Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 28 February 2008 15:04
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
Panasonic's DMP-BD30 might have the Blu-ray 1.1 ‘Final Profile’ – but it will be
superseded by future Blu-ray 2.0 spec players in the future. That said,
it’s still packed with features – but wouldn’t you just buy a PS3
instead?
Although everyone talks about Blu-ray being a Sony format, the truth is that there are several companies behind Blu-ray, and one of the other big backers and co-format owners is Panasonic, who are now set to share in the royalty spoils over many years.
Panasonic’s new
DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player is the first to arrive since the demise of the HD DVD format as a medium for launching movies in high-definition, and it comes equipped with the so-called ‘Final’ BD Profile 1.1.
Unfortunately future players with come with the ‘Full’ BD Profile 2.0, which will incorporate the BD Live technology, allowing live updates of information from the Internet, meaning this ‘final profile’ player will be superseded by BD Profile 2.0 units in the future, although that said, the future always brings better technology than what is on the market today.
Also, as the DMP-BD30 has no Ethernet port, it wouldn’t have been Internet compatible anyway, so if you’re thinking of buying this player and want to use new interactive features in a year’s time, you’ll need to buy the upgraded model whenever it comes out.
As this player will cost AUD $899 when it comes out in mid-March, it will provide strong competition to other Blu-ray players on the market today, but it also competes against the PS3, a device which is endlessly upgradeable, being as much computer as it is games console and Blu-ray player all-in-one.
The DMP-BD30 still comes with a range of features, such as 1080p HDMI 1.3 output, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD support, an SD memory card slot, compatibility with the VIERA Link format meaning Panasonic TV owners can control both devices with one remote control, a slimmer new design that makes it look more like a standard DVD player than some ancient and huge Betamax player – and like a Pioneer model before it – can output at 24p, the same frame rate movies are delivered in.
So, what else is included – and why might you buy this instead of a PS3? Please read onto page 2.
