Review: Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray Player

I have been watching Blu-Ray titles for well over a year now using, among other players, a Panasonic DMP-10AK player. All in all I have been very pleased with the performance of the 10AK. Overall, the 10AK has been a solid performer with very good video and excellent audio performance. The 10AK was the predecessor to the DMP-BD30 which was released in October 2007. However, I did not see the need to upgrade to the DMP-BD30 as it was not a profile 2.0 player and did not internally decode DTS HD Master Audio. At CES in January, the DMP-BD50, the successor to the DMP-BD30 was announced, for delivery later in the year.

What peaked my interest when I inquired about the DMP-BD50 at CES was the announcement that it would be Profile 2.0 compliant and internally decode DTS HD Master Audio and even better, send the signal out through the player’s analog audio outputs. This is significant to me as my pre/pro does not have HDMI inputs and I am not really in the mood to go out and upgrade my pre/pro which delivers outstanding sonic performance for the sake of adding HDMI audio capabilities. Needless to say, I was anxious to get may hands on one to put it through its paces and compare it to my trusty old 10AK. While it took awhile as the player’s release was delayed past the original release date, the kind folks at Panasonic provided me with a review sample which I had for two weeks, most of which was spent spinning as many Blu-Ray discs as I could muster, given my other responsibilities. So, how did it perform? Glad you asked!

SPECIFICATIONS
First off, I will detail the most significant features in this player as compared to the 10AK. I am sure that the most significant feature for some is that it is a profile 2.0 player, meaning that it is compatible with Blu-Ray profile 2.0. also known as BD-Live. The player has a built in ethernet port which you will need to hook up to the player to be able to access many of the new BD-Live interactive features. However, to access some of that content, you will need to use a SD card as the payer has no built in memory. This seems to me to be quite a shortcoming, considering the cost of this player. Being profile 2.0 compliant, the player is also compatible with profile 1.1 meaning that you will be able to access the picture in picture audio and video commentaries that are featured on many of the newer Blu-Ray discs.

Most significant to me is that the DMP-BD50 is able to internally decode all of the advanced audio codecs, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. All codecs can be outputed via bitstream using HDMI to a receiver capable of decoding same or outputted via the player’s multichannel audio outputs to be connected to a receiver or pre/pro with multichannel audio inputs. In a step down from the 10AK however, the analog audio outputs are limited to 5.1 only rather than the 7.1 that were included with the 10AK. The player will however, output a 7.1 signal via the bitstream option via HDMI. Therefore, if you have a 7.1 setup, you will need to use the HDMI audio option. As was the case with the lack of built in memory noted previously, dropping the 7.1 analog output support of the 10AK was a shortsighted move, limiting the market for this player. Given the cost of this unit vs. the competition, the 7.1 analog audio outputs should not have been dropped in the opinion of this reviewer.

In addition, and just as significant for some, the DMP-BD50 also offers full support for 1080p video at 24 f/s. If your display supports this video format, you will be pleased with the performance of this option which improves the quality of an already outstanding image.

CONNECTIVITY
The DMP-BD50 offers a wide range of options for connection to your video and audio system. As for video, the unit offers HDMI, component, S and composite video connections. Needless to say, someone who will purchase this player will not connect it to a display using either the S video or composite outputs. Accordingly, my review was limited to the HDMI and component outputs only. Output resolution for Blu-Ray discs is limited to 1080i through component. The player will also not upconvert standard DVD to either 720p or 1080i through the component outputs. If you want to use the player to upconvert standard DVDs, you will need to use the HDMI output. In this respect, the BD50 is identical to all upconverting players as well as all Blu-Ray players (and HD DVD players for that matter). As for audio, in addition to HDMI and 5.1 analog audio options, the player also has stereo analog audio outputs in addition to coaxial and toslink audio connections. You should be aware that access to the advanced audio codecs is not possible through the coaxial and toslink audio connections. Your options there are limited to the standard DVD audio options of Dolby Digital and DTS.

PERFORMANCE
Video performance through both the HDMI and component video outputs on this unit is excellent in all respects. In fact, it is safe for me to say that the video performance of this unit is a good as I have seen from any other Blu-Ray player. Color reproduction is excellent as it black level and detail performance. In comparison to the 10AK, the BD50 offers an image that is a hair sharper and more detailed. Is it a huge difference? No. But in comparing them side by side, the BD50 offers a consistently better picture, if even by just a hair. The HDMI video output is the best option for displays supporting full 1080p resolution as it provides a clearer and more detailed image than 1080i through the component outputs, even without utilizing the 24 f/s option. If your display is a 768p or 720p display, the video performance through HDMI and component is a wash.

One area on the video side where the DMP-BD50 disappoints is as an upconverting DVD player. In this respect, it is no different than the 10AK which I found to be a less than stellar upconverting player. The upconverted image lacks the smoothness and detail of the better upconverting players available and my two Toshiba HD DVD players, which I continue to use to play all my standard DVDs as well as my HD DVDs. Considering the cost of the DMP-BD50, I expected an upgrade in this regard. This is the only area where the video performance of the DMP-BD50 fails to deliver.

As far as audio, my evaluation of the BD50 was limited to the multichannel analog audio outputs. While the audio performance of this until is outstanding, it is not quite up to the level of the 10AK which is a just a hair better. The improvement of the video offered by the BD50 is offset by a corresponding decrease in audio performance as compared to the 10AK. The difference is in the ability of the player to convey fine audio detail. The overall sound of the analog audio outputs is slightly flatter that those on the 10AK. This can best be heard on the opening track on the Legends of Jazz Showcase Blu-Ray release which is among the best, if not the best sounding musical disc on either of the high def audio formats or DVD. Listening to the first track featuring Al Jarreau and Kurt Elling, the 10AK had better separation of the two voices and a better sense of the acoustical space of the studio where the performance was recorded. In audiophile parlance, the 10AK has a more airy sound with better imaging and soundstaging. This difference was noticeable on all the tracks on this release and was also noticeable on all movie tracks as well. Would you notice the difference if you didn’t have the two units side by side? Probably not as the rest of the audio reproduction is on par with the 10AK, with excellent bass response and timbre accuracy. Nevertheless, the difference is there, at least through the analog audio outputs. If you are using the bitstream option through HDMI, I doubt that there is any perceptible difference better they audio performance of the BD50 and the 10AK as the internal DACS are taken out of the equation.

There is of course one way where the BD50 is a real upgrade over the 10AK and that is with the internal decoding of DTS HD Master Audio. The performance increase with DTS HD Master Audio over DTS HD is very impressive. In fact, on the last two discs that I reviewed, namely Top Gun and Shine A Light, the DTS HD Master Audio track was a better performer than even the Dolby True HD track. The increase that I heard with DTS HD Master Audio over the core DTS track was a greater sense of space, more fine detail, better bass reproduction and a more dynamic sound. The inclusion of internal decoding of the full DTS HD Master Audio is a significant addition to the DMP-BD50 and a welcome one at that.

There is one other aspect of the performance of this unit that requires a comment, Namely the speed of the until. One of the real issues with standalone Blu-Ray players as compared to DVD players is the speed of the Blu-Ray player in both turning on and opening the tray to load the disc. Even more onerous is the time it takes for the player to access the information on the disc and begin playback. The 10AK is really, really slow in this regard so much so that it sometimes seems to take an hour for the actual movie to begin to play on your display. While this is a bit of an overstatement, it really isn’t that far from the truth. The good news is that the BD50 is much faster than the 10AK, cutting load times nearly in half. On average, it took 15 seconds or so for the player to turn on and open the try. Once the disc was placed in the player, the load times were noticeably faster than on the 10AK, ranging from 10 seconds to a minute depending on the disc and the level of interactivity on the disc. The slowest disc the load was Pirates of the Caribbean 3 At World’s End, which took over a minute to load. However, even at a little over minute, the load times were much faster than on the 10AK which seemed to take all day in comparison. While still nowhere near as fast as a standard DVD player, the increase in speed between the BD50 and the 10AK is a welcomed upgrade.

CONCLUSION
Needless to say, the DMP-BD50 is an excellent standalone Blu-Ray player. It offers outstanding video and audio performance. Given that it is profile 2.0 compliant, you can rest assured that you will be able to access and play all the content on any Blu-Ray disc that you buy, at least until a new Blu-Ray profile is developed, which shouldn’t be for a long time. Other than for the issue I noted with the performance of the analog audio outputs, the only issue I have with the player is its price. The MSRP of $699.00 is way too high especially given the performance of the PS3 which offers equal Blu-Ray performance at $399.00 with the added value of being able to play games. The player also has stiff competition from the Pioneer BDP-51FD which retails for $599.00 and offers performance that is at least equal to the DMP-BD50. Is this the player for you? If you rely on HDMI for both your audio and video, I can’t imagine you will find a better performer. Of course, if you are using HDMI for both audio and video, the PS3 will be a better deal in terms of price as well as upgradability. If you don’t want to rely on a gaming machine for your Blu-Ray playback and want a standalone Blu-Ray player, the DMP-BD50 may be just the player for you. At $399.99, the DMP-BD50 would be a no brainer and they player of choice. Whether the performance level of the unit is worth another $300.00 is up to you. I will state that I enjoyed the player for the two weeks that it was part of my system. I am sure that you will as well.

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