Running the BDP7200 with Bitstream HDMI output, audio performance was absolutely fantastic. The only problem I encountered was during The Golden Compass where a sudden BOOM! invaded a quiet sequence in the film. Honestly, I thought my speakers had blown. After some research, it turns out this is a known problem but it’s an Onkyo/Integra DSP issue and not the fault of the Philips. Thankfully, the problem is fixable with a flash update to the receiver. If you own an HDMI-equipped Onkyo or Integra receiver I highly suggest you Google “DTS bomb” before you attempt to feed it a DTS-HD Bitstream. Once again, the BDP7200 was not at fault here and everything else I threw at it sounded great.
Video performance was a mixed bag, but using the 1080p/24Hz output yields tremendous results if your display can handle it. Initially I ran the BDP7200 at 720p into JVC’s DLA-HD100 projector and there were some “jaggies” visible on a few test sequences. However, switching to 1080p/24 significantly cleaned up the image. Disc load times were on the slow side – but that’s common if you’re not running Sony’s speedy Playstation 3.
Speaking of the PS3, it is once again hard to look at a $399 player without drawing comparisons to the venerated game console. Unlike the PS3, the BDP7200 does not have an Ethernet port and it’s not compatible with Profile 2.0 features such as BD-Live. The BDP7200 is a Profile 1.1 machine, so while you do get picture-in-picture commentaries – the Stallone interview on Lionsgate’s Rambo BD worked flawlessly – you can’t download ringtones or trailers or use any Web-based features on titles such as Sony’s Walk Hard. If BD-Live is important to you, the BDP7200 is not for you.
In the end, the BDP7200 is a solid and relatively affordable Blu-ray Disc player. Although it lacks Profile 2.0 support and internal decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, it delivers a first rate 1080p/24 image and sounds fantastic when paired with a newer receiver. A slightly lower price would boost its appeal for shoppers comparing it with the PS3, but as it stands the BDP7200 is an impressive machine and definitely warrants your consideration. yy
Philips BDP7200 • $399 • Profile 1.1 support • 1080p/24Hz output
• Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD (Bitstream)
• HDMI EasyLink • 1080p upconversion • www.usa.philips.com
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