highlights :
- Top-notch DVD performance
- Blu-ray audio and video take home entertainment to a new level of quality , but you might have to put up with some quirky behavior from this player on Blu-ray discs
- Low priced , but not completely stripped down
- Small footprint and thin profile ; it doesn't draw a lot of attention to itself
- Mechanically quiet
- Easy to read front panel display that includes current chapter / track
- If you are unsure about investing in Blu-ray , this is a good low-cost way to dip your toe in the water
For a more long-winded description with observations and opinions , read on :
I'll start with the bad . I purchased the movie Up on Blu-ray and invited friends over to see it , none of whom own a Blu-ray player and were very interested in seeing the movie . I put it on and eight minutes went by before the main menu appeared ! People were yawning and making cracks about how great Blu-ray is . I was a bit embarrassed . I should have made a test run before screening it . Once the movie started , they did comment on how terrific and almost three dimensional it looked . I didn't encounter the long wait with subsequent viewings of that particular disc . I'm not entirely sure if the problem was with the disc , the player , the network connection or some combination of the three . I also experienced a couple of brief freezes on other titles . According to other reviews I have read , this is a potential problem with this player . The freezes didn't last long ( around four or five seconds ) , and it has only happened twice . I played the discs a second time where the freeze occurred and it didn't happen again . Not a huge issue , but it shouldn't happen at all and I shouldn't have to test discs ahead of time when screening them for friends . These problems were only with Blu-ray discs . I should add that the player has a 2G SD card installed , is internet connected ( broadband ) and has the latest firmware updates . Beyond this , I haven't encountered any other performance issues . Blu-ray discs take slightly longer to load than DVDs , but not to the point where I feel impatient , except the first time I ran Up .
Now for the good ; DVD performance has been flawless . Images look slightly sharper and brighter than they did from my old player . I'm skeptical upscaling has anything to do with it . The type of connection to your TV is important . There are three ways to do it . Composite , Component or HDMI . Composite video ( single plug ) will only give you 480i resolution . Component video ( separate RGB plugs ) will give you resolution up to 720p or 1080i . HDMI gives you up to full 1080P , assuming your TV supports this resolution . If it doesn't , don't worry . I have an observation about that later in the review . I've used this player with both component and HDMI connection to my TV . The HDMI connection provides a couple of additional features I wasn't expecting . When I hit play ; the TV automatically switches to the correct input . Nice . The other and most important feature ; everything is automatically displayed in the correct aspect ratio . To me , this is almost a bigger benefit than the increased resolution from Blu-ray and worth the price of admission all by itself . No more changing the screen settings on the TV from 4 : 3 to full , or zoom depending upon the disc contents . I'm a stickler for having the correct aspect ratio and corresponding screen setting , so I really like not having to mess around with that anymore . I would assume it works this way on most flat panel HDTVs and it works for both DVD and Blu-ray .
Blu-ray audio seems a little more life-like and detailed than DVDs or CD audio . I have a pre-HDMI A / V receiver , so I'm using an optical connection for the audio . I made a direct comparison between the digital audio on a Criterion Collection Laserdisc of 2001 : A Space Odyssey and the Blu-ray version . On Blu-ray , the orchestra had a little more sense of atmosphere and presence than the standard digital audio on the laserdisc . I'm not a super-fussy audiophile , but it is nice to hear an improvement in sound quality . I've noticed this on all the Blu-ray discs I've played . 2001 was the only title I had on hand , in a different format , where I could make a direct comparison . On this particular player , you have a choice of HDMI , Digital ( Coaxial / optical ) or analog stereo ( L / R ) for audio output . More expensive players feature multiple analog outputs for Dolby 5.1 and 7.1 . This might be handy if you have a receiver that doesn't support HDMI but has multichannel analog audio inputs . My receiver has this , but I'm very satisfied with the sound quality from the single optical connection and the cost savings on the player were worth it .
Another nice feature on this player is VIERA CAST . When connected to the internet , you can use the player to look at weather conditions and forecasts , access video on demand from Amazon , look at on-line Picasa web photo albums and watch YouTube videos . I already have these features ( and more ) on my TiVo HD ,
TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder
so it's redundant for me , but it's something you will really enjoy if you don't already have some form of internet access on your TV or a device connected to it . Speaking of internet access , the only way to connect this is through an Ethernet jack on the back of the player . There is a USB port on the front , but if I understand the instructions correctly , it is only for data such as mp3s and jpegs . More expensive players feature Wi-Fi or USB ports to connect a wireless hub . The direct Ethernet connection is faster and more reliable than a wireless connection , but you have a cord to deal with . There is probably some kind of wireless workaround , but I didn't investigate it . Once again , for the lower cost of the player , this limitation isn't an issue for me , but it is something to consider if you want this to be continuously hooked up to the internet and your modem and / or router aren't in the same room .
To sum it up , I would consider this one really terrific DVD player that also happens to play Blu-ray .
As mentioned earlier , here's a note about resolution . 1080p or not 1080p ? That is the question . I think the 1080p number is overused as a selling point ; especially for TVs . All high definition displays are supposed to conform to high definition broadcast standards which are 720p or 1080i . 1080p isn't a broadcast standard and some newer low-cost TVs and nearly all TVs manufactured before 2006 don't support it . What's the difference ? My personal experience is not much on an average flat panel TV . I have a 42 inch plasma display and tested the difference between 1080i and 1080p . With 1080p resolution , small diagonal lines appeared a little smoother than they did with 1080i . This was the only difference I could see and I was standing two feet from the screen with my strongest reading glasses on to see it ! It's unnoticeable from a normal viewing distance . It might become noticeable on screens larger than 50 inches . In other words , if you want to take full advantage of Blu-ray , don't think that you have to run out and buy a new TV that supports 1080p resolution if yours doesn't .
016 4 The Panasonic DMP-BD60 is a good entry level Blu-ray player . It doesn't have every bell and whistle some of the pricier players have , but it seems to be much better equipped than the other Blu-ray players in the same price range I looked at . I've been using it for a couple of months now and I'm pleased with the performance for the price . The DVD performance is excellent . Blu-ray performance , while very good overall , can be a bit twitchy . I'm splitting the difference between Blu-ray and DVD performance , giving it four stars .
Here are what I consider some highlights :
- Top-notch DVD performance
- Blu-ray audio and video take home entertainment to a new level of quality , but you might have to put up with some quirky behavior from this player on Blu-ray discs
- Low priced , but not completely stripped down
- Small footprint and thin profile ; it doesn't draw a lot of attention to itself
- Mechanically quiet
- Easy to read front panel display that includes current chapter / track
- If you are unsure about investing in Blu-ray , this is a good low-cost way to dip your toe in the water
For a more long-winded description with observations and opinions , read on :
I'll start with the bad . I purchased the movie Up on Blu-ray and invited friends over to see it , none of whom own a Blu-ray player and were very interested in seeing the movie . I put it on and eight minutes went by before the main menu appeared ! People were yawning and making cracks about how great Blu-ray is . I was a bit embarrassed . I should have made a test run before screening it . Once the movie started , they did comment on how terrific and almost three dimensional it looked . I didn't encounter the long wait with subsequent viewings of that particular disc . I'm not entirely sure if the problem was with the disc , the player , the network connection or some combination of the three . I also experienced a couple of brief freezes on other titles . According to other reviews I have read , this is a potential problem with this player . The freezes didn't last long ( around four or five seconds ) , and it has only happened twice . I played the discs a second time where the freeze occurred and it didn't happen again . Not a huge issue , but it shouldn't happen at all and I shouldn't have to test discs ahead of time when screening them for friends . These problems were only with Blu-ray discs . I should add that the player has a 2G SD card installed , is internet connected ( broadband ) and has the latest firmware updates . Beyond this , I haven't encountered any other performance issues . Blu-ray discs take slightly longer to load than DVDs , but not to the point where I feel impatient , except the first time I ran Up .
Now for the good ; DVD performance has been flawless . Images look slightly sharper and brighter than they did from my old player . I'm skeptical upscaling has anything to do with it . The type of connection to your TV is important . There are three ways to do it . Composite , Component or HDMI . Composite video ( single plug ) will only give you 480i resolution . Component video ( separate RGB plugs ) will give you resolution up to 720p or 1080i . HDMI gives you up to full 1080P , assuming your TV supports this resolution . If it doesn't , don't worry . I have an observation about that later in the review . I've used this player with both component and HDMI connection to my TV . The HDMI connection provides a couple of additional features I wasn't expecting . When I hit play ; the TV automatically switches to the correct input . Nice . The other and most important feature ; everything is automatically displayed in the correct aspect ratio . To me , this is almost a bigger benefit than the increased resolution from Blu-ray and worth the price of admission all by itself . No more changing the screen settings on the TV from 4 : 3 to full , or zoom depending upon the disc contents . I'm a stickler for having the correct aspect ratio and corresponding screen setting , so I really like not having to mess around with that anymore . I would assume it works this way on most flat panel HDTVs and it works for both DVD and Blu-ray .
Blu-ray audio seems a little more life-like and detailed than DVDs or CD audio . I have a pre-HDMI A / V receiver , so I'm using an optical connection for the audio . I made a direct comparison between the digital audio on a Criterion Collection Laserdisc of 2001 : A Space Odyssey and the Blu-ray version . On Blu-ray , the orchestra had a little more sense of atmosphere and presence than the standard digital audio on the laserdisc . I'm not a super-fussy audiophile , but it is nice to hear an improvement in sound quality . I've noticed this on all the Blu-ray discs I've played . 2001 was the only title I had on hand , in a different format , where I could make a direct comparison . On this particular player , you have a choice of HDMI , Digital ( Coaxial / optical ) or analog stereo ( L / R ) for audio output . More expensive players feature multiple analog outputs for Dolby 5.1 and 7.1 . This might be handy if you have a receiver that doesn't support HDMI but has multichannel analog audio inputs . My receiver has this , but I'm very satisfied with the sound quality from the single optical connection and the cost savings on the player were worth it .
Another nice feature on this player is VIERA CAST . When connected to the internet , you can use the player to look at weather conditions and forecasts , access video on demand from Amazon , look at on-line Picasa web photo albums and watch YouTube videos . I already have these features ( and more ) on my TiVo HD ,
TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder
so it's redundant for me , but it's something you will really enjoy if you don't already have some form of internet access on your TV or a device connected to it . Speaking of internet access , the only way to connect this is through an Ethernet jack on the back of the player . There is a USB port on the front , but if I understand the instructions correctly , it is only for data such as mp3s and jpegs . More expensive players feature Wi-Fi or USB ports to connect a wireless hub . The direct Ethernet connection is faster and more reliable than a wireless connection , but you have a cord to deal with . There is probably some kind of wireless workaround , but I didn't investigate it . Once again , for the lower cost of the player , this limitation isn't an issue for me , but it is something to consider if you want this to be continuously hooked up to the internet and your modem and / or router aren't in the same room .
To sum it up , I would consider this one really terrific DVD player that also happens to play Blu-ray .
As mentioned earlier , here's a note about resolution . 1080p or not 1080p ? That is the question . I think the 1080p number is overused as a selling point ; especially for TVs . All high definition displays are supposed to conform to high definition broadcast standards which are 720p or 1080i . 1080p isn't a broadcast standard and some newer low-cost TVs and nearly all TVs manufactured before 2006 don't support it . What's the difference ? My personal experience is not much on an average flat panel TV . I have a 42 inch plasma display and tested the difference between 1080i and 1080p . With 1080p resolution , small diagonal lines appeared a little smoother than they did with 1080i . This was the only difference I could see and I was standing two feet from the screen with my strongest reading glasses on to see it ! It's unnoticeable from a normal viewing distance . It might become noticeable on screens larger than 50 inches . In other words , if you want to take full advantage of Blu-ray , don't think that you have to run out and buy a new TV that supports 1080p resolution if yours doesn't .
052 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I did a fare amount of research before buying this player . I chose the Panasonic for two reasons : 1 - I have a Panasonic projector ( PT AX200u ) and hoped they would play well together and 2 - It had the least amount of firmware issues of any blu-ray player I studied . The latter was the more important issue in my mind . I had resisted blu-ray for a while , mainly because I believe digital downloads are the future of all media . But a few months ago I watched a blu-ray disc on my father-in-law's 60 Mitsubishi DLP HDTV and was convinced of its superiority . I was shocked to learn that the technology isn't quite settled , and unlike standard dvds , which just work , blu-ray requires occasional firmware updates in order to watch newer discs and access special features .
Upon setting up the player I immediately connected it to my home network via ethernet cable ( no built-in wifi ) , updated to the latest firmware and haven't had any issues . The DMP-BD60 does quite well up-converting standard dvds and blu-ray is excellent . Had a couple of friends over last weekend and we watched the blu-ray of 2001 : A Space Odyssey , cranked the projector up as big as I can ( about 8 ' x14 ' ) and it was amazing . No stuttering , no stopping , no issues whatsoever on any of the dozen or so discs we've watched thus far . As far as playing well with the projector , they work great together but I doubt it really makes a difference that they are both Panasonic products . ( Sony , for one , is notorious for making components that don't work well with one another , and they're one of the most successful electronics companies in the world ! )
Regarding Viera-cast , I have my system hooked up to a media center pc , so I can already watch Hulu , Netflix instant view , and any other web-based video on my tv or projector , so it's really not a big factor for me . ( For those who don't have a media center pc , you might want to look at LG or Samsung blu-ray player , as Netflix is an especially great feature . ) Having said that I checked it out and it works fine for Youtube . I didn't bother with the Amazon on demand , but I'm curious how the hd streaming looks , though not so curious that I'm going to shell out for it .
Overall , it's a great blu-ray player for a fair price . I would advise anyone to avoid the less expensive , lower end blu-ray players and stick with the name brands if only because the technology is so unsettled at this point that you might get stuck with a brick that doesn't play a huge number of the discs available out there . Sometimes you really do get what you pay for .
064 4 Got it on Amazon . As always delivery was quick . Connected to TV / Internet and downloaded update 2.2 in just few minutes . UI interface is clean .
Best part was connecting to You Tube . Displays you tube videos very well . Only ugly part is entering search information using remote . To avoid this just update your playlist and favorites from computer and later access them from your BD Player .
Picasa works very well .
MP3 mode is great . Just use your USB stick and enjoy music .
Enjoy .
145 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I love this player . DMP-BD60 viewed on Panasonic TC-L32G1 .
1 . DVD play back is really nice . The up conversion gives true colors etc . Its a very nice step up from progressive scan DVD playback . A lot of forum talk is spent on dvd up conversion not all up conversion is equal .
2 . Viera link . I had the player installed in a hidden view . partly for the clean look , but mostly so the 2year old would not find a new toy . I still remember my friends 2 year old feeding the VCR a pb & j sandwich . LOL what a mess that was . My options get a Panasonic VieraLink player or a remote extender . The link is perfect . I can power on or off the player via the tv remote . Search Amazon video on demand , YouTube , Weather , etc all with the tv remote . The tv remote also works nicely for Blu-Ray playback too . Simply press the VieraLink button then ok and your menu will popup .
3 . Viera Cast . This is a very nice feature . Current options include weather , stocks , YouTube , Amazon Video on demand . They have more coming , but have not announced who / what in the US . Europe is expanding VIERA CAST service to include Germany's largest news and entertainment portal , BILD.de , as well as several European TV broadcasters such as ZDF ( Germany ) , NOVA ( Czech ) and , in the near future , RTVE ( Spain ) . Furthermore , Eurosport will be available in two additional languages ( Swedish and Polish ) . The only complaint is my Internet service provider slows down the connection of streaming video . Unfortunately this hits Amazon video service . Amazon HD is clearly better than YouTube HD , but YouTube does not suffer the pause to load that Amazon gets . * I get this with netflix playback on my pc too . * I put in a sd card hoping it would work for the Amazon video as it is needed for Blu-Ray Live features on some disks . Unfortunately I could not discern a difference in the playback .
4 . Blu-Ray playback . Video and sound are excellent . * You need a 1gig SD card to use Blu-Ray live . It is in the manual , but not prominently listed as it should be .
5 . Firmware . When I connected to the net it popped up and asked if I wanted to install the newest version . When I clicked ok it was painless . I just had to wait for it to download and restart . Very simple no hassle upgrade .
I played DVD's and Blu-Ray disks before upgrading the firmware . I did not notice any problems before or after the upgrade . I have had the player less than a month , so I cannot comment on durability , aside from it worked correctly out of the box . The build quality looks and feels solid to me . I have a 25 ' run of HDMI cable connecting the unit with the TV . No issue with connection just a wait screen as the player boots up . I did not bother to time it , but it is slightly longer than it takes my Samsung phone to turn on and access the phone contacts menu .
* * A note to people that use fiber optic cable for sound . Regardless of the brand of the device you use . You will get a slight delay in the sound . Simply choose the TV speakers or the theater speakers , etc . If you don't you will hear a type of echo effect . Choosing to use HDMI pass through should allow both to be used together .
* * Its is definitely worth looking into using the same brand to reduce the remote clutter . Check you Tv for linking options .
* * If you want to stream video etc from your pc or nas this is not the player for you . Check out the LG its probably the best at streaming content from your nas or pc .
* * * The DMP-BD60 does give you the option to store video and pictures on a SD card in JPEG , AVCHD , and MPEG2 format for play back . ( AVCHD is a High Definition video format that you can use with standard DVD discs or an SD card . )
You can connect USB devices that support bulk only transfer . CBI ( Control / Bulk / Interrupt ) is not supported . This allows you to connect some cameras to view pictures etc via usb cable or usb memory dongle . To note the manual does not list a video format supported via USB only JPEG pictures and MP3 sound formats .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This Panasonic DMP-BD60 blu ray player is amazing and a part of their new series of blu ray players . Finally , a quality blu ray player at a reasonable price . Seems the long wait of inflated costs for a player is settling down . Here you pay a reasonable price for high quality .
Just last November I purchased my first blu ray player . I have a high end tv - 37 hd LD and a high end receiver - Sony STR-DG920 . I wanted to get a player at an adequate price so I could explore and see if blu ray was for me . i bought the Memorex MVBD2510 . The first 5 movies I played were ok but the machine was big and clunky , took minutes to load and was very difficult to maneuver with the remote . Then discs wouldn't play for I needed a firmware upgrade . Got one 12 / 18 - very difficult process . Some movies played and then all the latest blu ray releases would say I needed another firmware update and Memorex did not have one . My machine was useless . But at least I did see that I loved blu ray when I was able to view it .
So I started my research and ended up with the new Panasonic machines . I read excellent reviews by consumers and critics alike and checked their past pattern with firm upgrades , customer service and overall quality with reviews of their previous players . Seemed Panasonic was the way to go . Again , I am thrilled with this player . Finally I can play all blu ray discs and the loading time for all seems to be under 10 seconds . The picture quality is also so much better than the video I got with the Memorex player . This player is small , sleek and impressive looking and does a superb job all around .
The remote is ever so simple to use , the set up of the machine took a few mere minutes . The player also comes with an actual easy to read instruction manual rather than just providing a cd like many modern electronics do . To hook it up to my computer was so easy and BD Live works flawlessly . Also the machine manually checks for updates every time I turn it on . When a put a disc in I can sit back , relax and not wait minutes for the disc to load or watch a YOU NEED AN UPGRADE screen appear .
I also think it is very important when reviewing a blu ray platyer and its capabilities to remember that the player is only as good as the other equipment you have . The better hd television you have , the better the picture quality . The better receiver , the better video and audio you will have . I found the upconversion of standard dvds here to be amazing . Dvds that were faint and difficult to watch with the Memorex player took on a whole new life here . Finally I don't mind watching regular dvds . The manual says how it will upconvert to 1080p or whatever the highest option is but the piece of equipment the player is hooked to must also be able to display such options or you will not get the quality . My receiver upgrades to all the same levels that the Panasionic player does so I am guaranteed the best video and audio all the time . Also , all my hookups are done simply with HDMI cables and this guaranrtees the highest quality and performance from your equipment . ( I just want to again note that if you feel this player does not work as well for you that you take a look at the quality of your other equipoment . )
Blu ray is an investment but now is a great time to build up a high quality home theatre system . Here we have a high end blu ray player with all the whistles and capablities at a great price . It is now possible to get blu ray movies at much more reasonable prices as well and more and more films come out on blu ray every week . I find that a true blu ray experience is better than seeing a film at the movies . The picture clarity is astounding and the audio with all the tru and lossless options on all discs now make the films more than come to life . Even dialogue driven films sound amazing . This Panasonic player also delivers video with great color contrast , crisp detail and a great line between blacks and whites . Audio again is impeccable .
I have only the highest praise for this player and also Panasonic themselves . I has to call them for one question I had and I was on hold only 1 minute and got the most helpful person . Everytime I called Memorex it included at least a 20 minute wait . Here is a blu ray player of the highest quality that will perform for you and it is available at a price that won't break your wallet .
Highly recommend .
006 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This Panasonic DMP-BD60 blu ray player is amazing and a part of their new series of blu ray players . Finally , a quality blu ray player at a reasonable price . Seems the long wait of inflated costs for a player is settling down . Here you pay a reasonable price for high quality .
Just last November I purchased my first blu ray player . I have a high end tv - 37 hd LD and a high end receiver - Sony STR-DG920 . I wanted to get a player at an adequate price so I could explore and see if blu ray was for me . i bought the Memorex MVBD2510 . The first 5 movies I played were ok but the machine was big and clunky , took minutes to load and was very difficult to maneuver with the remote . Then discs wouldn't play for I needed a firmware upgrade . Got one 12 / 18 - very difficult process . Some movies played and then all the latest blu ray releases would say I needed another firmware update and Memorex did not have one . My machine was useless . But at least I did see that I loved blu ray when I was able to view it .
So I started my research and ended up with the new Panasonic machines . I read excellent reviews by consumers and critics alike and checked their past pattern with firm upgrades , customer service and overall quality with reviews of their previous players . Seemed Panasonic was the way to go . Again , I am thrilled with this player . Finally I can play all blu ray discs and the loading time for all seems to be under 10 seconds . The picture quality is also so much better than the video I got with the Memorex player . This player is small , sleek and impressive looking and does a superb job all around .
The remote is ever so simple to use , the set up of the machine took a few mere minutes . The player also comes with an actual easy to read instruction manual rather than just providing a cd like many modern electronics do . To hook it up to my computer was so easy and BD Live works flawlessly . Also the machine manually checks for updates every time I turn it on . When a put a disc in I can sit back , relax and not wait minutes for the disc to load or watch a YOU NEED AN UPGRADE screen appear .
I also think it is very important when reviewing a blu ray platyer and its capabilities to remember that the player is only as good as the other equipment you have . The better hd television you have , the better the picture quality . The better receiver , the better video and audio you will have . I found the upconversion of standard dvds here to be amazing . Dvds that were faint and difficult to watch with the Memorex player took on a whole new life here . Finally I don't mind watching regular dvds . The manual says how it will upconvert to 1080p or whatever the highest option is but the piece of equipment the player is hooked to must also be able to display such options or you will not get the quality . My receiver upgrades to all the same levels that the Panasionic player does so I am guaranteed the best video and audio all the time . Also , all my hookups are done simply with HDMI cables and this guaranrtees the highest quality and performance from your equipment . ( I just want to again note that if you feel this player does not work as well for you that you take a look at the quality of your other equipoment . )
Blu ray is an investment but now is a great time to build up a high quality home theatre system . Here we have a high end blu ray player with all the whistles and capablities at a great price . It is now possible to get blu ray movies at much more reasonable prices as well and more and more films come out on blu ray every week . I find that a true blu ray experience is better than seeing a film at the movies . The picture clarity is astounding and the audio with all the tru and lossless options on all discs now make the films more than come to life . Even dialogue driven films sound amazing . This Panasonic player also delivers video with great color contrast , crisp detail and a great line between blacks and whites . Audio again is impeccable .
I have only the highest praise for this player and also Panasonic themselves . I has to call them for one question I had and I was on hold only 1 minute and got the most helpful person . Everytime I called Memorex it included at least a 20 minute wait . Here is a blu ray player of the highest quality that will perform for you and it is available at a price that won't break your wallet .
Highly recommend .
020 4 My 18 month old Sony BDP - 300 died .
I spent weeks researching new players and kept coming back to the Panasonic , not only because of the solid reviews , but because we have a Panasonic plasma tv .
It arrived yesterday , it took 5 minutes to hook up , and all I can say is WOW !
The loading time is minimal compared to the Sony .
The difference in all of our Blu-rays and regular dvd's is positively stunning . The colors are intensely gorgeous and I can tell you , the clarity is light years better than on the Sony .
We are jaw-dropped at what , for the first time , makes real use of our tv .
I recommend this player without hesitation or reservation ! ! ! ! !
044 4 So much fun - set was easy , deciding whether to go wireless or wired took some thought . I decided wireless , My home is wireless using a Linksys WRT545G saving $ $ using a WGA54G Gaming adapter as bridge instead of a normal bridge to connect , I highly recommend letting a Linksys Technician do a remote using you computer to set that up - and it works great with a few minutes the Firmware update was downloaded , I was on Viera Cast linked my Picasa web album and linked my Amazon account to the Viera cast by Registering my Blu-Ray registration code generated on Viera Cast - to get Amazon Video-On-Demand , was able to Get YouTube , set my local weather to default . Next purchase will be sound system .
164 4 Firstly , this player does its job well . . . it produces stunning HD images on my
Panasonic HDTV
. The load time is acceptable for me and i have not met any problems as it relates to playing Blu-ray movies so far . My problem though is that in this day and age where everything is wireless , they should have included a wireless option to connect to a home network . This means that if i want to enjoy all the online features i will have to run a wire from my router in the computer room to the living room , or purchase a wireless adapter .
I was happy to realize that the remote recognized my Panasonic tv without having to programme it . Then i became disappointed to realise that this is only limited to controlling the power and the volume and channel switches . Now i think about it , what else do i want to control on the tv ? . . . hmmm . I guess that is ok then .
The price was very important in my decision and so i would definately recommend this to anyone .
234 4 I shall state up front that this is my first Blue-Ray player and have owned it for one month . The picture it displays on my 46 - inch Samsung LCD TV is beautiful . After much research on the TV and player , I was expecting great results . I have them . Blue-ray playback is astounding . The DVD resolution upscaling is truly amazing . Mind you , my viewing is on a screen where flaws are easily discernible . What's really surprising is even compressed ( avg 70% ) , backup copies of movies I own look fantastic ! My only gripes are : 1 ) the player's startup is slow ( the time it takes to turn on , open the tray and start reading the disc , but again , this is my first Blue-Ray player so maybe it's no slower than other players and I'm just being impatient . 2 ) The Open Tray button sticks a bit , sometimes requiring a second or third push on the console ( but not the remote ) . This isn't annoying enough to warrant return to the seller . Internet connectivity offers data streaming ( eg . news , weather , sports and stocks ) . I don't care about that . Video streaming is something to consider . This unit is not Netflix compatible but does offer Amazon Videos which I tried and works well over 5Gbs cable . In comparision , Netflix upper echelon memberships are a much better deal , so you should decide if you'd rather a Netflix player . Once again , this did not influence my decision . I wasn't looking for a unit with bells and whistles . I wanted a Blue-ray player that produces great disc playback and upscaling , and that's what I have . Panasonic ( IMHO ) has always produced quality electronics . I have never shyed away from its products and would choose over contendor Sony and Toshiba players . This unit definitely lives up to my expectations . At sale price of $140 on Amazon , it's a great bargain . I highly recommend this disc player .
239 4 I really held off into buing a bluray player for a while , I figured it was time . After just looking at other reviews I decided to stick with the Panasonic brand . I have at lest 3 other panasonic brands in my home right now that after about 6 to 8 yrs are still going strong . I personally find that the dvd players / recorders made by Panasonic are the easiest to use out of the box if you are familiar with them first off and secondly this is your basic run of the mill player if you think about it , it just happens to play bluray discs . You will see a little difference in the way standard dvd plays and blu ray plays , ( my wife can't though , thats how good it is ) , anyway do you need the Viera cast options built in or the analog 5.1 out like the other players ? No , because if you have a nice receiver it will do the sound all w / the HDMI cord . I don't really care about that other stuff I don't have a use for it yet at all but if you want the wireless , and netflix etc and all that go with the BD80 , I personally just want to use it for the movies . Load time takes a few more secs , big deal . My old Toshiba HDDVD took at least 30sec . to load , this one is maybe half that . As far as freezing issues I haven't seen it at all , maybe it's because it's the firmware 2.2 download I did before even playing a movie in it . But I'm using monster cables and have a nice Sony TV hooked up and the picture is great , I played at least 3 bluray movies so far on it with no probs . By all means buy this entry level bluray plyr , easy hook up , firmware download was easy and might be needed , look for it on sale too like I did and you will be very pleased .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This Panasonic serves as my first ever standalone Blu-Ray disc player , and I am truly pleased with my purchase decision ! ! !
I received this about one week before Christmas , and I can't tell you how amazed I am at the features included for such a low price . I purchased when it was sitting at about $127.30 , and at that time , Amazon was issuing $30 in free Amazon Video On Demand credits , plus another $10 and another $4 upon activation . All in all , $44 in free content - completely worth it if you have a broadband internet connection .
If you aren't looking to take advantage of Amazon Video On Demand or YouTube on your television , this is still an exceptional buy . The price point was what enticed me to give it a second look , and I've known Panasonic to be a quality brand for many years .
For those who DO have broadband internet , be kind and give this baby the true power it deserves - an ethernet cable connection direct to your router / modem . Within seconds , I was auto-configured with DHCP settings , and was on board with Amazon Video On Demand . Setup was a cinch ; required me to be at the computer and enter the five digit code to link my player with my account . An automatic password feature is enabled so you must enter your Amazon PIN to complete purchases ; perfect if you want to prevent the kids from ordering endlessly .
The best part of it all is the savings - I really only needed this as a Blu-Ray player ; I was tired of watching movies on my PC because I no longer had a PS3 . But because this allows you to search for YouTube videos , stream HD and SD movies on Amazon VOD , bring up your local weather , check Bloomberg News , etc . , you get so much more than $127 can usually buy . Not only that , but if you normally buy movies on demand with your cable provider , HD features are usually $4.99 , and are also subject to taxes . Rentals with Amazon VOD are usually $2.99 - $3.99 , so you're saving more cash . Most SD shows and movies are paid and become yours to watch forever ; most HD movies are rental only ( not a problem for me - I usually watch it once and that's it ) .
For those interested in streaming content in HD , I've read that the films are encoded for 3.5 Mbps streaming ; therefore , you should have a private , dedicated internet connection that exceeds 5.0 Mbps , or cable / FiOS service exceeding 10.0 Mbps ; in my case , I have Comcast and get about 21.0 Mbps down , so connection is no issue .
All in all , a great buy - worth every penny . Typing out characters on a remote control is no big deal ; I mean we are talking about use with a television here : - ) .
075 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
We bought this player around June 2009 . Since we had been wanting to buy a blu-ray player for sometime to compliment our 1080P 50 inch Panasonic plasma , we took the plunge on this model because of the previous reviews and because of the low price . We have not been disappointed . The blu-ray dvds look fantastic ! The standard definition dvds look super , also . We subscribe to Netflix rentals and we haven't had any problems with their blue-rays or standards . We live in the rural part of our county and do not have available a fast , reliable internet connection , except for the mobile broadband the we use which is much faster than dialup , but way slower than DSL or other types . Therefore , we have never updated the firmware , and still , this unit works great , have not had one problem at all with new , rented , or older recorded dvds .
231 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This Panasonic serves as my first ever standalone Blu-Ray disc player , and I am truly pleased with my purchase decision ! ! !
I received this about one week before Christmas , and I can't tell you how amazed I am at the features included for such a low price . I purchased when it was sitting at about $127.30 , and at that time , Amazon was issuing $30 in free Amazon Video On Demand credits , plus another $10 and another $4 upon activation . All in all , $44 in free content - completely worth it if you have a broadband internet connection .
If you aren't looking to take advantage of Amazon Video On Demand or YouTube on your television , this is still an exceptional buy . The price point was what enticed me to give it a second look , and I've known Panasonic to be a quality brand for many years .
For those who DO have broadband internet , be kind and give this baby the true power it deserves - an ethernet cable connection direct to your router / modem . Within seconds , I was auto-configured with DHCP settings , and was on board with Amazon Video On Demand . Setup was a cinch ; required me to be at the computer and enter the five digit code to link my player with my account . An automatic password feature is enabled so you must enter your Amazon PIN to complete purchases ; perfect if you want to prevent the kids from ordering endlessly .
The best part of it all is the savings - I really only needed this as a Blu-Ray player ; I was tired of watching movies on my PC because I no longer had a PS3 . But because this allows you to search for YouTube videos , stream HD and SD movies on Amazon VOD , bring up your local weather , check Bloomberg News , etc . , you get so much more than $127 can usually buy . Not only that , but if you normally buy movies on demand with your cable provider , HD features are usually $4.99 , and are also subject to taxes . Rentals with Amazon VOD are usually $2.99 - $3.99 , so you're saving more cash . Most SD shows and movies are paid and become yours to watch forever ; most HD movies are rental only ( not a problem for me - I usually watch it once and that's it ) .
For those interested in streaming content in HD , I've read that the films are encoded for 3.5 Mbps streaming ; therefore , you should have a private , dedicated internet connection that exceeds 5.0 Mbps , or cable / FiOS service exceeding 10.0 Mbps ; in my case , I have Comcast and get about 21.0 Mbps down , so connection is no issue .
All in all , a great buy - worth every penny . Typing out characters on a remote control is no big deal ; I mean we are talking about use with a television here : - ) .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This thing got good reviews and marks from professional sources for picture quality , which is the whole point , right ? Blu Ray looks great on my projection screen . It was the best bang for the buck I could find at the time . Lots of good reviews here so I won't repeat the pros except for 1 ) 1080 / 24fps playback is a must ( and I was skeptical at first ) 2 ) viera cast cool 3 ) supports full HD audio which is a must these days . Blu ray is slower loading than DVD , the only thing I can compare this model to is a friends early first gen Sony Blu-Ray which takes almost 10 minutes ( not joking ) to get to the movie . This is slow compared to DVD ( 1 - 2 min to turn on and start watching the main feature ) but tolerable . From reviews I read it's average for this price range .
for the the cons :
1 ) you can't turn off the upconverting DVD part easily . I have a mid / high end AV receiver that does video processing and up conversion . It does a better job at upconverting DVDs than this player does . I wish there was a toggle to turn off the upconversion . for me , I just use a DVD player for DVDs and this for Blu-Ray . It's nit picky , but to me a simple On / Off toggle would be great .
2 ) Amazon video on demand delivers decent picture quality ( between DVD and BR at full bandwidth if you can get it ) on my 1080p projector , but the audio is just stereo . So it's nice for a quick fix , but doesn't get you the full surround experience . good for comedy , etc . Not as good for action / adventure movies . I don't know how other online services compare . I'm sure it's a bandwidth issue . I just don't know if I will pay $5 when I can rent a DVD cheaper elsewhere and at least get 5.1 sound . As far as it's implementation on this device , it works well and is easy to use .
3 ) no way to stop and resume movies , although I think this is a blu ray problem and not just the panny .
besides being real nit picky about dvd upconversion and amazon video on demand , it's a great player , I'd buy it again .
014 4 Had this unit for a couple of months now after owning a Sony BDP-S350 Blu ray and I can say this is a superior player in comparison . Load times are still a bit slow but having all audio formats decoded by the Panasonic makes it all worth it . The Panasonic SD upconversion is better and the dialog lift feature is very worthwhile for dialog rich movies . To sum up this is a solidly built Blu ray player with great audio and video plus all the features one would want in a Blu ray player .
110 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
This thing got good reviews and marks from professional sources for picture quality , which is the whole point , right ? Blu Ray looks great on my projection screen . It was the best bang for the buck I could find at the time . Lots of good reviews here so I won't repeat the pros except for 1 ) 1080 / 24fps playback is a must ( and I was skeptical at first ) 2 ) viera cast cool 3 ) supports full HD audio which is a must these days . Blu ray is slower loading than DVD , the only thing I can compare this model to is a friends early first gen Sony Blu-Ray which takes almost 10 minutes ( not joking ) to get to the movie . This is slow compared to DVD ( 1 - 2 min to turn on and start watching the main feature ) but tolerable . From reviews I read it's average for this price range .
for the the cons :
1 ) you can't turn off the upconverting DVD part easily . I have a mid / high end AV receiver that does video processing and up conversion . It does a better job at upconverting DVDs than this player does . I wish there was a toggle to turn off the upconversion . for me , I just use a DVD player for DVDs and this for Blu-Ray . It's nit picky , but to me a simple On / Off toggle would be great .
2 ) Amazon video on demand delivers decent picture quality ( between DVD and BR at full bandwidth if you can get it ) on my 1080p projector , but the audio is just stereo . So it's nice for a quick fix , but doesn't get you the full surround experience . good for comedy , etc . Not as good for action / adventure movies . I don't know how other online services compare . I'm sure it's a bandwidth issue . I just don't know if I will pay $5 when I can rent a DVD cheaper elsewhere and at least get 5.1 sound . As far as it's implementation on this device , it works well and is easy to use .
3 ) no way to stop and resume movies , although I think this is a blu ray problem and not just the panny .
besides being real nit picky about dvd upconversion and amazon video on demand , it's a great player , I'd buy it again .
169 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
I actually had to upgrade my 2 year old 37 720P TV to keep up with this one . You know . . . others can rant and rave about all of the technical stuff . All I have to say is that :
- It looks great in my entertainment center
- People notice and say , Wow you have a Blu-Ray
- The picture and framerate is stunning if you have it hooked up to a HDTV that can keep up with it ( which I had to get because my 2 yr old TV wasn't up to 24fps 1080P ) .
I don't know squat about the YouTube and other networked capabilities . I just know that it's been terrific . I poured over research for two days before buying this here and after a month of use , couldn't be happier with the result .
UPDATE 1 / 23 / 2010 : Now I do know more than squat about the networking . It works great , plus the automatic firmware updates make this a very attractive option . I use it to watch my Amazon VOD purchases and it looks great in HD or SD . I just buy or pick my Amazon movies and tell it on my PC to save for viewing later on my Panasonic . . . then go to the VieraCAST section of my player and can view my entire purchased Amazon library on my HDTV . Streaming on mine is very fast ( though I'm sure that has more to do with my 802.11n router ) . This machine continues to exceed expectations .
214 4 Panasonic DMP-BD60 blu ray player is amazing - with great sound and picture quality and a great price . I have had no problems of picture freezing and I did not upgrade to any software . Even the regular DVD upconversion is great . I do not think I can watch any movies without Blu-ray anymore ! . The only drawback is that it takes atleast 10 sec . for the player to open for placing the dvd and quite slow to read the disc . I wish that the player was faster to read the dvd . On the whole , the DVD player is mind-blowing . I use it with the Plasma Panasonic 50 Viera TV ( which is also a 5 - star TV ) and with a 5.1 home theater system with Klipsh speakers and a Yamaha receiver .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Update 12 / 10 / 2009 :
Panasonic recently released firmware revision 2.2 . This firmware appears to have resolved the issue that I explain below . If it's not fully resolved , it at least reduces the number of occurrences very significantly . I would urge everybody who purchases this player to update their firmware to the latest revision to prevent potential freezing problems . Although I believe the issues I had were resolved , I am keeping the review at 2 stars . Right now , I believe the player ( with the latest firmware ) deserves at least 4 stars , and possibly 5 . Hopefully , people who are less technically savvy will read this negative review , and then make sure that they are running with firmware 2.2 or higher if they decide to purchase this unit . Please read the player's manual to see how to do this .
My original review is below :
I purchased one of these from Amazon , but was experiencing random freezing in Blu-ray discs . The disc would simply stop playing for approximately 10 seconds , and then resume as if there was no problem . I tried to replay over spots where I encountered the freeze , but was never able to duplicate it . After my 4th movie that froze , I returned the unit to Amazon and got a replacement . Even the replacement unit had this problem , so I shipped that one back too . [ . . . ] . So far , Panasonic has not issued any kind of statement or even acknowledged that this is a problem . I would recommend people look elsewhere for their player . I am highly disappointed , because this player had the potential to be a great , yet affordable , unit .
[ . . . ]
A quick summary of the facts on this problem :
1 . The freezes are random . They don't occur in the same place in a movie . People have reported freezing in MANY movies , not just a select few . If a movie that froze in the past is viewed again , it may not freeze at all .
2 . This problem occurs on the BD60 and the BD80 .
3 . Current firmware ( 1.7 ) does not resolve the issue .
4 . People have been reporting what their unit is connected to ( TV , receiver , etc ) , and it doesn't matter what it's connected to .
5 . Manufacture date doesn't matter
6 . Overheating is apparently not the issue . People have reported having plenty of space around the unit to keep it cool and it still occurs .
7 . Several people have reported watching several movies without problems , and then having several consecutive movies freeze .
8 . About a week ago , one of the editors from [ . . . ] that Panasonic MAY have seen the problem , and it has to do with the video buffer not being flushed properly . They didn't give any indication when a fix would be released , or how difficult it will be to resolve .
Edited on 07 / 28 / 09 :
Firmware 1.9 has been released , and the problem still has not been resolved . Additionally , an editor from a well-respected home theater site has been in contact with Panasonic . According to him , Panasonic has stated that they have fixed all known freezing issues , and that they are unable to find this particular problem . It may still be quite some time before it is resolved . ( Amazon edited out a link to another website before , so I don't want to post another link that will just be removed . )
Edited 11 / 21 / 09 :
Firmware 2.1 has been available for a while now , and people are still reporting freezes . At this point , it looks like Panasonic either cannot or will not fix the problem . I would urge new owners to wait a while before posting a review . There's a good chance that you won't experience any freeze issues , but there's also a good chance that you'll see the problem only after you have watched several movies .
Edited 11 / 30 / 09 :
Firmware 2.2 has been released for the BD60 / 70 / 80 players . This firmware SUPPOSEDLY provides a workaround for the random freeze issues . I don't really know what a workaround means in this context , but if it prevents movies from freezing , then it's probably sufficient . It may take a while to prove or disprove that 2.2 actually resolves things , but I will update my review again once more concrete information is available .
Edited 12 / 08 / 09 :
Firmware 2.2 has been available for just over a week , and nobody has reported encountering a freeze in that timeframe . While I'm not quite ready to state that the problem is definitely resolved , things are looking go so far .
002 4 This review is from :
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player ( Black ) ( Electronics )
Update 12 / 10 / 2009 :
Panasonic recently released firmware revision 2.2 . This firmware appears to have resolved the issue that I explain below . If it's not fully resolved , it at least reduces the number of occurrences very significantly . I would urge everybody who purchases this player to update their firmware to the latest revision to prevent potential freezing problems . Although I believe the issues I had were resolved , I am keeping the review at 2 stars . Right now , I believe the player ( with the latest firmware ) deserves at least 4 stars , and possibly 5 . Hopefully , people who are less technically savvy will read this negative review , and then make sure that they are running with firmware 2.2 or higher if they decide to purchase this unit . Please read the player's manual to see how to do this .
My original review is below :
I purchased one of these from Amazon , but was experiencing random freezing in Blu-ray discs . The disc would simply stop playing for approximately 10 seconds , and then resume as if there was no problem . I tried to replay over spots where I encountered the freeze , but was never able to duplicate it . After my 4th movie that froze , I returned the unit to Amazon and got a replacement . Even the replacement unit had this problem , so I shipped that one back too . [ . . . ] . So far , Panasonic has not issued any kind of statement or even acknowledged that this is a problem . I would recommend people look elsewhere for their player . I am highly disappointed , because this player had the potential to be a great , yet affordable , unit .
[ . . . ]
A quick summary of the facts on this problem :
1 . The freezes are random . They don't occur in the same place in a movie . People have reported freezing in MANY movies , not just a select few . If a movie that froze in the past is viewed again , it may not freeze at all .
2 . This problem occurs on the BD60 and the BD80 .
3 . Current firmware ( 1.7 ) does not resolve the issue .
4 . People have been reporting what their unit is connected to ( TV , receiver , etc ) , and it doesn't matter what it's connected to .
5 . Manufacture date doesn't matter
6 . Overheating is apparently not the issue . People have reported having plenty of space around the unit to keep it cool and it still occurs .
7 . Several people have reported watching several movies without problems , and then having several consecutive movies freeze .
8 . About a week ago , one of the editors from [ . . . ] that Panasonic MAY have seen the problem , and it has to do with the video buffer not being flushed properly . They didn't give any indication when a fix would be released , or how difficult it will be to resolve .
Edited on 07 / 28 / 09 :
Firmware 1.9 has been released , and the problem still has not been resolved . Additionally , an editor from a well-respected home theater site has been in contact with Panasonic . According to him , Panasonic has stated that they have fixed all known freezing issues , and that they are unable to find this particular problem . It may still be quite some time before it is resolved . ( Amazon edited out a link to another website before , so I don't want to post another link that will just be removed . )
Edited 11 / 21 / 09 :
Firmware 2.1 has been available for a while now , and people are still reporting freezes . At this point , it looks like Panasonic either cannot or will not fix the problem . I would urge new owners to wait a while before posting a review . There's a good chance that you won't experience any freeze issues , but there's also a good chance that you'll see the problem only after you have watched several movies .
Edited 11 / 30 / 09 :
Firmware 2.2 has been released for the BD60 / 70 / 80 players . This firmware SUPPOSEDLY provides a workaround for the random freeze issues . I don't really know what a workaround means in this context , but if it prevents movies from freezing , then it's probably sufficient . It may take a while to prove or disprove that 2.2 actually resolves things , but I will update my review again once more concrete information is available .
Edited 12 / 08 / 09 :
Firmware 2.2 has been available for just over a week , and nobody has reported encountering a freeze in that timeframe . While I'm not quite ready to state that the problem is definitely resolved , things are looking go so far .
Pros :
1 . The most important reason why I bought this player . . . The picture quality of blu-ray will make your jaw drop . The picture quality is crystal clear where you can see every little detail even in fast moving situations . Plus , it sounds great out of either my television or home theatre .
2 . Upconversion of regular dvds . . . This is very important to me considering that I have a huge collection of regular dvds and my regular sony dvd player was excellent at upconverting . Well , I watched plenty of regular dvds on my panasonic and I am amazed how great it upconverts . I saw district 9 on regular dvd and was shocked how the picture looked . The picture looked so realistic at times especially the overhead shots of the alien camp . I also saw a perfect getaway on dvd and the jungle scenes were breathtaking . I could only imagine how much better the blu-ray version would look like .
3 . Never ever had a freezing issue out of all my movies . I did use the latest 2.2 version firmware so maybe that could have fixed any past freezing issues . I suggest everyone to update their firmware and it's very easy to do if you follow the steps .
4 . Easy to setup Amazon Video On Demand and it works great . While Amazon VOD costs more money than netflix , it is far superior to the very little , lame selection movies of netflix free streaming . I still much prefer to rent by mail from either blockbuster or netflix and watch a higher quality dvd or blu-ray over any lower quality streaming though .
5 . Bargain prices that I have seen for this player .
Cons :
1 . No coaxial output . It doesn't really effect my home theater setup but it should have a coaxial output .
025 4 I purchased this player from the good reviews on Amazon , and the price . When I got the player I hooked it through my Denon AVR2807 receiver via HDMI . No screen . I changed HDMI cables , no screen . I changed to composit cable , got a screen , upgraded firmware to 2.0 . Put HDMI cable back in , no screen , got error U73 on display . Went to AVSForums and there are several people that are having this issue . They also stated that Panasonic tech support was not very good . There is a ' handshake ' problem with the Panasonic player and other HDMI receivers and switchers . If you are using this player directly connected to a TV , it would probably work . If you are using this player through an HDMI switching receiver , you may have problems . I did and returned .
089 4 I purchased the Panasonic BD - 605 ( seems to be the same as the BD - 60 with the addition of the HDMI cable ) from Costco on 12 / 29 / 09 . I immediately updated the firmware to 2.2 since I had read a lot about the freeze problem . We rent Blu-ray from Netflix and have played only 6 Blu-ray DVDs so far . When I played the latest DVD , The Patriot , I got several picture pixilations and freezes before I had played the first hour of the movie . I checked for damage or smudges but detecting no damage and cleaning up a couple of smudges , I still get the picture breakup / freeze problems with this particular disc . I will update my experience as we get more Blu-ray discs from Netflix . The unit produces a beautiful , clear picture with excellent sound and I will stick with it in hopes that Panasonic can solve this problem soon .
092 4 We received this player as part of a combo order with a Panasonic plasma , and we are not disappointed . Although it is not a top of the line player , it is still a very nice one . Picture and sound quality , which are what matter the most , are outstanding . Blu-ray discs are amazing , and the upconversion of DVDs is also very good . The remote is a little confusing but you get the hang of it after a while . All of the frequently used buttons are large and easy to read . The disc read speed is very good ( a few seconds , versus minutes for other players ) , and we have yet to encounter a disc that it will not play with the current firmware ( the player has an ethernet port , so updates are easy ) . The player also sports the same Vieracast interface as the Panasonic high def TVs . It's a nice feature , but it's rather slow and lacks Netflix support . The unit is fairly solid , although disc tray does feel like it could be a little stronger ( it wouldn't take much to break it off ) . The reception of the remote receiver could also be better , as the remote needs to pretty much be pointed directly at it to receive the signal ( other AV components seem to work better bouncing the IR signal off of a wall ) . The unit lacks the 7.1 outputs on the back , but if you have a TV that can take advantage of the 1080p signal and a moderately new receiver , this shouldn't be an issue ; you should be using HDMI anyway . Overall , it's a very nice unit , and I can't complain for the price .
124 4 I've been searching for a blu-ray player for a while and I decided on this based on all the great user reviews from various websites and it's great features . After watching like 25 movies , I would rate this player a 4.5 out of 5 . Here are my pros and cons :
Pros :
1 . The most important reason why I bought this player . . . The picture quality of blu-ray will make your jaw drop . The picture quality is crystal clear where you can see every little detail even in fast moving situations . Plus , it sounds great out of either my television or home theatre .
2 . Upconversion of regular dvds . . . This is very important to me considering that I have a huge collection of regular dvds and my regular sony dvd player was excellent at upconverting . Well , I watched plenty of regular dvds on my panasonic and I am amazed how great it upconverts . I saw district 9 on regular dvd and was shocked how the picture looked . The picture looked so realistic at times especially the overhead shots of the alien camp . I also saw a perfect getaway on dvd and the jungle scenes were breathtaking . I could only imagine how much better the blu-ray version would look like .
3 . Never ever had a freezing issue out of all my movies . I did use the latest 2.2 version firmware so maybe that could have fixed any past freezing issues . I suggest everyone to update their firmware and it's very easy to do if you follow the steps .
4 . Easy to setup Amazon Video On Demand and it works great . While Amazon VOD costs more money than netflix , it is far superior to the very little , lame selection movies of netflix free streaming . I still much prefer to rent by mail from either blockbuster or netflix and watch a higher quality dvd or blu-ray over any lower quality streaming though .
5 . Bargain prices that I have seen for this player .
Cons :
1 . No coaxial output . It doesn't really effect my home theater setup but it should have a coaxial output .
138 4 I bought this Panny Blu-Ray for myself about 2 months ago . Very simple firmware update over the net . Not only does this unit have unbeatable blu-ray video quality , but the upconversion of standard DVDs is truly outstanding . I was so impressed with this blu-ray player , I bought 2 more as Christmas gifts .
The only drawbacks for the videophile are the lack of Netflix and the slow load times seen in nearly all blu-ray players . For this price , I can accept these shortfalls . I am hoping Netflix will be added for this unit at a later date .
140 4 Great product . It was delivered 2 weeks ago . Works great and gives excellent pictures even for ' old ' DVDs . It talks to my TV via HDMI and to the internet ( did a firmware update first thing ) . Setup is easy . No complaints so far .
161 4 It has played well so far . Remote is easy to use . Only draw back is having to run a cable to my router to get firmware updates as it is not wifi .
175 4 The BD60 is cheap and produces a very good picture . I can't recommend it , however , since the pause for few seconds on almost every BD disk is really annoying . I had a unit replaced but the bug was still there . After 2 firmware updates , the problem was not fixed and maybe it's hardware related . I also had 2 disks that didn't play at all and played fine on my BD30 . I finally returned the BD60 and kept the BD30 . Stay away from the BD60 !
193 4 We purchased this player to replace an aging Panasonic DVD-RP56 , which played standard DVDs over an SD television using the analog component outputs . The RP56 served us well for many years but had begun to have some problems , including an inability to track disks with even moderate scratches . This new player seamlessly plays discs the old one couldn't handle at all . The color saturation is better as well ; even my kids noticed . In hopes of avoiding the freezing problem other reviewers have noted , I upgraded the firmware to v2.2 the day I hooked it up . So far it has behaved perfectly . I can't speak to its blu-ray capabilities , but for normal DVDs played on an SD television , it's everything we needed , for a very reasonable price .
257 4 I read the previous reviews which helped a great deal . I found the best price on Amazon and it was here in about 2 days . Easy to set up ( we are not techies . Very happy and would recommend it .
