Blue Ray Players

After a week of being really busy with too much of stress and pressure in the office, all we would like to do in the weekends, is just sit back, toss a DVD into the player and peacefully watch a movie with family or friends. This has become customary for almost all the working people. This does not stop just with working men and women but almost all the people of different age groups give more importance to media and entertainment. In such a scenario, the importance of a blue ray player can be well understood without the need of telling. Blue ray players have begun to dominate the techie world drawing more and more attention. Therefore more and more players make their debut into the market each trying to outshine the other. This Sony BDP-S580 player is one that offers a number of services and has a truly attention grabbing appearance. For any gadget, if there are few positives, there definitely has to be few minor negatives at the least. Let us take a closer look at this handsome looking young fellow S580 and try to spot out the notable positives as well as the negatives.

Design and Display:

Black has been the universal colour code for most of the blue ray players. Very few players are available in grey or silver color. The BDP-S580 also takes up the black robe for its attire and sports a pretty cool and attractive look with a glossy and reflective panel. The design of this Sony BDP S580 Blu Ray Disc player gives a dignified look and Sony has made an astute decision in giving importance to the appearance. Moving on to the details of the keys and controls present in the player’s front and rear, the disc tray and the power indicator are on the left. The power indicator glows white whenever the power is on thereby helping out the user to identify easily the condition of the player. Below the disc tray on the left most side is the button for either turning on the player or changing it to the standby mode. The standby mode is used when we want the player to consume less amount of power. For a change, the display has been shifted to the right side to let the users know what the player is actually doing, like, lighting up as HD when any video is played at high end resolution, etc., The common controls, open/close, play/pause and stop buttons are present at the bottom. By long pressing the play button the disc tray gets locked thereby preventing the users from opening it by mistake and this is usually made by children and would therefore be of great use.

The fact that the player comes with 2 USB 2.0 ports would bring smiles on the faces of all the users because, while one port can be used for downloading the BD Live contents, (Yes this means that the player does not include on-board memory!) the other port can be used for plugging in another USB device for playing the videos or photos in a HD TV. One port is located on the front panel while the other is on the rear end. The audio and video outs, HDMI, LAN ports and the second USB 2.0 port are at the back side of the player and there is nothing unique or unusual about it. The coaxial and the component video output plugs are also present at their usual places.

The Ordinary and the special remote Control:

Would you have ever thought of your mobile phone working as a remote for a blue ray player? The answer would have definitely been no few years back. But the technology has taken such a big leap that the link between the gadgets is showing great improvements. One of the most interesting applications is to use the media remote application of Sony. This facility, however, is available only for the iOS or more rightly, the iPhone Operating System and the android OS users. But great news that would incite you all the more to use this app is that the users can user their mobile keyboard to search for the internet services offered by Sony. Then there is always the Infra Red remote control for any bluye ray player and this particular remote control is same as that of the S480 model and has a neat layout of the buttons that is quite comfortable to use.

Features:

The Sony BDP-S580 blu ray player is a profile 2.0 player and that includes the common features of all profile 2.0 players; the users can feast their eyes with the profile 1.1 feature bonus view, wherein they can actually get to see the commentaries by particular actors or directors. And as usual, the BD Live contents can be downloaded but unfortunately the player does not support onboard memory. So as said earlier, the users would have to make use of one of the USB ports provided for downloading the contents. The top players in the market come with onboard storage. However, the presence of two USB ports does not make this problem seem a big blunder. Let us peep into some of the prime features of this BDP-S580.

DVD Upscaling:

If you try to count the number of blu ray players that do not support this commonest feature of all, the DVD upscaling, then you would not even get a count of hand few. This is because almost all of the blue ray players provide dvd upscaling whereby the users can watch their all time favorites at the best 1080p resolution. This S580 model delivers great image quality and plays almost all the videos and movies, regardless of whether it is old or new, amazingly well.

User Interface:

The Play station users will have no hard time working with the interface because this is similar to the PS3 interface. The design of this interface is that the main menus are displayed horizontally while the sub-menus are listed out vertically. The design would be liked by all but you would soon start getting disappointed while moving down the streaming service options because of a very high number of services provided. Another big change that immediately catches our eyes is Sony’s interface for media services. It is different from the normal interface and it is not really convenient. The usual media streaming interface could do a lot better. The user interface of this blue ray player is rated to be just passable.

DLNA and 3D compatibility:

3D players are becoming common these days and this glossy black attractive player is one too. You can watch the screen spring into action and all the lifeless images come out with full life the moment you put the glasses on. 3D players are not very rare to get since there are good number of the same. However, Sony has given 3D for its users at an affordable price. DLNA and BRAVIA are two features mainly provided in Sony devices. When we say a player is compatible, it means that you can actually access files from the devices connected in the DLNA network. The player supports BRAVIA Internet Video that includes the Catch Up TV too and this said, it means a whole new world of fun and excitement awaits you.

Audio and Video Output:

The audio and video qualities are par excellence. Sony has provided a number of media services for its users, to name a few, the Amazon, Vudu, Pandora, Netflix and lots and lots more. The audio quality delivery is also quite good with the player capable of decoding Dolby True HD and DTS HD formats. The player loads the disc at an average speed only. However, there is the quickstart option for the users to get their disc loaded swiftly. The video quality is brilliant that it would treat your eyes with a high flavor.

Internet Connection:

Without the Internet connection there would be no meaning for a profile 2.0 player because you would never be able to access the streaming services without this big feature. With due respect paid, we move on to the types of internet connection supported. There is both the wired and wireless connection. You can either download the BD Live contents via the Ethernet RJ45 connection, the wireless connection is always there because it is built in.

Power:

This Sony BDP-S580 3D Blu ray player consumes 22W of power while it is in normal use. This power is slightly higher than few of the other players. However, it has been designed in such a way that the power consumed is within the limits and does not affect the buyer much.

Warranty:

The Sony BDP-S580 has a limited warranty of 1 year.

Verdict:

As far as the blu ray players are concerned, their functionality is getting better and better everyday. The Sony BDP-S580 is one excellent piece that carries a weightless price tag. Not only that, it is 3D compatible, supports Wi-Fi, facilitates operation with the iPhone remote and above all, the number of media services supported is very large in number. Definitely the BDP-S580 is not the best, since its Panasonic, LG and other such competitors are seated very high sporting an outstanding performance. The BDP-S580 is for those wise people, who wish to invest their hard earned money on a player that is simple, profitable and admirable.

Sony BDP-S580 Blu Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Sony
Model Name	BDP-S580
Dimensions: (W x H x D)	430 x 36 x 199 mm
Weight	3.7 lbs
Colour	Glossy Black with a reflective panel
Connection Type	2 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet Port
Video Features	1080p DVD upscaling, 1080p output (via HDMI), Video D/A Convertor
Audio Functions	Dolby TrueHD decoding, Dolby TrueHD bitstream out, DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream out, Audio D/A Converter
Playback format	CD, DVD, BD-R, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, Audio CD, DVD, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, BD-ROM
Output Resolution	1080p output
Audio Decoders	Yes
DVD upscaling	Yes
Connectivity	HDMI port, 2 USB 2.0, 1 x of Component Video Output, Composite Video Output, Digital Audio Output: Coaxial, Digital Audio Output: Optical, Analog Stereo Output, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
Features	Quick Start, Bravia Internet Media, XMB interface JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning
Remote control	Yes
Power Consumption	22 W in operation
Warranty	1 year

Everyone respects and recognizes Toshiba for the wonderful job they have been doing in the field of notebooks as it is one of the leading producers of top class notebooks. The type of products offered by this company swings over a wide range that include many of the electronic gadgets in the market. This said, Toshiba took a step into the emerging field of the “Blu Ray Players” and then followed a countable number of blue ray players with varying features. Toshiba has not yet acquired “The Best” tag in this new dimension, but however, it has been working out pretty decently. One of the new products to line up in the series is the 3D compatible Toshiba BDX5200 blu ray player. How different is this particular 5200 model from its other siblings? How compatible is it to 3D? Do not stop reading if you are awaiting an answer for these questions, for, here is our review on this 3D capable Toshiba BDX5200 player.

Design and Display:

Owing to the increasing competition among the various companies in producing high quality blu ray players that are affordable, it is highly essential that any nouveau player taking its first step in the market shines better than the others, because only then attention is paid to it. The midrange players can be purchased at a very nominal rate around a hundred pounds or may be little higher. This particular BDX5200 Wi-Fi Blu Ray Player model comes at this midrange price too, but then, prepares your mind for an ordinary looking product that carries no glamour and not even a tinge of specialness to it. It is nothing but simple. Designed in a rectangular geometry, the box has a black upper color and a grey finish at the bottom that looks really simple. The front has the disk ejection tray at the left and the SD/SDHC card slot at the left, and there is absolutely nothing else. The control buttons are touch sensitive buttons that are both a plus and minus. Though the touch sensitive panel saves space, the problem occurs when you are watching some movie in a dark room and need to make use of the controls in the player, you need to touch once on the reflective panel for the light to glow and then make the appropriate selection. But then, you can avoid it almost always since we most often use the remote control.

While the front offers minimal features, all the essential features can be discerned at the rear portion of the player, of course. It is better to be informed that this player from Toshiba does not include a component video out. Now there is no reason to be disappointed because most of us would be aware that most of the blue ray players in the current market are devoid of these outputs. This is because the component outputs would be able to deliver only a 480p resolution which is dreadful compared to the High definition scale of 1080p. So the companies might have probably decided that even if the component out was given, nobody is going to make use of it anyway. However, there is the composite coaxial and optical digital output that fare better and present on screen the video at 1080p resolution through the HDMI cable. There are the USB 2.0 and the LAN ports at the rear too.

Remote Control:

There could be nothing possibly exciting about a remote control of a blu ray player, unlike few players that offer remote control features on their iphones. However, this ordinary remote included in the package encloses one extraordinary feature, the inclusion of the bright red Netflix button. Netflix is one of the best streaming services and this button provides instant access and the users can watch the movies offered by Netflix at any time they want effortlessly. Otherwise, this remote is just a normal one with the open/close and the power button at the top while the control buttons are present at the centre which makes those buttons easy to use.

Features:

The Toshiba BDX5200 Built-in 3D Blu Ray Player does not offer a very good package. For the money spent on it, there are a lot of blue ray players in the market which offer better features as well as better performance. This player whatsoever ranks average in both features as well as performance. The special thing about this blue ray player is 3D compatibility. The accessories that go with this player are 3D glass and TV that is capable of playing 3D contents. There are not many movies that are available in 3D but then the 3D capability definitely adds extra value to the product. More details on the features of this product follows.

Profile, Streaming services and Upscaling Feature:

The BDX5200 model is a profile 2.0 BD Live player with the Bonus View included. By now, the regular users of blue ray players would be aware of what the bonus view and profile 2.0 means to a player. With the bonus view, the movie watchers can have the delight of watching the clipped scenes or the comments by the actors or directors which makes movie watching an interesting experience. Moreover, since this is a BD Live profile 2.0 player, the services like the You Tube, Pandora, Netflix and Vudu can be accessed and the required contents can be downloaded. However, this player does not support the Amazon, facebook, twitter or picasa while there are few players in the market that support these services. However, the users can play the video or flip through the photos of their family occasions or vacation trip in a HD TV by just inserting the hard drive or the memory card into their respective slot. One of the prominent and vital features of the blue ray players is this upscaling. With this upscaling, all movie junkies can watch their favorite old time movies that are in the ordinary DVD or CD format at high definition resolution of 1080p.

No Local storage:

The BDX5200 3D Built-in Wi-Fi Blu Ray Disc player relies only on the memory card slot and the USB 2.0 port for downloading the BD live as well as the bonus view contents. Many blue ray players of this price range offer a local storage of 1GB. If there was onboard memory, the memory card slot or the USB 2.0 port can be used simultaneously for playing the photos or videos.

User Interface:

The interface of this Toshiba player can not be expected to be as interesting or attractive as some players, for instance, the interface of the Sony blue ray players that have an interface similar to the play station interface. But then, this blue ray player has a simple interface with easy access to the internet services. Overall, the interface is friendly and simple with no appealing menu layout or design.

Audio and Video Output:

The Toshiba BDX5200 can play audio files of the format Dolby Digital, Dolby digital plus, Dolby True HD, DTS and DTS HD. The Dolby and DTS formats are important as they provide standard audio output. The player supports AVCHD playback too. To enhance the video clarity there is the deep color technology which delivers sharpness and accuracy of colors that are to be cast on the screen. The Progressive scanning which was earlier called as the sequential scanning provides better resolution and perfectness than the interlaced scanning that was used sometime back. But nowadays the progressive scanning method is only practiced because of the videos being transmitted perfectly.

Internet Connection:

This Toshiba player makes use of the Ethernet RJ45 port that is present at the back side for wired internet connection. Also, it has built in Wi-Fi. This internet connection is very essential for the player to download and watch movies from the streaming internet services like the You Tube, Netflix and Pandora.

Warranty:

The 3D compatible BDX5200 has a 1 year warranty period. This is standard for most blue ray players.

Verdict:

The Toshiba BDX5200 blue ray player is a player that is neither attractive at first sight nor does it have attractive specifications. But then for those who use their blue ray players for playing the ordinary movies and videos with decent quality and do not bother about the simple and unattractive interface. Though it has got certain complaining features, the player is not really bad at all. It is 3D compatible, has the netflix button in its remote and has an interface that provides easy access to the internet streaming services. So, those who are looking for a blue ray player that has simple features and simple looks, then this Toshiba BDX5200 can be jotted down in their list of the players suitable for them.

Toshiba BDX5200 Blu Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Toshiba
Model Name	BDX5200
Dimensions: (W x H x D)	16.9 x 1.7 x 7.6 inches
Weight	4.1 lbs
Colour	Black and Grey finish
Connection Type	1 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet Port, 1 SD Card slot
Video Features	1080p DVD upscaling, 1080p output (via HDMI)
Audio Functions	Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD decoding, DTS, DTS HD, Analog 2 Ch audio
Playback format	CD, DVD-Video, DVD-RW, CD-R, CD-DA, CD-RW, DVD-R, BD-R, BD-ROM, BD-RE
Output Resolution	1080p output
Audio Decoders	Yes
DVD upscaling	Yes
Connectivity	HDMI port, 1 USB 2.0, Composite Video Output, Digital Audio Output: Coaxial Digital Audio Output, Optical Analog Stereo Output, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
Features	3D capable, Deep colour technology, JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning, AVCHD playback
Remote control	Yes
Power Consumption	12.9W in operation and 0.15 W in standby
Warranty	1 year

The blue ray players have been doing a great job these days. They can not only play the videos at 1080p resolution contained in a disc that can store data 5 times than the normal CDs/DVDs can hold, but can also play 3D movies and videos. The proof for this is the many blue ray players that are coming recently and one among the countable few is the Samsung BDC6900. This player has a very attractive outlook combined with good features. Samsung has placed this player in the market with an aim for targeting those users who crave for 3D players and also for those who want the 3D to be available at a slightly expensive price, but it is definitely worth the money. To see what the BDC6900 has and what it does not, read our review on the Samsung BD-C6900 blue ray player.

Design:

Neatly packed in a rectangular box, this black coloured player sits along with other accessories like the remote control, patch chords, Instructions and manual book and few others. The player elegantly stands out in a glossy black colour with a transparent area on the top portion of the player for the users to view the disc rotating when it is in use. The control buttons are also placed on the top area of the player. This is quite unusual because most of the players go in for the front panel for their controls, but fortunately this change is welcome. The spinning of the disc can be seen as said earlier through the transparent portion and blue ray of light keeps glowing constantly. There is the “Bluray 3D” logo that glows too. If you get irritated with this light while you are interestingly watching movies, then you can turn it off at any instant. The controls present in the player are, the play/pause, stop button and the like.

The Samsung BDC6900 Blue Ray Player is well built with professional looks and attractive glossiness. The front panel has the LED display at the centre and a portion of the front panel flips down to reveal the disc loading tray. The right corner of the front panel holds the USB port. The BD-C6900 is nearly 430 x 205 x 43mm in width, depth and height respectively of this rectangular player. The weight of this blue ray player is about 1.8 Kg. The C6900 has not admirable aesthetics that would surely attract all the users. With

Remote Control:

The remote control of this blue ray player is one of the standard types of Samsung with almost the same design and similar layout of the buttons. The volume and the channel control buttons are present at the bottom while the numbers and other menu options are laid out above it. The remote is quite comfy to operate and though the control buttons are little close to each other there are no problems while using the remote of the Samsung BDC6900.

Ports:

The ports of the Samsung BDC6900 are distributed on the front and the back side of the player. The front panel contains only the USB port apart from the display while the rear port contains all the audio, video and connectivity ports. Starting from the Optical audio output plug, the RJ45 LAN, HDMI, AV Out and the most important of all, the 7.1 Channel outputs. Not many of the players at present support the 7.1 surround system, only a handful sport it. This Samsung player includes it and this means that the player’s audio quality is amazing the HD contents can be viewed with content since the audio is crystal clear with this surround system.

Amazing Features:

The Samsung BDC6900 is a “3D special blue ray player”. But this machine also has many other interesting features and services that definitely blow your mind off! Here is a list of some of the super cool features and services offered by this innovative player.

Interface and Firmware Updating:

The BDC6900 is a profile 2.0 player with Bonusview. This means that the player supports BD Live contents which includes accessing the internet for “movie stores” that provide the users with the latest movies at a best quality and also for picture-in-picture facility, that is, bonusview. The special feature of this bonusview is that the users can watch the commentaries or the videos related to the sequence in a small window within the movie. This is simply great! Firmware update is one of the most important features for a blue ray player since most of the players basically come only with the basic or few extra features. Once the firmware is upgraded the extra features can be used. This firmware update is possible only with a profile 2.0 player and this player has onboard memory of 1GB too. So the firmware updates would be an easy task and the users can upgrade their player to a further higher level.

The choice between Wi-Fi and Ethernet:

Profile 2.0 blue ray players without comfortable Internet connection are of no use. So the BDC6900 comes with both the wired and wireless connectivity. As said earlier, the LAN port is available at the rear end of the player and the users can just hook their player to the RJ45 port and access the BD Live contents. For wireless connectivity there is the Wi-Fi. The wireless connection can be very useful since problems can occur often in the wired connection due to some problems. Thus both the wired and wireless connection to the internet ensures that the users enjoy the services offered to the maximum extent possible.

Anynet+ and Alshare:

With the “anynet+” feature, the users need not toggle between the two remote controls for handling their television set and the player. The single remote control of the blue ray player would be well sufficient for managing both. The remote control of the player has the buttons for the television too, the channel control for instance. A more utile feature is the Alshare capability. There is no necessity for using hard drives to transfer the data from one electronic device to the other, for instance it would be really nice if we could see the photos taken in our digital camera at 1080p resolution in the HD TV. In such a case, the users can easily access the data from their PC, mobile phones or any other device with this Samsung Alshare application. This apps connects all the devices on a particular home network.

Internet@TV:

The Internet@TV provides a number of services to the users, of which the notable few are, Youtube, Vudu, Pandora and Netflix. These services are truly promising and the users would definitely have a great time. All the internet services providers lend the movies to the users at a particular cost and they can enjoy watching the movies at HD quality from the comfort of their home sweet home with the entire family. This Internet@TV menu is available in a horizontal row of menus on a wooden background. Further upgrades in the services provided would be available from the firmware updates.

Remarkable Audio, Video and Blue-ray speed:

The audio and video ports present in the blue ray player are truly excellent. The player has 7.1 Channel surround system for its audio which delivers high quality audio with neat clarity and this system is truly essential for any blue ray players, particularly the 3D players. This player has the ability to decode most of the audio formats and hence there could be no trouble. Dolby True HD and DTS HD audio decoding also is supported by this player. The player is connected to the HD TV through the HDMI cable. One of the most common but essential feature supported by the blue ray players in general is the “DVD Upscaling”. Even normal CDs or DVDs can be upscaled to 1080p resolution thereby delivering high quality video or pictures with very good color accuracy.

The BDC6900 is notable for its “Speed”. The speed of loading the disc is pretty high. The player takes very few seconds to load the disc and to start playing them. So, big cheers for the player for its amazing speed.

Warranty:

The Samsung BDC6900 has a warranty period of one year and the services are provided by the company within this time period.

Verdict:

The Samsung BDC6900 Blu Ray Player is thus a blue ray player with smart design, good ports and above all, it is a 3D player. The increase in the cost of the player accounts to its capability to support 3D movies while hardly a handful of other players support it. It has the 7.1 Channel audio surround system. The player is very similar to many of its predecessors, particularly the BDC6500 except for the additional functionality of 3D. So for those who really crave for 3D blue ray players that can perform really well with good loading speed and do not mind spending few extra pounds for it, then go for this C6900. For others, cross out this beautiful and excellent piece from your list.

Samsung BDC6900 Blu Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Samsung
Model Name	BDC6900
Dimensions: (W x H x D)	430 x 205 x 43mm
Weight	1.8 Kg
Colour	Black
Connection Type	High speed USB port (only of BD live), Ethernet Port
Video Features	1080p DVD upscaling, 1080p output (via HDMI), Video D/A Convertor
Audio Functions	Dolby Digital and Analogue stereo and DTS HD Master Audio
Playback format	Audio CD, DVD, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, BD-ROM
Output Resolution	1080p output
Audio Decoders	Yes
DVD upscaling	Yes
Connectivity	HDMI port, USB 2.0 port, Component Video Output, Composite Video Output, Digital Audio Output: Optical, 7.1ch Analog Audio Output, Ethernet, WI-FI, BD-JAVA, BD Local Storage, BD BONUSVIEW, Full Screen, Internet@TV and All Share
Features	Netflix, You Tube, Cinema Now, JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning, 1 GB of internal memory
Remote control	Yes

The blue ray players have been revolutionizing the concept of making movie watching a high-tech one! It is the time where movies can be watched at 1080p resolution in a big 40 inch LCD TV at the comfort of your couch with your whole family gathered in your living room. LG has been one of those companies that have been working on improving the standards of the blue ray players. At present many of the players support the services like the Netflix, Youtube, Pandora, Cinema Now, etc. The BD570 is a player that has broken the high price range and is targeted for all those budget minded people and also for those who are aiming to buy a player that has good looks and has decent features. Read the full review to know what the LG BD570 blue ray player is all about.

Design and ports:

The looks of the LG BD570 are completely astounding and truly appealing. It is not the fact that the notebook is black in colour, makes it special, since most of the players go in for black color, but it is the glossiness of the front panel and the perfectness in shape of this rectangular box that makes it unique. A tiny lining of silver runs through the player at the top as well as at the bottom. The glossiness makes the player look rich and smart. The LCD display is centered in the front panel and the control buttons, like the play/pause, stop, forward and rewind, are hidden beneath the front panel that flips down. The front side of the player carries one of the most important ports, the USB 2.0 port. This port is very essential for the player mainly because the player being a profile 2.0 device the contents of the BD Live can be stored only in the storage device inserted into the port. An important point to note here is that the player does not have on board memory storage. But it is tallied by the presence of this USB port. The users can not only store the BD Live contents but can also play any file, be it music or video, or any photos in their drive by just plugging it to the BD570.

The USB and the control buttons alone would not suffice. To support the net services and for connecting the player to the HD TV, few ports are mandatory. The rear side of the player contains those ports. The LAN port for wired internet connection is followed by the HDMI port. This port is used for watching the movies on the big HD TVs. This is then succeeded by the audio and video output plugs. The coaxial and optical output plugs are present next. The component video outs follow suite the digital audio outputs. This blue ray player measures nearly 4.4 lbs with a measurement of 16.9 inches width, 8 inches depth and about 1.7 inches in height.

Remote control:

The Infrared remote control of the BD570 Blu Ray Player is a simple remote that has all the buttons neatly laid out and is quite easy to operate. The remote control has the power and the open/close buttons are present on the top while the volume and channel change controls are present at the bottom. The controls are spaced out below the numbers and various other options like info and menu are also present. Overall the remote control is simple and trouble-less.

Amazing features:

The LG BD570 supports all the net services and also exhibits good audio and video performance. Here are some pieces on some of the highlights of this affordable player.

Profile, interface and firmware updating:

The LG 570 is a profile 2.0 player as mentioned earlier and this means that it supports BD Live as well as the features of profile 1.1. One of the interesting features is the picture-in-picture viewing capability! The users can view the commentaries by the actors or directors and moreover, they can actually catch the scenes as intended by the director of that scene. You can actually get what he wanted to convey. The player employs deep colour and x.v. technology which bring crispness and preciseness to the video or images. The interface of this particular player is quite simple and easy to use. All that the users have to do is to pick the required menu by clicking on it and the new directed page contains the sub menus dotted out horizontally. The different menus available are Movie, Photos, Music, HomeLink, Netcast and setup. Accessing the menus and sub-menus are no difficult tasks.

The choice between wi-fi and ethernet:

Both wired and wireless connections to the internet are possible with the LG BD570 Blu Ray Disc Player. The wired internet connection can be made available by plugging the wire to the LAN port at the rear side of the player as said earlier. But then, the 570 supports wireless connection also. This model is Wi-Fi supported 802.11n. So the users can watch any movie they want at any time they wish to at full 1080p resolution. The importance of this internet connection is improved by the net services offered by the player.

Cinema now, Netflix, You tube and more:

Movies are not only available in DVDs and theatres these days, but they are available online! It has become a common practice now to download the movies from the net and watch them at your convenience. The services are available under the name “NetCast” and all the menus are sized in the shape of rectangular ice cubes. The LG BD570 provides its users a number of services like the Cinema Now, Netflix Vudu and more. They can also listen to any songs they wish to by subscribing to Pandora, the music library. AccuWeather is an interesting inclusion by LG. This service gives the weather report for nearly a week for any particular town or area they wish to check. The users can now upload their favorite photos in Picasa with this player! These services for movie lending by Netflix and Vudu are based on subscription and once subscribed the users can limitlessly enjoy the benefits. The player as of now does not provide the Amazon Video on Demand service currently. If you are youtube crazy, then you would love this player since the searching options in youtube have been made simpler and reduces our time of search. The Youtube videos are now available for you to watch, all in just few instants.

Remarkable audio and video functioning:

The audio and video performances are exceptionally good in LG BD570 Blu-Ray Player. The player does not support 7.1 channel surround. But the player can decode almost all the music formats, right from DTS to MKV and DTS HD, Dolby True HD, etc. As said earlier, the x.v. colour and the deep color technology deliver the scenes perfectly. There is the DVD upscaling option where even old DVDs which do not have good clarity can be upgraded to 1080p resolution and watched with good clarity using this player. The audio and video performances are thus perfect and they deserve a good score.

Execution and performance:

The LG BD570 has the Express Reaction Startup with which the player gets started at a good pace. The loading times are agreeable though there are many players out in the market that get loaded in a very short time. It is a DLNA certified device which means that the contents between the DLNA connected peripherals can be shared easily and this not only enables fast transfer of data but also makes manipulation with each data quite easy. There is only one USB port for storing the BD Live contents as well as for working on the data stored in the devices. Another USB port would have made the job easier. This is just a suggestion and not a recommendation as the player fares well even without that.

Power:

The power consumption in the normal mode for the BD570 is nearly 20 W. The supply type is internal basically. The power-off consumption is under 0.1 W. The player is Energy star qualified and this means that it efficiently saves the energy.

Warranty:

The LG BD570 comes with a warranty time period of 1 year. There is nothing special about the warranty since it is the same for all the products. LG would bear the costs of all the services within this 1 year, services for the parts. The labor service warranty is only for 90 days though.

Verdict:

The BD570 by Life’s Good Company is a good product that has all the essential features and on sale for low cost. Absence of 3D is a big loss since most of the top players support this facility and the 570 also taking a place among the top players. But then it is not a big deal since as of now 3D is only an additional functionality. This cost-effective player has everything that would attract a man with simple desires, a neat and stylish outfit and prominent features, supports all the popular internet services like Youtube, Vudu, Netflix, Pandora and the like. If your desires are different, then start searching for your desire. If your desires are simple and unique then pursue your desire and own this product.

LG BD570 Blu-Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	LG
Model Name	BD570
Dimensions: (W x D x H)	16.9 x 8 x 1.7 inches
Weight	4.4 lbs
Colour	Glossy Black with silver topping
Connection Type	High speed USB port, Ethernet Port
Video Features	1080p DVD upscaling, 1080p output (via HDMI), Video D/A Convertor
Audio Functions	Dolby Digital and Analogue stereo and DTS HD Master Audio
Playback format	Audio CD, DVD, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, BD-ROM
Output Resolution	1080p output
Audio Decoders	Yes
DVD upscaling	Yes
Connectivity	HDMI port, USB 2.0 port, 1 x gold plates of Component Video Output, S-video output, Composite Video Output, Digital Audio Output: Coaxial, Digital Audio Output: Optical, 7.1ch Analog Audio Output, Analog Stereo Output, RS-232C and Ethernet, WI-FI protocol IEEE 802.11
Features	Netflix, You Tube, Cinema Now, MyMedia, x.v.color technology, JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning, 1GB of internal memory
Remote control	Yes
Power Consumption	20 Watts
Warranty	1 Year

The blue ray players have seen remarkable development recently and their actual limit of improvement has touched the skies. If you thought it is wonderful for a movie to be watched at 1080p and at High Definition scale some years back, you would have been in for a surprise on what the profile 1.1 and 2.0 player could do. Now the advent of blue ray players into the 3D field has taken us by surprise. These blue ray players have been giving us a lot of surprises and every times their surprises are welcomed by the users. Sony has been an ancestor for all the blue ray manufacturers because it is one of the few to have introduced to the world these high level players. So its experience and salaciousness are the specific reasons to always retain their names in the top.

Sony BDP-S570 is a profile 2.0 blue ray player that is designed with not-so-perfect or pretty looks but has an awesome pack of features. So you will find yourself marveling at the tasks this player can do. This BDP-S570 is a successor of the products like BDP-S360 and S370 and it is the best among them. The latest firmware update to this player saw the 3D provision. This is a great positive for the player. To know more about this blue ray player, read further on our review on the “Sony BDP-S570”, the smart player.

Design and Display:

The Sony BDP-S570 Blu Ray Player sports an appearance that is not immediately compelling to buy, but then it looks simply black. The player has a silver lining at the bottom and apart from that thin trace of silver the S570 is completely a plain black. The common saying goes that looks do not decide the performance and features and that has been proved with this player. So though the player looks okay in looks, it has a good number of features. This Sony blue ray player has the tag “3D created by Sony” in the front. So this wonderful 3D compatible player has a USB port both in the front as well as at the back. This means that the users can connect the player to two hard drives at the same time. This is something splendid as the two USB ports would come in handy at many times.

One of the excellent features of the products of Sony is the Monolithic design which means that the player is made from a single stone. The benefit of the Monolithic design is that the design of the player would be good with nice finishing touch. Though the BDP-S570 does not look extraordinarily good, it has a simple yet pleasing look that gives warmth to the eyes. At the right corner stands a USB port and there is an LED beside the port which glows when the wireless LAN connection is on. The player has all the controls and the reflective panel straight on the player without any sliding out panel. The display is present at the centre and all the menus and the options are displayed on it. The control buttons like play/pause, stop, forward and rewind and the power button are present in the front side on the right and left bottom respectively. These buttons take a position at the surface which is curved so that they are offered a comfortable position.

The ports at the back of the BDP-S570 blue ray player are LAN RJ45 port, Line out, Component video out, HDMI, Coaxial, optical outputs and digital out plugs. As said earlier, there is another USB port at the rear side. So the 570 model has almost all the required features. It does not have the 7.1 channel surround system, but then it supports all the formats like the Dolby TrueHD decoding, Dolby TrueHD bitstream out, DTS-HD Master Audio decoding , DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream out and even more. This blue ray player is offered at a very less price that some might even wonder whether the player lacks any features. But then this piece comes packed with all that is essential to make it a good profile 2.0 player.

Remote Control:

The remote of this BDP-S570 Blu Ray Disc Player is a simple remote that has all the buttons. The S360 model lacked the eject button in the remote. But fortunately Sony has not made any such silly mistakes this time. The remote is quite comfortable to use with the buttons for all the menus and sub menus neatly aligned. This remote RMT-B107A has the control buttons like the play, pause, stop, rewind and forward buttons at the bottom and it is quite comfortable to handle. The other options like the subtitle and favorites are also present. The IR remote buttons are soft to use and have a good layout.

iPhone Remote:

For those who are bored of using the common Infra-red remote, here is an interesting option, the use of iPhone for a remote. Today, the iPhones can do so much as it does the works both of a laptop and also the mobile. The amazing implementation of the iPhone in the blue ray players is its function as a remote. There is the option called BD Remote Registration in the settings menu selecting which the registration process starts. Once it is done, the users can limitlessly use this iPhone remote whenever they need to. The control buttons appear on the screen of the phone and the users can make the required change in control. So all that the users have to do is register their iPhone and follow few steps at the end of which they can enjoy the fruit of controlling the S570 with their iPhone.

Features:

DVD Upscaling:
If you are someone who is on the look-out for a player that would increase the quality of the discs enhancing its level to the High Definition scale, then this Sony BDP-S570 would be of much use. The player helps in improving the quality of even the ordinary DVDs to 1080p scale.

Local storage:
This S570 comes with two USB ports which can be used at any time to play the contents from their pen-drive or any other hard drive. There is no local storage area for the BD Live contents but the users can make use of one of the USB ports to connect to a hard drive for storing the BD Live contents. The users can store all the profile 1.1 and 2 contents on the board and also for many other purposes.

Bravia Sync:
Now you can easily connect two Sony devices if the players support the BRAVIA sync. For instance, with just a single remote the users can control both the Television as well as the player menu. The photoTV technology helps the users to watch the photos stored in the hard drive by hooking it up to the USB drive and they can watch the photos at full high definition scale and at excellent clarity.

User Interface:

Most of the blue ray players of Sony come with the Xross XMB-Interface. If you are a PS3 user, then you would have a great and easy time playing around the menus. But for novice users, you need to practice regularly. This type of interface has a layout where the main menus are listed horizontally while the sub menus or the options within a menu are laid out vertically. This layout looks simple and neat. The different menus are settings, photo, music, video and more. All the internet services like the Amazon VOD and you tube come under the video menu and the users can right away start watching the movie or video of their choice and have loads of fun.

DLNA and 3D compatibility:

A Bravia or any HD TV, the BDP-S570 and any other DLNA certified devices can be linked together. The main advantage when the devices are connected is that the data can be shared among these devices very easily. One of the latest additions in the features packed with the blue ray player is the 3D compatibility. All of them having 3D TV can watch the 3D movies in the comfort of their home.

Audio and Video Output:

The audio and video outputs from the Sony BDP-S570 3D Blu-Ray Player are astounding. There is the x.v. colour technology, progressive scan output, 24p true cinema, Precision drive HD and Deep colour technology the video quality is quite enhanced that the users can watch it at 1080p resolution. With 24p True Cinema the users can watch the video as it was intended by the directors to be visualized. There are all the required video connections available. The audio quality is too good. This player can play almost all sorts of music formats like the MKV or Dolby or DTS HD.

Internet Connection:

The Sony BDPS570B blue ray player comes with both wired and wireless internet connection. For the wired connection there is the RJ-45 LAN port while for wireless connection there is the Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. This means that the users can access the internet 24 x 7.

Load Time:

If the Sony BDP-S570 was ranked the first for any particular feature, it would be for its load time. The player is tremendously fast and swift that the users hardly notice the time they need to wait for the movie to start playing. They just flip the disc inside and in just few seconds you will find yourself watching the movie, such is the speed of the player. There is also the super quick operation for even faster loading time.

Power:

The BDP-S570 3D Disc Playback Blu Ray player consumes 12.9W generally. This amount of power is normal as most of the players consume the same quantity. But for those who are really interested in saving power and do not mind waiting for few extra minutes, there is the Standby mode. The power consumption in this mode is only 0.5W. The less power consumption is directly proportional to the speed of operation. The player operates very slowly that leads to height of frustration. So this mode is not advisable for those who are not patient enough.

Warranty:

The warranty time period for the Sony BDP-S570 is nearly 1 year. This time limit is sufficient for the users to analyze the player, launch complaints if there are any and then rectify them.

Verdict:

The Sony BDP-S570 might have many features similar to its predecessors. But what this player has is the combination of all the best features of many other players. It has wireless internet connection, two USB ports, 3D compatibility, parental lock and lots more. You can possibly find no error at all with either the design or the features of the player. If this player could be given an “A” grade for its ordinary, simple and pleasing design then it would receive an outstanding “O” grade for its fantastic features and performance. Now that it is graded, pick your best.

Check other Sony Blue Ray Player Reviews in this website.

Sony BDP-S570 Blu Ray Disc Player – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Sony
Model Name	BDP-S570
Dimensions: (W x H x D)	430 x 36 x 206 mm
Weight	2 Kg
Colour	Glossy Black with a reflective panel
Connection Type	2 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet Port
Video Features	1080p DVD upscaling, 1080p output (via HDMI), Video D/A Convertor
Audio Functions	Dolby TrueHD decoding, Dolby TrueHD bitstream out, DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream out, Audio D/A Converter
Playback format	CD, DVD, BD-R, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, Audio CD, DVD, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, BD-ROM
Output Resolution	1080p output
Audio Decoders	Yes
DVD upscaling	Yes
Connectivity	HDMI port, 1 USB 2.0, 1 x of Component Video Output, Composite Video Output, Digital Audio Output: Coaxial, Digital Audio Output: Optical, Analog Stereo Output, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
Features	Quick Start, x.v.color technology, Bravia Sync, XMB interface JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning
Remote control	Yes
Power Consumption	12.9W in operation and 0.15 W in standby
Warranty	1 year