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Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray Disc/VHS Multimedia Player Description:

Does it feel like technology is moving too fast, and your barely keeping up? Blu-ray Disc/VHS Combination Player gives you both the technology of yesterday and today, wherein you don’t have to send your precious VHS cassettes to storage just yet in that the unique feature about this player compared to a regular VHS player is the fact that it provides up-conversion so it will enhance your viewing experience, like watching a remastered copy, but instead of doing the tedious task of improving video and audio quality yourself, the player does it for you. It even features an SD memory card slot and USB terminal so you don’t have to unload your digital media for it to be viewed, wherein simply insert an SD memory card filled with joyous memories into your player, and let the good times begin, there is even the possibility for JPEG slideshow with music and transition effect, so not only will you dazzle your audience with you family photos, but also the innovative features of your Blu-ray Disc/VHS Combination Player. VHS Playback and 1080p HDMI Out Deep Color and x.v.Color 148.5MHz/12bit Video D/A Converter Digital Noise Reduction (3D-NR/ Integrated NR) Picture Mode (Normal, Soft, Fine, Cinema, User) Picture Adjustment (Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness, Color, Gamma Correction) Audio Features – Built-in Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTSTM-HD Decoder 192kHz/24bit Audio D/A Converter 96kHz Surround Re-master for All Formats (BD, DVD, CD and MP3) Output – HDMI AV Output Component Video Output Video Output 2ch Audio Output Digital Audio Output (1 Optical) Ethernet for BD-Live, VIERA CAST and Firmware Update Convenience Features – Compatible with VIERA CAST (YouTube, Picasa, etc) Compatible with BD-Live and BONUSVIEW VIERA Link or Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Product Line-up Movie (AVCHD, MPEG2) & JPEG View with SD Memory Card Slot Music (MP3) & Photos (JPEG) Playback on US

• Amazon Sales Rank: #268 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Black
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: DMP-BD70V
• Dimensions: 3.75″ h x 17.00″ w x 13.00″ l, 5.70 pounds

Features

• Blu-ray Disc/VHS combination player with SD memory card slot and USB
• Multi-media capability allows for convenient playback and up-conversion of content from any media storage format–VHS, DVD, CD and more
• 7.1-channel lossless audio decode and bit-stream output for exceptional sound
• VIERA Cast internet functionality for enjoying online entertainment from YouTube, Amazon VOD, and more
• Intelligent auto standby for more efficient power usage

Customer Reviews:

Yes, I still have VHS movies to watch
Why would someone want to buy a video player that accepts both the latest Blu-Ray format and the perhaps obsolete VHS formats? Well, as someone who has their foot in both the past and the future, let me tell you why I love this player.

Yes, I can definitely appreciate the crispness and clarity of the high definition Blu-Ray format, and I wish to experience that format. But Blu-Ray discs are pricey, so I will likely choose to purchase only a few new select and favorite films in that format. I feel no need, and don’t have the wallet, to replace my entire film library in a Blu-Ray format.

I also have a collection of nearly 500 VHS tapes, most of them unwatched, which I mostly purchased in thrift stores. (current standard price for VHS tape in a thrift – $1) I also have a fair number of films that have not yet been released on DVD yet.

It is nice to have a player that will accept both VHS and Blu-Ray, along with standard DVD formats. No switching back and forth of cables, etc.

The DMP-BD70V upconversion of the VHS to 1080p is really quite amazing. My current television is a 42″ HDTV (one year ago it was a 19 inch color set) When I connected my previous standard VHS player to the HDTV, the picture quality, as expected, was quite poor, with much of the image being rather pixelated – it was quite painful and distracting to watch.

Then I hooked up the DMP-BD70V, and lone behold, the picture quality was much, much better – and very watchable. At first I almost thought that the VHS tape had been replaced by a DVD – the improvement was that great. There was no pixelation at all, and the colors were quite bright. The overall quality of the picture was much better than the picture obtained with my old 19″ color TV and VHS player. The upscaling features of the DMP-BD70V is almost as if a magician had waved his wand over your entire library of VHS tapes, and suddenly replaced them, Cinderella-like, with a much higher quality product.

There are some things you cannot do with a VHS tape. The picture size remains at the older 4:3 format – meaning there is considerable empty space at the left and right sides of the HDTV screen. You also won’t get the added commentary tracks that appear on DVD and Blu-Ray discs, but sometimes all one really wants to do is simply watch a movie, with no other frills involved.

For a few years, I will have several options for my home movie viewing. On one end, the $1 VHS tapes (upgraded to 1080p), in the middle the standard DVD format, and on the high side, the Blu-Ray format. This DMP-BD70V allows me to watch all three formats, and allows me to choose whether I want to pay $1, $15, or $30 for each movie format. That is what I call flexibility.

I did a comparison price check for the DMP-BD70V model, versus a similar model without the VHS tape compatibility – the difference was about $50 more. For me, it was well worth it.

Obviously those without VHS tapes do not need this DMP-BD70V model. But those who do have some older VHS tapes, and wish to still view them, will love this model.

Okay for a Second or Back-up Player
If you want a combination blu ray/vhs player, then this is the only game in town so you are kind of stuck right now. However, I must point out a number of limitations:

1.) As many pointed out (some of which are poor souls who didn’t read carefully and bought without knowing this), there is no ability to record material on this. So if you record a weekly/daily program, you will still have to have a vhs or dvd recorder to do that.

2.) The component connection from this player to an HDTV did not work well with VHS tapes as the picture appeared all smudged. The tapes looked fine with an HDMI connection.

3.) I have trouble getting my remote sometimes to recognize I have a VHS tape in the player and often have to manually start the play. I have not had this problem when I want to play a disc, only VHS.

4.) This is not wireless, so to take advantage of the VIERA Cast if you are not close to your router, you must use an Ethernet adapter/access point (somewhere between $35 and $60 or more). I used an Asus WL-330gE purchased on sale at another site and chose the Ethernet adapater setting when configuring. I found this product worked perfectly with this blu ray player as it came with both the Ethernet cable as well either a plug-in power cord or a USB power cord. I used the USB power cord to plug into the USB slot on this blu ray player. Not only does using the USB power cord eliminate you having to plug another item into a power strip, but when you turn the player off, the USB power cord turns off as well, so you are not wasting electricity.

5.) Now, this is my biggest problem with this player. VIERA Cast. I specifically bought this player as a secondary blu ray for my bedroom (my primary player is in my family room), for two reasons– the vhs component (I record off my primary player, so didn`t need to record on this one) and the announcement last year that VIERA Cast would have Netflix. I currently stream Netflix through my other player and was looking forward to streaming in my bedroom with this one as Netflix lets you stream on a number of devices with the same account. I now read (which was NOT in the announcement I read last year), that Netflix will be on Panasonic Blu Rays ONLY built in 2010 or later. Why? Because they completely re-built the technical infrastructure within the blu rays and only those with the new infrastructure will host Netflix. I guess they used up their “old parts” making this player figuring the VHS crowd wouldn’t be interested in the newest technology.

I don’t quite get the “usefulness” of VIERA Cast. The weather and stock parts are next to useless–if I really wanted to know the weather, I’d simply click to one of numerous weather stations that I get over the air. With regards to the stock market updates–I’d go to something on the internet as I would want to track my specific holding not just look at a generic stock market update. With NetCast (on the LG BD 90 blu ray player I have) I get YouTube, Netflix streaming (obviously have to have a Netflix account to take advantage of), as well as Vudu and CinemaNow that have pay per view rentals (most with option to buy). You do not get Amazon Video on Demand on the LG player as you do this player, but I would wonder how many movies Amazon might have that the other movie rental view options would not.

So, my best take on this player is if you need to record programs, or want to stream Netflix, do NOT buy this player. If you need to connect wirelessly, you must factor into the cost of this player an Ethernet adapter.

Am I keeping mine? Yes, because I bought at super sale price (around 165 dollars), so the cost of adding an Ethernet adapter was not prohibitive. It does eliminate the need for a vhs in my bedroom, and since I record through a dvd/vhs recorder in my family room, the lack of recording in this player does not affect me. However, I must now either choose not to stream Netflix to my bedroom, or buy a Roku.

If I do read that Panasonic has decided to add Netflix to the players with the “old” infrastructure (they are receiving some complaints obviously), I will update my review. If someone else reads such an announcement, please post a comment to my review with the source of the announcement.

Thank you, Panasonic
As far as I know this is the only combo of this kind on the market, and I couldn’t be happier. Despite the outdated format and my dwindling videotape collection, I wanted to replace my old Magnavox VCR instead of abandoning VHS altogether. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I not only could still do that, I could additionally upgrade to Blu without having to find more shelf space or another power outlet. Since it isn’t really all that versatile otherwise, this player is a snap to hook up. There are no inputs (except LAN) and the outputs consist of HDMI, component and composite video, with analog and digital audio (fiber optic only). It only comes with a set of RCA analog audio/video cables, so plan ahead. I am only using the HDMI video and optical audio and it plays discs flawlessly. Pop in a videotape and it automatically switches to VHS mode and reformats itself to 4:3, while still outputting only through the digital ports. Yes, this is only a player–I prefer DVD-RAM for recording these days, anyway–but if you want the ultimate in all-in-one playback, including USB devices and SD cards, this device is for you.

Amazon.com Product Description
Panasonic’s DMP-BD70V combines a high quality image with enhanced networking functions, including Panasonic’s VIERA Cast internet functionality for enjoying online entertainment from YouTube, Amazon VOD, and more. Play back your favorite Blu-ray discs, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs and more, and enjoy up-conversion to 1080p with formats of lower resolutions. The DMP-BD70V also lets you take advantage of 7.1 channel Blu-ray surround sound, and enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources.

A high quality image with enhanced networking functions Click to enlarge

PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus
Developed in collaboration with Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, this high image processing technology reproduces clear, vivid colors that are faithful to the original film.

High-Def Audio
Recognizing that audio is important to the overall entertainment experience, Panasonic’s three 2009 Blu-ray Disc players feature a high definition audio decoder (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Essential) to take advantage of the exceptionally high quality 7.1 channel surround sound now integrated in Blu-ray Discs.

96kHz Surround Re-Master
This function enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources, and even improves the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.

View rear connections Click to enlarge

Full-function remote included Click to enlarge

Format-Friendly
The DMP-BD70V distinguishes itself as the world’s first dual deck VHS-Blu-ray player, providing the consumer with a video product that features multi-format playback allowing the user to play VHS, CD, DVD and 1080p high definition Blu-ray Discs. The BD70V allows for premium 1080p up-conversion for all video formats.

VIERA CAST
VIERA CAST technology is now available in Panasonic’s 2009 Blu-ray players. The internet enabled technology lets the consumer access the internet without the need of either an external box or a PC and enjoy entertainment from sites like Amazon VOD, YouTube, Google’s Picasa Web Album, Bloomberg and more. The DMP-BD70V also includes an SD Memory card slot and USB slot, so you can view and share both digital still images and HD video recorded with an HD camcorder in the AVCHD format.

4:4:4 Technology
In order to produce the ultimate picture quality, Panasonic’s Blu-ray players employ high precision 4:4:4 signal technology, which working in tandem with PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus processes each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the horizontal direction, to compliment vertical direction processing. P4HD (Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD) is another technology that contributes to the superior picture quality of the Blu-ray players. P4HD processes more than 15 billion pixels per second and applies the optimal processing to every pixel. Panasonic’s Blu-ray players further utilize 16-level motion detection to categorize the image motion of each pixel into one of 16 levels; diagonal processing to detect diagonals and correct the pixels accordingly; 1080p up-conversion to up-convert content recorded in the 480i/p or 720p format to 1080p. The Blu-ray players also provide 1080/24p output, thereby reproducing cinema images from a Blu-ray Disc and DVD in their original 24p form with no need for conversion. This allows the user to enjoy cinema images in the same format used in cinema with a 1080/24p compatible TV.

Lower Power Consumption
Panasonic’s 2009 Blu-ray players use Auto Power Stand-By, a function that automatically turns off the player when you return to TV operation using the VIERA Link menu. In addition, the Stand-by Power Save automatically turns off the player’s Quick Start function. When VIERA is turned on, Quick Start also turns on. In addition, the development of the UniPhier single chip LSI makes it possible to pack an entire video signal processing circuit onto a single chip. This helps lower power consumption, reduces the number of parts needed and allows for a more compact design.

What’s in the Box
Panasonic DMP-BD70V, Remote control (batteries included), A/V cable, Power supply cord

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