The Panasonic DMP-BD45 Blu-ray Disc Player packs a lot of features into a small affordable package that's less than two inches tall.
One of the attributes that sets Panasonic apart is its fanatical devotion to creating the best images and audio possible. That's what led Panasonic Hollywood Labs to create PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus and a host of other exotic circuits.
These elements can process 15 billion pixels per second and when they're done with each one of them they shoot those pixels out with twice the color accuracy of less advanced circuits. (To take advantage of all that processing you need to use an HDMI cable between the player and your HDTV, so be sure to click the Accessories tab and put one in your cart.)
Using an HDMI cable also means the player's picture and sound will stay in pure digital form on its way to your HDTV.
In addition to HDMI output your BD45 has both USB and SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card input. With the USB input you can enjoy videos, JPEG pictures and MP3 music.
All of the SD card types can contain JPEGs and MPEG2 files (which can contain audio and video) and AVCHD, which is the format in which an increasing number of home high definition camcorders record. You can pop the card right out of your camcorder and be watching your home movies on the big screen in just moments.
To make theatrical movies look their best your BD45 performs 3:2 pulldown, once the province of only high-end players. We won't bore you with the technical details. All you need really need to know is that it makes movies look more like they did in the movie theater.
Another feature that will make your movies more movie-like is the Dolby and DTS surround sound processors built in to your BD45. Most theatrical movies released on Blu-ray disc have audio tracks encoded in one or both brands of these audio enhancers. No matter which one you select you'll enjoy a rich, immersive sound field whether you have a full 5.1 surround sound set up or just two stereo speakers.
If you do have a 5.1 channel system you can take advantage of the Dialog Enhancer, which boosts the center speaker output.
Another example of Panasonic's quality fanaticism is the BD45's 192kHz/24-bit audio D/A converter, which can produce sound frequencies so high your dog can't hear them (seriously). However, those frequencies beyond the normal human (not to mention canine) hearing range are said to add audio nuances that don't consciously register. If your dog starts acting a little squirrely when ray guns are blasting in a movie maybe he's hearing the lower end of those higher frequencies.
You probably already have a collection of DVDs. They'll look better than you've ever seen them on any DVD player. Your BD45 automatically upconverts the video signal from standard definition (480i) to enhanced definition (480p) and then further converts them to 1080p.
A discerning eye can tell the difference between the resulting image and true high definition but it'll be fun to see how many of your friends assume they're watching a Blu-ray disc.
That's the Panasonic DMP-BD45 Blu-ray Disc Player: An entry-level Blu-ray player with high-end features and quality.