Expert Review:
Panasonic's DMP-BDT210 shows the steady march of progress in this industry, with an increasing number of features packed in to a sleek package with a reasonable price tag. This 3D-capable Blu-ray player comes with integrated Wi-Fi, and is ready for content streaming from major sources such as Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Instant, Vudu, and CinemaNow. Fans of Hulu Plus and MLB.tv will have to look elsewhere for their fix, as the DMP-BDT210 does not offer content from those services. All of the content streaming is accessed by the Viera Cast interface, which is set up in a quick and intuitive layout. Skype makes an appearance here, with a well-integrated solution that can turn your living room into a video conference hall. The DMP-BDT210 also features DLNA certification, so playing back content from a PC attached to your network is an effortless deal. The DMP-BDT210 can access MP3, MKV, and JPEG files from a networked computer or through a connected USB flash drive. Whichever way you look at it, the DMP-BDT210 is more than just a simple movie disc player.
The DMP-BDT210 features an interesting design touch that can come across as a massive convenience or a marketing gimmick: a touch-free sensor for opening the disc tray. Waving your hand over the sensor flips down the entire front panel of the player and ejects the disc tray, which can simplify operation if your hands are full. Alternatively, this feature can be disabled if you find it annoying. As with any current Blu-ray disc player, video quality is high and leaves very little to be desired. Unlike many other BD players, the DMP-BDT210 is quick to load up movies and just about eliminates the frustrating wait times that plague the competition. On the other hand, while the initial load process is satisfyingly quick, the DMP-BDT210 can become bogged down while navigating menus. For some, this may be a worthwhile trade-off. 3D Blu-ray discs are supported, and the DMP-BDT210 upconverts standard-definition DVDs for better picture quality. Both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats are supported, so audio quality is superb.
While the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 is extraordinary value for money, it does have its share of faults. Due to the new 2011 AACS regulations which severely limit component video output, Panasonic has instead elected to eliminate this format altogether. This means trouble for owners of older HDTVs which are not equipped with HDMI ports. A quality A/V receiver can be a viable work-around if you don't mind dealing with a mess of wires to connect the BD player to the receiver via HDMI, then connecting the receiver to your TV using component cables. You may also be surprised to find that the DMP-BDT210 does not feature any on-board memory. It offers a single SD card slot instead, forcing you to source your own SD card for storage. The USB port can come in handy, but is inconveniently placed behind the flip-down front panel. However, these minor annoyances can easily be overlooked when considering that the DMP-BDT210 offers top-notch performance, fast initial load times, and an excellent feature set which is impossible to match for the price.
