Philips Philips BDP9000

Reviewed by: MisterJensen

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: 1080P picture (both Blu-ray and upscaled DVD), great audio, nice remote

Weaknesses: No next gen audio support (Dolby TrueHD or 7.1), does not compare as well dollar for dollar with the Playstation 3's Blu-ray player

Overall Evaluation: Can't wait for the format war to end? Do you want a great picture with great sound now? Look no further than the Philips BDP9000. I've found that it has a great Blu-ray picture and good DVD picture (both available in 1080P). The audio is great, but I wish that the player had next gen audio support. Compared to other first generation players, this one appears to be a bit more speedy with load / access times, and the prices are comparable and keep getting lower. Other than the next gen audio, the one thing I would change / want is the ability to turn off the big blue light that shines on the front of the player. You are able to dim the display, but cannot turn off the long blue light. You would be stupid not to at least consider the purchase of a Playstation 3 instead of this player since you get a better (spec wise) player that is completely upgradable based on the hardware and support (not to mention similar or cheaper prices). Just like all electronics, this player will do the job for now, but as more Blu-ray features are introduced and the prices keep falling, you will probably need to upgrade down the road (unlike a Playstation 3 that will just be software upgradable for all Blu-ray features).