Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player available for pre-order (again)
The Blu-ray camp is moving the hype machine to 11 now that HD-DVD is in stores. The latest is Sony's own BDP-S1 showing up on their website for pre-orders, ready to take the $999.95 that has been burning a hole in your pocket. Of course if you start financing it at $29 a month, you'll have it paid off by the time HVD comes out.
Continue on for the feature list, is all that 1080p, uncompressed multi channel audio goodness worth it to you? Frankly I'm unimpressed, you'd think that for $1000 you could at least get the twin HDMI outs they claim will be on the Playstation 3. And a "blue glass front"? Call me back when it's chrome plated and spinning. "On or about August 15", update your calendars children.
[Via engadget]
What does all that dispensable income get you?
- Blu-ray Disc / DVD Playback2
- Video Codec Format : MPEG2/MPEG4-AVC/VC-1
- Full HD 1080p Video Output through HDMI connection1
- DVD Upscaling to 1080p3
- Uncompressed Multi Channel Linear PCM Output
- Dolby® Digital Plus(Dolby® Digital audio stream only), Dolby® TrueHD (Dolby® Digital audio stream only) dts®-HD --- (dts audio stream only) Digital Out and decoding capability
- Dolby® Digital and dts® 5.1channel Output
- Multi Channel 192KHz/24bit Audio D/A Converters
- Rigid Beam Construction
- Separated Audio Circuit Board
- Highly Tuned Audio Parts
- Drive Bracket for stability of drive system
- Individual Speaker Setting
- Off Center Insulator Feet
- BD-Java Interactive Capability5
- Pop up Menu
- Quick Set Up
- FL Off/Dimmer Mode
- Screen Saver
- MP3 and JPEG Playback from DVD Media4
- Parental Control
- IR In
- Multi Brand TV Control Remote
- Sophisticated Box Design with blue glass front
Filed under: Sony
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
IseWise @ Apr 21st 2006 10:50PM
This is the better buy in my opinion against the Toshiba player that launched this week. 1080p out over a HDMI. I know 1080p has been getting beat up on the net recently, but no matter how you look at it now, 1080p is coming, it isnt quite "real" now, but its coming. And I would rather buy this $1000 dollar player now and have the comfort that I am somewhat futureproof. But we all know that early adopters get worked. I am about to get worked over because I bought a launch Xbox 360 console and now Microsoft/IBM is upgrading the chip, and this relates to how early adopters bought HDTVS that might not be compatible with HDCP.
David @ Apr 22nd 2006 12:42AM
IseWise you don't really have to worry about the xbox 360 thing its COMPLETELY STANDARD. No this revision will not effect the performance at all towards gameplay, it is simply a hardware enhancement which Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have all done repeadetly over the course of the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube's life span.
For more info read the comments from the Digg story
http://www.digg.com/gaming/Microsoft_to_upgrade_Xbox_360_CPU
Galley @ Apr 22nd 2006 11:32AM
$1000 and it won't play CD and SACD? The PS3 will play both.
Bwallen @ Apr 22nd 2006 11:41AM
The difference between 1080i and 1080P is marginal unless looking at a screen bigger than 60 inches. I went to best buy this week and watched portions of serenity on hd dvd. It looked amazing. To me both machines offer the exact same thing. 1080i(my tv's resolution)
and the new audio codecs. But I can buy into hd dvd for alot less.
punko29@hotmail.com @ Apr 22nd 2006 8:29PM
No porn... I'm not buyin' ...
Dave @ Apr 22nd 2006 11:52PM
I can live with 1080i, since my sxrd converts it to 1080p anyway internally and does a good job of it. However, I'm not moving a pen in the checkbook until we get BD record ability and a hardrive combo that lets me record stuff, then decide if I want to archive the stuff I am allowed to burn to disk. That means I don't intend to be illegal about it, but if I have a HD level disc based player I need to be able to record stuff not just playback.
Oh well, guess I wait for the 2nd gen stuff. Clearly this is a very first pass level product and not really ready for the masses. My cable HD box with recording for timeshifting is serving quite well and certainly there is more to watch on it then either HDDVD or BR.
$.02
Steven @ Apr 23rd 2006 1:07AM
#4: You still haven't seen 1080p on display. Although the HD-DVD movies are encoded at 1080p, the players only put out at 1080i. But for the record, if you have a 1080p screen, it will not look any different with a 1080i input that it would with a native 1080p input. The resolution is all that matters, not the order that the lines get there. It's going to arrange them in the proper order, so it all looks the same.
Ben Hobbs @ Apr 24th 2006 10:42AM
#7 - Actually thats incorrect, theres all kinds of processing that has to be applied to an interlaced signal that doesn't need to be done for progressive.
I don't really understand Blu-Rays marketing angle, they are coming out 9-12 months later than HD DVD, releasing the films first (stupid) and are insisting on regional encoding, all at double the price ????
Add to this that Sony is stating that the PS3 can handle better music formats, have twin HDMI's (Run two monitors) and is a blu-ray player at half the cost of (and 1/8th the size of) this unit.
zombieflanders @ Apr 26th 2006 9:47AM
"I don't really understand Blu-Rays marketing angle, they are coming out 9-12 months later than HD DVD, releasing the films first (stupid) and are insisting on regional encoding, all at double the price ????"
1) They're coming out 2 months later, I don't know where you pulled 9-12 out of your ass.
2) Almost everybody but SPHE is matching titles to launch.
3) The studios (including those supporting HD DVD) are calling for Regions. They'll update AACS for both formats to include it.
Scott @ Apr 26th 2006 7:07PM
Both of these formats are going to fail. HVD is by far a better system, And should release end of 06 to early 07. Although at the beginning will be very expensive the price will plummit due to the ease of manufacturing. If I were you I wouldnt buy either of these unless it is in the format of Xbox 360 or PS3. Oh yeah and the flash memory cards coming out this Christmas will hold the same amount of data as the BD. You can check InPhase and Optware's website to verify.