Official Panasonic DMP-BD60/80 Owners Thread - Page 53

I have been using 5.1/2.0 mode with fw 1.5 and have never seen this message.

Don't we all so to speak since we do see some better than others regardless if they don't have vivid color and aren't super detailed?

I found the video settings under "display" which you can tweak while the movie is playing. Tahnks for that.

I'm certainly of the opinion that not "one setting" is great for all movies. I'll illustrate something like "300" especially as an example.

So long as quality is representative of intent then I'm fine with it. No player or display is going to make 4.0 PQ review scores jump to 5.0 but if one isn't experiencing at least the consenus PQ score for a film then that is an issue IMHO.

Since Planet Earth was mentioned, I've read the new documentary entitled "Home" is an eye opener and I'll make a plug here for that one.

I too experienced a freeze last night on firmware version 1.7. This freeze was much shorter though, two, maybe three seconds. It reminded me more of a DVD layer change than the more extended pause that I saw one other time. I have a case number with Panasonic, so I'll have to call them for an update.

which movie did you have a problem with?

Jacob

My BD80 froze 3 different times while watching divinci code. hit the display button and the movie continued.
went back over the spots where it stopped and could not duplicate it.
I have the 1.5 firmware.
who do call for an update?

Doubt

It sounds like the Da Vinci Code is particularly problematic. A number of people seem to have problems with that disc. Mine froze near the end of the Da Vinci Code.

I only had one freeze. it was the warner bros logo for star wars the clone wars. it only happened once.

Jacob

The 1.7 firmware may be downloaded HERE. Instructions for downloading, extracting and burning to a CD are there as well.

I have watched around 12 movies in the 2+ weeks since getting my player, and have yet to experience a freeze. I have watched 5 since the 1.7 update this weekend and still no freezes. I intend to watch another tonight. I am trying to see something wrong with the BD60 before my 30-day return window expires, but so far, all is well.

Just got off the phone with Panasonic. They suggested I unplug it for 5 minutes and plug it back in. It seemed as if the gentleman that I spoke to never heard of the problem before.

It is definitely frustrating that some people get confirmation of the problem from them while others get the impression that they have never heard of this before.

Improvements
Date/Version - Description
2009/6/3
Ver 1.7 1. BD-V Playability



I get a kick out of the description for this firmware update.
BD-V Playablity really tells you alot!
Doesn't say what it fixed, what improvements have been made, nada.
Sounds like the lawyers were involved in this, and a blanket catch phrase was given that covers anything and everything.

Alright I'm gonna try again as I got no help with 1st reply.
Wife went to Wal Mart and picked up a Blu-ray player and I was looking for a Panasonic DMP-BD60 well Wal Mart had a DMP-BD601 (for 278.00)which I assumed was the same player. Well after much checking/googling etc It is or is not the same player(is that making any sense, just wait) the BD601 is a cheaper less options than BD60 that Wal Mart sold for 278.00. Well I found the better version DMP BD-60 on line for 215.00. When talking to Panasonic the lady tried to convince me they were the same unit. Costco sells a BD605 version another cheaper version of same unit. Well I do love Wal Mart as they have a great return program and this puppy is headed back next week and new one should be here from Amazon Wednesday. When looking at back of unit it said BD601. On this unit the highest resolution choices 720p and 1080i. Now am I going nuts or what, do I have a a BD60 or a BD601.

Alright I'm gonna try again as I got no help with 1st reply.
Wife went to Wal Mart and picked up a Blu-ray player and I was looking for a Panasonic DMP-BD60 well Wal Mart had a DMP-BD601 (for 278.00)which I assumed was the same player. Well after much checking/googling etc It is or is not the same player(is that making any sense, just wait) the BD601 is a cheaper less options than BD60 that Wal Mart sold for 278.00. Well I found the better version DMP BD-60 on line for 215.00. When talking to Panasonic the lady tried to convince me they were the same unit. Costco sells a BD605 version another cheaper version of same unit. Well I do love Wal Mart as they have a great return program and this puppy is headed back next week and new one should be here from Amazon Wednesday. When looking at back of unit it said BD601. On this unit the highest resolution choices 720p and 1080i. Now am I going nuts or what, do I have a a BD60 or a BD601.

BD 60 is already barebones and you can't go any cheaper unless you drop the BD drive altogether IMO, all the BD 60x are the same unit designated for different stores.

So, I'm not sure what you mean by less option on BD601. What option is missing in BD 601?

As for your resolution options, it is determined by your TV, not player. The player reads EDID info from TV on HDMI and display the options. If your TV doesn't support 1080p (according to its EDID), the player won't let you pick it. Some old 1080p TVs are known to have wrong EDID info.

Foxbat121
I do have a 1080p TV so that's not any problem, I am sending a malfunctioning PS3 in for repair. Decided to pick the BD60 up for a backup. I can't see much difference in pictures so I am pleased with the BD601 I was just curious about the menu choices on this player for the
Component Video Resolution
480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i Those are the 4 choices. If they have those why would they not have the 1080p choice. Common sense also tells me that if all these BD60s are exactly the same unit then why would they not have the same model numbers.

Now while typing this I did go into the HDMI resolution on the HDMI connection menu and changed that from auto to 1080p(didn't not even know that choice was there) I also assumed it was a cheaper model because of a Wal Mart store, I did not expect that Amazon would be 53.00 cheaper. Did not find that price till I googled the unit. Thank you for your reply, I was just curious.

Component is limited to 1080i for non encrypted sources, encrypted sources are limited to 480p.
The reason they change the model numbers is so you can't price match.

If you're using component video, you will be limited to 1080i for BD and 480p for SD DVD (copy-protected). That's the restriction on all players.

Moviegeek already answered you why there are different model#s from different stores.

Thank you both much and please understand the caliber of the man posting this, not the brightest bulb in box.

That's an easy one. The reason the make different model numbers is so you can't price match the players from discount and club stores at retail stores. This is a common practice with electronics (and other items like mattresses). Just today I tried to get ABC Warehouse to match the price of a 52" LCD panel from Sam's. From the Sharp website, both panels are exactly the same. Because the model numbers have one digit different, there is no price match. From what I have seen, the BD60x BD players are following exactly the same formula.

***Edit: sorry moviegeek, I completely missed your much more succinct explanation. ***

-Dave

That's alright just keep heaping it on because I'm at the age that maybe if I read it a few more times it will stick. Funny part is when I first brought unit home I thought the same thing that it was a store number, then I googled it for price and couldn't find the model(see it works)So I did find that Amazon was cheaper but I had a problem getting into the extra options because in my system I am also using a Panasonic SD player and when I would hit setup or display with remote I had a Chinese fire drill going on as both Panasonic's were in a fist fight. Well I got that fixed and lo and behold there were the options that I thought I did not have.

In my defense I'm 72 and as a senior I'm not suppose to know how to program my VCR, between that and Alzheimer's and Dementia I do believe I have all kinds of excuses I can blame all my shortcomings on. As usual kind AVS associates come to my rescue again.

Ok, now that I have more control over unit, I purchased this as a backup as our PS3 going to repair person for a while. I can't with our eyes see any noticeable difference in PQ. I have read that this unit is suppose to be a slight upgrade on PQ, if so we can't notice it. This is not a complaint. I think with the simple setup etc and if the reliability etc does what it should do, it's well worth the 215.00 spent. The updating was great went from 1.5 to 1.7 in about 10 minutes tops.

Defense noted...thnx for the smile

Heck, I'm 54 and my boys call me 'the old guy'; however, they always come to me with their tech problems since I've been doing IT since before the PC (Fortran and Cobol, anyone??)..

At any rate, you should get points for having a PS3! (and for putting up with those who wonder what a VCR is....not on these forums, tho, BTW...)

Glad you are enjoying your BD60...they are excellent units for the price.

Well, I've decided that I'm out. I'm not interested in waiting to see if Panasonic can fix the problem or not. My return window is almost up, so I'm going to try another product.

After watching my first half dozen or so movies on my BD605 (fw 1.7) without a hitch I finally got hit with the dreaded freezing problem this weekend. Happened on 4 of the 5 movies I watched. If it had just been like the momentary "hiccup" that you used to have on old DVD players as they switched dual layers it really wouldn't have bothered me much. But these were 5 or 6 second freezes before it fired back up. On "Goodfellas" it wouldn't restart at all, had to just skip ahead a bit (although that might just have been that disc). Darn, I thought I had dodged the bullet you were all talking about.

I'll report it to Panasonic and keep reading this thread for tips and suggestions. I don't want to give up on this machine, I truly love just about everything about it. I'm also not too concerned about any return window. Bought it from Costco so at minimum I have at least 3 months to take it back (Blu-Ray players do seem to fall into a gray area when it comes to their 3 month vs. "Anytime" return policy). But geez, is the PQ on these units great or what!

I'm also sitting here with an HD A-35 and an X-Box 360 and these are my toys. at age 51, I started with a Tandy from Radio Shack. Hey it's a great hobby and all kidding aside it does keep me thinking. Oh yeah I also had a Beta-Max.

I'm just re-watching the Dark Knight and the 60 is going to work out fine. The wife complains a tad with all the stuff. But I keep threatening to chase wild women. Notice I said chase I think catching days are over.

If my return window was up, and if I were having the issues, I'd definitely return it rather than waiting for a fix that may never materialize. I am almost wondering if only some players have the problem and some do not. I went through two Pioneer P51's before giving up on it. I experienced freezing/lockups on some Netflix discs which played fine in the Panasonic BD60. However, on the Pioneer P51 thread, there are guys who claim they've rented over a hundred Netflix discs with nary an issue. So, I guess I just had a lemon?

This weekend, I went on a marathon with my BD60, almost wishing it would freeze so I could make a decision. However, nothing has frozen on me yet. I still have until the 20th of June to return it, but so far, it works like a champ. I may have lucked out, or it may wait until the 21st to crap out on me.

Those who are looking for a replacement should check out the JVC fast-loading player thread. That appears to be a pretty stable player so far. At some point, merchants are going to get tired of all these Blu-ray returns. Maybe stand-alone players are never going to work and we should all get PS3s?

We are good. I confirmed with a Costco manager at the store and the player can be returned anytime.

Thanks, Slimoli. At my Costco they all seemed a bit confused since BR players are not specifically mentioned in their posted home electronics 90-day return policy.

Either way we have the luxury of time, by late summer we should know one way or the other whether or not Panasonic can fix the freezing issue through firmware updates. Although I'm not sure what other player I would choose if they can't. Reading through the forums it seems that all the other players like Sony, Samsung, & LG in my range (around $250 street price) have their own share of quirks, flaws, and problems.

Oh well, in the meantime I'll just continue eating up the delicious sweet eye candy of this player during the 99.9% of the time it is flawless. But it is a drag to have to worry, at least in the back of my mind, about when that .1% freeze is going to happen. But such is life, at least for now...

If my TV is a Pioneer 720p what should I set the blu ray player at? 480p,720p,or 1080i? I have the BD605.

Thanks,
Eric

Some 720p TV still accepts 1080p signal. If your TV does this, set to 1080p. Otherwise, you will have to try it yourself. There is no easy answer. It depends who does the better de-interlacing and scaling.

Try 720p and 1080i and use the one that looks better to you.

Most 720p plasmas are actually 768p. Using a 720p output means the TV has to create the 48 lines that were thrown away by the player. 1080i sends all lines of resolution to the TV, which then rescales down to 768, preserving the 48 lines the player threw away. So, in theory, 1080i should be a bit better. But, it also adds a new interlacing variable. That's why it's best to test it both ways and see if you prefer one approach to the other.