At CES, Philips showed off its first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, the BDP7501. In addition to support for Ultra HD Blu-ray discs with High Dynamic Range, the new player will have integrated 4K apps for Netflix and YouTube, it will support a wired or wireless Internet connection, and it will include two HDMI outputs: one HDMI 2.0a output to pass 4K and an older HDMI 1.4a output to send audio to an older AV receiver or soundbar. The BDP7501 will be available this spring for $399.99.
From Philips
Philips has announced that it will begin selling a new premium compact design 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player this spring. The new player, compatible with 4K Ultra HD discs due out early this year, will support High Dynamic Range (HDR).
The Philips BDP7501 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player will play back content at four times the resolution of current Blu-ray players for a stunningly detailed image. And with HDR support, content played on an HDR TV, such as any Philips 2016 4K Ultra HD set, will deliver images with startling brightness, contrast and color.
"4K Ultra HD Blu-ray provides consumers with the opportunity to own and enjoy stunning 4K content without the glitches that can occur when streaming large 4K files," said Karl Bearnarth, executive vice president, sales and marketing, P&F USA, Inc., the exclusive North American licensee for Philips consumer televisions and home video products. "This is a significant step in the transition from HD to 4K Ultra HD, and one that we believe will quicken consumers' adoption of 4K, especially as they see what the combination of 4K, HDR and Ultra HD Blu-ray's wide color gamut can achieve."
The Philips Ultra HD Blu-ray player offers built-in HEVC and VP9 decoders for playing Netflix and YouTube 4K content. It also features 4K upscaling for non-4K sources. For the best possible sound, it offers both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
Connections include HDMI 2.0a and 1.4a output, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Ethernet and USB Multimedia.
The Philips BDP7501 Ultra HD Blu-ray player will be available in spring 2016 at a suggested retail price of under $399.99 when launched.
Additional Resources
• CES 2016 Show Report and Photo Slideshow at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Building a Smart Home Is Cheaper and Easier Than You Think at HomeTheaterReview.com.
