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Panasonic provides excellent support via frequent firmware updates. I have had this for about 6 months and it is excellent. The picture quality and sound quality are both excellent.
Not sure if paying more for this one vs one of the cheaper blueray players was worth it either. Slightly annoyingly long time to start up when you turn it on. Simple to set up. Have it hooked up to my Pioneer Kuro 50" plasma and it looks beautiful. I just have this slightly nagging feeling that buying a blueray player was just a waste of money as compared to a regular DVD player or an AppleTV.
(Same comment for the Viera Link) If it weren't for the owner's manual, I would rate this product five-atars.I bought the Panasonic HD camcorder at the same time, and those instructions aren't much better. The instructions for even the simplest function are so convoluted that they are virtually impossible to understand.The Viera Link instructions are particularly difficult to follow, although one can gather that Viera Link is intended to simplefy thing. The basic instructions could be made much simpler. This player has outstanding audio and video quality. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the owner's manual was written for a total geek. They give you these incredibly complex instructions on how to edit scenes and burn a DVD, but the things most people want to do is make a video of their grandkids.
If you don't throw away all your regular dvds, I think the upconversion does make them look a little better. I know the BD-50 is more expensive, but you will be happy with the purchase. I don't think I will utilize all the BD-Live capabilities, but downloading new firmware is a nice feature. The sound quality will really blow you away.(I recommend the Matrix scene where Morpheus is rescued).The BD-50 is easy to set-up. The difference between blu-ray and regular dvds is not as big as the difference between HD and cable, but on this player there is a noticable improvement in the picture quality. I waited until all format BS subsided and for the new generation blu-rays to be released. One great surprise was the sound improvement. Also, photographers will enjoy the HCSD slot.
My unit seems to have issues with the BD-Live feature. This is the only trouble that I have had with the unit, the other features work like a charm. The picture quality and sound on this player are excellent. After numerous calls into Panasonic Tech Support, they were not able to solve the problem and it looks like I am going to have to send it in to the service center (on my own dime).
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