Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features - Page 4

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Yo

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

If your viewing tastes are current domestic blockbusters, then this wouldn't be an issue. If, however, you enjoy classic and/or foreign cinema or TV series then 4:3 is an issue.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

I suppose classics like 'Casablanca', 'Gone With The Wind', 'Singing In The Rain' and let's not forget 'Citizen Kane', along with hundreds of other great films, don't deserve to be in HD simply because they are all 4x3 movies.

I hope you do realize that, that HD refers to a higher resolution and has nothing to do with the aspect ratio.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Put more succinctly, the implication is that any film made before the widescreen era (about 1953) needn't be bothered with on hidef. Such an attitude is uninformed, to put it nicely.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

In regards to no Subtitle button being on Panasonic remotes: You can hit the Display button and then toggle any subtitle off/on and scroll through the different sub streams. Not as simple, but it is a way to do it without using the menus.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Obviously my brief comment was not clear.

Sorry for the confusion, but what I was trying to write was that I am one (of very many) who would (and did) purchase a BD player with the clear knowledge that I would be watching many 4:3 movies on satellite TV (e.g. TCM) from my modest DVD collection and my (even more) modest BD collection.

As you cite some classics, you ought to post in the AFI and S&S threads and join in the general discussion. Even though we don’t all agree as to merits of any of these great films (or even that all of them are great) you might find some of the views expressed worthy of consideration.

Not the first time I’ve not written clearly, but this is probably the first time that anyone thought I was unclear as to the difference between resolution and aspect ratio (two things that really should not be in the same sentenence).

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Yeah, but that requires 'SIX' presses of three seperate buttons on the remote to just turn on the subtitles and in case you need to change the language of the subtitles, then even more button presses. Then ofcourse 'SIX' more presses of three seperate buttons to turn off the subtitles.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Should things like Polaroid images or other low quality sources be converted to HD just because we can? Maybe next can take mono voice recordings and convert them to Super CD? If the res is crummy to start with than why transfer to HD, wouldn't DVD make more sense. Ever hear the expression you can't make a silk purse from a sows ear????

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Dave, Would you please explain how your have your BD35 audio hooked up?
I don't understand how to get 7.1 whereas there is only one HDMI on the BD35

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

I am wondering why you would compare the 'bitstream' audio from the BD35 with the internal decoding of the PS3. If you have to compare the audio quality of the two, then you ought to set the PS3 to bitstream also, only then can you compare the two.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Got it yesterday and had a play.

The splash screen is nice.
The lack of noise while clicking etc and PS3 on-screen pop-ups is nice.
It's not THAT slow.
Getting used to not having bluetooth remote.
Using same codes as Panasnic DVD player on Yamaha system remote.
Subtitle button doesn't work, but going via display is ok. Similar amount of clicks anyway on any Panasonic player.
Remote layout is a bit low.
Getting to speaker setup was confusing. Sound was ok anyway...some tweaking may improve it. Sounds strained or fatiguing compared to regular processing by Z9.

Bottom line for me - only reason for lossless is because it's forced by certain titles - music ones especially.

The Z9 more than handles regular tracks just fine.

Sony doesn't do slow scan like the PS3, but the Panasonic does, go figure.

Anyone tested resume play (eject and play from same spot with non-BD Live discs)?

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Yumbo I agree on your summary. Overall a super player, also found a way to do 4X3 better as some found this annoying. But, my opinion is squewed anyways as I ONLY bought this for HI DEF, may have some limitations for other aspects. The DVD upscaling is better than I expected though.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

This comment betrays a lack of understanding of the resolution available in film-sourced material, even some 70-year-old film sources. Do you actually believe that anything that is 4:3 must by definition be a "low quality source?" Maybe you should take a look at Casablanca (1942), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), etc., to see the picture quality, if not appreciate the content.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Can someone please answer 2 questions for me:

1) Is the only difference between the BD35 & BD55 the 7.1 analog outputs?

2) If the answer to (1) is yes and I'm not really concerned right now about 7.1 would you recommend the BD35 as a good Blu-ray player for a first-timer?

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

The difference between the BD35 & BD55 is:
1) Up to 7.1 (Hi Resolution) Analog output.
2) Shock absorbing feet.
3) Coaxial & Optical digital audio outputs (for DVD audio quality). (BD35 has Optical only).
4) BD55 plays DiVX encodes, BD35 doesn't.

The BD35 is a great Blu-ray player for a first-timer. Too bad you didn't buy it yesterday when Sears had a sale on-line for it at $149.00 & price matched it at their B&M stores. It sold out in a couple of hours.

Paul

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Cool. Thanks.

Sounds like the differences are not worth an extra $100 (to me) so I'll probably go with the 35.

Wish I hadn't missed the sale but that's typical for me.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

FYI:

It's been posted that Costco has it at many of their B&M stores at a better than the MSRP price and I'm told their box includes an HDMI cable (Most do not.) so that other stores don't have to honor price matching.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

The 55 also has isolation feet which I think the 35 does not.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

GlennH I don't doubt some of the old classics are fine films, just that the audio and image quality are so poor that I don't know if they deserve the HD transfer from old film stock.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

The resolution of ‘old’ film stock is very much higher than DVD allows—and also higher than HD. Besides which, resolution is not the only factor to consider in HD reproduction—colors are much better in HD than DVD.

Take a look at The Adventures of Robin Hood or Casablanca if you are not convinced. As for me, I can’t wait to have some older classics such as The Red Shoes or Black Narcissus made available in HD.

The audio will not benefit from any of the new HD-only techniques.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

It still seems like you think that Old 35mm Film is not equivalent to current film. Assuming it was properly shot, the elements have been properly cared for, and it is transferred correctly even old film has far more resolution available than BluRay is capable of

On the audio side you may have somewhat of a point that modern soundtracks are louder/clearer/more directional, but even old 35mm can have significantly higher resolution/color depth/contrast than BR offers. That doesn't even get into 70mm films.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

I figured the older film stock was not capable of the color saturation of new film stock. It would probably be a lot of work to clean up the old reels - if done properly I am sure they could look better. Look at what Lucas did to the Star Wars films once they were re-mastered, looking at them side by side - the improvement is striking. Now about the sound - yes, limitations due to the way they were recorded. I found a way to help play 3X4 for anyone interested, but it involves the zoom function. Paid $338 for my BD55K, wonder how low the price will go to on Black friday? Anyone want to make a guess?

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Older film stock is actually far superior to modern film stocks---the ancient silver nitrates yielded a gorgeous image that can't be equaled by anything made today.

On the down side, they're extremely flammable/explosive.

But any 35mm film is going to have far more resolution than HD can handle, so virtually any such movie would benefit from an HD transfer. Watch the HD version of Casablanca and tell me that doesn't look marvelous.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Casablanca is indeed a classic film. What was the original aspect ratio?

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

1.37:1

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Just got the BD35, and I've got questions. My setup is circa 2001, so HDMI connection is out of the question. I have a 46" Panasonic rear projection HD TV, and have used the component connection.

My big question is, with the BD35 set to 16:9, and the screen saver set to Off, the 4:3 SD DVD I sampled was stretched to fill the 16:9 screen. My old JVC DVD player scaled 4:3 material automatically with black bars, and I have a lot of SD classic films, so this distortion is unacceptable. I've played with the settings for a while, but can't figure it out. Has anyone else encountered this? Thanks...

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Jim:

Just want to confirm: the player is set to "16:9" not "16:9 Full," yes? (Per manual page 32, the 16:9 setting stretches 4:3 content to 16:9.)

And does your Panasonic RPTV permit aspect ratio control for content at higher than 480p resolution? If not (and the BD35 is set to 16:9) your RPTV may be the culprit, not unlike my older Tosh widescreen set, which locks into "Full" mode whenever fed anything above 480p.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

Paul, I've just discovered last week that my RPTV does indeed seem to lock into full mode. I found this when I hooked a converter box to it. (Since I don't regularly use the set to watch TV shows, I've never bothered with cable of satellite TV or any of that.)

Looking at page 32 of the manual, I see that it says that setting the TV Aspect to 16:9 displays 4:3 at the 4:3 ratio in the center of the screen, it's 16:9 Full that stretches it. I read that early on, and have avoided the 16:9 Full setting from the outset. I've also tried all the suggestions in the Troubleshooting section pertaining to this, but still I'm stuck with a stretched image. Very frustrating!

Honestly, this process has been surprisingly overwhelming for me today. I'm finding that my Panny RPTV apparently does not get along with my new Panny BD35 in terms of aspect ratio. Not only that, but this is the first time I've ever attempted to look at any HD material using my RPTV, and when I switched the player output into 1080i mode (via component), the colors on the whole top third of the screen were revealed to be shockingly out of whack. Quite headache inducing. I think I may need to get into the service man menu to try to correct that.

In the meantime, the supposed 1080i mode looks considerably less vivid and kind of murky compared to when I put the player into 480p mode. What's up with that, I wonder?

Maybe I was naive, but I bought this TV in 2001 thinking that I'd be "future proof" for a good long while. Longer than seven years, anyway. Methinks the lack of HDMI alone is kicking my butt here.

Re: Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Features

The PS3 does not bitstream advanced audio (TrueHD, DTS-MA, etc.).