Panasonic DMP - BD85K Blu-ray Player Review
Panasonic has revealed its new Blu-ray Players coming out this year. One of which is the DMP-BD85, currently available to purchase. A good sign for consumers is that Panasonic has made some significant improvements to their players this year. For example the DMP-BD85 has better audio processing and Vera Cast has increased its online services to provide us with more movies and TV shows.
Besides Vera Cast, the Panasonic DMP-BD85 comes with a great set of features and functions. Some of them include Adaptive High Precision 4:4:4 and HDMI Jitter Purifier. These features help provide the DMP-BD85 to achieve the best possible image and sound quality when playing a Blu-ray disc via the HDMI cable. If you are concerned about energy consumption, the DMP-BD85 has a feature called Viera Link Eco Function. The Blu-ray Player will turn itself on/off depending on the status of your TV set.
Video Quality: You can connect the DMP-BP85 via the HDMI, Component and Composite video outputs. HDMI will give you the best results for image quality. As mentioned earlier, the DMP-BD85 Blu-ray Player has features that help with the image quality. Another such feature is the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus. This feature keeps the movie's original colors crisp and clear. The DMP-BD85 provides all the standard up scaling of DVDs to 1080p. On a Blu-ray Disc it provides images at 1080/24p with no requirement of up conversion on compatible TVs.
Audio Quality: You can connect the audio for the DMP-BD85 via HDMI, the 7.1-channel Analog Audio out, or the Digital Audio out (1 Optical, 1 Coaxial). The Blu-ray Player can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Panasonic seems committed to trying to provide the best sound possible. Along with it's HDMI Jitter Purifier you get the Digital Tube Sound Simulator (producing warm fuller sounds), Dialog Enhancer, Audio DAC: 192kHz/24bit, Night Surround Mode, and Dynamic Range Compression. Providing you with many options to choose from to get the optimal sound.
All these video and audio features combine to give you a stunning home movie experience. Visuals are filled with vibrant and deep colors. Sounds come across as rich and full. Allowing you to enjoy movies at the highest level. Movies can be watched either by a disc or you can take advantage of the Panasonic's Vera Cast. With Vera Cast, you can access great online content. It provides online services such as Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand (new to Vera Cast this year) to stream movies. You also can access YouTube, Picasa, and many more great online sites from the VIERA Cast screen. The Panasonic DMP-BD85 has an Ethernet Port to connect to the Internet. Or you can connect using a wireless USB adapter included with the player. You simply plug it into one of the two provided USB ports. Plugging it into the USB port in the rear of the Blu-ray player is probably the best option.
THE PROS: The Panasonic DMP-BD-85K has great audio and video quality. Easy to setup and has Vera Cast which allows you to access Netflix, Amazon-On-Demand, YouTube, Picasa and other online sites. It is Wi-Fi 'Ready' (Includes USB Wi-Fi Adapter), so no LAN cable is required. It has a "Digital Tube Sound Simulator mode", along with other great audio features, which provides great realistic sounds.
THE CONS: No DLNA feature and some of its competitors like Samsung BD-C6500 have Built-in Wi-Fi. DMP-BD85K is only Wi-Fi 'Ready', meaning a Wireless LAN Adapter is needed. However, you do not need to purchase one because a USB Wireless Adapter is included with the DMP-BD85K. But it would be nice if it was built-in the Blu-ray Player.
THE FINAL WORD: If you are looking for a Blu-ray Player with excellent Video and Audio quality at a reasonable price, the DMP-BD85 might be the player for you. With the addition of Netfix and Pandora to Vera Cast, it is an improvement on Panasonic's 2009 models. It has DVD up scaling, Wi-Fi 'Ready', 0.5 Second Quick Start mode, HDMI Jitter Purifier and much more. The Panasonic DMP-BD85K provides you a stack full of great features. -- Price you should look for when purchasing -- Under 250.00.
