Panasonic DMP-BDT220 Review

[Jams4znik03]

My player is from India and was able to play back PAL and NTSC by default, even before the firmware upgrade. As per the firmwareinfo.com page, the specialized firmware unlocks the PAL playback capability that has been suppressed for commercial reasons.

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Where did you get it from .Locally in India ?

 

[Jams4znik03]

Actually, "The Dark Knight Rises" is cheaper at Flipkart at current prices.

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Hi, Do you recommend it connected directly to the Analog amp or run it thru a DAC. I am getting the Maverick audio D2. Do you expect any enhancement in SQ.. I hear good reviews of the BDP even for it SQ.

 

[jsmithe]

Its PANASONIC DMP-BDT220P

Its P you are looking for at the end.

The letter(s) following the model number can be different depending on the part of the world the BDP was intended for by Panasonic and even that is not a constant, since the same part of the world sometimes has more than one naming convention assigned by Panasonic.

The best bet would be to look on the cardboard box where the Serial No, UPC and Model number are shown along with the barcodes.

The model number on the rear of the BDP in many cases only contains DMP-BDT220 whereas the model number on the box has the full model number.

 

[just4kix]

Its PANASONIC DMP-BDT220P

Its P you are looking for at the end.

Normally there are two letters after DMP-BDT220. For instance mine is DMP-BDP220GW

I am planning one myself thru ishopintll.. What was the courier they used? Is warranty covered internationally ?

No idea about courier. Warranty is not international. As far as I know all American goods sold in USA have warranty cover in USA only. But this should not deter you. Warranty is anyway for one year only and nothing happens to the unit for years to come. My Sony BDP-S360 was purchased in USA in 2009 and has worked flawlessly till date.

Where did you get it from .Locally in India ?

Got it from the dealer who sold me ST50.

Hi, Do you recommend it connected directly to the Analog amp or run it thru a DAC. I am getting the Maverick audio D2. Do you expect any enhancement in SQ.. I hear good reviews of the BDP even for it SQ.

If you have AVR, connect via HDMI. If you are using for music, maybe DAC will be good, or maybe not. You should test it out. As far as I understand, sound enhancement is over digital only, but can't confirm.

 

[saketb]

I am planning one myself thru ishopintll.. What was the courier they used? Is warranty covered internationally ?

Well, the product is shipped from Amazon to ishopinternational hub in the US by USPS and thereby from the US to Mumbai hub by ICC World Wide.
Then from Mumbai to the ultimate destination they may use any courier, though in my case they used Blue Dart.

Warranty is not covered and is better explained by "just4kix".

 

[AmitKumar]

Dear Friends

Please help me understand the diff between Audio D/A Converter 192kHz/32 bit(Panasonic DMP-BDT220) and Audio D/A Converter 192kHz/24bit(Panasonic DMP-BD77)

Panasonic DMP BD77 is available in india and the major diff between this and DMP BDT220 seems to be mainly 3D.

Since i dont have 3D Tv, i was thinking of buying DMP BD77(No 3D) from India, but got confused with the specifications of Audio D/A Converter.

Regards

Amit

 

[manzb]

Considering that more & more films are being released in 3D format and are also being shoot to suit 3D format, I will suggest to go for 3D player rather than a 2D one, to make yourself a immediate future-proof in this regard. Otherwise you can have this and when the price of a 3D player touches the bare bottom in an year or two, you can pick up one then.

 

[just4kix]

Agreed with manzb, but on a different note. There is hardly any price advantage or disadvantage vis-a-vis non-3D and 3D player. Better go with 3D player.

Availability (in India) is different matter altogether but one can always order via iShopInternational.com. Many have done it with very satisfying results.

 

[saketb]

Dear Friends

Please help me understand the diff between Audio D/A Converter 192kHz/32 bit(Panasonic DMP-BDT220) and Audio D/A Converter 192kHz/24bit(Panasonic DMP-BD77)

Panasonic DMP BD77 is available in india and the major diff between this and DMP BDT220 seems to be mainly 3D.

Since i dont have 3D Tv, i was thinking of buying DMP BD77(No 3D) from India, but got confused with the specifications of Audio D/A Converter.

Regards

Amit

I would like to put some light here...

The 32Bit Audio D/A converter which is present in the player, is an added benefit if you have a AVR which supports 32 Bit decoding. Some new AVR's from Onkyo supports 32 Bit DAC and can decode audio media upto 32Bit/192kHz. Though the media is not available at a large scale and its only on experimental basis. As audio media upto 24Bit/192kHz, is widely available and is a pure listening experience, even this new format would prove something even more better.

The Panasonic DMP BD77 lacks many more features other than the 3D playback. As per the details available on the Panasonic website the features which are not present in this player are...

Some major features...

Adapative Chroma Processing
Adaptive Chroma Processing is a high quality image-processing technology developed to precisely process each pixel of Blu-ray Disc video signals in the vertical and horizontal directions. Vertical colour data has been increased 1.5 times (compared with 2010 models), allowing Adaptive Chroma Processing to reproduce colour data more faithfully than ever before.

I have seen the difference in the picture quality when compared to my Blu-ray drive on my computer. The pictures are so vivid, colourful and have a lot of life in them. When I compared with LOTR, I was amazed and it was like a new experience altogether.

24p Output for VOD
The BDT-220 not only plays Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, but also video-on-demand movies content in the same 24p format as used at movie theaters. Connection to a 24p capable TV via an HDMI capable lets you enjoy a wide array of content with full cinematic picture quality. This feature requires a TV that supports 24p playback.

I use this setting for playback of NTSC DVD's at 24p, and the video's are so smooth and fluid. You can see the difference in certain fast moving videos.

Built-in WiFi
A boon, as no physical connection is required for network connection.

Others...
2D -3D Conversion
Smartphone Function Capability
VIERA Connect for internet connectivity like youtube, shoutcast (internet radio), etc
Skype Communication through rear USB
SD Memory Card Slot (can be used for BD Live content, and free the front USB slot for A/V media)

Other than that, if you see the outer body of the player it is open and can accumulate a lot of dust inside the disc drive, usb, etc, whereas, the BDT220 has a flip-down panel which covers the disc drive, card slot, USB and the Play/Pause buttons. This can keep off dust to enter the inner body. Surely, a great design from Panasonic.

And when comparing the price its just a matter of Rs. 500-1000, if you import it from the US. Then, if you think, its better to go for the BDT220 rather than the BD77 and be future proof.

 

[just4kix]

^^^ Extremely informative.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[saketb]

Was going through some review websites, and found great reviews about this player. Even found that this player has been awarded by many online websites for its A/V quality and value.
So, just wanted to share some awards that this player has won till now.

 

[jithudigitised]

The letter(s) following the model number can be different depending on the part of the world the BDP was intended for by Panasonic and even that is not a constant, since the same part of the world sometimes has more than one naming convention assigned by Panasonic.

The best bet would be to look on the cardboard box where the Serial No, UPC and Model number are shown along with the barcodes.

The model number on the rear of the BDP in many cases only contains DMP-BDT220 whereas the model number on the box has the full model number.

I only put the "P" coz he had mentioned that he purchased the item from amazon and that too with the 99$ offer.. I had also purchased the same item from amazon with same offer... (think they are a batch..)

BTW, looking at the box will be the correct way to confirm what is your player type (region)..

 

[AmitKumar]

I would like to put some light here...

The 32Bit Audio D/A converter which is present in the player, is an added benefit if you have a AVR which supports 32 Bit decoding. Some new AVR's from Onkyo supports 32 Bit DAC and can decode audio media upto 32Bit/192kHz. Though the media is not available at a large scale and its only on experimental basis. As audio media upto 24Bit/192kHz, is widely available and is a pure listening experience, even this new format would prove something even more better.

The Panasonic DMP BD77 lacks many more features other than the 3D playback. As per the details available on the Panasonic website the features which are not present in this player are...

Some major features...

Adapative Chroma Processing
Adaptive Chroma Processing is a high quality image-processing technology developed to precisely process each pixel of Blu-ray Disc video signals in the vertical and horizontal directions. Vertical colour data has been increased 1.5 times (compared with 2010 models), allowing Adaptive Chroma Processing to reproduce colour data more faithfully than ever before.

I have seen the difference in the picture quality when compared to my Blu-ray drive on my computer. The pictures are so vivid, colourful and have a lot of life in them. When I compared with LOTR, I was amazed and it was like a new experience altogether.

24p Output for VOD
The BDT-220 not only plays Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, but also video-on-demand movies content in the same 24p format as used at movie theaters. Connection to a 24p capable TV via an HDMI capable lets you enjoy a wide array of content with full cinematic picture quality. This feature requires a TV that supports 24p playback.

I use this setting for playback of NTSC DVD's at 24p, and the video's are so smooth and fluid. You can see the difference in certain fast moving videos.

Built-in WiFi
A boon, as no physical connection is required for network connection.

Others...
2D -3D Conversion
Smartphone Function Capability
VIERA Connect for internet connectivity like youtube, shoutcast (internet radio), etc
Skype Communication through rear USB
SD Memory Card Slot (can be used for BD Live content, and free the front USB slot for A/V media)

Other than that, if you see the outer body of the player it is open and can accumulate a lot of dust inside the disc drive, usb, etc, whereas, the BDT220 has a flip-down panel which covers the disc drive, card slot, USB and the Play/Pause buttons. This can keep off dust to enter the inner body. Surely, a great design from Panasonic.

And when comparing the price its just a matter of Rs. 500-1000, if you import it from the US. Then, if you think, its better to go for the BDT220 rather than the BD77 and be future proof.

Hi Saketb

Thanks a lot for this valuable information.

Regards, Amit

 

[sriszone]

good work for get the best review

 

[sudeeps]

I only put the "P" coz he had mentioned that he purchased the item from amazon and that too with the 99$ offer.. I had also purchased the same item from amazon with same offer... (think they are a batch..)

BTW, looking at the box will be the correct way to confirm what is your player type (region)..

I too have BDT220P written on the blu ray player box ( got it from amazon.com ). So did you get the firmware update for making it region-free? What should be the answers to the two questions :

Display device supports PAL input signals via HDMI: ?
Display device supports NTSC input signals via HDMI: ?

I got a little confused All, kindly help.

Thanks

 

[just4kix]

I too have BDT220P written on the blu ray player box ( got it from amazon.com ). So did you get the firmware update for making it region-free? What should be the answers to the two questions :

Display device supports PAL input signals via HDMI: ?
Display device supports NTSC input signals via HDMI: ?

I got a little confused All, kindly help.

Thanks

Check the manual. The manual will correctly tell the full product code including last two chars.

The answer to the two questions depends upon your TV.

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[sudeeps]

I still do not have the new TV I'm planning to buy, is gonna make a new LED purchase in next couple of months, but need the region free hack for the blu ray player now

 

[just4kix]

I still do not have the new TV I'm planning to buy, is gonna make a new LED purchase in next couple of months, but need the region free hack for the blu ray player now

What's the big hurry then if you cannot use the BDP just now?

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[sudeeps]

haha ,well I'm using it with my old dabba TV and want to be able to play all my DVDs in them too

 

[saketb]

I too have BDT220P written on the blu ray player box ( got it from amazon.com ). So did you get the firmware update for making it region-free? What should be the answers to the two questions :

Display device supports PAL input signals via HDMI: ?
Display device supports NTSC input signals via HDMI: ?

I got a little confused All, kindly help.

Thanks

I still do not have the new TV I'm planning to buy, is gonna make a new LED purchase in next couple of months, but need the region free hack for the blu ray player now

haha ,well I'm using it with my old dabba TV and want to be able to play all my DVDs in them too

Well, as you are planning to purchase a new LCD, then I would suggest that answer "Yes" for both the questions and be safe. Mostly, all the HDTV's are compatible with NTSC & PAL.

Even, if you answer "Yes", it is only for HDMI, and I doubt that your old "dabba" TV, as you've said, would be having HDMI ports.
So you would be using RCA outputs (yellow for video, and red and white for stereo audio) from the player to the TV, and that will not make any difference for DVD playback.