Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc Player $298 at Wal-Mart - Blu-ray Forum

tranzishun · 08-22-2008, 01:12 AM

Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up. I was browsing around Wal-Mart and saw that they had this player for less than $300! thought I'd share. It's also available at Walmart.com here:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5984216

cheers!

Carlsberg19 · 08-22-2008, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranzishun

Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up. I was browsing around Wal-Mart and saw that they had this player for less than $300! thought I'd share. It's also available at Walmart.com here:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5984216

cheers!

I wouldnt pay 300 cents for it (should i have known now what i didnt know then) it is an "unpredictable" player, it will decide to play movies when it wants to.

ganthc · 08-22-2008, 05:54 PM

Don't the Funai players have more features for the same price?

awre · 08-22-2008, 06:25 PM

Have had this player for over a year, kept it updated with the new firmware from Sony, and have never had a single problem. I am waiting now for the 550 with its 7:1 analogs and I will be more than happy if it is as reliable as my 300 has been. I have never been a huge Sony fan but the 300 has been a very positive experience--mostly appreciate the ongoing firmware updates to keep the player "current" and add capabilities.

Moefiz · 08-22-2008, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by awre

Have had this player for over a year, kept it updated with the new firmware from Sony, and have never had a single problem. I am waiting now for the 550 with its 7:1 analogs and I will be more than happy if it is as reliable as my 300 has been. I have never been a huge Sony fan but the 300 has been a very positive experience--mostly appreciate the ongoing firmware updates to keep the player "current" and add capabilities.

I can understand why people have problems with this player.I have had it from day one I always update with the latest firmware and I have had no problem with this player also.

cj-kent · 08-22-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlsberg19

I wouldnt pay 300 cents for it (should i have known now what i didnt know then) it is an "unpredictable" player, it will decide to play movies when it wants to.

I have the BDP-S301 which is basically the same player and I've never had any trouble out of it. It does have slow load times, but I expected that. True, it doesn't have BonusView capability, but other than that it's been great for me.

Carlsberg19 · 08-23-2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cj-kent

I have the BDP-S301 which is basically the same player and I've never had any trouble out of it. It does have slow load times, but I expected that. True, it doesn't have BonusView capability, but other than that it's been great for me.

Then there clearly was a bad batch of these players released, alot of people dont have issues with it, alot of people do...and of course i keep my player updated with latest which make absolutely no difference except has a "Slight" decrease in load times.

Mr. Cinema · 08-23-2008, 10:47 PM

With more and better 1.1 players on the horizon, I would have saved my cash to buy one of those. IMO, buying a slow 1.0 player at this point in time is not a good move.

Blu Titan · 08-23-2008, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema

With more and better 1.1 players on the horizon, I would have saved my cash to buy one of those. IMO, buying a slow 1.0 player at this point in time is not a good move.

Completely agree. I bought a Samsung 1400 BD player November last year on sale for $300 and got 8 free BD movies (5 fromm the BDA and three from Samsung). It has been a good purchase as I use the player in the bedroom. However, the player is incredibly slow to load to movie, and most annoying SLOW to open the BD tray. No way I would spend $300 for an older model BD player. Profile 1.0 is fine, but I would purchase a faster player.

ccwking · 08-23-2008, 11:21 PM

Bought my Sony BDP S300 in the last 60 days, its been 100% with me, first entry to a blu-ray player, was bundled with a 4 blu-ray movie promotion. Its been 100% with me also, and whilst slow loading its reliable and dependable. Since its only for my bedroom, I am more than happy to keep it, it was also dropped in price in a promotion (I do have a PS3 as well), so more than happy with it!

Yeha-Noha · 08-24-2008, 08:50 PM

My best advice and recommendation to someone just getting started is to save the $300 and put it toward a faster player that can decode or bitstream all the lossess audio codecs.

If you want to learn about my experiences with the S300, then read on:

I still have the S300. The player undoubtedly has fantastic PQ and AQ. It won't give you much choice for lossless audio other than PCM 7.1. The big plus about lossless audio is that you can get up to 7.1 channels. You won't get 7.1 channels from lossy audio codecs though. So if you have a 7.1 channel HT system I wouldn't get this player. You need to get one that decodes or bitstreams DTS-HD MA and DD TrueHD.

I have been able to bitstream through HDMI the few 6.1 channel DTS-MA HD BD releases to my AVR and 7.1 surround system. From the DTS-HD MA core I got 1536 Kbps 6.1 channel surround sound form the recent Top Gun BD release. The HDMI setting must be set to AUTO and not PCM. On PCM, you'll only get 5.1 channel downmix. The AQ blew me away compared to what I was used to hearing from Top Gun on DVD. X-Men: The Last Stand is another one I got 6.1 core from the DTS-HD MA. The core isn't lossless but the bit rates are high. Having 6.1 channels the sound is nothing short of overwhelming.

If you still have SD DVDs, and I have quite a few, it will up scale them to 1080p. It does an impressive job too. Not the best but better than average.

When I calibrated my system, the player passed BTB and WTW.

I never had one problem with the player like freezing up, not playing certain BDs, or failing at all. I have kept it updated with the latest firmware, currently 3.95.

I am impressed with the quality: heavy, well built, and solid. It looks pretty cool. It doesn't look like a cheap player.

It has one serious caveat. This player is slow. Well, that's an understatement. I mean super slow! Sometimes I've accidentally hit the on/off button on the remote instead of the open/close. You're in the penalty box for nearly minute before you can even open the tray again.

You can literally pop yourself some MW popcorn while your movie is loading. If that doesn't bother you, this player might be for you.

08-22-2008, 01:12 AM	#1
tranzishun Member Member since:Nov 2006	Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc Player $298 at Wal-Mart Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up. I was browsing around Wal-Mart and saw that they had this player for less than $300! thought I'd share. It's also available at Walmart.com here: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5984216 cheers!

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08-22-2008, 05:54 PM	#3
ganthc Active Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Vienna, VA 4K collection:17 Blu-ray collection:651 Blu-ray reviews:2	Don't the Funai players have more features for the same price?

08-22-2008, 06:25 PM	#4
awre Member Member since:Jan 2008	Have had this player for over a year, kept it updated with the new firmware from Sony, and have never had a single problem. I am waiting now for the 550 with its 7:1 analogs and I will be more than happy if it is as reliable as my 300 has been. I have never been a huge Sony fan but the 300 has been a very positive experience--mostly appreciate the ongoing firmware updates to keep the player "current" and add capabilities.

08-23-2008, 10:47 PM	#8
Mr. Cinema Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jan 2008 Location:NC 4K collection:34 Blu-ray collection:35 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:85	With more and better 1.1 players on the horizon, I would have saved my cash to buy one of those. IMO, buying a slow 1.0 player at this point in time is not a good move.

08-23-2008, 11:21 PM	#10
ccwking New Member Member since:Aug 2008	Bought my Sony BDP S300 in the last 60 days, its been 100% with me, first entry to a blu-ray player, was bundled with a 4 blu-ray movie promotion. Its been 100% with me also, and whilst slow loading its reliable and dependable. Since its only for my bedroom, I am more than happy to keep it, it was also dropped in price in a promotion (I do have a PS3 as well), so more than happy with it!

08-24-2008, 08:50 PM	#11
Yeha-Noha Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Blu-ray reviews: 43	My best advice and recommendation to someone just getting started is to save the $300 and put it toward a faster player that can decode or bitstream all the lossess audio codecs. If you want to learn about my experiences with the S300, then read on: I still have the S300. The player undoubtedly has fantastic PQ and AQ. It won't give you much choice for lossless audio other than PCM 7.1. The big plus about lossless audio is that you can get up to 7.1 channels. You won't get 7.1 channels from lossy audio codecs though. So if you have a 7.1 channel HT system I wouldn't get this player. You need to get one that decodes or bitstreams DTS-HD MA and DD TrueHD. I have been able to bitstream through HDMI the few 6.1 channel DTS-MA HD BD releases to my AVR and 7.1 surround system. From the DTS-HD MA core I got 1536 Kbps 6.1 channel surround sound form the recent Top Gun BD release. The HDMI setting must be set to AUTO and not PCM. On PCM, you'll only get 5.1 channel downmix. The AQ blew me away compared to what I was used to hearing from Top Gun on DVD. X-Men: The Last Stand is another one I got 6.1 core from the DTS-HD MA. The core isn't lossless but the bit rates are high. Having 6.1 channels the sound is nothing short of overwhelming. If you still have SD DVDs, and I have quite a few, it will up scale them to 1080p. It does an impressive job too. Not the best but better than average. When I calibrated my system, the player passed BTB and WTW. I never had one problem with the player like freezing up, not playing certain BDs, or failing at all. I have kept it updated with the latest firmware, currently 3.95. I am impressed with the quality: heavy, well built, and solid. It looks pretty cool. It doesn't look like a cheap player. It has one serious caveat. This player is slow. Well, that's an understatement. I mean super slow! Sometimes I've accidentally hit the on/off button on the remote instead of the open/close. You're in the penalty box for nearly minute before you can even open the tray again. You can literally pop yourself some MW popcorn while your movie is loading. If that doesn't bother you, this player might be for you.

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