The Panasonic DMP-BD45 is a rather dull-looking Blu-ray player but delivers excellent picture quality and crisp hi-def pictures. It's a pretty decent model for the price but in order to keep the costs down, Panasonic has omitted a number of key features such as access to BD Live, multichannel analogue ports, and an Ethernet terminal. By spending that little bit more, you could bag a model with more.
However, the curious lack of BD Live functionality proves to be the BD45’s biggest obstacle. While we appreciate Panasonic’s attempts to cater for budget buyers, getting rid of BD Live altogether isn’t a wise move, even on an entry-level deck like this. Even if your feelings towards BD Live are ones of overwhelming indifference, buying a player without it is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Our advice? Save up an extra £30 and bag yourself the DMP-BD65…Read full review
Overall
7/10
By Danny Phillips
Reviewed 05 February 2010
Updated 02 May 2012