Strengths: Leading edge audio decoders (DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD). Superb video quality.Owner's manual well written.Remote control and on-screen display menus intuitive to use.

Weaknesses: 5.1 analog audio outputs (none issue if your A/V receiver has HDMI inputs or you don't have 7.1 speakers)

Summary: I love this blue-ray player. It was worth waiting for the US release (first sold in Europe in June then US at end of July). I've had this player for about about 1 week and everything so far has exceeded my expectations (picture quality, video upconversion, audio quality, owners manual). I've viewed both standard and blue-ray DVD's, and so far have no problems with the player. Standard video upconversion was smooth and load times were reasonable. Standard and blue-ray video picture were crisp. I would say this player is not for the average DVD consumer due to all the advanced features it offers (too many to write in this review, recommend you see mfg specifications). The owners manual was well written, although the audio set up section was a little techy or geared for audiophiles. I've owned a Panasonic standard DVD player for 10 years and had zero problems with it. To be objective, I did a lot of comparative research on all Sony and Samsung blue-ray players currently on the market (as of July) but found this Panasonic model has leading edge features and has just about everything you can want. Even though the price is above average, this blue-ray player model is top notch and worth it.