Sony BDP-S1 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player by Sony
|
List Price: Our Price: $124.99 You Save: $675.00 (84%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Sony BDP-S1 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
Digital camera Review: Surpasses HD DVD In Quality
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't pay attention to most of the other reviews here -- they're written mainly by HD DVD supporters who have no interest in seeing Blu-ray succeed. Fact is, this is a MUCH more solid, reliable and quality product than the el-cheapo Toshiba HD DVD player.
I picked this machine up at my local Best Buy, which had two units in stock early. I have seen the other Blu-ray players in action. Forget about the Samsung, that was flawed from the beginning. The Panasonic is an excellent machine, as is Sony's own PS3 for playing Blu-rays. This new stand-alone player is worth the wait. The build quality is solid, and it's beautifully designed. There is virtually no start-up time (unlike the Toshiba HD DVD product) and the picture and audio quality are top-notch.
I've only had it for 2 days but the "wow" factor is there. Picked up "MI:3," "Kingdom of Heaven," "Black Hawk Down," "Goodnight, and Good Luck," "The Searchers," "X-Men 3" and "Superman Returns" on Blu-ray -- the quality is truly incredible.
Digital camera Review: THE BEST HIGH DEF BLU-RAY PLAYER
Summary: 5 Stars
The BDP-S1 was my first BLU-RAY player, and it is state of the art-superb picture and sound in High Definition. All the major Studios support BLU-RAY, if you want HD MOVIES from DISNEY, FOX, SONY(COLUMBIA),WARNERS,PARMOUNT then you must own a BLU-RAY. NO DISNEY, FOX, AND SONY MOVIES ARE AVAILABLE ON HD-dvd.Digital camera Review: TOP NOTCH BLU RAY PLAYER
Summary: 5 Stars
OUTSTANDING PICTURE AND SOUND QUALITY MAKE THIS BLU RAY PLAYER THE HD FORMAT TO OWN. BLU RAY IS TAKING A COMMANDING LEAD OVER HD DVD. BUY THIS PLAYER, OR THE LESS EXPENSIVE NEW SONY PLAYER THAT RETAILS FOR $499 FOR THE HD DISC FORMAT OF THE FUTURE.Digital camera Review: Take a Wait-and-See Attitude
Summary: 2 Stars
I am, as a rule, not one to buy first generations of any kind of product. I have a long history of owning problem-free Sony products, so I was willing to risk it with the BDP-S1 once I caught it on sale. Big mistake! While the picture quality is amazingly better than anything I've seen so far in a digital video format, the machine is glitchy as can be. Here's my thoughts:
Pros:
1. Much better audio than with any player I've ever owned. The channels are clearly separate and not muddy sounding as with other players I've owned. Some of that is the Yamaha receiver, but there've been other players connected to it recently and none match the BDP-S1 sound output quality.
2. The picture delivers as advertised when played with the Blue Ray discs. The 1080i upconversion (my TV doesn't support 1080p...another wait-and-see attitude for me) is not remarkable with standard DVDs, but there is a difference.
Cons:
1. Does not play CD audio discs. Not a big thing to me since I never played CDs in any of my previous DVD players, but for the price (see #5 below), this machine should have zero problems handling any previous digital data formats.
2. The boot-up speed is, in a word, awful. It takes a LONG time for the player to get to the point where the tray can be opened to insert a disc. After I'd first bought the player, I pressed the open/close button and, once the player had finished it's boot-up process, it opened and then immediately closed the tray, scratching the disc. I learned to wait until I see the "CLOSE" indication on the player before pressing the open/close button. This con sounds a bit trivial, but after several foot-tapping delays, it becomes insane.
3. The menu access is hit-and-miss with standard DVD discs. Some discs will allow you to go back to the previous menu when the MENU button is pressed on the remote, others will display the message "This operation is prohibitied by this disc" and then you're forced to stop the disc and either restart it again for this power cycle or reboot the entire player (see #2!).
4. Following the argument in #3, if you are able to restart the disc without rebooting the player, this process sometimes hangs the play mode into scan mode. When this happens, it's back to rebooting the player and, you guessed it, see #2.
5. There is no resume function that bookmarks your progress after power is removed from the player. So, if you have to reboot because you tried to access the menu with a standard DVD, you'll have to find where you were at manually once you are able to return to the movie. The resume works only on the current power cycle.
6. Even on sale, this player is enormously expensive.
I broke my own rule of avoiding first generation products based on brand loyalty and performance history. It's why I don't own a 2005 Mustang while I absolutely loved the redesign and my mouth watered every time one drove past. But in this instance, I turned a deaf ear to my better judgment, so I deserve what I got for having ignored my own cardinal rule. Don't make the same mistake. Wait and see what's next. It's my understanding that the next generation of Sony Blue Ray players will play CD audio. Save your money and frustration budget and wait.
Digital camera Review: The Japan model
Summary: 5 Stars
FYI i live in japan the going price is around $2,900 it also has a 400gig hard drive and can record mulitple tv shows at the same time they dont have tivo here yet but there dvd players can record TV and Satellite at the same time. My wife likes to use her cell phone on the subway to start recording different shows. Pick one up if you have a 1080p TV it helps alot from the normal PSDVD players. I also recommend monster cables HDMI cable it about $100 but its a noticeable difference.