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101 out of 102 people found this review helpful
5.0 stars
"Comparing BD35 and Sony BDP-S350: I bought them both!!"
Pros: ..........
Cons: ..........
Summary: I take my home theater hobby pretty seriously, that's why when it came time to invest in a Blu-Ray player (finally the wait is over!!!), I did a ridiculously great amount of research. I was willing to spend much more money on a blu-ray player, but the prices have come down so much, you don't have to! I narrowed down my extensive search for the right player to the Panasonic DMP-BD35K and the Sony BDP-S350. **I BOUGHT THEM BOTH AND DID A "SIDE-BY-SIDE" TEST!**
I have some nice equipment, so I feel that the test was an excellent representation of the capabilities of these two players. My equipment includes a 100-inch Stewart screen with a 1080p Sony Pearl front projector, an Integra 9.8 DTC processor (with all the latest surround sound goodies), an NAD amp, 7 Paradigm Signature speakers, and a dual M&K subwoofer (for full 7.1 surround sound).
I do understand electronics, but the Sony manual was really hard to follow. After only one call to Sony, I eventually got the player set up properly. After I set up the Panasonic, everything became much clearer. The Panasonic manual is so much better. But, who really cares about manuals? How do these two players perform side by side?
Audio for BOTH Blu-ray discs and standard DVDs: The Panasonic unquestionably has better audio. Compared to the Sony, the highs were much clearer. The 7.1 surround sound put me right in the middle of the "explosion" (my first test blu-ray disc was National Treasure I) when the Charlotte blew up. The biggest Audio difference was the bass. The bass in the Panasonic was so much better than the Sony. In fact, my old Sony standard-DVD player had better audio than the Sony BDP-S350. I'd give the Sony 3 stars with the audio. The Panasonic had outstanding treble, bass, and surround: 5-star audio!
Video for BOTH Blu-ray discs and standard DVDs: The Sony's video was ok, but the Panasonic's video was fantastic. The skin tones were more realistic and the colors were more vibrant with the Panasonic. The Sony seemed to have a thin gray film over everything -- like looking through a filmy-dirty window. The Sony had 4-star video, the Panasonic and its upscaling gets an easy 5 stars!
Both my wife and I did the "side-by-side" test by going back and forth between Blu-Ray discs and standard DVDs. We didn't discuss any of our thoughts until we each independently formed our own conclusions. After seeing and hearing both players, we were both in complete agreement that in every way the Panasonic DMP-BD35K was superior to the Sony BDP-S350.
By the way, the card slot on the Sony for BD-Live is very hard to get to. I do like Sony as a brand for some things, but not Blu-Ray players.
For those of you who are doing your research, hopefully I can save you some time to answer if you should buy the Panasonic DMP-BD35K or DMP-BD55K. I called Panasonic and asked the differences; besides the price, there are only two differences. The 55K plays DivX's. If you don't have any DivX's like me and most of the people on planet Earth, this doesn't make any difference to you. The only other difference is that the 35K can only output Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio to a receiver/processor that has an HDMI input. If your receiver doesn't have an HDMI input, you won't be able to get them out of the 35K. If your receiver does have an HDMI input and you'll be using an HDMI cable, then you have absolutely no need to buy the 55K. With the 55K, if you have an older receiver that does not have an HDMI input, you can use the 55K's analog audio outputs so that you can have Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio. That's a nice feature of the 55K if you have an older receiver but want the latest surround sound formats.
Also, to save you some research time, I've already checked out all of the professional reviews including the ones on CNet.com: The Sony is considered ok, and CNet liked the Panasonic so much that it is the first Blu-Ray player EVER to receive CNet's "Editor's Choice Award."
I have to go to the store now and return the Sony player that I bought. I'm keeping the Panasonic!! :-)
Hopefully you found this review helpful!
- 31 replies to this review
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Hi there,
Unfortunately your review is not quite accurate. At least considering the audio part. The Panasonic BD35 decodes Hi-Def Audio (e.g. DTS-HD Master) internally, whereas the Sony BDP-S350 doesn't. That's why you were more impressed with the sound from the Panasonic. The only reason behind this is that your Integra 9.8 DTC doesn't decode HD Audio (Dolby True-HD , HD-Master, etc.) and depends on external decoding. Since Panasonic provided decoded HD-Audio content, it sounded better. On the other hand, both Panasonic and Sony offer bitstreaming of all HD Audio formats, so if you had used an amp with HD Audio decoding capability, there would have been no difference at all between the two.
Regards,
S. -
Could you assist me with my home set-up? Thanks in advance.
I have a Panasonic th42pz85b and am considering the bd35.
I have an older lifestyle Bose surround receiver w/o hdmi.
How would you connect this bd35 to my bose system?
The BD35 only has optical interface, the bose has co-ax.
Should I connect HDMI from BD35 to TV, then audio cables from Bose to TV (audio out L/R on the TV)
This would mean that the co-ax cable from the Bose being redundant, or should I purchase a digital optical to digital co-ax converter?
Thanks again. -
One of the very BEST and most helpful non-journalistic (meaning, it's not your job) reviews I've ever seen. THANKS!
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S/PDIF digital optical or coaxial connections can not transfer Dolby True HD or DTS Master Audio. You must connect via HDMI to your Dolby True HD or DTS Master Audio decoder to hear these audio formats, or use a player that decodes these formats internally to analog audio outputs.
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The player doesn't change the audio data, it just reads the audio data from the disk to the digital audio decoder in the AV receiver. If these two players sound different, you must not have the audio configured the same on both players.
Digital video data is decompressed by the player, so two video players connected via HDMI, which is uncompressed digital video, may look very different.
Some people are going to trash me for saying this, but it is the truth. Claiming to hear a difference is not proof that there is a difference. There can be no difference in the sound of the two players if the digital audio decoder is in the AV receiver and the players are sending identical digital data. -
thanks so much. this is a great review. hopefully you can answer a couple of questions.i have been using two cables to operate my dvd player - an hdmi to the sharp 46" tv (no speakers) and an optical digital to a harmon kardon av receiver with 5 speakers. in playing a bluray disc with dolby true hd noticed that the sound was pro logic, not dolby digital. will i have the same problem with the panasonic bd35? does the 35 have a digital optical cable output? do i need the 55k to get the true hd? thanks, russell
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HOW COULD YOU LISTEN TO 7.I CHANNELS IF THIS UNIT CAN ONLY OUTPUT 5.I CHANNELS ?
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Hello,
how is the slow motion on the Panasonic? I bought the Sony and may return it because I noticed there is not a slow motion feature. Thank you. -
Help!? Bought the BD55 instead of BD35 for 2 reasons, 1. wanted to enjoy TrueHD & HD MA - from reviews thought I'd need the BD55 to get those w/ my lower end HT audio system (all I could afford - was to be a $220 Pioneer HT but ended up w/ Yamaha HT390 cause of great $ & availability), & 2. the 35 is just not available when I'm buying! Seems reviews are so good it is sold out/back ordered places I'd trust. Problem is I'm confused about hook up to be able to use TrueHD or HD MA or if I spent xtra $ for something I won't be able to use. Salesperson said: connect BD directly to TV (I have HDTV w/ 1 HDMI input), connect BD to HT rcvr using multichnl analog connections (3 pairs) & connect cable box to TV & HT rcvr. My HT has 2 HDMI in & 1 out. Can't it be hooked up up w/ HDMI from BD to rcvr then HDMI from rcvr to TV (also would hook up cable to rcvr using HDMI)? Would this give TrueHD & HD MA or is it not possible at all w/ my system? Even if not possible, what hookup is best? Thx!
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I bought the Panasonic DMP-BD35 based on this review. We are pleased with this product. "But, who really cares about manuals? " I care. The Panasonic operating instructions were evidently written by engineers, not by customer support people. Apparently, one engineer wrote about the remote control, another about the Blu-ray player, and a third person pasted the descriptions together and called it "Operating Instructions". The remote control description is in front, with pointers to the on-screen menus and unit settings in back. The descriptions of the on-screen menus and unit settings have no explanation of how to get to those menus or make the settings. The user has to constantly flip from the front of the manual to the back. Read the front part to figure out what button on the remote to push, then flip back for an explanation of what the screen settings mean, and then flip front to figure out what button to push for the next screen, etc. Not especially user friendly.
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Great review on these blu-ray players. I wanted to buy the Panasonic BD35 but have a question. I keep reading about how the BD35 lacks audio analog outputs, which is a problem if you have an AV receiver w/o HDMI. But what if you don't have an AV receiver, would you still recommend the BD35 (or Sony BDP-350)? FYI, I want to use the blu-ray player with my new Sony 32" LCD (1080p). Thx much.
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Greta review. I just bought the DMP-BD35 based on this review. I've got an Onkyo 7.1 HT-SR800 Home Theater system. How can I experience 7.1. I'm using the HDMI and digtial audio ports on the player. It sounds great with 5.1 but I sure would like to experience 7.1. Help. Thanks
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Great review, very convincing. It would be helpful & reassuring to us if we could be sure that you are in no way connected with Panasonic nor receiving any kind of an incentive for hyping their product. No disrespect meant, but I'm sure you can understand my concern, especially since others have refuted the upconvert comparison & many rate them equally. Thanks for the clarification.
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Attn; Boey67 Yes you will get full HD audio from optical output port IAW Specifications in the owners manual. My player is still on the way.
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I've been researching Blue Ray Players since there introduction and I also take my sound equipment serious. Knowing that eventually the prices would drop to the point that would make it affordable to almost everyone, and based on this particular reveiw, I finally made the decision to purchase the Panasonic DMP-BD35K. My only regret after digging deeper into the specifications and audio options that the player provides, is that I will not be able to experience the full HD Audio that it provides. I have a Yamaha HTR-5860 7.1ch reciever in which I purchased over 3 years ago and does not have HDMI input. I'm wondering if I would still get 6.1 or even 7.1 surround sound thru the optical input that I have been using. If you or anyone else can provide me with an idea of what I can expect as far as Dolby , Dolby EX or DTS from this BD Player on both standard DVD's and Blue Ray, please let me know! I should be receiving it within the next few days!
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I can't thank you enough for this review. You actually did everything I wanted to do and wrote a great review about it. Thanks a bunch.
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Help me out. I have an older Sony AVR without HDMI inputs but with coax and toslink digital audio inputs. Am I correct that the SONY and the Panasonic 35 will not deliver souround sound using my set up? That I need the 55K or higher end SONY? Thanks
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You provided great information on sound/picture quality (primary importance) but does the Panasonic DMP-BD35K upload as quickly as the Sony BDP-S350?
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If my HD TV ( a rear projection Mitsubishi WS-65909) does not have an HDMI connection- can I use the Panasonic DMP-BD35 with great results using different connections?
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Thank you so much for the review! I've been debating whether to ask for the Panasonic DMP-BD35K or Sony BDP-S350 for Christmas, and this review is just what I needed to finalize my decision. I'm asking for the Panasonic. Thanks for your help, Home_Theater_Is_Fun!
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Thanks for the review. I am returning my LG300 and purchasing the Panasonic 35K. I appreciate the straight forward information w/o confusing, technical jibberish, and you saved me $$$$.
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wow thank you so much. this is the same dilemma I've been going through and now i know what to go with!
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Well, this was such a compelling story, that I just ordered the DMP-BD35 a few minutes ago. Since my new Panasonic TH-42PZ80U plasma HDTV arrived yesterday, I hope they will work very well together. My older "AV Control Receiver" is a Panasonic SA-HE100 that was purchased in 2003, probably before HDMI was invented! But I just checked and saw that it has five jacks marked "Digital", those are:
1) CD-in 2) TV-in 3) DVD in 4) coaxial-in 5) optical out.
So will I have the same sound quality as if there were an HDMI connection?
There will be some interesting times on the living room floor, trying to figure it all out. Does anyone know of a good online guide to hooking it all up?
Thank you! -
Thanks for the great review. I do have a question. I have an older receiver (Yamaha RX-V995) that does not have HDMI inputs, but does have optical inputs. Could I run the HDMI out of the BD35 to the TV (Sharp LC-46D64U) and use the optical output from either the BD35 or the TV over to the receiver? Or do I need to upgrade to the BD-55? Thanks for your help.
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Thank you so much for your review - I don't really know anything about electronics nor blu-ray players - I just know my husband wants one and I am Christmas shopping for hime and I had basically narrowed it down to the two you did your'e review on - and now I know I will go with the Panasonic. Thanks so much - You're review was quite helpful! Tish
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I would appreciate a moment of your time in assisting me with my home set-up. Thanks in advance. I just got a Panasonic th50pz800u and am considering this bd35. I have an older lifestyles Bose surround receiver w/o hdmi. Now to my question, how would you connect this bd35 to my bose system? Would you use cables from the bd35 to connect to the bose or use the hdmi from the bd35 to go into the tv, leaving the bose unconnected to the bd35>
Thanks again. -
What about the LAN port? What kind of inputs from the web will this unit take? Will it access a Netflix on line movie and play it? Appreciate any thoughts on Ethernet access on this unit , other units especially the Samsung Blue Ray unit that also has a USB2.0 port. It may not have the musical quality of the Panasonic? Thanks.
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Thanks much. I too did some research, have been holding off for price drops on Blu-rays, and had decided on the Panasonic BD35 before seeing your review....which was excellent and very reasurring....so I am going to buy it! Thanks (a side note: I have a sony xbr1 1080i lcd. Will I still enjoy Blu-ray more than standard even though I don't have 1080p? Thanks
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Thanks for the great review, it will save me a lot of time. I do have one question though. The BD35 has an optical output as well as an HDMI output, can I not use the optical output to get a digital signal over to my receiver? I don't have an HDMI connection and I would prefer not to spend the extra $100 to upgrade to the BD-55.
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I loved the review. Question. I have a new Panasonic 50 inch plasma. The store that I purchased it at (Ultimate Electronics) said that Panasonic players work better with Panasonic televisions. In other words that they sync better and that the systems are sort of tuned to each other. Is this true? I hook up my sons PS3 and I am quite impressed with the way standard and blue ray movies look. But I do not want to leave it (the PS3) hooked all the time to the plasma. What do you guys think? Would it be worth buying the Panasonic BD35?
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Thanks for the totally COMPREHENSIVE review HTIF!
It helped me decide on the exact player that I was leaning heavily towards buying when I first heard about it - the PANASONIC BD35!
It goes perfectly with my 50 inch 1080P Panasonic plasma 800U.
I was amazed at how thoroughly you (with your wife's help) were at analyzing each and every aspect of the player that I was concerned about and especially why the BD55 is not necessary for anyone with a new HDMI equipped receiver!
THANKS AGAIN FOR A GREAT JOB!
I'd love to see your thoughts on the current crop of A/V receivers!
Where to buy
Panasonic DMP-BD35:
$199.95 - $469.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$469.99 | Yes |
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$199.95 | Yes |
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PaylessMerchandise.com
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$239.99 | No |
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