Customer Reviews

Panasonic DMP-BD605K Blu-Ray Disc Player, Black.

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Panasonic has always been known to build solid machines-broadcast vcrs (back in the day) that never stopped, cordless phones that survived being dropped, and every sort of electronic device in between. I've always been a fan of how well-built Panasonic stuff is. They are, after all, the makers of the only shock-proof laptop (the Toughbook).

For image quality, I always preferred Sony, and for sound I always preferred Yamaha or Denon. But similar Panasonic stuff always looked and sounded "pretty good". Especially since you could drop it.

That's all changed. Now Panasonic continues to make well-built stuff, and they have the best new Plasmas on the market. After having 3 Sony DVD players die in 7 years, I decided to go with the Panasonic Blu-Ray player, mostly so I could use my TV remote with no hassle.

I have not been disappointed. This player starts up fast, the image quality is simply stunning. I had no problem download firmware. DVD up-conversion looks good too. This player had no problem with moderately scratched DVD's. I haven't seen a scratched BD yet, but I can only image BDs will not work as well scratched, but time will tell.

Honestly, BD Live doesn't interest me, if I want an interactive experience, there are website and youtube. I mean flipping through content with a remote control just isn't the same as using a mouse.

I had no problem getting my player to work with my network. Since the cable modem is hooked up to, well cable, it only made sense to place it near the cable box, so therefore my router was already near the TV. I had no problem receiving a DHCP address from my Airport router.

For the limited content you get from Viera cast, it does work well. I haven't tried watching amazon.com unbox yet, but when I do I will edit this review. There are numerous reviews on VieraCast, this review is about a piece of hardware.

For most people the decision is going to be between Panasonic, Samsung and LG. Panasonic has always skimped features for rugged quality, and this is no exception. VieraCast does not do NetFlix streaming yet, but my 5 year old pc hooked up to my Plasma has no problem.

If you really want some of the advanced streaming features of the LG or Samsung, you probably can't go wrong. But if you have kids or careless adults banging on the disc tray all day, get the Panasonic. It feels very well built.

I highly recommend this player, as it performs its advertised functions faithfully.

I read a press release from Panasonic that Viera Cast would be including Netflix. That annoouncement convinced me to buy this player. I also bought a wireless link to hook it to the internet.

But no Netflix appeared. So, I wrote to Panasonic and this was the reply:
"We do apologize for the inconvenience; however Netflix is only available on the 2010 Blu-Ray models. There will be no firmware available to access this feature on your DMP-BD605K as the new additional features of the 2010 Viera Cast system are all hardware improvements and developments and not available via firmware upgrade."

So, if you planned on using Netflix, rethink your plans. If you want to use Netflix, you will have to try to figure out which of Panasonic's models are '2010' and realize that Viera Cast is not one thing.

When my DMP-BD30 started pausing during 'Twilight', and the regular glitches on every movie (like starting every movie without sound, pausing and going black for 5 seconds, then continuing just fine) were at last driving me nuts, I knew it was time for a firmware update. When I saw the BDM-BD605K at Samsclub I figured I'd get my 1st machine with internet connectivity (other than the HD DVD machines). The price was awesome!($277)

The panasonic seems to take 20 to 25 seconds to start a movie or to detect "no disk'. -Faster than a lot of players including my previous ones. I hear a new Samsung is even faster, but Amazons reviewers always rate the Panasonics a whole star higher than Samsungs. I've been pleased with every Panasonic piece I've owned.


Technology is moving lightning-fast and Blu-ray is only improving each month. I was thrilled to see such a fantastic high-def picture when I previewed 'Underworld-Rise of the Lycans'. Even the movie previews were outstanding.

The prosessing is of the latest design (PHL plus included) and I see a clear difference on my 60" Elite Kuro PLasma. This model will bitstream all the newest hi-def audio formats I'm used to for decoding by my Onkyo 905 receiver. I understand that this model is really a repackaged BD-60 with a free (cheap) HDMI cable. It's 60% the size of the BD-30. The tray is finally in the center. I can't wait to explore more of the features (24P, viera link, SD card slot, USB and Ethernet connections).

I know I'll have this model for a long while and I highly recomend it to all.

*4-6-11 edit* 4-16-10 DMP-BD85K. Hey, - that's a long time for me. Love it!

The performance of this thing is amazing for the price point which why I gave it 5 stars. It is not the best player but it costs less than half what the best costs and does everything I need done.

I have been waiting a while to join the Blu-Ray era because I have hundreds of standard definition (SD) DVDs that I still watch a lot and the new player had to be able to play them at least as well as my trusty Panasonic S-97 (which was the best HDMI up converting DVD player for less than $200 five years ago). Virtually all of the reviews less than a year ago for all the Blu-Ray players said the up conversion of SD DVDs was poor except for the new Oppo ($400).

Well, the Panasonic BD-60 and 605 does a better job according to both DVE
(Digital Video Essentials) and the HQV Benchmark DVDs. And so does my semi-calibrated eye ball on SD DVDs some of which are hard to make look good! This thing has significantly better color balance, jitter elimination, etc. than the S-97 so I would have no problem using this player for all DVDs except for a few human interface issues (see the cons below).

One note for setting up for playing SD DVDs, I found that forcing the output to 1080p 24Hz, gave a noticeable "smoother" presentation with a very de minimus reduction in sharpness.

I expected the Blu-Ray performance to be very good and it was. It did not disappoint. As has been commented in other reviews the response time is noticeably longer than a regular DVD player but I can live with for the price.

Unlike as reported in another review, mine does remember where you stopped viewing the current DVD played whether you just stop, turn off the player or even removed the DVD. Obviously it does not remember if you load another disc.

Pros:

Plays SD DVDs much better than expected and plenty good enough even for a 65" TV!

If you know anything about regular DVDs and HDMI, it is easy to physically install.

This player will simultaneously output HDMI, component and composite video with audio (obviously at different resolutions and number of channels). This could come in handy if you send additional signals to other devices such as other TVs or recorders.

Cons:

It is frustrating using the manual to perform the setup. All the information is in there somewhere but reading for comprehension was definitely an iterative process.

So many different buttons for various menus calling up various functions embedded all over the place - some that can be performed while playing but many halt playback while in the menu. In most cases you have to manually command "play" to resume playback even after the last menu is closed.

The direct access (without using menus) to SD DVD titles and chapters is very basic (as in brutally crude). You type in the number for a title when play back is halted and you are in the home screen and for chapters, you type in the number during play but nowhere do you even know what chapter or title numbers exist except by trial and error.

No Position Memory

No Quick Replay

The load and response times are slower than standard DVD players but I knew that going in and expected it and so far the lag time is not annoying but it is noticeable.

My Sony Blu-Ray would take a couple of minutes to be ready to play. The Sony would also lock up often and then to take the disc out and clean the disc and get back to the place where we had left off would take the better part of five minutes.

So far the Panasonic has not locked up and even to get started when we turn it on is much faster than the frustrating Sony product. I do not know how it compares in time with all the latest models but so far I am very happy with its performance.

This is to same as the Model 60 but has a HDMI cable. The model 60 sells for about $37 cheaper, so get the 60 and spend $10 for a HDMI cable and save $27.

The page for the model 60 has over 300 reviews. You need only 1 objective and professional review -- go to CNET and read theirs.

This Panasonic player is just what we need, as we only play the movies. We have played more than 20 Blu-Ray disks without any problems. The unit was plug and play, very easy to connect. The remote control is very well laid out and easy to use. The picture quality on our 62" DLP TV is superior. The sound quality through Harmon/Kardon Dolby 6.1 amplifier is superb as well. Overall we are extremely satisfied with this unit.

This is my second Panasonic Blu-ray player (I still have the first and continually use it) and I am very pleased with its performance. Having shot and edited a 65 minute high definition movie I wanted a second Blu-ray player to use with a portable projector to screen it on a 10 foot wide screen for groups. The improvements continue with each new model and this machine is slimmer and smaller than my earlier Panasonic. It loads quickly (not as fast as a regular DVD machine) and does a marvelous job. I've been extremely pleased with my Panasonic purchases which include an HD video camera, a 5.1 surround system and a 42" plasma TV (which I'm thrilled with). One of my favorite features on the Panasonic players is their ability to play the SD card from the camera, making it possible to quickly screen daily footage from my camera before transferring and editing.

I have had this machine for about 6 months and have had no problems with it. I ran into a thing where I couldn't play a new movie, but that was corrected as soon as I hooked the machine to the internet and updates the firmware. To address the other low review about load times, the reviewer is right that it takes a little while to load, but this model panasonic has one of the fast read and refresh times for this range. This is a very good blu ray player that will not disappoint as long as you read the instructions before you complain that it doesn't do what you need it too. Even turning it off and restarting it is easily accopmlished with a favorite marker. Buy it and enjoy. I am purchasing my second unit.

Buyer beware is always advisable. Nowhere in the Amazon listing does it tell you that the product sold by Tiger Direct is a "Quality Refurbished" product, but when you track the order through the supplier you learn that it is. While I haven't received the product yet - and it may be just fine - if you're considering the purchase, know what you're getting. This is deceptive and I'm a little surprised it's happening on Amazon.