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

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

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

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

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

Design:

If the Samsung BD-C6500 Blu Ray Player scores an outstanding remark, it would definitely be for its design. The player is a rectangular box with a super cool brushed metal look that makes it look amazingly good looking. The front panel with the brushed look has one big advantage, it is not glossy. So the fingerprints will no longer get attracted to it saving the users from cleaning the player quite often. The player is very sleek and is 1.7 inches tall and 8.8” deep. For those who give first preference to the looks of a player, then they would first pick this product because it has the first class look. The body is truly made of plastic. The width of the product is 430 mm; depth is 223 mm while the height is 43mm. The pBD-C6500 layer weighs about 1.7 Kg which is acceptable. The center panel has the LCD display which displays all the menus, the time of play, etc., and the users can easily understand what is on the display even if they are quite distanced because the LEDs are bright glowing. On the right side at the front, there are the buttons like the play/pause, stop and open/close controls. The forward and reverse buttons have not been included in this set. But then it does not matter because there is no use for these controls in the player because it is the remote control which does these operations. Still, the presence would have added up its merit. There is a panel which drops down letting the users to load the disc. Thus the design of this player is one that gives the player an exquisite appearance.

Ports:

The Samsung BD-C6500 is a player with not only great looks but also good number of ports. One very useful port is the USB present right next to the power button. This USB can be quite promising because the users can not only download the BD Live contents on to this drive, but can also play the contents in that particular drive on a bigger screen. The connections available at the back side of the player are LAN, HDMI, Optical digital output, AV Out, Component out and finally the most important and highlight feature, the 7.1 analogue output. The 7.1 audio output system is something that is awesome because Samsung has generously given its users with these features at a price when many of the similar range could not afford, making the company’s saying right, “Imagine the possibilities”. The HDMI port is used to connect to the TV to watch the movies or videos in the home theatre while the LAN is used for wired connection to the internet.

Remote Control:

The package of the Samsung BD-C6500 Blu Ray Disc Player contains the player, remote control, battery, user manual and quick guide. This particular remote is a matte one with a neat layout of the buttons and there can possibly be no complaints while using it. The power buttons are present at the top followed by the numbers and then few more control buttons and eventually the volume and the control buttons at the bottom. This remote can also be used for controlling the TV too.

Amazing Features:

Apart from the design and ports, this player has lots in store for its users. Let us see some of them.

Interface and Firmware Updating:
The present user interface of the player is quite interesting for the users. All the icons take their positions on the wooden grain background and this background gives it an excellent look. All the main menus are present at the bottom while their corresponding sub menus will be displayed on the top row upon selection. This interface is very user-friendly and is easily understandable. One feature which Samsung has invented by itself is the Samsung Apps and this feature has promised to give a whole new side of using the Internet for entertainment.

The choice between Wi-Fi and Ethernet:
As said earlier, the users can download the BD Live contents from the internet by connecting through the wired LAN or ethernet port. But then the machine is already Wi-Fi built in which means that we access the internet and its contents wirelessly. It does not only seem easy but is truly an easy task.

Internet@TV:
Using Internet and watching the required contents on a laptop has become common. But then, extending that concept to the TVs is something incredible and amazing too. Now it has become possible with the blue ray players. The BD-C6500 with the Samsung Apps provides this Internet@TV which offers many well known services like the You Tube, Vudu, NetFlix and Pandora. Samsung promises to extend these services to a higher range and that can be expected in the near future. For now, these services would be good enough considering the quality services that they provide. The highlight with this player is that the program developed by the users for their firmware can be rewritten so that the users can extend their services once they are available on the platform.

Remarkable Audio and Video:
The Samsung BD-C6500 blu ray player is one that is well known for its 7.1 channel sound system. The presence of this 7.1 analogue mark means that the audio function would be exceptionally good. The player can decode even the toughest codes, like the dolby true HD and dts HD master audio. Most of the audio formats will be accepted by the player and the quality of decoding also is wonderful. As regards the video functioning, there is the digital output plugs and the component out. With the DVD upscaling feature, the users can actually enhance the quality of their dvd to about 1080p and watch the movie at high definition scale. Since the player is a profile 2.0, the player supports the features of the 1.1 version player also, that is, this player supports BD view which means that the users can watch video-in-video and with a resolution and visualization as intended by the director to reach the audience.

Energy Star:
The Samsung BDC6500 is energy star complaint and this star means that the product saves energy and is also efficient to use. It does not affect the environment in anyway consuming only a nominal amount of power.

Execution and Performance:

The main downfall for this machine came when it had to be analyzed under the speed category. The Samsung BD-C6500 player has very poor operational speed. The time, of waiting for the machine to load each and every content, was seriously high that the users might feel irritated. The player offers 1GB of onboard memory storage and in addition to that if the users have anything to save, they can make use of the USB 2.0 port present as said earlier. Since the player is of midrange, it has sported a decent performance indeed.

Warranty:

As the same going goes for all the blue ray players in general, this BD-C6500 has a warranty time period of one year. So the users can do all the services for 12 complete months.

Verdict:

The Samsung BD-C6500 is a player with all the features that are vital to make it a profile 2.0 player. It has 1GB of on-board memory, 7.1 channel analog sound system and lots more. This player lacks in nothing that an entry level player can not do. The product has an amazing look too. There are no big issues with the machine that might make you put a cross mark. In fact, for a mid-range player it has all the features that ought to make us put a tick mark. Given the facts, it is now your turn to decide whether this product deserves a tick or cross mark.

Check Latest Blu Ray Player Reviews and other Samsung Blu Ray Player Reviews in this website.

Samsung BD-C6500 Blu Ray Player – Product Specification Details

Design and Ports:

Design of a blu ray player is a prime point to be considered because; often it is these players that support the TVs or the home theatre. Therefore, the look of any blue ray player can not be just omitted, it is somewhere near the top in the checklist. Any product of Philips has not failed in its appearance, and so has this Philips BDP7500 blue ray player. It has the basic Philips trademark on the front side. Though it is not exquisite, it is obviously good-looking. This player has the aluminium metal chassis which looks great but definitely not out-of-box. The curved edges and the raised lip are the highlights of this product and make it unique. The looks of this product is something that is, though not eye-catchy, is certainly impressive.

The Philips BDP7500 Blu Ray Player has a good number of ports that can be expected from this kind of a player. The front side has a mirrored LED panel which displays the contents. On the right side in the front panel are few touch control buttons, like the play and pause buttons. These buttons may come quite handy when we load the discs. On the extreme right side there is the USB port which can be plugged in at any moment and movies or videos in that drive can be watched instantly. The rear side has few important ports that mark the blue ray player’s rank. This player has the component video out plugs, digital audio out –coaxial, HDMI output, LAN connection for accessing the internet contents, followed 7.1ch audio output plugs and the power plug.

Remote Control:

The remote control of this Philips BDP7500 Blu Ray Disc Player is a simple one that is made of plastic. This plastic make might disappoint some users as plastic remotes are not really valued. This remote control offers an interesting feature, called the “subtitle shift”. With the help of the remote the users can actually shift the subtitle to any desired position. This is a very useful feature since the users can easily move the subtitles to any place they want to in the screen with just few adjustments. The subtitle shifting is particularly very utile when the display ratio is pretty high. Other than this special feature, this remote does the basic operations well and in fact it has two extra buttons other than the normal ones like the home and bonus view button. These buttons make the work a lot easier for the users.

Amazing Features:

The main highlights of thisPhilips BDP7500 Blu-Ray DVD player are BD Profile 2.0 and 7.1 ch surround system. The former might be present in many players these days, but then, the latter one is not supported by many players; it is indeed good of Philips to have blessed the users with this 7.1ch sound system. As for this being a profile 2.0 player, it obviously means that it supports the BD Live contents. Moreover, there is the 1GB internal memory available. This is splendid since this player has not only good looks but also has super cool features to top it and make it a popular product. Let us study some of the excellent features in detail.

Profile, Interface, Firmware updating:

As said earlier, the BDP7500 is a profile 2.0 player. This player supports bonus view which means the users can easily watch the commentaries of the particular scene or any information that the director intends to let the watchers know. To make use of this particular feature, there are two other important features, internet connection and storage area. This player has both, that is, ethernet connection is available and also the player is inbuilt with 1GB of storage memory. The storage facility is further extended by the fact that the users can hear songs or watch videos by plugging in the USB.

DVD Upscaling:

If you have any DVDs that you would like to watch it in blu ray, that is, in 1080p and HD scale, then no worries, there is this DVD upscaling in the player, which improves the quality of the video in the DVD to 1080p and thus makes the whole episode of watching them, a pleasure.

Wired Connection and Wi-Fi ready:

Connecting to the internet is very important and must for a profile 2.0 player since the BD Live contents have to be downloaded. So this player has the LAN port at the back for connecting to the internet. The Philips BDP7500 player is also “Wi-Fi ready” which means that if there is a wireless network or router at your home, then you can connect to the internet wirelessly and enjoy the services endlessly. The internet connection is useful, not only for watching the BD Live contents, but also the services offered by NetTV.

DLNA and EasyLink:

This player is DLNA enabled, which means that the users can access the contents of the electronic devices and easily transfer or share contents from one to another in just few seconds. An even more interesting feature is the EasyLink, where one single remote can be used to control many devices. Therefore it is not only easy to transfer data from PC or other device to the TV, but it is also easy to control their operation using a single remote at the comfort of your couch.

Remarkable audio and video functioning:

CinemaPerfect HD engine is an excellent feature which does the work of noise reduction and also producing quality video. With this engine, watching movies or videos will be great fun and satisfying too since the users will not face any disturbance like noise or poor video playback. The picture setting offers some choices, like, Standard, cool, vivid, action, and animation. This player supports the latest DivX HD format which provides a new and better angle of watching movies. The biggest feature of this player is the 7.1 channel surround system. This feature means that it can play any audio format, right from the easy ones to the toughest playback formats. So, all the music and video crazies are in for this player as it would best suit them.

Execution and Performance:

The BDP7500 gives a stupendous performance in terms of its speed. This player sports an excellent loading time. The loading time is very less. You will only know the flipping in of the DVD and it starts playing in just few seconds. If it plays some blue ray disc, then the users have to wait for few extra seconds to start watching the movie. Its speed is quite high compared to many other products of the same range. Moreover, the users can be excited because Philips has stated that the player would extend its performance to the 3D field also. With some upgrade in the software, 3D would be available in their player and this feature is definitely enticing.

Power:

This BDP7500 consumes 22W of Power under normal situations when we sit back and watch movies in HD TVs or home theatres. But then, for those who want to save power, and never mind about the long time it takes for loading, they can go in for the standby mode where the power consumption is only 0.25W.

Warranty:

The 1 year warranty covers the services for parts and labour during that period of time.

Verdict:

The Philips BDP7500 is a blu ray player that carries a mid-range price tag. Though it is at a reachable height, the features are too good. In short, it is a high-tech player in terms of features and a middle class player in terms of price. There is even 3D performance to be expected. For blue rays players, it is just a beginning not the end. They have a long way to travel and as for this Philips BDP7500, it is a great product. So all those who would vote for best audio and video playback and good performance in the other normal jobs, then you can definitely cast your vote for this BDP7500, it is worth it.

Philips BDP7500 Blue Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

Design and Ports:

Black is the colour which most of the electronic goods these days prefer. Especially the blue ray players are all in black, with only few minor differences like the presence or absence of glossy coating or the shape of the box. This Panasonic DMP-BD65EB-K Blu Ray Disc Player is a black colour rectangular box which does not have a glossy coating. In other words, the cover of the player is matte and this means that you need not worry about finger prints making your player look clumsy, though in real, this has never been a problem with blue ray players. The center panel in the front sports the reflective panel where the current status like the time of the movie running or the menus like open, home, etc., are displayed. On the front panel are present two most important slots, the SD card slots and USB port, the uses of which will be discussed later in this review. In the right corner of the front side are two control buttons, stop and play. Panasonic has been wise enough to place minimal number of control buttons in the front side of the player because it is not going to be of much use as the remote takes up its role. The machine weighs 4.2 lbs which is average for a blue ray player therefore not making it very heavy. The width of this player is about 17 inches with 8.1 inches deep while the height is about 1.9 inches.

On the rear side of the machine are some of the interesting and quintessential ports. There is the HDMI port which helps us to connect to the HD TVs. Followed by the HDMI port is the LAN port, the medium through which wired connection to the internet is possible. There are the component and composite video out and also digital audio optical output plugs. To the chagrin of the users, the player does not include 7.1 channel surround system, but then, since it is a midrange blue ray player, this could be digested. Though the options that are available in this player are quite countable, the quality that can be expected out of these options is amazing.

Remote Control:

For any player, DVD or blue ray, the remote control is the heart of the player. Without the remote control the user might not even want to use the player since every time changing the disks or fast forwarding a video becomes a nuisance without a remote. This Infrared type remote is a simple one yet it sports the best performance. The sizes of the buttons are quite comfortable to operate. The main controls like the play, pause, back and stop are present in the centre of the control and the buttons are blue in colour facilitating easy identification. Also, another added advantage with this player is that few of the TV controls are also available. Beside the power button on the top of the remote are the buttons for changing the volume, channel and also the power button for the TV. The users do not have to switch over to the TV remote to make the small changes, two in one.

Amazing Features:

The features that have been included in this Panasonic DMP-BD65EB-K Blu Ray player are not comparable to many other high range players, yet there is a uniqueness and excellence in this player which makes it highly competitive. Just playing the movies in high definition scale alone is not expected out of a player. The standards or the criteria that the blue ray players ought to satisfy are quite high and let us see some of the important features in detail.

Picture Quality:

The picture quality in the Panasonic DMP-BD65 is awesome. This player has been implanted with so many technologies that enhance the quality of the picture to a great extent. The 1080p high definition resolution is common in most of the players these days. The PHL reference chroma processor plus is a new technology that uplifts the picture or the video that is watched to a great extent that the users almost forget that they are watching a video and mistake it to be something really happening in front of their eyes. This technology actually processes the image in a good scale so that the final output is crystal clear. To make this even more effective are the other techniques like the High Precision 4:4:4 and the Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD.

There is the deep colour technology and x.v. colour technology which narrows the difference between the colours that we see in our eyes truly and the colours that appear on the screen. The colour and the scenes are perfectly accurate that it makes watching videos and movies a great pleasure and joyful experience. Also, since it is a profile 2.0 player with profile 1.1 features too included, it supports BD live and also picture-in-picture view, that is commentaries on particular scenes by the actors or directors. This is called the Bonus View. Quick start is an excellent feature that has been included in this player. With the quick start feature on, the time of wait is reduced to merely 0.5 seconds making the movie watching time a fun time. Old DVDs are always important for us and would be in standard definition scale. They can be upscaled to 1080p HD scale and watched in the big screen.

Memory Storage:

This Panasonic player does not have on-board memory storage area of 1GB. So to compensate that, the company has provided two memory storing facilities, one the SD card slot and another one, the USB 2.0 port. So the photos from digital camera can be easily watched in High Definition scale by inserting the card into the slot. Also, the SD card supports AVCHD playback. The USB port serves as a storage medium for storing the bonus view and BD Live contents.

Ethernet and Wi-Fi ready:

The Panasonic DMP-BD65EB-K profile 2.0 blu-ray player supports both wired and wireless connection. For the wired connection to the internet, as said earlier there is a LAN port at the rear side of the player. Also, it is Wi-Fi ready, though the adaptor has to be bought separately. With the internet connection, the player offers some features, the description of which follows this.

VieraCast:

The VieraCast is a service created and offered by Panasonic for its users. It is essentially a service which offers access to some of the popular sites. At present, vieracast offers You Tube, Pandora, Amazon video on demand, Picasa and Netflix too. It is a great pleasure to watch our favorite videos in you tube in the bigger screen of our TV and through Pandora it is possible to hear any song at any time. With Netflix service, the users can watch movies endlessly but to avail this feature in this player it is vital to have unlimited membership. The Vieracast is an interesting feature and though only few services are supported, it is completely satisfactory.

Audio and Video Functioning:

The audio and video functions are exceptional in this player. The absence of 7.1 channel system can not be felt much since it supports most of the formats like Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio. But one disappointment is that MKV format is not supported. The quality of the video is pretty good.

Power:

The DMP-BD65 consumes about 19W of power in normal mode but there are other power saving options to consume limited amount of power thereby conserving the energy. The consumption of power reduces to 7W in quick start mode while it reduces drastically to 0.1W in standby mode.

Warranty:

The Panasonic DMP-BD65EB-K offers a warranty period for 1 year.

Verdict:

The Panasonic blue ray player may not be one which is comparable to some excellent players like LGBD390 or Sony players. But this player exhibits its features in a perfect way which establishes a very high standard incomparable to the others in its own way. There are few minor flaws like the lack of support of few audio formats or the on-board memory storage. But these features go unnoticed because of some of its features like the excellent picture quality, Quick Start and also the services offered by VieraCast. The Panasonic DMP-BD65EB-K not only brings smile to the face but also brings satisfaction to the heart.

Panasonic DMP-BD65EB-K Blu Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

The Samsung  BD-C5500 Blu-Ray Wi-Fi Ready Player has all the essential features of an entry level player. Being a profile 2.0 player it supports the BD Live contents which mean the users can enjoy few features. If you want to know in detail about the features of this player and also check whether it would be suitable for you, then read further.

Design and Ports:

Glossiness always adds value to the product and so has the look been enhanced in the BD-C5500. It is completely glossy black in colour with a strip of silver colour on the right side top corner which contains the control buttons. Though the glossy black looks simple and good, the fingerprints are easily shown on the player and this makes maintenance a bit tough. On the silver strip are present four control buttons, Play/Pause, Stop, Forward and the power button. This arrangement is neat yet the placing of the buttons on a separate silver layer might seem unnecessary. These control buttons are not of much use since the remote control is the most easiest and comfortable one. Below the control panel is a USB port. This port is actually used to store the contents of the BD Live, that is, the users can actually download and store in the flash or any other drive by plugging it into this port. Since the player does not have 1GB of on-board memory storage, this USB 2.0 port is the main source of storage area. The design is thus simple and good.

On the back side of the BD-C5500 Blue-Ray Disc player are present few of the most important connections or ports. Beginning from the left most end, there is a port for wireless LAN. This player does not support Wi-Fi. So the users have to buy a dongle as an extra expense to avail the wireless connection. Next to this is the ethernet port for LAN connection. Next is the HDMI port for watching in the big screen. The Digital audio output port, the optical port is present and then follows the AV out plugs. This machine weighs merely 1.6 kg which is good for an entry level player. Moreover, this player has a width of 433 mm, depth of 205 mm and a height of about 43 mm. These dimensions do not make it an ultra thin player, but definitely queues it up in the thinner players’ line.

Remote Control:

The Samsung BD-C5500 package comes along with a remote control included in it. Remote controls usually reduce the work of the man since he no longer needs to get up from his couch time and again to do the basic controls or make any changes in the video or movie or anything that is being played through the player. This remote is an IR type remote control which has a neat layout of the buttons and is designed to be used by the user in a comfortable way. All the buttons, even the numbers and volume and channel control buttons, required are laid out in different nice colours. There is no trouble in using the remote control at all.

Amazing Features:

The most important part of any player is the features that have been included. Features are kind of packages that add value to the product in terms of its quality. Higher the number of good features higher the quality and hence higher the demand. This product has a good number of features and a brief description of some of its important features is given below.

Picture Quality:

5x the original quality – this is what the blue ray players were initially described to have and this is their basic character. The quality of the movies or the images viewed in the blue ray is excellent that at times it might be a little hard to differentiate whether it is real or reel. The blue rays offer the maximum possible resolution, that is the 1080p, which mean that the on-screen object would be crystal clear. The colour perfection attained by the player is extraordinary since it provides the exact colour to the eyes. In short, watching the movies or videos or images would be a treat for the users because of the amazing picture quality. Moving on to the speed or the time it takes for the player to load the movie and start playing, Samsung actually boasts of this ultra fast play, but in real, the time taken for loading is quite high and this increases the wait time. Since the response time is very slow, it adds to a minor flaw in the profile of this player.

The All-Share DLNA:

One of the most interesting and new features is the All Share DLNA. The Digital Living Network Alliance aims to help the people to get the best of the available resources. “Connect and enjoy” is their main logo and with the DLNA, the users can have a whole lot of fun with the other devices that they have. Using the DLNA, it is possible for the users to connect their player to their mobile phones or PC and thus play the contents through the player. This DLNA is actually an evolution in this field because with the DLNA you can do wonders. Any video taken in your iphone can be watched in High Definition and at 1080p with full clarity in your home theatre by just connecting them. The All-share is exactly true because you can share everything, everywhere and at anytime you need to.

Wi-Fi and Ethernet:

As said earlier there is a port on the back side of the player for getting connected to the internet. Though Wi-Fi connection is not available as a ready made it can be made feasible by using an extra dongle, at extra cost of course. Once the connection to the Internet is done, the interesting things that the player holds for us is excellent. Let us study some of those.

Interface and Firmware Updating:

The interface of this Samsung BD-C5500 Blu Ray DVD player is quite simple. There is a wooden grain background and over this background the icons take their positions. In the bottom the main menus like the Internet@TV, Music, Videos, Photos and Settings are present. On the top of the screen, the list of the applications present in the Internet@TV, in other words the Samsung Apps, are listed in a horizontal row. Though only few basic applications have been included at present, Samsung has promises of expanding its range further and for this, time will give the answer. If the expansion really does occur, higher firmwares will be available and they can be easily upgraded since this is a profile 2.0 player and BD Live is supported.

Internet@TV:

The applications that Samsung has included at present are You Tube, Vudu, NetFlix and Pandora. As said earlier, this is expected to increase in the near future though. So, with you tube, the users can watch the videos that they wish to or even upload the videos from their mobile or camera to the website. The presence of the application NetFlix implies that the users can now endlessly watch movies by renting them and watching in the big screen at their home sweet home. For music lovers, the happy news is that Pandora is an included application. Anytime and every time the users can listen to their favorite music with the Pandora. Thus this player offers a good number of options.

Audio and Video Functioning:

The Samsung BD-C5500 does not support 7ch surround sound unlike few other blue ray players. But then, this player can decode the audio files of the type Dolby Digital, digital plus, Dolby True HD and DTS HD High Resolution, DTS HD Master Audio, LPCM, MP3 and WMA. So this means that most of the basic types are covered and the clarity of the audio is pretty good. Moving on to the video functioning, as explained earlier, this device gives a good output at 1080p and as intended by the director.

Execution and Performance:

Being an entry level and a profile 2.0 player, this device supports BD Live 2.0 which means that the users can watch video-in-video, that is, the commentaries on a particular scene by an actor or the director. The audio and video functioning is quite acceptable. But then, one big flaw is the time taken for the disk to load. Apart from this issue, the player has done a good job. In a nutshell, it has executed its potential well, but then the point is that its potential could have been increased further?!

Power:

The device normally consumes 13 watts of power when it is used in the usual mode. But then the amount of consumption reduces to nearly 0.1 watts when it is in the standby mode. The power button on the silver strip of the player glows when the player is in standby mode making the status obvious to the player and reducing the job of checking it.

Warranty:

The Samsung BD-C5500 has a warranty period of 1 year.

Verdict:

The Samsung BD-C5500 is an entry level blue ray player which brings to the users “The Future of Entertainment”. It is obvious that it is a less-cost player with good number of features. There are many other players in the market which offer other features almost at the same rate. So, this is not for those who have different expectations. But then, if the features of this machine suit your choice and expectations, then you can proudly become the owner of this simple Samsung BD-C5500.

Samsung BD-C5500 Blue-Ray Player – Technical Specification Table

Design and Ports:

Black has become the colour of fashion and interest these days. Most of the electronic items take up the black colour and so does this S2900 model. It is made of pure black and has a glossy outer coating. The player looks simple yet pretty. It has a non-slip base which can come in very handy at times when there is more probability for the player to fall down. On the front side is the reflective panel which displays the current status, like the home menu or open or loading condition. The orange LED display actually gives the player a prominent and a professional look. Moreover, users having other Yamaha electronic products like the receivers, speakers etc., are at the positive side because on purchasing this BD-S2900 Blue Ray Player they achieve uniformity which makes the entire array of products seem meticulous and the room looks good with an unanimity.

The control buttons are present on the front side of the player. Beginning from the left side, there is the standby/on button which is used to switch on the power of the player or can be left in the standby mode. In the centre is the big glossy display. Below the display is the SD card slot. This slot is quite useful since the users can enjoy the virtual package with the SD cards. The SDHC memory card has a capacity of about 2GB. On the right side, there are the buttons like, play/pause, rewind, forward and stop button. The buttons are not of much use since the remote control replaces its function. These are the normal buttons but their presence is obviously important. This black rectangular box is 10 cm in width, 44 cm in height and 32 cm in depth. The player is not really heavy since it weighs 12.8 lbs which is acceptable for a blue ray player. Turn the player to the other side and the users will find some of the important audio and video ports. There is an AC in plug for power supply. At the centre there is the HDMI port. On the right side are the important plugs like the optical/digital, coaxial and component out.

Remote Control:

The BD S2900 Blu Ray Disc Player comes in with a remote control. The remote is simple and has a neat layout of the buttons that facilitates easy and comfortable use. The size of the remote is also of the normal range.

Profile 1.1:

The Yamaha BD-S2900 is a profile 1.0 version 1.1 compatible player and so it has all the features that a 1.0 and 1.1 profile player ought to have. This means that this is the Bonus View player, that is, the users can have the delight of watching video commentary in a small window with the movie running in the background. This is one of the most interesting features since the users can actually watch as well as hear the actor or director talking about a particular scene in the film. This is because the player supports secondary audio and video.

HDMI:

The presence of a HDMI port at the back side of the machine enables the users to watch the contents of the Blue ray discs in a big screen with all the effects of watching the movie in a theatre. In short, the High Definition movies can be watched at the comfort of your couch by playing the discs in your Blue ray player and connecting it to a big screen TV through the High Definition Multimedia Interface port.

DVD Upscaling:

Too many Old DVDs? You can easily upscale them to 1080p with the help of the DVD Upscaling Technology in the Yamaha BD S2900.

Audio and video functioning:

The Yamaha S2900 Blue Ray DVD Player gives the video out at 1080p and 24 frames per second. The movies are generally shot at 24 frames per second and at 1080p resolution. This is the highest quality that can be watched on a big screen. The users can watch the movies or videos as and how it was intended to be in the director’s mind. Also, because of the presence of the SD card slot, the contents of the memory card, mostly images or videos can be watched in 1080p resolution. The deep colour technology has been implanted. Using this technology, colour perfection can be achieved. The 12 bit deep colour technology transmits the colours with such clarity that it is highly impossible to differentiate between the real and the reel. The different shades of a colour can be obtained with good accuracy. Also, there are three illumination modes, bright, dim and auto. By choosing the particular illumination, the lighting of the screen can be adjusted as per requirement. Thus the video functioning is remarkably good. Moving on to the audio performance, the Yamaha BD-S2900 1080p output blu ray player provides full support in decoding the high level signals like the DTS HD and Dolby Digital.

Execution and Performance:

The machine has a Java logo inscribed on its back side. This means that the machine has undergone a number of tests with a positive result. The player is safe to use with a neat design and good quality. But how good is the quality? The audio and video performances are good though not remarkable. There are some audio formats that the player does not support at all, a downfall in that area. But overall the Yamaha BD S2900 has done a good job indeed.

No Firmware updating:

The main disadvantage with this player is that it is not a BD 2.0 player which means it does not support BD Live. There is no ethernet port for getting connected to the internet. The absence of BD Live and ethernet implies that it is not possible to update the firmware or download the contents from the internet. This player is devoid of many features since it lacks the ability to access the BD Live contents. Also, the users have to forget borrowing movies from the services like the Cinema Now, NetFlix or watching the most popular videos of You Tube.

Verdict:

Yamaha is only an amateur in the Blue ray field. It still has a long way to go to get its name carved in the hearts of blue ray lovers! As a baby, yes, definitely it has done a great job! But when other manufacturers have already grown up, this little baby is left stranded in the middle. Well, overall, the BD S2900 is a good model that can play ordinary or blue ray DVDs at a reasonably good audio and video quality. But then, beyond that, there is nothing much to expect. This player is not for those who wish to cross the horizons but it is definitely a good choice for those who would just like to own a simple blue ray player with average performance rate.

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Yamaha BD-S2900 Blue Ray Player – Technical Specification Table