Blu-ray/HD DVD players Review

Sony BDP-S350 review

Sony delivers its ﬁrst BD-Live ready Blu-ray player, and it's surprisingly affordable.

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Last reviewed: September 23rd

The Sony BDP-S350 still isn't the ï¬�nished Blu-ray article, but there's no doubt it's a big step in the right direction

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Now here's something you don't see every day: a dedicated Blu-ray player from Sony that's actually worthy buying.

Of course, starting my review of the Sony BDP-S350 with such ﬁghting talk probably looks like showboating. But honestly, while I might have been impressed with the raw video output of some previous Sony Blu-ray players, in other ways they really have been next to useless.

Even though Blu-ray as a format has ﬁnally reached a point where it can offer the same level of functionality HD DVD did from day one, Sony has not had a player able to do that functionality justice. Until now.

Firmware update

Well, actually 'now' isn't quite accurate. For the S350 is shipping without Profile 2.0 support already onboard! Yes, in a ﬁnal poignant reminder of just how difﬁcult Blu-ray has found it to cross the
ﬁnishing line, the S350 will only become Profile 2.0-capable following a firmware update currently slated for an October delivery. You can't see from there, but trust me: I'm rolling my eyes.

The good news is that this ﬁrmware update doesn't have to be delivered to the S350 via disc. Instead, you can use the Ethernet port for jacking into your network and entering the brave new world of internet-based extra features and downloadable ﬁrmware upgrades. Halle-blinking-lujah.

Before I go any further, all this talk of upgradability and internet connections brings to mind the PlayStation 3. Sony's games console is, of course, capable of playing Blu-ray discs, and has from the very beginning been able to download ﬁrmware updates. These have long enabled it to deliver Proﬁle 1.1 and 2.0 features – so you may think that my apparent 'Sony bashing' thus far seems unfair.

Playstation rivalry

But actually the PS3 merely reinforces my negative stance towards previous Sony standalone Blu-ray decks. For, if the Japanese tech giant can make the PS3, then why in the name of all that's Holy has it taken it so long to get something approaching the game console's Blu-ray features into any bog-standard BD decks?

In fact, so dominant a part has the ahead-of-its-time PS3 played in the Blu-ray world that ironically it's arguably the S350's biggest rival today, along with Panasonic's DMP-BD55 and the Samsung BD-P1500.

Just as well, then, that Sony has ﬁnally managed to get its pricing house in order. For at £230, the S350 is actually cheaper than the PS3. In fact, it's also more than £100 cheaper than Panny's BD55, although the Samsung does it give a run.

Iffy spec

It has to be said that there's a build quality price to pay for the S350's aggressive pricing. Its chassis is
ﬂimsy, with an unimaginative ﬁnish that wouldn't look out of place on a 30-quid DVD player. It's a far cry from the rigid splendour of Sony standalone Blu-ray players of the past.

The story continues to be bewilderingly mixed when it comes to the S350's connections, too. For while the Ethernet jack and an HDMI output capable of delivering 1080p24 and DeepColor are both very welcome, the deck's USB slot proves less desirable.

It's here that you must add memory to the S350 via an external USB storage device so that the player will be able to download certain BD-Live/ BonusView content. Shouldn't there be enough memory built-in to the player in the ﬁrst place?

And not only does having a memory stick in the back of your Blu-ray deck seem rather clumsy, but Sony's recommended USM1GH MicroVault will set you back an extra £15 or more.