Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

• Full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema Video Output
• DVD Upscaling to 1080p via HDMI
• BRAVIA Theatre Sync (HDMI-CEC)
• BD/DVD/CD playback(4) and AVC-HD with x.v.Color output
• Multi-channel Linear PCM & Dolby Digital Plus Decoding

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 April 2012: The latest 6.20 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!

====================================================================

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.

Buy Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Now

I recently upgraded my living room to a modest hi-def system to prepare for a larger remodelling of my theater room. To weigh out the results, I purchased a 46" Polaroid HD LCD and a Toshiba HD-A20 1080p HD DVD Player player and the Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. I wanted to see the results of both Blu-Ray and HD DVD before investing in more expensive units.

I must say that the image and sound quality of the Blu-Ray player is quite impressive, but as noted in other reviews loading (waiting) times for certain discs are very slow. HDMI hookup was easy and the menu system worked great. At first sight the DVD upscaling was astonishing. But... there is always a but...

I also had to upgrade the firmware twice since purchasing, which was less than 3 months ago. Out of the box, it needed a firmware upgrade to play most of the recently released movies. Very recent movies, such as Superbad [Blu-ray], Ratatouille [Blu-ray], and Live Free or Die Hard [Blu-ray] needed a firmware 3.30 which stalled and eventually crippled my unit with a permanent "NO DISC" display statement to every attempt. The install did not recognize and since then it refuses to play any discs including standard DVDs, CDs, as well as Blu-Ray Discs. I contacted their 800 number twice and spent about an hour over the 2 days going through system saving steps, unfortunately all failed. Be careful with your firmware updates they are both necessary, yet another root of other more hazardous problems.

If need be you may want to purchase an extended warranty to save yourself from this kind of problem; this is what I should've done. I was lucky enough to be within my warranty which gave me full protection for parts & labor (not including UPS shipping fees to Sony). But, if this had been after the waranty? This could've been a potentially expensive technological occurrence. And, what about next time?

There needs to be a ethernet port or some other way to access updates online direct to this player, a wireless method possibly? My Toshiba HD DVD player has the CAT-5 ethernet port and it makes updating (not exactly simple) more flexible. Sony's website offers the image (ISO) burn to DVDR method for updating, but this seems unpolished at best. The steps for Sony's firmware update are so precise and drawn out, but ultimately imperfect in design. The mail away disc is easy enough, but this takes at least 7 business days. Expect more and more updates too. I originally called on a 2.6 firmware update disc in September and they were backordered. The expected delay was somewhere between 3-4 weeks before delivery. All of this was right before I found out that a 3.20 and even 3.30 were available soon after.

If you are someone that purchases lots of new movies (I.E. the new releases every Tuesday), then beware that the movie content / security updates are constantly driving the player software updates which are so hurried that they may or may not have major glitches. You will most likely need an update straight out of the box, so check the Sony website OFTEN.

Currently my player has been sent off for repairs and is at Sony in PA. In the meantime I have decided to fall back on a Sharp Aquos BDHP20U 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player. I decided to not purchase another Blu-Ray S300, so that should be a big hint to how I feel about buying this unit. For all of the enjoyment I received from it, there was equal anguish. I can neither say it's the worst or the best, but I can say the possibility exists for problems similar to my own. Honestly I wanted to give a 2.5 stars (somewhere in the middle), but I left it at 2 stars instead of rounding up. The Blu-Ray technology needs more trial and error experience, unfortunately we are the $400-per-unit-guinea pigs.

Update as of 12-10-2007 The Sharp Aquos BDHP20U 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player that I purchased has restored my faith in Blu-Ray technology. Nothing is ever perfect, but this is proof of progress at least. See my review for details. I really like this player, hands down the better of these two designs.

Update as of 01-09-2008 My player is unfixable. The firmware update 3.30 somehow ruined the hard drive, so it's unfixable. Sony gave me the choice of waiting a couple of months for a refurbished unit or paying $200 more for a new S500 series player (the next cheapest unit available direct from Sony). I elected (and with protest) to upgrade to the S500, which now is unavailable. What was to be a 5-7 day wait now has gone to over a month. Where does this all end? If I was shopping for a Blu-ray player today, the S300 would be my last choice. The price has dropped on Amazon nearly $80 in the last few months, yet it is still only slightly cheaper than some players designed recently The S300's drive is an old design that Sony is currently still supporting with firmwares (but for how much longer?). Sony customer reps told me that they have not been producing this unit for some time now, it's a 2006 design which in this market of ever-changing technology is a lifetime ago.

P.S. Since my first review at least 2 more firmware updates have released for this unit making at least 5 firmwares changes since September of 2007 that I am aware of.

Read Best Reviews of Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Here

I have nothing good to say about this Blu Ray player. In my opinion, Sony's products are usually excellent but this is an exception.

I have gone through 2 of these players in the past month. Both had similar problems, the first unit locked up solid while playing DVD's (several different factory pressed DVD's with no defects). When I say locked up, I mean the player was totally unresponsive and had to be unplugged in order to gain control again. After returning the first player as defective, I got a second Sony unit. The second player had similar problems but also it locked up solid while playing Blu Ray discs as well. I checked to make sure the firmware was the latest on both players and it was.

The lock ups are not the only issue that I had with these players. They are very slow to start up and slow to load Blu Ray discs. Compared to the player that I bought to replace the Sony, the Sony's are extremely slow to respond to commands (fast forward, reverse, chapter skip, etc...) and slow loading.

I purchased this player based on the reveiws here at Amazon.com and my personal experience with Sony products. I was stunned when I had problems with BOTH players. Who knows, maybe it was a fluke and I just happened to get two defective Sony Blu Ray players. I would like to think that is the case. I always had great luck with Sony products in the past and have owned several. In my opinion they just didn't get this one model right for some reason.

If you are in the market for a good reliable Blu Ray player, you might want to consider the Panasonic DMP-BD10A listed here:

Panasonic DMP-BD10AK 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

That is the player that I purchased after returning the second Sony player and I am VERY pleased with it. It's very responsive and has no issues with freezing or locking up at all. The picture quality of the Blu Ray's is superb on my Sony 50" HDTV.

Want Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Discount?

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.

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!!!