Panasonic Blu-ray players add Amazon VOD
CES: Company also unveils first portable, VHS/BD units
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 1/7/2009
JAN. 7 | Panasonic is adding several twists to its 2009 slate of Blu-ray Disc set-top players, including Amazon Video On Demand streaming, portability and—in one of the stranger announcements from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week—VHS playback capabilities.
Panasonic’s DMP-BD70V is a hybrid Blu-ray/VHS model.
Panasonic's four new BD Live-enabled players will all come equipped with the manufacturer's branded Viera Cast Web connectivity technology, which will offer streaming content from Amazon’s VOD service for the first time. Other available Web programming will come from YouTube, Google’s Picasa Web Album, Bloomberg and a weather channel, which have been featured within certain Panasonic Viera Cast TV models launched last year.
This year will mark a time when many Blu-ray player manufacturers are supporting such third-party streaming services. Samsung is backing players that access Netflix, and LG is behind players with both Netflix and CinemaNow programming availability.
All of Panasonic's players also are built to reduce power consumption. They feature ‘Auto Power Stand-By,’ which automatically turns off the player when you return to TV viewing through the Viera menu.
Billed as the world’s first portable Blu-ray player, Panasonic’s DMP-BD15 features an 8.9-inch LCD screen and is slated to bow in May. The model comes with a three-hour rechargeable battery and can be used either on-the-go or hooked up to an HDTV with a HDMI cable. A headrest mounting bracket also is included for in-car viewing.
Panasonic promises its portable technology creates a high-quality viewing experience, but the images will be further enhanced when the player is hooked into a 1080p Viera HDTV, the company says.
The company’s Blu-ray portable aggression matches its strategies during the launch of the standard DVD format.
“As a pioneer in the development of DVD and Blu-ray expertise, Panasonic has always been in the forefront of cutting edge, consumer friendly technology,” said Richard Simone, director of Panasonic Entertainment Group. “Panasonic was the first company to bring to market a portable DVD player and stand-alone Blu-ray players featuring Bonus View [picture-in-picture functionality] and BD Live. [Blu-ray] introduced the consumer to the ultimate entertainment experience available in the living room. Now, with the introduction of Panasonic’s unique portable Blu-ray player, that experience can travel with the consumer.”
Also on deck is Panasonic’s VHS/Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD70V. The company describes it as the world’s first such hybrid format model. LG had previously promoted dual HD DVD and Blu-ray players, but since the end of the format war in early 2008, manufacturers have been launching straight Blu-ray players with standard-definition DVD compatibility.
Panasonic hasn’t detailed a street date for its combo format player or for its two upcoming straight Blu-ray Viera Cast models, the DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80. Pricing is not yet available for any of the four new players.
The DMP-BD60 has improved on Panasonic’s most recent entry model, the DMP-BD35, with a 10% power reduction. Its higher-end DMP-BD80 offers 7.1 channel analog to replicate the movie theater 7.1 surround sound experience.
“With the expansion of the unique Viera Cast functionality and the introduction of the industry’s first dual VHS/Blu-ray deck, Panasonic’s 2009 line cements our position as technology leaders and places Panasonic in the forefront of the Blu-ray arena,” said Simone.
