Since Blu-ray format has evolved, Sony has been manufacturing Blu-ray players since the time the format was first introduced. However, the game console Playstation 3 has always remained popular over the players introduced so far. With introduction of Sony BDP-S550, the first standalone player from Sony, it is the only model which seems to have proven to be the one better than Playstation 3. The Sony player has 7.1 analog outputs to accommodate older receivers. The player offers you with the facility to connect to the internet via its Ethernet port, which makes Sony BDP-S550 a Profile 2 compliant player. It has also onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD, and like the Samsung BD-P2500, this player offers DTS-HD Master Audio feature. The player compares well with the other players of its category, and Sony has kept a reasonable selling price of around $450.
The market shows that most of the buyers prefer, for example, the Panasonic DMP-BD35 as an alternative to Sony BDP-S550. The BD35 is available at a lesser price, having the same functions as the BDP-S550, without the analog outputs. On the other hand, the Samsung BD-P2550 offers 7.1 outputs, HQV video processing, plus Netflix and Pandora streaming at the same price as Samsung BDP-S550. If you are looking for a basic player, without the analog outputs or DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, the BD35 becomes the obvious choice. However, if one is interested in high definition gaming, Playstation 3 could be a better choice. People with specific interest in gaming would obviously go for Playstation 3, which is still considered to be a better Blu-ray player in its performance, selling for only $400.
The Good and the Bad
Every classic DVD player has its benefits in its features. However, there are certain review observations which bring out the lacking in those players. As far as the Sony BDP-S550 is concerned it has its good and the bad.
The Good:
- The player has excellent picture quality on Blu-ray discs.
- The player is Profile 2 compliant, which means that it features Internet access capability through its Ethernet access port.
- The player has onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and bit-stream output as well.
- The 7.1 analog-audio outputs for old receivers.
- The player comes with 1 GB USB drive.
The Bad:
- The player does not have an internal memory. However, a 1 GB USB flash drive is provided along with the player.
- Compared to Sony BDP-S550, Playstation 3 may still be a better choice for people with interest in gaming.
- The other players in the market offer more functions at a lesser price.
Design
The Sony BDP-S550 is a classic looking player, and like Sony’s entry level player, the BDP-S550 is a few inches shorter in thickness than the Blue-ray players, being 8.75 inches deep. The structural design of the player is quite simple. It has the disc-tray unit at its center concealed by an automatic flip-down cover. The LCD display of the player is somewhat small, and is placed at the right of the center of the player. Further, to the right you have few of the playback controls, although the “chapter forward” button is not present. The angling positions of the power on/off and disc-tray in/out buttons, situated at the top of the player, are somewhat inconvenient. The overall finish that covers the Sony BDP-S550 is quite impressive. It has the glossy touch, but does not look like paint which has not completely dried, as do other players in the market.
The remote control of the player has been well designed, and has a “directional pad” at its center. This directional pad dominates the unit, and like others, this pad is surrounded by buttons, such as, menu, options, and home. You will find separate rockers for volume and channel changing towards the bottom of the unit. These rockers are helpful if you are using the remote unit to control your TV. The design of the remote unit provides adequate button separation so that it can even be operated in the dark by just feeling button positions.
Features
The USB port, situated at the back of the player has a deep recess, and this creates a problem when you want to use USB drive it will not just fit. As for the player, Sony provides a 1 GB USB drive which comfortably fits the USB port of the player.
The Sony BDP-S5500 is capable accessing the Internet through its “BD-live” feature. The player provides Ethernet connectivity, with a USB flash drive included when you buy the player. The Sony BDP-S550 does not have an internal memory. However, wih Sony including a flash drive with the player seems to be a good compromise.
The player has formidable soundtrack support, having on-board decoding which may be used for all high resolution soundtrack formats. The player also has Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. With these features, you automatically get quality audio without having to use any receiver. You will also get the advantage of “bit-stream format” with Sony BDP-S550, and, what’s more, with the player’s high-resolution soundtrack output, you can choose your AV receiver, which would handle the decoding automatically.
The Sony BDP-S550 has excellent connectivity. The HDMI output of the player produces some stunning video at up to 1080p, and multi-channel audio as well, with high-resolution. It also has a “component-video” output, which provides Blu-ray Discs output at 1080i and 480i. This, along with “legacy composite-video and S-Video connections”, make this player feature-wise very attractive. The good thing about this player is that, it has both “optical and coaxial digital-audio outputs”. For older receivers, the player offers 7.1 analog-audio outputs. The player has no Wi-Fi, but has Ethernet port providing access to the Internet. This port could be used to update firmware and also to download contents.
Sony BDP-S550 Prices