Panasonic DMP-BDT110 review

If you just want a basic 3D-capable Blu-ray, the Panasonic DMP-BDT110 may just be the one that you’re after. In terms of looks and performance, it’s a slightly cut-down version of the DMP-BDT310.

The main difference is that the DMP-BDT110 only has a single HDMI 1.4 output, so if you’ve got an old surround-sound amp, you’ll need to upgrade it if you want to pass the 3D signal through it; the DMP-BDT310 Blu-ray player also has an HDMI 1.3 output for audio delivery to an amp.

The only other differences are that the DMP-BDT110 doesn’t have the Touch-Free sensor for opening the disc tray or High Clarity Sound, which disables the analogue video outputs to stop them from interfering with audio. Neither is likely to be missed very much.

What you’re left with is a Blu-ray player with excellent performance. Starting from cold we managed to power on the player and get a disc playing in just 31 seconds; with the player on, starting a disc took just 25 seconds. This is a very impressive performance and the DMP-BDT110 is one of the fastest players that we’ve seen.

We’re big fans of Panasonic’s new interface for the player. The large icons are all arranged in a cross and you just press the corresponding cursor key to access the subsequent menu. It’s intuitive and quick to use and beats the old-style text-only menus hands down. There’s even some customisation available, and you can set one of your photos as the player’s wallpaper.