I had the PIoneer elite bdp05fd machine and got angered that Pioneer kept promising an update for dts master audio for months. I got rid of it and bought this machine. This player is a 5! No matter how much money you spend on a dvd blu ray player this minute you are not going to beat it...period! Picture is excellent with enough adjustments to tweak and audio is superb. This player was voted in the top 20 products in Sound and Vision magazine and is certified and highly recommended! I am picky and it passed my expectations! Buy it on Ebay because they dont sell it in the store anymore. Panasonic last fall goofed and didnt manufacture enough never expecting they were so great and would sell out! Yes it has DTS Master audio playback right out of the box and firmware can be updated right over the internet with a broadband connection. Yes it is a profile 2.0 player! It plays sd cards too in high def from your digital camera and video recorded from the new hd camcorders that use sd cards to record video on! One more thing.....it has analog 7.1 outputs for older non hdmi receivers....wow! In fact it has almost everything!

My first Blu-Ray player, I waited a while until the prices dropped and the technologies advanced. I works great and I bought from Circuit City as it was closing-down so I saved a bunch of the regular price! Anyway CNEt loved this machine and that is what convinced me to go with it...

Blu-Ray, DTS-HD, easy to use, an array of customization, and aesthetically pleasing.

The fan is a bit loud, and slow to get movie playing.

I currently own a PS3 80GB and previously purchased the Sony 350. I have since taken the 350 back in exchange for the Panasonic. I (along with friends and relatives) have had poor experiences with Sony's DVD players life exoectancy. The Sony's have died resulting in going out and purchasing yet another DVD player to replace it.
Between the PS3, the 350 and the BD55 the Panasonic wins hands down. Despite the extra $100 and the fact that the PS3 is a faster player the Panasonic still wins hands down and was money well spent. I prefer not only the menus on the Panasonic but the DTS-HD is AWESOME.
I have a Samsung 52" 750 LCD, a DENON receiver and now the BD55. I have watched The Incredible Hulk, Die Hard, Die Hard Live Free or Die Hard, and the Clone Wars Cartoon movie and all look amazing. The audio is top notch and this is a DVD player that should last me at least 5 years.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 350
PS3