Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black
Choosing a Blu-Ray Player
If you feel you are ready to buy a Blu-ray player then it is well worth spending a little time getting to understand the basic Blu-ray features and terms. There are subtle differences between players and it’s best to know what you’re looking for.
Blu-ray is the standard high definition (HD) format now adopted by the whole domestic movie market. High definition means that the picture you see is at a far higher resolution than the older DVD standard.
DVD (NTSC) standard resolution is 720 pixels across by 480 pixels down the screen.
DVD (PAL) standard resolution is 720 pixels across by 576 pixels down the screen.
Blu-ray 1080i and 1080p refers to the best vertical resolution that Blu-ray provides which is 1080 pixels down and 1920 pixels across.
Most current LCD and plasma TVs will display the full Blu-ray resolution but it is best the make sure that your TV can achieve this. Firstly your TV must have an HDMI socket on the back and secondly check the user manual for reference to 1080i or 1080p. If either is missing you probably won’t be able to achieve full Blu-ray resolution. HDMI is the connection down which the HD video and audio is transmitted.
That’s the basics of HD explained, now for the more subtle differences between Blu-ray players.
Upscaling to 1080p via HDMI means that you are playing a lower resolution media like DVD on a Blu-ray player which is then scaled up to the 1080 resolution. The picture is slightly better than the original DVD if it were played through a DVD player but doesn’t reach full Blu-ray clarity.
As with DVD players, there are regions that players will cover. DVD uses regions 1 to 8 and 0 is region free.
Blu-ray uses regions A, B and C.
Region A: North and South America, South and South East Asia, including Japan, Korea and Malaysia.
Region B: Europe, Australiia, New Zealand, Africa, Middle East and Greenland.
Region C: Central and South of Asia including China; Russica and Mongolia.
Virtually all Blu-ray players have online functionality. This is provided either through a LAN or Wi-Fi interface to your internet router. Internet connectivity is completely optional as it is not always convenient to connect. If you do decide to get connected then there are several services available to you depending on the make and model of player you decide to purchase.
Sony’s BD-Live lets you download additional movie content.
Samsung and LG players provide access to YouTube movies and MKV files.
Panasonic has Viera Cast, it’s on demand TV service and, more services are appearing all the time as manufacturers bring constantly evolving services via the internet.
Now for me, online functionality is of very little advantage as I live out in the country and my bandwidth is quite poor but, for those of you who have access to good bandwidth then the online services available to you through your Blu-ray player are well worth it.
The features available are very extensive but I hope the ones I have shown you above are helpful and give you a good starting point from which to choose your Blue-ray player.
Now if you’re looking for a player that gives you great value for money then the Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player is a great choice so why not take a look by clicking HERE.
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Cheap PANASONIC DMP-BD80 for Sale (Top 10)
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Top #1 Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black)Overall Rating (8/10) |
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| Review by Johnny C. Lee (USA) 2010-07-25 This is a good player with a lot of the features of Blu-Ray, Netflix, and YouTube player at a cheap price. The YouTube user interface needs to be better; it only has a play and pause button. It does not have forward or backward search which is a big handicap.... Read more Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-Ray reviews | ||
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Top #2 Panasonic DMP-BD85K WiFi Enabled Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black)Overall Rating (8/10) |
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| Review by HMMWV (santa clara, CA USA) 2010-07-24 Prior to this model, the viera system in 2009 series players could not generate a unique serial number. Netflix's reaction to this was to not send netflix on demand to these players since their 6 display limit could not be enforced as all pre 2010 units didn't have a unique ID which could be tracked. Be sure to get the most recent fir... Read more Panasonic DMP-BD85K WiFi reviews | ||
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Top #3 Panasonic DMP-BD45 Ultra-Fast Booting Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black)Overall Rating (10/10) |
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| Review by Josh (Minnesota USA) 2010-07-04 The remote feels nice, and the player does what it is supposed to do. Playback of AVCHD on memory cards is a nice touch for anyone with a camera that records in that format. For a budget product, this does seem to perform well, and I haven't had any major issues with playback of any supported media. Thumbs up.... Read more Panasonic DMP-BD45 Ultra-Fast reviews | ||
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Top #4 Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray Disc/VHS Multimedia PlayerOverall Rating (8/10) |
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| Review by Allan Lindsay (Oak Creek, WI USA) 2010-07-08 Older model, worked fairly well, however DVD mode failed within 90 days. Has to be sent to Texas for repair or replacement. Viera Cast will not access Netflix or Hulu. No firmware upgrade planned to correct per Panasonic press releases. Player remote does not control Panasonic HD TV well and visa versa , requiring you to keep both remotes handy.... Read more Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray reviews | ||
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Top #5 Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)Overall Rating (8/10) |
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| Review by Corey L. Oakes (TX) 2010-07-19 This unit has been obsoleted by model DMP-BD65 (ASIN: B0038KN114) which would be a better purchase because it is less expensive and has Netflix capablity. With consumer products, newer has almost always meant better, faster and cheaper and that is the case here. This unit's time has come and gone if you want the current Wi... Read more Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray reviews | ||
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Top #6 Panasonic DMP-B500 WiFi Enabled 10.1-Inch Screen Portable Blu-Ray Disc PlayerOverall Rating (10/10) |
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| Review by Rohan Menezes (India) 2010-07-20 I now own both the DMP B15 and the DMP B500. The B500 is definitely superior in terms of Sound and Picture Size. The extra functions such as the Photo Frame and Calendar are cool Add Ons. Definitely reccomend this product for anyone who prefers to watch Hi Dep Movies on the run. Brilliant product from Panasonic. | ||
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Top #7 Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, BlackOverall Rating (8/10) |
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| Review by John L. Patterson (Hagerstown, MD) 2010-07-21 Being electronically challenged, I found this unit easy to use. Once I try to play a 3-D film, I'll know it's perfect.... Read more Panasonic DMP-BD80 High reviews | ||
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Top #8 Panasonic DMP-BD60 All Region Zone free Blu-Ray DVD Player. ToOverall Rating (6/10) |
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| Review by Alvaro Cespedes (Miami, Florida United States) 2010-03-15 This unit gives me trouble reading disks, for example, could see the movie Knowing [Blu-ray/Región 1(a)] (2009) (Nicolas Cage) and to read the image files can only carry a limited quantity, at least about 100 files . jpg, no more.... Read more Panasonic DMP-BD60 All reviews | ||
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Top #9 Panasonic DMP-B100 8.9-Inch Screen Portable Blu-Ray Disc PlayerOverall Rating (4/10) |
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| Review by T. Nelson (Virginia, USA.) 2010-04-06 The reason they listed the resolution as WSVGA is they didnt want to outright state exactly what it was. WSVGA is 1024x600, which happens to be the standard on many netbooks these days. This device does not need to exist. At that resolution you would do well to just watch DVD's. It is totally unsuitable for watching blu-rays. It cannot even play at... Read more Panasonic DMP-B100 8.9-Inch reviews | ||
