Review of Sony BDP S560 Blu Ray Player
November 7, 2009
Like other major manufacturers, Sony offers multiple Blu-ray player models ranging from entry level to more loaded high end models. The Sony BDP-S560 represents the direct update to the BDP-S550 model. The BDP-S550 was the high end model from the previous year. While the BDP-S560 is the replacement for BDP-S550, it shares many similarities with the current lower end model, BDP-S360. Sony’s standalone players are in an odd situation as it has to compete with other Blu-ray players and Sony’s own PlayStation 3. This is a problem since PlayStation 3 is considered one of the best Blu-ray players on the market. Even so, Sony’s Blu-ray players are very competitive against the offerings from the other leading manufacturers. The BDP-S360 is one of the most capable player in its segment.
Features
The BDP-S560 adds few more features to the already feature packed BDP-S360. This has been the trend with Samsung, LG, and other top electronics manufacturers. They take the base model and add few more features to the top end models. The BDP-S560 boasts all the features found on the BDP-S360 and adds WiFi and media streaming from your computer. Like the BDP-S360, the BDP-S560 is fully compatible with Profile 2.0 for BD-Live contents. On the audio side, the BDP-S560 is capable of decoding Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio as well as all the other audio options including DTS audio and Dolby Digital. This eliminates a need for a receiver for full decoding options. Strangely, the BDP-S560 is missing the 7.1 channel analog audio output. If you want the 7.1 or 5.1 speaker set up, you will need a receiver with HDMI input. As with BDP-S360, the BDP-S560 does not have internet video streaming contents out of the box. LG, Samsung, and Panasonic have all opted to include video streaming capabilities in one way or other. It is disappointing to see Sony not include Netflix or Youtube capability.
Design
The BDP-S560 retains the flip down front tray design from BDP-S360. The dimension and weight is almost identical to BDP-S360. The LCD screen is located on right side of the player. The playback function buttons are located on the right side of the LCD. However, unlike the BDP-S360, the BDP-S560 placed a USB port at the front of the player for easy access. It lies below the face plate for easy access without having to open the front face plate. The back panel contains the HDMI, RJ-45, Component outputs, and Digital audio output. The overall finish and glossy front face plate makes for an attractive player.
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Remote Control
The included remote control is similar to the older player’s layout. It is more compact and streamlined than the previous offerings. The numeric pad is located at the top of the remote followed by the function buttons in four different colors. The menu and directional buttons are located in the middle with playback function buttons at the bottom. However, the remote does not contain the channel buttons whereas the older version did have them at the bottom. Nevertheless, it is very functional and easy to use remote control. The lack of channel button might not be a deal breaker if you already own a quality universal remote control.
Video Performance and Quality
As with previous Blu-ray player models and PlayStation 3, the BDP-S560 handles Blu-ray playback without any problem. The latest Blu-ray players are fairly good compared to the first generation players. The BDP-S560 displays outstanding video quality. If you are going from DVD to Blu-ray and own a HDTV, you will definitely notice a very nice improvement. The video testing showed no artifacts, jaggies, or moiré during the playback. The fast motion sequence showed no blocking or other defects that was prevalent in the previous generation players. And, the still images during pause showed no defects in the picture. Overall, two movies tested, Batman Begins and Marley and Me, had no problem in any areas. The only down side of the player was the slow loading time. This was present in the BDP-S360 and it carries over to this player as well. The new Samsung, LG, and Panasonic players all had dramatic improvement on loading time compared to the new Sony players. I’m hoping the performance can be improved with firmware updates.
Audio
The audio output was flawless on the BDP-S560. Aside from the missing analog 7.1 channel output, BDP-S560 has no faults when it comes to audio output. There are no audio formats that can’t be decoded natively on the BDP-S560. The inclusion of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding should cover all the high definition audio decoding needs. Even with top notch audio system, you will be hard pressed to find any faults in any of the new generation Blu-ray players.
Overall
This is a feature packed player that can be had for around $250 as of this review. While there are other players in this price range with more features, you will be hard pressed to get a Sony product and the all the reputation that comes with it. The one true down side of Sony’s Blu-ray player is the loading time compared to its competitors. I would have liked Sony to improve the loading time over the previous generation players. Also, the lack of internet streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Video on Demand was a small disappointment. If you want a Sony Blu-ray player with Netflix, you might want to consider PlayStation 3.
Pictures
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Description
The Sony BDP-S560 Blu-ray Disc player delivers Full HD 1080/24p True Cinema video over HDMI and can upscale your standard DVDs to near HD quality . It also includes built-in wireless functionality (802...
Features
- Built-in Wi-Fi networking for accessing BD Live bonus materials as well as streaming photos from your PC
- Full HD 1080p output for Blu-ray Discs and upconversion of standard DVD video to 1080p
- 24p True Cinema capable lets you watch films at their intended 24 fps (frames per second); Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD
- Outputs: 1 HDMI, 1 component, 1 S-Video, 1 composite, 1 analog audio (2-channel), 1 digital optical audio, 1 digital coaxial audio, 1 Ethernet
- Includes remote control and composite AV cable; measures 16.9 x 8.1 x 2.8 inches (WxDxH)
Video
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Don’t bother… Get a LG that can play your movies on your network, it appears that Sony didn’t and won’t enable this which is SAD…unless they fix this go for the LG.
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the 560 is a great machine picture and sound are phenominal. the impovement of standard DVD playback is amazing. However, the wifi only allows for BD updates and not streaming what a shame. I was told this unit would do streaming but waited to long to hookup and fins out otherwise. With the release of the BDPN460 can’t imagine whay anyone would continue to purchase this model…
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Works well
I am happy with this Sony BDP-S560 Blu-ray player. I have only had this player for a short time and have only watched a few DVDs but the Dark Night video is amazing, (it was filmed with I-Max cameras). It does seem like the recent newer movies in Blu-ray have a better HD picture quality than the older movies converted to HD Blu-ray. I didn’t realize that if you are already receivig 1080i or 1080p over the air, Satellite, or via cable, it dosen’t get any better than that. Blu-ray HD is 1080p. This player performs well and has plenty of great reviews by others. The built-in menus are very nicly layed out. I have not tried the on-line BD-Live feature yet but the Wi-Fi connection to my home wireless network came up and connected automatically and very easily. The DVD Upscaling of existing standard DVDs did not make them look any better in my opinion on the couple that I viewed. The picture quality appeared to hot or over-driven, this could possibly be improved by adjusting the DVD player settings and/or HDTV picture settings for an improvement in picture quality while playing standard DVDs. I cannot speak on the sound quality as I am not utilizing a full surround sound system with my Samsung 52″ LCD, 850, Touch-of-color HDTV,(exelcent HDTV). I would recommend this Blu-ray DVD player to anyone, I am happy with it.
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Excellant picture. Latest firmware update sped up mechanics.
I have been using the Sony BDP-560 for a month now, and with the latest firmware, it is more responsive than it had been, which moved it up a star for my rating. It does what it should do well, especially decoding the latest Dolby and DTS offerings.
I have owned two Oppo units, and they are, in my opinion, the best value in DVD / Blu ray players, but I just couldn’t afford one this time.
The Sony is a solid player, and any player you consider should have wi-fi connectivity, unless it is simple to run a network cable, and you have a free port.
Sony has now released the BDP-460, which seems to be a 560 at a lower price.
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SONY comes through
Although we don’t have a tv hdmi connection, the quality is improved
and the sound is SUPERB. Also with the ability to connect to my
pc, I can view pictures on the big screen without any connections.
Wi-Fi is the way to go.
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Severe lack of features
My big, huge actually, disappointment is that it lacks many features I had expected. I looked this model up online and it used to have all of these and now does not. No zoom. No frame by frame. No slow motion. My smaller disappointment is how slow it is. The picture quality is great.
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Awesome Blu-Ray Player
All I have to say is that this is the best blu-ray unit I have ever seen,
Goes great with a Sony 46″ LCD TV,bravia sync.The Picture and Sound are crystal clear.
Setup was the easies setup ever,as easy as 1 2 3 your connected to wireless.
The BD-Live feature is Awesome,along with the quick load feature.I also
love the looks of the player,with the drop down front panel to access the tray.
The remote is great to,except there’s no door open feature.So what,you have to
get up to put the DVD in anyway.Overall this unit is 100% in my book,Glad I
bought it,and Amazon had it at a great price.Completely Satisfied.Thankyou!
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Great DVD player, Don’t believe the Sony-hype on “Bravia Sync”
“BRAVIA Sync technology lets you enjoy the convenience of one remote control to operate and control all your compatible home entertainment devices.”
I chose a Sony blu-ray player largely because I wanted the ease of use that the quote above suggests. Turns out, by “operate and control” Sony means turn on and off. None of the other DVD operations such as play, pause, rewind, etc. can be controlled using Bravia Sync.
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Sony blu-ray player BDP-S560
So far I have played 1 DVD and 2 Blu-ray disks on this player. I am using a 30ft HDMI cable connecting to a projector that offers 1080 functionality. With DVD, you can really see the effect of up-convert with sharper picture. With blu-ray the picture is amazingly beautiful but in both blu-ray disk cases, the picture froze a couple of times momentarily and I had to do some rewind or fast forward to get it going again. This is my first experience with both the Blu-Ray player and Blu-Ray disk, so, I can’t really tell which one could be causing the freeze. I hold my judgment until I play the same movies with another player. Other than that, this player lives up to all the functions and qualities it offers.
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My First Blue Ray
With Star Trek the movie coming out on Nov 17th, I knew a DVD was just not going to cut it. A few months of product research and reviews led me to wait for the Sony BDP-S560. I realized that a lot of other Blue Ray owners favored other brands over the Sony’s in general but I’ve had pretty good luck with them in the past. I was not disappointed at all. I hooked it up via an HDMI cable, plugged in it and boom it was all set. I cannot compare it to another Blue Ray machine but other than the speed it takes for a movie and or features to load I’m extremely satisfied.
The picture quality is simply amazing and yes even an average non-techy person like me will notice the difference between a blue ray and a standard DVD. What got my attention even more was the sound quality. I’ve owned a pretty decent home theater system for almost a year now but I was never able to listen to any of the DTS CD’s or DVD’s that were bonus features for many of my purchases. Well I can now, and it’s simply addicting.
The Sony as with a lot of their models is smart. I left a disk in over night and the next day it played right where I left off. I also plugged in a flash drive with some photos and without doing anything extra, I was viewing them on the big screen. I would have appreciated a slot for a Sony memory stick but a flash drive is fine.
I read a lot about the need to update or upgrade blue rays over time and this model has built in Wifi but to be honest, I haven’t done anything with it yet. I’m really just exploring the amazing sound quality with some music while I await the arrival of Star Trek. Eventually I’ll motivate and check out the rest of the features. I was told that some of the perks like using Netflicks with an internet connection has some drawbacks. Namely the movies don’t play as true HD but I cannot verify that yet.
There were a lot of negative comments in regards to the remote so going in I didn’t expect much and yeah, it’s a bit on the cheesy side but so are most of the remotes I own. What is the big deal about not being able to open up the disk tray from the remote? Do people own robot arms that would extract a disk from the tray without having to get up? I don’t get it, what’s the big deal?
I’m guessing from research that most or all blue rays take a few moments to load. This is true with the Sony. These machines are not like DVD players, so know that going in, once you load a disk, take a seat and chill a few. Going forward I intend to buy NEW action movies as they are released on blue ray verses DVD but if your into music like me, I think this will enhance the concert video experience, especially the ones with DTS options. That’s about all I have to say, “Live Long and Perspire.”
Steve
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Great Product for the money
Just got this BD player and personally I think it’s a great product. You can’t beat it for the price. Easy set up and I particularly like the sync feature with my new Sony flat screen. Just open the tray place your BD in and everything comes on without using any remote which is really cool stuff! All you need to do is push “play” and you’re in. Depends on your BD. 1080p is what it is. You’re right in there with the characters you can almost feel it. Watching Planet Earth is like you’re the one in the Hot Air Balloon or Glider or whatever they used to make this film in the overhead scenes. It’s Like, you are really there. BD really spoils you. After watching a BD with the quality of this median priced Sony player, I don’t want to watch any regular old DVDs anymore. BDs is going to be the norm in the future so you better get a good quality player like Sony now! Whatever the model, Sony or Denon the best Quality all around. Only depends on how much $ you have to spend. Little or middle money, Sony. Big money, Denon. That’s it man.
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Great Blu ray disk player lousy remote
The player is excellent but the remote is lousy. sony should upgrade the remote so you can access all functions
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Wireless internet connection with a Macintosh Apple Computer Base Station was automatic!
The other 5 star reviews of the SONY BDP-S560 Blu-ray Disc player have many facts that I would only repeat here but simply five stars. The user friendly menu system automatically connected to my Apple wireless internet base station. The player checked for software updates and all was up to date. Cool! Also, the option “quick start” is fantastic. I hit play on the Disc player remote or the SONY TV remote and both the TV and player turn on to the HDMI input. Lights off dimmer function during playback is fantastic. This dims the display but during playback it turns it off. Making sure that “Fixed Aspect Ratio” is set in the DVD menu, the SONY BDP-S560 Blu-ray Disc player sets the picture to the SONY TV. ALL of my BD’s and DVDs are pure to the screen and touchable. The up-conversion is awesome. Lastly, the Blu-ray picture is beyond beyond after adjusting the “Custom” picture setting on the SONY TV to: Backlight Minimum to Max (depending on room brightness), Picture Max, Brightness 46, Color 49, Hue 0, Color Temperature – Neutral, Sharpness – Max, Noise Reduction – Off, MPEG Noise Reduction – Off, Advanced Settings: Black Corrector – Medium, Advanced C.E. – Medium, Gamma – Medium, Clear White – Low, Live Color – Off, White Balance – Default. There are a lot of settings to deal with on these new Sony products. Take your time and work with the product’s user friendly menus and WOW! I actually like my SONY DVD/CD players be 5 disc changers and to store information of previously played discs in the memory. Of course, this SONY BDP-S560 Blu-ray Disc player does not utilize these memory features. I purchased the Sony DVP-NC800H/B HDMI/CD Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Changer and the Monster Ultra 600 HDMI Video Cable – 4′ for my multi-music listening and multi-DVD viewing.
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Sony BDP-S560 1080p Blu-Ray Disc player
I was pleased with the operation of this blu-ray player. The ease of operation was not only great but very helpful during setup! I just starting purchasing Sony products a few years ago and have not been let down. The only down side to this product was the remote. I purchased the Sony BDP-S550 last year and it too was a great investment with a backlit remote (which I really like). The layout of the BDP-S560’s remote is not that great and it’s not backlit but no problem. I did not let the remote issue hinder my decision to buy the BDP-S560 because I knew I would be able to program my Sony TV’s remote to operate the BDP-S560 and all is good. Purchasing thru Amazon has been a wonderful experience with my products arriving in good condition and on time (even quicker than I expected)! Amazon was very very helpful with any corrections, questions etc concerning my purchase which made the enjoyment of my purchase even greater!
Thanks Amazon!
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Great service-Electronic Expo
Originally I ordered model#S550 for this Sony Blu-Ray DVD player but Electronic Expo shipped me the higher model #S560 instead, because they don’t have S550 in stock. Up-graded without paying a dime more. How you beat the service?!
A little complicated to program this state-of-art DVD player but the after you seem the result, it’s all worth it!!! Enjoy it!
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Sony Blu-ray player is enjoyable
I’m overall very pleased with my purchase of the Sony BDP-S560 Blu-ray player. Performance has been great, although along with other reviewers, I would like to see a faster response when starting the player, as well as an eject button on the remote.
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Everything I wanted
I purchased the Sony blu-ray BDP-S560 to replace a broken CD player AND a ten-year old DVD player as well as to upgrade to blu-ray and the ability to play SACDs. I also wanted to be able to view my digital pictures on my 55″ Plasma (which my old DVD player couldn’t do) and now I can via a DVD or a data stick in the front-panel USB port. The player does everything I was looking for and my first blu-ray movie (Master & Commander) looks great. I also find the user interface very friendly and simple to use. I recommend it.
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Sony BDP-S560 Blu-ray DVD Disc Player
The subject player is a great unit. I’ll probably never even use all its capability, but it more than satisfies my needs. Purchasers should be sure to run “Easy Setup” at first oportunity to establish proper interface between player and TV monitor, and to avoid seeing the Easy Setup reminder each time the player is used.
A wise purchase indeed.
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Excellent Blu so far…
I ordered the BDP-S550 but Electronics Expo sent me this S560 one instead! The setup was quick and easy, I was able to watch blu ray movies in no time…It even played SD dvd movies better than my Panasonic S77. If the S550’s made in Japan the S560’s made in Malaysia, if it matters to some. No audio issue here, I have it connected to a non hdmi receiver and have it connected thru optical audio connection. I’m not gonna comment on the remote since I’m using a home theater master MX-500 one. I’m surprised to see that there are still some who are using the one that came with it…Go to ebay and get an all in one remote, you’ll be glad you did. Monster cable(s) hdmi? Nope! I have been using monoprice cables for years now and I don’t see any difference on the video/audio results.
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Audio cuts in and out on this player
Tried two different regular DVD’s and the audio cuts in and out periodically on this player. I did try one Blu-Ray disc and it didn’t have that problem. Everything else is great about this player. Waiting for my replacement from Amazon at this point as I found nothing on the Sony site about this issue. Verified that it was not the TV or the HDMI cable as they both worked fine on my previous sony blu-ray.
Update – got the replacement unit and it had the same problem. Called Sony support and they say no issues are reported for this unit. I find that hard to believe, since I got 2 different units and they both had the same problem. My setup for this unit is exactly like my BDP-S350, and that unit has no issues with playback. Sending it back!
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Picture Quality Perfect – WiFi piece of cake
I received this blu ray a few days ago. I love it, the quality of the blu ray image is perfect for movies and concerts, I bought the Shakira concert in blu ray and is like been there in live, the quality is awesome , I recommend this blu ray to anybody. I know that some people say that the connection for the Wi Fi is very difficult, not true , is super easy if you go this document from the Sony web site ([....]) and just find your router and like a piece of cake or apple pie in a couple of mints you will be connected without any problems. I recommend this blu Ray 100% for multiple reasons. And I was forgetting about the sound if you have a Sony Tv like the one that I have XBR7, wow the difference in sound is a big one, the sound is extremely clear and pure. Get it you will never regret.
J Dussan
[...]
Update …..yes, I have my network with the latest network security …WPA2 Personal- TKIP+AES and it was super easy , like I said before, just follow the document with these steps…the sony we site and then /blurayupdate and then look for Connect your Sony® Blu-ray Disc(tm) player to a wireless network (For the BDP-S560 model only)
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not really that great of a player
This player is not worth the extra money unless you really need wireless. It can’t stream netflix.
The video quality is okay, it is on par with the Samsung bdp 1600 that I use for streaming.
I have this connected to a sony kdl40v5100 bravia tv and sony 7.1 av receiver strda2400es.
The startup time is 30 seconds. The remote is downright silly. The unit will play blue ray disks that I create on the Sony vgnaw290 laptop, that the Samsung blue ray player won’t play. In all fairness,
the Samsung bdp1600 lockups drive me crazy, but the sound popping that the sony bdp560 produces whilst it is shifting video modes is annoying.
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Wifi works on a MAC!
Easy set up but as usual us Mac users get the short end of the stick. It was tedious to set up the internet connection via my Airport Extreme network and the keystroke entry is terrible. The Nintendo Wii was FAR easier to set up. However it seems to connect to my WifI Network using WPA2 encryption etc. Bear in mind for an inexperienced user of networks this might be somewhat complicated. I had to use the Wireless and Manual set up pathway. The instructions provided are not very useful in this regard (for Mac users at least)
Otherwise good picture and sound so far.
I am waiting to try out the BD live feature.
My old Pioneer Elite AV receiver uses Dolby 5.1 surround and this works well.
Nice esthetics on outside, quite light compared to the BDP S550 which I have as well.
It would be better if it had Netflix or Apple TV compatibility but I have other devices (Roku) that can do these functions.
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