Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player for $279.99

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I was lucky enough to receive this as a complimentary player for a TV I purchased over a year ago. While freebies are definitely nice, I was concerned that there would be something sketchy with the device if they were giving it away free. To my surprise, it has performed better than any free piece of equipment I've ever received and certainly better than any DVD player I've owned. Though the price range for this player may be steep, sometimes its best to invest a little extra to truly enjoy the quality promised by Blu-ray format. Below I will share the goods and the bads of this device...

(To skip to the main points, simply read the headers of each section.)

THE GOODS:

Brilliant and Vibrant Picture Quality-
Believe it or not, my collection of DVDs is chocked full of Blu-ray and non-Blu-ray classics. Old movies are rife with flaws and you can easily pick up the weaknesses of the less advanced lenses used at the time when the film remains untouched. I happen to own both a non Blu-ray edition of Gone With the Wind (not remastered) as well as a Blu-ray edition (remastered). The upscalling of the picture is so awesome that I truly cannot tell the difference between the two editions when I watch them on this player. There's hardly a hint of dullness in the colors and the extravagant gowns of the Southern belles never looked better. Of course watching Blu-rays like Avatar will deliver even more larger the life results too.

Rich and Lush Audio-
The sound that this player manages to produce has so much texture and richness to it. The standard DVD players I have sound flat no matter what TV I plugged them into. Granted, that to get the most authentic stereo experience one requires a capable home theater system, I do not see the need for it with this player. Besides the great scenic sounds this device produces, I can clearly hear dialogue audio as well. Occasionally you may need to adjust the sound output depending on the strength of the source audio, but I've rarely had to dig through the audio menus to do that.

Speedy Response Time-
The best feature of this player is its nimble response time. Loading a disc is easily accomplished within a few seconds. Scanning a scene while rewinding or fast forwarding is also effortless. Believe me, I know how a sluggish player can ruin a movie watching experience. Struggling to go back to a scene from Lord of the Rings where Gandalf is on a bridge in the mines of Moria just to hear one line of dialogue and passing it every time is beyond frustrating. With this player I can always reach the exact spot I was looking for with no aggravation whatsoever.

Intuitive Menus and Setups-
I have a Sony PS3, so I felt right at home with the Xross Media Bar. Big and clear pictures are way more intuitive to navigate around as opposed to tiny font text menus. I usually can find the exact interface I was looking for without ever having to run to the manual to see where something is located. In fact a novice might find it easier to just dive right into the menus.

THE BADS:

Occasional Frame Stutters-
One of the side effects of viewing film or video in 1080p coupled with Blu-ray is that you will notice the infamous frame stutter problem. This issue did become a bit of a reoccurring annoyance with this player and I almost pulled my hair out trying to find a fix. It was not until someone told me the simple solution of changing the picture to interlaced format (1080i) that I found relief. Interlacing seems to produce an optical illusion that helps tremendously reduce the amount of frame stutter you notice. Switching to interlace won't produce those classic sideways rips people are accustomed to noticing on this player either. So don't be afraid to try this fix if the frame stutters start to bother you.

Minor Fan Noise-
This player produces a bit of noise while its playing. It is hardly noticeable but you will probably detect it when the player is occasionally working harder or while you are track seeking. To this day I have not managed to find a single DVD player that was utterly silent. However, comparing to my PS3, this player is much more polite about performing its job. So this issue definitely is not a deal breaker in the case of the Sony BDP-S350.

No Netflix Support-
Sony does not have a history of compensating those who bought their older equipment. It has come to my attention that there is a Sony Blu-ray player that does support Netflix streaming and Sony does not have any intention at this time to give this one a firmware upgrade for the same purpose. I sadly have to rely on my PS3 as the only Netflix compatible streaming device (besides my PC) in the house. Its no fun having to lug the PS3 around to the living room TV and it would be more convenient having the Blu-ray player to be able to this. So those who are very attached to their Netflix subscription may shy away from investing in this player.

Regardless of the negligible issues, this player is simply stellar when it comes to Blu-ray DVDs. You will hardly be disappointed after purchasing it or receiving it as a freebie player from Sony.

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"Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player" Feature

Full HD 1080/60 p & 24p True Cinema Video Output
Dolby TrueHD decoding built-in Dolby TrueHD /DTS-HD bitstream out over HDMI (V1.3)
DVD upscale to 1080p
Precision Cinema Progressive HD
x.v.Color for AVC-HD

"Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player" Overview

The Blu-ray revolution continues with the Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray Player. You can take full advantage of the Bonus View feature of select Blu-ray movies, and are ready to dive into BD-Live when the update is available. In true Sony fashion, the BDP-S350 will output a Full 1080/24p True Cinema picture, plus upscale your existing DVD collection to 1080p as well, when using the HDMI connection. On board decoding for Dolby TrueHD is here, also the ability to send out the bitstream for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD (Master Audio & High Resolution) as well. BRAVIA sync ensures that with the touch of a button, you can easily power on and synch the inputs of compatible Sony compatible BRAVIA flat-panel LCD HDTV sets and Sony audio/video devices connected to the players, via HDMI, for hassle-free enjoyment of high-definition Blu-ray Discs. Bringing it all together is the new Xcross Media Bar menu system, which is an icon based menu system for simple navigation of the BDP-S350’s menu system.

Customer Reviews

Don't bother with Sony. Customer support stinks!!! - CYNTHIA L BAMFORD -
I bought this Blu-ray player in 2009. It worked great for about the first year. Then, I began having trouble getting it to play newer blu-ray releases. I went online and found out about the need to upgrade the firmware. I also discovered many complaints regarding my same problem. In any case, I followed the online instructions and updated my firmware using a disc I created on my computer. Everything went well during the upgrade. However, the player still would not play newer discs.

I called Sony's tech support. After having the rep take me through exactly the same steps I had followed from the website, he determined that the newer discs were incompatible with the BDP-S350 and I would have to wait for the next firmware upgrade. So, I put aside my Avatar, New Moon, Wall-E and several other blu-ray discs and waited... and waited... and waited... At least I could still play DVDs.

Finally, several months later, I discovered the new firmware was available. (It would be nice if Sony notified us of this!) I followed the instructions to the letter--heeding the warnings in RED. When this upgrade failed to progress beyond the initial upgrade screen VUP 0/9, I called tech support as instructed. Once again, I was led through a series of questions about what I did, when I did it plus a whole bunch of personal info questions. Final resolution? Turn off the player, remove the disk and start all over again with a new upgrade disk.

While on the phone with the tech support rep, I attempted to turn the machine off. It wouldn't shut off. The rep then told me to unplug it, wait at least 30 minutes and plug it back in. He told me I could call back if I had any problems. Lucky him. I did.

When I plugged the machine back in, it went straight to the VUP 0/9 screen and stayed there. It still wouldn't turn off or eject the disk. NOTHING! I called technical support back. Again with the myriad of questions--what did I do, when, personal info, blah, blah, blah. I was on the phone with this guy for over a half an hour. Final resolution? My not-too-old blu-ray player needed service!!! Of course, this would be at my expense. I was livid. After following Sony's upgrade instructions to the letter and having it go wrong, I was now supposed to PAY to have the player fixed with no promise it would even play the new discs when I was done? I was told my call would be escalated to a manager.

So, I waited... and waited... and waited... After another 45 minutes on hold, I finally hung up, came on Amazon and ordered a Samsung blu-ray player for only a little more than I've read the repairs to the BDP-S350 cost. The new player is wifi ready, has a beautiful picture, has all the instant movie rentals plus internet apps and IT PLAYS ALL OF MY BLU-RAYS! Imagine that. As a bonus, if I need firmware upgrades in the future, it will notify me and the upgrade can be done via the wifi.

Not to worry. My 0 Sony paper weight will be dealt with. The very next time I have a couple of hours to spare, I plan to call Sony back with my reference number in hand and not let go until I get satisfaction. If any of you still want this player by that time, I'll give you a great deal on it...

Cheers!

Do not buy it! - Antonio -
Save your money and buy a BD player that honors its brand. After 14 months of low use the drive's gone: the NO-DISC error means that it's time to throw your SONY BD player away. Lots of users complaining on this same issue. It's frustrating!

Fine while it lasted - jball - Colorado
I had no problems at all with this player for two years, but then it developed the often-mentioned inability to read Blu-ray discs. It plays regular DVDs fine. I spoke with tech support and they took me through the steps described in most of the posts here and elsewhere: update firmware, re-boot, see if it plays other Blu-ray discs, etc. (all of which I already had done) before conceding that my only option was to send it in for repairs. The cost would be 2 plus tax plus my cost to ship it to them. I decided to order a new LG unit for 0 - it even adds Netflix access and I probably will have it sooner than the week it was going to take to get my Sony repaired.

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Blu-Ray Disc Player

Sunday, November 7, 2010