Panasonic DVD up-conversion improvements

[Craig]

Chris-

I was at AVS forums awhile back and was excited when the Panny BD55 came out and I purchased it. It has worked great and pic quality has met my expectations. I recently read your review (and others) on the BD85 and am wondering if it is time to upgrade. Do you (or anyone else) notice better DVD up-conversion between these two machines?

[MrBoylan]

Chris-

I was at AVS forums awhile back and was excited when the Panny BD55 came out and I purchased it. It has worked great and pic quality has met my expectations. I recently read your review (and others) on the BD85 and am wondering if it is time to upgrade. Do you (or anyone else) notice better DVD up-conversion between these two machines?

Hi, Craig,

Yes, the BD85 offers better upconversion as it is two full generations ahead of the BD55 in its UniPhier processing. Plus the BD85 offers WiFi (included adapter), Netflix, Pandora, Amazon VOD and YouTube streaming, as well as a much faster boot-up time and faster disc loading times (alhough Panasonic isn't setting any land-speed records in the areas of disc loading). It also includes the new de-jitter processing which can improve audio performance, even over a digital connection. And it uses a bit less power to boot! The BD55 was an excellent 3rd generation player, but it has been bested in pretty much every area by the BD85. It's also cheaper! I think the BD85 is down to around $180 delivered. Here's a link to buy it with our affiliate code embedded:

DMP-BD85 on Amazon.com

The only other option you might consider would be the BDT350 (or its successor which will probably be announced at CES if not before), but this is only relevant if you're interested in 3D TV.

Regards,

-Chris

[Craig]

Thanks! Your insights and knowledge have always proved to be very helpful.