Audio Video News

Panasonic has announced the introduction of its next generation Blu-ray player, the $499 DMP-BD30. It is claimed to be the first Blu-ray player to support the Blu-ray Final Standard Profile (BD-ROM Profile 1.1). This will enable it to access and play streaming picture-in-picture special features in upcoming Blu-ray titles, as well as audio mixing enabling switching between main- and sub-windows.

The player is not, however, BD-ROM Profile 2 capable, nor will it be upgradeable to that spec according to the information we were given. BD-ROM Profile 2, which will be required for "BD Live" interactivity enables downloading special features from the Web, including interactive features. Players must have Ethernet connectivity and 1GB of local storage to meet this spec.

The DMP-BD30 is equipped with HDMI 1.3, offers 1080p/24 playback, is compatible with Panasonic's EX-Sync HDAVI Control feature which allows control of a Panasonic home theater system from a single remote. It's also capable of bitstreaming Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks on to an AV receiver or pre-pro.

The player also has a front-panel slot that accommodates playback of both still and full motion video (including HD video such as from an HD camcorder) from a compatible SD memory card.