High-def format winner lords it over Toshiba

Having seen off Toshiba's HD-DVD format Sony today updated its Blu-ray Disc player range with new models that can access advanced interactive features.

The BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 models support the BonusView picture-in-picture features on some new Blu-ray releases.

The BDP-S350 is BD-Live capable and features an Ethernet port for a firmware update and access to internet-based interactive content features. The BSP-S550 will be BonusView and BD-Live capable when it ships.

Both models also offer an external port for local storage so that users can add optional storage devices. The BDP-S550 ships with a 1GB storage device.

The players feature 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output. They are compatible with most standard DVDs and feature 1080p upscaling through an HDMI connection to capable HDTV sets, improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries.

Chris Fawcett, vice president of marketing at Sony Electronics Home Product Division, said: "These new devices bring home movie experience beyond the cinema."

The players also feature compatibility with an array of video formats, including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format) and JPEG on DVD//CD recordable media.

The BDP-S350 ships this summer for about $400 and the BDP-S550 will be available this autumn for about $500.