Product Information :  Sony BDP-S185

Blu-ray and HD-DVD are the next generation of disc types allowing for high definition movies in 1080p. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are not compatible with each other, but both types support normal DVDs.

Is the player a stationary player for home use without a screen, or is it a portable with a screen operated by batteries.

Indicates the types of discs the recorder can record on. Most recorders record on DVD but products with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD recording are on the horizon. Some products record both on discs and on an internal hard drive.

Shows if there is a built-in hard drive. That means that you can record film, images or music.

The Blu-ray player supports 3D film.
In order to view it, you will need a 3D TV and glasses.

BD Live offer a variety of Web-enabled features, from downloadable trailers to chat and instant-messaging functions.

DLNA is a standard for sharing music, movies and pictures between units over a network.

Upscaling is a process that mathematically matches the pixel count of the output of the DVD signal to the physical pixel count on an HDTV, which is typically 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080i).

Indicates if there is an on-board Dolby Digital Decoder .
Dolby Digital - A sound format that probably will become the standard regarding multi-channel sound. Other formats include Dolby Pro Logic and DTS. The difference between Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital is that Dolby Digital splits the sound into five channels while Dolby Pro Logic uses four. Dolby Digital also provides two separate surround channels for greater realism, and an additional ".1" or "LFE" channel for low-frequency (bass) special sound effects. DTS is another 5.1 system similar to Dolby Digital.

THX is an exclusive set of standards and technologies established by the world-renowned film production company, Lucasfilm Ltd. THX grew from George Lucas’ personal desire to make your experience of the film soundtrack, in both movie theatres and in your home theatre as faithful as possible to what the director intended. Movie soundtracks are mixed in special movie theatres called dubbing stages and are designed to be played back in movie theatres with similar equipment and conditions. The soundtrack created for movie theatres is then transferred directly onto Laserdisc, VHS tape, DVD, etc., and is not changed for playback in a small home theatre environment. THX engineers developed patented technologies to accurately translate the sound from the movie theatre environment into the home, correcting the tonal and spatial errors that occur.

The types of sound formats the player supports. Examples of popular sound formats are Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Prologic etc. This only refers to supported formats, not decoders.

Indicates that the DVD player is capable of processing and outputting progressive scan images via the progressive scan component video output. Progressive scan images look more film-like and is less subject to certain motion artifacts as common with "conventional" interlaced scanning. This type of video signal is useful only if you have a digital TV(or HDTV). If you don't have a progressive scan capable TV, you can still use interlaced video output to drive your current TV. To fully reduce motion artifacts, its recommended to use a progressive scan DVD player that performs 3:2 pulldown.

Indicates the physical disc formats supported by the player. This does not include any file formats which might be supported.

Shows what files that the DVD player supports.

Ethernet is a network standard of communication using either coaxial or twisted pair cable. The most widely used for of LAN communication, Ethernet typically runs at 10 megabytes per second, though newer systems use 100 Mbps and even 1 gigabit of transfer.Ethernet has the IEEE standard 802.3. It has several different flavors, with the original Ethernet designed with 10base5. The "10" stands for 10 megabytes per second. Base is the baseband communications it uses. The "5" stands for a maximum distance of 500 meters to communicate with. Original Ethernet used coaxial wiring, while newer versions use twisted-pair cabling. There are several flavors of Ethernet, including 10Base2 (10 Mbps, 200 meters), 10BaseT (10 Mbps, 100 meters, twisted-pair), and 100BaseT (100 Mbps, 100 meter, twisted-pair).

A Composite Video Connection is a connection in which both the Color and B/W portions of the video signal are transferred together. The actual physical connection is referred to as an RCA video connection and is usually Yellow at the tips. Also Known As: RCA video connection, Composite Video, Standard Video Connection

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first and only industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. By delivering crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the highest-quality home theater experience. HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, or A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV), over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports 8-channel, 192kHz, uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby Digital and DTS), HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless digital audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.

RCA

A digital coaxial connection refers to a wired connection that is used for transferring digital audio signals (such as PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS) from a source device, such as CD or DVD player and an AV receiver or Surround Sound Preamp/Processor. Digital Coaxial Connections use RCA-style connection plugs.Also Known As: Digital Audio Connection, Digital Audio Coaxial Connection.

(Universal Serial Bus) A widely used hardware interface for attaching peripheral devices. USB ports began to appear on PCs in 1997, and Windows 98 was the first Windows to support it natively. Within a few years, USB became popular for connecting nearly every external peripheral device. Replacing the serial and parallel ports on a PC, at least four USB ports are standard on every computer.Hot SwappableUSB devices can be connected to without turning the computer off, enabling removable devices to be plugged and unplugged as needed. This feature, combined with easy-reach ports on the front of the computer case, gave rise to the ubiquitous USB drive.USB 1.0 and USB 2.0USB has a maximum bandwidth of 12 Mbps for USB 1.0 and 1.1 and 480 Mbps for Hi-Speed USB 2.0. Up to 127 peripheral devices can be attached to the bus, and USB 1.1 devices can plug into USB 2.0 ports. Fast devices can use the full bandwidth, while low-speed ones can use a 1.5 Mbps sub channel.USB HubsA USB hub provides additional ports for the user. Like any other USB device, the hub plugs into a USB port on the computer and provides four or more USB ports for peripherals. The peripherals themselves may also contain hubs. For example, a monitor may have a built-in USB hub in order to provide a convenient desktop location for plugging in other devices.Type A and B, Mini-A and BThe USB ports on computers and hubs have a rectangular Type A socket, and peripheral devices have a cable with a Type A plug. Peripherals that do not have an attached cable have a square Type B socket on the device and a separate cable with a Type A and Type B plug.The Mini-A and Mini-B connectors are used on small portable devices such as PDAs, music players, digital cameras and cell phones. Hubs may use Mini-B instead of Type B for the computer connection.