Budget Blu-ray Players

Blu-ray on a budget entails some compromises

Among less expensive Blu-ray players, the Panasonic DMP-BD60K (*Est. $220) stands out as a top choice. Pricing varies widely, but with careful shopping, the DMP-BD60K can often be snagged for under $200. While you won't find features such as a Wi-Fi network link or analog audio outputs in this Panasonic Blu-ray player, you will find solid picture quality and reliable performance, albeit at a somewhat slower pace than some other Blu-ray players.

The Panasonic DMP-BD60K is a BD Live player (see our What to Look For page for an explanation), but that compliance comes with a few catches. For one, since there's no Wi-Fi, you'll need to run an Ethernet connection to the player. Second, Panasonic doesn't build in the required memory, which means you'll need to add it yourself via an SD memory card, which is not included. You'll also find Internet streaming, though not all critics are impressed with Viera Cast, Panasonic's approach to that feature.

Even with all of these caveats, that's a pretty impressive list of features considering the DMP-BD60K's price. However, what's truly impressive is this Panasonic Blu-ray player's picture quality. The Panasonic DMP-BD60K has been tested by CNET, PCMag.com, Home Theater magazine, Sound & Vision magazine and others, and all concur that there are essentially no nits to pick with Blu-ray performance. DVD performance is also rock solid for a Blu-ray player in this price range, though purists might want to look elsewhere -- and be prepared to spend much more. Even so, Home Theater's Kris Deering seems to sum up the consensus when he writes, "You'd be pretty hard-pressed to find material of any kind, standard def or high def, that doesn't look great on this player."

In terms of performance, the Panasonic DMP-BD60K isn't bad compared to yesterday's Blu-ray Disc players. However, it is certainly left in the dust by many current ones. There is a quick-start mode that's designed to speed things up a bit, but Robert Heron at PCMag.com complains that using it notably increases standby energy consumption. Additionally, in a comparison of three budget players, Sound & Vision calls the Panasonic DMP-BD60K "sluggish" compared to the others, even with Quick Start turned on.

The Panasonic DMP-BD60K includes onboard decoders for the latest lossless formats -- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio -- and can send them as PCM over HDMI to newer home theater receivers equipped with the appropriate HDMI inputs (see our What to Look For page if this jargon leaves you confused). The player also can bitstream that audio via HDMI to newer audiovisual receivers that have their own decoders. Unfortunately, the lack of analog audio outputs means owners of older home theater receivers will be restricted to older, less ideal audio formats. Panasonic does offer the step-up DMP-BD80K (*Est. $300), which includes 7.1-channel audio outputs, but that player is considerably pricier and offers few other significant improvements. Experts say that while the Panasonic DMP-BD80K is a good player, others that sell at around the same price are just as good and offer more features.

Though street prices are a little higher, the Samsung BD-P1600 (*Est. $250) is also a consideration among lower-priced Blu-ray players. We found split decisions regarding it. CNET rates the BD-P1600 a bit higher than the Panasonic DMP-BD60K on the strength of its better features. Sound & Vision also likes the feature set on the BD-P1600, but Al Griffin says of its Panasonic competitor, "If I were shopping for a Blu-ray player, it would be at the top of my list."

Features-wise, there are a lot of similarities between the two Blu-ray players. Audio capabilities are similar, and neither has analog audio outputs. Both are BD Live-ready, but need the addition of memory (in the form of a USB flash drive). Wi-Fi is not built in, but unlike the Panasonic DMP-BD60K, it can be added via a dongle; the catch is that the dongle sells for $80, which raises the price out of the budget range. In fact, CNET says that if you do want a Samsung Blu-ray Disc player with Wi-Fi, stepping up to the Samsung BD-P3600 with its additional features makes much more sense.

Picture quality with Blu-ray Discs is pristine, all critics say. When it comes to standard-definition DVDs, however, the Samsung BD-P1600 stumbles a little. At CNET, Matthew Moskovciak says that standard-definition performance isn't terrible, but when compared head-to-head he favors the Panasonic "as it had a slightly cleaner and sharper look to it."

The Samsung BD-P1600 has a clear edge in most reviewers' eyes when it comes to operational speed. The design is attractive, with controls and the disc tray hidden under a flip-open panel. However, not all reviewers were impressed, with Moskovciak complaining the panel has to be manually flipped down to make adjustments and that it can't close if a USB drive is plugged into the front panel port (there's a second port on the rear panel as well). All reviewers prefer the video streaming options on the BD-P1600, which includes Netflix.com as a content provider.

One danger sign: We saw numerous user reviews reporting lockup problems with the BD-P1600 following a firmware update. Sound & Vision reports a similar issue with its initial review unit, but that a replacement worked flawlessly.

Very inexpensive players selling for substantially below $200 are also available. One example is the Insignia NS-BDLIVE01 (*Est. $150), which appears to be identical to the company's previous NS-2BRDVD, but with a firmware update to bring it into BD Live compliance. The update is also available to owners of the older Insignia Blu-ray player. (Insignia is Best Buy's house brand.)

We've seen no hands-on professional reviews of the Insignia Blu-ray player as of yet, but the Insignia NS-2BRDVD has been widely covered. In general, Blu-ray playback is acceptable; some bobbles are noted, but most are minor enough to escape the notice of all but the pickiest of viewers. DVD playback is notably poorer, though still good enough for noncritical viewing.

Features are essentially nonexistent. You won't find any kind of video streaming, a Wi-Fi connection, or even onboard decoding of any advanced audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, but the NS-BDLIVE01 is capable of bit-streaming those formats for decoding by an appropriately equipped home theater receiver. If you want to enjoy BD Live functionality, you'll need to add 1 GB of memory yourself (via a USB flash drive). Overall performance of the NS-2BRDVD is considered slow compared to most other players -- and we don't expect things have improved greatly with the slightly upgraded Insignia NS-BDLIVE01.