Panasonic DMP-BDT310

As part of Panasonic's 2011 range of Blu-ray players, the DMP-BDT310 replaces last year's BDT300, switching its ageing design for a fresher and more modern look. The new model is still 3D-compatible but there's now a new 2D-to-3D conversion function. Plus, you no longer need a separate Wi-Fi adapter, as the DMP-BDT310 has built-in wireless connectivity.

Hardware & Design

Apparently, classic stackable hi-fi-style home cinema systems are no longer flavour of the month. Manufacturers all seem to be following a new trend for sleek, stylish devices seen in the likes of the Samsung BD-D7500. Although it's clearly not the most innovative product out there, we actually prefer this Panasonic Blu-ray player, with its high-quality plastic casing and stylish, lightly patterned finish.

To keep things contemporary, Panasonic has replaced the Eject button by a motion sensor, which means you just have to wave your hand (or the disc) in front of the device for the disc tray to open. That's a stylish and practical touch. Like the previous model, it takes three seconds to open the disc tray and 27 seconds to start playing a Blu-ray, which is pretty good. Behind the flip-open front panel there are two physical playback control buttons, as well as a digital display.

The front panel also houses a USB port and an SD card slot (SDHC/SDXC), which can be used to store BD-live data. Plus, the compartment cover still shuts when loaded with a memory card, which is particularly discreet, since you can use BD-Live features without spoiling the device's design.
On the back, we think the BDT300 did a slightly better job than this new model thanks to its 7.1 analogue connection. Since the BDT310 is supposed to be at the cutting-edge of technology, digital sound is clearly given priority treatment and a 2.0 analogue connection is only included for form's sake. As modern as that may be, it's not very practical for people using an older, but still perfectly good, audio amplifier.
One interesting thing about this Blu-ray player is that it has two HDMI outputs, which means it can be used with amplifiers that aren't 3D-compatible. Because non-3D amplifiers can't retransmit the 3D HDMI signal from the Blu-ray player to the TV, the BDT310 has one HDMI socket for connection to the amp and a separate socket for direct connection to the TV (see diagram below). However, if you do have a 3D-compatible amp, you only need to hook it up to the 3D TV output as the amp will send the signal straight on to the TV.

Built-in Wi-Fi means you can keep the USB port free for things like chatting on Skype using an optional webcam. The wireless connection is also handy for accessing online content accessible in the latest Panasonic TVs (Viera Cast), as well as DLNA.

Picture Quality

Picture quality in this new Blu-ray player is exactly the same as in the five-star BDT300, which, in other words means it's excellent. Instead of repeating ourselves, we therefore recommend that you read the Image Quality section of the BDT300 review for more information.

A 2D-to-3D conversion function has, however, been added. As usual, it's not really up to much. The 3D effects are pretty random and aren't positioned correctly, making the mode effectively useless.

Power Consumption

Compared with the previous generation of Panasonic Blu-ray players, the BDT310 has gained a star in the power consumption category. It uses just 14 W for Blu-ray playback and just 0.1 W on standby. However, the 'Quick Start' mode does push the standby power consumption up to 4 W, so we think it's best avoided.