Sony BDP-S470

The new Sony BDP-S470 is Sony’s first standalone 3D Blu-ray player to hit the market. But unlike the BDP-S770 which will come 3D-ready straight out of the box, the midrange BDP-S470 will require a firmware update to support 3D playback. That update is expected to arrive in the summer. It will output 1080p high-definition images to a 3D capable HDTV when viewed with special 3D glasses.

Latest Update: Limited stocks of the Sony BDP-S470 is now available at Amazon.com

Sony BDP-S470 Blu-ray Player

Design

Front USB conveniently located for easy access

The Sony BDP-S470 features Sony’s new Monolithic Design Concept. The front panel is finished in high gloss black giving it a high tech finish. Connectivity options are basic but adequate. Outputs on the back panel include a HDMI, component video, composite video, optical digital audio out, coaxial digital audio out, 2 channels analog audio, a USB and an Ethernet port.

There is also a USB socket on the front for convenient viewing of your digital photos and direct playback of MP3 music. There are no analog 7.1 audio outputs provided.

Features

In addition to Blu-ray 3D playback, the BDP-S470 player will also include Wi-Fi capabilities (via a USB dongle) and allows multimedia playback via USB port. When connected to a broadband Internet network, it will stream movies, videos and music from Netflix®, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Slacker® Internet Radio, Pandora®, NPR, Sony Pictures, Sony Music, and over 25 total providers through the Sony BRAVIA® Internet Video platform.

It also features Sony’s Entertainment Database Browser using Gracenote technologies that allows you to browse details like actor and production information from a blu-ray disc and access related content found on BRAVIA Internet Video content.

Sony’s free BD Remote App for iPhone and iPod Touch

Unique to all new Sony BD players, users with an iPhone® or iPod® touch device can control the players using a free app called “BD Remote” that can be downloaded from the Apple App store. The app allows an iPhone or iPod touch device to function as a remote control that includes the ability to access a Blu-ray Disc’s details such as jacket artwork, actor, and production information as well as search for additional video clips online.

In addition to its ability to play all formats of silver discs like blu-ray, DVD and CD, audiophiles will rejoice that the S470 will even play the superior sounding SACD.

Most importantly for videophiles, Sony has improved start up and disc loading performance for blu-ray discs. These issues have plagued older blu-ray players and have been a major source of dissatisfaction for early adopters of this format. When the quick start feature is turned on, the start-up time is quicker and disc loading is faster than previous models. The BDP-S470 starts up from power off in less than three seconds. Using the java-enabled The Dark Knight blu-ray disc as a benchmark, on-screen menu displays in just a few seconds, and the movie launched very quickly after that. It takes approximately 40 seconds from putting the disc in till you see the movie menu and another 30 seconds for the movie to begin. Please note that with the quick start feature turned on, the player consumes a little more power.

The BDP-S470 allows you to stream digital photos from your PC or other Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) enabled devices to the player. You will need to set up a home network with its wireless feature or wired through the Ethernet LAN port if you prefer. DLNA Certified devices connect and communicate with each other via the network. Although this may sound daunting, it’s actually not. The smart capabilities of most hardware nowadays makes set up a snap. Once you have your network established, all you need to do is connect to any DLNA-certified equipment (DLNA-certified products are built to work together no matter which company made the product). Now you can print photos from your TV, play music from a variety of devices or play movies that are stored located on your computer.

Bottom Line

The launch of 3D players such as the BDP-S470 at a competitive price level by Sony is a step forward in hastening mass market adoption of 3D. But with additional costs involved in upgrading to a 3D HDTV and special 3D glasses it remains to be seen how 3D playback in the home pans out. Nevertheless it still is a good option to have even you are just using the S470 for normal 2D playback to begin with.

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