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Bought this to replace an LG player which for some reason made high-pitched whirring noises off-and-on while playing a disc. Both players take a while to recognize a disc, but that seems to be an issue with all BD players. No noise whatsoever from the Panasonic, so no distractions while watching movies. The remote key layout on the Panasonic is also more straight-forward. Finally, the Panasonic recognized and played DVD-R recordings the LG wouldn't. Although this model is no longer manufactured, it is available via the refurb market and a great value for under $200.
This unit was raved about by professional product reviewers in late 2008 (CNET.com and Home Theater Magazine). It had a MSRP of $299, the 55K model was, I think $399, with additional analog audio inputs.The 35K model was replaced by the 60K model which has the VieraCast web feature, yet the 35K is selling for over $300. What's going on.The 60K model was reviewed by CNET.com, and it received 3 out of 5 stars because it has less features than other (more expensive) players and "only" Very Good SD DVD (identical to 35K SD performance) -- the new 60K continues to be a solid Blu-Ray player with VG SD video - - however, it has been surpassed according to CNET.com by the Samsung BRP-2500 which has solid Blu-Ray playback and even better SD DVD performance.The 60K is available through Amazon for about $250 (free shipping), while Costco has the 605K (w/ HDMI cable) for $256 (after $50 coupon & tax). The Samsung 2500 (better than Pan 35K) is $300 and is beginning to be replaced by a newer model.Why is the 35K being currently reviewed when the 60K is available.Why is the 35K being offered at more than $250.
Very nice picture, easy set up.it is just like watching high definition TV with my movies now.
With some rental disks, the scratches can cause the picture and sound to freeze and break up a little, but as we can tell that's no fault of the player.The player itself loads quickly, is relatively quiet but does take a little time to turn on and eject to accept a disk. I've watched a few movies and compared to the Blu-Ray versions, namely Transformers and Blood Diamond. Six months have now passed since we received our BD35K and we haven't had anything to complain about with this equipment. Some movies that have been outstanding to watch have been Iron Man, Hellboy 2, The Mist and Wall-E. it was just plug and play with a cheap (but good quality) HDMI 6ft 1080P cable [.].Somehow the price has doubled since the before-Christmas sales, so I'm surprised, but also pleased at the same time, that the deal we received was an awesome one. but what's 20 sec, right. Each movie has always looked as good as it did on the big screen and in some cases better.Even regular DVD's play better than they would on our DVD player.
From seeing the reviews some people just didn't find the right match-up with TV but I guess we were lucky. We are happy with the set-up and find it to play each and every Blu-Ray we have put into it. It sometimes tricks you into thinking you're watching something more than just DVD, the "up-scaling" quality is that good.We haven't set up surround sound yet and use it with a Vizio 120 Hz LCD, but feel the audio and video quality are transferred well. The remote is also relatively small and very easy to learn and use.The images are always clear and crisp, with beautiful sound from all the latest movie releases. Even a few older films are top quality, such as Road Warrior but we have found this is dependent on the transfer process (and quality) of the movie to Blu-Ray. There have been no problems with cables or connections so far. If you can wait until the price drops again below $250 like we did, do it.
Early impressions are solid. Definition superb, features good. I kinda wish I had sprung for the BD55 because of the Dolby surround sound but that's for another day. Unless you'd like to buy this from me for what I paid.
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