Toshiba BDX2200 Wifi-Ready Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Maybe it was just my particular player but after two days the unit stopped working properly. The first day everything worked perfectly, including the internet hookups to watch Netflix. I hooked it up with HDMI cables and watched both Tron Blu-Ray movies with no problems. The next day when selecting an episode from Netflix the video went out, but the sound was still there. I turned off and on the player and it worked fine for about six hours. Problem continued on the second day with several episodes of audio but no video. Turning off/on the player didn't work this time. Finally the video went out entirely and I wasn't able to get it back. I changed the hookups from HDMI to component thinking that might have been the problem, but the problem continued. Today before I returned it from where I bought it I tried it with component cables again and for whatever reason the video worked this time. However now the power button doesn't work on the unit. The only way to turn it on was with the remote.
Maybe it was just a bad luck player, but if it doesn't work properly it's of no use to me. When it did work it was excellent though which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of one.
Notes: Loading of Netflix was about twice as long compared to any other device I've used for Netflix (XBox 360 and Wii).
Loading of Youtube was just as fast as my regular PC.

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Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)UPDATE - July 2010
New features added to Network
Tageschau - Daily News feed in German
Pandora - Internet Radio
Fox Sports - Coming Soon
Twitter - Coming Soon
5 Stars sounds really generous, but for the money this is a GREAT Network ready BDP.
This is the third network BDP I have set up and used, I recently reviewed the Samsung BD-P1590 - Blu-Ray disc player - upscaling - Netflix, Pandora against which (for similar money) this is a far superior machine. I also think the picture quality and upscaling for SD DVD's in much better than the similar priced LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player
Running several Blu-Ray movies for testing, including BD live enabled content, boot times were very fast. The quick set up guide asks you about this and explains that it uses more power in standby mode, but it's worth it for very quick loading.
Blu Ray looks SUPERB - Panasonic web site says (PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus is a high quality image-processing technology developed to precisely process each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the vertical direction) Sounds geeky, but the picture is great at both 1080i and 1080p. By default the 24fps is set to off, but if you have a home set up that supports it, it's easy to switch back.
SD Card slot, and USB interface great for home pictures, movies and photo's, very easy to use. Nicely tucked away under a discreet panel in the front so no fiddling among the back wires.
Out of the box set up for networking took me about 15 minutes.
Very easy on screen instruction, easy to use remote, and set up can be either set to easy mode, or you can revisit the main menu at any time for finer adjustments on audio, video output, resolution and aspect ratio etc.
The more involved set up options are however a little limited if you are used to close to pro tweaking on high end visual and audio equipment. But then again, this is an entry level kind of priced machine.
What do you get for network? The VIERA system is a breeze, nice graphics, menu screen and options.
I hard wired mine to the back Ethernet port with a Cat6 cable - Cat5 works without a problem, but for streaming (especially HD content) the Cat6 made the Netflix signal bar light up to HD most of the time.
It is wireless ready. You can use a USB dongle (takes some tweaking) or better still a Linksys by Cisco Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming and Video Adapter. What's nice is that(unlike Samsung) you don't have to buy a special adapter.
My preference would always be to hard line, but if that's not an option, and you must have wireless (assuming you have boat loads of bandwidth) you can buy an adapter, or pay $80 more and buy it's big brother the Panasonic DMP-BD85 WiFi Enabled Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black)
Whats on the Network?
1)Netflix - unlimited free streaming movies (a lot in HD if your connection is good enough) documentaries, and TV shows from their "Watch Instantly" library, if you are a current subscriber of at least their $8.99 plan - free trial available.
2)Amazon on Demand - Bags of movies and content to rent, buy, or even view free webisodes, trailers, documentaries and so on. Not a huge thing for me personally as I like Netflix, but very nice to have. Simply activate online at Amazon and you're there - very easy on screen user friendly menus.
3)Blomberg - Sort of on screen RSS feed with stocks, bonds and news headlines. Nice to have but not essential.
4) Weather forecast, enter your zip code and set to default, or store multiple sites across the US for up to date weather news and information. Again, not something I need but nice to have.
5)Picasa Web albums - share pictures with friends and family, look at your own, and other albums on your TV. Nice feature.
6)You Tube - browse, or log into your account online
7)Coming Soon?? - Your guess is as good as mine, could be for VUDU or something else, at least they are thinking ahead, and have the settings already started.
What you don't get.....
1)Pandora - a quirky to use online streaming internet radio site that's free with a lot of music. Doesn't float my boat either, I don't like radio sites that choose my music based on a song, or an artist - there are over 30,000 online internet radio stations that are free, Pandora doesn't let you search any particular station in any part of the World, just their selections on what they think you like.
2) Blockbuster Online - unless you have an account and use the in store returns on DVD and Blu stick with Netflix, their watch instantly movies are free with membership.
3)VUDU - next generation 1080p streaming to rent and buy, this would have been nice to have, but I can live without it for now. Amazon more than makes up for it as far as I'm concerned.
4) Any others I may have forgotten about (I'm sure there are more out there)
Sum up
PROS
Excellent value for money
Looks sleek, discreet and runs quickly AND quietly (unlike some BDP's)
Very easy to Set Up - VIERA interface for online content is great.
Superior BD playback picture and sound quality - just when you thought it couldn't get better
Great upscaling, best I've seen on a machine of this price or on any machine without a REON chipset.
USB, SD slots on front convenient and discreet
Optional "wireless ready"
Nice Remote
CONS
No 3D - even if the content isn't there yet on BD live, you know it's coming. Only the Sony BDP-S470 Blu-ray Disc Player in this price range is equipped. This would have been nice
No onboard memory - BD live requires a USB or SD, but that's the same for most machines
No VUDU on networking - not a deal breaker, but may be for some.
Bottom line.................Great machine if you want to get into network and streaming movies. Quality and everything else for the price is unbeatable.

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Start watching your favorite high-definition movies almost instantly with the Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-ray Disc player, which features an ultra-fast 2-second boot time. You'll also enjoy BD-Live and Panasonic's VIERA Cast functionality for accessing Internet video content thanks to the Ethernet port and Wireless LAN capability (DY-WL10 wireless LAN adapter sold separately).
It also includes both a USB port and a Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot, making it easy for you to view and share both digital still images and HD video recorded with an HD camcorder in the AVCHD format. Other features include compatibility with a wide variety of disc formats (including standard DVD movie discs), Energy Star certification, and Panasonic's VIERA Link function--allowing you to operate multiple audio/video components using a single remote via HDMI. Additionally, Panasonic's lineup of 2010 BD Players are designed to reduce power consumption and also feature a slimmer, more efficient design to reduce packaging waste.


Key Features
High-quality image processing via PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology for clear and vibrant color reproduction that is faithful to the original film (learn more).
High-definition audio decoder (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Essential) takes advantage of the 7.1 channel surround sound now incorporated in Blu-ray Discs.
VIERA Link utilizes HDMI to enable control all VIERA Link combatable products with one remote.
SD memory card slot enables you to play your photos and movies taken with digital cameras and camcorders by just sliding in an SD memory card into the SD slot.

What's in the Box BD Player, remote control (with batteries), power cord, operating instructions
VIERA Cast Online Content Panasonic's VIERA Cast service allows you to stream movies, TV shows and music from a variety of sources without the need of either an external box or a PC. Powered up with Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, you can also access YouTube, Picasa, Bloomberg, and other Internet sites from the special VIERA Cast screen. And as additional sites are added to the 2010 VIERA Cast service, they are added automatically. You'll need to be connected to your home network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi (using an optional Wireless LAN adapter).
Specifications

Disc/Media Compatibility

Learn More
Experience Movies Like Never Before The DMP-BD65 employs the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus. Developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, this high image processing technology reproduces clear, vivid colors that are faithful to the original film.
Panasonic's Blu-ray Disc players employ high precision 4:4:4 signal technology, which working in tandem with PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus processes each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the horizontal direction to compliment vertical direction processing. P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD) is another technology that contributes to the superior picture quality of the Blu-ray players. P4HD processes more than 15 billion pixels per second and applies the optimal processing to every pixel.
Panasonic's Blu-ray Disc players further utilize 16-level motion detection to categorize the image motion of each pixel into one of 16 levels; diagonal processing to detect diagonals and correct the pixels accordingly; 1080p up-conversion to up-convert content recorded in the 480i/p or 720p format to 1080p.
This Blu-ray Disc player also provides 1080/24p output, reproducing cinema images from a Blu-ray Disc and DVD in their original 24p form with no need for conversion--enabling you to enjoy cinema images in the same format used in cinema with a 1080/24p-compatible TV.
Complimenting the HD audio codecs, the BD65 Blu-ray Disc player features 96kHz surround re-master, a function that enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources, and even improves the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.

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Panasonic DMP-BDT210 Integrated-Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The player is great. The menu system is the best I've used in a player and I returned both a Sony BD560 and a Samsung 6500 before getting this unit. Just a few notes for those that might be thinking of getting it this player.
#1 The internet options are extensive, new options to me like Amazon streaming and Skype, mixed with the mainstay apps like Netflix, Pandora, and many more. make this player very attractive to the streaming and online entertainment user.
#2 The firmware the unit currently ships with will not let you get into the Internet streaming apps or anything for that matter until you update the firmware. Updating the firmware from the 1.09 firmware it ships with will not work as of this date via wireless or wired internet connections. The secondary option is to burn the frmware to a disc. This you think would be straight foward, but it isn't. Using Windows 7 or Vista, you MUST create an ISO 9660 ONLY... I went through 3 coasters before this player could properly read the Firmware update disc I created to bring it up to 1.47. Using any other ISO format will fail.
#3, Netflix... I have 2 accounts, one old, one new and active. Got them mixed up during the install process and had my OLD netflix account essentially bound to the unit. No way to empty the cache, or sign-out and login with a new username and password (It doesn't use the code on screen method like a lot of players, you actually log into netflix from the machine) To wipe out the incorrect netflix ID, I had to factory reset the Blu-Ray player. Which meant setting everything up again. My shared drives (You can map a shared folder on your network to play files, very nice) Wireless, everything had to be set up again.
#4 No on board memory. It supports SD cards for Storage for Blu Ray online features and other apps, but it has no storage of its own. I personally found this to be nice, especially given I have many SD cards laying around from 1 to 8 gigs in size. But if you want to take full advantage of extras on Blue Rays, add the cost of an SD card to your price (Or possibly USB thumb drive??? haven't tested) in order to have on-board storage.
This player is fast, has an outstanding menu system. A very reliable network interface (Take note Samsung!) and has some nice next-gen features such as touch-less ejecting, kind of novel, but I did find myself liking it.... having come from the Samsung 6500 just recently, I found the fact that the player keeps you informed with on screen displays as to what it is doing if their are the common loading delays when first starting Blu-Rays for instance, a very nice change from the black of screen of questioning I always had with the Samsung model. And Sony's 560 had a very lame netflix interface so that wasn't an option for me after seeing it, given I use streaming a LOT.
For the 2011 models, I'd like to see the offerings from the competitors before I whole heartily recommend this one, but I'm very happy with my purchase. Panasonic seems to know what they are doing with UI's, UI user Feedback and general tech savyness in their Blu-Ray players. (aside from the current Firmware glitch)


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3D Technology Checklist
This product is 3D-related. To help you get a great 3D experience, use the checklist below to ensure you have everything you need. 3D viewing requires:

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