A review of Philips BDP 3840

pupupuchi28

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This review is after playing with it for almost 2 days, mostly with an intention to find any downsides :) ( I had very limited expectation from this, given the price)


THE REQUIREMENT:
- Should have HD upscale feature.
- Must have a component analog video out.
- USB port.
- Must be inexpensive :)

COMPETITION:
- Actually if you consider the price band vis a vis the features, then there aren't any product as its competition.


THE GOOD:
- Upscale Algorithm: Video upscale algorithm is awesome in this BDP. 'Good' DVD's when upscaled to 1080p, get very close to original 1080p videos. I have cancelled my purchase of few BDPs and assessing its need only for thriller / action and scifi movies now. Even the poor quality source become very acceptable, when upscaled.
- Generally speaking the picture quality is very good. Even the sound over HDMI is very crisp and punchy. Colors are very natural.
- Has a inbuilt audio and video DAC: And trust me it is absolutely transparent, there is no coloring in sound. Also you can connect your old CRT tv and any PC speakers that you may have or directly connect the audio to your CRT tv.
- Look & feel: The BDP as such is nice with a brushed texture on top and mirror finish in front. The led panel is sort of waste because it just shows the source which you are using to play and time. But I must say, other BDPs in this price range do not provide even this, so be happy with it :) Rear panel is neat and connections to not fight for space.
- USB connectivity: Currently I have a 500gb ext drive and it searched and classified the entire drive within 10-15 secs. it remembers the scan even when the drive is disconnected. That is quite reasonable. There is no program feature in it, so you will have to categorize your files into clusters.
- DLNA enabled: I'm yet to try it out. Atleast the flexibility is there.
- Settings: There is ample option for your to choose, based on your preference. Even the upscale limit can be set at frequent scales.

THE BAD:
- UI: Well very basic and feels atleast two generations old. Something from the early days of DVD players. Even the color scheme for the UI is such 'uninspiring'.
- USB: If you have clustered too many files in a single folder then it takes significant time and hangs at times. But otherwise very smooth.
- Remote: Though the feel is not cheap but the buttons are quite hard. And it somehow gives me a feel that it probably will not last longer.
- Youtube & Other 'smart' features: Takes time to load but once connected it is very stable. The navigation of videos from youtube it cumbersome.
- Internet: You can use a dongle but only one particular model of philips works on this BDP. The model is not available in India and in US it costs Rs 2000 :-( Connection through LAN cable is not a problem at all.

The biggest problem is now I have got a itch to complete my '1000 movies before you die' collection :)

The link:
Philips Blu Ray Player BDP3480/94: Amazon.in: Electronics

I ordered this over amazon (midnight) and boy they delivered it by next evening 4 oclock. This was on regular delivery preference.

Disclaimer: I'm not commercially linked to any of the related party. Just a consumer sharing my experience.
 
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