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High-Definition DVD Player Reviews

Philips BDP9000 Blu-Ray High-Definition DVD Player

Philips released its high-definition DVD player in December 2006, with a price of $999. The Philips website has a page for the player and a Specification Sheet (pdf file) is here. A press release is here.

In a lengthy review, CNET awarded the player 6.3 points out of 10, and commented:

Despite its relatively unknown status, the Philips performed on par with the other players we've tested recently, and exhibited its own attractive qualities, namely an excellent external design and remote and very good performance when upscaling standard-definition DVDs. It's also no slouch in terms of Blu-ray picture quality, delivering just as pretty a picture as we saw with other players we've reviewed, namely the Samsung, the Panasonic, and the Sony PlayStation 3.

The big disappointment with this player is that it has limited audio capabilities for standard-definition DVDs, as well as what seems to be bare-bones support for audio on Blu-ray discs....

Though we really liked many aspects of the BDP9000, it's still hard to give it our full recommendation. Like all non-PS3 Blu-ray players currently available, the BDP9000 lacks HDMI 1.3 compatibility....

Despite its appeal, the Philips BDP9000's price makes it tough to recommend for anyone except the most dedicated home theater enthusiasts. And we're betting that those enthusiasts will opt for a Blu-ray player that has more extensive audio capabilities for both DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Engadget said:

There's also some confusion as to whether the box is just a re-branded Samsung BD-P1000, or if it has different parts inside; the consensus so far seems to be that it uses the same reference design but with different video DAC (digital-to-analog converter) components (216MHz vs 192MHz for the Samsung).

...Another thing to note is the reduced price when compared to the $1000 - $1300 price-tags of the Samsung and Panasonic players. Are we starting to see the effects of competition in the next-generation player market? And will the availability of multiple vendors for Blu-ray products push the price down (think economies of scale) faster or further than the effectively one-manufacturer HD DVD format?

PC World concluded:

With its sophisticated look, easy navigation, and support for CDs, MP3s, DVDs, and flash media cards, Philips's BDP9000 is a well-designed challenger to the Samsung in the Blu-ray player market.

Business Week concluded:

Wal-Mart is offering it for just under $900. That's less than Panasonic's player and in the range of other newer HD players, which tend to run between $600 and $1,200.

But it's not as inexpensive as Sony's well-equipped PlayStation 3, which plays Blu-ray discs and is going for as low as $500 on eBay thanks, in part, to the highly competitive gaming console market.

...All in all, the Philips Blu-ray BDP9000 player produces a pretty picture and solid sound. But it's not the biggest—or brightest—fish in the pond. For nearly $900, it might be worth throwing back and waiting to see what Philips offers in the future.

* Get the Latest Price on the Philips BDP9000 Blu-Ray High-Definition DVD Player.

January 20^th, 2007
Updated: March 13th, 2007