The Official Panasonic DMP-BD50 Owner's Thread - Page 27

I wasn't talking about bitstreaming. There are two ways in his case to get TrueHD/DTS MAster. 1.) The player decodes the track and sends it as PCM to the receiver. The receiver applies any additional proceesing PLII, etc. Then it goes through Digital to analog conversion and out to the speakers. 2. The player decodes the track into PCM. The player then applies Digital to analog conversion and sends it out to the receiver/processor over the analog connectors. Depending on the quality of the receiver will depend on if any additional processing can be done. Most likely it goes straight through and out to the speakers and the receiver is just a big/expensive volume knob. D/A conversion has to be done somewhere. I trust a receiver more than a player to do that. There is no reason to use analogs in his case as I told him in his other thread. As you said, HDMI 1.0 to 1.2 has more than enough bandwidth with a lot to spare to handle 1080p video and LPCM audio. There was no increase in bandwidth until 1.3 and that was to handle Bitstreaming and deep color.

S~

You don't need a new receiver. You can get first-rate sound and video if you simply plug the HDMI cable from the BD50 or 55 directly into the display and use a set of six (for 5.1) or eight (for 7.1) analog cables for the sound.

My caveat about video is that "deep color" is dependent on HDMI 1.3. The BD50 and BD55 do all the processing you need for that. The issue is not letting it be blocked by being passed through a video switcher in the receiver that can't handle them. If your display is only 1.1 this issue is irrelevant, but if it can do that, and is labeled as 1.3 compliant, you should connect the player to it either directly or through a switcher than is itself labeled as 1.3 compliant.

Your 2807 receiver can definitely give you first-rate sound via analog: 5.1 from the BD50 or - someday soon - 7.1 from BD55.

Whether it can do 7.1 or only 5.1 via PCM over HDMI is relevant only if your display is old enough for it not to matter if the HDMI signal goes through the receiver or you can find a device to duplicate the HDMI signal to send it to the display and receiver in parallel.

This may all sound confusing but it isn't really.

There is no "deep color" yet. And it is not in the spec so why worry. 1080p/24 is not dependent on 1.3. The 2807 will accept and pass it just fine.

Why are you so stuck on him using analog. He does not need to. He can get 7.1 PCM on the 2807 over HDMI, also.

He only needs to run 1 cable to his receiver and one out to his TV.

S~

I was wrong on HDMI and HDCP. I read in my AVR manual about Copy protection regarding music DVDs not HDCP.

The Elk GRove, CA Dude is right. teaschsac

Teachsac:

We're both trying to do the same thing - reassure him that he doesn't need a new receiver to enjoy Blu-ray.

My advice is based on the industry's constant instruction not to run a HDMI 1.3 signal - which is what the BD50 and BD55 put out - through a 1.1 device. But note that I've always qualified that by saying that doesn't matter if his display is only 1.1 itself.

I'm not "stuck" on using analog - I just know that will work and would sidestep any potential video problem, I don't know enough about HDMI to know how many channels of PCM the 1.1 2807 can handle that way and I don't know what his display's capabilities are.

I feel the same way about 7.1 that you feel about "deep color" - there's so little 7.1 out there (one number I've heard is 42 disks out of nearly 2000 - about 2%) that I'm happy with 5.1 for now. I figure that 7.1 will show up in large numbers only when enough theaters start adding rear channels separate from the standard side surrounds down both sides of the room for films to be produced that way.

I'm glad, however, that both my BD50 and my Panasonic PT-AE2000 projector say they can handle "deep color" if it is on a disk, and in case the owner of the 2807 and 50" Pioneer plasma display feels that way about it, I pointed out that running video through a 1.1 switcher does block it - if his display in fact handles it (remember that I've included that caveat every time).

There's no need for us to squabble - we're both trying to urge him into the pool, by reassuring him that he can get into the swim without buying a new receiver as well as a player.

-Phil

Sorry. Can't block what doesn't exist and most likely won't on BD. This is a user that is an average enthudiast looking for the easiest possible solution to enjoy a HT experience. I'm confused by some of your statements and I work in the industry. For him the easiest way is a one cable solution. He will be able to enjoy 7.1 PCM audio and 1080p24 video, should his display accept it. That's all that exists and all he needs. I have never had a problem matching 1.3 and versions 1.1 and 1.2 (particularly with Denon and Pioneer).

S~

If what you're recommending works, great. My point is that if not, analog is a perfectly good alternative, and in neither case is a new receiver necessary.

My ignorance about HDMI's specific capabilities is why I've been parroting the industry line about 1.3 versus 1.1. I have no direct experience with HDMI audio. My receiver is pre-HDMI so I have no choice but to use analog. My only devices that even have HDMI are my BD50, my Denon 2910 upscaling DVD player, and my projector. My cable box is plugged into my projector by a DVI to HDMI adapter cable! My video switcher is the projector itself.

And I'm delighted with Blu-ray, as I'm sure the person we're advising will be!

-Phil

As of this morning.

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/bd/index.html

"Date/Version Description
2008/9/16
Ver 1.4 Playability and Stability"

Hmmm. Never have been able to upgrade the player over the net to 1.3... (That was supposed to be one of this player's Great New Features.)

^^Same here, I was unsuccessful downloading 1.3 as well. I just figured direct downloads were a couple of days late. I'm not the waiting type so I downloaded it to CDR .

Looks like hometheatermag (Kris Deering) did a comparison between the BD50, Denon 3800 & Samsung 1500. .

http://www.hometheatermag.com/discplayers/908blu/

"Nevertheless, the Panasonic DMP-BD50 is the strongest standalone player I've used to date. With full support for Blu-ray's advanced audio and interactivity, it's the current standalone to beat. Anyone shopping for a standalone Blu-ray player should put this one on their short list."

new firmware 1.4 via internet

I own a Sony GWIII which only has a DVI input. My plan is to run an HDMI->DVI video cable to my GWIII and use the analog outputs into my Aragon Soundstage for sound. Am I correct in assuming this should work?

Yep. That is the ideal way to connect your BD50 in your application. Make sure you buy a decent cable, like the 24 gauge ones from monoprice.

Anyone having problems with the Panasonic site for burning the latest firmware cd? I choose the region, select the "GO" button and nothing happens. I've tried this numerous times, with no success.

I had this problem too. Are you using firefox? I had to use IE explorer for it to work.

Yes I am using Firefox. I never even think to fire up IE. I'll try IE. Thanks!

As a Firefox user myself, I recommend installing the extensions "IE Tab" and "IE View." To get them, pull down the Tools menu inside Firefox, choose Add-Ons, and click the Get Add-ons button at the top of the window that appears. That will take you to the library site run by Firefox where you can look for and download Firefox add-ons.

"IE Tab" puts a little icon at the right-hand end of the status line at the bottom of the Firefox window. Normally that icon is the Firefox icon. Click it and it changes the rendering engine for the current tab to use the IE rendering engine, and the icon changes to the blue E. (Click it again to click back.) That will do the trick in many cases.

Sometimes, stronger measures are needed, and you have to use the full IE. "IE View" lets you right-click inside the current Firefox window and choose View This Page in IE, which will start IE and open the current page there. For sites or links that always give trouble and require the full IE, you can add those domain names to a list and they'll automatically open in IE whenever you click on them.

There's also "Firefox View" there, which puts the same thing inside IE to take you back to Firefox!

-Phil

Thanks for the link. Very good reading.

I too have the BD 50 set up for internet firmware update. I never had the opportunity to upgrade from 1.2 to 1.3. However when I put the player on today it gave me a "Do You Want to Update" message. I effortlessly updated from 1.2 to 1.4 with absolutely no problems.

Glad to hear that - my BD50 came with 1.2, but I've never connected it to the net, because that would require buying a WiFi print server with ethernet jacks, because my router is on the second floor and my theater is in the basement. (I know that the signal reaches down there because my laptop can get a medium speed connection.)

I've downloaded both 1.3 and now 1.4 to my desktop computer, but have held off doing anything with them out of a combination of (1) caution, since there's no apparent ability for an end user to fall back to an earlier version if there's a problem, and (2) a lack of perceived need, since my player is working fine for everything I've asked it to do.

If there's some exciting new feature that I'm missing by not upgrading, I'd love to hear about it.

It does appear that one difference between 1.1 and 1.2 is that 1.2 does know how to upgrade over the net - since only you and one other user on this forum have been able to do it so far!

You're the only one other than myself who has said that they had been running under version 1.2, by the way. (I don't know what version Yobi - the other successful online upgrader - had been running.)

-Phil

Thanks Phil! Just installed the IE Tab, works great!!

I too have my router upstairs and my home theater downstairs. I used a powerline adapter for my internet connection. Worked perfectly.

What's a pworline adapter?

Thanks,
Scott

It's an alternative to WiFi that uses the household AC wiring as a carrier for the ethernet signal, sending a higher-frequency carrier riding on top of the 60 Hz line current. It's analogous to how DSL works, sending a higher frequency carrier on top of the telephone line. In both cases bandpass filters are used to separate out the ethernet signal. Powerline ethernet works fairly well, I've heard, and can probably go further than a WiFi signal, but if there is isolating circuitry - or a wholly-separate branch - you're out of luck.

-Phil

Me too!

I Downloaded 1.4 myself from the player very easily last night. The whole process took no more that 10 minutes. Firmware updates on the Toshiba HD-DVD players I owned took up to 40 minutes so I was pleased with the speed. One little problem it has fixed for me that I have not seen mentioned anyway else is with Disney discs such as The Lion the Witch and the Wardbrobe. When pressing the menu button during the trailers these used to just stop for me and the only way to get to the main menu and movie was to skip through the trailers manually. This has been fixed now and I can now go straight to the menu. Also I am finding BD-Live performance on this player seems to be a little quicker.

Sure beats burning a CD! (Of course I still have a BD-30 so I get to do that too.)

Hi Shand! Just a quick question: which version of the BD50 firmware were you running before this update?

I'm running 1.2 and wish I could bypass the multitude of promos on Disney disks like Pirates of the Caribbean by hitting the menu key - I don't think mine stops when I do that (I'll have to try that and see what happens) - it just puts up an annoying "can't do that right now" message.

If 1.4 fixes that and doesn't cause any new problems, I'll load that update.

I'll probably wait a week or two to see if any problems crop up for other users. That's what I was doing with 1.3, but before even that long, 1.4 was posted!

-Phil

Disney started that behavior with their SD-DVDs, forcing you to watch the promos to get to the main menu. Doesn't surprise me they have continued that behavior with BD. Would be nice if we could bypass it. Despicable behavior, if you ask me.