The Philips BDP7600 Blu-ray player accompanies the firm's 7 series range of televisions, and comes with an attractive mix of Net TV services, built-in WiFi and 3D support. But Philips seems most keen to stress its multimedia capabilities, emphasising the fact it's compatible with the DivX Plus HD standard, which should offer support for a whole range of file types as well as the opportunity to plug in a USB key and browse the Net TV platform. It all sounds rather promising ...
Philips has opted for a rather traditional design: long and thin, with painted steel, it's very different to the sleek looks of the Samsung BD-7500. At least the front panel stands out by using the same touch-sensitive interface as Philips' latest collection of TVs.
The minimalist looks hide a rather wide range of inputs and outputs though. Music fans will be glad to hear that there are two optical audio outputs, via coaxial or optical cables, as well as both 5.1 and stereo analogue ports. HDMI and composite video outputs are included, as is an Ethernet port. And while Philips was sensible enough to include an SD card reader, it put it at the back rather than at the front. It's only useable for VOD content and storage for BD-Live discs; if you want to look at photos, you'll have to fall back on the USB port, which this time is at the front. Interestingly, the USB port works with a keyboard—wireless keyboards included—meaning you can easily use Net TV from the comfort of your sofa.
And the Net TV services really aren't that bad. The welcome screen reminds us of Google Chrome, thought it's not quite as fast as the browser: all of the apps are laid out in a grid for you to choose between. They include a web browser, which really comes into its own when you use a keyboard, but there are also dedicated apps for popular services like Facebook and YouTube. Depending on where you are, there are also a number of different VOD services, but disappointingly, although it doesn't drag its feet as much as the Smart TV platform on the LG BD670, Philips' catalogue really isn't very fast. It's a real shame, as the combination of a good collection of apps and interaction with a real keyboard could have been great.
The spec mentions compatibility with the DivX Plus HD standard, and we're glad to report that the BDP7600 delivers on what it promises. It's the best media player we've ever seen on a DVD or Blu-ray player—or on a TV for that matter, scoring 3.8/5 on our file compatibility tests. Of course, a real media centre can do better, but it's an exceptional performance for a product like this and more than enough for most users. It has no problem dealing with handling chapters, different audio tracks or subtitles, whatever container format you throw at it. We just hope that Philips bothers to keep the firmware up to date, but that's a whole other story ...
Having VOD and a media player is all well and good, but we're also interested in this device's main feature: playing Blu-ray discs! It takes four seconds for the drawer to open, and another 24 seconds before your disc starts playing. That's less than 30 seconds before the film starts which is perfectly acceptable.
Like with all our Blu-ray player tests, we've compared the results of the Philips BDP7600 with our standard reference, the Sony PS3 Slim console:
We have no complaints about the colour temperature, gamma curve or colour reproduction either. The BDP7600 accurately reproduces the image in the video source just as the director of the original work intended.
With SD video, the PS3 Slim (left) produces smoother, more natural results. The BDP7600's upscaled video is a little pixellated.
You can, of course, watch ordinary DVDs, and we're sure that nobody is ready to get rid of their collection just yet. The BDP7600 did a reasonable job of upscaling them to HD, but as you can see in the photos above, there's still a little bit of pixelisation that only a powerful graphics chipset on a console or a PC would be able to get rid of. It can be annoying if you're up close, but from far away, things are less problematic.
With 13 W during playback and almost nothing on standby, this is one of the most energy efficient Blu-ray players we've seen.
Hardware
Philips has opted for a rather traditional design: long and thin, with painted steel, it's very different to the sleek looks of the Samsung BD-7500. At least the front panel stands out by using the same touch-sensitive interface as Philips' latest collection of TVs.The minimalist looks hide a rather wide range of inputs and outputs though. Music fans will be glad to hear that there are two optical audio outputs, via coaxial or optical cables, as well as both 5.1 and stereo analogue ports. HDMI and composite video outputs are included, as is an Ethernet port. And while Philips was sensible enough to include an SD card reader, it put it at the back rather than at the front. It's only useable for VOD content and storage for BD-Live discs; if you want to look at photos, you'll have to fall back on the USB port, which this time is at the front. Interestingly, the USB port works with a keyboard—wireless keyboards included—meaning you can easily use Net TV from the comfort of your sofa.
Having VOD and a media player is all well and good, but we're also interested in this device's main feature: playing Blu-ray discs! It takes four seconds for the drawer to open, and another 24 seconds before your disc starts playing. That's less than 30 seconds before the film starts which is perfectly acceptable.
Image Quality
Like with all our Blu-ray player tests, we've compared the results of the Philips BDP7600 with our standard reference, the Sony PS3 Slim console:
Ideally, the BDP 7600 should have similar results to the Sony PS3 Slim, with any remaining discrepancies introduced by the TV.
Accuracy is the BDP7600's watchword, including in 3D, which it can reproduce flawlessly. Most of the work, though, is done by the TV, with the Blu-ray player simply transmitting a video signal. The player itself doesn't offer 2D to 3D conversion, and we're glad that Philips seems to have understood that that's largely marketing hype that can't beat 'real' 3D. Nothing can beat a good Blu-ray 3D disc to really get the most out of viewing in three dimensions.We have no complaints about the colour temperature, gamma curve or colour reproduction either. The BDP7600 accurately reproduces the image in the video source just as the director of the original work intended.
With SD video, the PS3 Slim (left) produces smoother, more natural results. The BDP7600's upscaled video is a little pixellated.
Energy Consumption
With 13 W during playback and almost nothing on standby, this is one of the most energy efficient Blu-ray players we've seen.Pros
- Net TV works well with a wireless keyboard (but you'll have to provide your own)
- Media player compatible with lots of formats
- Accurate colours
- Very low energy consumption of 13 W during playback
- Lots of inputs and outputs
Cons
- Net TV a little slow
- Design is too boring
Conclusion
The Philips BDP7600 might have a plain exterior, but that hides a powerful Blu-ray player. The Net TV platform is a little slow, but it really comes into its own if you use it with a wireless keyboard. The media player can do almost as good job as a dedicated device and the image quality is quite simply perfect. This is THE Blu-ray player we've been waiting for!
OUR SCORE
DigitalVersus on...