30 August 2007 – The long wait is finally over: Sony’s debut Blu-ray disc player hits the UK and makes a weighty visual impression.
Style has been sacrificed in the construction of the BDP-S1E. The colour scheme is pleasant enough, but the player itself is brutish in appearance, reminding us of the gargantuan styling of early DVD players.
Still, the solidity of the casing is there to reduce vibrations (thereby improving AV signals), not to win any fashion awards.
Connectivity ticks the right boxes, starting with the all-important HDMI output. Other connections include component video output, digital audio jacks, but no Scarts.
In terms of features, the BDP-S1E also sounds like an on-paper winner. Settling in neatly with Sony’s brand loyalty concept, the BDP-S1E has Bravia Theatre Sync capabilities, meaning that you can control suitably equipped Sony home cinema kit with one touch of a remote control.
Other promising features number 7.1 channel surround sound, 24p True Cinema mode (allowing you see your Blu-ray movies at 24 frames per second, exactly as you would in the cinema), and Dolby TruHD capabilities.
Despite its Blu-ray disc preference, the BDP-S1E doesn’t shun other disc formats (apart from HD DVD, of course). The deck will upscale standard definition discs all the way up to 1080p, so you needn’t junk your DVD collection just yet. Also, it’s good to see that the BDP-S1E can play CDs too – a function missing from this deck’s American counterpart.
Turning on the BDP-S1E, it quickly becomes apparent that our claim that the long wait for Sony’s debut DVD player being over is slightly erroneous. Quickly is the wrong word: we wait and wait some more for the damn thing to start up.
From switching the player on to the front screen appearing takes about a minute. Disc loading times also take place at the speed of a tortoise in an orthopaedic shoe.
Still, it’s the tortoise that wins the day: as soon as we get stuck into our test Blu-ray disc of X-Men: The Last Stand, viewed in True Cinema 24p mode (on a compatible 50-inch Pioneer plasma) it’s obvious we’re looking at the cream of the Blu-ray player crop.
New sensation
The BDP-S1E pulls some sensational colours out of the bag – they are incredibly rich across the gamut. The climactic battle sequence is exquisitely detailed, and darker scenes are similarly mega-detailed, with little lost in shadows. Black levels are also absolutely on the money and the audio performance is devastatingly good.
Watching the same movie on DVD upscaled to 1080p, it’s also fair to say that the BDP-S1E will also eke the best pictures out of your DVDs too, as well as giving you the Blu-ray ride of your life.
If Sony could iron out those loading time issues (and tart up the appearance), the BDP-S1E could well bring the format war to a dramatic close.
