PANASONIC DMP-BD30 Multiregion ( Multi-region ) Blu-Ray player and REGION FREE DVD Player Price: $749.95 http://www.planetomni.com/BLURAY_PNSC_dmp-bd30_DTL.shtml Panasonic Blue-Ray DVD player DMP-BD30 Multi-Region (A and B, might play all C discs as well, untested) and REGION FREE for all DVD (no converter included, you'll need a PAL-NTSC TV to display all discs) 220 volts 50/60 Hertz (If you need a 110 Volt version we have a small transformer for $10.95) $749.95 delivered to your door in the USA. For other destinations please inquire. No handling fee EVER and no tax if we deliver outside California. We are please to offer Panasonic Blue-Ray DVD player model DMP-BD30GCSK , DVD all region free and Blue-Ray regions A & B, price $ 749.95 delivered to your door in the USA. Delivery time is usually within 2 weeks but could be as much as 3. Blu-ray with a Difference Blu-ray means incredible full-HD images, breathtaking sound and 5x the data capacity of DVDs. Now Blu-ray means something else too: an entirely new movie-viewing experience, made possible by Final Standard Profile, which adds features never seen before, like four Picture-in-Picture modes including Enhanced Commentary (from directors and actors), Backstage Pass, Peek Behind the Animation and Audio Mixing. Images So Real, You Feel Like You're in the Picture Combining a PHL Reference Chroma Processor with advanced P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing) imaging technology, UniPhier® — the Precise Digital Video processor — reproduces crisp, natural colors that are extremely faithful to the original movie. It does this by up-sampling the color information in decoded video signals, while the super highspeed P4HD up-converts content recorded in 480i/p, 720p or 1080i format to 1080p by correctly generating each pixel according to information drawn from up to 60 surrounding pixels. The image motion of each pixel is then categorized into one of 16 levels, from stationary to super fast. Image quality is further enhanced by Diagonal Processing, which creates smooth, sharp diagonal lines, and 3:2 Pull-Down, which optimizes the processing accordingly for film or video making the images look natural and lifelike. In addition, the DMP-BD30's HDMI output is Deep Color compatible, with 4,096 steps of gradation for even smoother, finerquality images that meet Hollywood's stringent demands, so you can experience movies just the way they were meant to be experienced. Incredible Sound Completes the Hi-Def Experience
With Precise Digital Audio, Blu-ray's beautiful images are complemented by exceptionally pure, accurate sound thanks to Dolby® TrueHD and DTSHD™. UniPhier®'s advanced processing capability decodes these audio signals with high precision and outputs them in bitstream form with no degradation. It also brings re-mastering to Blu-ray for the first time, which compensates for data lost during the compression process creating a fuller, richer sound. HD Networking with SD Card The convenient SD card slot on the DMP-BD30 allows easy viewing of hi-def videos and photos on your HDTV. Videos shot with a Panasonic HD camcorder are output in their original 1920x1080 resolution, while still images taken with a Panasonic Lumix® digital camera are up-converted and output in 1920x1080 resolution1. One-Touch Control from Your TV's Remote With EZ Sync™ HDAVI Control, you can control your Blu-ray Disc™ player — and all your home theater components — with your TV's remote2. Simply press the EZ Sync™ button and select "BD Player" on the menu screen; the BD player's menu will be displayed and you can begin playback. JPEG and other still image sources converted to 1920x1080 resolution, while of high quality, will exhibit somwehat lower subjective image resolution than true, native 1080p full-HD sources. This function is available for 2007 Panasonic home theater systems used with 2007 Panasonic flat-panel TV models. # FORMAT: . BD-ROM Playback BD-Video (Final Standard Profile) # BD-RE SL/DL BD-MV (BD-RE Version 3), JPEG # BD-R SL/DL BD-MV (BD-R Version 2) # DVD Playback DVD-Video # DVD-RAM Playback DVD-VR, JPEG, AVCHD(H.264) # DVD-R/-RW/-R(DL) 1 Playback DVD-Video, DVD-VR, AVCHD(H.264) # +R/+R(DL)/+RW Playback Video, AVCHD # CD, CD-R/-RW 2 Playback CD-DA, MP3 3(CD-R/-RW only), JPEG(CD-R/-RW only) # SD Memory Card AVCHD, JPEG VIDEO: . # P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Progressing for HD) Yes # Precise Pixel Generation Yes # 16-Level Motion Detection w/ Pixel-Based Motion Adaptive Yes # Diagonal Processing Yes # 3:2/2:2 Pull-Down Progressive Processing Yes(3:2 Pull-Down Only) # i/p Conversion for 1080p 4 Playback Yes # Up-conversion to 1080p 5 Playback Yes # Video D/A Converter 148.5MHz/12bit # HD i/p Conversion Yes # Progressive Scan Yes # Digital Noise Reduction Yes # Picture Mode Yes (Normal/Soft/Fine/Cinema/User) # Picture Adjustment Yes (Brightness, Color, Contrast, Sharpness, Gamma Correction)
AUDIO: . # Audio D/A Converter 192kHz/24bit # Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital Plus Decoder Bitstream output using required HDMI™ connection # Dolby True HD Decoder Bitstream output using required HDMI™ connection # DTS/DTS-HD High Resolution/Master Audio Decoder Bitstream output using required HDMI™ connection # Re-Master for DVD/CD Yes (all formats) # Advanced Surround (V.S.S.) Yes # Dialogue Enhancer Yes # Dynamic Range Compression Yes CONVENIENT: . # EZ SyncTM (HDAVI Control 2) Yes # Super Hi Speed Scan Yes(x200) # Audio/JPEG Navigation Menu Yes # INPUT/OUTPUT: . # HDMI™ Support version: HDMI™ V1.3 with Deep Color™ # 1080p output: 24p(for BD-ROM only)/60p # Component Video Out (Y, PB, PR) Yes # S-Video Out Yes # Video Out Yes # 5.1ch Audio Out Yes # 2ch Audio Out Yes # Digital Audio Out Yes(1 optical, 1 coaxial) SPECIFICATIONS: . # Audio S/N 115dB # Dynamic Range 100dB # Power Source AC 120V, 60Hz # Power Consumption 25W (approx) # Dimensions (H x W x D) 25/16'' x 1615/16'' x 125/8'' # Weight 7.3 lbs Footnotes # 1 Discs recorded and finalized on DVD video recorders/cameras. # 2 Playability may vary depending on the contents, discs and quality of the recording. # 3 MP3 audio decoding technology licensed from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson multimedia. For contents recorded on CD-R/RW media from CDs for your personal use. Playability may vary depending on contents and discs. # 4 Availability of 1080p video sources is currently limited to sources such as Panasonic Blu-ray Disc™ players. HDMI connection may be required. # 5 Availability of 1080p video sources is currently limited to sources such as Panasonic Blu-ray Disc™ players. HDMI connection may be required.
REVIEWS: Panasonic unveils the DMP-BD30 Blu-Ray Disc Player during Bluray Festival Today both Justin and myself were extremely fortunate to visit, as part of the two day Blu-Ray Festival, Panasonic Hollywood Labs where Panasonic showed us their brand new Blu-Ray player, the DMP-BD30. This new player is, in all honesty, one of the most impressive players I’ve ever had the experience to see and play with (and I’ve owned the BDP-S1, BDP-S300 and BDP-1000). Now we’ll share a few of the awesome features. Panasonic showed us a feature entitled EZ SYNC that allows the consumer to use one remote for all purposes. In a demo, a representative of the company showed us just how easy it was to insert a Music CD, then insert a standard SD card and begin a slide-show showing all your favorite pictures. Another interesting aspect of EZ SYNC was the ability of the remote to turn on other units connected to the TV with the press of a button. For example, the viewer could have audio coming from the speaker on the TV, simply hit a button to display a menu and then find their receiver on with their surrounds playing the audio. Talk about awesome! We were also given a demo that showed off another interesting aspect of this new player that wasn’t found in Panasonic’s older DMP-BD10, that being the Final Standard Profile that is a PIP feature giving the viewer a variety of entertainment enhancements like director commentary, games and actor performances. Another impressive aspect was the difference, particularly in color production, of the older DMP-BD10 and the newer DMP-BD30. A demo of the first minute of Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest was shown on both players. The DMP-BD30 showed more detail and an overall improvement of color reproduction. In all honesty, this player looked and felt solid and for such a low price, the DMP-BD30 just might be the player to beat. Attached below you’ll find the FULL press release that Panasonic made available to everyone attending the event. PANASONIC INTRODUCES NEXT-GENERATION BLU-RAY DISC™ PLAYER Only Blu-ray Player to Feature Final Standard Profile LOS ANGELES CA (October 30, 2007) – Panasonic, a leader in High Definition technology, announced today the introduction of the DMP-BD30, the next generation High Definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. The DMPBD30 is the first Blu-ray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features to the Blu-ray arena and one that separates the Panasonic Blu-ray player from the rest of the field. Also unique to the DMP-BD30 is the inclusion of an SD Memory Card slot for playback of High Definition content recorded in the AVCHD format. The SD slot also allows for viewing of digital still images recorded to an SD Memory Card. Final Standard Profile is an advanced function added to the Blu-ray standard, which opens the door to new functions such as Picture-inPicture (which displays a second image in a sub window) and Audio Mixing (allows the consumer to switch the sound between the main and sub windows).
―The DMP-BD30 will contribute greatly to Blu-ray’s mounting lead over the competing format,‖ said Gene Kelsey, Vice President, Panasonic Entertainment Group. ―Panasonic’s adoption of the Final Standard Profile adds a whole new dimension to the entertainment experience. For example, when the added value features inherent to the Final Standard Profile are incorporated into a Blu-ray movie, the viewer could have a myriad of entertainment options. One of the more intriguing aspects of the Final Standard Profile is the Picture-in-Picture feature that would allow the movie fan to access a variety of entertainment enhancements, such as having the director or an actor pop up to discuss a scene you are watching, or with an animated movie, you might see the actor performing their character’s voice over, all while still watching the movie. Not only do these features give Panasonic a strong advantage in the high definition market, but they provide the movie community with numerous opportunities to embellish the viewing experience with additional creative elements.‖ The DMP-BD30 also features a myriad of technology advances, including Deep Color Compatibility, and HDMI 1.3B, that bumps the step gradation from 8-bit 256 all the way up to 12-bit, 4,096 step gradation. To further enhance the viewing experience, the DMP-BD30 also provides 1080/24p playback, so the consumer can enjoy the same 24-fps (frames per second) reproduction as the original movie. This eliminates the need to utilize 3.2 pull down, a process to convert 24-fps images to 60-fps, resulting in a smoother picture. The inclusion of a multi-function SD Card slot is another new addition to the Panasonic Blu-ray player. Coupled with the AVCHD codec, the DMP-BD30 allows for images recorded on a high capacity HD SD card to be outputted directly from the player’s HDMI terminal in their original 1080p form. To further benefit the user, the DMP-BD30 provides an AVCHD Direct Navigator function that makes it easy to search for particular scenes. The player can also play back JPEG still images on an SD card, such as those recorded with a Panasonic Lumix digital camera. The DMP-BD30 converts the images to 1920×1080 resolution, ideal for viewing on a1080p HD Plasma and output them through the HDMI terminal. Like its predecessor, the DMP-DB30 features the EZ-Sync™ HDAVI Control that allows the consumer to operate their Panasonic home theater system with one remote. With one touch of the EZ-Sync button, all the components turn on, the correct TV input is chosen, the TV’s built-in speakers are muted and the home theater starts playback. ―Panasonic’s commitment to excellence in entertainment and technology is evident in the establishment of Panasonic Hollywood Labs, where a great deal of research went into the development of Blu-ray,‖ added Kelsey. ―PHL has become one of the major centers for the authoring of Blu-ray titles and works closely with studio engineers in developing High Definition compression technologies.‖ About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, a market and technology leader in high definition entertainment, is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: MC) and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Information about Panasonic products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom. he DMP-BD30 is nothing but "standard." To meet the BD Profile 1.1 spec, it needed internal storage. Panasonic answered that in the the way it knows best, by adding an SD card slot. (This is essentially their way of saying, "Get your own damn 256MB of flash memory," but since I've got more than my share of those, I will happily comply.) It can read JPEGs, MP3s and even video files in the popular high-def AVCHD format used Panasonic high-def camcorders as well as those of competing manufacturers.It's using the P4HD system and Uniphier chip developed for the original DMP-BD10 for 1080p/24p rendering as well as upconversion that can give HQV a run for its money, and it supports HDMI 1.3 for Deep Color (when available). It's also significantly smaller than its pricier predecessor, as you can see from my picture (top) and the brochure illustration:Of course, the crowning glory of the 1.1 spec is picture-in-picture. Two tuners are required, though as in the case of this player, only one has to be HD. The second tuner is standard-def, but capable of simultaneous reading of other parts of the disc. Those discs aren't yet on the market, but when they hit, this player will be the only thing that can play them. (Samsung's Duo will get that capability following a firmware upgrade promised for January.) That means that, if you are hankering for a Blu-ray player that isn't obsolete the minute it hits the store shelf, your choices are limited, but clear. Way to go, Panasonic. We applaud your ability to deliver on the Blu-ray promise. Sony, Pioneer, Philips, Sharp, Hitachi... what the heck happened? PanasonicDMPBD30 PANASONIC INTRODUCES NEXT-GENERATION BLU-RAY DISC™ PLAYER Only Blu-ray Player to Feature Final Standard Profile LOS ANGELES CA - Panasonic, a leader in High Definition technology, announced today the introduction of the DMP-BD30, the next generation High Definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. The DMP-BD30 is the first Bluray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features to the Blu-ray arena and one that separates the Panasonic Blu-ray player from the rest of the field. Also unique to the DMP-BD30 is the inclusion of an SD Memory Card slot for playback of High Definition content recorded in the AVCHD format. The SD slot also allows for viewing of digital still images recorded to an SD Memory Card.
Final Standard Profile is an advanced function added to the Blu-ray standard, which opens the door to new functions such as Picture-inPicture (which displays a second image in a sub window) and Audio Mixing (allows the consumer to switch the sound between the main and sub windows). "The DMP-BD30 will contribute greatly to Blu-ray's mounting lead over the competing format," said Gene Kelsey, Vice President, Panasonic Entertainment Group. "Panasonic's adoption of the Final Standard Profile adds a whole new dimension to the entertainment experience. For example, when the added value features inherent to the Final Standard Profile are incorporated into a Blu-ray movie, the viewer could have a myriad of entertainment options. One of the more intriguing aspects of the Final Standard Profile is the Picture-in-Picture feature that would allow the movie fan to access a variety of entertainment enhancements, such as having the director or an actor pop up to discuss a scene you are watching, or with an animated movie, you might see the actor performing their character's voice over, all while still watching the movie. Not only do these features give Panasonic a strong advantage in the high definition market, but they provide the movie community with numerous opportunities to embellish the viewing experience with additional creative elements." With an SRP of $499.95, the DMP-BD30 also features a myriad of technology advances, including Deep Color Compatibility, and HDMI 1.3B, that bumps the step gradation from 8-bit 256 all the way up to 12-bit, 4,096 step gradation. To further enhance the viewing experience, the DMP-BD30 also provides 1080/24p playback, so the consumer can enjoy the same 24-fps (frames per second) reproduction as the original movie. This eliminates the need to utilize 3.2 pull down, a process to convert 24-fps images to 60-fps, resulting in a smoother picture. The inclusion of a multi-function SD Card slot is another new addition to the Panasonic Blu-ray player. Coupled with the AVCHD codec, the DMP-BD30 allows for images recorded on a high capacity HD SD card to be outputted directly from the player's HDMI terminal in their original 1080p form. To further benefit the user, the DMP-BD30 provides an AVCHD Direct Navigator function that makes it easy to search for particular scenes. The player can also play back JPEG still images on an SD card, such as those recorded with a Panasonic Lumix digital camera. The DMP-BD30 converts the images to 1920x1080 resolution, ideal for viewing on a1080p HD Plasma and output them through the HDMI terminal. Like its predecessor, the DMP-DB30 features the EZ-Sync™ HDAVI Control that allows the consumer to operate their Panasonic home theater system with one remote. With one touch of the EZ-Sync button, all the components turn on, the correct TV input is chosen, the TV's built-in speakers are muted and the home theater starts playback. "Panasonic's commitment to excellence in entertainment and technology is evident in the establishment of Panasonic Hollywood Labs, where a great deal of research went into the development of Blu-ray," added Kelsey.
"PHL has become one of the major centers for the authoring of Blu-ray titles and works closely with studio engineers in developing High Definition compression technologies." Panasonic's new DMP-BD30 is one of the more affordable Blu-ray players currently on the market, as well as the first to be compliant with the format's Profile 1.1 specification (more on this below). That makes for a pretty winning combination, but does it live up to its potential as a category killer? Cosmetics, Connections, and Setup The BD30 is rather small for a Blu-ray model. The front of the unit has a flip-down panel, beneath which is an SD Card slot (useful for displaying JPEG images or creating a slide show). Next to this is another motorized panel that will automatically flip down when the disc tray is ejected. Like many Blu-ray players, positioned above the front LED display is a bright blue light, as if to announce, "Hey, this is Blu-ray!" This one is brighter and more distracting than most. Fortunately, the LED can be dimmed in the player's Setup menu, and the brighter light can be turned off with the setting labeled "SD Card LED Control". On the back are located the expected assortment of video and audio connections: Composite and S-video (both useless for High Definition, so don't bother with them), Component Video, HDMI, and both Coaxial and Optical S/PDIF. The HDMI output is Version 1.3 compliant (more on this below). There are separate sets of stereo and 5.1 analog audio outputs. Disappointingly, the unit does not have 7.1 analog outputs as found on Panasonic's earlier DMP-BD10 model. The remote controller is one of the ugliest I've ever owned, with a frustrating button layout featuring no fewer than three separate Menu commands. There's a button for the Pop-up Menus available during Blu-ray playback, a button for jumping straight to the Top Menu (if the disc offers one), and another button called Sub Menu that brings up an onscreen menu of other menu options. Neither the Pop-up Menu nor Top Menu buttons work during Standard-Def DVD playback. The only way to access the main menu on a DVD disc is to hit the Sub Menu button and scroll down to the "Menu" command, which is aggravating and far from intuitive. Also annoying is the player's reliance on the Return button (a command I'd never had to use on any previous player) any time you're done with a menu screen and wish to exit it. At the bottom of the remote are two new buttons called "PIP" and "Secondary Audio" that are specific to Profile 1.1 features. A word of caution about the initial setup: The player defaults from the factory to a resolution setting of "Auto," which will output 1080p60 video if connected by HDMI, or 1080i if connected by Component. If your HDTV doesn't support 1080p input signals (not all do), connecting by HDMI may lead to either a blank screen or garbled video. The Troubleshooting section of the owner's manual advises pushing the Stop and Play buttons simultaneously to reset the resolution. If that doesn't work, try connecting a set of Component cables for the preliminary installation so
that you'll be able to navigate through the setup menus to change the resolution. The BD30 boots up very quickly for a next-gen player. I clocked the time from power on to disc tray ejection at 20 seconds. Loading time for a disc is not much better than my last Blu-ray player, however. One of my slowest Blu-rays ('Dirty Dancing') took a solid minute from tray retraction to the first appearance of the disc menu. Navigation of disc menus is also rather slow and clunky. The player's setup screens are pretty straightforward for the most part, though again the unit does require use of the Return command to navigate them. During movie playback, the Display menu will provide information on the video and audio codecs encoded on the disc (a feature we disc reviewers find very helpful), but will not distinguish between the DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio formats. Video Quality As with all High Definition disc players of either the Blu-ray or HD DVD formats, the DMP-BD30 is perfectly capable of transmitting HD video up to 1080i resolution over the Component Video outputs so long as the software being played allows it. Should a Blu-ray disc be flagged with an Image Constraint Token (ICT), the player will be forced to downscale the video output to 480p Standard Definition. Fortunately, at the time of this writing no Blu-ray discs have yet been burdened with an ICT flag. Per restrictions set by the DVD Forum, Standard-Def DVD playback is always limited to a maximum 480p resolution over Component, and can only be upscaled to higher resolutions over HDMI. Using the HDMI connection, video may be output at resolutions up to 1080p60 or 1080p24 (the latter on Blu-ray discs only). For more information on the distinction between these two formats, see my earlier What's the Big Deal About 1080p24? column. Selecting the "Auto" resolution setting defaults everything to 1080p60, except when the 1080p24 function is also activated, in which case suitably encoded Bluray movies will output at that rate. Standard-Def DVDs or 1080i Blu-ray content will all be upscaled or deinterlaced to 1080p60 unless a different resolution is specifically chosen. Since my projector is compatible with 1080p24 resolution, I chose that for my testing of Blu-ray movie playback, all of which looked terrific as expected. I've read comments from owners claiming that the BD30 outputs a sharper picture than the Playstation 3 console. I wasn't able to make that comparison myself, but to my eyes video quality looks identical to my previous Sony BDP-S300 player, appearing neither sharper nor softer to any noticeable degree. That's far from a complaint, as I was always perfectly satisfied with the S300 and anticipated no less here. Picture controls including Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness, and Color are available through the Display menu. Generally speaking, I advise adjusting these in the display device if possible, not the disc player. Also provided are Noise Reduction enhancements. I played around with these a bit, but didn't care for the results. They didn't seem to affect
noisy video content much at all, but did visibly soften real picture detail. Use of these functions is likely to come down to a matter of personal taste. For Standard-Def DVD playback, it's worth noting that 4:3 aspect ratio discs will be automatically pillarboxed into the center of a 16:9 screen. Using the "Screen Aspect" setting in the Sub Menu, the player does have an option to zoom those in non-anamorphic letterbox format to the appropriate dimensions. I'm saddened to report that deinterlacing of 1080i Blu-ray content (music concerts, nature programs, etc.) and upconversion of Standard-Def DVD are both seriously flawed. After testing with the Silicon Optix 'HQV Benchmark' (in both DVD and Blu-ray varieties) and the 'Spears & Munsil VRS Evaluation & Optimization DVD', the player failed just about every deinterlacing test I threw at it. There were terrible jaggies visible on all diagonal lines, waving flags, racecar tracks, hockey videos, and more. On film-based material with a simple 3:2 cadence, the unit performed acceptably, but any badly-flagged or complicated content just fell apart. This is simply not the unit's strength. I would recommend outputting 1080i Blu-ray content as 1080i and letting the HDTV display handle the deinterlacing, and I would not advise using the DMP-BD30 as a primary upconverting DVD player at all. Audio Quality Like all Blu-ray players, the BD30's Coaxial and Optical S/PDIF outputs can be used to transmit standard Dolby Digital and DTS audio, or PCM up to 2-channels. Advanced codecs such as Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD cannot be transmitted over S/PDIF and will be downconverted to standard Dolby or DTS using those connections. For more information on these new audio formats, see my Blu-ray and HD DVD Audio Explained article. The player also has 5.1 analog outputs useful once again for standard Dolby Digital or DTS, as well as PCM 5.1 soundtracks. In a major disappointment, the BD30 does not incorporate DD+, TrueHD, or DTS-HD decoding, as Panasonic's prior DMP-BD10 model did. The feature was likely left out to meet the lower price point. As a result, this means that those advanced codecs cannot be decoded internally for output over the 5.1 analog connections in full quality. As with S/PDIF, they will be downconverted to standard Dolby or DTS. This also applies to the HDMI output if connected to an A/V receiver by any version of HDMI up to and including 1.2a. On the other hand, the DMP-BD30 does have an HDMI 1.3 output, and will transmit the raw bitstreams for any of these audio formats to a compatible receiver for external decoding. This requires that the receiver have its own HDMI 1.3 input and the necessary decoders. Since those are relatively new features, anyone with a receiver more than a year old is basically out of luck, and will not be able to listen to the full high-resolution quality of DD+, TrueHD, or DTS-HD without upgrading to a new receiver.
In a positive development, the unit offers full speaker size, delay, and level calibration controls for the analog audio outputs, which gives it a big leg up over comparable models from Samsung and Sony. Strangely, the controls for this are not located in the Audio section of the setup menu, but rather under the "TV/Device Connection" section. [Important Note: Extensive testing by users revealed that, in its early firmware versions, the DMP-BD30 had incorrect LFE levels when using the HDMI output. PCM soundtracks, or any other audio format decoded to PCM within the player, suffered –5 dB LFE suppression over HDMI. This problem was corrected with Firmware Ver. 1.6, issued on February 25, 2008. Users relying on the HDMI connection for audio are strongly advised to apply the latest firmware update.] Profile 1.1 Features For more information on the meaning of each of Blu-ray's hardware Profiles, please see my separate Blu-ray Profiles Explained column. In short, Blu-ray players released before November 1st, 2007 were all classified as hardware Profile 1.0, which did not require inclusion of secondary video or audio decoders for use with interactive Picture-inPicture bonus features. Blu-ray Profile 1.1 adds those functions, and the DMP-BD30 is the first model compliant with the new specification. Since this review is being published in advance of the availability of any Blu-ray discs with actual Profile 1.1 features, my coverage of this area must rely on the limited documentation present in the owner's manual. I assume that Picture-in-Picture and similar content will be accessible from the disc menus, as traditional bonus features are. The player also has "PIP" and "Secondary Audio" buttons at the bottom of the remote, so it seems that the video and audio for these features can be brought up independently. Under the "Digital Audio Output" section of the player's setup menu and in the owner's manual are some confusing notes on how to configure the settings for use with BD-Video Secondary Audio content. The player's menus imply that you should leave the Secondary Audio setting "Off" until needed. If you leave it "On", all high-resolution audio formats including DD+, TrueHD, and DTS-HD will be automatically downsampled to standard Dolby or DTS quality (even if using the HDMI 1.3 bitstream transmission method) so that the secondary content can be mixed in. On the other hand, the owner's manual states "When playing BD-Video without secondary audio or clicking sounds, the audio is output as the same format as if 'BDVideo Secondary Audio' was set to 'Off'." What isn't clear is whether the high-resolution audio on Profile 1.1 discs will be downgraded automatically only when you turn on those features, or regardless of whether you use them or not. The whole thing seems a little overly complicated for its own good, but hopefully will be cleared up once the first discs start coming out. The Bottom Line: Is It Worth It? Each potential buyer will judge the importance of Blu-ray Profile 1.1 based on their own personal priorities. Previous Blu-ray models will
continue to play all discs and traditional bonus features, so if you don't find support for interactive content all that important, this feature may not necessarily be a deal-breaker. In any case, for the first Profile 1.1 compliant Blu-ray player, the Panasonic DMP-BD30 is a well-priced deal that offers excellent video quality on Blu-ray discs and the capability to bitstream advanced audio codecs to a compatible receiver (still a rare feature in Blu-ray players). On the other hand, it lacks the ability to decode those audio codecs internally as prior Panasonic models could, and has very poor deinterlacing and DVD upconversion quality. The BD30 isn't quite a perfect Blu-ray player, but it performs strongly in core areas and rates a worthy recommendation.