Sony BDP-S550 vs 350 vs PS3

[jdmac29]

Originally Posted by versacestl

Well lets see, i can tell you my specs:

T.V: 61.5" Samsung DLP HDTV - Connects HDMI - To Harmon Kardon AVR - Connects HDMI to Hi-Def Direct TV Reciever
The Blu-ray will be Connect HDMI to the Harmon Kardon AVR

That's how the setup currently is.. I think the Harmon Kardon model is AVR-146
I'm not 100% sure as i am not currently by it but it might be the 5.1 model.
I realize that i could only utilize up to 5.1 which suggests the 350, but i am also considering expanding in the future to a bigger system and if possible don't want to have to purchase another blu-ray just to get a 7.1 spec

Also, What are the odds of the 550 and ps3 getting a significant if any price drop after this holiday season? - This could change a lot of buying points.

One more thing, If there is a better way to set up for the best A/VQ then please let me know..

Well this is simple looking at your avr, you need the S550. Your receivers hdmi does not do any type of audio processing so it won't handle either the S350 OR PS3 decoding of multi channel pcm but your receiver does have multi channel analog in's which the S550 does have so you can get the high def codec sounds. I would use hdmi for my video and the analog in's for the audio. In the future for a new avr get one that will handle the bitstreaming of the high def audio codecs via hdmi and the S550 will work great with that also. You only have a 5.1 receiver currently so you will need like 6 rca audio cables to hookup the sound from the S550 to your avr.
Well about the price the $399 is the retail price of the 550 amazon has had it for as low as I think $330, currently sonystyle has an offer via their sony card ( for new account holders only) of $100 credit off any purchase of $299 or more. So you could get a really good blu ray player for less than $300.
I think they might also drop the price on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, or during the holidays. Good luck.