Official Panasonic DMP-BDT 220/320/500 Owners Thread - Page 81

Pansonics don't support USB updates. It must be done either online or by a CD-R. You can use a CD-RW, but it must be finalized. DVDs are not supported. Toast should work fine. Just decompress the file and drag it to the disc. You might check one of the older Panasonic threads like the 35/55 for people that use Macs.

S~

I think you have mixed the two different settings. There are both Super Resolution and Detail Clarity settings. In your post you talk about Super Resolution but you describe its range being -6 to +6 but this is Detail Clarity settings range, Super Resolution only has 0-2 range.

Super Resolution settings has no effect on blu-ray material but it does work for DVD's (even user manuel tells you that in its own cryptic way) but just try it yourself and trust your eyes. I tried both settings with blu-ray resolution patterns and only Detail Clarity has effect on them.
As in my earlier post I said BDT220 has more range in Detail Clarity picture "ruinment" settings. Older model only had range 0 to +3 but new model lets you ruin the image both ways (from over soft to over sharp. At 0 it is correct) giving you range -6 to +6.

As I said in my previous post all of these "enhancements" should be set either 0 or off if you want accurate image. However then image with 1080/24p movies look the same as in PS3 with minor difference in motion and film grain. There was a time when I was convinced there was difference how colors and sharpness looked between PS3 and BDT110 but I'm beginning to think it is just a placebo effect. Like I mentioned here a while back I even measured both PS3 and BDT110 with probe and I got exactly the same readings for gray scale, gamma and gamut. Now that BDT110 has already been confirmed to be able show accurate colors with recommended settings, so seems PS3. I haven't measured BDT220 but I'm pretty confident it is just like BDT110 (accurate). In past couple of days I have used PS3, BDT110 and BDT220 watching movies so that I have watched part of the movie with each player and also when I have seen a scene in a movie that I thought looked different in one of the other players, I have watched the same scene again and over and over again with all of them to make sure. So far I cannot say that I have seen any difference.

I think I will not keep the BDT220 as my main player but instead of replacing it with another PS3. I hate the idea of needing to get another game console because I don't play games but reasoning things by considering the fact that PS3 has the best user interface and fastest functions (not neccessarily loading films but anything after that) like that it instaltly lets me select subtitles and audio tracks and it reacts fast in chapter skipping and fast forward/rewind commands (while in 220 you have to wait for drive to speed up before it does response to ffd/rwd). Also the fact that BDT110 I already have is practically identical to 220 in blu-ray playing functions (110 might be even tad faster and its drive is quieter) .

Could you give any examples of movies and scenes where that difference is obvious? I watch movies all the time on my calibrated projector (about 96" diagonal size image) and I have trouble finding difference between the two. Are you sure that your PS3 was outputting right picture levels because it has quite many adjustments you need to do first? Basically you need to adjust it to output yCbCr, limited with super white on. Also have you made sure Panasonic was outputting YcbCr 4:4:4 and deep color off? You could be seeing difference how your display handles different type signals rather than difference in players.

I'm not sure if PS2 is relevant to compare because I never had one but as far as I know PS3 is very accurate blu-ray player when settings are right. Also PS3 is doing everything by software so it has been constantly updated, it not like standalone players with hardware chips so that when a new function is announced you need to buy another player to have that function.

What you mean by the latest blu-ray playback technology? What has changed? I know they have added some functions like 3D but PS3 has that been updated to support that. As far as I know 2D playback has not gained any additions to its specification so there is nothing new player could do better (but they can add image enhancements (read "ruinments") that can make image appear sharper or better colors but then it is no more accurate but then again many peoples don't prefer accurate.

The 220/PS3 is that close then. I guess this just confirm my PS3 is broken goods though I have known that for 99 % already. It just can´t pass any contrast patterns whatsoever no matter how much I try to calibrate to get around it.
As for interface the Panasonic interface is the worst I have ever encountered on a bluray player. I honestly have no idea what Panasonic was thinking. Sure I have the 320 which is double worse with the touch pad but why is there always one step more then is needed for the simplest of tasks?

Asus BDS-700 has the best interface yet though I can´t recommend that player due to way to many bugs. PS3 is not a reference either with it´s cross bar interface. Sony BDS-370 has the same but certainly better then Panasonics garbage.
btw have you measured the player with the chroma processing as well? That is the only setting I can imagine to enable. All the rest destroy the image every time I try lol.

Are you sure you have all the settings right in your PS3? It definitely will pass all contrast patterns just like good standalone player if your display allows. I'm pretty sure your PS3 is not broken but it is settings issue in case this contrast pattern thing is the only problem with it.

I hear you. I think x20 interface it much worse than x10 and also I don't understand why they had to drop video/audio playback information from 220 (210 had it). I think 320 has that information screen but I hate that player design and remote.

Well I agree it is not the most user friendly menu because many settings are mixed in several menus but it is lightning fast and once you got all the settings right you don't need to play with them anymore (they are saved even if you update firmware).
No I haven't measured 220 with probe.

Lebowski,

If you like the cross bar and the speed of the PS3, why not consider the sony bdp-790? It upconverts better (on par with Oppo), is quieter, faster, uses much less power, streams well, has bit perfect BD playback, I could go on. I just don't see the point in getting a gaming console these days for just discs and streaming. Maybe 5 years ago, but not today.

I just got rid of one of my PS3's and was very happy to get that boat anchor out of my house. No more noise, no more waiting for boot up, no more IR/BT converters, no more endless updates, complicated setup, yada, yada, yada. I'll take a standalone player any day.

I considered bdp-s790 also but it has its own issues (output is already fixed to conform standards) but it has small cooling fan which must make some noise and also unit itself feel very flimsy and plastic. Power consumption is not an issue even PS3 still pulls just over 70W it is neglible cost yearly (just few dollars if you use it 2 hours a day). I know gaming console is a bit overkill for disc player but then again it simply does it so well and is nice to use and currently I can get one for nearly half price compared to 790. Actually even 220 I have for testing would cost 20% more than PS3. Price really is not an issue but notion of paying more for standalone player that hardly is as good as PS3 makes me think because main use for it will be watching 1080/24p blu-ray's (only couple of time a year there are 1080i material I watch). Only thing that still puzzles me is that PS3 Slim models might have difference in its hdmi output as one site claims, and it is not as high quality build as Fat used to be.

Thanks for your reply. I don't have Toast but I will experiment with, say, 'hdiutil' when I get some CD-RWs (I've had a look around and all my writable discs are DVDs).

I may try the USB stick approach to see what happens (probably nothing). I have heard that Panasonic's TVs can accept firmware updates using that method, but in that case there isn't a disc drive to use. I think I may also write to Panasonic to encourage them to modernize. Their approach seems geared to Windows XP - which is falling out of favour - and old media.

Big Lebowski I started with the correct settings but tried all the incorrect ones. I have had a laser change done on it but lasers should not make a difference really I would expect. It´s simply broken since it does the same on several tv sets. I can get a decent image out of it but I will have to sacrifice black level detail or choose to not have any black levels whatsoever.

As for the sony bluray players I wasn´t all that impressed with the BDP-S370. At the beginning I was wow because bluray players was 700$ the cheaper onces back then. The times when PS3 was the cheapest bluray player you could get and it was like 130$ with SACD support as well. But it has a bluish tint on all and uneven blackness on top of that which was quite odd to experience. I also had to do a laser change on this one quite early so not that impressive. Cheap for a reason.

The 320 does have a lcd display but it´s crappy and show hardly any information at all. Some things are just odd. Why don´t they think about that if you play cds you might want to know what track you play without turning on the tv. It´s just so insanely stupid nobody thinks of this stuff. Asus BDS-700 is the same. Brag about how many file formats it supports but no track listing. Sony do understand that at least I do agree about the crossbar interface being fast when you get to know it.

Thanks. You're right. I got those two mixed up. It's been awhile since I tried Detail Clarity on my 500 model. I don't even remember testing the other one with 0 - 2 range perhaps because I saw no effect. In any event, I want to see for myself. I am going to give super resolution a shot just to find out if that's the case for the 500 model too. I don't find any use for such gizmos either and just leave them off or zeroed.

I have exactly the same problem (with Panasonic DMP-BDT500 and Synology DS412+)
Did you resolve it?

Somehow my reply got to the wrong place. My problem is that the BDT5000 wil not play using DLNA from a Synology NAS>
Edited by thomsett - 10/10/12 at 2:25pm

I have exactly the same problem (with Panasonic DMP-BDT500 and Synology DS412+)
Did you resolve it?

You are right assuming that changing a laser does nothing to image quality. Still what you describe sounds like you have wrong settings in PS3 or TV's because when correctly set the PS3 will output correct video levels and pass BTB and WTW. There should be no problem with black level detail or black level. Assuming you get those right with standalone player using the same TV does not sound right. Only thing I can think of is that while PS3 in recommended settings will output signal in YCbCr 4:4:4 format (16-235 nominal level + BTB and WTW with superwhite on) you must have standalone players outputting something else AND your TV's have been the kind that have problems with YCbCr 4:4:4 signal.

I would recommend trying recommended settings on PS3 and then making sure your TV is adjusted to take 16-235 limited signal levels and verifying correct contrast and brightness settings with test disc like free downloadable AVS HD 709.

I have done all that already. Running rgb or other colour modes make little difference. It´s not a new problem with it. I have a Sony Bravia 2 LCD tv of the same generation as the PS3. Sonys reference LCD at the time if not that can talk with the PS3 somebody should shoot the Sony engineers. I also have a Samsung PS51D7005 which I do feel is a decent set though still not as good as the old days CRTs

I am just trying to survive with it until PS4 or the next Xbox arrives feels like a total waste of money getting another PS3 even though my current one makes an insane amount of noise. The plus side of it is that it give a quite forgiving picture which is good for the jaggy low res awful looking PS 3 games so it´s not that much of a problem on the gaming side of things at least.

Interesting. What happens when you try to calibrate brightness and contrast with test disc like AVS HD 709? You should adjust brightness so that level 16 just blends in background and 17 should be visible. In the white end you should use contrast setting so that 235 does blend in the background (but preferably lower contrast so that you can see even more levels). That method only works when PS3 is outputting YCbCr 4:4:4 limited with superwhite on. I just don't understand what could cause PS3 not being able to provide signal in right levels if it is otherwise seems working. I would expect broken part causing visible errors in image and not just mess with levels of the signal.

Just bought the bdt 220 Blu ray player and wanted to confirm some settings

Current setup
5.1 speakers with an onkyo 605 receiver
Everything is Hooked up with hdmi

Current settings:
Picture mode- user
Picture adjustment- everything is 0
Chroma process- advanced
Detail clarity- 0
Super resolution- 1
24p- on
Hdmi color mode- ycbcr 4:4:4
Deep color output- off
Black level control- lighter
Digital audio output- bitstream for both
Bd video secondary audio- off
Hdmi video output- on
Pcm down conversion- off
Downmix- stereo


I have reading thru the thread and i think i got all the settings right. Please let me know

Thanks

Picture Mode = Normal
Super Res = 0
Chroma Process = Off

I'm also curious about the effects of the black level: what is the accurate setting: lighter or darker?

Lighter

thanks, i made the changes

Downmix- stereo

Why not surround encoded instead of Stereo?

The other choice for that "Downmix" setting is "Surround".

I spent a sleepless night and measured all of the players I have here with my probe. I also verified BDT220 output with Chroma Process Advanced and it did not seem to do any harm. I took grayscale, gamma, gamut and saturation levels 0,25,50,75,100% and there was absolutely no difference other than what just come from inaccuracies between measuements due to probe limitations. This was done with firmware version 1.47.

Also I can confirm that PS3 Fat, Slim, Panasonic BDT220 and BDT110 all output the same grayscale, gamma, gamut and saturation at 0,25,50,75,100% levels. I did not just stare at graphical charts and dE but I also compared manually x, y and Y and any neglible differencies I could find, fell well in limitations of the probe I used.

That is what I meant.. Is "Surround" not recommended rather than "Stereo"?

"Recommended" by who? Is the default for that setting "Stereo" or something?

The default value is "Stereo"

I have an occasional issue with a 220 using 'network drive'. Sometimes (haven't noticed any specific trigger) it will not be able to connect and just hangs after you press connect. Rebooting the server cures this. Please note that when the 220 cannot connect other PCs can still access the share, so it's not a general issue with the server. Does anyone have any ideas?

Also, can anyone tell me if there is any significant difference between the 220's 'network drive' functionality/reliablility and the 77's? If I want a unit for nothing other than playing music via network drive, is the 77 a good idea?

Do any other brands offer wave/flac support + a feature comparable to 'network drive'?

(Forgive the multiple posts, please). The Netflix "Post Play Experience" is now available on my Panasonic DMP-BDT220 and BDT110 3D BD players and my Sony BDP-S390 BD player. Did anyone notice when that showed up?

I was chatting with Panasonic support recently and wanted to share the transcript with others since I couldn't find answers to issues my DMP-BDT210 was experiencing.

According to Panasonic, this conversation applies to the DMP-BDT220 as well as the DMP-BDT210.

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Customer says: I have a DMP-BDT210 Blu-ray player that has difficulties playing blu-ray discs - new movies like "Mirror, Mirror", "The Grey", "We Bought a Zoo". I've updated to the latest firmware (1.88). Standard DVDs play without a problem. The problem with blu-ray discs is that the movie will freeze, pixelate and skip to the main menu making the movie unwatchable.

Agent says: Have you tried using a 2G memory card or more in the player when you are trying to use those movies.

Customer says: There is no memory card plugged into the blu-ray player. It is not connected to any network either.

Agent says: You would have to buy one and try that because the firmware is already current.

Customer says: What is the relationship between a memory card and the blu-ray movies freezing, pixelating and skipping to the main menu ?

Agent says: Some discs have a lot of information on it that would affect the way how it would play on the unit.

Customer says: Are you saying I should add a 2G memory card to address this problem ?

Agent says: That is a troubleshooting step that usually works. For this issue..

Customer says: When I chatted over a month ago with Panasonic support, I was told the blu-ray lens was malfunctioning and that it had to be sent to McAllen, TX. I received a refurbished unit that exhibited the same problem. Panasonic support told me to send the refurbished unit back and they would send me a third unit.

Agent says: Well it depends on if no blu-ray disc that you try in the player does not work? Is that the case because you did not mention that.

Customer says: Out of the last 10 blu-ray discs I've tried to play, only one didn't have a problem - "Hatfield and McCoys Disc 1". That one played without error.

Agent says: Ok.

Customer says: The problem with freezing, pixelating and skipping to the main menu usually occurs around 24 minutes of the movie.

Agent says: Well try the SD card in the player and if the result is the same then it would be a servicing issue where the lens is defective in the player because the unit has 2 lenses in it.

Customer says: Do you have any technical documentation that says a 2G card is needed to play back movies ?

Agent says: That is a step that we have been using for this issue. But if it is a case that the blu-ray lens is defective that would not fix it.

Customer says: Is this a fix only for the DMP-BDT210 ? I was thinking of buying a DMP-BDT220 - only to address this problem.

Agent says: That would also apply to the dmpbdt220 as well.

Customer says: Is this an issue with blu-ray players in general or a Panasonic issue ?

Agent says: I cannot comment on other players but you can always use an SD card to provide additional memory.

Customer says: Is there a particular type of 2G SD card that is required or will any SD card do ?

Agent says: You can use a 2G or higher SD card does not matter the brand.

Customer says: What is the SD card used for ? I heard SD cards are only need for Blu-ray Live network features.

Agent says: You can always use an SD card to provide additional memory.

Customer says: Additional memory for what ?

Agent says: To play your blu-ray disc.

Customer says: Why wouldn't the blu-ray player have enough memory ?

Agent says: The unit does not carry memory. So for example if you have a blu-ray disc have internet content on it that might cause the movie to freeze and not play.

Customer says: Why would the blu-ray player experience a problem with playback if it isn't connected to the Internet ? Would another solution be to disable Internet access in the blu-ray player's System menu ? Or would the disc still require the blu-ray player to load Internet related data ?

Agent says: Yes it would if there is a lot of info on the blu-ray disc as they making most blu-ray disc nowadays because some disc you agree play in the unit.

Customer says: How much SD memory could a blu-ray disc use ? I don't want to buy a 2G card now and then find out I should have bought a higher capacity card.

Agent says: You can also try a 4G memory card as well.

Customer says: Is there a maximum storage capacity the DMP-BDT210 will support ?

Agent says: No.

Customer says: One last issue. I notice that on some blu-ray discs like "Safehouse", upon loading, the player will display the following message - "This disc is not compatible for playback". But if I press the Play button a couple times, the movie will start. I've noticed this problem on other blu-ray discs.

Agent says: Is that store bought blu-ray disc?

Customer says: No, rental.

Agent says: You can try a store bought disc and see if the issue is the same.

Customer says: I rent blu-ray discs because I can't afford to buy them. Why would there be a difference between a rental copy and a store bought one ?

Agent says: We don't know the file format that it might have been created in and also sometimes it is a defective discs.

Customer says: Ok, you've been very helpful. That's all. I'll try the SD card and see if that solves the problem. Thank you.

Agent says: Your welcome.
***