Panasonic DMP-BD65K Blu-ray Disc Player

The Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-ray Disc Player packs a lot of features into a small affordable package that's less than two inches tall.

It conforms to BD-ROM Profile 2, which opens up a whole host of features. They're accessed via your broadband Internet connection. You can plug in a cable from your router to the BD65's RJ45 jack or plug the optional wireless connector into the unit's USB 2.0 slot. You'll also need to place a memory card with at least 1 GB of available space into the SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Once you're all set up the fun really begins. Just like DVDs have their extras like commentary tracks, "the making of" shorts, coming attractions and other material so can Blu-ray discs. But in addition to being included on the disc Blu-ray disc extras can be on the Internet and your BD65 can fetch them using your broadband Internet connection.

Because the content is on the Net it can be richer and change and grow. So a compatible Blu-ray disc you watch today may have added content when you watch it again next year.

But Panasonic goes further with Viera Cast. With it you can access Netflix movies (paid unlimited membership required), Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube videos and Picasa photo albums. You'll find content galore and it's growing every day. There's free material, paid content and subscription-based services.

Hey we almost forgot to tell you about your BD65's great audio and video capabilities. Its HDMI 1.4 output means the player's picture and sound will stay in pure digital form on its way to your HDTV with an HDMI input. You can use the component output as an alternative.

To make movies look their best your BD65 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 BD65. 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 choose you'll enjoy a rich, immersive sound field whether you have a full surround sound set up or just two stereo speakers.

You probably already have a collection of DVDs. They'll look better than you've seen them on a conventional DVD player. Your BD65 automatically upconverts the video signal from standard definition (480i) to enhanced definition (480p). A discerning eye can tell the difference between 480p and true high definition but it'll be fun to see how many of your friends can tell the difference.

That's the Panasonic DMP-BD65 Blu-ray Disc Player: High-end features and quality at a low-end price.