Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray Player (Novermber 2008 Home Theater review link)

[HDTV1080P]

This is a good review to read for those interested in the Sony BDP-S350. I have many hours using this player and it is an excellent BD-LIVE player once a firmware update is completed and at least 1GB of memory is inserted in the back. At the time I purchased two Sony BDP-S350's the new Panasonics were not availiable. The Panasonic DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 are better players since they have internal DTS-HD Master audio decoding, 1080P/24 up conversion of DVD's, easy to access front SD memory slot, little faster loading times, and the Panasonic players passes all the video tests.

Highlights from the November Home Theater review link (all the following are quotes)

" The BDP-S350 does not have the necessary 1 gigabyte of onboard memory to meet the BD-Live spec. The player includes a USB flash media slot, and you’ll need to purchase flash storage separately to use this function down the line."

"I was glad to see its attention to detail in some areas. This player supports 24p playback of Blu-ray material (DVD playback is limited to 60 hertz)."

" The BDP-S350’s everyday operation was great. The player features a Quick Startup mode that aims to address the issues of slow Blu-ray player startup and boot times. Although the Sony powered on quickly, its operation and load times were about the norm. This is still a disappointment in comparison to Sony’s own PS3 gaming system. Also, when I compared BD load times and general menu navigation with the Samsung BD-P1500 (which retails for the same price), the Samsung was a bit faster overall. At this price point, the Samsung is Sony’s chief competitor. Still, the BDP-S350 offers better HD and SD video processing, so it’s the player I’d lean toward overall in a direct comparison.
Aside from the standard load times, the BDP-S350 did a great job delivering the goods with Blu-ray Discs. I tried out the Bonus View features of several discs during my time with the BDP-S350, and I never had any issues with the feature. One of the best implementations I’ve seen of Bonus View is Universal’s U-Control feature. I had the chance to try out this feature with the recent releases of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. The picture-in-picture feature worked great, but I ran into a small hiccup with the audio. Since the BDP-S350 doesn’t support onboard decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks, and bitstream output doesn’t support the mixing of the separate audio tracks, I had to compromise. I let the player decode the core DTS soundtrack to PCM and add in the commentary. I’m sure we’ll see more support for internal audio decoding as the market grows, but this is an issue that you should be aware of if you buy a player that lacks this support. If you set the player to bitstream output, you will not hear the secondary audio stream from Bonus View material."

Conclusion
Sony delivers a solid entry-level offering with the BDP-S350. We continue to see more support for advanced features from the lower-end offerings. Because of this, high-end models will need to step up their performance to justify their expense. Overall, Sony’s BDP-S350 delivers great video and audio performance. It makes a great solution if you’re looking to make the most of your Blu-ray buck."

Full review can be read at the following link
http://hometheatermag.com/discplayers/sony_bdp-s350_blu-ray_player/index.html