Hello all! I've just splashed out on a Panasonic 50" VT50, and I was wondering, while putting 3D aside and going on just performance, if I necessarily needed to upgrade my BD85 to perhaps a BDT500 inorder to match the new TV better? As most of us know, the BD85 has long been a discontinued model, and so has become a bit of a rarity (but still a fantastic machine and still updates accordingly and plays all my new discs), making me more reluctant to want sell it and upgrade to a supposedly "better" player. So, is it necessary to upgrade to the BDT500, BDT220 or even the BDT320 to compliment the VT50 better, or will my existing BD85 do just fine? Would really appreciate opinions. Thanks
Putting 3D aside, do I need an upgrade from the Panasonic DMPBD85 to a BDT500???
- Thread starter 1080p Suspect
- Start date
If you're only talking about Blu-ray performance, you won't gain anything, especially on a 50" TV.
The 500's DVD upscaling may be better, but any difference will be subtle at best. You'll only know through A/B testing the two BDPs.
The 500 will probably boot and load faster than the 85, and perhaps offers more smart features. However, the 500's smart features are identical to the VT50's, so you're not gaining anything there.
Unless you're bothered by boot up and disc loading speeds with the 85, I'd stick with what you've got. You say it's working perfectly, so I can see no reason to trade-in for another BDP (unless you're looking at spending lots of money and onboard digital to analogue audio conversion is a priority).
You can buy a lot of films for the cost of a new BDP, or book a weekend away...
The 500's DVD upscaling may be better, but any difference will be subtle at best. You'll only know through A/B testing the two BDPs.
The 500 will probably boot and load faster than the 85, and perhaps offers more smart features. However, the 500's smart features are identical to the VT50's, so you're not gaining anything there.
Unless you're bothered by boot up and disc loading speeds with the 85, I'd stick with what you've got. You say it's working perfectly, so I can see no reason to trade-in for another BDP (unless you're looking at spending lots of money and onboard digital to analogue audio conversion is a priority).
You can buy a lot of films for the cost of a new BDP, or book a weekend away...
So the difference between the two is minimal in terms of performance? Wonder how interested people would be in a BD85? Pansonic have discontinued it as I said. I've used it only 20-30 times, it's in near new condition, I don't move it around, it just sits boldly on my glass shelf. I just wanted to upgrade to a 2012 model player, as the VT50 is a 2012 model TV. I was before using the V20 TV with my BD85 until I bought a VT50 yesterday.
bigboss
Moderator
Agree with strapped here. I have compared 3 players at different price points and found no difference in blu ray picture performance.
For blu ray pictures, no difference.
For DVD upscaling, there may be a difference which is likely to be minimal. Can only be confirmed by a demo comparison.
For sound, it depends on what's the rest of your system like. If only TV audio, no difference. If via HDMi to an AV receiver & the receiver decoding audio, no difference. If the player decoding audio, there may be a difference which is likely to be minimal (depending on the quality of your speakers if it can bring out the difference). Again, a head to head comparison is needed.
If I were you, I would keep the BD85. I don't see any sense in upgrading. If you still want to sell your BD85 for a newer player, bear in mind that trading is strictly forbidden on this forum as per house rules.
For blu ray pictures, no difference.
For DVD upscaling, there may be a difference which is likely to be minimal. Can only be confirmed by a demo comparison.
For sound, it depends on what's the rest of your system like. If only TV audio, no difference. If via HDMi to an AV receiver & the receiver decoding audio, no difference. If the player decoding audio, there may be a difference which is likely to be minimal (depending on the quality of your speakers if it can bring out the difference). Again, a head to head comparison is needed.
If I were you, I would keep the BD85. I don't see any sense in upgrading. If you still want to sell your BD85 for a newer player, bear in mind that trading is strictly forbidden on this forum as per house rules.
bigboss
Moderator
1080p Suspect said:
I'm sorry, but I see absolutely no sense in this argument. You will not gain anything in terms of performance. Manufacturers do not optimise blu ray players to "perform better" with same generation TVs. They're even made in different factories, and possibly different countries by different teams.
Ok. Thanks for all advice and opinions. I was not planning to trade on here, I'm well aware of the house rules. Thanks again.
At this point no.
As for Picture and Sound - the only time you will be able to achieve better sound, or have a legitimate upgrade, is if you buy a high end player and utilise the analogue outputs, otherwise if you are simply going to use HDMI, then save your money for something else.
As for Picture and Sound - the only time you will be able to achieve better sound, or have a legitimate upgrade, is if you buy a high end player and utilise the analogue outputs, otherwise if you are simply going to use HDMI, then save your money for something else.
bigboss said:
As I painfully found out - My LX54 was not even a pioneer built machine, it was Sharp with the Pioneer badge :wall:
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