|
And, the setup allows you to test the Internet connection which verified that I DID have a working connection to the Internet. Great picture, great sound, and BD-LIVE. A very knowledgable and courteous support person helped me and asked if I had an SD card inserted into the player - I did not, and I didn't see anything in the instructions that told me that was necessary. Lastly, before I had the Internet connection, I downloaded the firware upgrade from the Panasonic web site. Perhaps it will save someone else some grief. Now that I have confirmed that all functions work, including BD-LIVE, I am thoroughly happy with it. This was the only problem that required a call to Panasonic. I kept getting the message, "No internet connection," even though there was an Internet connection - in fact, when I established the Internet connection, the first thing it did was offer to download the latest firmware.
I created 6 different install CDs from two computers and the player would not recognize any of them. I did that and installed it successfully. It's not for the faint-hearted to set up. It took forever for me to connect this to my Onkyo SR-604 A/V receiver I connected it via the 5.1 analog connections because my receiver doesn't decode the HD audio. I tried that and, voila, the BD-LIVE worked. My DISH PVR has that home networking bridge built into the unit - it would have been nice, if the Blu Ray player had that also, or if it had a wireless connection.
However, it's still upsetting that the error message was, "No connection to the Internet," rather than, "Please insert an SD card." And, speaking of network connections, I had to buy a power line network bridge to connect the player to the Internet, for about $50. Then, today, I couldn't get BD-LIVE to connect - I was using the Iron Man disc. I've had this player for about 2 weeks, now. It took forever to get sound, until I finally read that the "multichannel" button on the A/V receiver needed to be pressed - that was not the fault of the Blu Ray player, of course. But, because of all the difficulty I had setting it up, I would have liked to have given it a 4.5 instead of a 5. Here are the problems I faced.
Having all that behind me, this is a great Blu Ray player - I'd recommend it, highly.
I'm playing my regular DVDs on it currently and the picture is amazing compared to the old DVD player. Arrived on time and in great shape.
Can't wait to go out and purchase some Blu-Ray DVD. Purchased the unit through Amazon and it was shipped from 6ave.
I spent a lot of time reserching what type of Blu-ray player to purchase. The unit is thin and looks great.
I read a lot of forums and the one thing that kept being said was to purchase one which had; Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. This unit had everything I was told I should look for.
I did update it via the Ethernet connection (GREAT feature) from my router, and that worked flawlessly. The player came from 6ave, and it arrived early, and in excellent condition, and hooked up very easily. It plays regular DVDs beautifully, and of course the Blu Ray is Awesome. I am a Blu Ray newbie, and I am so glad I made the decision to go for it. I am glad I did. I got The Fifth Element and Pirates of the Caribbean to try in Blu Ray, and loved the perfect picture on both of them. This new Panasonic player is highly rated on CNET and other reviews, and of course, I read the reviews on Amazon.I have a Panasonic 46 inch Plasma Viera 850 series, which is AWESOME, so went with the Panasonic Blu Ray player. This is a great investment and quality product.
With that kind of functionality, wireless seems obvious to me. The only reason I did not give this Blu-ray player 5 stars is that it doesn't not come with built in wireless. I was able to update the firmware easily.
For the price point, built in wireless isn't asking too much plus this is compatible with the new 2.0 'Live' discs that enable additional internet content with some Blu-ray discs. So far I am very pleased and have owned several Panasonic electronic items and have always had good luck with them. This is my first Blu-ray player, connected to my Samsung 52" LCD TV.
I was able to add it to my wireless network by using an Airport Express. It is absolutely amazing. Picked up the BBC Planet Earth series on Blue-ray and the picture is stunning.
Currently still using a Panasonic DVD Recorder that works perfectly as well.
The main controls are convenient. The video is outstanding. I was able to display pictures on my large screen lcd television with great results using the sd card reader included in the player. I have used the blu ray player extensively since receiving the player-about a month. The player starts up relatively fast. My delivery was done in a timely manner and I was continuously informed of the progress of my order.
|
