Last month’s issue included a five-star First Test of Panasonic’s £230 DMP-BDT310.
This BDT110 does without a few of its sibling’s specification highlights, as well as being usefully cheaper – and we think it could represent even better value.
Having just one HDMI output makes the BDT110 less flexible than the BDT310, but we don’t miss the more expensive machine’s touch-free disc tray sensor.
And in every other respect the BDT110’s right on the money: all your favourite disc formats are catered for, there’s plenty of online functionality (both a wi-fi dongle and Skype-orientated camera are cost options) and DLNA support too. It will even turn 2D into depth-adjustable 3D.
Luxurious high-def pictures
Give the Panasonic a Blu-ray to sink its teeth into, and it’s performance is instantly and undeniably class-leading.
Luxuriously deep black tones, sky-high detail levels and unflappable motion tracking all make for highly compelling pictures.
White tones are clean, and while the colour palette is a little on the sombre side of neutral, it’s expansive and vivid enough to endow movies with real drama. Lifelike skin-tones, as well, add to the impression of a sorted high-def device.
As a 3D player, the Panasonic’s the most enjoyable of its peers – if only by a tiny margin.
It combines stability, impressive depth of field and assured motion with fine foreground detail and lifelike edges to deliver Avatar in fine fashion.
Less impressive upscaler
It’s at its least impressive when upscaling DVDs. It’s no catastrophe, but do experiment to see if your TV might upscale the standard-definition picture better.
The Panasonic also leads the field where sound is concerned.
Chunky and dynamic, but detailed and atmospheric too, it does more justice to a well-sorted high-def soundtrack than any of its close rivals.
One more thing. Panasonic has now issued a firmware upgrade to bring the newer (and better) Viera Connect internet portal found on its 2011 TVs to its latest range of Blu-ray players, including this one.
The picture quality it’s capable of when streaming online content just tightens the BDT110’s grip on five stars.
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