Tech Blog

Sony's fall line-up of Blu-ray players covers a range of prospective customers. Three models - the BDPS360, the BDPS560, the BDPS760 - offer a range of features for a variety of customers. I had the opportunity to review the two higher end models, the BDPS560 and BDPS760, over the course of the past two weeks. It's been two weeks of heavy Blu-ray viewing that I can sum up briefly: both models are fantastic Blu-ray players.Basic FeaturesThe 560 and 760 are similar in features, with all of the trimmings you'd expect from a Blu-ray player. 1080p video, uncompressed audio, Ethernet for BD Live (as well as DLNA and firmware updates), DVD upscaling over HDMI. Both units feature Sony's HDMI single remote solution called BRAVIA®Sync as well as the x.v.Color specification that increases the amount of colours available for output.Where these two Blu-ray players stand apart from the field is their execution of some higher end options. Let's take a look at them, then I'll get to my impressions and some recommendations.Premium FeaturesDLNA and Wireless NDLNA is a networking standard. It lets different devices communicate with each other for media sharing across your home network without having to perform elaborate configuration routines. Both the 560 and the 760 use DLNA to connect to devices on your home network for photo sharing. Both devices do this extremely well, recognizing photo shares on my PC, Mac, Linksys Media Hub, and NAS drives. The potential with DLNA is that it can stream video and audio as well. The BDPS560 and BDPS760 don't offer video or audio streaming via DLNA, and I've confirmed with Sony that there aren't any current plans to add them via firmware update. While this is slightly disappointing (I know it was a key issue for one of my fellow bloggers) I personally don't find it to be a deal breaker. I purchase a Blu-ray player to play Blu-ray discs, and it's that performance that matters the most to me. If you're looking for audio playback both units have a front mounted USB slot for connecting audio devices for non-DRM'd (DRM: digital rights management. If you've purchased the file from an online store with copy protection you may have difficulty playing it back with this method) audio file playback.Wireless N capability is important to me, however, and both the 560 and the 760 do it remarkably well. Both of these players are compatible with almost every protocol in the WiFi spectrum, from B to G to A - but wireless N support means that they're both ready for current and future high speed home networks. I had the opportunity to try both out on my network and BD Live performance was faster than it had ever been on my existing players.On the note of BD Live I do have a complaint: neither the 560 nor the 760 has the required 1GB of on-board memory needed to take advantage of advanced BD Live features. This isn't a deal breaker, it's just a pain in the rear - if you purchase one of these players be sure to stop off in the computer department and pick up a cheap 1GB stick to go with it. Mine ran me $10 - which clearly means that Sony both could and should have included it on board. While I appreciate the additional USB slot at the back specifically for this purpose, it's still irritating. Note: the front USB port can't be used for a BD Live memory stick - it won't recognize it for that purpose. If you want BD Live you're going to have to install it at the time of setup or haul the unit out of your home theatre setup and plug it in the back.QuickStartQuickStart is Sony's name for an intelligent stand-by mode. My older HD players could take up to two minutes to get warmed up to the point of actually being usable. QuickStart booted both players up in very short periods of time. Sony advertises approximately 6 seconds; I found the boot-up time slightly longer than that, but less than ten seconds. It's technology that works as advertised.PerformanceBoth the 560 and 760 have 12-bit video output. 1080p video can be output at 60p or 24p; if you're watching movies and have a display capable of it the 24p mode is gorgeous - material has the same epic scope and feel as it does in the cinema.I auditioned three films - The Fifth Element, Casino Royale, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Both of the first two films (from Sony Pictures) feature uncompressed PCM tracks, while Hellboy II features a DTS-HD Master Audio track. I connected both players up to my Pioneer receiver via HDMI; all three soundtracks conveyed a nuanced sound stage with excellent surround presence. The video was rich and detailed on both players, revealing colour elements that I had not seen before, even on Blu-ray. Unlike the audio, the video performances were not equal, which is to be expected, given the step up features in the 760.The BDPS760At the time of writing there is a $100 retail difference between the 560 and the 760. So what do you get for your hundred bucks, and is it worth it? Here's a quick run down of the differences:Headphone Jack - on the front of the 760 you'll find a full 1/4" stereo headphone jack - an exceptionally handy feature if you'd like to view in private without having to worry about disturbing others. This may be a non-feature, however, depending on the other equipment you plan to use the 760 with; chances are your receiver or TV will have a headphone jack. If not, the 760 has you covered. There's a dedicated button for it on our next feature...Better, Backlit Remote - the remotes vary significantly between the 560 and the 760. The 760's remote is larger, allowing space for larger buttons. The Top Menu, Pop Up Menu, Options, and Return buttons are much easier to use and laid out in a more usable fashion. The 760 features an open/close tray button, as well as button to trigger the backlight (the 560's remote is not backlit, making the 760 much easier to use in my darkened home theatre room). My sole complaint with the 760 is that the Home button (the button that sends the player back to the XMB Xross Media Bar interface) is too close to the down button on the 4-way navigator. I've hit it accidentally three times now - and it's a time consuming process to get back into the discs' content. I'd like to see this moved on the next Remote Commander from Sony.7.1 Analog Audio Output - if you've got an older receiver that doesn't support the newer uncompressed formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, this feature alone is worth the price of admission; 7.1 analog audio outputs give you the opportunity to enjoy the higher quality audio that Blu-ray provides without having to upgrade your audio hardware. I tested this out with my Pioneer receiver - sound quality was excellent, though far more cable heavy and not nearly as convenient as the HDMI connection.Two video features separate the 560 and the 760 - Sony's HD Reality Enhancer and SuperBit Mapping.

HD Reality Enhancer - Sony states that the HD Reality Enhancer "analyzes specific image details such as noise, edge, and flat textures separately to enhance every one." I test this feature on both of my HD larger HD flat panels. My older Hitachi panel was unable to display much of a difference in textures (the set is a 1080i display) however the noise reduction was noticeable in The Fifth Element in scenes where I had noticed noise previously. On my newer Panasonic display I was able to discern more of a difference: images in all three movies seemed to have more depth to them and the smoothing was apparent in some scenes. The effect is subtle, but I found it enjoyable and worth owning.

SuperBit Mapping - This feature "increases the colour tone from 8-bit to 14-bit, which processes the video signal more precisely." Again, I tested this out with both models. The effect was more noticeable on my 12-bit Panasonic display than on my 10-bit Hitachi and even then only on scenes with large uniform sections of a single gradated colour. The black and white scenes in Casino Royale were a good showcase for this. I have no doubt that the technology is enhancing the display throughout the film; it's just not something you can distinctly point to in certain scenes.

Conclusions - tl;dr
Both the 560 and the 760 are great Blu-ray players. The most relevant question is: is the 760 worth the extra hundred bucks? Like everything else in this world the answer is relative. Take a look at the features above - if you've got a panel that will show off the better video quality (anything less than 2 years old should), if you have an older receiver and would like to enjoy higher quality audio, if you fancy a better quality remote - well then the choice is easy: yes, the 760 is worth the extra cash. If not, the 560 should fit your needs quite nicely.

Either way you go you'll enjoy your purchase. Both units are remarkably quiet and offer a great home theatre experience (I was pleased to see that the on-unit display can be dimmed or deactivated). While you can find less expensive Blu-ray players on the market, you'll have a hard time finding models that are so full featured or that offer the high video and audio quality of the Sony BDPS560 and BDPS760.