SONY BDP-S350 new September review

[HDTV1080P]

Here is a link to a new review that was just published at Ultimate AVmag.com website on the Sony BDP-S350. The Playstation 3 is still the over all best BLU-RAY player but the BDP-S350 will bitstream the advanced audio formats which the PS3 lacks. Hopefully all future Sony and other brands of BLU-RAY players in 2009 will have at least 1GB of flash memory built in so consumers do not need to mess around with external flash memory for BD-LIVE content. The PS3 supports 1GB networking. Hopefully future BLU-RAY players will support 1GB per second networking. In 3-5 years Internet download speeds might be over 100MB per second and having 1GB networking like the PS3 does would be ideal. Verizon FIOS is already at 50MB downlaod speed which could double in a year or two with their fiber network.

Quotes from review
“To test the internal video processor's deinterlacing capabilities, I used the HQV Benchmark Blu-ray test disc with the player set to output 1080p. The BDP-S350 performed exceptionally well, better than my PS3 and the Samsung BD-P1500, which I reviewed a couple months ago.”

"The BDP-S350's load time is faster than many previous-generation Blu-ray players. It took about 30 seconds to load Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. A few other Blu-ray discs I checked were closer to 25 seconds. A standard DVD was slightly less by a second or so, and CDs took about 10 seconds."
"Blu-ray playback was extraordinary, as good as I've seen from my PS3 and the Samsung BD-P1500. In the classic scene from The Fifth Element when Leeloo jumps off the building into several layers of high-flying traffic, the depth was phenomenal. Edges are sharply defined with crisp detail, and the picture took on a three-dimensional quality. The color saturation was so vibrant, it almost jumped off the screen.”

“Comparing the internal decoding with a bitstream output to the Marantz AV8003, a $2600 pre/pro, I detected only a slightly wider dynamic range and increased transparency from the Marantz's decoding versus the S350's.”
“That said, since the Samsung and Sony have the same omissions, the PS3 is probably still the best overall value for a Blu-ray player. What the BDP-S350 offers that the PS3 can't is the ability to pass bitstream audio, which is the biggest plus for me. If you're looking for an entry-level dedicated Blu-ray player, the BDP-S350 is a fine choice.

Highs
Bitstream output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA
High-quality decoding of Dolby TrueHD
24fps output
Attractive price for standalone Blu-ray player

Lows
Requires firmware update for BD Live (Profile 2.0)
Limited internal memory, requires external flash drive for Profile 2.0 upgrade
No internal decoding of DTS-HD MA
Mediocre upconversion of DVDs”

The full review can be read at this link
http://ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/908sonys350/index.html