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Panasonic DMP-BD80
Panasonic DMP-BD80
  • Quick specs
  • DVD type: Blu-Ray disc player
  • Form factor: Tabletop
  • Remote control type: Universal remote control
  • See full specifications

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CNET editors' take

  • By: Matthew Moskovciak
  • Published on: 01/08/2009

Panasonic had a stand-out 2008 on the Blu-ray front, with the DMP-BD35 earning the first Editor's Choice award for a standalone Blu-ray player. After mastering most of the basic Blu-ray functions, like BD-Live and high-resolution audio decoding, it looks like the two new players, the DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80, are mostly incremental updates to the existing Blu-ray players, with the biggest new feature being Viera Cast support.

Key features of the Panasonic DMP-BD60:

  • Profile 2.0 compatible
  • Onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-Master Audio Essential decoding
  • SD card slot and USB input
  • Access to Viera Cast Internet content, including Amazon Video On Demand

Key step-up features on the Panasonic DMP-BD80:

  • 7.1 analog audio outputs

You'll also notice these players support DTS-HD Master Audio Essential, rather than standard DTS-HD Master Audio. This new form of the DTS-HD audio codec is mostly the same, but it drops support for some of the more advanced DVD audio formats, such as DTS 96/24, DTS ES, ES Matrix, and DTS NEO 6. However, if a DVD has one of those soundtracks, you won't be left without sound, as it will just revert to standard DTS audio. It also loses support for DTS-ES Matrix and NEO 6 on Blu-ray, but those soundtracks are rare on Blu-ray movies.

Call us spoiled, but even with Viera Cast and Amazon Video On-Demand support, we're disappointed that these players don't have support for Netflix Instant Streaming, which is quickly becoming our favorite value-added feature for Blu-ray. We also had our hopes set on Panasonic including Wi-Fi on these next-generation players--as is included on both the LG BD370 and the Samsung BD-P3600--as not many people have Ethernet connections in their living rooms. Panasonic won the standalone Blu-ray player war in 2008, but it looks like the door is wide open for the competition to make some progress this year.

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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

  • alaTest.com

    Editors' rating: 97

    Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 52 reviews of Panasonic DMP-BD80 from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 90/100 and users 84/100. Comparing these reviews to 108013 other DVD Players reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 97/100 = Excellent.

    Read full review

  • stuff.tv

    Editors' rating: 80

    Read full review

  • techradar.com

    Editors' rating: 100

    Read full review

  • whathifi.com

    Editors' rating: 80

    Read full review

  • igizmo.co.uk

    Editors' rating: 100

    Summary: This works to improve all sorts of picture elements, from colour and contrast through to motion and noise reduction. And it works sensationally well, helping to produce pictures in a different league to those of any other sub-£400 Blu-ray deck we've ...

    Read full review

  • avreview.co.uk

    Editors' rating: 90

    Read full review

Panasonic DMP-BD80

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