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BDP-S560 review |
dragon53
Rank: Sony King
Joined: Nov 01, 2002
Posts: 1704
From:
 |  Posted: 2009-10-30 10:01
It’s natural to assume that technology-initiator Sony would be amarket leader in the player category, though the widespreadimplementation of the PS3 might be a bit of a shock. For those whoweren’t swayed towards using a video game machine as a high-definitionunit, Sony also wedged into the mix with their BDP-S350 and S550 models– both of which are excellent players. Naturally, Sony has followed uptheir previous line with the S360 and their step-up model reviewedhere, the S560. As with their other players, Sony’s BDP-S560 naturallystand up against the company’s versatile PS3 – now available as a slim,less expensive unit -- and it does so with admirable quality, thoughit’s a tug-of-war between the benefits and negatives between the two.
Atfirst glance, Sony’s player will look strikingly familiar. It carriesthe signature dark-blue strip at the forefront of the unit, turninginto a full-length plastic flap that opens and closes with eachejection of the actual Blu-ray tray. The unit’s length is a standardsize at around 17”, which is fairly obvious by the photographs;however, it’s also a little bit taller than it looks in stockphotographs, at a little over 2”, and a great deal shallower thanexpected at 8”. Alongside the unit, a standard AC power cord andcomponent cables were made available with the stock Sony remote.
TheS560’s appearance is a little chunkier than expected at the front, withsilver buttons and the Sony logo somewhat oddly adorning the corners ofthe unit, but still nice-looking. It’ll take a little while to getused to the large flip-tray, but it happens quicker than expected. Onthe right hand size underneath the flap, the LED timer can be seen in asoft blue tint. On the display, we’ve got a typical arrangement offunctions, including HD indicator and HDMI status – and a Networkconnection indication for the wireless signal (discussed later). Directly above the Blu-ray logo lies a soft glowing blue light, whichcan be adjusted in brightness along with the time coding within the XMB.
Tothe rear, we’ve got a fairly standard array of plugs that’ll leave abit to be desired for some. It contains an HDMI port, both Toslink andCoaxial legacy audio jacks, an S-Video port, as well as standardcomponent jacks and two-channel Stereo jacks. An Ethernet LANconnection port is also available, as well as an Extension port forBD-Live storage (discussed later). We’ve also got a sizableventilation hole for the internal fan, which works to keep the systemrunning on a low-temperature, low-noise level. What’s missing are aset of analog jacks, which will disappoint those without HDMI-enabledreceivers. This review will be utilizing the HDMI port, however,running to a bitstream-capable Onkyo TX-SR605.
Remote:
Sony’sremote is the very definition of a streamlined, bare essential unit. It’s a compact unit that’s terribly light with nothing in the way offrills, carrying very little beyond the realm of necessity. It offersa classic circle-based navigation button system at the center, withfour circular buttons – Top Menu, Pop Up/Menu, Options, and Return – atthe four diagonal corners. The overall framework largely resembles theBlu-ray Bluetooth remote for Sony’s Playstation 3, only much lighterand smaller. And, like that remote, it doesn’t come with a buttonbacklight.
Underneaththe circular navigation lie a HOME button, as well as the assumed Skip,Fast Forward, Replay/Advance, Play, and Pause Functions. Alsoavailable is a Display function that makes the attributes of theBlu-ray/DVD available for viewing, including the audio codec,resolution, and time coding. At the top are the television-basednumerical functions, Audio and Subtitle toggles, an Angle toggle, thefour-colored Bookmark functions, and the Power button. This remotedoes not include an Eject button, a negligible yet noticeable omission,or a lack of an internal zoom feature in the player.
Setup:
Muchlike the framework in Sony’s Playstation 3, theBDP-S560 offers an EasySetup function that makes getting the Blu-ray player up-and-running asnap. After selecting the language of your choice, it runs through theTV Connection screens – where it enables selection of cables (HDMIchosen) and resolutions available. Rounding out the Easy Setup is toallow access to the Internet via BD-Live, as well as initiating QuickStart Mode. It doesn’t cycle through the Audio portions in the EasySetup, which can be toggled in a stripped-down variation of Sony’snow-famous Cross Media Bar (XMB). It’s a far less fluid version of theframework, but it’s still very effective nonetheless with Setup, Music,Photo, and Video icons as the points of interest.
When in thecore XMB layout, a more in-depth Setup function can be browsed. Underneath this label, options to adjust the Video, Audio, BD/DVDViewing Settings, Photo Settings, System, and Network Settings are allavailable. If anxiousness drove the user to skim passed the Easy Setupat the beginning, or if the user purchased the unit second-hand, it canbe revisited here at any time. Finally, as the always-recommended nextstep, a Network Update button is available at the top of the Setuptree. This player was updated to software version 11.4.007 for thisreview, which took a negligibly lengthy timeframe to download andinstall. System Settings allow for adjustment of OSD language, Dimmer(all the way to “Dark”), Control for HDMI across devices, Quick StartMode (also changeable under the Easy Setup), Auto Power Off after 30minutes, Auto Display, Screen Saver (On/Off), and Software UpdateNotification.
After selecting the Video icon, a handful of varied yet fairlystandard adjustments can be made. Along with tweaking the TV Type(16x9, 4x3) and Screen Format for signals not in the TV’s aspect ratio– which was toggled to Fixed Aspect Ratio instead of Original, sincethe latter stretches 4x3 material and makes non-16x9 zoom unavailable –adjustments can also be made to DVD Aspect Ratio for 16x9 content on a4x3 television (Letterbox, Pan and Scan), Output Video Format (same asEasy Setup functions), BD-ROM functionality, and 1080/24p output. Under more complex video adjustments, we also have access to tweakingYCbCr/RGB color space over HDMI (YCbCr in both 4:2:2 and 4:4:4varieties, RGB in 16-235 and 0-255), Deep Color Output (Auto, 12bit,10bit, Off), and x.v.Color Output (Auto, Off). Most points were leftset at the Auto setting, though the functions underneath do allowadjustment in case of unnatural color or the like.
Underneaththe Audio icon, the sound output can also be shaped– once again, justto minor but important degrees. Along with setting the Audio OutputPriority (HDMI, Digital, Stereo) and setting the Audio output over HDMI(Audio, 2-channel), the BD Audio setting allows for interchange betweenDirect and Mix. Mix must be selected in order to enable internaldecoding, while Direct – the function more extensively concentrated onhere – controls streaming the raw audio directly to the receiver. After that, we’ve also got Audio ATT toggle, Dolby Digital adjustmentbetween 5.1 and Downmixed PCM, DTS adjustment in the same fashion,48-96khz toggle, Audio DRC (Standard, TV More, Wide Range), andDownmixing properties to either Dolby Surround or Normal.
A few icons down lies the Internet Settings function, which allows foreither Wired or Wireless interconnectivity with the player. Sony’splayer makes the process pretty simple again, asking what type ofconnection desired (Wired/Wireless) and the method of Wireless LANsetting (including Access Point scan to streamline the selectionprocess). After it searches, any local networks will pop up in ascrolling menu – which, then, the right option should be selected and apasskey can be entered, if the security level is that high. Afterthat, it cycles through the rest of the elements – Acquisition of IPaddress, DNS setting, and Use of Proxy Server. Following this, aNetwork Diagnostics test can be run to verify the options selected. Signals are picked up extremely easy through the access point scan,making the process a relative breeze in activating BD-Live andconducting a System Update.
Performance:
To keep with the theme of October, Sony’s BDP-S560 was put through aseries of seasonal Blu-ray discs and DVDs matching the mood – rangingfrom blisteringly loud sound mixing and visual delights to subtletreats to create atmosphere. Sony’s S560 was certainly up to task atall bends around the road, rendering respectable high-definitionquality at 1080/24p and upscaling DVDs to extremely pleasant degrees. Though not quite a pristine or depth-conscious as more costly models –and maybe a hair behind the PS3 – it still performed exceptionally well.
Blu-ray Quality:
 First up in the player was Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, presented fromUniversal in a 2.35:1 AVC image and a DTS HD Master Audio that’llreally push the limits of a home theater build. It’s a robust horrorfeature with a myriad of fine details, richly used shades of subduedyet compelling shades, and a broad range of movement. Sony’s S560handles all of these elements exceptionally well, rendering detailslike the pattern in Christine’s shirt, tree leaves, and the rather boldtextures used in the gruesome CG-effects with tight precision. Thougha strong visual treatment, Drag Me to Hell’s prowess really comes inthe signature Sam Raimi-style of lavish sound design through the MasterAudio track – which is a blisteringly potent experience. Surroundelements, like invisible monsters swirling in the background andaggressive wind blowing, fills the rear channels with expansivefluidity, while the lower frequency channel pounds with graceful,rightly-balanced mid-range and lower punches.
 To give a harsher disc a chance to work its magic in Sony’s player,Takashi Miike’s Audition was tossed in the machine. Presented fromShot Factory in a greatly-improved but still difficult 1080p AVC imageand a delicate Dolby TrueHD/DTS Mater Audio track, it showcases howlow-cost content can be handled extremely well in high-definition. TheS560 handled it with aplomb, yet the sharpness was a little softer, thecolors a little less stable, and the grain a bit heavier than in otherplayers. With that said, Sony’s unit still took the disc to task,presenting a very pleasing image that retained crisp lines and ahandful of impressively etched details – like a pan of acupunctureneedles and the detailing in Asami’s apartment. The TrueHD track,however, echoes with brilliant breadth, from the harsh ringing of atelephone in Asami’s place to the bloodcurdling effects that occurduring the picture’s climax.
 Next up was a more subdued, controlled color palette in Momentum’s UKImport of Let the Right One In, offered at 2.35:1 and with a legacy DTStrack as the sound function. Sporting mostly cold blues with only afew flickers of louder colors through the crisp photography, just aboutevery detail was exceptionally sharp and handled potently. Motionrendered a flowing disposition, while the solidity of contrast andcoloring were rather impressive – though the overall contrast leanstowards being minutely lighter than others. The DTS legacy trackfilled the speakers with delicate sound throughout, being a moresubtle-minded horror film with little in the way of punch or bombast. It does retain ambiance well, showcasing the S560’s ability to handle ahigh-quality (core) legacy track to high standards.
 Finally and possibly a diversion from the theme just a bit, it was timeto give Warner Bros’ immaculately-constructed Wizard of Oz Blu-ray aspin. Rebuilt from the ground up with a new, correctly restoredtransfer from the original Technicolor elements, it’s a stunner inhigh-definition – and Sony’s Blu-ray player does a tremendous job inreplicating this quality. Minor elements could have been a bit tighter(with a few stronger lines), but all of the textured elements – thewaffle print in Dorothy’s dress during the sepia scenes, the sheenagainst the plasticized leaves when she enters the world of color, andthe astounding rich set design – looked impressively detailed anddensely colorful. More importantly, the grain structure looked ratherstrong, retaining a very tight and pleasing veil of film presence aboutthe picture. The TrueHD track exhibited a proper richness as well,maintaining a well-executed balance throughout.
 Operating the BD-Live functionality was made a lot easier by puttingthe responsive wireless connection to work within the unit, though itcomes at the expense of a lack of internal memory. In order to accessthese features, a 1.0 GB memory stick must be inserted to the rear ofthe unit (the expansion USB port mentioned earlier). This is a shame,considering that the like-priced PS3 has an extensive hard-drive forthis purpose and many other step-up units have at least 1 GB ofinternal memory for this purpose. Once that’s been taken care of,everything operates as normal – as tested with Warner Bros’ copy of TheMatrix on Blu-ray with its In-Movie Experience. This player can’tregister BonusView material while in Direct (Bitstream) Audio mode,just like many others; however, hopping out of the film and activatingthe function is pretty quick underneath Sony’s framework. Hitting theHome button on the remote takes us out of the film and into the XMB,where the audio function can be toggled from Direct to Mix quickly. You will, however, have to start from the beginning of the film. Furthermore, the BD-Live online function also worked well, as tested bySony’s presentation of the live-action Blood: The Last Vampire. Ittook quite a while for the information to pop up, but it eventuallyopens the gateway up to trailers and other downloads available on thesite.
Sony’s BDP-S560 is a verified Region-A locked Blu-ray player,as tested by a Region-B locked copy of The Fountain. Fox’s Blu-raybooted up, only to show the rejection screen stating that the discshould be placed in a Region-B machine. This player also cannothandle PAL-encoded material, as giving the interview footage on the UKBlu-ray of Ashes of Time wasn’t successful – not even sound.
DVD Quality:
To test the merits of Sony’sBDP-S560 under the scrutiny of standard definition, first we popped inWarner Bros’ presentation of cult-hit Trick ‘r Treat. Framed at 2.35:1and sporting a Dolby 5.1 track with the anamorphic transfer, theviewing experience was pleasing but not without a few points ofinterest. The contrast levels leaned quite a bit lighter thanexpected, though black-level solidity was kept fairly solid. Detailsand problematic standard-definition elements like aliasing and edgeenhancement didn’t look too shabby, a slight degree better than thePlaystation 3’s upscaling capacities. The Dolby Digital track wassplendid, retaining surround elements that fluttered to the rearchannels and across the soundstage – especially the littlepitter-patter of fear-inducing feet in the final segment with BrianCox.
 Throwing a more problematic disc in the machine, it was time to do abit of spot comparisons between Shot Factory’s Blu-ray and Lionsgate’sinterlaced standard-definition disc of Audition. This, actually, was afairly pleasing affair, as it showcased a fair amount of tangibledetail and strong lines within the problematic source. Colors remainedrobust and fluid, and the jerky problems with the disc’s interlacednature weren’t terribly problematic – though, naturally, still there,and still carrying a pretty healthy level of digital grain.
 Finally, the Sony’s capacity to handle non-16x9 DVDs was tested withRepublic Pictures release of the classic ‘50s Invasion of the BodySnatchers. All points considering, it handled the contentexceptionally well and with plenty of visible sharpness. Details inthe black and white image remained admirably sharp, while the blacklevels and grain were certainly tolerable. Better than tolerable,actually; when zoomed in with the television’s internal zoom –necessary due to the lack of a zoom function in the Blu-ray player – itrendered a surprising cinematic experience for a difficult older discs.
Sony’s BDP-S560 does not support DVDs outside of Region One, nor does it allow PAL-enabled Region 0 DVDs.
Media:
 As a media hub, the BDP-S560 certainly takes a back seat to versatilityand merely concentrates on being a decent Blu-ray player. It holds thecapacity to play a standard range of CD/DVD-RW rewriteable discs, aswell as CDs. Standard CD capacity was tested in this review with Mum’sPlease Smile My Nose Bleed, while high-definition audio was handledwith 2L Nordic’s Blu-ray test disc. The complexity present in theIcelandic band’s nuanced and intriguing sound construction poursthrough with somewhat satisfying high-range and mid-range levels,considering the primary usage of the unit. It’s not, however, adynamic CD player, as the only functions readily available are to playfrom the start of the CD and Stop the disc from the Options menu. Utilizing the high-definition portion was a more pleasing affair, asthe echoic Gregorian Chants in Crux Fidelis and the sublime Sonata for2 Pianos from Mozart filled the area beautifully in both DTS HD MasterAudio and LPCM functions.
MP3’s can only be accessed by CD-ROMmedia, which makes the front USB jack only useful for updating firmwareand browsing through pictures. Though the S560 has the ability tostream files from another computer/wireless storage unit, it only workswith retrieving photographs – unlike the PS3’s ability to extract bothfrom Windows Media Player-enabled devices. Viewing photographs isn’t aterribly exciting affair with the S560, rendering the images withmediocre quality without the ability to zoom in or out. It can,however, access image files quickly through the XMB with a USB driveplugged into the front. Not the back, however, which is specificallydedicated as an “expansion” for BD-Live material.
Impressions:
Pros: Strong A/V Quality, Wireless, Smooth Navigation, Quiet, Quick Load Times
After spending some time with Sony’s S560 Blu-ray player, it becameobvious that it’s a strong-quality unit. Its audio and videoattributes stand toe-to-toe with many other players in its price range,even if its quality is on-par or possibly just a tiny bit shy ofPlaystation 3’s class. The image quality here is fairly impressive,though it appears slightly softer and a little more unstable duringdifficult-sourced materials with a lot of natural grain. Sony’s unitfunctions extremely well under both Direct (bitstream) and Mix(internal decoding) functions for high-definition sound, whileupscaling DVDs to suitable yet merely satisfying degrees and handlinglegacy Dolby Digital/DTS tracks with matched breadth. Its quality canbe best described as tremendously sharp and satisfying, but notfirst-rate.
On an operational level, it’s a very low-key, quiet unit – somewhere itcertainly bests the PS3, affectionately joked as being a “jet engine”at times -- as well as being a rather speedy one. Boot-up time frombeing powered off to the XMB interface can be rather quick, making thedive into your nightly cinematic experience a much more tolerably pacedone. Now, the load times when booting up a Java-heavy disc arelengthier than expected considering its fast-moving nature, but they’restill about on-par with the rest of the units available in its class. Speaking of the XMB, a streamlined version of Sony’s signaturenavigational system is carried over to the S560 with many of thefunctional elements that make its gaming units easy to operate. Italso has strong wireless functionality, which certainly helps in manydepartments – running Ethernet cables, updating firmware, and streamingphotos.
Cons: Not as Versatile as Comparably-Priced PS3, No Internal BD-Live Storage, No Analog Jacks
However, the comparison between Sony’s BDP-S560 and their Playstation 3brings up probably the biggest factor: bang for the buck. With theS560 sitting at an even price with its gaming/Blu-ray counterpart, itlacks a handful of features that makes the choice a bit moredifficult. For one, it lacks the availability to stream MP3s over awireless connection, while also lacking the availability to play MP3svia the jump drive storage port to the front of the unit. It alsolacks internal BD-Live memory, adding the fact that a separate flashdrive must be used to activate BD-Live / BonusView functionality –unlike the internal double-digit GB storage available in the PS3. Plus, and this is both a large factor and one that might notnecessarily matter as much to some, the PS3 also has the fact that it’sa full-fledged gaming device fueling added justification for its pricetag. The S560 is much quieter, however, and more suited for rackdesign with its rectangular-shaped aesthetic. Unrelated to thecomparison, it’s also worth noting that the S560 doesn’t include analogjacks either, so only those with HDMI capability will be able to enjoyhigh-definition audio with this player.
Final Thoughts:
Sony’s array of Blu-ray players certainly holds a large slice of thepie in the high-definition market, and their BDP-S560 offers a brightoption in its price market as a 1080/24p, Profile 2.0 player. Featuring satisfying image quality, excellent bitstreaming and decodingproperties for DTS HD Master Audio/Dolby TrueHD tracks, agreeablestandard-definition upscaling, and a built-in wireless device forBD-Live / online communication, it’s a quick and sturdily-functioningunit. That description, however, can also be attached to one of Sony’sother units – the ever-present Playstation 3, now with bitstreamcapacity and a 120GB storage capacity in its slim model. Bycomparison, the BDP-S560 isn’t as feature-rich – lacking a versatileMP3 interface, internal storage, or analog audio jacks – but itsstrengths and a lower-key, quick operating level are justificationenough for those resistant to utilizing a gaming machine in theirhome-theater environment.
(article from audiorevolution.com)
[ This message was edited by: dragon53 on 2009-10-30 10:06 ]
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kristinacallis
Rank: Sony Fan
Joined: Nov 18, 2009
Posts: 1
From: US
 | Posted: 2009-11-19 08:19
I was looking out for such information on the net and i finally found it by your quality post.
Regards,
Kristina
[ This message was edited by: claudio on 2009-11-20 00:45 ]
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