Sony BDP-S790
On the rear panel is a suitably generous array of sockets, led by a pair of HDMI outputs that allows you to output 3D pictures to a TV and HD audio to an AV receiver separately.
They’re joined by two digital audio outputs – one coaxial, one optical – and analogue stereo output for good measure.
Panasonic DMP-BDT330
Panasonic has a strong track record when it comes to Blu-ray players and here is its freshly honed weapon, the Panasonic DMP-BDT330.
It’s an eye-catching design with sloping sides, a glossy brushed-metal top panel and a mirrored front unadorned by buttons. It’s nothing radical, but we like the elegant, executive vibe. It’s light and very thin, but build quality is excellent.
The picture is seriously impressive in 2D or 3D. Its sharpness, edge definition and motion handling is exemplary. Colours are rich but nicely balanced.
Marantz UD7007
The Marantz UD7007 keeps a firm hold of motion too, showing more stability than both its predecessor, the Marantz UD7006, and the best of the budget opposition.
This Marantz can stream our 24Bit/ 192kHz music files with ease. It has wide file compatibility, although the interface and responsiveness of the player is a little tardy.
With Blu-rays, the Marantz’s picture is gloriously rich and vivid without overdoing things.
Pioneer BDP-450
The Pioneer BDP-450 is one of two new Blu-ray players in Pioneer’s current range. It’s the step-up version of the Pioneer BDP-150, adding more powerful video processing and features like dual HDMIs and DVD-Audio playback.
Design-wise, the Pioneer BDP-450 is a chunky old-school Blu-ray player just like mama used to make, and we love that. With its 90mm height and 252mm depth.
On the back of the Pioneer BDP-450 are fewer connections than we expected given Pioneer’s audio-centric heritage.
Panasonic DMP-BDT2200
The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 is a budget Blu-ray deck that offers the same core features as the DMP-BDT320,the step-up model impressed us greatly with its stunning picture quality and top-notch connected features.
Colours are strong and vibrant without being overblown, and manage to lend a natural tone even on an animated film.
The player itself is slim and sleek; the front panel has an LED display and opens to reveal USB and SD Card slots, while HDMI, component, stereo and optical digital outputs are on the back.
Sony BDP-S390
The BDP-S390 is compact, with a stylish curved top. There’s no display, but there is a USB port where you can plug in a hard drive or memory stick to play photos, videos or music files.
The rear panel has the minimum basic connections HDMI, coaxial, video and analogue outputs, and an ethernet port as well as built-in wi-fi.
Colours are lively without being overblown, and the contrast is well balanced with no harsh glare.
The picture quality remains consistent whether you’re catching up on BBC iPlayer or perusing your DVD collection.
Pioneer BDP-LX55
The new BDP-LX55 looks a great deal more competitive than some of its forebears: indeed, Pioneer describes it as "a return to the winning formula" that once spawned such highly regarded decks as the BDP-LX52 and BDP-LX71.
The specification makes good reading, too: a universal disc player, the Pioneer can spin older formats most price rivals eschew, including DVD-Audio and SACD.
When the two components are linked together via HDMI, PQLS allows the AV receiver to take control of the Blu-ray player’s digital ‘clock’, which, Pioneer asserts, eliminates jitter during signal transfer.
Samsung BD-D8500
The BD-D8500 is a revamped version of the BD-C8500, adding 3D playback to a feature list already bulging under the weight of its own generosity.
Connectivity-wise, there’s a solitary HDMI, component and composite video outputs, plus an optical audio output.
Pictures look natural, with little sign of noise or instability and with decent attention to detail. The SD picture is more of the same.
Sony PS3 Slim
The Sony PS3 Slim is beautiful: slightly more plasticky than the old PS3s, but so much more compact.
Blu-ray high-def movie discs are the biggest single advantage the PS3 Slim has over the Microsoft Xbox 360. 1080p Full HD movies look jaw-droppingly good and sound teeth-crunchingly great too.
The Sony PS3 Slim is a gaming slouch. It's not, and it's good to see it now comes with a rumbling DualShock 3 controller as standard.
Cambridge Audio Azur 752BD
The Cambridge Audio Azur 752BD offers more inputs and outputs than any reasonable person could possibly need, and now has better support for portable media, streaming networked content and standalone streaming services.
Cambridge Audio made the high-end disc player market its own with the release of the 751BD, the predecessor to this product.Plenty of picture controls are available within the Cambridge Audio Azur 752BD’s menus too.
Two HDMI inputs, as well as digital coaxial and digital optical inputs, ensure you can connect anything from an Xbox 360 or PS3 to a Sky+HD box to make this a real hub for your home entertainment.
No comments:
Post a Comment