It's no shock that Profile 1.1 players have
lost their luster with
Profile 2.0 being all the rage, but we figured it prudent to pass along
CNET's recent review of the CES-announced
BDP7200 just in case. Philips' BD player features a fresh, attractive design, supports Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio in bit-stream format and performed excellently in 1080p24. So, what's the problem, you ask? Unfortunately, there's no onboard decoding of the previously mentioned audio codecs, no Ethernet port for firmware upgrades, an inability to understand Profile 2.0 and "subpar image quality in standard 1080p mode." All in all, the 6.4 out of 10 rating screams "mixed bag" to us, and while this particular device may actually be right for some, we'd certainly take a gander at the review linked below before diving on in.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ctrlfreq @ Apr 30th 2008 9:02PM
Yay. Just in time to be obsolete.
Mr. E @ Apr 30th 2008 9:21PM
It's crazy to me that manufacturers would keep pumping out the sub-par players like this. Open note to all Blu-ray manufacturers: Make your standalone player at least equal in features to the PS3, at a lower price, or just cancel the project!
Mark @ May 1st 2008 5:06AM
Competition is beautiful. Philips will have to raise their game or lower their price to reflect the performance of the device. I think profile 1.1 players will be selling at $299 before long. They can't sell at $399 when you can buy a PS3 for that and get a MUCH better player that does so much more.
Truth Teller @ Apr 30th 2008 9:47PM
Blu-ray is dead.
Get over it.
Here's what they're not so keen to talk about -
"Sales of Blu-ray disc players haven't been helped by maker Toshiba's capitulation over producing the rival HD DVD format, research firm NPD Group said Wednesday.
Toshiba announced on Feb. 19 that it would stop making HD DVD players, already doomed by Warner Bros. Entertainment's announcement Jan. 4 that it was dropping HD DVD to focus on Blu-ray.
Sales of Blu-ray players, excluding PlayStation 3 game consoles, dropped 40 percent from January to February in the U.S., according to NPD. Sales grew only 2 percent from February to March. The firm didn't release numbers of players sold.
"When we surveyed consumers late last year, an overwhelming number of them said they weren't investing in a new next-generation player because their old DVD player worked well and next-generation players were too expensive," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at NPD. "It's clear from retail sales that those consumer sentiments are still holding true."
While DVD players cost less than $100, Blu-ray players generally cost $400 or more.
Another factor that may be holding back sales of Blu-ray players is that anticipated models with Internet connectivity haven't hit the market yet. Current models can't be upgraded."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g61RdIeGOIc6yBHUXuHJ7vtaEm2gD90CEK4O3
hemmy @ Apr 30th 2008 11:13PM
Your job replacing Nostradamus hasn't worked out yet, has it? Failed prophecy after failed prophecy about the doom of Blu-ray bolstered by "insider" knowledge and spooky NDAs (we're still waiting, and we've not forgotten that gem of stupidity either) have amounted to nothing more than the inane ramblings of a moron who is so disgruntled his championed format has failed, he advocates piracy of the winning format, and spends his days whining to no end about it. You really have a lot of time on your hands it seems.
Do they have medications for Angry Nerd Syndrome?
Mark @ May 1st 2008 4:36AM
The only difference between 1.1 and 2.0 is internet connectivity and storage for downloaded content. Unless you need to hook your player up to the internet there is no need to buy a 2.0 player. How many people would bother running an ethernet cable to their BD player anyway?
It seems BD-Live would be more compelling when we see players with built-in wi-fi such as the PS3. That's where it *might* make sense. Otherwise it is a waste of money for most consumers.
My thoughts are that most manufacturers will continue to produce 1.1 and 2.0 players and use the internet connectivity as a price differentiator. If you don't need it, don't buy it. It will be the 1.1 players that start to dominate the cheap end of the scale.
kcmurphy88 @ May 1st 2008 12:39PM
I love it when "supports format X" turns out to mean "fails to utterly block all external use of format X"