Thanks for the update. I too have not had an issue with my S550...so I may wait to see what it changes.

I'm thinking I want to get a player soon. Not sure what brand, but I've always been partial to SONY brand DVD players. Never had a problem with any. Hopefully it wouldn't be noobish if I asked what's the main/big difference between the S550 and the S350?

Having lived with my Panasonic BD-35 for 2 weeks now I've got to say that I really love it. It does one hell of a job with DVD's (much better than my Sony DVD player), and the Blu Ray picture is outstanding.

The 550 is a little bigger unit. It also comes with a 1gb of flash memory. The main difference is it decodes all lossless audio and has analog outs. Both players bitstream all of them, but the 350 only decodes TrueHD. Both are BD Live.

I love the 550. It's well built and has been problem free.

My 550 updated last night. I'll see if I can notice anything different.

I haven't had it very long, though, so I'm guessing I won't. It would have to be pretty obvious.

So...you are saying Bluray has more features than DVD? Good tip. You may also be interested to know that it has greater resolution, better color and better audio capabilities.

I updated mine the other day and notice no difference. I'm not worried about increasing load times as I can wait 2 minutes to watch a movie. However, I would like the player's ability to handle java menus to improve some. It's still sluggish navigating through menus.

From what I've read, the update improved:

We've got an HDTV in the living room and a projector in the family room. I've got the PS3 hooked up to the projector (with the other game consoles). Need a Blu-Ray player for the front room. Any suggestions? It's not really a "secondary" player, because we use both places equally (between us and the kids).

Sony S350, Panasonic 35.

There is something about Fox titles and my Sharp BD-HP20 not getting along very well. First Alvin & The Chipmunks, then The Happening, both of which were fixed in the last firmware update back in October. Now another title can be added to the list, Unfaithful. Same as always, menu loads, but can not play movie or special features.

What a pain in the ass.

Well, I finally made the HD jump today by picking up a Samsung BD-P1500. I was gunning for a Panny BD35 (sold out) or a Samsung 2550 (for Netflix) but settled on the 1500. I will be renting some Blus tomorrow and picking up Certifiable: The Police Live this weekend. In the meanwhile I upgraded to the latest firmware so everything is ready.

Congratulations popcorn. Keep checking the recently purchased and recently viewed threads to keep us updated on what Blu's you are enjoying. Also my recommendation is to rent before you buy unless the title is universally loved in the BD format. I don't have many but I picked up a few stinkers that I never should have wasted my money on.

The LG BD 300 now streams Youtube after a software update.

Any word on when the new SONY's are actually going to hit the streets? My uncle has decided to make the leap. A new SONY XBR on Saturday and wants a SONY BD player to go with it. I told him the s350's are scarce and the new ones should be out soon. Anyone have any information?

Wow! Nice upgrade. Had the damn thing internally decoded DTS MA I would have picked it over the S550 and been a hell of alot happier with Netflix and Youtube.

IIRC, Sony did not announce new players at the January CES, unlike most other CE manufacturers, notably Panasonic. If the S350 and S550 have been discontinued, I haven't seen any mention of it. But I haven't been actively looking either.

I don't think they did. I remember some saying it was odd - but they didn't announce any at last years CES either.

Sony had their own "Open House" show last year in Vegas were they debuted their new players. I'm sure the same will happen this year.

New Sony Players on the way:

Sony Electronics has announced that they will bring two new Blu-ray Disc players - the BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 - to consumers this May. Both players will support 1080p24 video output, be BD-Live capable, and support decoding and streaming of both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio sound formats.

Both decks will also support Sony's Precision Drive Technology, which helps stabilize warped or scratched discs during playback, as well as Sony's Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology to upconvert standard definition media to near-HD quality.

The Sony BDP-S560 will benefit by gaining WiFi capabilities, a first for a Sony standalone player. It will be able to connect wirelessly to most (A/B/G/N) wireless networks, as well as feature WiFi Protected Set-up and DLNA connection software for easy connection and interface with home routers and other DLNA devices.

Both players will be available in May, the BDP-S360 for $300 and the BDP-S560 for $350.

Additionally, Sony will bring to Blu-ray home theater systems, the BDV-E300 and BDV-E500W which will feature similar specs to the BDP-S360. Both will feature Sony's S-AIR wireless surround sound speakers and be fully BD-Live capable. They will be available in June, the BDV-E300 for $600 and the BDV-E500W for $800.

source: blu-ray.com

How do you hook up the analog outs to a receiver? Just an RCA dumped right in to the speaker jacks?

yes.

Nice additions...but I'm a bit shocked no streaming of other types of media. Last I heard Sony was implementing at least one...possibly a firmware update then. Great prices for both but was hoping the S360 would be in the $250 range. Tough sale when the Vizio will be $199 and is identical to the S360 in terms of specs.

I may get the cheaper surround sound unit. I'm one of a handful of people who like Sony audio products. I'm wondering if those are just players with speakers. I already have a Sony receiver. My surround sound setup is a mess right now, so I'm looking for a matching set. And then later this year, I'll be upgrading to a 52" Sony LCD.

I have a preference for Plasmas and love my Panasonic. With a huge sliding glass door in the media room, my uncle had no choice but LCD, he likes SONY anyway. He just got the XBR6 46". We don't have Blu-ray hooked up yet but just HD cable was pretty amazing. I think SONY is expensive but I'll admit the picture on that set was stunning.