Official Panasonic DMP-BDT 220/320/500 Owners Thread - Page 9

Originally Posted by Jim McC

I just hooked up my new 220, and I need some help with settings. Do 4 and 5 matter when using HDMI ?

1) Chroma Process - Off, Normal or Advanced ?

2) Detail Clarity - Zero or something else ?

3) HDMI Color Mode - 4:4:4, 4:2:2, RGB Standard, or RGB Enhanced ?

Thanks very much.

Originally Posted by moxie1617

Sorry, mised the rest the first time. Set chroma process off, detail clarity to zero, start HDMI color mode at 4:4:4.

Originally Posted by ubersonic

I have the 110 from last year and have been very happy with it, but now that the new players will stream netflix in 1080p is there any hope for a firmware upgrade for last years 110/210/310 that will allow them to play netflix in 1080p.If not I will wait a few months and buy an open box 220.Also,do you have to hook up the 220 to a wireless router or can you use an ether net cable instead.

Originally Posted by ubersonic

I have the 110 from last year and have been very happy with it, but now that the new players will stream netflix in 1080p is there any hope for a firmware upgrade for last years 110/210/310 that will allow them to play netflix in 1080p.If not I will wait a few months and buy an open box 220.Also,do you have to hook up the 220 to a wireless router or can you use an ether net cable instead.

thanks,uber...

Originally Posted by Jim McC


Thanks again. It sounds like you're unsure about the 4:4:4 setting?

Originally Posted by skally

Hello everyone, I wasn't sure were to post this as it pertains to a few areas such as "help me choose", somewhat -Oppo forum as well as this forum, I choose this forum as I am more interested in what the DMP 500 vs the 320 version ... so I'm sorry if this should be in another thread on on its own.

Ok, now that I got that out of the way I can ask a few questions that hopefully someone can answer. At the present time I have the Panny 210 as I have to grown to like what it offers except the NF black flashes and a few other quirks from time to time, but I have lived with it as it does not do it all the time. The light information that I can get on the Panny 500 is from this quote provided by Panasonics site"

Web Quote:
" while the BDT500 includes high grade audio parts - gold plated terminals, high grade electric capacitor, insulator - to reproduce audio content that is faithful to the original. The BDT500 provides for 7.1 channel output and includes twin HDMI outputs, allowing one to be dedicated for audio output. Not only does this result in less interference of the video signal but the additional HDMI makes the BDT500 compatible with legacy amplifiers".

I do realize that the 500 is not out yet as no one has tested it but my questions are as following:

1) HDMI vs Analog output:
* I realize the 7.1 output offers an advatage to those who dont have HDMI inputs but is there an audio advatage you using this method over HDMI if you have a receiver that can use both? * I have the Onkyo 808 AV receiver

2) The 500 offers the twin HDMI outputs as is there an advantage to audio as this as well??

I have been looking into the Oppo 93 site as I am not yet convinced it is the right player for me/my family or as another way I can put it " worth the extra $" but who knows? . All I need/want is a good player that can stream well, play CD's, DVD/Bluray movies as well as provide very good sound.

I had/have a LG BD390 player (now in bedroom) in which I replaced it with the Panny 210. I did not notice an audio difference per say but I did notice a better PQ especially in streaming... I wasnt expecting that much of a differnace but oddly I did.

To shorten up the post I guess my question would be is the 500 worth it over the 320... in your opinion that is??

Originally Posted by skally

Hello Jacob and thank you for the reply . Does the Oppo have the same layout on NF as the Panny... such as the "search" and such? The reason I ask is becuase my family has gotten used to the Panny 210 as it was a improvment over the LG we have/had. They have also been taking advantage of the other Apps the panny provides as well... I guess I have to admit I as well .

I havent ruled out Oppo by no means as I tend to "conflict" or compare that to others... just by reading and paper that is. I might just try it out BUT I'm trying to convince myself... make sence?? haha

From what I have read that Oppo's customer service is second to none so I have no question about that, what does make me question is " if you need customer service that offen then maybe its not a wise choice". I ment that phrase in the best intrest as no harm or disrespect at all, its just what pops in my head is all. If I had the $ to blow I would just get the 95 but if I did that.... well lets just say I would be a lucky man if I could EVEN sleep on the couch. haha ( ... a little over the top thier but I think you get the point. )

Originally Posted by Jacob305

you will face all problems with any player that you choose.. some are better at responding then others. all need firmware updates. the oppo does have search. it doesnt have 1080P or dolby digital plus. I bitsream the sound anyways. if you have a lcd with the 120 refresh rate. there are known problems with the oppo netflix not working properly with those. the oppo also has pandora radio and also vudu. it does not have amazon or hulu plus.
I prefer vudu over amazon anyways.

Jacob

Originally Posted by skally

1) HDMI vs Analog output:
* I realize the 7.1 output offers an advatage to those who dont have HDMI inputs but is there an audio advatage you using this method over HDMI if you have a receiver that can use both? * I have the Onkyo 808 AV receiver

Originally Posted by skally

I havent ruled out Oppo by no means as I tend to "conflict" or compare that to others... just by reading and paper that is. I might just try it out BUT I'm trying to convince myself... make sence?? haha

Originally Posted by skally

Oh I agree, there are always problems with any product. Sorry I did not mean for my orig. post to be directed towards Oppo in any way, its just that was my way of "thinking" is all. I tend to lean more towards audio than video but I do want good PQ as well. I'm just like most that have questions as they want a VERY good product and the best price they can/ want to spend.

I do like the Panny 210 so its not such a huge issue really, its just I wanted to make sure if there is an advatage to audio is all, etc. HDMI vs Analog hook up and such, not to mention streaming as thats what we have for our HT area.

Forgot to add: I have a LG Plasma tv so that should not be an issue as you have mentioned with 120 LCD

Originally Posted by moxie1617

Because I'm confused why they even have it as user selectable option. Panny says if your device isn't compatible with the colorspace you select it's going to do what it wants anyway.

Originally Posted by michaeltscott

I'm having a problem with Netflix on the 220--no matter what I try to play it gives me "We're having trouble playing this title right now. Please try again later or select a different title". It was happening last night but I thought that some Panasonic gateway to Netflix might be down but it's still happening. I'm going to hook my 110 back up and see if it's having the same problem.

EDIT: Well, so much for that theory--the 110 works just fine, as does VUDU on the 220. I suppose that I have little choice but to deactivate all of my devices and reactivate this one. It was working fine a couple of days ago. I really hope that the firmware update didn't do this.

Originally Posted by audio/videoman

So the 220 remote does not have a display button. How do you access the information and video settings? Or, are those video settings fixed and no longer user adjustable?

Originally Posted by Torqdog

The 7.1 analog outs on the panny 500 will only show an improvement compared to the HDMI signal if the DACs contained in the panny 500 are better than the ones in your Onkyo. HDMI is a straight digital signal (1s and 0s) and is dependent on the DACs within your AVR. Being that I'm not familiar with your reciever, does it have an HDMI input? The reason I ask is that in your original query, you mentioned that you were also considering the BDT320 which doesn't have 7.1 outs.


I have an Oppo BDP95. I don't stream so I can't compare my 95 to the 220 I just received. I can however attest to the PQ and load time comparisons as seen HERE and HEREand HERE.

Originally Posted by skally

Thank you for the reply Torqdog, its nice to see that you have somewhat of a comparison between the two... even thou its the 95 ( ... drool ) lol Anyhow, I do use HDMI as an input for the Onkyo 808 I have, since I have 7 of them to use. I was just curious if there is an advatage or better performance that is to use direct Analog vs the HDMI, if so I'm all for it.

I would LOVE to get the 95 but thats not an option , so I have to look into the 93 vs the 500 or 320. It all boils down to what make sence for me/family and "budget" I guess. I do pretty much agree to the phrase "you get what you pay for" but for myself its a matter of "how much better" really.

To be honest thou, I will more than likely purchase or at least highly consider the Oppo 93 and "just get it over with" as I dont want to rack my brain over the whole ordeal but if the 500/320 is just a tad bit less quality in essance then I would rater op for the 500/320 and save $150 to $220 vs going the Oppo 93 route is all.

Originally Posted by skally

Thank you for the reply Torqdog, its nice to see that you have somewhat of a comparison between the two... even thou its the 95 ( ... drool ) lol Anyhow, I do use HDMI as an input for the Onkyo 808 I have, since I have 7 of them to use. I was just curious if there is an advatage or better performance that is to use direct Analog vs the HDMI, if so I'm all for it.

I would LOVE to get the 95 but thats not an option , so I have to look into the 93 vs the 500 or 320. It all boils down to what make sence for me/family and "budget" I guess. I do pretty much agree to the phrase "you get what you pay for" but for myself its a matter of "how much better" really.

To be honest thou, I will more than likely purchase or at least highly consider the Oppo 93 and "just get it over with" as I dont want to rack my brain over the whole ordeal but if the 500/320 is just a tad bit less quality in essance then I would rater op for the 500/320 and save $150 to $220 vs going the Oppo 93 route is all.

Originally Posted by Torqdog

I'm not sure what you mean by the statement "I have 7 of them to use." Do you mean that you have 7 HDMI inputs on the 808 or do you mean that you have seven 808s at your disposal? Anyway, it doesn't really matter. What matters is whether the DACs in the Panny 500 outperform the DACs in the Onkyo. If they do then you might wanna run the analog outs from the 500 (or BDP93) to your Onkyo. Otherwise, just use the HDMI cable and let the Onkyo do the processing. Does anyone know what DAC chipset they are using in the BDT500 and how does it stack up against the DAC chip in skally's Onkyo 808?

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Torqdog

I'm not sure what you mean by the statement "I have 7 of them to use." Do you mean that you have 7 HDMI inputs on the 808 or do you mean that you have seven 808s at your disposal? Anyway, it doesn't really matter. What matters is whether the DACs in the Panny 500 outperform the DACs in the Onkyo. If they do then you might wanna run the analog outs from the 500 (or BDP93) to your Onkyo. Otherwise, just use the HDMI cable and let the Onkyo do the processing. Does anyone know what DAC chipset they are using in the BDT500 and how does it stack up against the DAC chip in skally's Onkyo 808?

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by michaeltscott

I'd be extremely surprised to see any firmware upgrade add any new functionality like 1080p Netflix, 3D VUDU titles play, etc. When the products launched they were patching the firmware every month, but there was a 5 month gap between the last two. I believe that they're in strictly-maintenance mode.

Originally Posted by Foxbat121

DAC is just one of the factor. When using Analog 7.1 input, you lose almost all the processing on the receiver, including room correction, speaker delays, bass management etc. Basically, your AVR is now just an 7-ch amp. You are entirely dependent on the player to do all those work. Last time I checked, only a $2k Denon player contains high end receiver chip in the player to do this kind of work. Players like Panny 500 won't have it.

Originally Posted by teachsac

I have both the Oppo 93, X10, and now the 320. I see no difference in PQ between the three when it comes to Blu-rays. DVD scaling is pretty close, too. Oppo's a great machine, but if you don't have a bunch of DVD-A, SACD, or files to stream, you won't miss anything.

S~

Originally Posted by audio/videoman

The Oppo's do have video processing circuitry to sweeten the signal. My guess is that once this circuitry is bypassed, I'm willing to bet that the pan. and oppo signals are essentially identical in a/b testing.

As far as sacd, you can get this on a sony blu ray player, a good one, for under $70.

The downside, at least with the 2011 pan. is build quality. They did not do a good job with noise suppression. As far as I can tell, it was not a design goal at all.

If pan. addressed and solved this issue for 2012, I'd say it's a superior value for PQ.

Originally Posted by teachsac


Honestly. We're getting kind of tired hearing this over and over and over in thread after thread after thread. My 210 is quiet. The only noise I hear is when I load a disc. Same thing I hear on a computer. My 320 with the slot drive is even quieter. As far as video processing.... The Oppo puts out a correct signal as does the Panasonic. No difference in BD PQ and virtually no difference in DVD scaling.

S~

Originally Posted by Kermit26.2

Teachsac,

Are you happy with the load times on the 320? Do you like the disc loading compared to the traditional tray?

Thanks.