Panasonic DMP-BDT500 review

Whether you opt to connect to a set of dedicated speakers using HDMI or the analogue audio outputs, there’s little argument that the DMP-BDT500 sounds fantastic. With Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio support, Blu-ray films get the presence they deserve, with incredibly clear and detailed sound. Panasonic has even gone to the trouble to emulate the sound of a valve amplifier, letting you choose between varying levels of warmth, or of course you can disable it if you prefer an unaltered sound.

As well as Blu-ray playback, the DMP-BDT500 has plenty of extra features that make it well worth connecting to your local network. You could run a cable from your router to your home cinema setup, but the integrated Wi-Fi dongle is much simpler. The player supports DLNA, so you’ll be able to stream multimedia files from a PC, laptop or NAS device – we had no trouble playing our multimedia test files from a USB flash drive, thanks to the player’s superb file format support. Even the less supported DivX HD, MOV and MKV wrappers worked perfectly.

The player also comes with the full version of Panasonic’s VIERA Connect online portal. It might not look quite as slick as the Smart TV services from other manufacturers, but it’s still packed with services, including BBC iPlayer, Netflix, AceTrax and YouTube, as well as social networking via Facebook and Twitter. Panasonic’s unique Skype service is also available, although to use it you’ll need to buy the optional webcam [TY-CC20W, £99 inc VAT from www.johnlewis.com).

We weren’t convinced that the new touchpad remote control is a step forward in terms of interactivity – it might make it easier to control a mouse cursor, but unless you plan on using the integrated web browser or memorising the multiple gesture inputs, we think it‘s just as easy to use regular buttons.

At roughly £280, the DMP-BDT500 is certainly expensive for a Blu-ray player, and if you don’t plan on using the analogue speaker outputs you aren’t going to get the most out of it, but it’s still a fantastic piece of kit. With all Panasonic’s network features, picture quality settings and connectivity, it’s incredibly well equipped, and both sound and video are fantastic. However, most people wouldn’t notice the difference in picture and sound quality between this and the much cheaper Panasonic DMP-BDT220. If you demand the best, it’s still a fantastic player, but there are better value systems available for anyone on a budget.