Sony vs Panny

[itschris]

I've seen a bunch of stuff about each... here and in the mags, but no head to head comparisons. The 350 and 35 and 550 and 55 are about the same in price. I'm wondering which is the better player. I'm also wondering if they'll do upconverting better than my Oppo 980.

Thoughts and 2 cents?

[Adam]

Prepare thyself for the next round of, "But, Chris...buy a PS3!" :)

BTW, as you can tell, I don't have any actual feedback of value for you. Sorry. :o

[jostenmeat]

I'd go with Panasonic. The step up model (and this goes for the Sony step-up model as well) will be identical in video; you just get more audio support, such as m-ch analogs.

Pana owns most of the patents associated with BD. They have excellent FW support. Their track record is very good. In the recent shootout (http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47892) I linked here, the older Pana BD-50 was the only player that passed every HQV test. Not the S350, not the PS3.

I can only imagine that the newer models will be better, not worse. Only complaint about the Pana was it exhibited the most shift in color points.

as for upconversion vs Oppo, ya got me there. All I will say is after you get used to the BIG jump in PQ, you're probably not even going to care. Seriously. I've compared DVD playback between Denon, Toshiba, and Panasonic on my own display, and subtle differences are there . . . but I don't watch DVD anymore.

Differences between upconversion quality between players vs BD and DVD are not even comparable, IMO.

edit: allargon brought up an interesting point about the S350. If its connected via SPDIF only, it is not able to transcode PCM to DD/DTS. See his post here (http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=473277#post473277). Granted, I wouldn't lose any sleep over the titles mentioned . . .

[j_garcia]

I would say the upscaling will be comparable but not quite as good as the 980, however as jostenmeat mentions, once you start watching BDs, you won't be watching your SD DVDs for long.

[speakerman39]

I would say the upscaling will be comparable but not quite as good as the 980, however as jostenmeat mentions, once you start watching BDs, you won't be watching your SD DVDs for long.
I am sure that is the case John. Do you believe that the BR picture is better than on your Toshiba when watching regular dvds? My A-3 does a very good job and almost as good as HD DVD. Just curious is all. Thanks go out to both you and Jost for the very helpful info.

Cheers,

Phil

[itschris]

Thanks guys. I was looking at the Panny player yesterday. It's kinda ugly.

The guy in the Magnolia section at Best Buy told me to wait until after Thanksgiving because they'll be a big discount on both the Sony, LG, Samsung, and Panny players. He thought the Sony 350 would sell go for $275. We'll see.

[j_garcia]

I am sure that is the case John. Do you believe that the BR picture is better than on your Toshiba when watching regular dvds? My A-3 does a very good job and almost as good as HD DVD. Just curious is all. Thanks go out to both you and Jost for the very helpful info.

Cheers,

Phil

Some titles looked almost as good upscaled, however the best looking BD and HD DVD titles there was no comparison between upscaled and true high def IMO. What I mean by that is some movies are relatively clean and look good upscaled, while others may have a less than stellar transfer in SD and they look even worse when upscaled.

[speakerman39]

Some titles looked almost as good upscaled, however the best looking BD and HD DVD titles there was no comparison between upscaled and true high def IMO. What I mean by that is some movies are relatively clean and look good upscaled, while others may have a less than stellar transfer in SD and they look even worse when upscaled.
I see, thanks for the info John. Do you feel as though I should hang on to my A-3 for the up-conversion of regular dvds because I am getting ready to oder a Panny BD35??? In other words, what would you do John?

Cheers,

Phil

[j_garcia]

That is a tough call. IMO the upscaling will probably be good enough with the BD-35 that it would be worth it to me to have the benefits of Blu since there are no more HD DVDs coming out. I guess it depends on how many HD DVDs you have and whether or not you are still buying them at the currently reduced prices? If you have a lot of movies, I'd keep it. If you don't, then I don't see much to hold you back if upscaling is the only thing.

[jostenmeat]

Thanks guys. I was looking at the Panny player yesterday. It's kinda ugly.

If willing to sacrifice both PQ and audio flexibility via SPDIF, then have at your prettier player.

The guy in the Magnolia section at Best Buy told me to wait until after Thanksgiving because they'll be a big discount on both the Sony, LG, Samsung, and Panny players. He thought the Sony 350 would sell go for $275. We'll see.

If you've been following my posts, you could have got it for $250 a month ago, and that's before the free $50 coupon towards WB titles, free shipping on all.

I see, thanks for the info John. Do you feel as though I should hang on to my A-3 for the up-conversion of regular dvds because I am getting ready to oder a Panny BD35??? In other words, what would you do John?

Cheers,

Phil

Why don't you simply compare them, and then go from there? My guess is you're not going to care very much, but ya never know.

[speakerman39]

That is a tough call. IMO the upscaling will probably be good enough with the BD-35 that it would be worth it to me to have the benefits of Blu since there are no more HD DVDs coming out. I guess it depends on how many HD DVDs you have and whether or not you are still buying them at the currently reduced prices? If you have a lot of movies, I'd keep it. If you don't, then I don't see much to hold you back if upscaling is the only thing.
Great-I will keep all of this in mind. Appreciate your input. ;);)

Cheers,

Phil

[speakerman39]

If willing to sacrifice both PQ and audio flexibility via SPDIF, then have at your prettier player.



If you've been following my posts, you could have got it for $250 a month ago, and that's before the free $50 coupon towards WB titles, free shipping on all.



Why don't you simply compare them, and then go from there? My guess is you're not going to care very much, but ya never know.
Sounds like a great idea Jost. I will compare them for a while to see if it is actually worth keeping my A-3. Who knows, might just keep my A-3. ;);)

Cheers,

Phil

[itschris]

I'll likely go with whatever's cheapest. i wouldn't buy one or the other solely on looks alone, but I do like the Sony. I'm going to replace this in a year or two anyway so I don't really care one way or the other.

I'm just hooking up HDMI, so I think either play will work fine for me.

[speakerman39]

I'll likely go with whatever's cheapest. i wouldn't buy one or the other solely on looks alone, but I do like the Sony. I'm going to replace this in a year or two anyway so I don't really care one way or the other.

I'm just hooking up HDMI, so I think either play will work fine for me.
Chris, I agree the Sony's do look much better which is always a plus. Besides, you got a great deal on the 350 anyways. ;);) Congrats on doing so my friend. That may have swayed me to do just the same, but I have already ordered the Panny BD35k. Oh well, we all live and learn.

Cheers,

Phil

[PENG]

Chris, I agree the Sony's do look much better which is always a plus. Besides, you got a great deal on the 350 anyways. ;);) Congrats on doing so my friend. That may have swayed me to do just the same, but I have already ordered the Panny BD35k. Oh well, we all live and learn.

Cheers,

Phil

I read a recent review on the Sony and learnt that it could not decode DTS-MA. That means for some bonus view material you have to compromise because bitstream does not support mixing of the audio tracks. So be happy with the Panny, it seems like the best choice available on the market right now.

[Gov]

Just hooked up my new Panny BD30 to my Pioneer SC-05 today. Popped in The Hulk just for a quick listen, WOW DTS-MA sounded very nice. I can't wait to watch the whole movie!

[itschris]

I read a recent review on the Sony and learnt that it could not decode DTS-MA. That means for some bonus view material you have to compromise because bitstream does not support mixing of the audio tracks. So be happy with the Panny, it seems like the best choice available on the market right now.

I just picked up the Sony for $200. Couldn't pass it up. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I ever watched any bonus material on a disc. I'm not terribly concerned about it. If I do feel the need, I'll have already watched the flick and won't care that I don't have the full audio resolution.

I have the Elite 94 which can decode everything, so that's not a big deal either. Besides, I was waiting and looking for a player as a stop gap between now and say 2 years from now when players will likely be much improved in every way. Already it seems each generation surpasses the prior not just in features and ability, but PQ as well. So in a couple of years, I move this player to the bedroom and pick up a high end player when it's money better well spent.

Thanks for the pointing that out, however, because you raise a very important limitation on players that can't do the decoding themselves.

[speakerman39]

I read a recent review on the Sony and learnt that it could not decode DTS-MA. That means for some bonus view material you have to compromise because bitstream does not support mixing of the audio tracks. So be happy with the Panny, it seems like the best choice available on the market right now.
Great Peng, this is good to hear. It will be here this coming Tuesday. My Denon 2808 CI just got here today. Things are looking up! :):) You know, I probably will need your help getting everything set-up properly. ;);)

Cheers,

Phil

[croseiv]

The BDP-S550 kiks some major butt@@@! Watching/listening to Eragon (DTS-MA). Incredible dynamic range and bass. Had to back off the volume a little out of fear of blowing my mains (not the Ultras).

[Davemcc]

I had a BD35 then traded it for a S550 while trying to figure out some codec issues with my pre/pro, basically to rule out the player as the cause of my issues. In the short time I had the players, I think the image quality of the BD35 was better than the Sony, but that's purely a subjective statement since I didn't have the players side by side at the same time to compare. I think ultimately I will end up returning the Sony and go back to the Panny.

[billy p]

I read a recent review on the Sony and learnt that it could not decode DTS-MA. That means for some bonus view material you have to compromise because bitstream does not support mixing of the audio tracks. So be happy with the Panny, it seems like the best choice available on the market right now.

The DTS MA playback depends on how you set up your setting in the set up menu. I am willing to wait for the Panny BD55 but for how long? The sony S550 is available now at crutchfield for 399.00 and IMO there is very little difference.
Thanks, Croseiv

[billy p]

I had a BD35 then traded it for a S550 while trying to figure out some codec issues with my pre/pro, basically to rule out the player as the cause of my issues. In the short time I had the players, I think the image quality of the BD35 was better than the Sony, but that's purely a subjective statement since I didn't have the players side by side at the same time to compare. I think ultimately I will end up returning the Sony and go back to the Panny.

Dave did you use the your Integra 9.8 to process the picture when you formed this opinion or did your use a direct link to your display. And if I can ask where did you get the s550 in Canada because only the s350 is available at most stores.
Thanks, Bill:)

[Davemcc]

Dave did you use the your Integra 9.8 to process the picture when you formed this opinion or did your use a direct link to your display. And if I can ask where did you get the s550 in Canada because only the s350 is available at most stores.
Thanks, Bill:)

I ran them both through the Integra with the video set to passthrough. I simply unplugged the Panny leaving the cable intact and plugged the Sony into the same cable.

I walked into FS and saw one S550 on the shelf, so I was like "YOINK - That's mine." They also had one BD55 on the shelf that I almost grabbed as well.

[Emusica]

The DTS MA playback depends on how you set up your setting in the set up menu. I am willing to wait for the Panny BD55 but for how long? The sony S550 is available now at crutchfield for 399.00 and IMO there is very little difference.
Thanks, Croseiv

Amazon has the Panny for $329, and that's down from $344 just a few days ago.

[PENG]

Dave did you use the your Integra 9.8 to process the picture when you formed this opinion or did your use a direct link to your display. And if I can ask where did you get the s550 in Canada because only the s350 is available at most stores.
Thanks, Bill:)

I think you probably know by now the 350, 550, 35, 55 are all available at the Future shop now. Prices have come down and they are including 3 movies.

[billy p]

Amazon has the Panny for $329, and that's down from $344 just a few days ago.
Although Amazon has a Canadian version it won't ship any electronics to Canada. Beside the current exchange rate isn't very favorable right now even if I could:).

I think you probably know by now the 350, 550, 35, 55 are all available at the Future shop now. Prices have come down and they are including 3 movies.

Holy smokes I've checked that web site regularly and they must of added them some time today. I must admit that I do most of my shopping online, maybe I should get out more. :o

BTW thanks for the heads up, Bill:)

PS: I just ordered the panny BD55 :D

[PENG]

Although Amazon has a Canadian version it won't ship any electronics to Canada. Beside the current exchange rate isn't very favorable right now even if I could:).



Holy smokes I've checked that web site regularly and they must of added them some time today. I must admit that I do most of my shopping online, maybe I should get out more. :o

BTW thanks for the heads up, Bill:)

PS: I just ordered the panny BD55 :D

billy, it is on the flyers and I might have read it wrong but I thought all of them include 3 movies. If I remember correctly they did not discount the 55 as much as they did with the 350 and the 35. Did you order the 55 because you need the analog outs? That's a viable stop gap option because purely from SQ stand point there is really no gain going from the 3805 to the 3808. I say this under the assumption that you don't pay too much of a premium for the 55 over the 35.

[billy p]

billy, it is on the flyers and I might have read it wrong but I thought all of them include 3 movies. If I remember correctly they did not discount the 55 as much as they did with the 350 and the 35. Did you order the 55 because you need the analog outs? That's a viable stop gap option because purely from SQ stand point there is really no gain going from the 3805 to the 3808. I say this under the assumption that you don't pay too much of a premium for the 55 over the 35.

Well I just checked the flyer this morning and the 3 movie package is added yo your cart once you add the BR players your basket. The sony s550 is the only player not on sale but still includeds the movie package. However I opted for the panny bd55 because it provides analog outs and chose it over the sony s550 because IMO they offer better support and have the reputation for building excellent dvd players in the past. Albeit its currently out of stock and will ship later, procrastination was no longer an option.:)

[itschris]

Chris, I agree the Sony's do look much better which is always a plus. Besides, you got a great deal on the 350 anyways. ;);) Congrats on doing so my friend. That may have swayed me to do just the same, but I have already ordered the Panny BD35k. Oh well, we all live and learn.

Cheers,

Phil

Really in the end, it's not really gonna matter much eithe way since both are fine players. You'll be just as happy. We'll swimming in blu-ray soon my friend!

[jostenmeat]

For anyone else who reads this thread for more comparo's between these two brands, I just ran into this mini review (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1083131). User has 35, 55, S350.


I thought I could offer my 2 cents for anyone looking for a new blu ray player.

I had the opportunity to try out the panasonic dmp bd 35 and 55 players along with the sony s350 for a lengthy audition.

The panasonic user interface is much more intuitive and easier to use, in my opinion. The panasonic 35 and 55 are identical except for the addition of the analog outs on the 55.

The picture out of the box via hdmi was better on the panasonic compared to the sony.

The disc load time I felt was faster on the panasonic while the sony responded faster to commands.

The sony has the cool bit rate meter.

It has probably all been mentioned before but because I had all three at once I could really see some differences and would opt for the panasonic at this point.

[speakerman39]

Really in the end, it's not really gonna matter much eithe way since both are fine players. You'll be just as happy. We'll swimming in blu-ray soon my friend!
Thanks Chris. You make an excellent point. But, as far as swimming goes it is very cold here all of a sudden. We all know what happens to us men when we get into cold water.......LOL!!!!! :eek::eek: Anyways, glad you made your decision as well. The deal you got is hard to beat. My Panny was $265 shipped and is almost paid for already. ;);)

Cheers,

Phil

[itschris]

Thanks Chris. You make an excellent point. But, as far as swimming goes it is very cold here all of a sudden. We all know what happens to us men when we get into cold water.......LOL!!!!! :eek::eek: Anyways, glad you made your decision as well. The deal you got is hard to beat. My Panny was $265 shipped and is almost paid for already. ;);)

Cheers,

Phil

It's getting chilly a bit at night here in the Tampa Bay area of FL. Last night I fired up the hot tub outside and it was perfect. We've had great 70 degree weather and it's been nice. I took a little ride on my motorcycle today and you just couldn't beat it.

Kentucky is so nice. We've been steadily knocking around the idea of moving to either North Carolina, Tennessee, or Kentucky. Christina just started her freshman year in hs, so we have to wait a bit, but we're hoping to buy some land in the next year or so.

[billy p]

PS: I just ordered the panny BD55 :D


On Suday I had ordered the Panny BD55, however its still out of stock:(. So in my angst to finally go BR I decided to also purchase the Sony s550(this one is in stock) to fill in the void and when the Panny arrives I'll actually see for myself which one is better.
PS: I'll post some thoughts when I have both in home.:D

Regards, Bill:)

[PENG]

On Suday I had ordered the Panny BD55, however its still out of stock:(. So in my angst to finally go BR I decided to also purchase the Sony s550(this one is in stock) to fill in the void and when the Panny arrives I'll actually see for myself which one is better.
PS: I'll post some thoughts when I have both in home.:D

Regards, Bill:)

I hope you have enough analog cables for 7.1.:D

[billy p]

I hope you have enough analog cables for 7.1.:D

I just received the shipping notice for the Panny and earlier today I picked up the s550:). Truth be told my primary objective here is to compare the video upconversion ability of the two players. I plan on switching between hdmi 1 & 2 on my display and I hope watch the same dvds and run them throgh each player simultaneously. As for the analog outs that will be more of a challenge mainly because I only have 1 set of M/C on my receiver:D. Either way I'll be able to decide for myself which one goes back.:)

Regards, Bill:)

[billy p]

Here are some basic observations.
1. The s550 seems to boot up quicker and load faster.
2. The s550 has IMO a better user menu interface and just easier to use IMHO(not that the Panny was difficult:p).
3. The s550 retails for slightly less.
4. The panny is DIVX compatable for those of intrest.
5. I prefer the look of the panny(but thats just me:))

I watched Transformers today to compare the upconversion qualities of these two players via HDMI for video and audio directly on my TV simultaneously swiching back and forth and there was very little to decern between the two, again this is JMO.
I watched I, Robot in BR last night using my S550 via analog and I did the same today with the BD55. For me this was harder to figure out because having only the ability of one set of analog m/c to work with. If I where to pick a winner I'd prefer the Panny because it seemed to have(please don't laugh)better bass response and thats if my memory served me correctly. Heh.. lets face it, I wasn't about to switch my cables in and out or something as crazy as that. I'll make a decision on one of these player over this weekend, but either one would serve me well untill I get my new receiver:).

Ps: Here are some pic's of the two players in my living room and I tried taken shots of the movies from each player(I know I suck at taking pictures) but their really was little difference. And if you look real close you'll see that my kids are getting ready for X-mas. lol
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k146/parsal106/IMG_1754.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k146/parsal106/IMG_1756.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k146/parsal106/IMG_1763.jpg http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k146/parsal106/IMG_1762.jpg

BTW the one on the left is S550 and the right is the BD55:D
Regards, Bill:)

[Thunder18]

[QUOTE=billy p;483591]If I were to pick a winner I'd prefer the Panny because it seemed to have(please don't laugh)better bass response and thats if my memory served me correctly. QUOTE]

I had the S550 and over 7.1 multi channel analogs, I could never get the bass response out of it that I could out of my DMP-BD10. Anyway, I got my BD55 on thursday and merely set the speaker settings to mimic the settings from my BD10 and the bass was just as powerful as I expected it to be based on movies I'd watched in the past and how they sounded with the BD10. I kept the S550 nearly a week and could never get the bass right.

[croseiv]

I did manage to get the bass set up well in my system with the s550. I am very pleased with it so far. It blows my old DVD player out of the water PQ wise, and I've really been impressed with its upconversion of SD DVD.

Thanks for your comparison billy p.:)

[PENG]

As for the analog outs that will be more of a challenge mainly because I only have 1 set of M/C on my receiver:D. Either way I'll be able to decide for myself which one goes back.:)

Regards, Bill:)

This is an aside. Funny you mentioned the issue of having 1 set of M/C. When I had my Sony STR-DA4ES I did not understand why they provided two sets of multi channel in. Now I understand.:D

[Davemcc]

I returned the S550 yesterday. I was going to keep it and the BD35 but I found that the Sony would not play frame by frame in pause mode. I don't know about anybody else, but to me, that's a deal breaker.