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We’ve seen plenty of Panasonic products that are easy to use and have fantastic image quality, but they aren’t always particularly attractive. If the company’s 2012 Blu-ray player line-up is any indication, that’s about to change.
The DMP-BDT320 has the same textured finish as last year’s players, but the fascia has been completely revamped with a slot-loading optical drive, touch-sensitive buttons and a single-line LCD display with a mirror finish. It’s not even the top model in the range, but we think it looks gorgeous. An SD card reader and single USB port are hidden beneath a fold-out flap, which let you connect a USB flash drive or the memory card from a camera to play your photos, music and video files. File format support was excellent – all our test files played flawlessly, including the DivX and MKV videos.
The DMP-BWT320 is really stylish, with a slot-loading optical drive and a flap that hides the USB port and SD card reader.
Around the back, there’s a single HDMI output, analogue composite outputs and a digital optical audio output, as well as a USB communication port for the optional Skype camera (TY-CC10W, £120 from www.sonicdirect.co.uk). There’s also an Ethernet port if you prefer to use a cable rather than the player’s built-in Wi-Fi. The DMP-BDT320 fully supports DLNA, so you’ll be able to stream content from a PC or NAS straight away, or simply get online to access internet content.
There are all the outputs you’d expect to see, plus a secondary USB port designed to be used with the optional Skype camera.
Panasonic’s internet portal system has finally been upgraded to the same VIERA CONNECT interface seen on last year’s TVs, rather than the older VIERA CAST system. There’s now heaps more content than before, including a marketplace for downloading new apps as they become available. It’s beginning to look rather dated when compared to the smart TV systems we’ve seen from other manufacturers – Samsung’s SmartHub is a better-looking system, as is Sony’s SEN interface.
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There’s plenty of variety, though, including video streaming apps from Netflix and catch-up TV from BBC iPlayer, as well as YouTube, Facebook, Picasa and Twitter integration. Panasonic is so confident its customers will be using Netflix that it has dedicated one of the remote control buttons to loading up the service.
Perhaps the most radical change from last year is the remote control, which has seen the majority of its buttons replaced with a touchpad. It’s incredibly responsive and straightforward to use to navigate the menu systems, which have been reskinned to better suit the new controls. To use the touchpad to control video playback you have to press the Keys button first, which can be fiddly.
The standard remote control layout has gone, replaced with a single large touchpad instead.
Start-up times have significantly improved from last year’s model, so you can be watching a Blu-ray less than 20 seconds after sliding it into the player. This is partly due to the Smart Eco sensor, which drops the player into a low power state after 30 minutes of inactivity, then wakes it up if someone walks past its sensor – it doesn’t have to dire up from off each time.
The number of image settings is also impressive, letting you adjust picture modes, upscaling, sharpness and colour as well as brightness and contrast. The player can also output side-by-side 3D as well as the standard sequential variety, so you’ll also be able to use it with a wide range of TVs and projectors.
There’s plenty to like about the DMP-BDT320, most notably its revamped design. We aren’t convinced that the touchpad remote control is a step in the right direction, but some people may find it more user-friendly than a remote filled with buttons. This is a great mid-range player that might take some getting used to, but its image quality is fantastic.
