The Sony BDP-S350 Review Thread

[iceman]

http://www.blu-ray.com/products/?p=51

[Elandyll]

Should probably become a bestseller, given that it has nearly everything one could want (aside from the shiniest and latest audio codecs like HD-MA).

* 1080p/24
* 7.1 on HDMI with internal decoding of DD+ and True HD (can bitstream HD-MA) / 5.1 Analog out
* profile 1.1 at launch, and should be 2.0 down the road (it has an ethernet port and a usb port for storage)

Expected to hit stores in the US this summer (08), and his big brother (2.0 at launch, 1Gb of storage, and with internal decoding of HD-MA) the S550 at Fall..

Should start at $399 MSRP, which means that with the other players hitting shelves it will probably be under $300 by Xmas 08.

[frw007]

when I see "internal decoding of true Hd, hd-ma", etc., does that mean that if you had this bd player, you do NOT need a receiver that accepts / decodes true hd, hd-ma? In other words, you will reap the benefits of improved sound without getting an updated receiver???

[Tyler2106]

Oh but it bitstream dts hdma

check it out...http://www.idoblu.co.uk/page2%20Blu-ray%20Players.html

[Scoob]

I hope this player gets released this spring rather than this summer. Come on Sony! Anyone heard any updates? I assume that it will initially be a 1.1 profile player, but it has an ethernet port, so what would enable it to be a 2.0 player? A firmware update?

[Tyler2106]

Originally Posted by frw007

when I see "internal decoding of true Hd, hd-ma", etc., does that mean that if you had this bd player, you do NOT need a receiver that accepts / decodes true hd, hd-ma? In other words, you will reap the benefits of improved sound without getting an updated receiver???

Yes you would need a receiver that can decode that...

[TheDoc46]

I wonder if it'll be quicker than its predecessor the BDP-300?

Hopefully so, as I found the BDP-300 painfully slow.

[Scoob]

Originally Posted by TheDoc46

I wonder if it'll be quicker than its predecessor the BDP-300?

Hopefully so, as I found the BDP-300 painfully slow.

You and me both. kjack said that the new players coming out should be faster. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

[un4gvn94538]

im hoping that its as fast as my ps3 (fingers crossed). been having my eye on this one since they announced it. but going to wait on updating it to 2.0 until i see if its worth it or not on my ps3. so far, its not.

[nelsona]

I'm considering this player to replace my current Sharp player. Very interested to see what it looks like price wise when it comes out.

[hpmoon]

Pre-orders are being taken at ABT Electronics and Toys R Us for a mid-July shipment or sooner.

[Pellaeon]

Originally Posted by nelsona

I'm considering this player to replace my current Sharp player. Very interested to see what it looks like price wise when it comes out.

I am interested in 2 things. If they are both yes then I am in for this player

1) Close to the same loading speed as the PS3
2) Bitstreams DTS-HD and TrueHD

[ewwhite]

Just saw this player on Sony's website. It is now available. Built in DolbytrueHD decoder, bitstreams DTS HD/MA. 1.1 but will be 2.0 via firmware update when available.

[ewwhite]

Actually, found both BDP-S350 and Panasonic BD50 on Circuit City's website with "coming soon" labels on them. Finally!

[steve1971]

This is the player I have been waiting for and next weekend if its out I will be picking one up.

[rrios28]

Originally Posted by steve1971

This is the player I have been waiting for and next weekend if its out I will be picking one up.

hell ya, no turning back.

[tek101]

PS3 for me all the way......had S300 already.

[bluseminole]

Originally Posted by Tyler2106

Yes you would need a receiver that can decode that...

No he wouldn't. If the player decodes it internally, that means he can get the full resolution soundtrack through the multichannel outputs from his BD player or via HDMI as a decoded PCM signal. The only time the receiver would need to support decoding of TrueHD and DTS MA would be if he wanted to bitstream the codecs to the receiver, which is of course completely different than internal decoding.

frw007: You are correct. With internal decoding in the player, you can get the lossless sound without updating your receiver, as long as it has multichannel analog inputs or an HDMI input that accepts PCM audio (any HDMI receiver that is not merely HDMI passthrough would do this).

[Elandyll]

Originally Posted by bluseminole

No he wouldn't. If the player decodes it internally, that means he can get the full resolution soundtrack through the multichannel outputs from his BD player or via HDMI as a decoded PCM signal. The only time the receiver would need to support decoding of TrueHD and DTS MA would be if he wanted to bitstream the codecs to the receiver, which is of course completely different than internal decoding.

frw007: You are correct. With internal decoding in the player, you can get the lossless sound without updating your receiver, as long as it has multichannel analog inputs or an HDMI input that accepts PCM audio (any HDMI receiver that is not merely HDMI passthrough would do this).

I think the point of the discussion was that frw007 would actually need a receiver able to decode DTS HD MA, as the S350 is not reported to be able to decode it internally, but rather to send it via bitstream to a receiver.
There is no such problem for TrueHD as the player can both decode it internally (thus sending a LPCM signal to the receiver) or send it via bitsteam, letting the receiver do the decoding.

[tron3]

I know one day I will move on to a new player and probably eschew the S300, but I am a diehard. When the firmware updates stop, I'll probably start looking at newer players.

It is likely to be a Sony because they have been on the ball with the firmware updates.