With the Blu-ray-equipped PS3 Slim hogging the limelight, it’s easy to forget that Sony also does a rather tasty line in dedicated Blu-ray players. Its entry-level BDP-S360 is an affordably priced effort that lacks bells and whistles but offers a decent array of basic features. Read our full Sony BDP-S360 to see if it’s worth a punt.
The Sony BDP-S360 includes BD Live support, which lets you download movie extras from the web. OK, so the available content ranges from the downright brilliant to the mind-numbingly inane, but it’s always pleasing to find it on such a nicely-priced player.
It’s just a shame that the BDP-S360 hooks up to the web using a clunky Ethernet cable rather than Wi-Fi, and you’ll need to plug in a USB flash drive to store content – rival players from Samsung have already started offering built-in memory and wireless support.
The BDP-S360’s design lacks the je ne sais quoi of the Samsung BD-P3600 or LG BD370, but its sassy black finish and alluring blue lights should still have your mates flocking round it like moths round a lamp. Back-panel sockets are sparse but cover the basics. HDMI takes centre stage thanks to its support for 1080/24p video and Dolby True HD/DTS HD Master Audio bitstreams, but it’s backed up by component and composite video ports.
Read our LG BD730 Blu–ray player review now
For audio you get optical and coaxial digital outputs for regular Dolby Digital and DTS, but if your amp’s old school then you might be miffed by the lack of multichannel outs.
The BDP-S360 lets you play MP3 and JPEG files from CD and DVD, but not via the USB port on the back. It makes up for it with a superb user-interface. Dubbed Xross Media Bar, it uses intersecting axes to display all the functions just like you do on your PS3.
The Sony takes nearly twice as long as LG or Samsung’s players to load discs, but once you’re there the pictures are sharp as a tack and bursting with pure, bright colours. Edges are well-defined too, and some canny video processing keeps noise at bay. Some pricier players offer better detail reproduction and black depth, but at this price the BDP-S360 represents budget Blu-ray at its best.
