Panasonic Blu-ray Player Integration for Home Assistant

Control your Panasonic Blu-ray player from Home Assistant with full remote control functionality.

Features

• Media Player Entity: Play, pause, stop, skip tracks, power on/off
• Remote Entity: Send any remote control command (60+ commands)
• Status Monitoring: Track playback state, position, and duration
• BD & UHD Support: Works with both standard Blu-ray and 4K UHD players
• Multiple Players: Add as many Blu-ray players as you have - each gets its own device

Supported Models

Fully Supported (BD Players - 2011/2012)

Model	Notes
DMP-BDT110	Full functionality
DMP-BDT120	Full functionality
DMP-BDT210	Full functionality
DMP-BDT220	Full functionality
DMP-BDT221	Full functionality
DMP-BDT310	Full functionality
DMP-BDT320	Full functionality
DMP-BDT500	Full functionality
DMP-BBT01	Full functionality

UHD Players (2018+) - Requires Player Key or Patched Firmware

Model	Notes
DP-UB420 / DP-UB424	Limited status, requires authentication
DP-UB820 / DP-UB824	Limited status, requires authentication
DP-UB9000 / DP-UB9004	Limited status, requires authentication

Note: UHD players have limited status reporting (elapsed time only, no chapter info) and require either a player key or patched firmware for remote control commands.

Prerequisites

Network Requirements

⚠️ Important: Your Blu-ray player must be on the same subnet as your Home Assistant server. Cross-subnet connections are not supported by the player's protocol.

Player Configuration

Before installing this integration, you must configure your Blu-ray player:

For BD Players (DMP-BDT series):

1. Turn on your Blu-ray player
2. Press HOME on the remote
3. Navigate to Player Settings → Network → Network Settings → Remote Device Settings
4. Set Remote Device Operation to On
5. Set Registration Type to Automatic

To Enable Network Standby (recommended):

This allows Home Assistant to turn on the player from standby:

1. Navigate to Player Settings → System → Quick Start
2. Set Quick Start to On

For UHD Players (DP-UB series):

In addition to the above steps:

1. Navigate to Player Settings → Network → Voice Control
2. Set Voice Control to On (if available - discontinued June 2023)

Note for UHD owners: If Voice Control is no longer available on your firmware, you may need patched firmware or a player key. See UHD Authentication below.

Finding Your Player's IP Address

1. On your Blu-ray player, go to Player Settings → Network → Network Status
2. Note the IP Address shown (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
3. Consider setting a static IP or DHCP reservation in your router to prevent the IP from changing

Installation

HACS (Recommended)

1. Open HACS in your Home Assistant instance
2. Click on Integrations
3. Click the three dots menu in the top right corner
4. Select Custom repositories
5. Add the repository URL: https://github.com/Limecooler/panasonic_bd
6. Select Integration as the category
7. Click Add
8. Search for "Panasonic Blu-ray" and click Download
9. Restart Home Assistant

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release from GitHub Releases
2. Extract the panasonic_bd folder
3. Copy it to your config/custom_components/ directory
4. Restart Home Assistant

Configuration

Adding the Integration

1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services
2. Click + Add Integration
3. Search for "Panasonic Blu-ray"
4. Enter the configuration:
   • IP Address: Your player's IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
   • Device Name: A friendly name (optional, defaults to "Panasonic Blu-ray")
   • Player Key: For UHD models only, if required (see below)
5. Click Submit

Adding Multiple Players

You can add as many Blu-ray players as you have:

1. After adding the first player, click + Add Integration again
2. Search for "Panasonic Blu-ray" again
3. Enter the IP address of your second player
4. Give it a unique name (e.g., "Bedroom Blu-ray")
5. Repeat for additional players

Each player will appear as a separate device with its own entities:

• media_player.living_room_blu_ray + remote.living_room_blu_ray_remote
• media_player.bedroom_blu_ray + remote.bedroom_blu_ray_remote

UHD Authentication

UHD players (DP-UB series) require authentication for remote control commands. This is unfortunately complicated due to Panasonic discontinuing their Voice Control service.

Background

Panasonic's Voice Control service, which enabled IP-based remote control, was discontinued on June 13, 2023 for DP-UB9000, DP-UB820, and DP-UB420 models. Without this service or an alternative, UHD players cannot receive remote commands over the network.

What Works Without Authentication

Even without a player key, the integration can still:

• Monitor playback state (playing, paused, stopped)
• Track elapsed playback time
• Detect when the player is on/off

This enables automations like dimming lights when playback starts.

What Requires Authentication

Sending commands (play, pause, power, menu navigation, etc.) requires either:

Option 1: Patched Firmware (Recommended)

Players with modified/patched firmware do not require a player key. These are typically:

• Players purchased pre-modified from certain retailers
• Players with community firmware patches applied

Resources:

• AVForums Region Freedom Thread - Ongoing community effort to create universal patched firmware
• AVS Forum UB820 Owner's Thread - Discussions about IP control and firmware options

Note: Modifying firmware carries risks. Some users have bricked their players attempting modifications. The community is working on making this safer, but proceed with caution.

Option 2: Player Key

If you have obtained a player key through other means:

• Enter the 32-character hexadecimal key during configuration
• The key is specific to your player

Current Limitations

Due to the discontinuation of Voice Control:

• There is no official way to obtain a player key for new setups
• Extracting keys requires technical expertise and risks bricking the device
• Community efforts to create universal solutions are ongoing but incomplete

Usage

Media Player Entity

The integration creates a media player entity: media_player.panasonic_blu_ray

Supported Actions:

Action	Description
Turn On	Wake player from standby
Turn Off	Put player in standby
Play	Start/resume playback
Pause	Pause playback
Stop	Stop playback
Next Track	Skip to next chapter/track
Previous Track	Skip to previous chapter/track

State Information:

• State: off, idle, playing, paused
• Media Position: Current playback position (seconds)
• Media Duration: Total duration (BD players only)
• Media Track: Current chapter number (BD players only)

Extra Attributes (visible in Developer Tools):

Attribute	Description
player_status	Detailed status (Power Off, Tray Open, Stopped, Playback, Pause Playback)
player_type	Detected type (BD or UHD)
chapter_current	Current chapter number (BD players only)
chapter_total	Total chapters in title (BD players only)

Note: UHD players only report elapsed time. Duration and chapter information are not available on UHD models.

Example Automations:

Dim lights when playing:

automation:
  - alias: "Dim lights for movie"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: media_player.panasonic_blu_ray
        to: "playing"
    action:
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.living_room
        data:
          brightness_pct: 20

Restore lights when stopped:

automation:
  - alias: "Restore lights after movie"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: media_player.panasonic_blu_ray
        from: "playing"
        to: "idle"
    action:
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.living_room
        data:
          brightness_pct: 100

Remote Entity

The integration also creates a remote entity: remote.panasonic_blu_ray_remote

Use remote.send_command to send any button press from the physical remote.

Example Service Calls:

Open/Close disc tray:

service: remote.send_command
target:
  entity_id: remote.panasonic_blu_ray_remote
data:
  command: OP_CL

Navigate to Home menu:

service: remote.send_command
target:
  entity_id: remote.panasonic_blu_ray_remote
data:
  command: MLTNAVI

Send multiple commands:

service: remote.send_command
target:
  entity_id: remote.panasonic_blu_ray_remote
data:
  command:
    - MLTNAVI
    - DOWN
    - DOWN
    - SELECT
  delay_secs: 0.5

Repeat a command:

service: remote.send_command
target:
  entity_id: remote.panasonic_blu_ray_remote
data:
  command: SKIPFWD
  num_repeats: 3

Available Commands

Power

Command	Description
POWER	Toggle power (on/standby)
POWERON	Power on only
POWEROFF	Power off (standby) only

Disc Tray

Command	Description
OP_CL	Open/Close disc tray

Playback

Command	Description
PLAYBACK	Play
PAUSE	Pause
STOP	Stop
CUE	Fast forward
REV	Rewind
SKIPFWD	Skip forward (next chapter)
SKIPREV	Skip back (previous chapter)
MNSKIP	Manual skip +60 seconds
MNBACK	Manual skip -10 seconds
SHFWD1 - SHFWD5	Shuttle forward (5 speeds)
SHREV1 - SHREV5	Shuttle reverse (5 speeds)
JLEFT	Jog left (frame back)
JRIGHT	Jog right (frame forward)

Navigation

Command	Description
UP	Navigate up
DOWN	Navigate down
LEFT	Navigate left
RIGHT	Navigate right
SELECT	OK / Select
RETURN	Return / Back
EXIT	Exit menu

Menus

Command	Description
MLTNAVI	Home menu
DSPSEL	Display / Status
TITLE	Top menu / Title menu
MENU	Disc menu
PUPMENU	Pop-up menu
SETUP	Setup menu

Number Keys

Command	Description
D0 - D9	Numbers 0-9
D12	Number 12
SHARP	# key
CLEAR	* / Cancel

Color Buttons

Command	Description
RED	Red button
GREEN	Green button
BLUE	Blue button
YELLOW	Yellow button

Apps & Network

Command	Description
NETFLIX	Netflix (if supported)
SKYPE	Skype (older models)
V_CAST	VIERA Cast
NETWORK	Network menu
MIRACAST	Screen mirroring

Audio & Video (UHD models)

Command	Description
AUDIOSEL	Audio selection
TITLEONOFF	Subtitle toggle
CLOSED_CAPTION	Closed captions
3D	3D mode
HDR_PICTUREMODE	HDR picture mode
PICTURESETTINGS	Picture settings
SOUNDEFFECT	Sound effects
HIGHCLARITY	High clarity sound
PLAYBACKINFO	Playback information
OSDONOFF	On-screen display toggle
P_IN_P	Picture-in-picture

Troubleshooting

"Cannot connect to device"

1. Verify network connectivity: Ensure Home Assistant and the player are on the same subnet
2. Check player settings: Confirm Remote Device Operation is ON and Registration Type is Automatic
3. Test with ping: From your Home Assistant host, try ping <player-ip>
4. Check firewall: Ensure port 80 is not blocked between HA and the player
5. Restart player: Power cycle the Blu-ray player completely (not just standby)

Player shows as "Unavailable"

1. Player is off: The player must be in Quick Start mode to respond when "off"
2. IP changed: If your player's IP changed, reconfigure the integration
3. Network issue: Check your network connection

Commands not working (UHD players)

1. Voice Control disabled: Panasonic discontinued Voice Control in June 2023
2. Need player key: UHD players require authentication for remote commands
3. Firmware issue: Consider patched firmware for full functionality

Status not updating

1. Polling delay: Status updates every 10 seconds
2. UHD limitation: UHD players only report elapsed time, not duration or chapters
3. Standby state: Some status info unavailable in standby

Slow response to commands

This is a known limitation of the player's network protocol. Commands may take 1-3 seconds to execute. Avoid sending rapid repeated commands.

Enabling Debug Logging

If you're experiencing issues, enable debug logging to help diagnose problems:

1. Add the following to your configuration.yaml:

logger:
  default: info
  logs:
    custom_components.panasonic_bd: debug

2. Restart Home Assistant

3. Check the logs in Settings → System → Logs

Debug logging will show:

• API requests and responses
• Player type detection
• Command execution status
• Coordinator updates and errors
• Connection recovery events

To reduce log verbosity after debugging, change debug to info or remove the entry.

Testing Player Connectivity

Before installing the integration, you can test your player's connectivity using the included test script. This is useful for:

• Verifying your player is reachable
• Checking network subnet configuration
• Testing commands before integrating with Home Assistant
• Debugging connection issues

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Limecooler/panasonic_bd.git
cd panasonic_bd

2. Copy the example configuration and add your player's IP:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and set PANASONIC_BD_HOST to your player's IP address

3. Install dependencies (if not already installed):

pip install aiohttp

Running the Test Script

Run all tests:

python scripts/test_player.py

Get player status only:

python scripts/test_player.py --status

Test sending commands (interactive):

python scripts/test_player.py --commands

Override IP from command line:

python scripts/test_player.py --host 192.168.1.100

What the Test Script Checks

1. Ping Test: Checks if the player is powered on or has Quick Start enabled
2. Network Validation: Verifies the player IP is on the same subnet as your machine
3. Connection Test: Confirms the player responds to HTTP requests
4. Player Detection: Identifies whether you have a BD or UHD player
5. Status Retrieval: Gets current playback state, position, and chapter info

Example Output

============================================================
           Panasonic Blu-ray Player Test
============================================================

[INFO] Player IP: 192.168.1.100

============================================================
                      Ping Test
============================================================

[INFO] Pinging 192.168.1.100...
[PASS] Ping successful (1.2 ms)

[INFO] The player is powered on or Quick Start is enabled.

============================================================
              Network Validation
============================================================

[INFO] Local IP addresses detected:
       primary: 192.168.1.50

[PASS] Player 192.168.1.100 is on same subnet as local 192.168.1.50

============================================================
               Connection Test
============================================================

[INFO] Testing connection to player...
[PASS] Connection successful

============================================================
              Player Detection
============================================================

[INFO] Detecting player type...
[PASS] Detected: BD Player (full status support)
       Features: Extended status, chapters, duration

============================================================
               Player Status
============================================================

[INFO] Getting player status...
[PASS] Status retrieved successfully
       State: playing
       Status: Playback
       Position: 1234 seconds
       Duration: 7200 seconds
       Progress: 17.1%
       Chapter: 3 / 24

============================================================
                Test Summary
============================================================

[PASS] Ping test passed
[PASS] Connection test passed
[PASS] Detection test passed
[PASS] Status test passed

All tests passed!

Your player is ready to use with the Home Assistant integration.

Known Limitations

1. Same subnet required: Player must be on same network subnet as Home Assistant
2. UHD status limited: UHD players only report elapsed time, no duration or chapters
3. UHD authentication: UHD players need player key or patched firmware for commands
4. No volume control: Blu-ray players do not have volume control over network
5. Response latency: Commands may take 1-3 seconds to execute
6. IP-based identification: Changing the player's IP requires reconfiguring the integration

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Credits

• Protocol reverse-engineering based on work from the openHAB community
• Inspired by the Panacotta library
• Thanks to the Home Assistant community for testing and feedback