Sony BDP-S560 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

There seems to be a lack of reviews online for the new Sony 560 and Panasonic 80 Blu-ray players. So I purchased both of these Blu-ray players from Amazon, mainly becuase I wanted to do a critical, side by side comparison of all features and the audio and video quality. It wasn't a professional test-based comparison, just flipping back and forth between these players and my Samsung BD-UP5000 Blu-ray/HD DVD player on my Sony 52" Bravia LCD and studying the image with a critical eye. (I got 3 copies of the Braveheart Blu-ray to do this). Here's what I discovered:

Video Quality: Pretty much a dead tie. Both players had rich, dark blacks. Video noise (smoothness) of the pictures was so close that I couldn't tell which I was watching most of the time. Sharpness was the same. Both pictures had good "3D pop". I wouldn't be surprised if both players used the same chipset. (By the way, the Samsung uses the Reon HQV chip, and while it looked a bit "smoother" by comparison, a tiny...Read more

The Sony BDP-S560 is a capable Blu-ray player.

This is basically an updated 360 with wireless connectivity for BD Live functions. Sony finally got it right by building wireless connectivity into the player itself. Previously, you needed to have a PS3 or buy a wireless add-on to have this feature. My viewing room is too far away from a wired connection, so wireless was the only way to go. The 560 loads quickly and has most of the standard features you would expect from Sony.

Setup was very fast and simple including the wireless feature. You just needed to search for your network and then manually input your password--that was it!

The only negative feature I could find was in the 560's remote. Sony took a step backward by offering less features than its predecessor, the BDP-S550. The last remote offered a lighted display. In addition, you had an open/close button which this new player does not offer. Buttons are not clustered logically around...Read more

I bought the Sony BDP-S560 expecting the usual great performance I get from Sony products. Unfortunately not the case. The "brand new out of the box" Sony BDP-S560 Blu-ray player arrived and would not power on at all. I returned it to Amazon and ordered another. The second "brand new out of the box" Sony BDP-S560 Blu-ray player arrived. This one powered up, but when playing any Dolby encoded Blu-ray disc, the sound cuts in/out constantly during loud action scenes. It's unwatchable (or should I say torture to the ears). I tried a number of different audio settings, but none helped.
I should point out I already own a BDP S300 that works great, and I have had all Sony gear (TV's and Receivers) for years in my house. The problem has nothing to do with settings or what it is connected to. (I tried the Sony BDP-S560 Blu-ray player with other TVs and receivers in my house to no avail).
I'm returning the second unit - but I will not be reordering until the "bugs" are worked out of...Read more