 It's not obsolete, just update the firmware! |
| Review Date: October 5, 2007 |
| Reviewer: tron3, New Jersey |
Not exactly a product review as you already have dozens of them. If you are undecided because of some of the negative things said, let me show you the light. It's blu!
I bought this player with the 2.0 firmware and it was great. Yes, it did take a very long time to load Pirates of the Caribbean - almost 3 full minutes. That is due to the disc heavily using Java (BD-J) for interactivity. I flash update to new firmware in about 10 minutes. See Sony's web site for the firmware and carefully follow the instructions. They will even provide you with the disc.
Keep in mind these things are essentially customized single purpose computers. The firmware is simply reprogramming them to include more functions, become more stable, etc. It is only limited by the existing hardware.
After the update, it still takes 45 seconds to turn on, but that is down from about 1 minute. Pirates of the Caribbean now loads in 1 minute 11 seconds. All my non-BD-J movies now start up in +/- 30 seconds.
BD-J load times may seem outlandish compared to DVD, But remember, future firmware updates can only improve things. We may or may not see further improved load times and that depends on the existing hardware. Any playback issues with movies will always be rectified by new firmware. Sony is showing great support.
In short, this is a second generation player and minor issues do exist. But you won't have to live with them forever. Firmware fixes all, and helps the longevity of your player. Remember that extended load times is normal for some titles, but within acceptable range for this player because it is "The Tank". It's not obsolete, just update the firmware!
Updated Addendum June 2010: The latest 5.40 firmware update further enhances BD-J, and still supports BD-R/RE playback ability. Fastest load times ever for BD-J discs. Some significantly so, others by seconds. Load times for all BD-J movies should improve. Menu selection has never been this smooth and responsive. The newest feature "Adds Dolby® TrueHD Audio decoding functionality". Fixes playback freezing issues with movies like Wall-E. BEST FIRMWARE YET!
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Here is my suggested "Load Time Performance Table".
* Non BD-J loading in 35 seconds or less. Excellent.
* BD-J up to 75 seconds. Very Good.
* BD-J 76 to 90 seconds. Good. (Tolerable Threshold)
* BD-J 91 to 100 seconds. Very Fair
* BD-J 101 to 120 seconds. Fair.
* BD-J over 120 seconds. Poor.
* BD-J over 180 seconds. Very Poor.
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Wonderful Blu-Ray Player
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| Review Date: June 19, 2007 |
| Reviewer: zugzwang, |
I just received the Sony BDP-S300 Blu-Ray disc player. I've plugged it into my Sony KDL-40V2500 40" Bravia V-Series 1080p LCD HDTV, set it up and have watched the movie "Flight Of The Phoenix".
Setting up was quick and straightforward - no problems here. I noticed that this Sony player weighs much less than the Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player. The Toshiba definitely has a more substantial feel to it. Both players are about the same size and dimensions - slim and trim, easily fitting into my entertainment stand.
But the proof is in the viewing, and the Sony definitely delivers. I am very impressed with the clarity, sharpness and rich color of the 1080p image. The picture is as good and in some ways better than the Toshiba. The reason I say better is because the Toshiba, great as it is, has a picture that occasionally flickers quite noticeably. There's no flickering of any kind on this Sony - it's rock solid so far. And the picture is beautiful.
One other thing I immediately noticed is how whisper quiet the BDP-S300 is. There is no noticeable fan noise whatsoever. Compare this to the Toshiba HD-XA2 fan, which has a sound resembling the whine of a tiny fighter jet. There is simply no reason to have to put up with a home theater component that adds unwanted noise when you can have the quiet, quiet Sony BDP-S300.
Sony's plastic remote is reasonably good. It's well designed and compliments the Sony HDMI HDTV - the remote controls the TV's basic functions too. No more fumbling around for 2 different remotes. The one area where this remote disappoints is that unlike the black aluminum Toshiba remote, the buttons are not backlit. The Toshiba remote stands head and shoulders above all other remotes - backlighting should be a standard feature on these high end remotes, especially considering how complex they are and that they are likely to be used in a dark room. When I say backlighting, I'm talking about button/label illumination by lamps or LEDs, not those pathetically lame glow in the dark buttons.
The startup and control response times compare favorably with the Toshiba. It takes about 30+ seconds after power on for the Sony to accept a disc, then another 8 seconds to load and play the disc. Response times for scan (fast forward/backward) and other controls seem almost as quick as on those of a regular DVD player.
Overall I am very pleased with the Sony BDP-S300. I just wish there were more high quality Blu-Ray discs available at lower prices. |
Just great!
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| Review Date: July 26, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Michael J. Foley, Sherman Oaks, CA United States |
I own a Toshiba HD AD1 DVD player and really enjoy it! But, it looks like the HD DVD wars are beginning to favor Blu Ray and added to that the HD DVD discs that I'm getting from Netflix are usually abused and scratched and make the player likely to freeze up and the Blu Ray discs have a protective coating to prevent this from happening. This IS a consideration if you plan on renting. Blu Ray discs hold more information. Plus I recently heard that Blockbuster will stop carrying HD DVDs and only carry the Blu Ray. Compitition is good for home entertainment: remember Beta Hi-Fi gave us higher sound quality with VHS Hi-Fi. As I said, I enjoy the image quality and sound from the Toshiba, but this new Sony is even better than that!! I hooked it up to a Sony 46" LCD as well as a Yamaha RX-V2700 receiver and the results are breathtaking. I just watched "Apocalypto" and all I can say is it WAS the theatre exerience! "Chicago" has never looked or sounded THIS good. Even in the theatre! It's really THAT good! "The Fifth Element" is a revelation! (Be sure to get the remastered Blu Ray disc. They had some problems with the resolution on the initial Blu Ray release. If you order from Amazon, be sure to get this new disc, which says REMASTERED). This is the film that will sell many of these machines. Many. PERFECT picture and sound. The uncompressed 5.1 sound on a GOOD system will send you to heaven on earth. If you love this quirky pop and extreme film (which is definitely one of the best science fiction films ever made), you'll never watch your television again in quite the same way. This is actually better than theatre quality. Every red hair on Milla is seen in extreme detail. Every explosions is so extreme! The colors are just amazing! You've never seen anything like this at home. The picture on both machines approach perfection but this is a far quieter machine and sleeker. The upscaling to 1080p of standard DVDs is something that should not be ignored in this upgrade. Both machines do an excellent job of this, altough this new Sony has the edge. I'd have to say that with this upconversion, it's all you'll need for most films. Don't get me wrong, the HD discs are MUCH better but for most viewing... Sound is fantastic, especially in the uncompressed mode. I really never thought that we'd ever have movies of this quality in our homes. Either machine will enhance your life but keep in mind that it was just announced that "Close Encounter" will be released only on Blu Ray (at least initally and because of special mastering will offer all three versions of the film on a single disc. Pinch me!). Today, to get all the HD titles, you need both machines. But now you can get both for the price of the first generation Sony Blu Ray disc player... at this point, still for the videophiles, but you know who you are. This IS the better machine.
Both machines are just exellent! But...this new Blu Ray machine is just superb! (which is beyond excellent). If you have the right equipment (720p or 1080p monitor & HDMI receiver hookup or monitor), you will...not...be...sorry!!! |
great Blu-ray player - but get the firmware update
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| Review Date: February 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Stephen N. Larcovic, Pittsburgh, PA United States |
| This is a magnificent Blu-ray DVD player. It enhances regular DVD viewing and presents Blu-ray discs in full 1080p (if you have a 1080p HDTV). One necessary step is to obtain a firmware update from Sony; I run a Mac computer, so I could not download the firmware update from Sony's website - only Windows. But, I called Sony and got the firmware disc in three days. Contrary to what you may have read in some reviews, this machine works great with the update! |
Great quality, keep up to date with firmware
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| Review Date: December 7, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Deena Cannistraci, IL |
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. |
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