Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player by Sony
|
List Price: Our Price: $279.99 You Save: $20.00 (7%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
Digital camera Review: Great Blu-ray player at a decent price.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the cheaper models yes, but it's still a great machine.
I've been using it for about 4 months now. I've only had a few issues with the player, one, it wouldn't play the new Skynet version of T2. I ended up having to update the firmware and while the Blu-ray took a long time to load, it did eventually play the film. By doing so I realized that the firmware I had was one of the first updates available (I believe there's now over 20) so as soon as you get this hooked up you're going to want to update.
Second, the player seems to have an issue with DVD-R's. For some reason when I put a DVD-r that's not formatted to a DVD (meaning I've just dropped various video files onto the disc) it doesn't want to play it. The picture menu comes up, even though the files are all AVI. So if I want to watch a movie I've burned I have to format it to a DVD using the program "convertxtodvd." Not too big of a deal though.
These two issues are small and for me definitely do not detract from the score or quality of the machine.
I guess I do have one more complaint, but this concerns most players also, you still have to buy hdmi cables for the best quality picture, I think that these should be included.
Alright, done with the bad, now onto the good.
*It's easy to hook up and figure out.
*for most Blu's it's fast loading.
*it's hackable for those of you who want to play DVD's from other regions.
*the quality is great for being low priced it is IMO one of the better players that I've had the pleasure of using.
*It's very sleek looking. Looks great sitting next to my flat panel.
So there you have it. The good outweighs the bad. Very high quality machine, exactly what you'd expect from a brand like Sony. So what are you waiting for? Buy it!
Digital camera Review: Sony does NOT live up to its word
Summary: 1 Stars
Purchased the Sony BDP-S350 BD unit last Christmas, and it has generally performed reliably well, and with the high quality one comes to expect from this technology.
I give it a failing grade because of a few quirks. First of all, I noticed right away that this player does not have many features that have come standard in DVD players (and VCRs) for years, such as Frame Advance (i.e. slow motion). My guess is that Sony will add these features later on new models to justify one shelling out a couple of hundred again for those features in a new unit. I have not checked other models of different brands nor researched this subject so I may be mistaken here, and it may actually be a technological hurdle.
Secondly, the unit requires firmware updates to play some of the latest offerings (e.g. Terminator 2, Skynet Edition). For those of us who can't connect the player to the Internet nor burn the firmware update in a disc from a computer (most CD burning programs that come with a new computer lack image burning capabilities unless one purchases a software upgrade), Sony offers to send a free CD with the update, which may be ordered by visiting their website. I ordered mine two months ago, and I'm still waiting for it, oh should I say I am no longer waiting for it. Sony has just lost a customer.
Digital camera Review: Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player
Summary: 4 Stars
Picture is excellent for the blu-ray discs. The most impressive feature is the upconvert of a standard DVD. Seems to increase them to about a 750p. Impressive. Starting up and setting is slow, you must answer 3 queries to get going. The picture quality is worth it. Digital camera Review: Sony BDP-S350 1080P Blu Ray Disc Player
Summary: 5 Stars
Very satisfied with ease of installation via HDMI cable.
Only 3 HDMI cables between my Sat Receiver, Disc player, Surround Amp and TV. Great sound and picture.
Digital camera Review: VERY SOLID AND RELIABLE
Summary: 5 Stars
Here is some background on my home theater equipment. I've got an older 1080i Toshiba 50H82 (Jan 2003), a Yamaha 300 (5540) surround sound, a solid Panasonic DVD player, the RP82 and a Directv DVR receiver. This has been an excellent over all system for watching movies and HDTV. It is a component type of system with the Yamaha 5540 having both a coaxial and optical audio outputs. The coaxial output is dominant which brings me to the Sony BDP-350 which contains both a coaxial and optical sound output.
When I first hooked up the new Sony DDP-350, I could see very little different with a standard DVD. I would give it a slight edge over the Panasonic RP82($210 about 6 years ago). However, we placed a blue-ray movie (Bedtime Stories) in the Sony BDP-350, and even with component connections, the picture was much better than the standard DVD movies. In fact, it was just outstanding. I did a little test yesterday with a Sony Bravia HDTV with a HDMI connection to the new blue-ray and our older system. I placed a blue-ray version of the Bourne Identity in the BDP-350 and a regular Bourne Identity in our older system. I played both movies in sync, and it just wasn't fair for the regular DVD. The Sony BDP-350 blew the socks off the older system. The color and quality of picture was far superior on the blue-ray. Don't get me wrong, the old system was of high quality and with a good picture and sound. But apples to apples, the blue-ray Sony was much better.
Years ago, when I decided to buy my Toshiba, 50H82, which upconverts standard DVD's to 480P, I was questioned about this decision since I would need a HD convertor for HD viewing. The salesmen at BB asked me, "do you like watching movies?" Of course I did and the system has functioned very well since. However, the same question can be asked now only on a much higher quality, that is, blue-ray. Sure, you need to play blue-ray movies, but that is not a problem with rentals and on-line companies which provide a vast selection. I am hooked on blue-ray.
One other note. Sony sent me a free firmware upgrade for the BDP-350 to profile 2.0. The player itself loads blue-ray discs almost as fast as my older DVD player. Out of the box the set-up was easy and there have been no problems. The Sony BDP-350 works great and I hope this review helps others with an older home theater system. I would highly recommend this blue-ray player.