The buttons are helpfully split into sections and the careful layout lets you navigate with minimal hassle. However on a brighter note the remote is up to Panasonic’s usual excellent standards, using large rubber buttons and clear labelling to great effect. Ironically the cheaper DMP-BDT260 has switched over to a new simpler layout, which makes it much easier to find the app you want. You may well have better luck with your own system but for us it was not an enjoyable experience and we didn’t have these problems with rival players from Samsung and LG.Īlso disappointing is that the DMP-BDT360 uses the same menu for its internet content as last year, which clumsily splits apps across several pages and is a little slow to respond. It also froze a few times when loading a track and played HD videos in SD resolution. When streaming music from a Windows 7 laptop, the BDT360 listed our 16,000-or-so tracks over a series of pages, but there was a frustrating pause when moving from one page to another, so it took ages to find the track we wanted. The DLNA menu’s basic grey/yellow colour combo is uninspiring, and it’s not particularly slick either. It’s a minor thing but makes navigation much quicker and easy than most Blu-ray decks.Īnd in other areas the menu presentation is top-drawer – the superimposed Options menu uses crisp fonts and bright graphics, while the Settings menu’s tidy arrangement makes it easy to configure, particularly when it comes to network setup.īut the deck gets it wrong in places too. Press the relevant key and you jump straight to that menu, as opposed to the usual process of moving the cursor and hitting enter. A series of tiles representing the different submenus is arranged into a cross that corresponds to the direction pad on the remote. The Home screen is particularly good, using the same crisp, colourful graphics and intuitive layout as Panasonic’s previous players. In most areas the DMP-BDT360 is a joy to use. It’s handy for playing games or watching videos, neither of which are ideal on a tiny screen. Rounding up this appealing feature list is Miracast, which uses Wi-Fi Direct to replicate your smartphone’s screen on your TV. It’ll play MKV, XviD, AVCHD, MP4 JPEG, MP3, FLAC, AAC, WMA and LPCM, all of which can be played via USB too. However, you can access your own music, video and photo files stored on PCs and NAS drives thanks to the deck’s DLNA support. There are some gems in there – iPlayer and Netflix particularly – but do an A-B comparison with Samsung’s BD-H6500, which offers ITV Player and 4OD, or the LG BP645 and its exclusive inclusion of Now TV and Spotify, and the Panasonic’s selection is nowhere near as compelling. The selection includes BBC iPlayer, Netflix, BBC News, BBC Sport, You Tube Facebook, Twitter and vTuner. The deck’s built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections unlock a range of internet content, now simply called ‘Internet Apps’ as opposed to Viera Connect. Naturally all the key audio formats are supported, including Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio decoding and bitstream output. The DMP-BDT360 is a 3D-ready player and also upscales movies to 4K if you have a compatible TV. If you’re after dual HDMIs or analogue audio outputs then the top-end DMP-BDT700 is the deck for you. The rear panel bears a typical budget socket selection, namely an HDMI output, optical digital output and Ethernet port. Pull down the flap and you’ll find a pair of USB ports, which allow you to play media files from flash drives and external HDDs (FAT32 and NTFS), alongside a disc tray and LED display – the latter is missing from the cheaper DMP-BDT260. Build quality is on the lightweight side but slightly better than most decks at this price. The top panel feels plasticky but sports a lovely brushed texture, while the front flap keeps all the clutter hidden for a clean, minimal look. The DMP-BDT360 is an attractive machine, spruced up with curved corners and an understated black finish. Panasonic DMP-BDT360 – Design and Connections Panasonic’s players have always offered superb performance and functionality, but in terms of smart content they’ve played second fiddle to Samsung, Sony and LG for some time – let’s see if the DMP-BDT360 redresses the balance. The DMP-BDT360 is a midrange Blu-ray player that eschews the frills of the flagship DMP-BDT700 and step-up DMP-BDT460 to hit a wallet-friendly price, while offering a better spec than the cheaper DMP-BDT260, DMP-BDT160 and DMP-BD81.Īmong its features are built-in Wi-Fi and internet apps, which make this player an inexpensive way of bringing smart content to an older TV, alongside eye-popping hi-def movie playback of course.
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