Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-Ray Player

This is my second foray into High-Def DVDs - the first being a Toshiba HD-A3. This is a significant improvement.

The unit is sleek and black, with a nicely dimmed display. A KITT-like blue eye peeks from the top of the case. A front panel flips down to reveal some controls and a SD card slot for showing off the family pictures. The unit is very quiet and unobtrusive. It fires up quickly - something that seems to be a rarity these days - and discs start spinning immediately. I looked at this model and the Sony S500, which is a little fancier but doesn't offer the latest Bluray standard.

The remote is modestly sized and has convenient buttons for most of the usual functions. The buttons are nicely sized for those of us with big fingers and the control (play, pause, etc.) are easy to see and find.

I have been very pleased with this unit. It does a good job cleaning up, without compromising detail, older grainy DVDs and provides very crisp sound and picture on Bluray discs. The unit is quick to respond to commands and the on-screen menus/display are very helpful and informative. The suite of connections is very good, including a 5.1 output, although there are some limitations regarding decoding. This isn't a big deal to most people - especially those with current HDMI-capable receivers.

For those of you with households that refuse to turn off appliances, Panasonic includes an automatic shutoff timer. Panasonic didn't include an internet connection, which didn't bother me much. Your mileage may vary.

I think I'm a little rare in that I owned both an HD-DVD and Bluray player in the last couple of months. Both formats are good. I haven't found much in the way of any significan differences between them, other than the fire sale prices on HD-DVD hardware and discs. Here are my key observations so far:
1. The difference between 1080i and 1080p is mostly dependent on the equipment. If you have a 720p TV, don't worry about it. If you have a 1080p TV, then the upconversion - either on the player or the TV - will be the deciding factor.
2. There is a wide range of performance from different discs. Transformers is EPIC in HD. Most of the older ones, not so much. Blade Runner is like a whole new movie.
3. Sound is an improvement. However, this is a second area where the player isn't a deciding factor. I use a full compliment of Definitive Technology speakers, Parasound preamp/amp, etc. and can hear a substantial difference. I haven't seen/heard any equipment at Circuit City or Best Buy that seems capable of capturing the difference between regular DVD and Bluray or HD-DVD.
4. Discs are still spendy. $30 a pop is a little ridiculous when regular DVDs are around for $10-20. Do your homework on specific discs. Many Bluray discs have very little in the way of improvement from their standard counterparts. Choose your Bluray discs carefully.

What do I like? The performance, ease of use, and the looks. A big selling point for me is the rapid startup.

What don't I like? Price is an opener. I gave $429, which is a pretty good price for Bluray, but certainly a biiiiig step up from a good upconverter.

Again, if you are a hardcore Home Theater person, go for it - but know going in that regular DVD still represents the best price/performance available.