One characteristic you're unlikely to see associated with the first generation of Blu-ray disc (BD) players is speed. Some players that I've tested have taken more than 2 minutes to load a relatively recent Blu-ray movie release, and that was after I had waited 30 to 50 seconds for it to start up and open the tray. The Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray disc player ($499.95 direct) is the company's second-generation high-def player, and it offers disc load times that are significantly faster than those of any other dedicated BD player I've seen to date. The player delivered a great experience with upconverted standard DVDs, and BD videos looked excellent too. Solid disc handling is complemented by useful picture quality controls and a speedy multimedia browser; all of this makes the DMP-BD30 our Editors' Choice.