What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
01 AUG 2008
Sony BDP-S350
This diminutive player delivers superb picture and sound and represents incredible value for money
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You wouldn’t think so much effort could go into making a budget Blu-ray player, but a peek at the BDP-S350 shows that
Sony really has pulled out all the stops.
It’s a lean, mean, disc-spinning machine. Sony has crammed all the electronics into a small chassis that’s been embossed and strengthened in key areas to reduce the effects of unwanted vibrations.
The player also uses a new, virtually silent fan, and even the solder has been changed in an attempt to help improve performance.
Like the Samsung, the BDP-S350 is Profile 1.1 enabled and needs a firmware update to enable Profile 2.0. Again, as with the Samsung, you can do this over the internet using the Ethernet port. The Sony can automatically search for updates, too.
Talking of menus, the Sony uses a PS3-esque XrossMediaBar (XMB), which is attractive and easy to navigate. You’re aided by a finger-friendly remote control that’s similar in style to the ones you get with Sony’s latest flatscreeen televisions and AV receivers.
Regarding picture quality, the Sony will output 1080p/24fps for Blu-ray and, of course, upscale DVD to1080p, too.
Excellent sound quality
For sound, the player can output HD audio in bitstream form, or if you want to do the decoding in the player, it can convert everything to LPCM apart from DTS-HD Master Audio. Like the other Blu-ray players, the Sony doesn’t have any multichannel analogue inputs. And, it’s audio quality where the Sony really leads the way. The explosions and gunfire in
Die Hard 4.0 sound bold, solid and weighty.
Dialogue sounds full-bodied and natural, and there’s no trace of brightness of leanness. CD playback is pretty respectable too – the BDP-S350 sounds relatively rhythmic and entertaining with a range of music.
This player dishes out a fine Blu-ray image, too. Spin
21 and the Sony really brings home the glitz and glamour of the Vegas nightlife and casinos. The picture is polished, showing great attention to detail, and excellent sharpness and realism is also apparent.
The Sony is also a dab hand with DVD playback. The BDP-S350 does the crisp transfer of
Forgetting Sarah Marshall justice, displaying a welcome absence of on-screen noise.
There’s no doubt in our minds that this is Sony’s best Blu-ray player to date.