Sony Bdp-s350 And Bdp-s550 (twice Info Article)

[HDTV1080P]

This is a interesting article from Twice on the Sony BDP-S350 and BDP-S550. The BDP-S350 list price is $399 and the BDP-S550 list price is $499. According to Twice the BDP-S550 is going to have 7.1 analog outputs for those that own older receivers that do not support 7.1 HDMI.
The main advantage of the BDP-S550 is the 7.1 analog outputs and advanced audio decoding.. Both the BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 are profile 2.0 players and support all the advanced audio formats. The BDP-S350 will require a firmware update and a 1GB USB memory stick for BD-LIVE. The BDP-S550 ships with full profile 2.0 support and includes a 1GB USB memory stick.. It is great to have a USB flash drive on the front of a BLU-RAY player but I also would like to see the 1GB of memory built into all future players instead of having a 1GB USB stick located on the front of the BLU-RAY player. With 1GB of internal memory it would look better cosmetically compared too having a USB memory stick constantly plugged into the BLU-RAY player. Also if internal DDR3 or DDR2 memory was used it would be faster compared to the USB memory stick. Of course with internal memory there would need to be a option to backup BD-LIVE web downloads to a external USB memory drive when the internal memory fills up.

Highlighted quotes
“In addition, Sony said that starting with the BDP-S350, all of Sony’s Blu-ray players will have an improved six-second boot-up time.”

Both models are the company’s first dedicated Blu-ray players to offer BD Live, Deep Color, x.v. color and all of the optional surround-sound formats authorized for use on Blu-ray discs, Fawcett said.”

“The S550 also sports 7.1-channel analog outputs like the S500 model that it will replace for compatibility with early-model AV receivers that lack HDMI inputs, said Chris Fawcett, Sony home video marketing VP.”

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6579227.html

UPDATE: The Sony models have the USB port in the back of the player. Other DVD and BLU-RAY players place the SD or USB port in the front of the player.

[HDTV1080P]

I was planning on this fall upgrading around 5 of my DVD players with BLU-RAY players. I was strongly considering going with the 80GB PS3 model but now since Sony has dropped PS2 backward compatibility and super audio CD with the $100 price cut I am no longer interested in the PS3 product.
I am now strongly considering getting around 5 BDP-S550’s or BDP-S350’s. I would have went with the BDP-S550 for another $100 if it would have had 1GB of internal memory instead of external memory. The BDP-S350 for $100 less is more attractive.
It appears the only major difference between the BDP-S550 and BDP-S350 is the 7.1 analog audio outputs and decoding all audio formats.

[Maxx_75]

This is the first I have heard of the 550 not having the memory internal let alone it's port being on the front of the player. I would wait to see it the info from that artice is acuarate. Which I doubt because if that was true it would be all over the forums before now.

[HDTV1080P]

Originally Posted by Maxx_75

This is the first I have heard of the 550 not having the memory internal let alone it's port being on the front of the player. I would wait to see it the info from that artice is acuarate. Which I doubt because if that was true it would be all over the forums before now.

It would be awesome if the 550 had internal memory. The twice article is quoting what Sony said.
"This fall, Sony said, it will deliver the step-up BDP-S550 ($499), which will be BD Live capable out of the box. A 1GB USB flash drive will be supplied with the player to give the device the needed extra memory for interactive features."

[Maxx_75]

Well having a memory port in the back is highly likely. The question is whether or not there is a gig internal or not.

However I find it highly unlikely that the USB port will be on the front of the unit.

[HDTV1080P]

Originally Posted by Maxx_75

Well having a memory port in the back is highly likely. The question is whether or not there is a gig internal or not.

However I find it highly unlikely that the USB port will be on the front of the unit.

Thanks for pointing out the location of the USB port. Another person that has seen the Sony player told me it is located in the back. Most other DVD players and BLU-RAY players on the market have the SD memory card slot on the front of the player. The advantage of having the USB port or SD card on the front would be that it would make it very easy to plug and unplug a USB or SD memory stick. Placing the memory stick in the back of the player would make it difficult to get to if it was placed in a cabinet.

This is what I would like to see on all future BLU-RAY players
1. A minimum of 1.25GB of internal memory. 256MB of memory for PIP (bonus view material). 1GB of fast flash memory internal for BD-LIVE content.
2. A USB or SD memory slot in the front of the player for easy fast connection. Once a 1GB or larger memory card is inserted an option in the BLU-RAY player should allow the internal memory to be copied to the external memory card. USB and SD memory card could be used to look at digital photo’s also on the HD display.

[CmdrTallen]

Hi, I picked up the BDP-S350 as Nebraska Furniture Mart this weekend for $329 and then I installed a 2GB USB stick (HP v120w) via the back USB slot.

New convert from a Toshiba HD A2, so far I like the S350.