Panasonic DMP-BDT220 Pro Reviews

What’s not to love here? The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 player delivers 2D and 3D Blu-ray images that rival even the heavyweights. Sure, it doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles found on my reference Oppo BDP-95, but it does what it’s designed to do flawlessly and at a price point that almost feels like they’re giving it away. If all you want is a great Blu-ray player for Blu-ray and DVD playback along with a host of streaming services, you just can’t go wrong here. Like last year’s model, this one goes straight to the top of my budget player recommendations and delivers the Blu-ray experience in spades.

A fairly inexpensive player with extensive options for picture tweaking

The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 is the best Blu-ray value of 2012, with built-in Wi-Fi, tons of streaming-media apps, 3D compatibility, and a simple user interface.

The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 sits above the entry level BDT120 and below the BDT320 and the audiophile grade BDT500 in the hierarchy. As such the build quality could be better and the slim chassis is rather lightweight which gives the player a slightly budget feel. As a result of this lack of mass, the player was a little noisy, especially when the disc tray was opening and closing but during actual playback it wasn't too bad. The minimalist front facia is attractive enough but there is a slightly 'plastic' feel to the rest of the chassis and the rear connections are fairly basic. The remote is the same basic design and is well laid out and comfortable to hold. Among the usual control buttons there are now buttons for directly accessing the internet (VIERA Connect), Skype and Netflix. The menu system is based around a central home page and is reasonably intuitive, allowing for simple setup and easy operation.

The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 provides plenty of reasons to migrate from DVD. Despite the odd foible, we think it's well worth short-listing.