Video Asylum

Posted by David Aiken (A) on November 11, 2010 at 12:19:09

In Reply to: RE: BDP33FD Blue Ray player connect to Internet help? posted by hgeifman on November 10, 2010 at 09:35:49

"my next question is how does a MAC Laptop computer (or your Apple Airport Express unit ) connect compare to a Pioneer BDP-33FD Blue Ray DVD player connect to my HDTV?"

What do you mean? I can answer the question in 2 ways.

First, if you're going to connect the player to the net for the purposes of updating firmware, or for using any of the net connection features the player has, you need a connection of some kind to your computer. That's all I've given it. You get no more options than any other connection by making the connection in either of the ways I've done.

Second, sure my computer offers more source options than Panasonic offer in their net connection menus but I can't access those options via the network connection inputs on either the TV or the BD player. Panasonic's network connection options only allow you to access the things that they have their device designed to accept. If I want to send a signal from a different source to the TV, I need to connect my computer's AV outputs to one of the TVs AV inputs and do things that way. I can't do it via the network connections.

So far, I haven't tried any of the source options available via Panasonic's network menus on either the player or the TV. Things like YouTube and Facebook don't interest me and they don't have an option for services like NetFlix here in Australia. There's at least one network movie rental option available here but it can't be accessed via the network inputs. It requires the use of one of the standard AV inputs and control via the computer or an intermediary box. The only thing I use network connection for at present is firmware updates. My viewing material is either free to air TV transmissions or BD/DVD. I don't use a cable or other pay TV service and, in any event, the Australian options for those are different services to those you have in the US so any comparisons based on those services here probably wouldn't be of much value to you.

All I can say is what I said in my original post—making the network connection wasn't a problem for me. Both my Panasonic TV and BD player pick up and connect to my network easily.



David Aiken