Panasonic DMP-BD60 review

The DMP-BD60 is one of the thinnest Blu-ray players we've seen, and yet Panasonic still manages to fit in an SDHC memory card slot as well as the standard USB port under a small flap on the front panel.

You'll need an SDHC card to store BD Live content, so you don't need to have a USB stick poking out of the front. The front panel is sleek but spoiled by no fewer than 10 logos for various technologies.

The memory card slot is handy for viewing digital camera photos in high definition, but the DMP-BD60 supports only a bare minimum of file formats. If you want to view files recorded to a DVD, you'll have to use a DVD-R disc as the DVD+R format isn't supported for data. At least pre-recorded DVDs play fine, and the upscaling was brilliant, creating a sharp picture. The DMP-BD60 won't play Blu-ray content recorded to DVDs, but will play AVCHD files recorded with or without menus.

Performance was disappointing, even with the Quickstart option turned on, which drew 3W of power when the player was switched off. The DMP-BD60 took 50 seconds to reach the main menu of a Blu-ray film from Off and only four seconds less with Quickstart enabled. It took 14 seconds to eject the tray from Off with Quickstart, which is average. Chapter skipping was a little slow. These problems aren't bad enough to ruin the player, though.

The DMP-BD60 is one of the few Blu-ray players that you can buy as a multi-region Blu-ray and DVD player (most players support only multi-region DVDs). However, it's an expensive option and the player currently costs £309 from www.mrmdvd.com in its multi-region format.

The player benefits from Panasonic's Viera Cast technology. When you press the dedicated button on the remote you're presented with a choice of two services: YouTube and Picasa web albums. These let you watch videos or view your online photos.

The DMP-BD60 is comparatively expensive for a Blu-ray player, but you get a lot for your money. The SDHC card slot is a useful feature, while Viera Cast lets you enjoy online videos and pictures easily. However, we'd have preferred better video support and faster performance. As it stands, LG's BD370 is a cheaper and better player.

Author: Barry de la Rosa