Sony BDP-S360 is Sony's first BluRay player to join the market in 2009. This model has replaced the very popular Sony BDP-S350. This BluRay player supports Sony's Picture N' Picture playback feature and BDLive Web capabilities. This player also offers DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD streaming output. This BluRay player does not have a built-in 802.11n output; this feature will be added in the next Sony BDP. Sony decided not to offer media streaming features such as Netflix. Unfortunately, the BDP-S360 does not offer 7.1 channel audio. You will have to buy last year's BluRay player (Sony BDP-S550) or rob a bank to get the Sony BDP-S5000ES because it is so expensive.
Because the BDP S360 is designed to be the introductory model, it's got lots of connection options - people buying their first BluRay player, it still has the component video connectors to hook up to analog TV sets. It's also got an impressive HDMI connectivity suite, including support for high end digital - 1080p-24 and 1080p-60, which few televisions sets currently have. The output modes have noise cancellation features, and several brightness settings to work with whatever the ambient light of your viewing room is.
When it comes to audio, the S360 is a bit more eclectic. It's got excellent support for the audio systems it does have - most of them are HDMI compatible, and includes a plethora of connection capabilities, ranging from optical, 2 channel analog, coax digital and HDMIwith good audio filters on top of this. What it lacks is full support for 7.1 channel audio, which is a peculiar omission given what it's targeted at.
The unit supports several formats, from DVD, CD, through to generalized picture formats. At this point, DVD players that can play slide shows of digital photos are nothing new. The player has an Ethernet port to hook up to the web with the BDLive service, but no wireless internet connectivity to allow it to be hooked into your home network. It lacks a hard drive, but this isn't as big a problem as it might seem, as the player can use any USB hard drive out there quite readily. The inability of its USB ports to support digital music or photo playback is another odd omission.
Pros and Cons of Sony BDP-S360
Pros:
The player can output playback via HDMI to 1080p-24
BluRay player has built-in DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD decoding capabilities that stream over HDMI outputs.
BDLive Web and Sony Picture N' Picture content is part of the package.
Cons:
No support for a fairly popular high end analog audio format. If you've got an older sound system, this may not work with it..
BluRay player does not have internal memory. You have to purchase an external USB thumb drive. Also, the USB port will not play music or photos.
No streaming media service, or wireless support for home network streaming media play. (This is supposedly coming in next year's model.)
Conclusion:
This is Sony's entry into the low end of the market for 2009, and while this review focuses on the features not present, that's not a damning indictment. If you're looking for a good introductory player, this is the one to go for. For more advanced features, give this one a pass.
Because the BDP S360 is designed to be the introductory model, it's got lots of connection options - people buying their first BluRay player, it still has the component video connectors to hook up to analog TV sets. It's also got an impressive HDMI connectivity suite, including support for high end digital - 1080p-24 and 1080p-60, which few televisions sets currently have. The output modes have noise cancellation features, and several brightness settings to work with whatever the ambient light of your viewing room is.
When it comes to audio, the S360 is a bit more eclectic. It's got excellent support for the audio systems it does have - most of them are HDMI compatible, and includes a plethora of connection capabilities, ranging from optical, 2 channel analog, coax digital and HDMIwith good audio filters on top of this. What it lacks is full support for 7.1 channel audio, which is a peculiar omission given what it's targeted at.
The unit supports several formats, from DVD, CD, through to generalized picture formats. At this point, DVD players that can play slide shows of digital photos are nothing new. The player has an Ethernet port to hook up to the web with the BDLive service, but no wireless internet connectivity to allow it to be hooked into your home network. It lacks a hard drive, but this isn't as big a problem as it might seem, as the player can use any USB hard drive out there quite readily. The inability of its USB ports to support digital music or photo playback is another odd omission.
Pros and Cons of Sony BDP-S360
Pros:
The player can output playback via HDMI to 1080p-24
BluRay player has built-in DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD decoding capabilities that stream over HDMI outputs.
BDLive Web and Sony Picture N' Picture content is part of the package.
Cons:
No support for a fairly popular high end analog audio format. If you've got an older sound system, this may not work with it..
BluRay player does not have internal memory. You have to purchase an external USB thumb drive. Also, the USB port will not play music or photos.
No streaming media service, or wireless support for home network streaming media play. (This is supposedly coming in next year's model.)
Conclusion:
This is Sony's entry into the low end of the market for 2009, and while this review focuses on the features not present, that's not a damning indictment. If you're looking for a good introductory player, this is the one to go for. For more advanced features, give this one a pass.
Source...