:rock: not too shabby i must admit. Can we expect cheaper 2.0 players from LG, Samsung or Funai? but then $400 is still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more expensive than $149

Spec highlights:

7.1 analogue out
TrueHD
DTS HD Master decoding (SP550) - (SP350 via bits stream)
BD-JO
BD-Live ready

sounds promising - now we need full feature BD-J and BD-Live titles to test the players



http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/6831...ay_Players.html

Sony has just announced their first line of Profile 2 Blu-Ray players, the BDP-S350 and BDP-S550. The Profile 2 players will be the first stand alone Blu-Ray players by Sony to feature web coonectivity and compatibility with external storage devices.

These features are already present in Sony's Playstation 3 models, but were until now unavailable in a stand alone Blu-Ray player. The S350 is scheduled for release in the summer while the S550 will not be out until this fall. IGN notes an interesting tidbit: The features recently adopted by Sony for their stand alone Blu-Ray players were present in most HD-DVD players at launch. We're not trying to make a statement. Just sayin'.

The S350 is expected to retail for around $400 while the S550 will come in around $500.

++++++++++++++++++++++

SONY ADDS NEW BLU-RAY DISC PLAYERS WITH ADVANCED INTERACTIVITY
New Models Feature Ethernet Port for Interactive Functionality and Easy Firmware Updates

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 26, 2008 - Sony updated its Blu-ray Disc player line today with two new models that will be capable of accessing advanced interactive features such as BonusView and BD-Live.

The BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 models both support BonusView (Picture-in-Picture) featured on some of the new Blu-ray Disc theatrical releases. The BDP-S350 model is BD-Live ready featuring an Ethernet port for an easy firmware update and access to Internet-based interactive content features. The BSP-S550 is BonusView and BD-Live capable when it ships.

Both models also feature an external port for local storage, so users can add optional storage device. The BDP-S550 ships with a 1GB storage device.

"Building on the exceptional picture and sound quality of previous players, Sony's next-generation Blu-ray Disc models bring exciting interactive features to life and offer consumers a ground-breaking experience," said Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics' Home Product Division. "These new devices bring home movie experience beyond the cinema and into a whole new realm of entertainment."

The players feature 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output. They are compatible with most standard DVDs and feature 1080p upscaling through an HDMI connection to capable HDTV sets, improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries.

The models offer 7.1 channel Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby® Digital Plus decoding and bit-stream output, as well as dts®-HD High Resolution Audio and Master Audio bit-stream output. The BDP-S550 adds dts-HD High Resolution Audio and dts-HD Master Audio decoding as well as 7.1 channel analog audio output.

The players support AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color™ (xvYCC) technology, an international standard for wide color space reproduction. The standard expands the current data range of video by about 1.8 times, allowing the players to output more natural and vivid colors similar to what the human eye can actually see. The players also feature compatibility with an array of video formats, including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), and JPEG on DVD//CD recordable media.

The new models feature a slim design with reduced depth and height compared to previous models matching Sony's new home-theater-in-a-box systems, the HT-SS2300 and HT-CT100 T-SS2300, also announced today. Optimized for Blu-ray Disc™, the new component systems feature three 1080p compatible HDMI™ inputs making them the perfect match for a Full high-definition home theater when connected to a new Sony BRAVIA® 1080p HDTV.

The new BDP-S350 ships this summer for about $400 and BDP-S550 will be available this fall for about $500. They will be offered at Sony Style stores, online at sonystyle.com, at military base exchanges, and at authorized retailers nationwide.

http://gizmodo.com/360642/bdp+s350-and-s55...blu+ray-players

++++++++++++++ updated July 20 2008 +++++++++++++++++++++++


http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/sony...ay-disc-player/


July 19, 2008: Although Sony has announced its next generation Blu-ray player, the BDP-S350 as early as February, it is only now that the player has started arriving in US retail stores. For those who have been waiting for the BDP-S350, the wait may well be worth it after all since like we reported before this player is fully compatible with various disc formats including BD-R/RE, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW and JPEG on DVD or CD recordable media.

In addition, the BDP-S350 also features BonusView (Profile v1.1), BD-Live (Profile v2.0) and Sony’s Precision Cinema HD Upscale feature which is a technology that converts standard-definition signals (4801) to 1080p. These signals are then outputted in full HD equivalent resolution signal to 1080p TVs through HDMI port. The player also has an Ethernet port and can handle up to 70.1 channels decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DD+ along with 7.1 channels bitstream output that includes DTS-Ma.

Finally, Sony has added an environmental footprint on the BDP-S350 to make the product a little more environmentally friendly. Sony has reduced the overall unit size of the player by 55 percent, reduced the packing material by 52 percent and reduced its total weight by 38 percent. With this, Sony was able to reduce the CO2 emissions when shipping the BDP-S350. Likewise, Sony has also made the player’s energy consumption a little less than the usual.

The BDP-S350 is available now in Sony retail and various online stores for around $399.99.

lol bhphotos excepting orders : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5506...isc_Player.html

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Updated October 2, 2008:

http://gear.ign.com/articles/914/914553p1.html

Sony Cuts Price of S350 Blu-ray Player

The first Sony player priced cheaper than the PS3.
by Scott Lowe

September 29, 2008 - Sony's BD-live enabled Blu-ray player models, the BDP-S350 and BDP-S550, are a relatively pricey commodity. At launch, the Sony BDP-S550 was priced at $499.99 and the BDP-S350 at $399.99, but now Sony has dropped the price of the latter model by $100, making it the first standalone Blu-ray player to have a lower price point than the PlayStation 3. The S350 is now available on Sony's online store and at retailers nationwide for a new low price of $299.99. For that price, consumers get a BD-Live ready player with full 1080p resolution, and 24p True Cinema video output. The player also decodes Dolby TrueHD signals and upscales DVDs to 1080p resolution.

Unfortunately, the S350 requires a wired Ethernet connection in order to utilize its BD-Live features, so wireless users are out of luck without additional hardware. The player outputs via one rear mounted component video connection, as well as HDMI.

This post has been edited by g5sim: Oct 14 2008, 02:54 PM

more to come in coming months. Finally, the wait is over

hopefully won't wait for too long for others brand as well ...

Bro g5sim sudah tukar gambar so fast, now supporting Blu-Ray camp liao. Hahaha. Toshiba sure will be very sad.

Even though the players are priced from USD400 to USD500, our local punya BDP-S300 already RM2,900 and I bet this model will be priced in the range of RM3K to RM5K. Hai ........ If it's less than RM2K, I'll definitely angkat the top model. The design looks nice for a blu-ray player and with profile 2.0 ready, I guess that's put it on par with Panasonic upcoming blu-ray player, also profile 2.0 ready. I wonder whether there are other new profile revisions in the future. I very takut liao, because the blu-ray camp got macam-macam punya profiles which can cause blu-ray compatibility problems.

sunauto, I wonder our neighbour down south will sell at what tempting price

sammy bd player in spore less than 600 sgd, msia selling for 4k
i think if its selling for 700sgd ,i might go get one and replace the ps3

can I go to SG to get one without kenal tax in JB Kustom ???

even u kena tax also rm 400 nia
still cheaper, wat more for someone as elite as u

wait, it means these 2 players capable of decoding all the HD audio and output them in PCM?

is this means we could see DTS HD MA firmware update to PS3 is near? hehe

you mean the BD1400 which is a 1.0 profile model that got sued with a class action lawsuit in the USA? RM800 oso fikir 12 kali wor

HD DVD player @ rm 800 u also dunno fikir sampai bila until the format is dead, i dun think one(1) lawsuit is gonna do anything lar

u know americans, if u terpijak their leg also kena sue

anyway, apis, those are HBR, it sends the cource over to be decode by the amp, not decoding in the player internally

no lah - just hihglighting that they will be selling a player with specs already have on HD DVD two years ago the only problem is, Sony will be selling them at a similar price Toshiba sold their players two years ago

Even Sharp blu-ray player also Profile 1.0 but was never highlighted in their brochure and they pakat with Speedy to market it by giving a few free blu-ray movies.

aiyo

now speedy got demo the pixal short film still?

or with TIKUS movie?

keekke

speed got demo BD? which branch , i went a few speedy onli see dvd played on BD player onli

u know, speedy video at the curve has sharp bd demo.

but they play std dvd on it. but the bds lying around on the shelves untouched.

This post has been edited by apisgogo: Mar 7 2008, 11:08 AM

yeap thats why no ppl know how BD looks like
i went to 1U new wing side , forgot whats the shop name opposite O'brien sandwich they got sharp LCD , BD display but 99% of the time is dvd display
then occasionally demo disc

Saw it. Not impressive as they are not using HDMI

Best Denki Mines still demoing HD DVD - but standard dvd source on HD DVD player lol

wah lau, still not on the HD bandwagon ar??

actually just requested my brother to buy one xbox Add On $49.99 from USA. See if he manages to do so or not.

tv ler? not buying?

aiyaaaa for the Team Cheapskate amongst us (& im the Club Prezzz btw) just wait a while la. when our china frens (i dont mean the ah mois) get in on the act & they will i gurantee it, we'll seeing soooni, yamahoes & panasolicks showing up for under $200

afterall components costs (in hugee vol ofcos) isnt that much more than the ubiquitous DVDs.

wah for such a staunch HD supporter, you seriously behind the curve..

even Xbox possibly going blu-ray..


Microsoft, Sony In Blu-ray-For-Xbox Talks

Microsoft found itself without a high-definition video partner last month after HD DVD developer Toshiba said it would drop the format.

By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek
March 7, 2008 01:03 PM

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Sony officials are in talks that could lead to a version of the Xbox video game console equipped with a Blu-ray high-definition DVD player.

Sony Electronics U.S. president Stan Glasgow revealed the discussions at a media dinner Thursday in San Francisco, according to an account of the event published by London's Financial Times. Glasgow said his company is also engaged in talks aimed at adding Sony Blu-ray to devices made by Apple, according to the paper.

Microsoft found itself without a high-definition video partner last month after HD DVD developer Toshiba said it would drop the format. Toshiba's announcement followed commitments by virtually all major Hollywood studios to back Blu-ray.

Days after Toshiba formally pulled the plug on HD DVD, Microsoft said it would discontinue an external Xbox 360 drive that supports the high-definition movie format.

Microsoft had been selling an HD DVD player as a $129 add-on for the Xbox 360. Existing units are now selling for less than half of that on eBay.

The death of HD DVD puts Microsoft in a quandary. Sony's PlayStation 3 console features a built-in Blu-ray player. With HD DVD no longer viable, Microsoft needs to find an alternate high-definition format for the Xbox.

The company could itself move to Blu-ray. But it might also reject its rival's technology and focus instead on offering high-definition downloads through its Xbox Live online content service.

Microsoft already sells a limited selection of HD television and movie downloads on Xbox Live, which boasts more than 10 million members.

In the meantime, Microsoft has said that HD DVD's discontinuation won't hurt Xbox 360 sales -- insisting that it's games, and not movies, that dictate console sales.

---

Added on March 8, 2008, 1:10 pmactually cheap player doesn't mean good blu-ray performance....
still alot of processing power involved when handling 1080p HD movies.. which is what PS3 has (2 teraflops of combined processing power)

don't believe, just see how long it takes for HD-dvd/blu-ray standalone to "switch on player, load in disc to 1st video image".. (compare that to PS3)

This post has been edited by ar188: Mar 8 2008, 01:10 PM

remember Bluray is still in its production infancy. AFAIK the main diff btwn reg DVDPs & Blu Players are the blue laser & different chipsets. we all know how much chips come down in price & blues laser mechanisms shouldnt be much more than normal laser mechanisms. i have no doubt in 1 yr or maybe slightly longer, prices for Bluray will drop wayyy below usd200. IMO ofcos

it's not just run of the mill video chipset ICs, but very powerful ASICs.. but as usual moore's law will be helping to lower the costs in the near future...

I think the BDP sld dip below RM2K by end of 2008. Most probably hovering at abt RM1.6K mark or lower

you ah! keep pushing to buy TV! i dont like watching TV. told you so. One of the reasons why i requested my bro to get me the add on for my computer

so u wanna watch hd dvd on monitor????

g5sim, go for HD projector!

no need for Moore's Law bro....just a massive dollop in Economy Of Scale. now that Bluray is the "New Defacto" standard for HDP, it would be conservative to say that the market for this HDP is in the hundreds of millions. there's no doubt our China frens will begin the Clone Wars

BD is not on its production infancy. 10th of millions BD drives have been produced! This is way more than DVD when it was first introduced

---

Added on March 9, 2008, 5:49 pmand use my balcony sliding panels as my screen?

---

Added on March 9, 2008, 5:50 pmyes - dun wanna do so at first - but u keep pushing so i ordered the add on

This post has been edited by g5sim: Mar 9 2008, 05:50 PM

wa seh, blame me pulak

The PS3 rocks when playing blu-ray movies, very quick start up times, followed by Sharp's Aquos BD player but do remember the PS3 is still a software based player, it doesn't have a dedicated hardware so the deinterlacing performance might not be on par with dedicated standalone BD players and secondly, PS3 consumes a lot of power if compared to a dedicated BD player so not good for the environment and also your pocket.

pardon me for being the Hillbilly Kampung Bumpkin that i am but from the view of my tree hous, i havent seen any Bluray players in anyother hous (tree, paper, wooden, brick or otherwise) nor have i seen any bluray material being offered for sale at any of my neighbourhood video centers. i however find a DVD player at 95% in any & all residences that i know of even in little 'ol jerkwater Bolehtown im from . now...the caveat with PS3s being the sole exception ofcos but PS3s were never marketed nor sold as a Bluray player specifically. 'nuff said about infancy & maturity .

disclaimer:this little trivial tidbit only hold water in my corner of the earth. extra terrestials are ofcos exempted

PS3 is a 2 teraflops software player.. at the moment, the standalone players using ICs are still not comparable in processing power.. you just have to check out how butter smooth is the 1.5X fast Fwd function, some standalone players might even stutter or jerk the frames at such function..

---

Added on March 11, 2008, 1:36 pmas for power consumption, come on la, if you use aircon in your room, you already suck more power than Plasma Tv/LCD TV/ projector etc.. why bother about how much a PS3 consumes power in the household.. it's relatively small..

This post has been edited by ar188: Mar 11 2008, 01:36 PM

haha ...aris well said

clap clap

I'm stating the facts bro, standalone blu-ray player consumes 38 watts, PS3 consumes 200 watts, you can do the Maths but however, new PS3 consoles will consume less power when the Cell processor is reduced to 65nm later this year.

please la 200W? for 4hours that's like 0.8KWh... how much is that? the facts is that at 17sen a day, the electric bill is pretty insignificant to even bring up in the first place.
rm5 a month is insignificant..

This post has been edited by ar188: Mar 11 2008, 05:42 PM

dun just wait.... until bluray become - purpleray maybe
hahah

just kidding... ACTION ... wait is talk Cxxx....

http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/sony...ay-disc-player/


Although Sony has announced its next generation Blu-ray player, the BDP-S350 as early as February, it is only now that the player has started arriving in US retail stores. For those who have been waiting for the BDP-S350, the wait may well be worth it after all since like we reported before this player is fully compatible with various disc formats including BD-R/RE, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW and JPEG on DVD or CD recordable media.

In addition, the BDP-S350 also features BonusView (Profile v1.1), BD-Live (Profile v2.0) and Sony’s Precision Cinema HD Upscale feature which is a technology that converts standard-definition signals (4801) to 1080p. These signals are then outputted in full HD equivalent resolution signal to 1080p TVs through HDMI port. The player also has an Ethernet port and can handle up to 70.1 channels decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DD+ along with 7.1 channels bitstream output that includes DTS-Ma.

Finally, Sony has added an environmental footprint on the BDP-S350 to make the product a little more environmentally friendly. Sony has reduced the overall unit size of the player by 55 percent, reduced the packing material by 52 percent and reduced its total weight by 38 percent. With this, Sony was able to reduce the CO2 emissions when shipping the BDP-S350. Likewise, Sony has also made the player’s energy consumption a little less than the usual.

The BDP-S350 is available now in Sony retail and various online stores for around $399.99.

---

Added on July 20, 2008, 2:00 ampls take note that this baby does not support DTS HD Master that all universal BD titles seem to have.

it does LCPM and TrueHD via bitstream. Both tracks are not available in Universal titles.

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jul 20 2008, 02:00 AM

If I'm not wrong, it does bistream DTS-MA.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1046952

they say it does 'bitstream dts-hd and dts-hd ma because their receiver's hd-ma light is on. i am arguing that the light is on because the hd-ma's Core track was bitstreamed to the receiver not the lossless hd-ma track entirely.

if the S350 can do 100% hd-ma lossless why doesnt it just include the hd-ma logo, instead it has the dts-hd (advanced audio out) logo?

furthermore, S350 manual says ' its hd-ma Core only

universal uses dts hdma? i tot it was fox who uses it?

When you bitstream DTS core, the DTS-HD MA logo WILL NOT light up on your AVR. Instead you'll only see the normal DTS logo.


Yes, in their first BD releases ever, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King.

Other than Fox, Lionsgate (except for old titles, which used PCM) and New Line also use DTS-HD MA.

How do I know if that particular movie got DTS-MA? Can I see it written on the back cover? Any list for movies with DTS-MA so far?

Yup, that's one way. The best way is just by checking out blu-ray.com.

Basically all BDs from Fox and New Line uses DTS-HD MA, Lionsgate for new releases, and probably most of the coming Universal titles.

If you have PS3 and any multi-channel PCM capabled HDMI AVR, you'll get to hear this already, as the PS3 decodes the track internally.

Can I bypass PS3 internal decoding and let my 663 do the decoding part? Is it possible for PS3 to do that?

arremie, kenot

So what's the point of getting PS3 if I can't let my 663 do the decoding. Standalone player can do that I presume.

This post has been edited by arremie: Jul 21 2008, 01:21 PM

Good luck getting a standalone. By right bitstreaming (can't decode internally) players should be cheaper. Honestly I also want a standalone player and see the DTS-HD MA logo lights up on my AVR. But if only I can get it at RM1.3k.

Anyway, can you hear and tell the difference between bitstream and PCM? This has been discussed the millionth times.

This post has been edited by aiman04: Jul 21 2008, 01:40 PM

Bitstream HD audio means pass through the audio to be processed by external decoder. Is that right?
So bitstream only player means you won't get audio unless you have external decoder like AV amp to process it right?

That is correct sir.

Thanks dude. You answer my question even before I posted it
You Jedi or something?

---

Added on July 21, 2008, 1:46 pmAnyway, looks like I'm ok if I go with player that can bitstream only since my 663 can decode them all.

This post has been edited by arremie: Jul 21 2008, 01:46 PM

Like I said, by right it should be cheaper. But only cheaper than internally decoding standalone players.

Bitstreaming standalone, like Panasonic BD30, retails at RM2999. That's more than twice the price of a PS3 which can decode internally.

This post has been edited by aiman04: Jul 21 2008, 01:52 PM

I can see the logic why aiman say it should be cheaper because the lack of internal decoding engine. No engine less hardware = cheaper price..... but noooooooo in boleh land everything with hd logo is expansive

arremie hold your balls 1st, currnet players still not worth it, the loading time itself qould kill u, if u really desperate, then get the panny bd 30

Ok I'm holding my balls even the girls are watching

I want to get PS3 but now I can't since PS3 can't bitstream. I wan't my 663 to do the decoding part and not the player. So my choice now is a standalone player. I can get the Panny 30 or maybe just wait n see what's the selling price of Sony 350 when it comes here. If not to much different than I'll get Sony for sure.

S350 shud be rm 3999
panny 30 in spore sellin for 799 sgd

My 1800 also can decode lossless audio ma...

That's the most important, at least your AVR is prepared for it. I just can't afford standalone BD player, PS3 will do for now.

So in future when standalone prices are reasonable, with faster disc loading time, I can buy without worrying about the AVR. And at that time I can still keep my PS3 as an HD entertainment centre, my MKV and mp3 file collection are already growing again now. And oh, my kid can still play the games in HD with surround audio.

Yes your point is well taken. Its just that I want my BD player to have the features I want. Don't really care whether its also a game console or not

i think wat arremie truly wants is for the lights to light up

Is it too obvious what I really want? I don't even say it out loud
So are you the master or the apperentice
Always 2 they are. No more no less

Well, so far, I only read that it can't output DTS-MA via PCM, only Core. Well, don't forget the PS3 doesn't have a DTS-MA logo too and it can decode it internally.

Bro Aiman is right, my Toshiba A35 bitstreamed two hd-dvd movies using DTS-HR (1.5 mbps), the DTS-MA logo won't light up, that's true for Yamaha and Denon AV receivers so I have a reason to believe that S350 can output DTS-MA via bitstream. The AV receiver will be able to detect the signal.

So when DTS-MA suppose to light up? I thought it suppose to light up whenever it decodes DTS-MA signal. Only light up when receive DTS-MA already processed by amp?

It will light up when the signal received is DTS-MA and if it doesn't light up, then something is definitely wrong with the settings.

if you have an dts-hd ma receiver, its advisable to get a player that has the dts-hd : Advance Audio Out logo (players with this logo will do bitstreaming (check my previous posts for types of dts-hd logo). BUT BE EXTREMELY careful to confirm and reconfirm the player does not state CORE only. I think the only two players that actually do CORE only is the Sony S350 and the XBox 360 (talking about irony) - check the online manual too.

Anyhow the S550 is only RM330 more than the S350 and it does dts-hd ma decoding and has analogue 5.1 out too (according to initial specs)

it is not worth it to get a localized S350 at RM399 when you can order from bhphotos.com for much less and since 100% of your Amazon BD orders will be region 1 anyway

using Maybank's American Express - global e-shop service, you can order from major US online retailers (think amazon's cheaper BD player prices), get the player sent to Global e-shop's USA partners and they will ship the player to your door step at fraction of the shipping price. Add 25% as tax, I bet you can get the S550 sent to malaysia NETT less than RM3999

Panasonic is supposed to come out with a Profile 2.0 player too. Forgot the model - maybe D50. You might also want to wait for that one too. The more competition for standalone 2.0 bd players, the cheaper the price would be. I guess prices is not a problem to you but then, you can use the extra $$$ to buy more movies

---

Added on July 22, 2008, 12:16 pmveli expensive liau RM3999 PS3 also 399USD - here not more than RM2999 typo izit ?

---

Added on July 22, 2008, 12:17 pmhow do we know that when the receiver is showing dts-hd-ma - it dts-hd-ma that is pumped out of the receiver? I have a theory that its the player that tell what the receiver should display

why? i can built a BD player that can decode dts-hd-ma, but without DTS' logo, can I actually tell my bd player to instruct the receiver to display the dts-hd ma light?

or lets say that I pump a track that as the maximum sampling frequency and data rate of dts-hd-ma - that would be considered as lossless quality but without DTS' IP, i will not be able to get the receiver to display the dts-hd-ma light



This post has been edited by g5sim: Jul 22 2008, 12:21 PM

Dude your price is confusing. S550 RM330 more than S350? You mean USD330 or RM3300?
Anyway, I also have Panny BD30 to consider. This player can do all the bitstream thing that I want. I prefer Sony for convenience sake only so I can use the remote to control my LCD also. Sony blue color sure looks cool though

yes mah . RM330 = $100. the SRP for S350 = $399. SRP for S550 = $499 so its the different of RM330 (1USD = RM3.3<>)

g5sim, local price for bdp S 300 is 3999 , the 350 would be priced at 3999 as well

veli clever - gud luck to them

ordering from USA - region 1 player (amazon BD movies region 1)

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/734159/+100

nett to your door step from USA via courier = RM2020 only wawasan 2020

There's seems to be a lot argument and confusion here over the S350 blu-ray player, some say it can't output DTS-MA via bitstream but actually it should be, it can't decode DTS-MA and output it via LPCM like our PS3 but for those with an AV receiver that can decode all types of lossless audio codecs, the S350 will work fine. If there's an option to use bitstreaming for my PS3, I'll definitely use it, I'm pretty sure the sound quality will be better since there's less jitter via bitstreaming.

I think the summary written here is pretty good, less confusing for all.
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showpost.p...47&postcount=44

guess who is xboxboi ?

i understand what they rest are saying, i also know the fact that several people with dts hd ma receiver can see the dts hd ma light on, on their receiver. that is why they are saying that it is capable of doing full h-res hd-ma bitstreaming.

I was arguing the fact that Sony included 'Core' in the S350 manual. If the Core term is not included in the manual then, yes the player is capable of doing h-res hd-ma bitstreaming.

I also challenge the fact that if indeed this S350 player is capable of doing h-res hd-ma, there wouldnt be a need for the $200 more expensive S550 because full hi-res bitstreaming or internal decoding, its still the same thing.

The advantage of 550 is the ability to both bitstream and decode DTS-HD MA internally/onboard. The 350 can't, only bitstream. Like I said earlier, internally decoding players will be more expensive (with exception with the PS3).

I think the confusion over this 350 is when they set the player to decode internally, but it just can't. So, instead it only decodes the core track and send it as PCM.

The exact same thing happened with PS3 prior to the 2.35 firmware update. When you set the PS3 to decode internally, it will only decode the core because at that time the PS3 can't decode DTS-HD MA internally yet (though we got no choice because the PS3 can't bitsream HBR audio either).

Now if they set the 350 to send out bitstream (instead of trying to decode the DTS-HD MA internally), they will see that the lights on the AVR will light up.

Just my 3 cents.

Is this a fact or just what u think. I really want that S350.

Its suppose to be a fact

I ask to soon. I read the article and S350 can do DTS-MA bitstream. Now where can I find S350 with 240V input. I'm not buying US 120V.

arremie, buy in msia lor rm 3999, still within ur budget

rx is correct. RM1 to reach your budget is the power supply issue is that bigger deal

and again i would like to remind you that - localized S350 might play REGION 3 movies only - so your US Amazon titles how ?

Region 3 is only for DVDs. The BDs are the same as US, region A, so no worries there. I'm sure you already have a dedicated HDMI DVD player, Arremie.

what if BDA all of the sudden says - region coding takes affect tonight at midnight EST ? now that there is no competition for hires optical?

g5sim, u think too much

okie okie - dun think = i go take shower and go to sleep

I believe if u can save RM1k then u should go for it right? So I will look oversea 1st. Maybe just over bridge to the south if cheaper

Yep BD region is the same for US, Japs n SEA so no worries. Already got Pioneer 600AV for my Amazon R1 DVDs (actually can play all region coz I got a few R3 love story bought by my wife at Speedy)

Well, the reason is simple actually, the S550 is for people with an AV receiver which only accepts PCM signals via HDMI or it could accept an 8 channel analogue inputs. It might have built in flash memory but that's not the main selling point. I wouldn't mind spending a little more for S550 if it has better picture quality and faster loading times than S350. The S350's loading time is still a little bit behind the PS3, I do hope Panny's BD50 will perform much better and hopefully, it's not the same thing as the BD30 model. If they upgraded the BD30 model and taruh BD Live and package it as a new model, I'll be disappointed for sure.

I guess from neigbouring countries like Thailand, Singapore or even Hong Kong. Not sure whether their prices will be as good as in the US though. USD399 is not cheap but at least, it's much lower than before.

u statedudun wan buy overseas mar...

I said I don't want to buy US version with 120V input. Not that I don't want to buy oversea. I purchase things from oversea on a regular basis so not a problem for me

Blu-ray Disc Region Coding:

Cool. U r very informative

No problem bro. Always glad to share.

aiyoh, how i know, i say spore, u sayspore also overseas mar
arremie, just wait, i think another 2 -3 moons would be a better time for you to decide

Yep no rush on this one. Anyway I fixed my mind on S350 la for the time being. Almost buy PS3 but lucky I found out PS3 can't bitstream thanks to you guys

yea, i like the S350 as well.....