Philips BDP2700/12 - Just Another Blu-ray Player

The Philips BDP2700/12 looks just like the dozens of other Blu-ray players available in the market. I’m not saying it looks bad; just quite ordinary. It is also pretty similar to most other Blu-ray players in terms of features and functionality. So what’s so special about it?

Nice looking, but nothing out of the ordinary

Design and Features
The BDP2700/12 is a pretty nice looking player and is jet black in colour, with a glossy finish at the front and a matte finish on the top. It measures in at 435 x 44 x 200 mm (w x h x d) and weighs just 2.3 kg.

As far as connectivity goes, the BX580 has all the usual connections like component/composite, HDMI, digital coaxial out, analogue audio left/right out and Ethernet at the back, as well as a USB 2 port in the front. One thing I was a bit disappointed in was the fact that this Blu-ray player has only stereo analogue outputs. This is something that more and more manufacturers are not including, and it can be quite annoying if you want to set up a simple home theatre system with only analogue inputs.

No multiple analog audio outputs

As far as other features go, Philips BDP2700/12 Blu-ray player is quite standard. The file formats supported are MP3, WMA, WAV for audio, MPEG 2, DivX Ultra and XviD for video and JPEG for pictures. It also has some other features such as child protection, online firmware upgrades and the EasyLink function which allows for one touch play and standby.

Performance
The BDP2700/12 is really easy to operate. The menus can be navigated through easily, and the remote fits in one’s hand nicely. The only thing I didn’t particularly care abut too much is the buttons on the front panel, as I sometimes had to press them a few times to get them to work.

Easy to use remote

I really like the quality of imaging that this player provides. The visuals, were quite smooth, and everything seemed quite fluid, and I enjoyed the overall experience. The images are crisp and sharp, although I did notice that some colours seemed a little bright, especially blues. But this could also be due to the TV I used, a mammoth 55-inch VU TV, which will be reviewed soon.

Verdict
Like I said in the beginning, the Philips BDP2700/12 Blu-ray player is quite ordinary. It has no discerning features, and will most likely be ignored by a lot of people on their hunt to buy a new Blu-ray player. But it is a good player after all and that fact cannot be ignored. It is also quite affordable at Rs. 9,990. But don’t forget that there are also other players that deserve mention such as the Sony BDP-S370 , which is also the same price, and an equally good option. Of course, if you want something even better, I’d definitely recommend the LG BX580 (Rs. 16,999). This is definitely more expensive, but has some killer features such as 3D and MKV playback.

I give this player 4 stars, as it is a really good, affordable player. There’s nothing really wrong with it, apart from the front panel buttons, but it’s just another Blu-ray player that sits on the shelf hoping to be picked up. It doesn’t really have that extra jazz that most shoppers are looking for, and will quite possibly be ignored over other platers. But I’d definitely recommend this player to anyone who is looking for a basic Blu-ray player to watch movies on, as it most certainly has what it takes.