Official Panasonic DMP-BDT 220/320/500 Owners Thread - Page 46

Use HDMI bitstream any time the AVR is new enough to handle it. I would set the video resolution to 1080p for SD sources. BR will be 1080p or 1080i (concerts, etc) anyway.

I don't really follow how cheap, lighter cables would improve throughput on any sort of wired connection including HDMI, but I do believe I have such a cable at home. Maybe it will be a sufficient test - connecting the 320 directly to my TV with this none Monster cable which is rated high speed - to tell us something.

I do understand about "Hollywood" upping requirements and this perhaps explaining different results on the older player. However, I don't understand why a brand new 2012 player would not have the processing power to handle any such requirements without incident.

Also, Star Wars is not that new a release - September 16, 2011. If anything was added to firmwares of Blu Ray players to handle Star Wars, I would expect the firmware included with a new 2012 player to include any "fixes" applied already to older models.

The whole concept that buggy Java code on the Blu Rays is to blame (which I do understand is an issue on this format) is just the tip of the ice berg of what seems to be an utter mess when it comes to delivering beautiful HD Audio and Video to the masses.

I spoke to the store and they want me to bring the unit in so they can test it... so sounds like swapping at the store for another unit is going to be an uphill battle.

Thank you slimoli. Your thoughts are well thought out. including the streaming improvement of the Uniphier chip. Will be using the Blu-ray primarily for video playback and less for streaming. Again, thank you!

With a digital signal over shorter runs not greater than 20', there is no performance difference, other than solid connections, between "cheap, lighter cables" and "heavy cables".


It has nothing to do with processing power. The latest players are required to follow handshake instructions which take time. A series of failed handshakes, not caused by the player, will take more time to process. That extra time can result in what you are reporting.


Isn't it ironic that the very folks that are punishing their valid customers for the actions of pirate vendors, are also making their legitimate product less enjoyable to everyone.


Be sure to take your problem disk with you. If it plays on another player then I would think that should help you get an exchange.

I won't pester you with any more diagnostic suggestions.

Yop + a time elapsed display on the front panel which is handy.

Quite honestly the front display is worthless ... Even on the 590 and 790. Just hit display on the remote and you get all the info you need on your tv/display

The Sony is just as good. Both the Panny and the Sony have their strengths and weaknesses. Can't go wrong with either. A matter of taste. I went with the Panny after all because of faster load times, the CNET review, and slightly better success with WiFi in my own individual case (may not be true for others though. I moved my router closer to get better reception. Probably would have work for the Sony too). But, no subtitle button on the remote, and scrolling in the apps shows a slight delay on the Panny. The Sony is a very competent player in it's own right.

No, not on its non-existent front display. The only indicator on the enclosure is an LED to indicate that it's in the ON state. You can get elapsed time, etc, up on the screen while playing a disc.

Buy a 220. The 215 is a 210 with a history of Netflix issues. I don't know about the files question.

That's true. Never mind.

Don't make that UNTRUE statement about the Sony S790.

The DISPLAY Button on the S790 is the BEST I have seen
to date. It shows me everything I care to know.

No worries! I really appreciate your detailed input, assistance, and depth of knowledge. It's helping me get a handle on a perplexing problem!

I was too busy today to do further testing or go to the store, but I hope to get all that done this weekend. Will update you with the results.

I think you mis read what I said. The physical display is pretty much worthless however the on-screen display works fine using the display button on the remote.

Good luck.

Oh, so the 390 doesn't have the time elapsed display and the 590 does? I don't need the 3D, but I might fork over $40 more to get that display. Seems like highway robbery but what can you do?

Um, anyone speak to the subtitles button? Can you program the 390/590 to toggle subtitles on having chosen your default subtitle or does it progress through all the subtitles on the feature?

How easy is it to do this? Is it a configuration thing or can you get it with a single button push?
Ah, OK, I guess I'll get the 390 then. I don't need the 590 enhancements, AFAIK. Thanks.

The real reason I'm returning my Panny 220 and getting a Sony, as I said in my first post here, is the subtitle button. That's obligatory.

The latest players are required to follow handshake instructions which take time. The Sony is just as good. Both the Panny and the Sony have their strengths and weaknesses.

Unfortunately, no. It's fairly close to the beginning and at the start of a chapter.

I don't know if you are going to experience what I did, but I had the 590 and the 220 side-by-side and the 590 had a noticeably softer picture than the 220. Enough so, that my wife even made a comment on it. We were looking at the same blu-ray, switching back and forth between the players.

Using Netflix on my 220, there is a slight audio lag. I was watching "The Long Good Friday" (great movie). I turned on the Roku box and resumed playing the movie with no lag. All connections use hdmi cables through the Denon avr 791 receiver. I know many others have posted this problem. Any new tricks to resolve the problem?

Edit: I powered the 220 off when I tested the Roku. When I went back to the 220, the lag was gone... (I am wirelessly streaming by the way).

I came across an interesting issue with my 220 yesterday:

Until recently I had the color space set to 4:4:4. However, I found out that I could get closer to ideal settings on my Samsung PN64D7000 (brightness, color, tint, set using the free AVSHD 709 DVD) with the player set to 4:2:2. Then yesterday I tried watching a 3D movie and that didn't work at all with 4:2:2. I got a green/yellow pixelated image until I changed back to 4:4:4. It's not something I'll lose sleep over as I can either just change to 4:4:4 whenever I watch 3D or use my PS3 for that, but I wonder if it's a bug or something that's to be expected. Either way, if someone else has issues with 3D it might be an idea to check the color space setting.

Yeah, I've always thought that Panasonic players had sharper video than the Sonys. I've noticed this in past years' players as well. Like you, I think the difference is pretty obvious.

Can anyone speak to this? It's the first I've heard of such a thing. Usually people say that blu-ray players' playback of disks is pretty much the same. Is it a problem? Is the difference significant? Is the Panasonic playback a better experience?

I had both players and did not notice this. I turned all the default video enhancements off however. BD looked the same to me.

I gave up on the BDT-220. The UI is too abominable. Installed the Sony BDP-S790 last night and WOW. Clean UI, fast response times (like the Panny), all the online streaming options I can possibly need. DSD is a nice bonus as well.

In short, if you're not sure about the BDT-220 fitting the bill, give the Sony a shot. I'm super happy with it! (just make sure to turn "BD Mix" off to get the original bitstream instead of 7.1 PCM).

You're dealing with human perception. It's like herding cats.

It may be what each person recognizes as well. I have an eye for it and once noticing the difference, I would not be satisfied what I perceive to be the inferior player.

I settled with the 220 after all, but I actually thought the 590 had a richer picture.

This touchpad remote on the 320... At first I thought I had a defective remote. I was expecting some sort of display on the touchpad. Almost ended up calling Panasonic before I realized that it's meant to be like that. LOL. I'll stick to my harmony.

I just got a panny 3d1 camera. I put in the sd card and it is a breeze to watch the stills and the movies, nice match.