When it was introduced earlier this year, the Editors' Choice–winning Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray disc (BD) player set the performance benchmark by which all other BD players are to be judged. And that includes the company's latest DMP-BD50, the first BD player since Sony's PlayStation 3 to offer full-feature support of the Blu-ray format, including picture-in-picture (aka Bonus View) and access to online content (aka BD-Live) for supported titles. A flawless HD viewing experience coupled with the ability to decode all of Blu-ray's high-quality audio formats makes it a solid choice for videophiles and audiophiles alike. The BD50 also offers a unique DVD-upconverting feature not found in other players, but the resulting picture quality lags behind the competition. And at $599.95 (list), it's not exactly cheap.

Case design is similar to the BD30 featuring a split fold-down, tinted acrylic face with the disc tray located on the left. A multifunction display, SD card reader, and basic playback controls are on the right. The player's Power and Tray buttons are conveniently located on the top edge of its face, as on the Sony BDP-S350. The player is identical in weight and dimensions to the BD30 at 2.3 by 16.9 by 12.6 inches (HWD) and 7.3 pounds.

The baton-style remote is also a carryover from the BD30 and features large, clearly labeled buttons—which is fortunate, since there's no backlight or glow-in-the-dark functionality. During testing, the remote's communication with the player remained effective beyond 20 feet and at off-axis angles up to 40 degrees.

You get a complete selection of audio connections, including 5.1- and 2-channel analog (RCA), coaxial and optical digital, and HDMI. HD video ports include component and HDMI. An Ethernet jack is provided for simplified firmware updates and BD-Live features. If the player is connected to the Internet, you'll get an on-screen message when new firmware is available for installation—an important feature, given the frequency of these necessary updates. The DMP-BD50 is among the few BD players on the market that can decode all the Blu-ray audio formats for multichannel analog output, including Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD (MA and HR). This feature alone will make this model popular with owners of analog audio amplifiers who aren't quite ready to upgrade to digital.

As for speed, the BD50 came within a second or two of the fastest standalone BD players I've tested to date on our tests (the PlayStation 3 remains the fastest player overall, about 25 percent faster on average). Average load time per disc for a fixed selection of six BD movies was 42 seconds, right between the BD30's time of 41 seconds and the Sony BDP-S350's time of 43 seconds. Start-up to tray eject time was 22 seconds—only a second slower than the BD30.

DVD upconversion quality is essentially unchanged from the BD30–decent, but not on a par with the picture quality offered by models like the LG BH200 or the Sony BDP-S350. Those players produced fewer jagged-edge artifacts and detected video material recorded in the 24p format (that of most films and digital cinema) faster and more consistently. However, the BD50 is the first player I've tested that offers 1080p24 upconversion with DVD video—others upconvert to the more common 1080p60 format, which introduces judder.

The 1080i HD HQV Benchmark test showed that the player is capable of superb 1080i-to-1080p conversion. I found fewer jagged-edge artifacts than with the BD30. Consumer HD video authoring often produces 1080i output, however, most BD movies are encoded into the 1080p24 format, so deinterlacing performance isn't as critical with this type of material. Like most modern BD players, the BD50 offers 1080p24 output with BD video, and its resulting picture quality appeared very detailed using default picture settings. There are also customizable picture controls that include adjustments for gamma and video noise reduction.

One hitch: Transformers and Iron Man both incorporate BD-Live features, and I was surprised to discover that I was unable to access these features with the BD50. Loading each title produced a message saying that the player wasn't "BD-Live Capable." I confirmed that the player was connected to the Web, and after poring over the player's manual and searching online, I discovered that the player requires an SD media card in its slot before BD-Live features will function. This poorly documented oversight would have been easier to accept if an SD card had been included in the box. Annoyance aside, the BD50 retains the excellent SD photo browsing and slideshow features of its predecessor, and the player supports the playback of DivX encoded video files recorded to blank CD/DVD media.

Average monthly operational cost for the BD-50 is an efficient $0.40, based on 5 hours of daily operation at $0.13 kWh (a local average). This result is almost identical to that of the BD30 and slightly less than the Samsung BD-P1500's estimated monthly cost of $0.52.

Yes, the Panasonic DMP-BD50's performance with all types of HD material is about as good as it gets. And since it can decode the latest digital audio formats, the player is a solid choice for the analog audiophile. But for everyone else, the $299 Sony BDP-S350—our current Editors' Choice winner—is a much better buy at half the price.

Benchmark Test Results:
Factory default display settings
HDMI video output @ 1080p24/1080p60

Compare the Panasonic DMP-BD50 with several other high-def players side by side.