Blu-ray Panasonic DMP-BD50

What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision

Panasonic DMP-BD50
£ 500 * * * * *

Panasonic’s Blu-ray players just get better and better – the DMP-BD50 is is another resounding success

For
Crisp, detailed, punchy Blu-ray images; good at upscaling DVD; exciting, powerful sound; comprehensive specification

Against
Nothing of note

Panasonic is a manufacturer in demand. Whathifi.com has been a hive of activity ever since we brought you our exclusive review of its Freesat-toting, TH46PZ81 plasma TV. Now, we’re bringing you another first: a review of the company’s brand new Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD50 (£500).

We’re already massive fans of the company’s entry level Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD30 (£350), but this model brings new features and added benefits.

The DMP-BD50 is BD ROM Profile 2.0 enabled, and it’s equipped with an Ethernet connection so you can access all the interactive features of BD-Live online.

The player’s integrated SD memory card slot will allow you to download additional content for compatible Blu-ray titles, including subtitles and BD-Java applications. The Ethernet connection also allows you to download updates for the player as and when they’re released.

Onboard decoding for HD audio

Another key difference is that the DMP-BD50 now features on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. This means that those of you who don’t have a receiver equipped to decode these formats can still enjoy high-definition audio via HDMI or the player’s 5.1 multichannel analogue output.

As with the DMP-BD30, this new model is equipped with an HDMI (V1.3) output, can upscale standard definition DVDs to 1080p and output a 1080p/24fps signal. The player’s picture processing is done by the same, single UniPhier chip that you’ll find in the DMP-BD30.

However, the software that drives the chip in the DMP-BD50 differs from that in the DMP-BD30. The chip contains Panasonic’s proprietary PHL Reference Chrome Processor that the company claims will deliver a clearer, sharper image.

Excellent edge definition and crispness

And it certainly appears to do the job, Blu-ray images having excellent edge definition and crispness, and creating a fantastic sense of realism.

Play the construction site chase scene from Casino Royale and the level of detail the Panasonic unravels is spectacular. It’s impressive whether we’re watching on one of our reference flatscreen TVs (in this case, the Sony KDL-40W4000) or projectors (the InFocus IN83).

Switch over to the animated action of Cars and the results are breathtaking. Colours are punchy without appearing overblown and the picture is crystal clear.

Even when upscaling standard-definition material such as The Bank Job, the DMP-BD50 creates an inviting, detailed image that’s easily among the best in class.

It’s great that the player can decode high-definition audio formats by itself, but we preferred sending the raw audio data as bitstream over HDMI and letting our Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver do the decoding. It produces a more dynamic, powerful and spacious sound that really excites the listener.

Superior performance to the PS3

This Panasonic is certainly superior to the PlayStation 3 when it comes to both picture and sound quality. Only the likes of Pioneer’s more expensive Blu-ray player, the BDP-LX70 (£1000) can bring a greater sense of refinement and marginally better Blu-ray picture quality.

Of course, the Panasonic’s CD playback is nothing to shout about and wouldn’t rival a stand-alone CD player at even half the price, but that’s hardly surprising.

Accessing BD-Live and BD-Java features is pretty simple – simply plug the player into your router via Ethernet, test your connection through the on-screen menus and away you go. In a matter of minutes we were hooked up to the internet and playing the mildly amusing Yakuza Fighter game, found on the War Blu-ray disc.

The DMP-BD50 not only talks the talk but also walks the walk, combining excellent specification with equally spectacular performance. If you buy a Blu-ray player this summer, make it this one.

Technical Specifications

HD DVD
No

Blu-ray
Yes

DVD-Video
Yes

DVD-A
No

SACD
No

CD
Yes

MP3
Yes

DivX
Yes

DVD-R/-RW
Yes

DVD+R/+RW
Yes

DVD-RAM
No

HDMI out
1

HDMI 1.3a
Yes

DVI out
0

Component out
1

RGB Scart out
0

S-Video out
1

Composite out
1

Optical digital out
1

Coaxial digital out
1

Phono audio out
1

FireWire out
0

Multichannel analogue out
6ch

Video scaling
1080p

24fps
Yes

Dolby Digital Plus decoding
Yes

DTS HD decoding
Yes

Dolby TrueHD decoding
Yes

DTS HD Master Audio decoding
Yes

Dolby decoding
Yes

DTS Decoding
Yes

PCM decoding
Yes

Dolby Digital Plus HDMI output
Yes

DTS HD HDMI output
Yes

Dolby TrueHD HDMI output
Yes

DTS HD Master Audio HDMI output
Yes

PCM HDMI output
Yes

Dimensions (hwd, cm)
6 x 43 x 31
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