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Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

post #1 of 12
5/30/09 at 11:32pm
Thread Starter 
Hey Everyone,

I finally settled on the speaker piece of a new home theater system...now I am trying to finalize the last component.

I am going to be using a Denon AVR3808 receiver and am trying to decide between the Sony BDP-S550 and Denon DVD2500BT Blu-Ray players. Any thoughts or advice?

For what it's worth, I will be playing a lot of DVD's until I can build out a Blu-Ray disc collection. So, I'm particularly interested in anyone's experience with the DVD upconversion of either of these players.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Chris
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post #2 of 12
5/31/09 at 9:58am

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Hi Chris. I'm using the S550 and am very pleased with the up conversion. Like you , I have a large collection of DVD's that I watch. I don't intend to replace them, but have been (since Christmas) , and will be buying Blu-ray instead when purchasing new movies. I don't think you would be disappointed with the S550 for up conversion or Blu-ray.
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post #3 of 12
5/31/09 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Thanks Gary...that's great to hear. I have been leaning towards the S550 and will likely go that route unless someone else jumps in and convinces me otherwise

Thanks again for the feedback!
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post #4 of 12
5/31/09 at 5:09pm

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

The 2500 looks like an interesting model. Only an hdmi output, no analog audio or video out. Triple layer construction, weighs 20 lbs and had an $899 msrp. But I can't find out much about it.

Widescreen Review gave the impression the 1800 had only average video up-scaling but was comparing it to the $2000 3800. I have no idea how good the 2500's video section is. Owner reviews are good but people generally like what they buy.
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post #5 of 12
5/31/09 at 6:29pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Hi Gene,

Yeah, the user reviews/comments I read on the 2500 gave me the impression that maybe the upscaling wasn't that good, which was why I reached out on this forum. Additionally, I had the same problem as you in that I couldn't really find many more formal reviews or comments. So, I was a little concerned that maybe Denon wasn't taken that seriously in this space.

Thanks for the feedback.

Chris
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post #6 of 12
5/31/09 at 7:17pm

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Quote:
So, I was a little concerned that maybe Denon wasn't taken that seriously in this space.
Denon receivers are very popular around here, as are their regular dvd players, but there BR players are a bit too expensive compared to Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and OPPO etc.
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post #7 of 12
5/31/09 at 7:54pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Agreed. Their receivers are top-notch (I'll be connecting everything to an Denon AVR3808), but I haven't heard much about their Blu-Ray players and they are definitely more expensive.
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post #8 of 12
6/1/09 at 9:58am

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Can't say much on the Denon but I use the S550 & it is amazing
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post #9 of 12
6/1/09 at 10:22am

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

No contest, the Sony 550 is a superior player in every respect. Excellent upscaling, low disc compatibility issues, firmware updates can be downloaded from the player, and it is perhaps the fastest and most responsive set top player on the market. The Denon is sluggish, upscaling is decent but not great, it has occasional disc compatibility issues, and is a huge pain to update. Their website even requires you to enter in your player's serial number to download an update. Also, the 550 is small and light, whereas the Denon is gigantic and appears to be filled with bricks. Not to bash the Denon too much, it's fine, but the 550 is the clear winner between the two.

Just my two cents.

Patrick
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post #10 of 12
6/1/09 at 5:31pm

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Since you'll use the 3808, isn't the S350 just as well? Or, am I missing something?
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post #11 of 12
6/1/09 at 11:29pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

Hi Guys,

Thanks again for all the great feedback...I'm officially going with the Sony Blu-Ray

Regarding the S550 vs the S350 - the S350 may be fine (to be honest, I'm just not that educated on that particular model vs the S550), but I just read so many goods things about the S550 and since the price difference between the two through the dealer I am working with was negligible, I settled on the S550.

Chris
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post #12 of 12
6/2/09 at 4:53am

Re: Sony BDP-S550 vs Denon DVD2500BT

The only significant differences between the S550 and S350 are (1) the S550 has multi-channel analog outputs for passing the newer codecs to older receivers, and (2) the S350 needs a USB memory stick (less than $10) in order to support BD-Live.

I went with the S350 (it was about $100 cheaper at the time) and have been very satisfied with the player.
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