Philips BDP9000 Blu-Ray Disc Player

The user-friendly graphic interface includes a full-color, hi-def animated menu, with features such as advanced subtitle functions, video scene search and pop-ups--which provide informative tidbits and are embedded in Blu-ray Disc contents.

The unique 10-in-2 multi-format memory card slot displays 3-megapixel and larger images. It's compatible with Secure Digital (SD), MultiMedia (MMC), CompactFlash, MicroDrive, XD Picture Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Duo Pro, Memory Stick Pro, RS MMC, and Mini SD. Other technical features include:

• Up to 1080p (1920 x 1080p) output through HDMI digital output
• Selectable 1080p/1080i/720p video upconversion of DVD's through HDMI
• BD-RE, BD-ROM, DVD ROM, DVD RAM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW playback compatible
• MPEG2, VC-1, H.264, HD JPEG decoding
• 12-bit/192MhZ video D/A converter; 24-bit/192KHz audio D/A converter

The BDP9000 provides a full range of audio decoding, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby DTS, and MP3. It has stereo outputs as well as coaxial and optical digital audio outputs for 5.1-channel home theater surround sound. It offers the following video output connection options:

• HDMI: 1
• Component Video: 1
• S-Video: 1
• Composite AV (RCA): 1

Blu-ray Disc Format
The next-generation Blu-ray optical disc format was created by a group of the world's top consumer electronics companies, including Philips and Sony. This format was intended to meet the demand for playing and recording high-definition content, which far surpasses the video quality DVD can handle. With remarkable high quality video and crisp audio clarity, Blu-ray also offers increased storage capacity--up to 25 GB of content on a single-sided disc and enough space for two hours of high-definition movies or recorded content. (This is over five times the 4.7 GB of data a standard single-sided DVD disc can store.) The name Blu-ray is derived from the blue-violet laser the player uses to read and write to the disc.

Tech Talk
HDMI: is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It supports all ATSC formats--standard (SDTV), enhanced (EDTV), and high (HDTV).

Component video: (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance or "black and white" (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound or you can use a digital connection like "digital coaxial" or "optical".

High Definition Formats: The most common high-def (HD) video format is 1080i, which displays video at 1080 vertical by 1920 horizontal pixels. The "i" means that it is interlaced (interlaced means the screen scans the odd-numbered video lines first, then the even-numbered lines). The 1080p format has the same pixel resolution as 1080i, but it is a progressive scan format and thus has a constant vertical resolution of 1080 lines. The "p" denotes that it is progressive scan, meaning that all video lines are filled at the same time. Another high-def (HD) video format is 720p, which displays video at 720 vertical by 1280 horizontal pixels. It displays the same way as as 1080p except at a lower resolution.

What's in the Box Blu-ray DVD player, remote control (multibrand for TVs; comes with batteries), printed operating instructions.