Panasonic DMP-BDT220 user reviews

Pros The blu-ray player itself rocks! It starts up fast plays very well and has a great picture.

Cons Internet apps stop working often--requiring a power cycle to clear up the issue or a special key code to reset the device to original factory settings.

Summary I do not recommend this DVD player at all!!

I understand that this DVD player was an Editor's pick, but after owning it for three months, I STRONGLY disagree.

The unit started out performing well for the first couple of days. Then the crashes started happening while watching Netflix. Then the issue moved over to HULU. The apps would freeze and the unit would become unresponsive requiring one to remove the power source to restart. The crashes happened about 3-6 times a week while watching about one to two hours of streaming video a day. It was inconvenient, but with a busy schedule, I could just unplug the unit and go to work. It would work OK for a while after I got home.

After a month of this, the unit actually stopped working while watching Netflix (not a Netflix issue--Netflix worked like a champ on my laptop and Roku). I had the unit over 30 days and it was non-returnable. I contacted Panasonic and they commiserated with me and provided a factory reset sequence. The sequence cleared up with immediate issue, but the crashes continued

The crashes typically occurred after 5 and 20 minutes of use. Over the next two months the crash frequency stayed the same, but I had to use the factory reset code one to two times a week. While it works, it takes several minutes to complete the process and you have to reconfigure EVERY internet app that you have (Netflix, Hulu, etc...)

After having to reset the unit 5 times while trying to watch Captain America last week, I called Panasonic again. This time, they did some research and said that the issue is a known problem requiring a new firmware build. Engineers have been working on the problem for a couple of months, but there is no estimated release date. The wouldn't provide a replacement or offer to repair the unit in any other way.

The unit was utterly worthless.

I did have some good luck returning the unit to Amazon. Based on the miserable case history I submitted (with case notes from Panasonic support), Amazon allowed me to return the unit and has refunded my money. This was well outside the normal return policy--THANK AMAZON!!

I have to find another Blu-ray player now.--rest assured, it will NOT be a Panasonic.