Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
by Sony
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List Price: Our Price: $62.00 You Save: $337.99 (84%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
Customer Review: A year later, having issues with BDP-300
Summary: 4 Stars
My initial review (4-stars) in Oct 2007 was consistent with others I saw.
Firstly, the unit is quiet, looks good, and the picture quality with Blu-Ray DVDs is outstanding. This makes up for some annoyances and limitations which I didn't expect on a 3rd generation product:
1. very slow load time. The manual mentions that once you perform and save the initial setup the times will improve. I did, and they do, but not very noticeably. Perhaps I need to try a f/w upgrade.
2. when playing legacy (regular) DVDs, sometimes the picture freezes, especially some of the cheaper productions, eg Scholastic kids' stuff.
3. Does not play legacy VCD, DVD-R, PAL format, etc at all. I wound up buying an Oppo DV-981HD upconverting player and unlocking in to handle everything else.
4. Though generally helpful the manual is not explicit enough: I still can't figure out how to turn sub-titles on !!
Overall I was (WAS) satisfied with this product.
------ new review, 8-5-2008 (down to 1 star, can't change it) -------
I bought the S300 in July 2007 and was initially very happy - gorgeous picture, a bit slow but that was OK.
This week August 2008, I encountered problems with 2 disks: one was stopping & jerky, the other would not play all of the chapters.
After debating whether I got 2 bad disks at the same time from Netflix, I thought maybe newer disks require f/w upgrades. I found this on Google:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=BDPS300&upd_id=3590&os_id=7
I checked the player, it was at Rev 2.00 from the factory. Thinking newer must obviously be better - duh - I downloaded v 3.95 it and did the update today (8-4-2008). After the update I verified v 3.95 on the System Menu.
After the upgrade to 3.95, the player has now become very finicky about what it will and won't play:
1. Glory Road (Netflix) loads and starts any time, I have not played it all the way yet.
2. National Treasure II (Hollywood Video) loaded after several tries and "can't play disc" errors. Let's see if the v 3.95 has succeeded in clearing up the jerky audio & video I had before the upgrade. So far, so good.
3. BBC Galapagos (Netflix): loaded and played one time. Now it does not any more. Several tries all resulted in "can't play disc."
The unit gets one star because if the disc loads successfully the picture still looks great. But this nonsense with the f/w upgrades is very discouraging. BR may have won the war, but it isn't ready for prime-time.
Customer Review: Solid Basic Player
Summary: 4 Stars
I picked up a Sony BDP-S300 around Thanksgiving, and I think it's exactly what's advertised, a solid but entry-level Blu-Ray disk player. You should believe everything you read in all the other customer reviews...you just need to decide what's important to you.
This is one of the least expensive Blu-ray players on the market. Still, it has played every movie we put in it perfectly. The picture upgrade over non-HD DVD's is simply spectacular. If you've not seen a Blu-ray disk before, you're in for a treat. Some people report that some movies have image glitches in them, but I've seen none, from either Blu-Ray or regular DVD's. And because this player will "upconvert" your old DVD's, they look noticeably better than they will have looked on an older, "regular," player.
There are some limitations with this entry-level model. As others have noted, it's really slow to load a Blu-Ray disc, and the menus can be a bit sluggish. The wait time is irritating, and the first time I started a movie, I thought it was broken. Once you get used to it, you don't notice it as much. And, while I have not upgraded the firmware, others have suggested that a firmware upgrade (which is free) will help the speed quite a bit.
I have an older HD TV with no HDMI connector. I researched extensively before I bought this unit and discovered some relevant facts. If you need to push 1080p resolution you need an HDMI cable. You can push 1080i resolution with component cables, and 720p. The menu setup gives you all the available options, but you'll need to configure that resolution manually (the start-up menu guides you through it the first time you start the player). The Blu-Ray disc specification has a switch in it that allows the publisher of a disc to prohibit the highest content levels from being transmitted out a component cable, but no studios are currently using that switch, so all DVD's published so far can be played on component cables. There are S-Video and RCA outputs, but if you have to use them there's probably no point in buying a Blu-Ray player.
This is a simple, solid, player. It's the low-priced entry in its space, and delivers features consistent with that positioning. Its performance is adequate, and it's a decent buy for the money. I'd recommend it to someone trying to get into a Blu-Ray player for the least amount of money. If money's not an object, there are certainly better choices out there.
Customer Review: Almost Awesome
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought a 1080p TV (Vizio LCD) and decided to go with Blu Ray. Please know that without a HDTV, going Blu Ray is silly. Also know that HDMI is the only way you're going to get 1080p. As for the upconverting of 480p (standard DVDs) to 1080p, I can't say if it really looks that much better, however, depending on your TV, you might need the 1080p input for certain functions (specifically - smooth aspect ratio conversions). I didn't want a PS3 (and the headaches), so I decided on this model. It works fine, however IT IS SLOW! When turning on it takes nearly 60 seconds to wake up (yes I'm not that patient). I'm also disappointed in it's limited format compatability (would MP4 decoding be that hard Sony?). Those things aside, the picture is wonderful and Blu-Ray rocks. Both Blockbuster (#$*@!!) and my local mom & pop rental stores carry Blu-Ray and not HD DVD. Netflix also has an extensive collection.
Important: Buy your HDMI cable online (I got mine for $1.51 and it works fine). "Monster" cables and the like are rip-offs. It's digital people! There's no such thing as high qualitiy 1s and 0s. Either it works or it don't.
good luck!
UPDATE: Okay, I was wrong about HDMI being the only way to get 1080p. I have since learned that the only way to get 1080p from my XBOX 360 is to use HDMI. Other components can push 1080p through component cables.
Customer Review: Finally, a reasonably-priced Sony Blu-ray player!
Summary: 4 Stars
Sony has finally released a reasonably-priced Blu-ray player loaded with features.
This player not only plays Blu-ray discs as well as DVDs, but also plays CDs, an omission in their first generation player. The picture is extraordinary, assuming that you have a high def set to play it on! Set up is extremely simple: just select a few options and you're ready to watch your first disc.
There are minor drawbacks. Like most other Sony video products, the factory sets the default at PCM--not Dolby Digital or dts. With this player, you have to go into the initial set-up and turn these features to ON. The good news is that this a one-time set-up.
One of the minor headaches with this player is that with all the features included, why couldn't Sony include remaining time display as they do on the standard DVD players. Yes this player shows elapsed time as well as total time, but there is no way to tell the remaining time unless you do the math.
This is a great Blu-ray player, but with what you are spending, you would think that Sony could correct these minor irritations.
Customer Review: Very Satisfied Customer
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this product one week after it came out. At first I was a little turned off by the long load times but I found that I got quite used to it after a while. I loaded the firmware update today and have noticed an appreciable difference in load times. It's still no speed demon but I could care less about that. I'm not into the games and tricks that come loaded onto disks these days, I have so little time that I like to fill it with more films rather than all of the interactive stuff.
As a player I could not be happier with the BDP-S300. I am still awe stricken by the quality of the image that it puts out. have you seen the chrome and glass at the beginning of Casino Royale? Absolutely fantastic! The other thing is that this player is very quiet; something essential to me. I understand that the PS3 is a noisy little thing.
I am not format neutral. I have seen HD-DVD in stores and frankly cannot tell the difference between it and Blu-ray. It matters little to me which format wins since I tend to upgrade every few years. I'll jut buy whatever is new and good.