At $400 (as of 2/18/09), the Panasonic DMP-BD55K is expensive. But its superb image quality, excellent design, and wide feature set make the DMP-BD55K a tempting choice for shoppers with deep enough pockets.
Panasonic DMP-BD55K

Pricing
$199.00 - $399.99 From 3 Vendors Get Best Prices »
| Overall design | Very Good |
| On-screen menus | Good |
| Ease of use | Superior |
| Responsiveness | Good |
| Remote control | Very Good |
| Other features | Superior |
| Documentation | Very Good |
| Overall performance | Superior: 92 |
| Brightness and contrast | Superior: 92 |
| Color | Very Good: 88 |
| Detail | Superior: 92 |
| DVD video quality | Very Good: 88 |
| Specifications | Very Good |
| HDMI version | HDMI 1.3 |
| 24p output support | Yes |
| Ethernet connection (BD-Live) | Yes |
| Ethernet connection (streaming content across home network) | No |
| USB 2.0 | Yes |
| Additional storage | SDHC card slot |
| Component video output | Yes |
| Blu-ray special features | BD-Live |
| Maximum multichannel surround-sound support | Up to 7.1 channels of audio |
| On-board audio decoding | Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding |
Pros
Plays back DivX and AVCHD video
Gorgeous image quality
Cons
No built-in memory for BD-Live
Remote not backlit; display doesn't show time
Bottom Line
The Panasonic DMP-BD55K costs a bundle, but it delivers top-grade image quality for the price.
Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray Disc Player
DMP-BD55K Review, by Lincoln Spector, PC World March 4, 2009
In the PC World Test Center, the DMP-BD55K did not receive a single grade of less than Very Good from any of our judges. Jurors' notes were filled with praise, especially when comparing it with our reference player, the Sony PlayStation 3. In a shot of the Vatican in Mission: Impossible III, I noted that columns in the background looked sharper. The opening sequence in Cars was so vibrant that it made the image on the PlayStation 3 look washed out. In Good Night and Good Luck, another judge noted the scene's pleasing handling of film grain. And in The Phantom of the Opera, our test scene exhibited a great sense of dimensionality.
Unlike less-expensive models we evaluated for our recent Blu-ray players roundup, such as the Insignia NS-2BRDVD and the Memorex MVBD2510, the DMP-BD55K had no issues with upscaling standard-definition DVDs to 1080p--in fact, the DMP-BD55K bested all comers we've tested in its handling of DVDs.
This Panasonic player distinguishes itself in other ways, too. It's sleek, and measures less than 10 inches deep. The unit's buttons are convenient, with large Power On and Open/Close buttons in the corners, angled upward for easy access. The buttons on the programmable remote are also nicely placed, with the playback control buttons (Play, Pause, and so on) done in blue to help them stand out. Unfortunately, they're not backlit.
You won't have any trouble figuring out the compact, attractive setup menu. An illustration at the bottom of the menu screen shows you where the remote's OK and Return buttons are. The menus don't explain everything, but they do explain the complicated audio options.
Press the remote's Display button while you're watching a movie, and you see more than a few numbers and facts--you get a menu, where you can pick subtitles or turn on repeat play. But you don't get what people normally press the Display button for: to see how far they are into the movie.
The DMP-BD55K is fast, although it's no record breaker. It took just over a minute to start playing a disc, and lagged only slightly when skipping chapters and barely at all when pausing.
Packed with features, the DMP-BD55K can play DivX files, AVCHD movies, and other media formats. An SD Card slot sits in front; you can use the card slot to view photos, but when I tried it, the images stretched horizontally, making everyone look fat. This BD-Live player has an ethernet port in the back, but no built-in memory: You have to bring your own memory in the form of an SD Card, annoying considering the otherwise premium qualities of this player.
The player offers audiophile features, too. It has 7.1-channel analog and HDMI audio-out, and it can decode both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio if your amplifier can't.
If you're willing to pay a lot for a Blu-ray player, you deserve one as good as the Panasonic DMP-BD55K.
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: whinsch
Strengths: Upscaling, Picture, Internet
Weaknesses: Cost, Slowness
Overall: This replaced an older Philips player and performs a lot better at a cheaper price although it is still high. Internet update is a plus over download to CD. Speed still seems a bit slow. Sound capabilities set it apart from cheaper models. The upscaling of regular DVDs is very good. SD card slot good - too bad not multicard (Philips had this). Cheap plastic latch on card slot cover broke but can be glued back - poor design. Panasonic brand has been reliable for me.
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Reviewed by: Zack827
Strengths: Picture Quality, Sound & Simple Design
Weaknesses: Owners Manual
Overall: Purchased the Unit as a Christmas gift to myself. In general it was easy to set-up, except when it comes to knowing how to get full audio from an older receiver. This can be done via an optical cable while using the HDMI connection to your TV for picture. Overall, this product is as advertised. The load time is very quick and the picture quality is very good! Also, the sound quality is very good! I would strongly recommend it to others in the market. All I need now is Pop Corn!
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Reviewed by: Cyberbie
Strengths: Picture QualityAudio QualityFeatures... BD live 2.0
Weaknesses: Slow loading!Still to expensive...
Overall: The DMP-BD55 is an excellent receiver! But it is actually slow loading. Although maybe normal for a BD player to load slow because of the amount of information stored on a disc it is still seriously annoying.The quality of the picture is excellent, and so is the audio. But I think the little brother the DMP-BD35 will perform there just as good, so if you don't need the analog output for the 7.1 sound you are better of saving some and getting the less expensive DMP-BD35 model.I like that the remote has a volume control for your receiver. So you could actually use the remote to control de BD player as well as your receiver and TV :o)The first thing that happened connecting the the unit was a screen saying firmware upg. avail. which went fast and smooth. BD live is also an enjoyable feature of the player, although it is still only available on few Blu Ray discs.Anyway, if you are looking for an excellent BD player this unit performs in all areas, and integrates nicely with my Panasonic tv. But if I had to re-make the purchase today I would go with the less costly DMP-BD35.

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