The BD7003 is a Blu-ray player for the performance minded video/audio enthusiast. The unit also may not be for those still using older receivers/processors, it has no onboard decoding or multi-channel analog outputs. To clarify the 7003 will work with older receivers with either optical or coaxial digital audio inputs you just won't be able to take advantage of the HD audio formats which are as large of an improvement in audio as HD is to video. See more on this later.
Let's get the bad out of the way, picture quality would have easily scored a five, as well as looks and ease of use, though I found the manual some what confusing, but what made me have to give the 7003 a four is lack of features in a player at this price, the unit is still slow loading discs, skipping chapters, and the disc drive is loud. I can hear the disc drive during loading making those grinding sounds with the entertainment center door closed and me on my sofa about 11 to 12 feet away.
My previous BD player was the Samsung BD-P1200 which got excellent picture quality reviews due to the Silicon Optics video chip set. I began to look for a replacement when the unit showed some disc incompatibility and would not bitstream the HD audio formats. I was a bit worried about being able to find a player with the picture performance of the 1200. I also borrowed my daughter's Samsung BD-P1500 for a while since it did bitstream. I had an opportunity to audition a BD-7003 in my home. While I was hesitant based on price and features I brought one home any way to see how it did with my Marantz AV8003.
First off let me say that all Blu-ray pictures are NOT the same. I found this out when putting the 1500 in place of my 1200, the picture quality of the 1500 was not as good. It was also evident when I put the 7003 in place. The BD-7003 has a stunningly good picture both HD and standard DVD. To my surprise the 7003's picture was more vibrant and vivid than the 1200. The 7003 gave the blackest blacks I've ever seen and images seemed sharper with more background detail. I was also please to see that the increase in sharpness and vivid picture held true on standard DVD as well. With the 7003 fine detail was easier to see. I was able to make out detail in eyes I've never seen before. On one movie some torches were burning and the shades of color in the flames made them look very real. I am very impressed with the picture quality performance of the BD-7003.
I like the remote, it is comfortable to hold and the main buttons are logically laid out at the bottom. You have your <, stop, play, > sort of arched with the Pause below them centered. Above that is skip chapter forward and back, the buttons are a different shape. Not far above that is the cross pad and enter. Above that are buttons you probably wont' use much. Set up was easy, the On Screen Display showed a chart similar to what you see in the manual. I think I changed one setting for audio and off I was. The remote shouldn't give anyone a problem in the dark. The 7003 has the only remote I've ever seen with a separate button for power on and off.
A feature well worth mentioning and greatly missed on most Blu-ray players is the Memory Stop. If any interruptions where I have to Pause or Stop the movie just hit Play on the BD-7003 and I can pick up where I left off. Before if I Paused too long or hit Stop on accident I had to go through the movie looking for the closest point where I left off.
The 7003 does have Bonus View for picture in a picture or seeing special features on the disc if this is your thing. It also has Zoom and Angle to play with. The 7003 also was able to play a Blu-ray disc that would not play in either of the Samsung players. And my 1200 was up to date on firmware.
In order to take advantage of HD audio sound, Dolby Tru-HD and DTS-MA, you will need a receiver or preamp with the decoders built in as the BD-7003 does not have them. It should also be noted that these HD audio formats are only accessible with HDMI connections as optical or coaxial digital connections are not compatible, from any unit, period. Bitstreaming these HD audio tracks to my AV8003 worked very well and sound quality was incredible. One thing to note is the manual does not mention DTS-MA but Marantz's website says the BD-7003 will bitstream it and in fact it does. After a short panic attack I was all better after dropping a disc in with DTS-MA and seeing the DTS Master Audio flash on the front of my processor.
To sort of sum things up, despite the short comings I mentioned, I love this player and highly recommend it if it fits into your system as it did mine. I would encourage anyone looking for a Blu-ray player to see the picture quality of this unit. It would be painful but after using the BD-7003 I probably would have paid the original retail of $799.00 but at $549.00 it's in line with most of the premium name brands.
Side notes:
1. I wondered why new Blu-ray players, even those that haven't hit the street yet, are coming out with only version 1.1 and no internet connectivity. The reason, theory, I found is the circuitry for internet connectivity can degrade performance of the unit. I've seen no white papers or tests but I did see the theory in print. Take it for what it's worth.
2. There are 3 levels of digital audio, one being what we are used to on standard DVD which is compressed to save space on the disc, two is a slightly higher bit rate available on Blu-ray via optical or coaxial digital connection referred to as "Dolby Plus" or "DTS-HD", third is lossless or true to the original movie soundtrack master formats called Dolby Tru-HD or DTS-MA (Master Audio). To take advantage of the 3rd level the signal has to be passed via HDMI to your receiver, the decoding can happen in the player and be sent LPCM. Or bitstreamed to be decoded internally by a receiver or processor with the decoders. You can also use Multi-channel analog connections if included on your Blu-ray player with built in decoding for the HD formats and have a compatible receiver with these inputs. One note about Multi-channel analog or LPCM where using the Blu-ray decoder, the player will need to also include several different speaker set up features as on a HT receiver in order for sound to be properly balanced and set. This is another problem I had with the BD-P1200, it only gave me adjustment for speaker size, large or small, no volume level, no crossovers, no delay etc. So while the sound of the HD audio was good it was also untamed.
For more information on the various formats the Dolby Labs and DTS websites are good resources and even have speaker placement diagrams.Buy Marantz BD7003 Blu-ray Disc high-definition player!
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