Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black Review

With the BD80, Panasonic has taken its popular BD55, with its excellent picture and sound quality, and added the ability to access online content via the new VIERA Cast feature. Currently VIERA Cast is limited to YouTube, Picasa online photo sharing, stocks and weather via "widgets" but Amazon's on-demand movie service will be available on the BD80 in May. Other internet-based content can be added by Panasonic over time, based on user demand (without the need for a hardware upgrade).

Overall, the BD80 works well as a multi-media player - they added a USB jack on the front for viewing photos, Divx and Xvid videos and listening to MP3 files. This is in addition to the SD card slot (and BTW, an SD card is still required for BD-Live). It would have been nice if the player supported MKV videos, WMV, WMA and M4P files, but I guess we can't have everything. Viewing YouTube is pretty straightforward - you can even log in to view your favorites - and it's nice to be able to do that without a PC connected to your TV.

For Blu-ray and DVD playback, the unit performs extremely well. It isn't the absolute best upconverting DVD player available, but it does a good job wringing detail out of standard def content. And it really shines as a Blu-ray Disc player with top-notch video and audio performance. The player decodes all of the latest surround sound codecs (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, etc.) to multi-channel PCM and to multi-channel analog outputs (5.1 or 7.1-channel) for compatibility with older receivers and surround processors that lack the latest HDMI audio support. If you do have a newer receiver with HDMI audio support, then you can set the player to bitstream these soundtracks to your receiver for decoding. The player also offers standard coax and fiber optic digital outputs though these do not support the new codecs.

In addition to VIERA Cast and the USB port, Panasonic adds a new "High Clarity Audio" feature which allows you to turn off analog video processing if you're using HDMI for your video output (improving sound quality) as well as a new "3D NR" noise reduction feature for cleaning up noisy Blu-ray and DVD transfers.

It's too bad Panasonic could not improve the load times for Blu-ray and DVDs. As it is, they're pretty much identical to the BD35 and BD55. But at least they did provide a "Quick Start" mode which allows the player to power on/boot up quicker than its predecessors. Even still, the player is a bit slower to load discs than the latest offerings from LG and Samsung.

For those who don't need the multi-channel analog outputs or Divx support, the less expensive DMP-BD60 may be a better choice as it offers the same audio and video processing as well as the same VIERA Cast feature.

Overall, the BD80 is a solid performer. I would have liked Panasonic to include an SD card in the box for BD-Live access (as well as an HDMI cable, instead of those silly composite video/analog audio cables), and it would have been nice to have a Wi-Fi option, instead of requiring a hard-wired Ethernet cable for internet access, but Panasonic is not the only vendor who omits these things. While the online content offerings are currently a bit light and the operational speeds are only average, the excellent audio and video performance and flexible media playback options make this a strong contender in the 2009 Blu-ray model line up.

You can view our more detailed review on Big Picture Big Sound (dot com). Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I have had this unit for a couple of days now and am very impressed. Picture and sound quality are both excellent. As the other reviewer stated load times haven't really improved much over the last generation Panasonic units. The big thing going for Panasonic though is it provides outstanding customer support by providing frequent firmware updates that actually work without creating new problems. That cannot be said for most of its competitors.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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The unit performs well, i.e plays Blu-Ray(s) well. I have not done any comparison testing because it is hard to compare video performance of two machines.

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Here are my general comments about the current crop of Blu Ray players (NOT ONLY Panasonic, but perhaps Sony, Samsung etc etc also):

A: They all have poorer build quality than mid-range machines of yester years.
1. Flimsy little door to play an SD card.
2. Display status could be much better.
3. Remote layout could be much better. This remote could use lit keys.

B: The player is slow. I popped in a CD, and it took longer for this unit to play than my 10 year old CD player! Why?

C: I pressed the stop button by mistake, and the player would not resume the movie, like some PC based player will, when I press play. Why do I have to see the same initial banner on Anti piracy, and even the movie trailers! Blu-ray version of movie 'Patton' was a pain to navigate-- it did not have scene selections menu!

D: This happened with one movie 'Patton'. It has lots of language options for Sub Titles. If you press stop and play the movie again (without taking it out of the unit), the CC choice is forgotten! Dumb! This happened when I had pressed 'stop' instead of 'pause' by mistake!
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All I have to say is that on the surface, Blu Ray picture and sound is definitely all it's cracked up to be and then some. I still have my first generation Sony XBR 1080i I bought in 2006 with 2 HDMI outputs and I must say with this player via HDMI (Monster Ultra High Speed 1000)I can really really tell the difference. I used used the same Monster cable and hooked it up to my DirecTV box, and I must admit as a skeptic of HDMI fraud, it definitely gave me a slightly clearer picture than the hdmi cable they provided me when I got the new HD Box a couple of months ago. I have only tested a few regular standard DVD's on it (The Dark Knight, Constantine, Underworld 2 and Day After Tomorrow) and the picture and sound seemed more enhanced and clearer than on my old regular DVD player. However, Constatine in some scenes seemed a bit grainy and overenhance a bit but still enjoyed it better than on my original dvd player. The frozen scenes on the Day After Tomorrow were spectacular.

I've only had this model since April 2 so I haven't even begun getting into the BD-Live and hooking it up to the internet as of yet. However, I specifically bought Quantum of Solace, Bolt, Wall-E, Night at Museuem and Kingdom of Heaven and I must say the picture is breathtaking. The sound is so clear and crisp I had to turn down the normal volume I usually have my 5.1 surround sound receiver at down several several notches. I don't have a fancy receiver with hdmi ouput, just used a digital coaxial cable and connected to the back of the bluray player along with hdmi for the stunning picture. I can only imagine what it would look like on a newer 1080p t.v. if there is really that much of a difference than the quality I see now. However, i noticed something about the audio connections or maybe I have it wrong. For some reason it seemed like the sound from the player was slightly louder and when I had audio cables as compared to the digital coaxial cable i'm currently using which seems to be much clearer but compressed. Maybe it's me I don't know i'm still new at this blu ray thing.

Cons

The load up times is really really slow. Though this model has a feature for quickload which is actually slightly faster but be prepared to wait a while. It's a bluray disc with way more content stored so what are you gonna do. By now you'd think they'd work this kink out of Blu Ray after 3 years.

Of course you can't stop and pick up where you left off. Why, Why has this not been fixed yet. You'll just have to remember where you left at by hitting the status button to show you the chapter it's currently at or I think there is a bookmark feature but it hasn't worked for me as of yet.

The remote looks sort of cheesy and I wish it could have been a universal style remote to allow you work more than one different brand of component (I'll just buy a Logitech Universal to cure this problem).

If you accidently choose 1080p as your source for your television and you only have a 1080i (which i found out the hard way as the idiot from Tweeter conned me into thinking my televsion would be able to deliver 1080p via some de-interlacing of some sort and suprise, it doesn't) you will not only lose your picture and won't get a signal but only audio, in order for me to get the signal back I had to disconnect the hdmi plug from both the t.v. and bluray unit and reconnect them and restart the machine all over again. Of course the instruction booklet didn't tell you this in the troubleshooting section.

Other than that, I'm really quite happy with the player. Looking forward to getting the "The Day The Earth Stood Still". I know it was a crappy movie but the special effects was awesome and i can only imagine how good it would look on my big screen. It think the Blu Ray is going for 16.99 on Amazon at last check and you even get the orignal version of the movie included. Can't beat that no matter how bad the movie is. Can't wait for Underworld 3 in Blu Ray. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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Panasonic has once again come up with a solid performance player!

I choose the Panasonic 80 after a very through and grueling side by side comparison with it's main competitor, the Sony S-550.

The Sony and Panasonic player's PQ where both overall very good on blu-ray playback.
The Panasonic had a very slight edge over the Sony, in producing a more COLORFUL picture with more 3-D POP EFFECT.

Sound quality reproduction between the two players using the 7.1 analog connections was much more dramatic.

Both Panasonic and Sony player's produced an excellent 7.1 sound field, but the Sony suffered from a lower LFE output than the Panasonic, both at the same settings and volume.
The Sony 550 required a +15 SW increase from my receiver, and still did NOT sound as POWERFUL and DYNAMIC as the Panasonic 80 at +10.

All players suffer from LFE drop using analog connections, but the Panasonic clearly had the edge in the sound department using the analog connections.

BOTTOM LINE: If you are looking for a high performance affordable blu-ray player, and have an older non HDMI AV receiver, this is the player to get.
You can also take advantage of the High clarity output on the Panny 80 if you have a newer HDMI receiver, or opt for the cheaper Panny 60 player.

Either way you won't be disappointed by Solid Panasonic Performance.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I must say this. There seems to be a good number of people who seem to believe that the PS3 can offer the same or better picture and audio quality as this blu-ray player. Please do not get offended, but uhh-YOU HAVE LOST YOUR DAMN MIND!!!!! Please schedule an appointment to see an eye doctor ASAP. I could not believe the picture and sound quality of this player. ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING!!! This players perfomance had me smiling like a little kid. I LOVE the features on this player! It has a diplay menu that shows exactly what frame rate and type of audio you are watching and listening to- This is an important feature! Have a problem with dialogue being too low? NO PROBLEM HERE!! You can use the dialogue enhancer or/and you can have the player enhance the audio with one of its 5 audio settings, which is pretty awesome. Don't like the picture? I doubt that you wouldn't, but hey! If you would like to enhance pic quality, you can choose between fine, cinema, soft, normal, and user settings. You can do all of this without interrupting the movie. When you get this player, put in one of your favorite blu-ray movies and explore the options that you have. If you want an amazing blu-ray experience, pick up this player. You WILL NOT regret it!Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I purchased the Panasonic DMP-BD 80 Blue Ray Player and I am very happy with the product. Easy hook up and beautiful picture. Of course the surround sound is excellent. The company, Huppin's Photo & Hi-Fi was very prompt and efficient. The price was the best anywhere and included shipping and no tax. Though the product was shipped from Spokane, WA to Florida it arrived in perfect condition. Definitely a 5 all-around.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I DID THE RESEARCH OVER SEVERAL WEEKS AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THIS UNIT HAD THE BEST ALL AROUND FEATURES, PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN. AFTER GETTING IT AND USING IT I CANT IMAGINE ANYTHING BETTER. BOTTOM LINE....I LOVE IT AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLAYERGet more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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"U73" errors all of the time. Using Yamaha RX-V665 AV Receiver. There is a "handshake" issue in the HDMI connection dealing with the audio codecs. All of my HDMI connections (cables) are 1.3, however, when the disc calls for a certain decoder, e.g., DTS HD-MASTER or DOLBY TRUE-HD, the connection fails, the player freezes up and crashes. Have a "Case #" with Panasonic, though their Customer Service is for the most part, "incompetent". I researched BD players for the past 8 months, wanted the BD-55K, but they pulled it from the market. The BD-80 is the "refinement" -- it wasn't broke, and they "fixed it". Live and learn.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I can't believe there's no subtitle button, not for Blu-ray, not for DVD. I have the European model but I guess it's the same for the US. I even tried an older Panasonic remote (Panasonic never seems to change their IR codes). Most buttons work, but not the subtitle button. So Panasonic not only removed the button itself, but also that part of the player's program which used to react to the button. If you want to change subtitles (and not go through the menu), you have to push no less than 5 (!) buttons to do so. Bummer.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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Great purchase! Picture and sound are outstanding! The upgrade in viewing standard dvd titles alone is a huge benefit! The load time doesn't really irk me the way it irritates others, and if you can bear with that, enjoy the ride!Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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Excellent blu ray player with tons of qualities but it get a long time to start playing disc. Very annoying. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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The quality of the player is just what I expected from what I had read before on the Blue Ray player, the quality of the blue Ray movies is extremely good and the quality of the normal DVD movies is also much better than any other DVD player I had before. I played same movie on this player (DMP-BD80)and also watched the same movie on my old Sony player and the difference is very dramatic, I had no idea the colors would be that much better and everything looks sharper too, something that I never thought possible, I am a quality freak so I really look around before buying.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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[[ASIN:B001V9LA4E Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black]i purchased this unit to replace a early samsung unit.the difference in the sound is unbelievable,the upconversion
of dvd's is super,overall this upgrade was a good choice for me.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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This is the newer version of the popular Panasonic 55 blu-ray player. It offers excellent image quality and top notch sound quality. I purchased this player to replace my Sony BDP-S550 and the performance of the Panny 80 is better than that of the Sony 550. The image quality is sharper and the sound is clearer and fuller. The loading times could be a little better but to me that does not keep it from being a great standalone blu-ray player. I highly recommend the Panasonic 80 blu-ray player.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I am pleased with both the quality and value of this player. The blu-ray is noticably superior in both visual and sound. It is an attractive
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The picture is amazing.. the sound terrific and very easy to work the remote control has nice size button with my big fingers its a great touch. overall..this blu ray dvd is worth every penny.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I held back on getting a blu ray player for as long as possible. At $270 + shipping I finally pulled the trigger. The picture quality and sound are great. The analog out works well and I am glad I have dolby and dts hd sound now. The upconverting of standard dvds is good as well. Recommended. Also works with anynet which my samsung tv has. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I switched to this player from an earlier Samsung model. The Samsung almost turned me off from blu-ray completely, with its endless problems in playing blu-ray discs.

By contrast, this player is a pleasure.

It was extremely fast to set up. Plugged in the power (which, unlike many players, is a detachable power cord. This means if you are jamming the cord through a hole with a bunch of other cables, as I was, it is easy because you don't have to get the plug to go through the hole, just the small end of the cord). Plugged in an HDMI cable. Plugged in a network cable.

Turned it on. It asked a few questions. It discovered my network and connected without trouble. (It autodetects firmware updates, which is way nicer than my older player in which i had to burn firmware dvds and then go through a painful update process.)

It asked whether i wanted to have the instant on feature, which it kindly defaults to the greener "no" option.

And then, boom. Done. Popped in a blu-ray that failed on the samsung, loaded very quickly and started playing, with a very very crisp picture and lovely sound.

Haven't tried the bd live features yet (waiting for sd card to arrive), and it doesn't take sony memory sticks, butalready it has brought back pleasure into video viewing.

Because it supports DivX, I've also been able to get rid of a secondary LG player I had just for that purpose.

Altogether, I'm a happy camper and watching movies again. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I had some trouble setting this player up using analog connections and I called Panasonic. (Their customer service for Plasma TV's is great). Customer service for Blu Ray players at Panasonic is horrible. They could not help me and on two separate occasions promised they would call me back at a certain time-I rushed home from my office- and they never called. Eventually I figured out what to do-with no help from them. Player seems fine but if you are using analog connections because your receiver does not have an HDMI input make sure you are comfortable setting this up on your own. I rate this player low only because of the horrible customer service at Panasonic's Blu Ray call center. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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unfortunately, my trusty BD10AK plays my DVD-A's, this model does not - thanks Tom M.

this replaces a DMP-BD10AK - quite a bit heavier, but a great model nonetheless. the BD10AK just didn't play the latest HD audio.

this unit is smaller/lighter than the BD10AK, has slightly quicker load times, and plays all of the HD audio i wanted. Video quality on playback is just as good as the BD10AK if not better.

this BD player goes to a Yamaha RX-V863 receiver with 5.1 speakers, an HDMI splitter/amplifier and a Panasonic 50" plasma TH-PZ85U TV with a seating position of 7.5 feet away.

the BD movies/Netflix are outstanding - i will not buy an overpriced movie ticket for the rest of my life. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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Very disappointed with this player. Connected via HDMI to an EPSON 1080p projector that was previously hooked up to a PS3 with the exact same cable. The PS3 never had a glitch but the Panasonic keeps dropping the picture. This happens even when just displaying the setup menu. Returned the unit for a refund. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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Would this player allow playback of Blu Ray and DVD's from other world regions. There's no manufacture information on this but from a couple websites only. Please advise. Thanks!Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black Review

This is only my second Blu ray player but I am highly impressed with it. I purchased a unit from best buy last year (wish i could remember the make and model). I kept that unit for a total of one day. My sony progressive scan DVD player had twice the clarity on DVD play back. And, since I own over 200 DVD's, this was a key feature for me. However the DMP-BD80 has incredible DVD upscaling performance. And of course the Blu ray play back is wonderful. I had slight problems with very dark scenes as they darker areas in those dark scenes seemed to look "snowy" and looked very similar to the black and white "snow" of a tv on but connected to nothing. Hope that makes sense. Also I was a little dissapointed in the untis memory for playback. My sony DVD player would remember the stopping point of the last 5 disks and resume each of them from that point. And that unit was 5 to 6 years old. The Panasonic DMP-BD80 has seemingly no memory as you must skip through the previews and all the pre movie content every time you stop the disks. A bit annoying for sure. But all in all a wonderful purchase. Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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This Blu-Ray is truly great. Easy to set up and use.
The picture is so real you feel like you are right in the middle of the action.Get more detail about Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black.

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I ordered a Panasonic Bluray DMP BD 80 I ordered it at 3.00 PM on Tuesday It came the next day at 11.00 AM

Sure beats driving in Houston traffic not counting I saved time money

The Panasonic DMB BD 80 works better than I ever thought it would

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