Philips HMP2000 review
High quality Netflix streaming and a neat, quiet box, but the attractive interface is slow to respond and the remote control small and uncomfortable
If you’ve been hankering to get Netflix on your TV, Philips has a cheap way to do so with its HMP2000 media player. This tiny wedge is the height of simplicity, with just a single HDMI port on the rear. There’s no Ethernet socket at all and connection to the internet is entirely through the built-in 802.11n wireless networking.
The rear of the box is simplicity itself.
Power the box on and the simplicity continues, with just five icons taking up the home page: Netflix, YouTube, USB, Internet Services and Setup. It’s really Netflix that this box is designed for, so there’s a dedicated button to launch the streaming service on the remote control.
There’s no getting confused with the MP2000’s incredibly simple interface
The Netflix interface is simple and attractive. Thumbnails arranged into rows let you quickly select programmes and films to watch by category, such as TV Programmes, Recent Releases and Action & Adventure. Each time you select something to view, a right-hand panel shows you an overview of the content and user-rating for it.
The Netflix interface is simple and clear and gives you a quick overview of the latest content sorted by category
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | *** |
| Media Streamer type | streaming multimedia receiver |
Audio Compatibility | |
| Audio MP3 playback | Yes |
| Audio WMA playback | Yes |
| Audio WMA-DRM playback | No |
| Audio AAC playback | No |
| Audio Protected AAC playback | No |
| Audio OGG playback | No |
| Audio WAV playback | No |
| Audio Audible playback | No |
| Other audio formats | none |
Video Compatibility | |
| Other video formats | MPEG1, MPEG2, H.264, MKV,VC-1, WMV |
Image Compatibility | |
| Image BMP support | Yes |
| Image JPEG support | Yes |
| Image TIFF support | Yes |
Network Interfaces | |
| Wired network ports | none |
| Wireless networking support | Yes |
AV Interfaces | |
| Minijack line outputs | 0 |
| Minijack headphone outputs | 0 |
| Stereo phono outputs | 0 |
| Coaxial S/PDIF outputs | 0 |
| Optical S/PDIF outputs | 0 |
| Total SCART sockets | 0 |
| HDMI outputs | 1 |
| Component outputs | 0 |
| S-video output | 0 |
| Composite outputs | 0 |
| Other connectors | USB |
Physical | |
| Size | 50x90x100mm |
| Power consumption standby | 0W |
| Power consumption on | 4W |
Server Compatibility | |
| Software included | none |
| UPnP | No |
| iTunes | No |
| SlimServer | No |
| SMB | No |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £60 |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.amazon.co.uk |
| Details | www.philips.co.uk |
