The Panasonic DMP-BD10 now supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio. Halleluiah. This is made possible through a firmware upgrade that not only adds these audio decoders but also improves Panasonic's HDMI control scheme and improves playability along with stability. All owners of this Blu-ray player need to do is cruise over to Panasonic's site - also the read link on this story - and download the file to a CD. Then place said compact disc, ever so gently, into your player, follow the prompts and presto, you're done. This is the DMP-BD10's third upgrade but also seem the most significant. Because, come on, who doesn't love high resolution audio with their high definition video?

[via HighDefDigest]

This week at CeBIT Panasonic introduced the DMP-BD10A, which is a revision to the DMP-BD10. Among other things the A revision brings with it advanced CODEC support including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. We are excited about the support, but wonder if the revision is nothing more than the firmware update that was promised at launch. We certainly hope so at that price and with only a few additions over the non-A version it would be a rip to those who bought the first one otherwise. While Panasonic hasn't updated their firmware for the DMP-BD10 yet, we will keep you posted.

The Panasonic DMP-BD10 is the second standalone Blu-ray player to become available, not quite making its expected September launch but sneaking onto store shelves near you this month. Was it worth the wait and/or the $1,300 price tag? Compared to the Samsung BD-P1000 player, reviewers note a slightly better picture quality and load times, plus excellent audio output. It doesn't support next-gen lossless audio codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD out of the box but, those are promised for a future firmware update. Negatives include a clunky remote and lack of BD-Live connectivity that will be present in the PlayStation 3. This player appears to do the same 1080p to 1080i to 1080p conversion present in the Samsung, so if 1080p/24 output is a must, it's a pass. Still, with EZ-SYNC HDMI control to matching SA-XR700 receiver and flat panel HDTV, if you must have the best Blu-ray hardware available -- at least until Sony and Pioneer's offerings hit the street -- the DMP-BD10 is ready to give it to you.

Read - Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray Disc Player - Canada Hifi
Read - Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-Ray Player - Home Theater Forum

Panasonic officially announced their first Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD10, still due in September. They also announced the retail price of $1299.95. It will (of course) play back Blu-ray discs and upconvert all other video content to 1080p via HDMI. They also mention their proprietary P4HD technology to improve 1080/720p output over the analog connectors, but we don't see anything else specific on the spec list that justifies the price premium over other Blu-ray offerings. It does include their Viera Link HDMI control technology so it can work well with the matching $999 SA-XR700 receiver. The 7.1 channel receiver also has two HDMI inputs and one output to pass 1080p through. Just to round things out, the $2999.95 SB-TP1000 speaker system with "Twin Center Speaker" technology that they claim gives a center channel, without a dedicated center speaker.

Ohhhh. Ahhhh. That's what we all did around the HDBeat lair with this new Blu-Ray p0rn. This is what I4U claims to be the final design from Panasonic. We sure hope so 'cause these are nice looking. The clean lines and fancy front plate looks nice and sleek. We wish that there was a MSRP somewhere, but there isn't. All that has been said is that it is going to be under $1,500. One thing is for sure though, Panasonic has the best looking next-gen DVD player.

Panasonic announced today that their DMP-BD10 Blu-Ray player will be release in September to coincide with the release of their first 1080p Plasma. The price has not been set yet, but I would guess it will be the magic number of $999, Panasonic will only state that it will cost under $1500.

Things are really starting to get interesting as HD-DVD's reasoning for not supporting 1080p seem more silly with the timed releases of 1080p displays and Blu-Ray players. I really don't see why any would buy HD-DVD over Blu-Ray, well other than because it is cheap that is.