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: Sony BDPS300 - Excellent Blu-ray Player!
Summary: 5 Stars
I own 2 of these Blu-ray players and they work perfectly. I have one hooked to a Sony SXRD rear projection TV and the other to a 40" Sony Bravia. I have had them for almost a year now as I got them when they first came out. I've never had any problems with them and they have played every disc I've put into them except Van Wilder on Blu-ray. After I had updated the firmware to the newest version at the time than even Van Wilder played perfectly. The remote also works great, I just wish that it was backlit. I personally don't care about the profile not being 2.0. I just enjoy the movie and xome extras. The picture in picture never got me going even with my HD-DVD players which have always had that feature along with internet ability. I'm in it for simple HD quality.
I've not had many complaints of load times. The average is about 30 seconds for most films. I have had a few that take several minutes but I don't sweat it much. It just gives some extra time to get something to drink and run to the bathroom before starting! After all, what is a couple of minutes in relation to a 2 hour movie? Not a big deal. I don't understand people that complain about such little things. I own these for the picture quality and it is worth a couple of minutes.
I also own 2 of the Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray players and they have worked flawlessly also. I have one of those hooked to my 1080p Mits front projector and a Sony 60" rear projector. I just added a Samsung BD-UP5000 Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo player for my wife's 46" Sony Bravia in her sewing room and that is working great also.
I think the real issue with any of these Blu-ray and HD-DVD players is to update the firmware if you are having any issues. I also have 5 HD-DVD players, all Toshiba, HD-A1 (2), HD-XA2 (2), and HD-A3 (1) and they have all worked great also. Don't be afraid to enjoy beautiful HD movies, just update the firmware which is very simple.
Customer Review: Love it - plays flawlessly
Summary: 5 Stars
When DVD first came out I jumped on the first Sony DVD player that was pretty pricey at the time, but the player's picture was so good (and still is for me) that I had it something like 10-12 years (can't remember when it came out) and never felt the need to buy another player. So now that I'm tired of waiting for the Blu Ray versus HD DVD war to play out (it could go on for years), I decided to get this machine that is half the price of the first Blu Ray machines. Factors like Blockbuster dropping HD DVD rentals in favor of Blu Ray, Netflix renting Blu Ray, anecdotal stories of Blu Ray outselling HD DVD at places like Target, and the fact that I've always liked Sony and Sony has serious movie power were all things that made me decide to go Blu Ray. Also, I had read some not so good things about HD DVD players' operation, and while both formats have had their problems HD DVD just didn't seem compelling enough to purchase an HD DVD player. So I bought Blu Ray and am glad that I did.
Set up of the player was simple. First boot took about the 90 seconds that the instructions said it would, and as the player set itself up for the first time it prompted me a couple of questions such as what resolution I wanted to pick. Since then it's played flawlessly and all the menus operate as normal. I'm not crazy about the remote not being back lit, but I don't really care because my receiver's universal remote is back lit and I can use that. But in fact I've just easily memorized where the mainly-used buttons on the Sony remote are and can easily choose the buttons in the dark. So while I would prefer them backlit, they aren't and it's not a deal breaker at all. I love the player itself, so who cares? All the movies I've seen look fantastic, so enough said.
Customer Review: Well worth it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was dead set against buying a high defination dvd player until this format nonsense was settled. I changed my mind after seeing a regular dvd playing on a high defination Sony Vaio laptop that one of my co-workers brought to work a few days ago. Wow! Of course I checked the reviews for this player here at Amazon very closely and decided to go ahead, even though there were some very negative reviews, and the issues that were stated seriously concerned me. Well, It has been a couple of days now since I have had my unit hooked up. I am happy to say that I have not had any of the issues stated by the buyers who gave the poor ratings. The issue with the start-up time was minor. I also had no problems moving around the different menu's. Anyone with a great dvd collection will love this player. The dvd upscaling was awesome. I have had a regular upscaling dvd player for some time, and wanted to see if there was a difference. There certainly is a difference. a very noticeable difference. The dvd upscaling was worth the price of the player alone.
I world certainly recommend this player to anyone who wants to venture into the world of hi-def. One of the issues that I did have was when I downloaded the upgrade from the sony website(from version 2.2 to 3) I was unable to burn it to disc because I did not have the proper dvd burning software. Although I do have Nero, the program would only burn using Nero burning rom which I have no intention of buying anytime soon. I did see that Sony will send you a free disc with the firmware upgrade after you fill out a short form, and supply the product serial number. Sony could have put a firewire connection in this thing. Great product though Sony. Thanks!
Customer Review: Your Patience Will Be Rewarded...
Summary: 5 Stars
My initial interest in purchasing a high definition player began with the purchase of an upconvert unit, so I got one, and was very impressed and satisfied with it. Like most of you, I decided to wait until I was able to afford a hi-def player, and in the meantime, I began to do some in-depth research, comparing both formats. I read many reviews from experts in the field, and I also read reviews from consumers. Ultimately, the decision was mine to make, so I took a chance and decided to go for it.
Without hesitation, I can honestly say that the Sony (second generation) Blu-ray Disc player was a great investment. As instructed, when initially turned on, it takes about 90 seconds. Set-up was also very easy, and load time on average, is about 40-45 seconds. Unfortunately, most of us are not that patient, and we have all become accustomed to faster load time, but that should really not be the deal breaker. Also, let us not forget that we are dealing with an entirely new and different format and an entirely different disc. There are two types of hi-def units, and personally, I chose Blu-ray because in my opinion, I feel that there are many more disc titles to choose from, and lately, both formats have been releasing the same titles. Sony is also an exceptional and reliable brand, and are also being backed by most film studios, not to mention the fact that Blockbuster is supporting the blu-ray format exclusively.
In the end, the decision will be yours to make, so do your own research and choose wisely...
Customer Review: Great quality, keep up to date with firmware
Summary: 5 Stars
We purchased our player December 07 as a Christmas gift for ourselves. After reading the DIRECTIONS Sony made it VERY clear that the load times for the videos would take 90 seconds. If I'm not mistaken, that is 1.5 minutes, unless you are sitting and watching the clock, I think many are exaggerating your times.
We had NO issues with our player (even through 3 moves, US Navy) and only recently with the BD-Live videos did we ever have to update our firmware.
I found the firmware update extremely easy to download, burn and update my player and I'm a woman! After the update the newest BD-Live videos load up in exactly the 90 seconds stated in Sony's guide.
For regular DVDs it takes no time at all to load. I like the player, it has served us well, and the firmware updates are fine. I would recommend though if you do purchase a player, go on Sony's website and download the latest firmware so that you can watch the newest BD videos without issue.
We found out about the firmware update by using Sony's interactive support chat, the analyst was very knowledgable and gave us exactly the information we needed very quickly.
I would recommend.