Features
Remote Control
Input and Output Notes

Features

• Better picture quality: Blu-ray Disc is a true high-definition format offering video at 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolution. While standard DVDs look very good on an HDTV, they don't provide a high-definition signal (not even when you use an up-converting DVD player). Blu-ray Disc delivers an extraordinarily sharp, clean, detailed picture, with deeper, richer colors.
• Better sound quality: In addition to the same multi-channel sound formats you're accustomed to with DVD (Dolby Digital and DTS), Blu-ray Disc offers Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, and uncompressed 7.1 channel PCM.
• Much greater storage capacity: What makes Blu-ray Disc's superior picture and sound possible is the much higher storage capacity of Blu-ray Disc discs. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold 25 gigabytes of data, over five times the amount a standard DVD can hold. Dual-layer Blu-ray Discs hold 50 gigabytes, which equates to nine hours of High Definition or 23 hours of Standard Definition video, plus high-resolution multi-channel audio and the added features and material that require multiple discs with standard DVD.
• Compatibility with your current disc collections: To ensure backward-compatibility with your existing library of discs, Blu-ray Disc players use a dual-laser mechanism: a blue laser for playing high-definition Blu-ray Discs, and a conventional red laser for playing DVDs and audio CDs.

Dolby Digital Plus: Dolby Digital Plus was developed as an extension to Dolby Digital. The audio coding technology supports 7.1 channel surround sound. Dolby Digital Plus also includes the standard Dolby Digital bit stream and is compatible with all current Dolby Digital processors using the optical or coaxial digital output.

Dolby TrueHD: Dolby TrueHD is a lossless coding technology that supports up to 8 channels of multi-channel surround sound for the next generation optical discs. The reproduced sound is true to the original source bit-for-bit.

DTS-HD: DTS-HD is an extended format of the Coherent Acoustics audio coding system, which also encompasses DTS, DTS-ES, and DTS 96/24. DTS-HD is highly flexible in supporting the number of discrete surround sound channels. While 7.1ch surround sound is planned for Blu-ray Discs, the audio signals can be down mixed to 5.1 or 2 channels for backward compatibility, and the reproduced audio quality can either be at the bit rate of DTS Digital Surround or the lossless mode.

24p True Cinema: Movies are typically recorded on film with a frame rate of 24 frames per second. When a movie is transferred to Blu-ray Disc at 24 frames per second the BDP-S500 will output that signal to the TV (if the TV will accept the 1080p/24 format) with no need for conversion.

x.v.Color: The BDP-S500 supports x.v.Color, meaning it's ready for x.v.Color discs when they become available in the future.

1080p Output: Through the HDMI output, the BDP-S500 has a 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixel) output option, at either the 60 Hz video or 24 Hz film frame rates.

DVD Upscaling: The BDP-S500 Blu-ray disc player is capable of upscaling your standard 480i DVD disc to 1080p via HDMI.

HDMI Control ('Bravia' Theatre Sync): Sony components compatible with the HDMI Control function can be controlled via the HDMI connection. This includes convenient features like One-Touch Play and System Power-Off.

Disc Compatibility: The BDP-S500 is compatible with many disc types:

• BD-ROM: pre-recorded Blu-ray Discs
• DVD-Video: pre-recorded DVD
• DVD-R: record once DVD
• DVD-RW: rewritable DVD
• DVD+R: record once DVD (including DL)
• DVD+RW: rewritable DVD
• CD: pre-recorded CD
• CD-R: record once CD-DA (music CD format only)
• CD-RW: rewritable CD CD-DA (music CD format only)

Region Code: Like DVD, BD uses region codes. The region code on your disc must match the region code on your player, otherwise the disc will not play. The BDP-S500 is Blu-ray region A and DVD region 1.

Copy Protection: Blu-ray Disc uses the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) to prevent unauthorized recording of copyrighted material.

AVCHD: AVCHD (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) is a high definition digital video camera format used to record in high definition or standard definition on DVD, using an efficient data compression coding technology. The  format is designed to compress video and audio (Dolby Digital or Linear PCM) data, enabling a high definition video signal shot on a digital video camera recorder to be recorded on DVD discs, in the same way as it would be for a standard definition signal.

Blu-ray Disc Java (BD-J): The BD-ROM format supports Java for interactive functions. BD-J offers content providers almost unlimited functionality when creating interactive BD-ROM titles. Note: In order to enjoy these interactive features, you may need to update your player with the latest firmware.

MP3 Playback: This unit will play MP3 audio files recorded onto DVD-R/W or DVD+R/RW discs (not CD-R or CD-RW). You can program up to 25 songs in any order you like as a Quicklist. The on screen keyboard allows you to search for a track, genre, artist, or album directly. Artist and title information is displayed on screen and you can list all songs (sorted alphabetically, by date, by artist, or by song title) or sort all artists, albums, genres, Quicklists (playlist), or folders.

JPEG Playback: This unit will play JPEG still picture files recorded onto DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW discs (not CD-R or CD-RW). Like with MP3 playback, you can program a Quicklist of up to 25 files to run as a slideshow. You can also run a slideshow of all files on the disc. You can search for a file directly using the on screen keyboard. You can list all files at once, or browse by folder, date, or Quicklist (slideshow).

Movie Files: The BDP-S500 can play MPEG2 PS movie files recorded on DVD-R or DVD-RW discs (not CD-R or CD-RW). Movie title information is displayed on screen. You can search for a title directly using the on screen keyboard or sort titles alphabetically or by date. You can also use the unit's Browse Menu which allows you to browse contents of your disc by Genre, Folder or Quicklist. Quicklist allows you to play your favorite titles in the order you like by making your own movie title playlist.

Resume Play: Resume play allows you to resume playback of a disc from the point where you last stopped. The stopping point is cleared when the Stop button is pressed more than once, the disc tray is opened, the player is turned off, or any of the settings on the player are changed.

"Cinema Tuned" Picture Settings: There are three picture presets and three memory positions so you can adjust the picture to your liking:

• Brighter Room: use when the room is brighter than normal
• Theater Room: use when the room is dark
• Standard: use in a typical room
• Memory (1-3):manually adjust the brightness of white, the richness of dark colors, the balance between green and red, and the level of color saturation

Screen Setup: The BDP-S500 offers the following video screen adjustments.

• TV Type: You can select either a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio according to your TV.
• 4:3 Video Out: You can select the unit to display a 4:3 video on a 16:9 television in Full Mode (displays a 4:3 screen picture in 16:9 aspect ratio) or Normal Mode (displays a 4:3 screen picture in 4:3 aspect ratio with black bands on the sides)
• DVD Aspect Ratio: You can select the unit to display a 16:9 video on a 4:3 television in Letter Box Mode (displays a wide picture with black bands on the top and bottom) or Pan&Scan Mode (displays a full height picture on the entire screen with trimmed sides)

Surround Sound Decoders: The BDP-S500 has built-in Dolby Digital and DTS surround processors. The analog 5.1 channel signals are output through the RCA jacks. Multi-channel PCM Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD are also output through the HDMI jack (when encoded on the Blu-ray Disc).

Speaker Setup: When using the unit's 5.1 channel outputs and the player's integrated built-in surround sound decoders you can select whether or not you are using a center speaker or surround speakers in your home theater system and whether the front speakers of your system should be set to "large" or "small".

Audio DRC: The unit's utilizes Audio DRC (Dynamic Range Compression) to clarify low volume sounds. Even at low volume, you can make low sound such as dialog more audible.

Motorized Front-Panel: The BDP-S500 features a motorized sliding front-panel which hides the unit's front-panel controls and disc mechanism for a sleek, clean look.

Fan Cooled: A fan on the back of the BDP-S500 keeps the unit cool.

Parental Control: By setting a custom user password and using the player's 1 through 8 level Parental Control, you can limit the playback of inappropriate discs.

Screen Saver: To prevent damage to your television, a screen save image appears when the player is left unattended, has no disc inserted, or no title/slideshow is displayed for 15 minutes.

Auto Power Off: With the auto power off feature turned on the player turns off automatically is left in stop or pause mode for 30 minutes.

Remote Control

Multi-brand Remote: The supplied remote is pre-programmed to operate this unit and a number of functions on multiple brand TVs. Once programmed, the remote controls the TV's power on/off, input select, volume up/down, channel up/down, and mute.

Input and Output Notes

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface): The BDP-S500's HDMI output simplifies A/V connections by carrying video and digital audio in one cable. This unit features HDCP copyright protection technology, and must be connected to an HDCP-compliant device. If your TV has a DVI input instead of an HDMI input, you can connect this unit to your TV using an HDMI-to-DVI adapter. You will also need to connect audio cables to the player because DVI is a video only cable. The HDMI resolution can be fixed at 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, or set to Auto, which selects the highest resolution accepted by your television. The video format can be set to Y,CB,CR, or RGB (16-235), or RGB (0-255).

Component Video: The component video resolution can be set to 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i. If the HDMI output is set to 1080p, the component video output is fixed at 480p. When a standard DVD is played, the maximum component video output resolution is 480p.

Composite Video and S-Video: The composite and S-video outputs are always live and fixed at 480i. They can output video when playing a Blu-ray Disc.

Digital Audio Output: The Audio menu allows you to select the digital audio format that is passed through the optical and coaxial outputs. Settings allow you to transfer Dolby Digital or DTS sound tracks, or down-mix surround bitstreams to 2-channel PCM audio.

Analog Audio: There is a pair of stereo RCA outputs plus 5.1 channel outputs for utilizing the built-in surround decoders.