idakalp harvee travelling
Edilma Howard
Blu-ray players in the same way as DVD players before them is becoming something you may almost buy at the store around the corner. This in heavy contrast to those early generations, where the bplayes hung high. And were sour...
Sony is one of the producers who are heavily involved in this market, but perhaps not necessarily in the heavy end of the market. In last year's collection of Blu-ray players, all count in below a kilogram, and the review sample being the smallest in the collection weighs 0.8 kg. We are, in other words in the light end. But is it any good?
The new series is obviously different from previous generations by having a much cleaner design. Outgoing models have received some pepper because of some of its slightly quirky design, with a little gratuitous almost flat pyramidal top. Maybe okay, but not very pleasing in my eyes. The new series is far more pure in design - not something that stands out, but it's really a brilliant design concept. In all its ease and simplicity there is something a bit chic with the Cubist and clean design.
And while we're at with weight - fair enough that 0.8 kg is not a lot of steel. But when it is combined with a compact design that these new players hold, it is not really saying wrong anyway. For a body that is half the width of a regular full-size HiFi component, it becomes a sensible relationship between size and weight. It has a pretty decent bulk density, and therefore feels straightforward to touch.
Physical noise from the drive is a very relevant parameter for both Blu-ray and DVD players. And BDP-S1500 is not complete silent during the entire process. But the good news is that the noise is very limited, and also has a pleasant character. It is also largely limited to startup and manouvering of Blu-ray playback. I am in possession of a Blu-ray player from Denon at 10 times the price of the BDP-S1500, which has much larger powerful noise problems. From Sony BDP-S1500 noise never is apearant others thatn when the sound is muted, and even then it is only faintly audible at a distance of two meters. Not flawless in other words, but very good for the price. Only wormwood is that it is a tad weaker in this exercise than an even more affordable player from Samsung, which I also have in my collection.
Sony was always top of the class in the exercise quickness in Blu-ray players' childhood and youth. And even though the terrain has largely been leveled eventually, Sony is still among the leaders in terms of speed.
The review sample of BDP-S1500 uses 20 to 25 seconds from standby to load the menu of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , one of the very few movies in the Norwegian market currently available with Dolby Atmos. This is certainly more than approved.
The remote control is an important part of AV components, especially Blu-ray players. BDP-S1500's remote control is odefinitively in the compact class, but it scores well on many parameters. One of the most important one is that it is a logical and easy to navigate. Equally important is that it has good transmission power of the control signals, and the player has good sensitivity for the orders given from the listening position. Here the remote for BDP-S1500 scores very good. Even commands given from a position behind a sofa cushion is promptly executed.
A direct button for Netflix means that you don`t have to scroll through menus to activate this streaming service for movies. Netflix has in quite a short time conquered the market, and is actually starting to get a very dominant position in relation to "linear TV." The fact that the remote has received a direct button for activating the streaming service is to my knowledge unique. And I like it - a HiFi and AV enthusiast is using too much time and frustration deep inside silly menus.
Sony BDP-S1500 is thus a smart player that offers services like Netflix via the player. It depends on wired network connection, or at least a solution with receiver for wireless bridge if you don`t have access to wired network near the player. This is a limitation that it is possible to grumble over, if you have talent for that excersise. But to me it makes sense as an intelligent solution for the most affordable player in a series, to politely refer to the more expensive models if you need WiFi. It is more than equally relevant to be impressed that the player has wired network and Netflix available.
And if for some inexplicable reason vote that surfing the internet is a mandatory exercise for a Blu-ray player, you also need to put some more money into the pot. Here we talk BDP-S4500 and upwards ...
On the audio side, the player holds only digital outputs, in terms of HDMI and Coax. A very common development, and also a choice that makes sense for a player in this price category. This limits costs, as DACs are totally absent. The only parameter for sound quality in the player remains to be jitter characteristics. Since the test has been performed in a budget setup with an AV receiver costing 6.000, - (NOK) I have not had the ambition to dvelve into the sound properties via the digital outputs. I just note that it works pretty much the same with other players in the same general price segment. And BDP-S1500 is on par as a sound transmitter in the digital domain.
I think that Sony has done very much appropriate here. This is a player that has a suggested retail price of 799, NOK, but which in practice are available in major brands of 599, - (NOK). When you in addition to a highly competent player of Blu-ray get a thoroughbred Netflix machine that runs more bluntly into film streaming than any other instrument I have been in contact with, there is no battle left.
On top of all, it has a design that in its simplicity may go under the umbrella "gently elegant". I am pretty sure Mies would nod approvingly here. Less is more, even if it does not cost your shirt ...
If you miss WiFi and UPnP you can scroll up a few hundreds (NOK) extra - this is available in the more expensive models. Can you cope without , you get an incredible amount of bang for the money in this base model from Sony. Right now Sony BDP-S1500 a real bargain!
Posted by Grewal Levy Marketing in Chapter 12: Developing New Products, Chapter 13: Services: The Intangible Product, Chapter 14: Pricing Concepts for Establishing Value, Chapter 15: Strategic Pricing Concepts
For Blu-ray rentals, Netflix now charges $20.99 per month for its basic plan, with three movies at a time. This rate is $4 more than the regular DVD plan, a 24 percent increase, and far more than its previous $1 monthly premium. However, it also reflects the higher costs of Blu-ray discs.
Blockbuster does not charge any premium for Blu-ray movie rentals. Thus, if Blu-ray technology penetrates the mainstream, Blockbuster will enjoy a competitive advantage over Netflix. Over time, the cost of Blu-ray discs likely will decrease, so whether Netflix is making the best decision remains to be seen.
The Basics
Obviously, all Blu-ray players are going to play Blu-ray discs. All will also play DVDs and CDs. Most will play images and perhaps movies off USB drives. All have HDMI outputs. Most new models will not have component outputs, thanks to the closure of the analog hole. They should all be able to send your receiver Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and the other new audio formats.
While pretty much all players that have Internet-streaming capabilities will have Netflix, there are a few other streaming providers worth looking for. VUDU has access to more recent movies and high-resolution video. Amazon Video on Demand is, in my opinion, a necessity, as you can rent/buy current TV shows and movies.
As I mentioned in my "Should you upgrade" article, I've found that the picture quality from services like Netflix looks better coming from a Blu-ray player than it does from dedicated digital media receivers like Apple TV or Roku.
Most players with streaming capability are also DLNA-Certified, as in they can stream music from your computer. The implementation and functionality of this varies greatly. If this sounds like something you'd like to do, it's worth reading reviews to see how well thefeature functions on each device.
Wireless
If you can't easily run an Ethernet cable to your Blu-ray player, it's worth checking out a player that has built-in Wi-Fi. Most players have the option of adding a wireless "dongle," for extra cost, but this rarely saves money over the players with wireless built in.
Upconverting/Scaling
One difference between Blu-ray players is how well they upconvert, or scale, standard-definition material so it can be displayed on HDTVs. Upconverting affects not only DVDs, but also standard definition content from Internet sources like Netflix. It's worth noting that upconverting performance has no effect on Blu-ray disc playback.
Generally speaking, if a manufacturer calls out a scaler by name, its often pretty good. Companies like Marvell, Silicon Optix, and Anchor Bay all specialize in scaling, and I've yet to see a product featuring any of them that didn't upconvert really well.
In the end, the difference between a great scaler and a mediocre scaler isn't going to be night and day. One will be "really good" while the other will just be "good." At least, when it comes to performance from Blu-ray players.
DVD-Audio/SACD
For the audiophile, the ability to play back the pretty-much-deceased DVD-Audio and SACD formats is a boon. I still have a decent collection of these high-resolution discs, and play them on occasion. These players often also feature high-end digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that can make even CDs sound better. The only way this feature is worthwhile is if you plan on hooking the player up to your receiver with analog audio cables. A Blu-ray player's DACs are bypassed if you use HDMI.
Less important/situationally important
There a few more features that are often marketed loudly, but are of limited use for most people. Some players have multiple HDMI outputs. Most often this is for people who have an older receiver that won't pass a 3D signal. One of the player's HDMI outputs gets sent to the TV directly, and the other goes to the receiver for the audio playback. Another option for this is using the Blu-ray player's optical or coax digital audio output, but you won't get Blu-ray's new audio formats, as those are only transmitted digitally over HDMI.