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If you just want a basic 3D-capable Blu-ray, the Panasonic DMP-BDT110 may just be the one that you’re after. In terms of looks and performance, it’s a slightly cut-down version of the DMP-BDT310.
The main difference is that the DMP-BDT110 only has a single HDMI 1.4 output, so if you’ve got an old surround-sound amp, you’ll need to upgrade it if you want to pass the 3D signal through it; the DMP-BDT310 Blu-ray player also has an HDMI 1.3 output for audio delivery to an amp.
The only other differences are that the DMP-BDT110 doesn’t have the Touch-Free sensor for opening the disc tray or High Clarity Sound, which disables the analogue video outputs to stop them from interfering with audio. Neither is likely to be missed very much.
What you’re left with is a Blu-ray player with excellent performance. Starting from cold we managed to power on the player and get a disc playing in just 31 seconds; with the player on, starting a disc took just 25 seconds. This is a very impressive performance and the DMP-BDT110 is one of the fastest players that we’ve seen.
We’re big fans of Panasonic’s new interface for the player. The large icons are all arranged in a cross and you just press the corresponding cursor key to access the subsequent menu. It’s intuitive and quick to use and beats the old-style text-only menus hands down. There’s even some customisation available, and you can set one of your photos as the player’s wallpaper.
You can hook the DMP-BDT110 up to your network using the Ethernet port. Wi-Fi isn’t built into this player, although an optional adaptor can be plugged into the rear port, which is also designed for the optional Skype webcam.
A built-in media player lets you stream videos, music and photos from a UPnP server on the network. It has a basic, but simple interface and worked with the majority of our test files. Our HD MKV file would occasionally pause. However, playing the same file from USB storage connected to the front of the player fixed this issue.
It’s a bit of a shame that the DMP-BDT110 uses the older Viera Cast internet portal, rather than the newer Viera Connect as used on the latest TVs. With YouTube, Picasa Web Albums and AceTrax video central the stand-out features, this portal suffers a little from not having access to on-demand TV, such as BBC iPlayer,
For 3D films the player has a couple of tricks up its sleeves. Foremost is the option to add a frame round the image. The main picture then fades into this frame, keeping it from touching the bezel and helping to improve the 3D effect. We quite like, but you don’t have to use it if you think it’s a gimmick. There’s a 2D to 3D conversion mode, but the results are very mixed and we didn’t feel like the end results were an improvement over the original. Our advice is to watch 2D footage in 2D and 3D footage in 3D.
For a 3D Blu-ray player the DMP-BDT110 is decent value, coming in cheaper than the Sony BDP-S480. However, that player also supports iPlayer and Love Film, so the choice isn’t quite as clear cut. If the internet portal’s not of much interested, this is a brilliant choice for anyone that needs 3D.
