You'll probably do a double take when you first see Panasonic's DMP-BD35. It's unfeasibly thin.

Sat atop my regular Blu-ray player, Pioneer's hulking great LX-70a, it seems insignificant.

How, you might wonder, can this lightweight deliver state-of-the-art picture and sound, let alone challenge the AV extremes of more esoteric machinery? But it can and does.

HD audio

The Panasonic DMP-BD35 is the replacement for the popular BD30 launched early in 2008. Standing just 49mm tall, thanks to a slim-line disc drive and some downsized silicon, it cuts a much smaller silhouette.

The BD35 is the sister deck to the DMP-BD55. It lacks the option to run multichannel audio via analogue outputs, but is a close match in most every other way.

If the AV receiver you intend to use with it is a current HDMI-enabled model you'll not only get superb 1080p24 video but also high-res audio. Offering both Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio bitstream outputs, it's ideally paired with an AVR able to decode both sound formats.

Suitable models are available from most manufacturers, including Panasonic itself. If your receiver is an older design and lacks HDMI and hi-res audio decoding, then the player's lack of 5.1 analogue outputs will rule it off your Christmas list.

Impressive feature set

A Profile 2.0 design, the BD35 is compatible with both Bonus view and BD-Live functionality. The rear Ethernet port can also be used to download new firmware updates.

An SD card slot hidden under a front fascia on the unit is key to accepting downloads from BD Live sites. Trailers and other ancillary files go direct to the media and not into any integrated memory; this is known as 'Virtual Packaging'. I don't think we'll see too much of it in the future. It's clunky in operation, and it can only be a matter of time before brands build significant storage directly into their decks.

General disc compatibility is good, and covers everything from homebrew DVD discs (inc DivX), to BD-RE recordable media, RAM and CD-R. However, it's worth noting that our sample failed to playback a reference DVD-R disc (even though it coped with a +R) and had problems spinning the CD side of a DualDisc platter. It also failed to recognise an S-VCD. But then who wouldn't?

Other jacks includes component, AV phonos, and coaxial and optical digital audio. Remember, the latter pair can't be used for lossless audio, only regular 5.1 mixes and the like.

Viera Link woes

As you might expect, the HDMI output comes with CEC control (aka Viera Link). The BD35 supports the latest iteration of Viera Link, HDAVI Control 3. This was originally conceived as a system simplifier, but increasingly it's nothing but a nuisance; I now routinely turn it off in all components.

The problems with CEC usage are manifold: it'll think you want to off your TV when you turn off your BD player, or turn on your TV when you just want to listen to a CD – and heaven help you if there's a projector somewhere in the chain.

Not only is the BD35 much slimmer than its processors, but it's also faster to boot. Outside of the PS3, most Blu-ray players are about as speedy as a sloth in concrete boots. This can lead to a quite tedious user experience.

The Panasonic DMP-BD35 is a definite improvement. Load up a Java-heavy disc and you no longer have time to microwave popcorn before the first video screen appears...

Sound matters

While there's no 7.1 analogue output, the HDMI connection will still deliver 7.1 sound mixes if they're on the disc. Blu-ray audio playback remains a minefield of confusion.