Panasonic ups Blu-ray player stakes

Panasonic ups Blu-ray player stakes

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Panasonic's DMP-BD30K has become the first Blu-ray player in the UK with Blu-ray Profile 1.1., but is this enough to place it ahead of the High Definition DVD pack?

Well, it depends to some degree on where you place the importance of the Blu-ray 1.1. profile. As the current mandatory requirement for blu-ray players, profile 1.1 requires all new machines released to offer decoders for secondary PiP video and audio, plus 256 MB of local storage capability. Incidentaly, the optional 2.0 profile (to which no manufacturer has yet subscribed) adds the requirement for a larger 1 GB of local storage capability, and an internet connection.

Remember also, that to take advantage of the 1.1 profile, the blu-ray disc itself must contain the 'bonus' 1.1 material. The film 'Sunshine' is a good example of a disc that takes advantage of 1.1 profile features.

Fox's version of "In-Movie Experience," on 'Sunshine' supports picture-in-picture boxes which appear at certain points throughout the film. These pop-up boxes contain behind-the-scenes footage, director, cast & crew interviews. There are ten of these sections, which focus on a specific scene or effect.

The "Journey into Sound" feature allows you to become your own sound engineer. This feature allows you to select four scenes while "isolating" different dialogue streams and switch them to different speakers. Once activated an icon appears with five points, each representing a different speaker of your home cinema.

These are just two features from a wide range of 1.1 profile possibilities giving just a taste of what consumers can expect. Of course, however appealing these features become, absolute picture quality will still be a priority for most of you buying a Blu-ray player. We will be looking at the DMP-BD30K in more detail soon.