From another forum, the 550 is meant to be one of the better players out there.
Having said all of that, the belief on AVF is that there's no significant difference in PQ between any of the existing BD players.
As such, it's all down to functionality, i.e. would you like:
- A unit with 5.1 analogue outputs (which the 550 has)
- A unit with only stereo analogue outputs (but obviously with HDMI and SPDIF digital outputs), e.g. the cheaper Sony 350, which can be found for a good deal less than £220 notes.
- Fairly naff analogue outputs (still with full digital out), but a free games machine, i.e. PS3.