Harman Kardon BDP1 Blu-ray Disc Player - Product Review And Rating

The BDP1 provides very good detail and contrast, as well as acceptable black levels with Blu-ray Disc playback. However, there was a slight oversaturation of Blues and Red/Orange when compared to the other Blu-ray Disc players used for reference.

With regards to more technical testing, the BDP1 passed a majority of the tests on the Silicon Optix HQV Benchmark DVD, which measures DVD video performance with regards to video processing and upscaling.

The test results revealed that the BDP1 does good to very good with progressive scan (3:2 pulldown), jaggie elimination (both rotating line and flag waving tests), detail, motion adaptive processing, and moire pattern detection and elimination. One the other hand, the BDP1 did not do well in suppressing video noise and did not process some of the video field/frame cadence tests well. For more details, refer to my Harman Kardon BDP1 Video Performance Tests.

Also, to see how the Harman Kardon BDP1 video performance compares with othr Blu-ray Disc players, check out my previous tests of the OPPO Digital BDP-83, Panasonic DMP-BD60, Insignia NS-2BRDVD, Samsung BD-P1500, Sherwood BDP-5003, Pioneer BDP-95FD, and the Yamaha BD-S2900.

Also the BDP1 did not have a problem converting HDMI to DVI. Using the DVI input option on the Westinghouse LVM-37w3, which required the HDMI output of the DMP-BD60 to be converted to DVI to make the connection, there was no problem with recognition.

Also, rerunning the HQV tests, no detectable performance difference was detected. This should be especially comforting to those that have only DVI-HDCP inputs on their HDTVs.

Audio Performance

On the audio side, the BDP1 offers complete onboard audio decoding, but also provides undecoded bitstream output for compatible home theater receivers.

In terms of audio performance, The BDP1 delivered excellent audio performance on both Blu-ray and DVD soundtracks When playing standard DVDS, CDs. I noticed no audio artifacts that could be attributed to the BDP1.

Surround imagery and vocal presence in movie soundtracks, such as Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and Nigh at the Museum (Blu-ray), and Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Moulin Rouge (DVD).

In terms of standard 2-channel CD playback, Heart's Magic Man, with its distinctive bass slide to the extreme low end of the audio range, was spot on, the vocal presence of Norma Jones on several cuts from Come Away With Me and Joshua Bell's recording of West Side Story Suite showed excellent orchestral sound reproduction.

The BDP1 demonstrated very good audio performance with Blu-ray, DVD, and CDs. On the other hand, the lack of 5.1 or 7.1 channel analog audio outputs does limit access to high resolution audio with older, non-HDMI equipped home theater receivers. For me this was a disappointment given Harman Kardon's audio reputation.

1. Good image detail and contrast.

2. Access to video, music, and still images stored on flash drives inserted into USB port.

3. Backlit Remote Control. This is a practical feature that all Blu-ray Disc players should come with. Having a remote control with a backlight option is really helpful when operating the BDP1 in a darkened room, such as is required when using a video projector.

4. Easy to navigate onscreen menus and well written user manual.

5. HDMI cable is included in the box. This is a nice touch that all manufacturers should proivde consumers who purchase a Blu-ray Disc player.

What I Didn't Like About the Harman Kardon BDP1

1. No 5.1/7.1 channel analog audio output option. This prevents access to Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks on home theater receivers that do not have audio access via HDMI.

2. Lackluster video noise reduction performance.

3. Slight oversaturation of Blues and Orange/Reds.

4. No audio/video internet streaming capability. No wireless networking capability.

5. No SACD or DVD-Audio playback.

Final Take

The BDP1 provides very good detail and contrast, as well as acceptable black levels with Blu-ray Disc playback. However, there was a slight oversaturation of Blues and Red/Orange when compared to the other Blu-ray Disc players used for reference.

With regards to more technical testing, the BDP1 passed most of the tests on the Silicon Optix HQV Benchmark DVD, which measures DVD video performance with regards to video processing and upscaling.

The test results revealed that the BDP1 does good to very good with progressive scan (3:2 pulldown), jaggie elimination (both rotating line and flag waving tests), detail, motion adaptive processing, and moire pattern detection and elimination. One the other hand, the BDP1 did not do well in suppressing video noise and did not process some of the video field/frame cadence tests well.

On the audio side, the BDP1 offers both complete onboard audio decoding and undecoded bitstream output for compatible home theater receivers. However, the lack of 5.1 or 7.1 channel analog audio outputs does limit audio connectivity with non-HDMI equipped home theater receivers.

In terms of audio performance with the available connection options, the BDP1 delivered excellent audio performance on both Blu-ray and DVD soundtracks, and also from audio-only CDs. I noticed no audio artifacts that could be attributed to the BDP1.

Also, the inclusion of a front USB port, Backlit Remote Control, an easy-to-use onscreen menu system, and an easy-to-read and understand user manual are all worthy consumer-friendly features. However, unlike an increasing number of Blu-ray Disc players in its price range, there is no internet audio or video streaming available from services such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, or Rhapsody.

For a closer look at the features and performance Harman Kardon BDP1, also check out my Photo Gallery and Video Performance Tests.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.