Panasonic DMP-BDT310 What Hi-Fi review - notice excessive noise levels from the player?

[micks_address]

Hi Folks,

Just wondering - I have my BDT310 since Friday night and its a noisy beast when spinning discs. Did the reviewer notice any noise from the review unit? I wonder is it worth bringing back and exchanging for new one? I've found in the past these things tend to be the same with all units, just people perception of noise levels are different.

Cheers,
Mick

 

[Andrew Everard]

If we had done, it would certainly have been mentioned in the review.

 

[micks_address]

Thanks Andrew, I suppose then it comes down to ones perception of 'excessive' Noise from players etc has always bothered me.. i fought with the ps3 for years to get a quieter model.. eventually putting it in the next room and running the hdmi through a wall to get a silent experience.. i would say the bdt310 i have is around the same noise level as a ps3 slim.. what would you suggest i do? Just ignore it or maybe look for a replacement?

i'm toying with going for an Oppo BD 93 as i need dual HDMI but i cant really afford one at the moment..

Cheers, Mick

 

[Andrew Everard]

Not having used the Panasonic in question, I'm really in no position to judge whether the noise is acceptable or not. Sorry.

 

[micks_address]

any chance the reviewer could comment?

Cheers,
Mick

 

[Simon Lucas]

I'm not the only reviewer of the 310 (obviously), but I've been using it a fair bit in the last week or so and I don't find it at all noisy even when it's on a rack right behind my head.

 

[micks_address]

Thanks Simon,

can i ask if you know if 'quick start' is enabled on the player? I have a feeling it might be something to do with that.. also would you suggest i should try a replacement? The shop i bought had 3 in stock - i assume they would be from the same batch.. no harm in trying anyway i suppose.. im very happy with the player otherwise

Cheers,

Mick

 

[Simon Lucas]

If I could hear it from across the room, Mick, I'd want it replaced. The 'quick start' on ours is off, but that's a 'safety-first' thing on our part - we tend to disable any non-essential features to give a product a fighting chance.

 

[micks_address]

Thanks Simon,

Yep in quiet scenes with dialog i can defintely hear it whirring away.. of course in action scenes with the sound up its not an issue... i'll try with the 'quick start' off tonight just for the heck of it.. and then it'll be off for a replacement

Cheers for your help/input

Thanks,
Michael

If I could hear it from across the room, Mick, I'd want it replaced. The 'quick start' on ours is off, but that's a 'safety-first' thing on our part - we tend to disable any non-essential features to give a product a fighting chance.

 

[micks_address]

Early days but turning off 'quick start seems to have helped.. maybe with it on the fans run more or something... of course real rest will be later when kids are in bed... really want to keep this player for the sake of marital peace ....

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mick,I have the pana 310 and it is totally quiet and that is sitting 3 meters away.
The noise from my ps3 on quiet scenes was the reason that I chose a standalone player.
P.s totally happy with 50 VT 30 aswell.

 

[micks_address]

Thank Simon,

Its back to the shop with my 310 this evening.. it reved like a car engine for the first 20 minutes of the extened two towers blu-ray last night.. its like a hair drier.. it does settle down a bit.. but i cant live with the intial turbo blast.. i really hope i can get a quiet one as i cant afford an alternative dual hdmi option at the moment.

Cheers,
Mick

Hi Mick,I have the pana 310 and it is totally quiet and that is sitting 3 meters away. The noise from my ps3 on quiet scenes was the reason that I chose a standalone player. P.s totally happy with 50 VT 30 aswell.

 

[micks_address]

Hi Simon,

Can I ask - have you applied the most recent firmware updates to the player?

Cheers,

Mick

Hi Mick,I have the pana 310 and it is totally quiet and that is sitting 3 meters away. The noise from my ps3 on quiet scenes was the reason that I chose a standalone player. P.s totally happy with 50 VT 30 aswell.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mick,I have only updated my player once when I had it new(6 may)what firmware are you showing. I would suggest a replacement as my player is very quiet to the point were I can't hear it.

 

[micks_address]

hi Simon,

Yes going for a new player tonight.. i'm just worried that the shop might have a fault batch or something - they only had three in stock in total.. can i ask if you use the two HDMI outs on your player and if you have 'quick start' on/off?

Does the drive in your player whir mad when you put in a new disc and then settle down or is it pretty much silent all the time?

Cheers,
Mick

Hi Mick,I have only updated my player once when I had it new(6 may)what firmware are you showing. I would suggest a replacement as my player is very quiet to the point were I can't hear it.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mick,yes I have the dual hdmi outs in use and Q/start is not in use.
My player is totally quiet from start to finish.
Go get a new 310 you will be happier.

 

[micks_address]

Hi Simon auditioned a new 310 in the shop and same story.. so got a refund. Not sure what to do now... obviously both players were probably from the same manufacturing batch...

 

[micks_address]

well in the end I've ordered the Oppo BD93, Andrew can I ask a question in relation to reviews? If a product is given say 5 stars - is the award relative to the price of the product and other players in that price bracket? If say a product thats twice the price only gets 4 stars - would you say the cheaper product is superior based on the amount of stars awarded?

I suppose what I'm trying to figure out is if the Oppo BD93 would be regarded as inferior to the Pansonic BD310 which is a 5 star product?

Thanks,
Mick

 

[professorhat]

It's pretty much certain that a 4 star rated product which is twice the price of a 5 star rated product would outperform it - if it didn't, the 4 star rating could not be justified. However, everyone's perception on value for money is different, so you'd need to see the two in action before you could say that was definitely true for yourself.

The only exception I can think is if the product was given 4 stars a while back and a new product came out later at half the price which outperformed it and was therefore awarded 5 stars. Were the original 4 star product re-reviewed, it would then most likely drop stars as a result of this new product. However, this isn't going to be true in your case.

 

[micks_address]

I got my Oppo BD 93 yesterday, delighted so far, ok its 3 times the price of the BDT310 (almost when you take shipping into account) but its built like and looks like a tank compared to the 310.. very happy with the noise levels so far, and the ability to play mkvs properly from ntfs formatted drives is very handy.. delighted so far with picture and audio quality from blu-ray

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, I have recently upgraded to the 310 from a Sony . I sit next to my equipment rack whne watching a movie. So far I have not noticed any noise that i would describe as excessive. When its loading up a disc there are the usual 'whirring' noises but once playback begins , Nothing !

 

[Anonymous]

Even the cheaper BDT110 is silent during films, although it whirrs a bit during the menu stuff. What I did notice though is that what you place it on or under can have a huge effect on noise and a slight adjustment can make all the difference.

 

[PoisonJam]

I found this thread Googling for this specific issue.

I just got my BDT310 in the January sales and the latest update is installed. At first I had 'quick start' on but the constant noise when I powered up, no matter what activity, was driving me nuts. Now I've disabled that it helps overall but it's still too noisy for my tastes during quiet scenes. I've noticed it's especially noisy at the start of the movie and gradually quietens - I assume the disc is having to spin faster for the inner/outer layers (whichever end players start from).

I completely agree that noise is very subjective and I'm somewhat sceptical this is sample specific. I have built a fanless custom PC because I simply don't tolerate noise. This is also one of the reasons I have a standalone BR player on my kit rack alongside my slim PS3, which I consider too noisy. The Sony BDPS350 I upgraded from had a lot of vibration but I put Acoustifeet on the bottom and that fixed it completely. There was still a disc whirring noise present but it was a lot less obtrusive than the Panasonic, which is of a much higher and irritating frequency. With the Panasonic vibration isn't an issue at all - I raised the player during playback so it was decoupled and it still has the exact same noise character. It's disc noise alone.

 

[micks_address]

agreed - it was the disc spining - i just couldnt live with it - the Oppo is whisper quiet in comparison.. my son got a ps3 for christmas and its ok in terms of noise levels but i still dont think i could live with it as my main player..

I found this thread Googling for this specific issue.

I just got my BDT310 in the January sales and the latest update is installed. At first I had 'quick start' on but the constant noise when I powered up, no matter what activity, was driving me nuts. Now I've disabled that it helps overall but it's still too noisy for my tastes during quiet scenes. I've noticed it's especially noisy at the start of the movie and gradually quietens - I assume the disc is having to spin faster for the inner/outer layers (whichever end players start from).

I completely agree that noise is very subjective and I'm somewhat sceptical this is sample specific. I have built a fanless custom PC because I simply don't tolerate noise. This is also one of the reasons I have a standalone BR player on my kit rack alongside my slim PS3, which I consider too noisy. The Sony BDPS350 I upgraded from had a lot of vibration but I put Acoustifeet on the bottom and that fixed it completely. There was still a disc whirring noise present but it was a lot less obtrusive than the Panasonic, which is of a much higher and irritating frequency. With the Panasonic vibration isn't an issue at all - I raised the player during playback so it was decoupled and it still has the exact same noise character. It's disc noise alone.

 

[Anonymous]

Chalk me up for another one with noise issues - only seems to be on DVD playback. I'd replaced a 110 with the 310 as I had issue with 24P playbacl on the 110 . Would rather not have bought another Panasonic product as the technical support on the 110 was woeful, but the 310 was the only commercialy sensible option for multiregion bluray.

I've had it for a month or two, but haven't played many DVDs. Horrible high pitched whir, that is audible above dialogue from 10 feet away. Will have to call Richer Sounds tomorrow to complain and return it. Suspect that this time it will be the last Panasonic product I buy.....