Review: Region Free Sony BDP-S580

Sony is known for being a reputable electronics manufacturer. Over the decades they’ve produced various types of audio and video equipment, leading the industry with innovative designs and top-of-the-line performance. Today we’re going to take a look at one of Sony’s latest developments, the BDP-S580 Blu-ray Player. Just like their long history of products, the Sony Blu-ray lineup is designed to deliver high-quality performance and a long life of reliability.

While all models that come directly from the manufacturer are locked to a specific region, the model we’re reviewing is actually region-free. It has been professionally modified to play both DVDs and Blu-ray Discs from any region in the world without fail. Aside from the ability to play discs from other regions, the region-free modification also provides worldwide voltage which allows the player to operate at any voltage, making it ideal for travelers or those who work abroad or are planning to relocate. The region-free Sony BDP-S580 can literally plug in and play discs from anywhere in the world without the need for “region hacking”.
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The BDP-S580 is one of the more expensive players that Sony is currently offering, but for good reason. It’s loaded with valuable features, and of course, that general build quality that Sony is known for. The region-free model comes in at $359 and it’s worth every dollar.

The Features

We’ve already discussed the region-free aspects of this modified model so we know it plays all regions of DVD (regions 1-8) and all regions of Blu-ray Disc (regions A,B, and C). While that’s surely noteworthy, it’s only the beginning of the BDP-S580’s capabilities.

This player is fully loaded, and that’s saying the least.

3D Playback: Do you own a 3D TV or are you thinking about purchasing one in the near future? The BDP-S580 is 3D ready allowing you to enjoy your favorite new 3D titles in Full 1080p HD from the comfort of your very own home. Pop on your 3D glasses, toss in a 3D Blu-ray Disc, grab some popcorn and enjoy this rich, lifelike experience!

Built-in Wi-Fi: No more annoying wires to run and no more worrying about where to place the player. With the Wi-Fi actually built-in to the player all you have to do is connect to your home network and you’ve got wireless internet just as you would with a smartphone or laptop. If you’re looking for optimal speed, you can always hookup directly to the ethernet port on the rear but in most circumstances, there’s really no need to.

Streaming Media, Apps and More: The BDP-S580 offers streaming access to some of your favorite social media applications and tons of other apps. Want to watch youtube on the TV? Easy. How about streaming netflix directly through the player instead of having to hook up your laptop? Done. There are plenty of streaming services and apps available to meet your social media and home entertainment needs.

Video UpScaling: If you own some older DVDs that aren’t in 1080p, the BDP-S580 offers the next best thing – upscaling, and it works exactly like it says. Simply pop in a non-HD movie and the quality will be upscaled to 1080p to provide the highest quality video possible. The difference is noticeable and it means there’s no reason to purchase another copy of the same title to achieve Full HD.

Awesome Image Quality: With 24p True Cinema Technology, the BDP-S580 delivers flawless video quality for even the most fast paced movies. Action, sports and 3D movies won’t suffer from lagging or skipping frames – everything flows perfectly. There are also plenty of cinema tuned picture modes available such as theater, brighter room, standard room, film, anime and auto to help you get the most crisp, clean and deep experience possible under any circumstance. It also features HD 24Hz to 60hz conversion!

Inputs and Outputs: Sony surely did their job when making it easy to connect with the BDP-S580. It’s loaded with ports to make everything easier and more efficient, allowing you to get the perfect configuration. This player comes standard with a rear HDMI output, a rear composite video output, rear component video output, rear digital audio output, rear analog 2channel audio output, dual USB inputs (1 front and 1 rear) and a rear ethernet connection.

File Formats: The BDP-S580 will play an array of file formats including .mpg, .mpeg, .mkv, .mp4, .m4v, .m2ts and more. It also reads .jpg file for simple photo viewing and it supports a variety of disc formats that can be read such as CD, DVD-RW, DVD-R, and DVD Camcorder 8cm DVD.

What’s Missing?

Overall, we can’t say that there’s much missing from the region-free Sony BDP-S580. It functions well in all areas, delivers unparalleled audio and video quality, and is a rather speedy model when it comes to the graphic user interface and loading times.

The player has a nice and clean exterior design, digital front display and easy to press buttons for when you’re working directly with the player’s frontal interface. Truly, it seems that the only thing this model is missing would be 4k, but since 4k isn’t supported across all TVs and hardly anything is being produced in a 4k format, we won’t stress about it.

The major factors of importance here is that we have a nicely designed, solidly manufactured player that is jam packed with features, and most importantly, region-free! You can learn more about the Region-Free Sony BDP-S580 and purchase your own at 220-Electronics.com, where it’s available at the lowest price in the world guaranteed.

IMPORTANT: Please note that Blu-ray Players are NOT produced as Region Free from the manufacturer, and are NOT available in major retail stores. Region Free units require professional hardware & software modification and are only sold by specialty retailers. Be sure to check the player’s specifications before making a purchase to ensure the player is being advertised and sold as a unit with region free capability.


Comments

Review: Region Free Sony BDP-S580 — 6 Comments

    • Fernando, is your player region-free? Please note you need to purcahse a professionally modified BDP-S580, they are not region-free from the manufacturer and are not available in most stores.

  1. I brought my SONY Blu-ray/DVD player model BDP-S580 some 6 years ago (2012) from JB-HI FI store Sydney, Australia.

    I recently wanted to buy some dvds on EBay but unfortunately there all Regions 2 or 1 and I wouldn’t know if my specific DVD model above is ‘region free’ either as there is no indication on the outside of the box which I still have to this day. So I guess I will have to test the theory and buy the DVD (Region 2) and test drive the thing…..Love SONY products

    • Hi Samantha. If it’s not a modified unit it’s not going to play discs from other regions. You’ll need to get one from a retailer who specializes in this. We use 220-electronics.com as they have great prices and worldwide shipping.

  2. Thank you for your advice above will take a look at their site. However, I did take the chance and buy the DVD on EBay (Region 1 apparently – that’s according to the seller) anyway it arrived today 07/06/18. Popped it in my SONY BDP-S580 player (which is 6yrs old). It’s now 7:01pm Sydney time Australia and the DVD played in its entirety without any problems. I’m so stoked (happy). And, I was even contemplating of buying brand new multi-region DVD player just for this one DVD but which would have set me back $450.00. Maybe the EBay seller got his Regions wrong maybe….

  3. Absolutely love my Sony player*** I been around Sony all my life and even used a 1200 Watt Sony amp in my Honda** thanks for years of good times with great products**$$ Sony rules*

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