Panasonic first with profile 1.1 Blu-ray player

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HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. A group of 50 online and international journalists visiting Panasonic Hollywood Labs October 30 as part of a two-day Blu-ray media event were treated to an unveiling of Panasonic's third-generation Blu-ray player, which will be available on November 12 at a suggested retail price of $499.95.

The DMP-BD30 will be the first Blu-ray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features to the Blu-ray arena and separates Panasonic Blu-ray players from the rest of the field.

Final Standard Profile includes the ability to play Picture-in-Picture (PIP) and Audio Mixing, which allows switching between the main and sub windows. Fox is already working on titles that will showcase PIP, with scheduled 2008 PIP releases including "Sunshine."

Journalists were shown a demonstration of the PIP function, as well as side-by-side comparisons between the new BD30 and the BD10. The new machine (a slim-looking inch shorter in length and height than the BD10) was clearly able to capture more detail. In another demonstration, a split screen showing the master of a film and the BD30 playback were nearly indistinguishable. Journalists were invited to guess which was the master, and it was a coin toss for most. What's more, watching "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver" side-by-side on 50" Panasonic Plasma TVs--one a Blu-ray disc playback, the other a standard DVD upconverted--it became clear that one of the most impressive features on this new Panasonic player is its superior ability to upconvert older DVDs.

The BD30 comes with an SD slot that loads quickly and plays a slideshow with the touch of a button, complete with music, similar to iphoto. The SD Memory Card slot allows for playback of High Definition content recorded in the AVCHD format, and also allows for viewing of digital still images from cameras using SD Memory Cards. Enhanced digital interactivity was a goal, and Panasonic officials connected their new 1080p digtital camera to the unit with a cable and playback was a crisp and sharp as the best Blu-ray releases.

"Panasonic believes that High Definition is a lifestyle" that goes beyond watching movies in HD, said Gene Kelsey, Vice President, Panasonic Entertainment Group. He said that the new BD30 gives consumers a chance to not just watch Blu-ray discs, but also to create HD photos and films of their own for playback.

Technicological advances for the BD30 include Deep Color Compatitibility and HDMI 1.3, which bumps the step gradation from 8-bit 256 all the way up to 12-bit, 4,096 step gradation. The BD30 also provides 1080/24p playback so viewers can enjoy the same reproduction as the original movie (24 frames per second).

The new BD30 also includes a function called EZ-Synch HDAVI Control, which enables consumers to consolidate their Panasonic home theater system with a single remote. At a social event the previous day, a Panasonic executive said to expect more "bundling" of products to make it difficult for consumers to resist.

I have to say that I was impressed, as were the other journalists in attendance. You always hear that a product is "next generation," but in this case, that cliche is true.

Established in 1992, Panasonic Hollywood Labs focused on finding ways to accommodate the evolving High Definition technology. They were involved in the development of MPEG 2 as a compression/conversion format, and now channel 95 percent of their energies and talents on Blu-ray.

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