Sony BDP-S370 USB dongle?

[andyh]

Do you have to use sony's USB dongle, or will any one work?

Cheers

 

[strapped for cash]

Yes, it has to be Sony's. I've read elsewhere that owners have tried to use other dongles, without success. I guess that's why it's so cheap. For me, this isn't an issue. I can connect via ethernet periodically to update. As for BD live features, I don't really use them; and I can stream iPlayer through my PS3 anyway. The most important thing, for me at least, is that for £135 you get sound and picture performance that, according to the WHF team, trumps all other budget-to-midrange players available!

 

[andyh]

Thanks for that, is it a big improvement over the s360? As the outgoing model there seems to be some good prices on it.

 

[strapped for cash]

According to the group test in this month's mag, the 370 beats the 760 in terms of sound and picture quality, which was a much better-specced model. The compromise, of course, is the lack of wireless connectability without the rather exensive Sony dongle and the lack of multichannel analogue outs (which isn't an issue if your receiver can decode HD audio codecs via HDMI). also, if you can run an ethernet cable to the 370 without much complication (I appreciate many people have their wireless router in a different room) this negates the first problem. Simply for picture and sound quality, I'd go for the 370. It's still extremely cheap; and the 360 has the same issues with connection and lack of multichannel outs anyway.