Panasonic DMP-BDT110 review

This entry-level 3D Blu-ray player is low on luxuries but big on performance

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Panasonic DMP-BDT110
This entry-level Blu-ray player produces high quality pictures

TechRadar Verdict

Top picture and audio performance and a healthy feature list in this entry-level 3D Blu-ray player

Pros

  • +

    Huge range of features

  • +

    Top-drawer picture quality

  • +

    Slick new operating system

  • +

    Great Skype service

  • +

    Clever iPhone/iPad/iPod remote app

Cons

  • -

    Limited Viera Cast content

  • -

    Expensive Skype camera

  • -

    Unconvincing 3D conversion

  • -

    No built-in BD Live memory

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The Panasonic DMP-BDT110 3D Blu-ray player is the 'lite' version of the DMP-BDT310, boasting many of the same features but with a few nips and tucks to get the price down a bit (by £70, to be precise). It's actually two rungs down the range ladder from the DMP-BDT310 – sitting between them is the DMP-BDT210, which is practically identical to the BDT310 in everything but connections. The DMP-BDT110, on the other hand, has some much more obvious omissions.

Those missing features are things that you could file under 'luxuries' though – most of the big new features and core Blu-ray tricks for everyday viewing are still present and correct.

All three decks look roughly the same, with their moody black finish and the sort of slimline dimensions to make a cover girl green with envy. The casing measures just 35mm high, which means less packaging and space taken up in your AV cabinet. But despite that, it's good to see that Panasonic hasn't skimped on build quality with the player's aluminium bodywork.

However, the DMP-BDT110 does lack the flashy Touch Free Sensor found on the BDT310 and BDT210, which opens the disc tray with a wave of your hand. It's no major loss – just one less thing you can use to impress your mates.

A drop-down flap hides the busy front panel, which hosts a USB port for convenient media playback from storage devices, while an SD card slot also lets you play back files and add memory for downloading BD Live content.

Rear sockets include a single HDMI v1.4 output, not two as found on the DMP-BDT310. That means you'll need an AV receiver with HDMI v1.4 inputs to enjoy 3D pictures and HD audio simultaneously. Analogue stereo, composite video and optical digital audio outputs are provided, while an Ethernet port and USB port complete the selection.

Danny Phillips