Sony sent out a press release this morning, announcing two new
Blu-ray Disc players. The BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 feature an ethernet port and are capable of accessing advanced interactive features such
as Bonus View and BD-Live. Both models also offer 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output as well as Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus
decoding and bit-stream output. The BDP-S550 ups the ante even further with a 1GB storage device and support for dts-HD High Resolution
Audio and dts-HD Master Audio decoding.
The BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 models both support Bonus View (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 Bonus View and BD-Live capable when it
ships.
Both models also feature an external port for local storage, so users can add optional USB flash-based memory. 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 new BDP-S350 ships this summer for
about $400 and BDP-S550 will be available this fall for about $500. Full details can be found here.
