Sony BDP-S560

Sony’s very own Playstation 3 had a tough start in the beginning with it being the only console bearing the Blu-ray format, but now the technology has been finally accepted and now Sony is aiming to bring the Blu-ray technology to all the non-gamers out there that want to pay less. This is what the Sony BDP-S560 is here for and it has been making a mark in the Blu-ray player competition by offering a low price while having plenty of neat features for any entry-level user that wants to make the big leap from DVD technology.

Sony BDP-S560 Player Details

Design

The Sony BDP-S560 undoubtedly looks a lot more attractive than the rest of the entry-level players. Displaying this in any home theater setup actually makes the player more expensive than it is with a nice smooth black gloss exterior and some dark grey accents on the top and bottom.

The power button is a bit hard to recognize at first as it is found on the top left of the player taking the form of a very thin button line and a small symbol just next to it. The same thing can be said to the open/close button that is found on the opposite end. The playback controls aren’t really much with the play and stop buttons being visible so most of the controls require the remote. The USB port is nicely positioned on the bottom right, which is necessary to play back slideshows from USB devices or downloading of BD-Live content.

Actual user review:
“This player is the absolute best. Picture quality it clear and amazing, and I’ve seen the Samsung bd-1600 and Panasonic BD-60’s picture and it just does not compare. Super fast and easy to use. seriously, if your looking for a player that gives you that wow feeling with its picture than cant go wrong with sony. if you just want something nicer than dvd then go ahead with the other guys. My setup include 46″ Panasonic plasma-240hz with a Monster 1200 hdmi cable. Trust me, HDMI cables matter if you want that 3D pop effect.” – B.Adama (Chicago,USA)

Features

For an affordable player, the BD-S560 surprises with a ton of features including full BD-Live streaming support allowing anyone having BD-Live Blu-ray titles to access any additional trailers, scenes, and even some games from the Internet. One of the features that separate it from the other entry-level players is the built-in Wi-Fi support eliminating the need for an Ethernet cable to be used for accessing the BD-Live extras. It supports the latest 802.11n/g/b/a frequencies and can connect to other computers connected wirelessly in the network. A USB device must be plugged in to access the Internet and Bonus content. An Ethernet port is still included anyway just in case the wireless features cannot be utilized.

This makes photo playback a lot better than the rest since it is possible to load any USB 2.0 compatible flash disk and load it up with pictures to playback the photos or just access the photos wirelessly using the WLAN quickly and easily. Even other devices can be wirelessly streamed as well as long as they have the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) support.

It also makes great use of the HDMI by providing bitstream output and internal decoding of two of the most popular audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD respectively. These formats deliver surround sound of lossless quality and support of up to 7.1 channels adding to the home theater experience.

Performance

While the features do not stack up with other players, this entry-level player remains on top because of its fantastic performance. First, it has the Quick Start Mode so that the disc player can be operated just 6 seconds after the player’s switched on. The interface doesn’t disappoint either using the Xross Media Bar interface, which made Sony’s PSP and PS3 famous.

Image quality is also good as it bears the Full HD 1080p logo for much clearer pictures compared to the 480i on DVDs. In addition, it also upscales any DVD titles via HDMI so people can discard their old DVD players as it brings these titles to a quality that is nearly HD. The x.v.Color output technology grants support for AVCHD format discs as well and improves the format by producing twice as much colors than standard RGB color sources for more vivid images. Finally, the 24p True Cinema capability lets viewers enjoy all their favorite titles the way they are supposed to be enjoyed at 24 frames per second which is excellent for action movies.

Bottom Line

The Sony BDP-S560 is a top performer with a nice Wi-Fi feature to add to it and bears a nice design as well. It is best paired with a BRAVIA HDTV to take advantage of the BRAVIA sync capability, but the BDP-S560 remains as a fantastic entry-level player to have regardless of the home theater setup.

Average User Rating:

• “I have been using the Sony BDP-560 for a month now, and with the latest firmware, it is more responsive than it had been, which moved it up a star for my rating. It does what it should do well, especially decoding the latest Dolby and DTS offerings.
  I have owned two Oppo units, and they are, in my opinion, the best value in DVD / Blu ray players, but I just couldn’t afford one this time. This Sony is a solid player, and any player you consider should have wi-fi connectivity, unless it is simple to run a network cable, and you have a free port. ” – R.Hamilton (CA,USA)
• “All I have to say is that this is the best blu-ray unit I have ever seen. Goes great with a Sony 46″ LCD TV, Bravia Sync. The Picture and Sound are crystal clear. Setup was the easiest setup ever, as easy as 1 2 3 you’re connected to wireless. The BD-Live feature is Awesome, along with the quick load feature.I also love the looks of the player,with the drop down front panel to access the tray. The remote is great to, except there’s no door open feature. So what,you have to get up to put the DVD in anyway. Overall this unit is 100% in my book. Glad I bought it, and Amazon had it at a great price. Completely Satisfied.” – L.Galla (MA,USA)

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