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Panasonic drops the axe on DMP-BD35 Blu-ray player
Not that the act of discontinuing Blu-ray players rather early on in their life is unheard of, but Panasonic's DMP-BD35 still had a few months left in it by our estimations. Shortly after Panny unveiled a new trio of BD decks at CES, the company has reportedly killed production of its BD35, and we're left to assume the BD55 ain't far behind. Of course, this means that those on the prowl for a Panasonic Blu-ray player will either have to wait until April (for the DMP-BD60) or try and procure one of the remaining BD35 / BD55 models from a local retailer. If you've waited this long, however, we'd suggest holding off -- the connected nature (YouTube, Amazon Video on Demand) of the forthcoming models makes 'em way more attractive. Just sayin'.
Panasonic's DMP-BD35 gets good marks, still no PS3
The gap between the PlayStation 3 and everyone else is closing, but there's still some room to go. Panasonic's Profile 2.0 DMP-BD35 comes commendably close, with reviewers over at CNET giving it a coveted Editors' Choice award and proclaiming the image quality "excellent" and the audio compatibility fantastic. They summed things up by calling it "the best value in standalone Blu-ray players, with excellent image quality, a comprehensive feature set, and a price that's significantly lower than the PS3." Granted, critics still felt that Sony's console provided "more functionality and faster navigation," but if you're okay without that, this could be a great way to get BD in your home and save a little cheddar.
Panasonic's Profile 2.0 DMP-BD35 Blu-ray player priced at $299
Ah, now this is more like it. Just a day after we realized that Panasonic's DivX-lovin' DMP-BD55 would be hitting the streets at $399, in comes confirmation that its little brother -- the DMP-BD35 -- will be offered for a full Benjamin less. Yep, that means you're looking at a UniPhier-equipped Profile 2.0 Blu-ray deck that's launching at under $300. We're still not told how soon it'll be in stock, but $299.95 for a BD-Live-capable standalone player is something worth paying attention to. Now, how's about we dip down even lower for Black Friday?[Via Big Picture Big Sound]
