Blu-ray has arrived in the UK, if not with a vengeance, then at least a reasonably enthusiastic proclamation. Panasonic's DMP-BD10 joins Samsung's BDP-1000 at the forefront of the new format's invasion, and there's a sense that all the posturing and prevarication that has preceded the format is coming to an end. It's time for the products to start doing the talking.

Priced at a wallet-numbing £1,299 (which infuriatingly is a direct dollar-forpound conversion of the model's US price point) this is comfortably the most expensive of the new HD disc spinners; however, it's not overly pricey if you put it into context with the high-end DVD players from the likes of Arcam, Denon and others.

So is it a genuine alternative to the world's most exotic DVD decks? Or are those machines (honed after years of development) still a better bet, as their makers maintain?

Visually, the BD10 is either bland or slickly minimalist, depending on your viewpoint. It lacks the gloss black build of the Samsung model (which frankly feels more up-market), but compensates with a length-wide transparent flap.

Unfortunately, when in use this flap will spend most of its time down, revealing a less than glamorous disc tray and transport control-strewn face to the world. And because its not motorised it can't be controlled from the remote.

Rear connectivity is good, offering ample scope for hooking up to both high- and standard-def displays (ideal in a multi-screen environment). There's an HDMI output alongside component jacks, plus RGB scart, S-video and composite.

Audio outputs include digital coaxial and electrical, plus a bank of phono connectors. The latter are particularly important, as these are the only connectors you can use to access the multichannel linear PCM soundtracks, which deliver BD's premium audio format. Linear PCM is too much of a data hog to travel through the conventional digital outputs or the supplied HDMI connector. For that you would need HDMI v1.3.

The analogue outputs need to be run into an amp or receiver with a matching bank of phono audio inputs. Typically these are labelled up for DVD Audio or Super Audio CD connection.

Although BD is a fundamentally different technology to DVD, in use it's much the same, including the provision of a Setup button to configure the player for your display and audio system. It's all fairly straightforward.