Panasonic DMP-BD35 1080p Blu-Ray Player - Excellent And Cheap
Written: Jan 28 '09 (Updated Aug 10 '09)
Product Rating:
Sound:
Ease of Use:
Picture Quality:
Durability:
Pros: Price, features, performance, picture quality playing both Blu-Ray and standard DVD, good remote
Cons: No 7.1 analog audio out
The Bottom Line: If you want an excellent Blu-Ray DVD player that also excels playing standard DVDs, the Panasonic DMP-BD35 is an excellent choice. In addition to solid performance...
dkozin's Full Review: Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-Ray Player
A $100-cheaper alternative to the excellent Panasonic DMP-BD55, the Panasonic DMP-BD35 differs from it only slightly. It lacks the BD55's 7.1 analog audio out. But it works pretty well overall. I personally have to confess that I jumped on the HD bandwagon a while ago and have used the Toshiba HD-A3 for a while. Since HD DVD lost (and therefore the Blu-Ray won), I have been looking at the newer Blu-Ray players. I had good experience with Panasonic DVD players as well as other A/V gear (I am currently using the Panasonic XR57 receiver), so, after liking the new Panasonic BMP-BD55 and being impressed with it, the next logical step was checking out the DMP-BD35. I do not have a 7.1 setup yet, so even though the Panasonic SA-XR57 class-D receiver I am using would have issues decoding new 7.1 audio formats from Blu-Ray, I am not very concerned about it. At least not enough to avoid saving $100.
The BD35 is a clear indication that newer Blu-Ray players, no longer priced in the stratosphere, that conform to BD profile 2.0, are also faster in operation than the previous models. Having experienced HD DVD and Blu-Ray before, I did not expect anything less than stunning image quality, but hoped for better load times than the earlier models' as well as better usability and better standard DVD playback (although I can use my Toshiba HD-A3 for that). The BD35 arrived and I now have my impressions to share.
About the Panasonic DMP-BD35
The Panasonic DMP-BD35 is a high-definition Blu-Ray DVD player with HDMI (up to 1080p resolution, including 24 fps), component video outs (up to 720p/1080i), standard-resolution DVD upconversion through HDMI 1.3 (720p/1080i/1080p), S-Video, stereo analog audio as well as an optical digital audio out.
The player plays Blu-Ray DVD, DVD-Video, CD-Audio, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD and DVD-Audio. It plays CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. It also decodes Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Digital Plus.
It also features onboard decoding for the Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio. It has an SD slot for using SD cards for onboard storage for BD-Live content.
The player also supports Deep Color and x.v.Color.
In Use
The player is rather light, at least comparing to earlier designs and to my Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD player. The build quality is pretty solid though. It looks quite stylish as well. I put a 1GB SD card in the slot, connected the player through its HDMI to my Panasonic XR57 receiver and the receiver to Hitachi P50H401 50-inch plasma TV (also using HDMI) and watched Mission Impossible-III Blu-Ray disc. Not the best movie, but a decent test for the player itself.
I am happy to report that the load time is very short, both comparing to earlier BR players and my Toshiba A3. In as little as 20 seconds the player is on and the disc is playing. Standard DVDs are as fast as in a regular DVD player, which is also a welcome improvement.
The player supports playback at the material's (BR DVD) native resolution through either component video out (up to 1080i) or the HDMI out (in other words, 1080p is only available through HDMI). The player supports all the latest features, including 24 fps video output and Dolby True HD as well as DTS-HD, Deep Color and x.v.Color.
I discovered that if you have an HDMI-equipped player that cannot decode newer audio standard, you have to use "PCM" output option of the player, so that it converts the new formats into PCM and passes them to the receiver over HDMI. Make sure you experiment and get the best possible option that your receiver supports. Maybe subjectively (most likely not), but PCM output of newer audio format sounds better over HDMI converted to PCM than does regular DD or DTS.
Performance and Image Quality
Not surprisingly, the image quality when watching Blu-Ray discs is excellent and is pretty much amazing. I cannot see much difference in playback quality of the BD35 and the HD DVD Toshiba A3, but that is no longer relevant since HD DVD is pretty much dead, although I can still get HD DVD discs through Blockbuster Online. So it is more like a living dead/zombie. Lame.
The BD35's images are three-dimensional, comparing to DVDs that look somewhat flat (even upconverted in any of my players). Also, there are details you would never see on standard-resolution DVD. The colors are great and the sound is better than what I get from regular DVDs.
Unlike the earlier Samsung BR player I tried a while ago (Samsung DB-P1000 Blu-Ray High-Definition DVD player), this Panasonic excels at standard DVD playback as well. The standard DVD playback (with upconversion or without, but still over HDMI) is simply excellent. Although no match for true high-definition DVD playback, the player produces excellent detail level, which is as good as with better standard DVD players I have seen and my Toshiba HD-A3.
The layer change is pretty fast as well. Overall, the player is very impressive in terms of its features and preformance.
You can use the front SD slot for viewing HD JPEG photos or videos in AVCHD format.
Remote Control
The remote control is pretty good (although not backlit or of the "glow in the dark" type). It is similar in button shape and color to other recent Panasonic remotes, including the remote of Viera TVs and my Panasonic SA-XR57 receiver. The buttons are large and well-labeled. And although the remote is not backlit, the button layout is very intuitive and the buttons are large and easy to find in darkness.
Connections
I used the following connections: the player is connected to the Panasonic SA-XR57 class-D receiver using an HDMI connection (through a passive HDMI switch, along with the Toshiba HD-A3 and the Pioneer Elite DV-48AV, since the receiver only has one HDMI input). The HDMI out of the receiver is connected to my TV. Both HD players output PCM over HDMI. Pioneer can output DD/DTS and DVD-Audio over HDMI (up to 192 KHz).
Bottom Line
If you want an excellent Blu-Ray DVD player that also excels playing standard DVDs, the Panasonic DMP-BD35 is an excellent choice. In addition to solid performance it is also easy to use, loads discs fast and has a good remote control. And the price is right.
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