At the CEDIA Expo in Denver yesterday, Panasonic unveiled their latest offerings in the Blu-ray Disc player market, the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55, each of which supports BonusView and BD-Live functionality as well as next generation surround sound formats. As with the current DMP-BD50 player, BD-Live features require the addition of an SD memory card at least one GB (Gigabyte) in size which is not included with the player.
The new players feature quick boot-up and loading times, a slimmer shallower chassis than the current models courtesy of a new integrated single-chip video processor, and improvements to the on-board video processing including the ability to output a native 1080p/24 signal for both Blu-ray Discs and standard DVDs.
Update: The DB55 can now be pre-ordered from Amazon.com for $399.95 including shipping (look in the right margin for "more buying choices" to see the Amazon price of $399.95):
The BD-35 is also available for pre-order for $299.95
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| Panasonic's DMP-BD35 Blu-ray player will support BonusView and BD-Live. |
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| The DMP-BD35 requires an external receiver or pre-amp with HDMI audio support if you want to get the most out of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD surround soundtracks. |
The DMP-BD55 will support on-board decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with PCM and raw bitstream support of all surround formats as well as 7.1-channel analog outputs with audiophile grade D/A components and a new 192 Hz/24bit D/A converter. The BD35 will support these advanced surround sound formats via bitstream and decoding to multi-channel PCM output over HDMI only. Other features available on the step-up BD55 model include DivX video playback support (including DivX 6) as well as a coax digital audio output in addition to the fiberoptic output available on both players.
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| Panasonic's DMP-BD55 sports a slimmer, shallower chassis courtesy of a new integrated video processing chip. |
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| Eagle-eyed observers will notice that the DMP-BD55's analog stereo audio outputs are re-purposed to rear surround channels when used in 7.1-channel mode. |
Pricing and exact availability dates have not yet been announced for either player.
