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Setup out of the box was quick and simple. I plugged it in and set a few audio options, video needed no adjustment from the defaults.

The network setup wasn’t too bad, but I did have some issues with encryption. I also purchased a new wireless router (the Netgear RangeMax WNDR3300 Wireless-N Router) to replace the near-decade-old Linksys I have. I tried two different encryption types, and both both times the player could connect after entering the key, but refused to obtain an IP address. Disabling encryption on the router caused the player to obtain an IP address quickly, and setup was complete. Currently I’m running without encryption but with MAC address filtering. I’m okay with that, but I might go back and try encryption again now that I’ve downloaded a firmware update for the router. Other reviews state no problems setting up with encryption, so the problem might be specific to my setup.

Overall, the BD80 works well as a multi-media player – they added a USB jack on the front for viewing photos, Divx and Xvid videos and listening to MP3 files. This is in addition to the SD card slot (and BTW, an SD card is still required for BD-Live). It would have been nice if the player supported MKV videos, WMV, WMA and M4P files, but I guess we can’t have everything. Viewing YouTube is pretty straightforward – you can even log in to view your favorites – and it’s nice to be able to do that without a PC connected to your TV.

For Blu-ray and DVD playback, the unit performs extremely well. It isn’t the absolute best upconverting DVD player available, but it does a good job wringing detail out of standard def content. And it really shines as a Blu-ray Disc player with top-notch video and audio performance. The player decodes all of the latest surround sound codecs (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, etc.) to multi-channel PCM and to multi-channel analog outputs (5.1 or 7.1-channel) for compatibility with older receivers and surround processors that lack the latest HDMI audio support. If you do have a newer receiver with HDMI audio support, then you can set the player to bitstream these soundtracks to your receiver for decoding. The player also offers standard coax and fiber optic digital outputs though these do not support the new codecs.

In addition to VIERA Cast and the USB port, Panasonic adds a new “High Clarity Audio” feature which allows you to turn off analog video processing if you’re using HDMI for your video output (improving sound quality) as well as a new “3D NR” noise reduction feature for cleaning up noisy Blu-ray and DVD transfers.

It’s too bad Panasonic could not improve the load times for Blu-ray and DVDs. As it is, they’re pretty much identical to the BD35 and BD55. But at least they did provide a “Quick Start” mode which allows the player to power on/boot up quicker than its predecessors. Even still, the player is a bit slower to load discs than the latest offerings from LG and Samsung.

For those who don’t need the multi-channel analog outputs or Divx support, the less expensive DMP-BD60 may be a better choice as it offers the same audio and video processing as well as the same VIERA Cast feature.

Overall, the BD80 is a solid performer. I would have liked Panasonic to include an SD card in the box for BD-Live access (as well as an HDMI cable, instead of those silly composite video/analog audio cables), and it would have been nice to have a Wi-Fi option, instead of requiring a hard-wired Ethernet cable for internet access, but Panasonic is not the only vendor who omits these things. While the online content offerings are currently a bit light and the operational speeds are only average, the excellent audio and video performance and flexible media playback options make this a strong contender in the 2009 Blu-ray model line up.

On to the Player:

This unit is profile 2.0 compliant. Blue ray discs load fairly quickly but the slight delay over standard DVD’s takes a bit of getting used to. This is an inharent problem on any Blue-Ray player due to the sometimes heavy Java interface used for its menu structures. BD Live will require a USB memory stick to be inserted into the back of the player. I would suggest getting a 1 or 2 GB memory stick and just leave it there (not sure why Sony wouldn’t include internal memory?). These memory devices are VERY economical at this point so this is no big deal. Be cautious when purchasing a memory stick though, many may not fit due to it’s recession into the case a bit. I’ve read that the Kingstons work well.

Firmware updates are VERY easy; a “technologically challenged” person will have little or no problems updating the firmware if it becomes necessary.

I use the HDMI interface through my Denon 1909 receiver to my Pioneer plasma and the image quality is breathtaking; although this is expected from any Blue ray player. Standard DVD’s play well and the image quality is as expected. It’s upscaling ability matches my TV’s upscaling abilities so no real improvement in video quality.

The audio quality is superb, though getting true HD audio (True Dolby Digital or DTS-HD) requires an easy change to the default menu setting (Select DD and DTS rather than bitstream if I recall correctly… just google it if having a problem); only do this if your reciever supports the HDMI HD Audio formats. DTS-HD in 7.1 (not too many movies in 7.1 but there are a few)is incredible and put a HUGE smile on my face to see my Denon reciever properly decode both HD-DD and DTS-HD. I notice only a small improvement from the HD audio (5.1) over the standard 5.1 audio and my system is a fairly good 7.1 audio system. The HD audio is NOT a reason to jump to Blue Ray but the image quality is.

The remote layout is acceptable and the backlit function is a nice feature. It lights up in a nice bright blue color rather than the typical boring greenish glow.

All in all I would highly recommend this player to anyone looking to jump into the Blue-Ray realm. If you have a nice TV that support at least 720P you will greatly appreciate Blue-Ray media. If you happen to have a reciever that supports the HD audio formats then you will find the HD audio to be the gravy.

With a good quality HD television, you will find that the upgrade to Blue-Ray from standard DVD is as large a jump as it was from VHS to DVD. Price points are finally making the Blue-Ray plunge a realistic jump for us mainstream folks rather than just the tech junkies.