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While the player provides native 1920 x 1080p (progressive) high-definition video for Blu-ray (BD) titles, it also features a 1080p video upscaling facility that purports to 'take your old movies out of the DVD-Video domain and represents them with a new lustre and character that is closer to HD resolution'.

The BDP-S1E has been designed to integrate with Sony's Bravia range of TV sets and home theatre systems. Pressing a button activates the Theatre Sync function that consolidates all hardware controls into one.

Bravia integration also extends to the 24p True Cinema technology, which is designed to show movies as they were intended to be seen. As Sony explains, cine cameras film at 24 frames per second, but televisions operate at a higher frame rate, so conversion has traditionally been necessary. The result is a four per cent discrepancy from the original: on TV the film runs four per cent faster than the original and the soundtrack rises by four per cent in pitch. When connected to a TV with 24p capabilities, such as the Bravia D3000 series, the BDP-S1E plays the original 24 frames per second as the camera first recorded them.

The player supports up to 8 channels of uncompressed linear PCM digital audio output via HDMI as well as Dolby Digital Plus. Separate audio circuitry ensured the best-possible audio performance, claims Sony.

It has also included

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x.v.Colour, its implementation of the xvYCC video signal standard that provides approximately twice the colour of sRGB when playing back discs recorded with AVC-HD camcorders. The player supports a range of video codecs, including MPEG2, MPEG4-AVC and VC1.

While HDMI interfaces ensure the broadest level of device interoperability, an analogue component output for 1080i (interlace) is included as a standard feature for owners of HDTVs without the HD digital/audio interface. In addition to BD video, the player reads BD-ROM, AVC-HD, CD and DVD/DVDR/RW encoded discs as well as MP3 audio files and JPEG images stored on DVD.

'Just as Blu-ray Disc is set to revolutionise the home entertainment market, this new player sets a fresh aspirational benchmark in the European market,' said Jonathan White, head of TV and Home Video Group at Sony UK. 'With its rich feature set, fantastic design and stunning picture quality, the BDP-S1E sets the standard for a Blu-ray player in the discerning AV enthusiast market.'

The BDP-S1E will be available throughout Europe from summer 2007. Pricing has not yet been announced.

There are currently 250 Blu-ray movies available in Europe, among them Casino Royale. According to Sony, the latest Bond adventure is the fastest-selling HD title to date, with 100,000 copies shipped since its release on 13 March.

'As a point of comparison, the first DVD title to ship 100,000 units took approximately 11 months (Air Force One, in February 1998),' said David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 'Casino Royale on Blu-ray has done it in far less time and is clearly demonstrating the format's robust growth in the marketplace.'

And with free copies set to be given away to the first 500,000 PlayStation 3 owners to register on the PlayStation Network, it appears destined to sit at the top of the HD chart for some time to come.