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318K views 2K replies 314 participants last post by  ekayo 
#1 ·
This new player just announced at 2012 CES looks really nice. I have a Bryston SP1.7 pre-pro which does not have HDMI & of course does not decode the latest

surround formats. Rather than turf a really good quality pre pro I can go through the BDT500 7.1 analog inputs. There are other players out there that do similar but they can get pricey. Curious to see what this retails for.
 
#852 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fatfretter  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22351174


I got a big yawn reading your post about redbox DVDs being , not in pristine condition.That subject has been beaten to death. If you had acted on what you have read you would not have made the mistake of renting dvds from rebox. Problem solved. Wa la. Have an awesome day.

that might be the only choice if there is no video store nearby. take that into consideration.


Jacob
 
#855 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by tricky83  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22348653


Hey guys,

Panasonic Australia told me today that they have NO plans to release the DMP-BDT500 in AUSTRALIA.


Therefore I'll need to import one if possible. Now I think my only concern is the Power Specifications of the BDT500.

Australia uses 230v (10% tolerance, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_electricity_by_country )
Could someone please inform me if ALL BDT500's use 100-240v Worldwide Mains Power or whatever the official term is?

It might just state it on the rear of the unit near the power socket? But I'm obviously not sure.

If they ALL use 100-240V then I have flexibility in where I import from to find the lowest price.

Of course I would like to avoid having to use a voltage converter.

Appreciate any help you guys can provide.

Sorry peeps but can no one help me here? I might have found the answer myself. But wouldn't mind some clarification.


The BDT500 is in the middle, and it looks like it states 120v.

So might anyone know what model I should get for use in Australia?

DMP-BDT500EB/EG/P/PC?
 
#856 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fatfretter  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22351174


I got a big yawn reading your post about redbox DVDs being , not in pristine condition.That subject has been beaten to death. If you had acted on what you have read you would not have made the mistake of renting dvds from rebox. Problem solved. Wa la. Have an awesome day.
I'm glad you got a big yawn because that's all you got. Just to correct you though. I made no such mistake renting from Redbox because I have long known that their disks aren't always in such great shape. However, that's of no consequence because my DMP BDT500 played them flawlessly anyway. I have gotten a great deal of enjoyment out of them at a lower price. Also, I don't have much choice. It's either them or Blockbuster kiosk. There you go then. You've proven yourself dead wrong. Happy yawns to you.
 
#857 ·
Picked up a BDT500 and I am impressed with its build quality.


The drive mechanism is very silent, though I still have to watch full movies (BD and DVD) to be sure. The drive isn't as fast as the one in the bdp-s790 (had it for a week or so), but then again, not nearly as loud either. And you cannot really compare the build quality between the two players IMO (though I think the Sony is also a good option if priced lower than the BDT500).


So far so good... hope it reads most BDs and DVDs from netflix, otherwise I will have to go with the oppo or the Sony (despite the noisy drive it does play everything).
 
#859 ·
Noticed the following problem on the BDT500 while using the 7.1 analog o/p to the receiver ...


DTS-HD plays fine with all speakers firing.

Dolby HD & Dolby 5.1 will only play on 2 channels - front left & right. Center, subwoofer and rear channels not firing.


However if you use the digital out on the player all channels fire all right for DTS & Dolby. I don't have HDMI input on my old receiver to test HDMI but I presume that should be fine.


Pansonic tech support advised that I ship the player for repairs. However the unit was new and I simply returned it for a replacement. And I notice the same problem on the replacement player. Does anyone else notice the same problem or did I end up with a bad coincidence of receiving 2 units with the same problem?
 
#860 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22353779


Noticed the following problem on the BDT500 while using the 7.1 analog o/p to the receiver ...

DTS-HD plays fine with all speakers firing.

Dolby HD & Dolby 5.1 will only play on 2 channels - front left & right. Center, subwoofer and rear channels not firing.

However if you use the digital out on the player all channels fire all right for DTS & Dolby. I don't have HDMI input on my old receiver to test HDMI but I presume that should be fine.

Pansonic tech support advised that I ship the player for repairs. However the unit was new and I simply returned it for a replacement. And I notice the same problem on the replacement player. Does anyone else notice the same problem or did I end up with a bad coincidence of receiving 2 units with the same problem?
Try setting the following as indicated, if you haven't already done so:


1. Set Analog Audio Output to 7.1 even if you don't have a 7.1 setup.


2. Set 7.1 ch Audio Reformatting to Auto.


3. Set HDMI Audio Output to OFF.
 
#861 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by julk  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22352830


tricky83,

I bought the EB version in the UK.

It takes 220-240V AC via a common figure 8 mains cable connector.

I hope this helps.

julk

Thanks a heap Julk.

Looks like the EB version is the goer. With the latest firmware it looks like you can switch BluRay regions in order to play other region Blu Rays.

Now to justify the extra cost over the locally available 320
 
#862 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22353779


Noticed the following problem on the BDT500 while using the 7.1 analog o/p to the receiver ...

DTS-HD plays fine with all speakers firing.

Dolby HD & Dolby 5.1 will only play on 2 channels - front left & right. Center, subwoofer and rear channels not firing.

However if you use the digital out on the player all channels fire all right for DTS & Dolby. I don't have HDMI input on my old receiver to test HDMI but I presume that should be fine.

Pansonic tech support advised that I ship the player for repairs. However the unit was new and I simply returned it for a replacement. And I notice the same problem on the replacement player. Does anyone else notice the same problem or did I end up with a bad coincidence of receiving 2 units with the same problem?
I've seen this a few times over the years. If checking your settings doesn't work, do a factory reset of the player and redo your settings. It usually works.


S~
 
#863 ·
Star Hawk,


Thx a ton for the inputs. I got this fixed. I tried the settings suggested by you and it worked.


Then I started undoing each settings to see what really made a difference and this is what I found. All things remaining the same the one single setting that breaks the multi channel o/p on the 7.1 analog o/p is the "HDMI Audio". If you set this to off Dolby Digital & Dolby HD works fine. If you set "HDMI Audio" to "on", Dolby Digital & Dolby HD plays in stereo mode (L & R channel only) on the 7.1 Analog o/p. Interestingly this setting does not impact DTS HD encoded signals. So it does look like a bug in the firmware.


This is a good player and I am glad I got this working. Apparently Panasonic tech support is clueless about this. They asked me to return the player for repairs. I will call them tomorrow and let them know about this. Hopefully it will help other folks struggling with the same problem and save them the bother of ordering a replacement like I did.


Thank you.
 
#864 ·
Thank you teachSac.


The "HDMI Audio" settings was the problem. When this is on, it plays Dolby Digital & Dolby HD in Stereo on the 7.1 analog o/p. Set HDMI Audio to off and it works fine. This looks like a bug that will hopefully be fixed in future firmware upgrades. For now we have to set HDMI Audio to off to make the 7.1 analog o/p to function normally for Dolby signals.
 
#865 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840_60#post_22355835


Star Hawk,

Thx a ton for the inputs. I got this fixed. I tried the settings suggested by you and it worked.

Then I started undoing each settings to see what really made a difference and this is what I found. All things remaining the same the one single setting that breaks the multi channel o/p on the 7.1 analog o/p is the "HDMI Audio". If you set this to off Dolby Digital & Dolby HD works fine. If you set "HDMI Audio" to "on", Dolby Digital & Dolby HD plays in stereo mode (L & R channel only) on the 7.1 Analog o/p. Interestingly this setting does not impact DTS HD encoded signals. So it does look like a bug in the firmware.

This is a good player and I am glad I got this working. Apparently Panasonic tech support is clueless about this. They asked me to return the player for repairs. I will call them tomorrow and let them know about this. Hopefully it will help other folks struggling with the same problem and save them the bother of ordering a replacement like I did.

Thank you.

Calling Panasonic support to report that they need to improve is a hopeless waste of your time.


At least that's my conclusion from reading the posts that continue to show up in this thread on that subject.
 
#866 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22355843


Thank you teachSac.

The "HDMI Audio" settings was the problem. When this is on, it plays Dolby Digital & Dolby HD in Stereo on the 7.1 analog o/p. Set HDMI Audio to off and it works fine. This looks like a bug that will hopefully be fixed in future firmware upgrades. For now we have to set HDMI Audio to off to make the 7.1 analog o/p to function normally for Dolby signals.
Absolutely. When using analogs, HDMI audio must be disabled. That is the way it is designed to work. The player will detect the TVs capabilities during the initial handshake upon startup. The table will report 2 channel capabilities, so that is what it will send. That's why I said check the settings first to make sure that everything was set the way Star Hawk posted. I have seen these settings correct in the past, but the player still sends 2 channel. A reset has fixed it. Glad it's working right now.


S~
 
#867 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22355835


Star Hawk,

Thx a ton for the inputs. I got this fixed. I tried the settings suggested by you and it worked.

Then I started undoing each settings to see what really made a difference and this is what I found. All things remaining the same the one single setting that breaks the multi channel o/p on the 7.1 analog o/p is the "HDMI Audio". If you set this to off Dolby Digital & Dolby HD works fine. If you set "HDMI Audio" to "on", Dolby Digital & Dolby HD plays in stereo mode (L & R channel only) on the 7.1 Analog o/p. Interestingly this setting does not impact DTS HD encoded signals. So it does look like a bug in the firmware.

This is a good player and I am glad I got this working. Apparently Panasonic tech support is clueless about this. They asked me to return the player for repairs. I will call them tomorrow and let them know about this. Hopefully it will help other folks struggling with the same problem and save them the bother of ordering a replacement like I did.

Thank you.
That's great news SB77! Very happy for you.


Also, teachsac gave us a good description for why HDMI Audio Output needs to be off. It is strange to me, though, that DTS HD seems to be ignored whereas Dolby Digital and TrueHD aren't. Teachsac, can you think of any reason why that is so?
 
#868 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by teachsac  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22356513


Absolutely. When using analogs, HDMI audio must be disabled. That is the way it is designed to work. The player will detect the TVs capabilities during the initial handshake upon startup. The table will report 2 channel capabilities, so that is what it will send. That's why I said check the settings first to make sure that everything was set the way Star Hawk posted. I have seen these settings correct in the past, but the player still sends 2 channel. A reset has fixed it. Glad it's working right now.

S~

Thx for clarifying this teachsac. I did not realize this was so by design. I thought it was a bug in the firmware. The fact that this affected only Dolby encoded audio threw me off as DTS-HD functioned normally irrespective of the HDMI Audio settings. I am glad this fixed the problem for me because I was in two minds about returning this. I liked this player and was thinking of keeping it either way. :)
 
#869 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by OtherSongs  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22356140


Calling Panasonic support to report that they need to improve is a hopeless waste of your time.

At least that's my conclusion from reading the posts that continue to show up in this thread on that subject.


:) I did speak to Panasonic regarding this earlier today.


I am afraid you may be right. I was on an online chat session and even as I was explaining the problem the support person cut me off short with a thank you for contacting Panasonic message and ended the session. :) I am not sure what aborted the session abruptly so I called their helpline and finally spoke to a person after being misdirected to different departments.


Hopefully some good comes out of it! This is a good machine and it would be unfortunate if people struggle to use it as intended simply because the parameter settings on the device is not right. If the folks at Panasonic tech support had addressed this it would have saved me and perhaps several others hours of debugging and testing time. I also ended up returning one player and getting a replacement. What a waste of time and money for everyone involved!
 
#870 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840_60#post_22357255


Hopefully some good comes out of it!

I'm not holding my breath on getting even decent support (let alone good or better) from Panasonic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840_60#post_22357255


This is a good machine

Agreed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SB77  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840_60#post_22357255


...and it would be unfortunate if people struggle to use it as intended simply because the parameter settings on the device is not right. If the folks at Panasonic tech support had addressed this it would have saved me and perhaps several others hours of debugging and testing time. I also ended up returning one player and getting a replacement. What a waste of time and money for everyone involved!

If you want great support for your new blu-ray player, choose OPPO.


And maybe also Cambridge Audio?


But I've no real clue on CA's support, nor support from Yamaha nor LG nor Denon, etc. etc.
 
#871 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Star Hawk  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/840#post_22357096


That's great news SB77! Very happy for you.

Also, teachsac gave us a good description for why HDMI Audio Output needs to be off. It is strange to me, though, that DTS HD seems to be ignored whereas Dolby Digital and TrueHD aren't. Teachsac, can you think of any reason why that is so?

I'm not an expert, but I do know that DTS has different specs when it comes to outputting PCM. DTS modes output 7.1 automatically when the player does the decoding, even in 5.1 sources. That's Panasonic's interpretation and implementation. I'm not sure which BD players will output 5.1 PCM with DTS-HR/MA. DD sources are a little trickier depending on the model and the output mode. IE, players will bitstream 5.1 or 7.1 in bitstream mode (provided Secondary Audio is off) over HDMI. But as you found out, with HDMI audio set to on when using the analog outs, DD sources are downmixed to 2.0. It is stated as so in the OM, also. With optical/coax, max out in PCM mode is 2 channel (regardless), or multichannel lossless when bitstreaming (DD, DTS). Always turn HDMI audio off when not using it to carry the audio.


S~
 
#873 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Star Hawk  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/870#post_22358254


I knew it was in the manual, but it didn't tell us why. Thanks for doing that! Makes more sense now.
I didn't mean like noone looked in the manual
It was more to the post of reporting it to Panasonic as a bug. That's just the way it was designed. It's all a conspiracy to get everyone to buy the latest and greatest so they can decode in the reciever and see the pretty lights, etc.



S~
 
#874 ·
HDMI main to tv

HDMI sub to Denon 989

Digital audio out Bitstream

Video "on" in hdmi sub



Sorry to beat this topic to death but when watching a 3D movie (avatar) for the first time on my Samsung 64E7000, I had my settings as listed above but I was getting an error message that said to play 3D, the hdmi sub needs to be set to "off".


I turned it off then got a message that I needed to turn my receiver off to play 3d (Denon 989). It then worked but I was then obviously able to only get sound from the tv audio.


There is an hdmi control setting in the denon and I have always set that to off (allows the receiver to pass through audio and Video in standby mode).


Any advice would be much appreciated!


Dave
 
#875 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by david12  /t/1386539/panasonic-dmp-bdt500/870#post_22364708


Sorry to beat this topic to death but when watching a 3D movie (avatar) for the first time on my Samsung 64E7000, I had my settings as listed above but I was getting an error message that said to play 3D, the hdmi sub needs to be set to "off".

I turned it off then got a message that I needed to turn my receiver off to play 3d (Denon 989). It then worked but I was then obviously able to only get sound from the tv audio.

There is an hdmi control setting in the denon and I have always set that to off (allows the receiver to pass through audio and Video in standby mode).

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Dave

What are your settings? It does sound like you are running HDMI1(main) to the TV and HDMI sub to the Denon which would be correct. However, it sounds as if you have some settings to check in the player. You need make sure to set “HDMI(SUB) Output Mode” to “V.OFF”.


S~
 
#876 ·
Thanks teach, I ultimately did turn the HDMI (SUB) Output Mode to "V. OFF" because once you do that it illuminates that setting

on the front of the player. That's when I had to turn the Denon receiver off to get 3D to work.


So do I always leave V. OFF, even for 2D? I was a little confused about that because when I did a search on this thread, I saw other posters set HDMI (SUB) Output to "ON".


Part of the problem is that somebody else did the system install and set up and was not familiar with the dual HDMI concept!


Dave
 
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