What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
26 NOV 2009
Sony BDP-S560
Yet another solid Sony: not as seductive as some in the range, perhaps, but impossible to dislike
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The new BDP-S560 fills an improbably narrow niche in the Sony range between the brilliant BDP-S360, a player we’ve recently declared the finest budget deck on the market, and the formidably capable BDP-S760, Product of the Year in the 2009 What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Awards.
Essentially, this is a media-friendly upgrade over the entry-level ’S360. For picture quality, it’s identical to its little brother: with the Blu-ray of Valkyrie, fine details are crisply resolved, motion is assured and colours are suitably lustrous.
Sound is good too, although the BDP-S560’s tonal balance, relative to the cheaper unit, is both louder and a little brighter, although not uncomfortably so.
More importantly, this Sony will decode all forms of audio to PCM if required, and stream them in their native form if you (and your AV amp) prefer.
Can it justify the premium?
So if this is much the same player, how does Sony justify the premium over the BDP-S360? Well, like the pricier BDP-S760, the £240 Sony includes a front-mounted USB input to display digital pictures, plus built-in wireless network connectivity for easy access to BD-Live features from the internet.
You can also use either a wired or wireless network to link to other similar devices to share digital photos.
Whether that's worth the extra over the ’360 is, essentially, up to you. But if you fancy a fully connected solution straight out of the box and are prepared to pay a little for convenience, then the BDP-S560 is a great choice.
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