Comments on: Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray Disc Player

By: Deer Hunter

Deer Hunter — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:47:55 +0000

I bought this because I don’t want to upgrade my audio system yet. This product maps the latest audio formats to the ones my NAD T753 can handle and it has coax digital output which doesn’t force me to buy an expensive optical cable.

However, the video section is not as good as I’ve hoped. Especially when it first came in. The high-res 1080P signal was quite grainy until I upgraded the firmware. It is much nicer now but I’m still not very satisfied because it doesn’t compare to the 1080i local signals that I receive off-the-air or from cable. Watching “Planet Earth” series there are some artifacts that doesn’t look good. I think this may be a compatibility issue and my TV is Samsung HLS6188WX.

Rating: 3 / 5

By: Daryl Carpenter

Daryl Carpenter — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:41:02 +0000

More of a question than a review.

After reading all of the favorable reviews, I’m considering buying either the DMP-BD35K or DMP-BD55K. But I’m unsure on how to hook either of them up to my other media. I have a Pan. SC-HT820 Home Theater (w/the following connections on the back of the receiver….DVD – Y, PB PR & S-video – DVD/VHS – Video Out, L Line Out & R Line Out – EXT – Video In, L Video Line In & R Video Line In. No Audio In or Out Connections. I also have a Pan. 42PX60U Plasma TV.

Can anyone advise me if I can make this work & how?
Rating: 5 / 5

By: Douglas M. McHenry

Douglas M. McHenry — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:38:34 +0000

This Panasonic Blu-ray player was highly rated in all the CNET reviews and given 5 stars across the board in Amazon's user surveys. It was with great anticipation that we set up this unit with our Sony XBR6 46-inch HDTV. To our dismay, we found that the HDMI output was badly distorted and fuzzy! We performed the Firmware update, to no avail.

We took the unit to a local brick and mortar store to test it on their display setup; the same poor image occurred there. Just to ensure the problem was not with the HDMI cable, we tested for that possibility on their demo Panasonic Blu-ray (same model). The cable, an inexpensive MediaBridge 6-foot line, worked perfectly. The diagnosis: The HDMI port on our Panasonic was defective. We shipped the player back to Amazon for a full refund.

We would give Amazon 5 stars for their handling of our return! They credited our account in full immediately, and the UPS service was flawless.

We have since bought another Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-Ray, this time from a nearby store. This unit works perfectly and would receive a 5-star user rating from us.

Doug & Marie Rating: 1 / 5

By: J. Kim

J. Kim — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:03:46 +0000

I bought this Panasonic BD55 player after reading all the good reviews here and at CNET. OK Here is my story:

I have Sony HDR SR12 camcorder which record HD in AVCHD format.

I had been editing my home video using Sony Vegas Pro 8 burn it on regular DVD and play it beautifully on my PS3 with no problem.

When I put in that same AVCHD DVD into BD55 it gives me an error message saying “UNSUPPORTED FORMAT”. I was afraid of this…

So I am sending this player back and exchange for Sony BD player.

Rating: 1 / 5

By: Mediahound

Mediahound — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:22:49 +0000

This Blu-Ray player is not bad in terms of build quality but it cannot compare to the Samsung BD-P2500 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player or The Samsung BD-P2550 (P2550 is available exclusively at a certain nationwide retail chain only). The Samsung upscales standard DVDs much better due to a very good high quality HQV chip. It also does Netflix instant watching (and the p2550 adds Pandora streaming too!), all for about the same price as this Panasonic.

So while this Panasonic certainly isn’t a bad player, for the money you could get better picture quality for standard DVDs and a lot more features and enjoyment with the Samsung.
Rating: 3 / 5