Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black

Great Blue ray player, picture is hard to believe (my head is 6' away from the TV and a Blue ray DVD looks perfect!!!!!! Snycs with the TV, so only need one remote. Fast loading times, great sound, way better than a movie theater.

I upgraded from a DMP-BD30. Probably was not worth the money as the BD30 put out as good a sound and video as the BD80. The only reason I did not give this unit 5 stars as it will not update my firmware or allow me to burn a firmware update for a Mac. I assume it works for a PC. If there is a firmware update I can order it from Panasonic for around $5. I think there has been only one since I purchased the unit. I think Panasonic makes one of the best units out there in this price range. If I were purchasing again I would purchase a Panasonic again. You will not be disappointed with the picture or sound. The remote is a gem and the unit is thin and should fit almost anywhere. Having the HDMI output is a very big plus as you use only one cable for both video and sound if your TV has an HDMI input. An idiot could hook this up in 3 minutes. Connect the HDMI cord from the unit to your TV. Connect the power cord and you are in business. I cannot recall if the HDMI cord came with it or not but think it did. I have a black unit. There may be another color. I do not know. I recommend this unit. It offers many other features if you are an audiofile. I use it with a 46" flat screen LCD Samsung and a Boston Soundbar with a wireless bass for much increased quality sound. If you have never looked at Soundbars and only use your TV speakers you need to check out the Boston. It really adds great sound. It also allows you to use your existing TV remote to increase/decrease sound or mute. It programs to any TV remote. Even Direct TV remotes. The Panasonic with a blue ray disc will blow you away if you have never watched a blue ray player like the BD80 For my old ears it does not get much better than this.

I have owned the Panasonic BD35 for 14 months, but after I slammed the drive side into a shelf in my theater center, the unit was making a grinding noise and would vibrate unless it was positioned just right. I decided to look around for a replacement Blu Ray. After much research and after purchasing and returning a Toshiba BR player and a Panasonic BD605( Costco price of $ 139 !), I decided on the BD 80. I have had it 3 days and already love it. I thought the BD 35 was good, but this is even better. The picture is vibrant, the Blu Ray DVD's look almost 3D and upscaling is like watching Blu, the sound options( which is why I bought this), are good for anyone who has an older receiver. The optical and coxial digital outputs, as well as the Multi Channel analog outputs have given me the opportunity to connect my Panasonic EZ- 47 DVD/VHS player, Toshiba HD-DVD player, and the BD 80 in various configurations. I own an older Onkyo receiver that I truly enjoy, and it is capable of a Multi-Channel analog audio hookup. I am hooking up the BD 80 using the Multi- Channel feature today to hear enjoy the High Clarity sound feature. Currently the BD80 is contected via the coaxial digital output and the sound is great, but it will be better when the multi channel is completed. The remote control is easy to use, and there is a code that can be entered so that another Panasonic product cannot be turned on when using the BD80 remote. The Viera Cast, You Tube, and Amazon on Demand are something I will probably never use, but they are nice extras too. This unit is closing out the 2009 models and can be had for dollars less than when it was first released. I bought it for $ 175 at Best Buy and although the new models are close to being released and will cost $ 100 more and have more features, my budget was the concern for me. If you can still find one, buy it.

I have bought this player in the fall last year (2009) pretty much on a whim without doing much research on it. Best Buy had a sale going on, the remote on my old DVD player was broke and useless, and and it made more sense to spend the money on the new player rather than new remote.

I got definitely lucky with this one!
The price went down a little after I purchased it. Several weeks later, I guess due to the sudden popularity of this product, right before the Christmas, most of the stores sold out of it, so the price shot back up to $400-500 and more. Even now, in February, the least expensive price on Amazon is $360, which is almost double of the manuf. suggested retail price.
While I would not pay $360 for the item, I am very happy that I bought it when I did, and when the price settles back down to the more "normal" $200+ range, I would def recommend it to anybody.

I have not experienced any of the picture drops or freezes, that other reviewers mention.
The picture quality is amazing, crisp, clean, and so is the sound (I also use it as a CD player, as my old CD changer has not worked for a long time).
The set-up is very easy and intuitive.

The two most common complaints are: long/slow load and that hitting the Stop button will not allow you to resume the movie, where you stopped - you will be forced to start from the beginning.
Both objections are valid and true... however from my understanding, neither one is limited strictly to this model, they seem to apply to other 'current generation of blu ray players' across the board.

The slow load is not really that big of a deal and could easily get used to.
The fact that hitting the Stop button will pretty much force you to start the whole disc from the beginning, incl. the No Piracy ads, disclaimers, warnings, etc. is lot more irritating and harder to swallow.
What I have finally learned, after several mistakes and frustrating 'multiple starts' was to NEVER use the Stop button in the first place and not even acknowledge its existence... The only ones that I use now are the Play and Pause. Stop has mentally ceased to exist on the remote for me, I completely ignore and never use it, and have gotten around the annoying 're-starting of the movie issue' entirely.


Another big plus it the internet connectivity... Originally I did not think it was a big deal, but availability of Amazon on Demand is definitely a welcome feature.
Unfortunately the only other options through VieraCast are Youtube and Stock and Weather channel, which I can easily live without both, so I def hope, that the offering and choices get extended sometimes soon.

And yes, the blu ray (player) downloads it's own updates, once you hook it up to the internet. (My Tv is on a different floor, than my computer, so I had to buy wireless adaper. I am using the Linksys by Cisco PLK300 PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit and it works flawlessly).

Overall, this is definitely recommended five star product!

I searched for months for a Blu Ray Player and found this on Amazon for a great deal. I didn't need Wireless because I hard wired the Internet to the device and that was the plan. If you too do not need Wireless, this is the best Blu Ray player. Some reviewers have said that the load time is slow but that is to be expected with most players. If their focus was more on the picture quality and sound and NOT the load time, I am certainly okay with that.

You won't be disappointed. Plus the internet and Amazon Video features are great.