Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony BDPS550 Profile 2.0 Blu-ray Player

This is my first Blu-Ray player but after looking at the few players available at present the Sony players are definitely better looking and are priced reasonably. I decided to get the BDP-S550 over the 350 as it has better audio connectivity for 7.1, has a 1GB memory card for BD-Live storage and has a backlit remote control.

It only takes 5-10 mins to setup but as soon as you pop in a Blu-Ray disc you will be blown away with the picture quality of this player. Discs take about 6 seconds to startup. If using a HDMI connection the player will upscale your old DVDs upto 1080p. The player is region 2 for DVDs but using a small hack using a One4All remote can easily be converted to play Region 1 DVDs but this cannot be done for Blu-Rays at present.

If you are thinking of purchasing a Blu-Ray player I guarantee that you won't be disappointed, highly recommended.

I bought this Sony model in preference to the cheaper BDP-S350 because I needed the Multi Analogue outputs and onboard sound decoding, to hook it up to my Sony STR-DA1200ES, which cannot do sound from HDMI or the latest HD sound formats.

I was particularly disappointed to read the ONE very negative review of this product which otherwise has glowing reviews. The gentleman concerned had obviously not done his homework and his particular problem regarding lack of bass using the multi analogue outs, had nothing at all to do with this particular model.

This will happen with any Blu-Ray player, or DVD player, when using analogue outs. His Google search should have also revealed this is the norm, and because of this most reasonable amps/receivers have a +10dB (some even have +15dB) LFE channel boost setting just for Multi Analogue In's to compensate for this.

If the +10dB boost doesn't "satisfy" then further adjustment can be made in the S550's own settings. You cannot increase individual channels but you have do the ability to reduce them. So if you want even more Bass, reduce all the other channels except the LFE.

Please note, tinkering with the S550 settings IMHO is not really a viable alternative to a +10dB amp/receiver boost. My advice would be to read your amp/receiver manual to ensure you have the option to increase the LFE, specifically for Multi In's, BEFORE contemplating using Multi Analogues as a viable connection method for ANY Blu-Ray or DVD player.

Obviously, if you are using other connection methods to hook up your S550 then you won't have to worry about the "shortcoming" of multi analogue connection.

For those who want the newest model please be aware the S760 is only a couple of months away and has the added benefit of wireless network connectivity, but will no doubt be at a premium price initially If you are like me, not fussed about wireless connection, then the S550 is a great player.

I am very happy with this product BUT at the time I also got three discs free with it through an offer that may have expired when you read this ("Batman Begins", "Hancock", and "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"), AND I may well connect it to an AV receiver and speakers in the near future. It is mainly those two considerations (plus the background illumination for the remote) that led me to buy this and not the 350. The 550 also has a "precision drive" to supposedly allow for better reading of damaged discs (all mine are still pristine, so I can't evaluate this!). Anyone for whom none of those things are very important should take a look at the cheaper BDP S 350 too. The 350 does not offer as comprehensive decoding of HD sound formats as the 550 for home theatre purposes (no DTS HD Master Audio decoding integrated apparently), but this will not matter to everyone.

Nevertheless, this machine is fast and up-to-date with the BD Live 2.0 standard, and has no problems with brand new discs. The set-up of the machine is very easy, and it links well with BRAVIA TVs. You can use your TV remote for most functions on this machine, and its remote can be used for basic TV functions: sometimes better because this remote is smaller and lighter than a Sony TV remote.

The 550 also comes with a free 1GB memory card for storing on-line content from BD-Live. The rear panel comes with a wealth of audio connections (I won't repeat details already on this page) and internet connection via LAN.

A word about upscaling: some people claim that this is eyewash, but I thought that my DVD of "Prisoner of Azkaban" looked markedly improved when viewed through this machine rather than through the DVD player on the same television. Gullible auto-hypnosis? Maybe. Judge for yourself with your favourite DVDs.

A great machine. Just consider the 350 if the differences above are unimportant to you. Or consider the BDV IT 1000 if you want a surround system but don't want to get separate speakers and a separate AV receiver, because you get a BD player of about this quality in that package.

I was a bit worried when it arrived as the Amazon box was deformed and crushed. Opened it up to find that the Sony box was floating about in a box that was several inches bigger than it was with a bit of brown paper.

That said, the Sony box appeared to have survived without damage. I was a bit worried also when I noticed that the Sony box had been opened and resealed with another layer of tape over the original. Frequently a sign of a returned item. There were signs that the cables had also been taken out of their wrapping.

You can Imagine that I examined the Player very carefully but could find no marks or other signs of abuse.

I connected it up, with a certain amount of trepidation, switched it on and found that it worked perfectly on all counts. I have the 350 model so knew, more or less, what to expect.

I have given it five stars as the unit is worth it in all departments, sound, picture and all other functions.

I only wish Amazon would be a bit more careful with the packing and save me being worried for nothing.

The price, at the moment, seems fantastic.

Ged.

I bought this Blu-ray player from Amazon two weeks ago and am very pleased with it. I chose this model, as against the cheaper BDP-S350, for the multi-channel analogue output connections as I have an older A/V receiver that is unable to decode the HD audio codecs. Being my first foray into Blu-ray, I must say what an improvement HD audio is (both Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio) over standard Dolby Digital and DTS. Whilst I have noted criticism, from some quarters, regarding the lack of bass, I can honestly say that I have not found this to be the case with my modest 5.1 system. Regarding the video quality, I find that this is also superb. The one, perhaps somewhat daft!, aspect that initially put me off buying one was the blue front but, on receiving it, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is, in fact, a very dark blue and matches my other (Black) components just fine. I would also say that, in my opinion, it is quite a classy looking and well made piece of kit. Overall I would heartily recommend this product, especially bearing in mind its competitive price when compared with similarly featured models from other manufacturers.