The Sony BDP-S360 Review Thread

[Kryptonic]

I've got a question regarding the DRC. There are four selections - Auto, Standard, TV, and Wide Range. I've had it on Auto, which it states uses the DRC from the BD being played. But I'm interested in seeing if there's any difference between Auto and Wide Range, which the manual states uses no compression. Is there supposed to be any difference between these two settings?

I have the DRC turned off in the receiver, just in case someone asks.

Originally Posted by MichaelE

You can probably get a better picture through component. I've had both the S350 and S360, and to be perfectly frank, neither are very good for DVDs. Even after completely re-calibrating my display, DVDs still looked very soft and murky through HDMI. Using component cables and 480p output improved PQ somewhat, but I could never get DVDs to look as good as they do using my old Sony progressive player.

My advice to you is: either buy another Blu-Ray player or else simply use a good progressive scan player for DVDs (upconverters are a waste of money). Unfortunately, unless you're willing to spend $500 on an Oppo BD-83, there really isn't a quality Blu-Ray player that can play DVDs well. Some people claim the Panasonic BD60/80 models are good for DVDs, but they freeze up with BDs.

You're always better off buying a good upconverter or progressive scan player. Most televisions have better scalers than cheap HDMI DVD player, so it's better to set HDMI or component to 480i/p and let the television do the work. I must say though, my Pioneer 410v does an exceptional job upscaling DVD's through HDMI.