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#1 ·
Circuit City online has gotten the new Panasonic players in a bit earlier than expected and the first orders are shipping today. Those that opted for "express" shipping (like me
) will begin receiving players on Tuesday the 14th. It is time for a new owners thread.


I have owned the previous Panasonic BD30, as well as numerous other models. I currently have the LG BH200 and PS3 in my system for comparison and I'll be posting my comments on the new Panasonic BD35.
 
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#4,121 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Brooks /forum/post/15181656


I have a Sony KV420HS30 which is a HD ready CRT. It is not capable of 1080p, but does 720p and 1080i. I do not have an AV receiver and am running the player directly to the TV. The TV has an HDMI input, so my question is should I be using the HDMI or the component output? Note: PQ is more important than sound for me right now.

Try it both ways and with both output resolutions and use the combination that looks best to you. I use 1080i over HDMI to a 768p plasma.
 
#4,122 ·
I pick up the bd35 and compared it to my PS3. The movie's I used where Casino Royal and Shoot'em up. The PQ had no differences that my son and I could tell. The SQ to me was the same, but my son liked the sound better on the Pan bd35. I was using my Onkyo sr805 going to my Pan ax200u FP.
 
#4,123 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by teachsac /forum/post/15181401


Warner has released quite a few New Release titles with no HD Audio, Journey, Speed Racer, Kitt Kitredge, Get Smart, Bucket List, shall I go on? I wrote a letter to several different individuals at WB in various divisions, and every single one went unanswered. Go figure. You'd think that with what happened at the beginning of the year, they would be doing everything all out. Pretty pathetic when newcomers like Universal and Paramount (since rejoining) are blowing you out of the water. Warner gets an F in my book for the way they treat the format and their titles.


S~

They were the ones who picked the winner in the format war and now there messing up the one they chose to support. I will not be buying the movies that don't support the HD sounds. I will rent the ones I want to see instead.
 
#4,126 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rutedown /forum/post/15175631


Has anyone received the 2 free blu-ray disks with the purchase of the BD35?

I received my BD35 on the first day possible (10/14) and sent the free 2 disc paperwork in two days later (minimum time for me to insure the unit worked correctly). Haven't received any discs yet, the paperwork had said 8-10 weeks, which at the time I calculated to be sometime before christmas.


Here's the link for the offer again for anyone curious:
http://www.panasonicsleepingbeauty.com/
 
#4,127 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by donstim /forum/post/15179167


No, the difference is the BD55 can output the decoded lossless audio through analog outputs, in addition to the HDMI output. This enables those of us with receivers/pre-amps without HDMI inputs, but with the ability to accept external audio inputs, to experience the lossless audio tracks, in either 5.1 or 7.1

I bought the BD55 just for the analog outputs for my (old) Denon AVR-3802 receiver which has analog inputs.


PQ is truly amazing, but I'm really disappointed with the LFE performance when playing Dolby TrueHD over the analog audio outputs. The LFE is so weak when played through the analog outputs. When I switch my receiver over to regular Dolby Digital, everything sounds much better,

with more balance and deep bass -- killer LFE action.


So, looks instead of using the analog outputs, I'll let the BD55 play and mix down the lossless formats to DD/DTS over optical TOS link and use my receiver to decode that -- IMO sounds much better.


Questions:

- Anyone else have a problem with LFE performance via BD55 analog audio outputs?

- When BD55 mixes down DD-TrueHD (which is lossless) to "regular" DD 5.1(which is lossy) -- how does it do this mixdown and what bitrate is used for this mixdown? This sounds pretty darn good to my ears.


Thanks,

Kevin
 
#4,129 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by delgadil /forum/post/15182399


I bought the BD55 just for the analog outputs for my (old) Denon AVR-3802 receiver which has analog inputs.


PQ is truly amazing, but I'm really disappointed with the LFE performance when playing Dolby TrueHD over the analog audio outputs. The LFE is so weak when played through the analog outputs. When I switch my receiver over to regular Dolby Digital, everything sounds much better,

with more balance and deep bass -- killer LFE action.


So, looks instead of using the analog outputs, I'll let the BD55 play and mix down the lossless formats to DD/DTS over optical TOS link and use my receiver to decode that -- IMO sounds much better.


Questions:

- Anyone else have a problem with LFE performance via BD55 analog audio outputs?

- When BD55 mixes down DD-TrueHD (which is lossless) to "regular" DD 5.1(which is lossy) -- how does it do this mixdown and what bitrate is used for this mixdown? This sounds pretty darn good to my ears.

Kevin,


Please search back through this thread. You won't have to go very far. This question has been asked and answered dozens of times in the last week alone. In fact, filter your search on my name and you'll get several ways to deal with low LFE.


LFE is recorded 10db lower than its proper playback level. When using analog, you need to boost the sub by 10db in your receiver (15db if you have set your speakers to small in the player). You'll get great bass if you do the proper setups. I do with a Denon 3805.


Peter
 
#4,133 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by delgadil /forum/post/15182597


Thanks -- yes just tried this (boosting LFE +10dB in my receiver) -- LFE performance is still weak when compared to when playing via Dolby Digital. Verified all speakers are set as large in the BD55 setup. Thanks for your help. Kevin

Have you tried a test disc? Have you calibrated your system for the analog inputs? What happens if you simply turn up the sub? Analog takes more work than digital, but you should be able to get it dialed in. Most people do.
 
#4,134 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by delgadil /forum/post/15182597


Thanks -- yes just tried this (boosting LFE +10dB in my receiver) -- LFE performance is still weak when compared to when playing via Dolby Digital. Verified all speakers are set as large in the BD55 setup. Thanks for your help. Kevin

I'm still getting the exact opposite through analog. Bass is overpowering and I have to turn on the Voice Enhance to even hear voices without the Bass overwhelming the audience. Had to do it last night on I am Legend as well as Ironman.


Anybody have any thoughts?
 
#4,135 ·
I've tried looking through this thread but have not seen an answer to this question (at least not that I could find). I will soon be getting the BD55. My HK AVR 525 does not have HDMI, so I will be hooking it up using analog. I have a 5.1 setup. Although there is only one set of analog direct input jacks on the AVR, the HK allows you to set up the analog inputs in two different ways. One is called "6 channel direct" and one is called "6 channel DVD audio". The difference between the two is in the bass management. 6 channel direct passes the input from the BD 55 directly through the AVR volume control without any analog to digital conversion. The 6 channel DVD audio converts the analog source to digital. This allows you to use the bass management system in the HK AVR and also allows me to adjust each speakers volume level independently, just as if it was a digital input. It seems this would be the best way to go, as I should be able to get the LFE/speaker crossover dialed in properly as well as adjusting the volume properly (+15 LFE boost).


So my question is this - Is there any downside to converting the analog signal to digital? Would it be better to keep the analog signal analog and routed directly to the main volume control of the AVR and use the bass management system in the BD55? It would be nice to hear what some of the experts feel about this.
Thanks


Dave
 
#4,136 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by BIslander /forum/post/15182646


Have you tried a test disc? Have you calibrated your system for the analog inputs? What happens if you simply turn up the sub? Analog takes more work than digital, but you should be able to get it dialed in. Most people do.

Hi,


No I don't have a test disc? is there a standard disc I need to purchase for this kind of thing? No I have not formally calibrated my system for analog inputs and quite honestly don't really know what that means.


If I simply turn up the sub I of course get more LFE but the overall sound

lacks the overall deep bass and rumble I really like with Dolby Digital/DTS.

Just sounds thin overall via analog outputs. Guess I need to calibrate my system for this.


Should there be much of a difference in the audio quality between playing Dolby TrueHD via analog outputs and the BD55's "5.1 Dolby Digital Mixdown" over optical fiber? (e.g. if I select the TrueHD audio track, the BD55 will send a DD 5.1 mixdown bitstream of the TrueHD over the TOS connector). Would a average person (whatever that means) be able to discern the difference? Any idea what DD bitrate is used for this bitrate?


Thanks,

Kevin
 
#4,137 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by delgadil /forum/post/15182399


...I'm really disappointed with the LFE performance when playing Dolby TrueHD over the analog audio outputs. The LFE is so weak when played through the analog outputs. When I switch my receiver over to regular Dolby Digital, everything sounds much better,

with more balance and deep bass -- killer LFE action.


So, looks instead of using the analog outputs, I'll let the BD55 play and mix down the lossless formats to DD/DTS over optical TOS link and use my receiver to decode that -- IMO sounds much better.


Questions:

- Anyone else have a problem with LFE performance via BD55 analog audio outputs?

I had a very similar experience a year ago with the Toshiba HD-A35 HD-DVD player with analog outputs. I was not at all impressed with the scheme of decoding lossless tracks in the player and outputting them as 7.1 analog. To me the sound was muddier with less fine detail, less directionality, less channel separation, less dynamic impact, and as you say the bass lacked slam and presence. I had paid $100 extra for HD-A35 with the analog outputs over the similar HD-A30. Not to mention, it is a pain in the neck to use the player's set up menus to try to get the analog levels set up right and deal with bass management. Plus the hassle of all the spaghetti of audio cables in back.


Like you with the BD55, I ended up falling back to DD/DTS digital audio and wondering why I had wasted my money on the analog outputs.


This time around with Blu-ray, I am not going to repeat the same mistake twice. I ordered the BD35 and will be content to have the lossless tracks downmixed to good old DD/DTS digital audio. Whenever I upgrade in the future to a receiver that can handle bitstream or PCM over HDMI, I'll go back to trying out the lossless HD audio tracks.
 
#4,138 ·
delgadil -- 1.) The best audio test disc is this one: http://www.rivesaudio.com/software/softframes.html . It's $21 direct from Rives Audio, only. It also has tracks that are compensated for a correct reading using the Radio Shack Analog SPL meter.


2.) The output from the toslink (or the coax digital connector) is only the lossy core DTS or DD+ audio tracks (it cannot output the lossless audio signals, by design and due to restrictions imposed by the movie studios). The only way to get the "new" lossless audio (TrueHD & DTS master audio) is via the HDMI or the 7.1 channel analog outputs. The core DTS and DD+ signals, via the toslink, are better than from SD-DVD players because they are higher bandwidth, so the audio sound quality improvement will be noticed (but it will still not be as good as the lossless audio).

HMenke -- You have a good point. Using the analog outputs does require more setup effort.
 
#4,139 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by delgadil /forum/post/15182890


No I don't have a test disc? is there a standard disc I need to purchase for this kind of thing? No I have not formally calibrated my system for analog inputs and quite honestly don't really know what that means.

Avia and DVE make calibration discs. But, you can also use a THX optimizer that comes on some movies. All of them have test tones that can be used to get the levels properly set.

Quote:
If I simply turn up the sub I of course get more LFE but the overall sound lacks the overall deep bass and rumble I really like with Dolby Digital/DTS. Just sounds thin overall via analog outputs. Guess I need to calibrate my system for this.

Lossless tracks tend to be output at lower volumes than lossy ones. Sometimes simply raising the volume solves the "problem".

Quote:
Should there be much of a difference in the audio quality between playing Dolby TrueHD via analog outputs and the BD55's "5.1 Dolby Digital Mixdown" over optical fiber? (e.g. if I select the TrueHD audio track, the BD55 will send a DD 5.1 mixdown bitstream of the TrueHD over the TOS connector). Would a average person (whatever that means) be able to discern the difference? Any idea what DD bitrate is used for this bitrate?

Lossy DD and DTS are encoded at maximum bitrates on BD and they sound great. (640kbps for DD and 1.5mbsp for the DTS core) Many say there's little or no difference between lossless and these higher bitrate lossy tracks. Using digital to your AVR also means you can use its DACs and processing for bass management and EQ. The BD55 doesn't have much to offer in the way of digital processing.


I use analog for lossless, but I can't say that it's really any better than digital over coax.
 
#4,140 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CT_Wiebe /forum/post/15182987

delgadil -- 1.) The best audio test disc is this one: http://www.rivesaudio.com/software/softframes.html . It's $21 direct from Rives Audio, only. It also has tracks that are compensated for a correct reading using the Radio Shack Analog SPL meter.


2.) The output from the toslink (or the coax digital connector) is only the lossy core DTS or DD+ audio tracks (it cannot output the lossless audio signals, by design and due to restrictions imposed by the movie studios). The only way to get the "new" lossless audio (TrueHD & DTS master audio) is via the HDMI or the 7.1 channel analog outputs. The core DTS and DD+ signals, via the toslink, are better than from SD-DVD players because they are higher bandwidth, so the audio sound quality improvement will be noticed (but it will still not be as good as the lossless audio).

HMenke -- You have a good point. Using the analog outputs does require more setup effort.

Thanks for the feedback -- much appreciated.


Still, a point of confusion for me -- the BD55 manual uses the term "downmix" stating that TrueHD and DTS HD audio tracks would be "downmixed to 5.1" over the coax/optical digital connection. So is this not really a downmix and instead the BD55 is simply playing the standard DD/DTS audio tracks instead?

These are two different things in my mind and still want to understand why the manual refers to a "mixdown".


Thanks again,

Kevin
 
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