Review Sidestepping the cheap black plastic approach of even some mid market Blu-ray Disc players, the BDP7600 from philips has a robust metallic build. Its smooth and quiet disc tray emerges from a mirrored front panel, which is otherwise interrupted only by a USB port to the right. Beneath the fascia is a curved control strip with illuminated touch sensitive controls.
Shining example: the philips BDP7600 distances itself from non-descript black plastic Blu-ray boxes
Around the back is a broad range of AV connections as well as an Ethernet port for networking and internet access. The BDP7600 also features built in 802.11n Wi-Fi. Although it has more sockets than basic players, a second HDMI would have been be helpful for sending HD audio to older AV receivers that can’t pass through 3D images. Moreoever, if you’re committed to using analogue component video on your receiver or TV, then you’re out of luck, as this player doesn’t have this interfacing either. Read the rest of this entry »
Review The Bravia KDL-40CX523 is the little net-connected TV that could. Consigned to somewhere near the bottom of Sony’s 2011 line-up, and cursed with a CCFL backlight instead of trendy LED bulbs, it’s clearly not one of the brand’s hero products. Yet this transpires to be a quite a desirable gogglebox.
Fat panel display: Sony’s Bravia KDL-40CX523
Viewed front-on it looks much like any other TV in the brand’s range. Only a sideways glance gives the backlight game away. Bulging out at 700mm, this panel is unlikely to impress the Joneses. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Forget 3D TV and Internet-connected sets, de rigueur this season is a waterproof TV for your bathroom. Admittedly, the Videospa is primarily intended for posh hotels and overly moist gyms, but developer Videotree is also making a bit of a push into what it refers to as ‘innovative designer residential homes’.
Wet set: Videotree’s VideoSpa
That’s the perfect description of Chez Reg, of course, so we were eager to take a look at this water-resistant wonder. Making a splash here is the 19in model, which is available in both black and white, and costs just under £1200. There’s also a 27in model that’s just been announced for around £2000. Read the rest of this entry »
Review On the face of it, Samsung’s BD-D8900 seems to be the ideal convergence product that will allow you to get rid of the stack of boxes that hide under your TV. Not only does this deck act as a 3D-compatible Blu-ray player, but it also has an integrated twin tuner Freeview HD DVR, along with support for Samsung’s Smart Hub internet platform. As well as all this, you can use it to play back a range of media formats, either locally from its USB port or across a network with a PC or Nas drive.
Samsung’s BD-D8900: a convincing case for convergence?
The BD-D8900 is a good looking piece of kit, as it’s not much larger than a standard Blu-ray player and is finished in a classy combination of black and chrome. The Blu-ray portion of the player uses a slot loading mechanism and there’s a large 3D Blu-ray logo that glows at the top when a disc is loaded. If you don’t like this you can thankfully turn it off from the settings menu. Read the rest of this entry »
Review All modern TVs can function perfectly well as a computer monitor; however the same isn’t true the other way round. To make a TV you’ll of course need a tuner to pick up the transmitted signal, a decent remote control for all that armchair channel hopping and probably a few extra inputs for your Blu-ray player, games console and the like.
philips has taken all these extras and folded them into a 21.5in display to create the 221TE2L TV monitor. Sit up and work on your PC as normal or sit back with the remote and enjoy digital Freeview TV, the choice is yours.
Thanks to the use of a white LED backlight, it’s a slim, lightweight display which also sports a glossy black finish adorned with sexy touch-sensitive controls built into the bezel. With TVs considered part of the furniture, a great deal of effort goes into creating their impressive living-room friendly looks. Read the rest of this entry »
