The Sony BDP-S560 is the new mid range Blu-ray player from Sony with a good selection of features including wireless connectivity.
We’re great fans of the new range of Sony home cinema equipment. The styling and design is the best it has been for years, and the products are performing well and offering pretty good value for money considering that Sony is a premium brand. The budget player in Sony’s Blu-ray player range, the BDP-S360, is no exception and offers all the basics you need to get high definition Blu-ray with the minimum of fuss and effort. Those people looking for a little more from their Blu-ray player would perhaps want a slightly higher spec though – and this is exactly where the mid range Sony BDP-S560 comes in.
Brimming with features, the serious looking Sony BDPS560 is a real Blu-ray enthusiasts dream. The player has the latest Blu-ray profile of course, BD-LIVE, but whereas other players like the Panasonic DMP-BD80 need to be physically connected to a home network in order to download BD-LIVE content or firmware updates, the S560 can do it wirelessly. Although we’ve seen something similar with the Samsung BD-P1600, you have to buy an additional wireless dongle to benefit – the Sony however has Wireless-N connectivity built in to really make things easy. The set up menu was easy to follow and in no time at all we had connected to our wireless router. The signal strength did drop a little when the player was positioned in it final place amongst other equipment, but that is to be expected really.
One of the biggest gripes about Blu-ray players to date has been the slow start up time. This is something Sony have specifically addressed with the BDP-S560 and have added a quick start up mode to get you viewing your favourite movie in as little as six seconds! In reality this was a little longer, but still a big improvement on other players – the amount of menu content on the Blu-ray disc that the player has to load will also have a bearing. The Precision Drive HD technology will also help you play your DVD and Blu-ray discs if they are bent or scratched.
There is a new version of this Blu-ray player available: Sony BDP-S570
What to consider before you buy the Sony BDP-S560
If you don’t need or want the wireless connectivity you could consider sticking with the budget model, the BDP-S360, or if you need 7.1 inputs, or just that little bit more quality, the BDP-S760 might be the better option.
Why you should buy the Sony BDP-S560
The S560 really is one of the best players available at the moment and has all the features you really need to enjoy Blu-ray and the extra features of BD-Live with ease. It’s amazing that such a high spec player can be had for such a competitive price too – so much so that we can’t see this player staying on the shelves for long. Brilliant stuff – get one while you can. Rating: /5
Compare prices and Buy Sony BDP-S560
The BDP-S560 looks more imposing and serious than the S360 and this is reflected in the increased connection options where we have HDMI, Component, and Optical outputs and a USB socket at the rear of the player, as well as a USB port on the front for ease of access. The player will also decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio or output it as a 7.1 HD bitstream signal to a suitable amplifier if you’d prefer.
Hi, I’m new to home cinema/blu ray. If I connect this sonybdp-s560 up to my yamaha amp (5.1 surround) by hdmi and then from the amp to a projector by hdmi is this all I need for picture and sound. Can I also then play mp3 tracks from my laptop wirelessly through the bdp-s560 and out the amp?
Thanks, Daniel.