BDP-S550
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Poll: What is the best Blu-ray player?
With Christmas right around the corner and the CEA predicting that consumers will spend more on electronics this year then last, we have to wonder what our dear readers think is the best Blu-ray player. Of course the PS3 is the most obvious answer since it pulls double duty as a gaming device, but movie lovers might prefer a standalone with other streaming features like VUDU or Netflix. At the same time, home automation nuts might prefer a player with discrete IR codes or maybe an RS-232 port. So keeping everything include the price in mind, which is the best Blu-ray player? %Poll-35872%
BD-Live-capable Blu-ray players get offered in multi-region form
If you held back from snapping up a multi-region Blu-ray player the last time you had a chance, today's your lucky day. BlurayMods has finally returned to the scene, and it brought along with it some fancy new toys. The ICOS HD mod converts your current BD deck into a multi-region bundle of fun, and if you believe the seller, it's totally easy to install and operate. For those not willing to hand over €69 ($88) for the mod chip -- which functions with Sony's BDP-S350 / BDP-S550, Panasonic's DMP-BD35 / DMP-BD55 and Denon's DVD-2500 -- you can buy a pre-rigged player for quite a bit more. We'd say the euro-to-dollar conversion really rules these out for most Americans, but if things get much crazier, you may find yourself looking at a steal.
Sony's $400 Profile 2.0 BDP-S550 Blu-ray player now shipping
Now that Sony's BDP-S350 is all taken care of with that BD-Live-enabling update, the focus shifts to its mightier sibling. The BDP-S550, which was announced way back at a Sony event in late February, is finally shipping. Granted, it's still hard to find in some places, but Sony's own website has 'em in stock and ready to ship within a few business days. $399.99 will get you full 1080p BD output, DVD upscaling via HDMI, 7.1-channel analog audio outputs, Dolby TrueHD internal decoding, BD-Live / BonusView support, BRAVIA Sync and a swank Discovery Channel Blu-ray Disc. Can't beat that with a stick, huh?[Thanks, Ron]
Sony's BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 Blu-ray players take the UK by storm
The "BD-Live-ready" BDP-S350 only started shipping in the US a few weeks ago, so we suppose the Brits / Scots / Welsh / Northern Irish (did we just make that up?) can't grumble too loudly about Sony's latest release. Both the BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 have finally been deemed official and ready for use in the United Kingdom, though specifications are precisely the same outside of that really funky power adapter. Curiously, there's no mention of release dates or prices, but it's almost guaranteed that you UKers will be forced to cough up way too many pounds as Sony takes advantage of the current exchange rate situation fiasco.
Sony announces BDP-S350, BDP-S550: first new Blu-ray players since the fall of HD DVD
Those waiting for the next generation of Blu-ray players, here you go: Sony's got two new ones for you today, the BDP-S350 and BDP-S550. Both feature BD-Live (and thus Ethernet) and USB (for external) storage and PiP (BonusView), while the S550 has 7.1 discrete analog outputs and 1GB of onboard storage. As for the rest of the specs, well, expect TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus (and DTS-HD MA & HR in the S550), AVCHD and xvYCC color support, and, of course 1080 60/24p. The S350 will hit for $400 this summer, while the S550 will run you $500 this fall.%Gallery-16927%
