Sony BDP-S550

[ganthc]

Sony To Drop Blu-Ray Player Pricing In September-Other Makers To Follow » HDGURU.Com

Looks like the flagship Sony player will be priced at $399, and the S350 will be at $299 starting in October. As a result, the Funai player is dropping to $250. I think by Christmas there may be another reduction by $50 to try and push the players for the holiday season.

The S550 might be the ps3 killer, in that it decodes all audio codecs (or bitstreams them), is a profile 2.0 player, and it has analog outs for those that need them. For my second TV, I am strongly considering this player since the ps3 is so hard to find now.

[EM3]

At $250 I would be tempted and at $200 I would say sold. I need a new receiver to take full advantage of the new audio codecs.

[videoworx]

My first DVD player was a Sony DVP-S550D, and it cost me $399 (MSRP was $499). Still performs as well as the day I bought it in 1999.

If I get a 2nd BD player, this will be it...for no other reason than the model #.

[dugpa]

This is the player I've been waiting for. If the reviews come in favorable, it'll be my replacement for my aging profile 1.0 BDP-S1. If the reviews say it's crap, then I'll probably give up and buy a PS3, even though it will mean downgrading my audio quality for a while.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by dugpa

This is the player I've been waiting for. If the reviews come in favorable, it'll be my replacement for my aging profile 1.0 BDP-S1. If the reviews say it's crap, then I'll probably give up and buy a PS3, even though it will mean downgrading my audio quality for a while.

The Toy FTW!!!

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by ganthc

The Toy FTW!!!

Well, I'll keep it with my Doctor Who action figures.
I can't believe it's so hard for companies to take the better aspects of the PS3 and stick them in a nice settop player with analog outs and a real disc drawer. That's why I'm crossing my fingers for the S500. I hope it'll work out and I won't have to resort to having the ugly noise machine in my living room.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by ganthc

The S550 might be the ps3 killer, in that it decodes all audio codecs (or bitstreams them), is a profile 2.0 player, and it has analog outs for those that need them. For my second TV, I am strongly considering this player since the ps3 is so hard to find now.

Well I can't see it topping load times & I dunno if the 550 has a wireless ethernet but everything else looks good on paper.

I don't know why you say its hard to find a PS3, I just picked up a second one brand new 80GB as a back-up if the 60GB ever dies. For BD playback, the trimmed down 80GB version should be just as good as the 60GB.

[No6PackJoe]

I hope other manufactures follow sonys lead and drop prices, I would rather get a Pioneer or a Panasonic over the sonys, even thou I have a ps3 I'm not a fan of sony products, I have always had bad luck with them.

[No6PackJoe]

Originally Posted by Derb

I don't know why you say its hard to find a PS3, I just picked up a second one brand new 80GB as a back-up if the 60GB ever dies. For BD playback, the trimmed down 80GB version should be just as good as the 60GB.

Must be the area ganthc lives in, even up here in Barrie you can't throw a stick without hitting one, even last year during christmas.

[Dogg]

Looks like the player for me. Sony Style has it listed for $399, plus the $150 off for first time purchase.

It will also help me bridge the gap between my existing setup and finally going HD. I've been holding off because my TV only has single DVI input and I haven't wanted to spend the cash on a new Reciever (Onkyo 606) AND a Blu-Ray player. With this player having audio outputs, I can hold off on the AVR.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Dogg

Looks like the player for me. Sony Style has it listed for $399, plus the $150 off for first time purchase.

It will also help me bridge the gap between my existing setup and finally going HD. I've been holding off because my TV only has single DVI input and I haven't wanted to spend the cash on a new Reciever (Onkyo 606) AND a Blu-Ray player. With this player having audio outputs, I can hold off on the AVR.

Yeah, I think this player will be a big seller because of the analog outs and the decoding of all audio codecs.

[Frankie]

Top marks on this review

Mr. Blandings Part 14 - October 2008

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by Frankie

Top marks on this review
Mr. Blandings Part 14 - October 2008

Anything Dan Ramer says should be taken with a grain of salt. But the price is pretty good and hopefully some real reviewers will take a look at the machine soon. So it's still on my radar to buy.

[Ruined]

The S550 has two main weaknesses. The first is that it has a slow power on time from OFF. Although it is good from standby, from an actual power off it is relatively slow.

The second, and more important, is that its deinterlacing is not so hot and it does not work well with a scaler/external VP. The deinterlacing chip it uses is the same one the Toshiba HD-A35 used, which if you recall my review of that machine I found it was notably inferior to the Reon processor I have.

But, if you can deal with either not using 1080p24 or getting less quality on DVD & Blu-ray concerts/documentaries/HD Video, then the S550 looks to be the best buy in its pricerange. It also has relatively few glitches compared to other machines.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Ruined

The S550 has two main weaknesses. The first is that it has a slow power on time from OFF. Although it is good from standby, from an actual power off it is relatively slow.

The second, and more important, is that its deinterlacing is not so hot and it does not work well with a scaler/external VP. The deinterlacing chip it uses is the same one the Toshiba HD-A35 used, which if you recall my review of that machine I found it was notably inferior to the Reon processor I have.

But, if you can deal with either not using 1080p24 or getting less quality on DVD & Blu-ray concerts/documentaries/HD Video, then the S550 looks to be the best buy in its pricerange. It also has relatively few glitches compared to other machines.

I think weakness one is small, because apparently the standby mode really quickens the speed, though it is a slight power drain.

Weakness 2 is something that hits all bd players that don't have a Reon chip built in (which currently is only the one Samsung player), or if they have a Reon processor external to the player. I think a lot of people have already made the investment with their AVR systems, and so if the player doesn't have Reon, they probably aren't affected by the deinterlacing. I would also say that I have not noticed a massive difference between the hd-xa2 and the hd-a35. I think that DVDs are at a limit as to how good they can look. If people are really that concerned about having Reon, they can pick up a Toshiba SUC player on the cheap to watch their dvds, I suppose.