Tech Shout!

Coinciding with the victory of Sony’s Blu-ray DVD format in the migty war with Toshiba’s HD-DVD format, Sony has announced two new BD-Live ready Blu-ray players. They have been dubbed as BDP-S350 and the highend BDP-S550.

The Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player features 1080p24/60 output via HDMI, an Ethernet port and decoding of 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD.

The high-end Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray player will offer the same features as the lower-end BDP-S350 model, but will also offer 1GB of persistent storage and decoding of DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio as well as 7.1 analog outs.

Common to both of Sony’s Blu-ray models will be an external port for adding local storage and support for Bonus View to view picture-in-picture content.

According to Chris Fawcett, VP of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Home Product Division, “Building on the exceptional picture and sound quality of previous players, Sony’s next-generation Blu-ray Disc models bring exciting interactive features to life and offer consumers a ground-breaking experience.”

“These new devices bring home a movie experience beyond the cinema and into a whole new realm of entertainment,” added Fawcett.

Both the Sony BDP-S350 and the BDP-S550 Blu-ray players were showcased in Las Vegas on February 26, 2008. Previously, they were showcased only as prototypes at the International Consumer Electronics Show which took place in January this year.

The Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player will cost $400, while the higher-end BDP-S550 model will cost you $500. What remains to be seen is whether consumers will actually go in for the BDP-S350 model, considering Sony’s PS3 console, which offers the same Blu-ray features as well as a gaming platform.