Sony Releases BDP-S350 Next-Gen Blu-Ray Player

While most people expect falling prices, consumer electronics makers scramble to add features to justify constant or higher prices. This is no different for this particular player. Let’s tale a look at the improvements: Picture-in-Picture (also called “bonus view”), read error correction (scratched discs), Ethernet access for firmware and other updates and an upscaling algorithm called “Precision Cinema HD Upscale” to nicely magnify standard-definition content to HDTV resolutions. “We leveraged our expertise in film production and digital technology to build a machine that movie fans would truly love,” says Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division.

Let’s skip the marketing spin here: yes Sony does have proprietary algorithms for upscaling (so do Samsung and many CE manufacturers), but I think that this has little to do with “leveraging the expertise in film production”. My advice: buy a lower-price player or a Playstation 3.