The Sony BDP-S360 Review Thread

[arthursiew]

Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray Player

First Thoughts

I just purchased the BDP-S360 player yesterday, but I didn't see a review thread for this player so I just started one. I tested two BDs, I am Legend and Quantum of Solace and they looked pretty good. The player loaded Quantum of Solace in 19 seconds the first time and I'm not sure whether that's fast, slow, or normal. It ran pretty quiet, but the remote control did not have an eject button which was a minus for me. There was one thing that I'm not sure whether it was normal or defective. Going through the menus wasn't very smooth or fast compared to my PS3. If you're not sure what I'm talking about... I have a video here. I have some pictures coming up in my HT gallery.

Review

PROS: Quiet Operation, Nice Design, Good Value, BD Live Capable, Onboard DTS TrueHD and MA, Compact, PQ and AQ, Best Bang for your Buck, Simple Set-up, 2.0 Out of the Box

CONS: Loading times are just OK, No Eject button on Remote, Sluggish performance on more complex menus

For $250, I thought that this player was inexpensive and carried a good value. The player was ready for BD Live out of the box and had Onboard decoding for DTS TrueHD and MA which the S350 didn't have. I also found that the player was smaller compared to the S350 and had a nicer design. It was also extremely quiet compared to my PS3. The PQ and AQ was quite impressive.

This player also had some problems. The PQ and AQ's performance was impressive, but one thing that Sony failed to deliver was the loading times. The loading times were just OK, but pretty slow compared to my PS3. There was also no eject button on the remote, but that can be easily resolved by borrowing or purchasing a remote from the S350. Navigating through more complex menus was also a little sluggish, but simple ones were fine. Overall, I thought that this player was great for the price and I recommend it for anybody looking for an affordable BD player with impressive PQ and AQ.

Description (taken from Sony Style)

Link

The revolution continues with the BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc™ player. Watch Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p and upscale your existing DVD collection via HDMI™ to near HD quality. In addition to a superior picture, this player supports Dolby® TrueHD and dts-HD audio codecs for up to 7.1 channels of high-definition sound. There's even quick start-up mode which begins operating your Blu-ray Disc player in approximately six seconds from the time it is powered on. Featuring BD-Live™ compatibility1, you can take full advantage of the Bonus View feature of select Blu-ray movies as well as acquire the latest features and updates as they become available. And navigation of the player's menus is a breeze thanks to the icon-based Xross Media Bar™ (XMB™) menu system.

Full HD 1080p video output
Full HD 1080p video output provides high-resolution HD images so you can take full advantage of your HDTV and the detail of Blu-ray Disc™ video content. BD/DVD/CD and AVCHDTM compatibility lets you play your favorite Blu-ray Disc™ movies, DVDs, audio CDs, and AVCHD-format discs.2

DVD Upscaling via HDMI™ technology
DVD Upscaling via HDMI™2 makes your existing standard DVDs look better on your HDTV by upscaling them to near HD quality.2

BD-Live™ Technology
BD-Live™ technology: BD-Live™ technology brings you the next generation of interactivity, allowing you to connect to the internet to access bonus features on BD-Live enabled Blu-ray Disc™ movies, including additional scenes, shorts, trailers, movie-based games, and more. (External memory (sold separately) is required.)1

Support for enhanced audio formats from Dolby® and dts®
The BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc™ player supports both internal decoding and bitstream output2 of enhanced audio codecs, including Dolby® TrueHD and dts®-HD Master Audio. These high definition audio formats delivers “lossless” surround sounds with 7.1 channels of discrete audio that is bit-for-bit identical to the master studio recording, allowing you to enjoy uncompromised sound from the comfort of your living room.

Quick Start Mode
Quick Start Mode lets you begin operating your Sony® Blu-ray Disc™ player approximately six seconds from the time it's powered on.

Xross Media Bar™ technology
Sony’s exclusive xross media bar user interface makes it simple and intuitive to navigate television menus, controls, and user settings.

Ethernet port
The ethernet port lets you connect the BDP-S360 to your home’s existing broadband network to access bonus features on BD-Live enabled Blu-ray Disc™ movies.1

x.v.Color™ output
x.v.Color™ output plays AVCHD-format discs with support for the international xvYCC color standard, producing images with nearly twice as many viewable colors as the existing RGB color standard.4

BRAVIA® Sync™
BRAVIA® Sync™ technology lets you enjoy the convenience of one remote control to operate and control all your compatible home entertainment devices. It utilizes the HDMI™ CEC function to easily turn on and control your compatible HDMI-connected components without having to use multiple remote controls.

24p True Cinema™
24p True Cinema technology lets you watch films at their intended 24 fps (frames per second) -- the way movies are shot and mastered -- so you can enjoy cinematic picture quality.5

Precision Cinema HD Upscale
Precision Cinema HD Upscale circuitry delivers accurate and vivid images with clarity and detail that are faithful to the source -- whether film or video (upscaled image quality will vary). This circuitry uses advanced conversion and processing to detect image changes at the pixel level, rather than at the level of whole scan lines. Additionally, separate algorithms are used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts.

Bonus View
Built-in USB port enables you to connect a portable USB storage device (sold separately) for additional storage capacity and lets you take advantage of specially created content on BD-Live™1 with compatible Blu-ray Disc™ media.

MSRP- $299

Current Deals
Fry's- $239 Online and In-Store
Buy.com- $249

Reviews
CNET
PCMag

[mnfish]

I just picked one up today so I'll let you know if mine does the same. It doesn't have an eject button? I hope my harmony has one after i get done putting it in the set up. I can't imagine that?

[arthursiew]

Originally Posted by mnfish

I just picked one up today so I'll let you know if mine does the same. It doesn't have an eject button? I hope my harmony has one after i get done putting it in the set up. I can't imagine that?

Okay, cool. I thought it was weird that they didn't have an eject button on the remote... Let me know as soon as you try it with Quantum of Solace so I don't bring a bad BD player all the way to China as a father's day gift.

[mnfish]

So I hooked it up and it works fine like you have it in your video? Or am I missing something? I can watch the movie while navigating thru the scenes with no problems? I HATE!! the fact that it doesn't have an eject button. I usually press the eject button then go swap out movies. Now I have to try to find it in the dark and wait for it to open then change it then hit the button again!! Sucks!! I havn't programmed it into a universal remote yet but I can't see if the original remote doesn't have an eject why would it program into a universal??

[arthursiew]

Did you see my video? I was asking whether navigating through the scene selection was running smoothly or not. In my video, you can see that navigating through scenes in QoS in the popup and top menu was sluggish.

About the blu-ray remote eject button... any Sony blu-ray remote (besides the PS3 one) should work with this one since it's infrared. You can program it after then. I'm not sure whether I'm correct or not since this was my first stand alone.

[mnfish]

My player was not sluggish at all?

[fredm6463]

Originally Posted by arthursiew

Okay, cool. I thought it was weird that they didn't have an eject button on the remote... Let me know as soon as you try it with Quantum of Solace so I don't bring a bad BD player all the way to China as a father's day gift.

I bought a Sony S360 on Friday after my Panasonic BD80 went back for repair a second time for randomly pausing during two Blu ray discs: Batman Begins and 2001 A Space Odyssey. Both played OK on S360.

But upon playing James Bond film Casino Royale, the S360 randomly skips a few frames. It did this three times before I stopped watching the movie.
As with the Panasonic BD80, the problem happens randomly and is not repeatable.

I beginning to think Blu ray disc manufacturing and player manufacturing has not gotten the bugs out of this format.

I will be returning my Sony to the dealer for a refund and wait and see what becomes of my Panasonic BD80.

So far I am very disappointed with the Blu ray format. I have two Pioneer DVD players and two Panasonic DVD/VHS recorder players (w/ HDMI) and have had zero problems with DVD playback, both purchased and rentals.

Anyone have a similar problem with the Sony S360?

Many thanks,

Fred

[MacF]

I bought my first S360 from TigerDirect in December 2009. The audio would drop out at random places, and stay silent. Only way to restart audio was to shut off machine and restart. I sent it back, exchanged for another S360, which came with the same problem. It doesn't seem disk-dependent. We are most playing library movies. Anyone else finding audio problems?

Originally Posted by fredm6463

I bought a Sony S360 on Friday after my Panasonic BD80 went back for repair a second time for randomly pausing during two Blu ray discs: Batman Begins and 2001 A Space Odyssey. Both played OK on S360.

But upon playing James Bond film Casino Royale, the S360 randomly skips a few frames. It did this three times before I stopped watching the movie.
As with the Panasonic BD80, the problem happens randomly and is not repeatable.

I beginning to think Blu ray disc manufacturing and player manufacturing has not gotten the bugs out of this format.

I will be returning my Sony to the dealer for a refund and wait and see what becomes of my Panasonic BD80.

So far I am very disappointed with the Blu ray format. I have two Pioneer DVD players and two Panasonic DVD/VHS recorder players (w/ HDMI) and have had zero problems with DVD playback, both purchased and rentals.

Anyone have a similar problem with the Sony S360?

Many thanks,

Fred

[JimSD]

I've had the S360 for about 8 months, but in the last month the audio and video have been cutting out randomly on every disc I've played for anywhere from 1-10 seconds. Prior to this problem it had played everything flawlessly. I have a work order from Sony to send it back for a replacement, but in the meantime I went and got a Panasonic DMP-BD655 from Costco for $120.

[Dennism633]

I purchased a Samsung BD-P 3600, but I have a LIP SYNC problem! Audio and video are not in sync, and Samsung said to send player back in for repair. Anyone else have this problem??

[arthursiew]

Originally Posted by Dennism633

I purchased a Samsung BD-P 3600, but I have a LIP SYNC problem! Audio and video are not in sync, and Samsung said to send player back in for repair. Anyone else have this problem??

I believe this is the Sony BDP-S360 thread, not the Samsung BD-P3600. I can see your mistake. Both manufacturers start with S and both model numbers has 360.

If you're talking about this player, no problems with that.

[stick99]

Originally Posted by arthursiew

First Thoughts

I just purchased the BDP-S360 player yesterday, but I didn't see a review thread for this player so I just started one. I tested two BDs, I am Legend and Quantum of Solace and they looked pretty good. The player loaded Quantum of Solace in 19 seconds the first time and I'm not sure whether that's fast, slow, or normal. It ran pretty quiet, but the remote control did not have an eject button which was a minus for me. There was one thing that I'm not sure whether it was normal or defective. Going through the menus wasn't very smooth or fast compared to my PS3. If you're not sure what I'm talking about... I have a video here. I have some pictures coming up in my HT gallery.

Review

PROS: Quiet Operation, Nice Design, Good Value, BD Live Capable, Onboard DTS TrueHD and MA, Compact, PQ and AQ

CONS: Loading times are just OK, No Eject button on Remote, Sluggish performance on more complex menus

For $250, I thought that this player was inexpensive and carried a good value. The player was ready for BD Live out of the box and had Onboard decoding for DTS TrueHD and MA which the S350 didn't have. I also found that the player was smaller compared to the S350 and had a nicer design. It was also extremely quiet compared to my PS3. The PQ and AQ was quite impressive.

This player also had some problems. The PQ and AQ's performance was impressive, but one thing that Sony failed to deliver was the loading times. The loading times were just OK, but pretty slow compared to my PS3. There was also no eject button on the remote, but that can be easily resolved by borrowing or purchasing a remote from the S350. Navigating through more complex menus was also a little sluggish, but simple ones were fine. Overall, I thought that this player was great for the price and I recommend it for anybody looking for an affordable BD player with impressive PQ and AQ.

Description (taken from Sony Style)

Link

The revolution continues with the BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc™ player. Watch Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p and upscale your existing DVD collection via HDMI™ to near HD quality. In addition to a superior picture, this player supports Dolby® TrueHD and dts-HD audio codecs for up to 7.1 channels of high-definition sound. There's even quick start-up mode which begins operating your Blu-ray Disc player in approximately six seconds from the time it is powered on. Featuring BD-Live™ compatibility1, you can take full advantage of the Bonus View feature of select Blu-ray movies as well as acquire the latest features and updates as they become available. And navigation of the player's menus is a breeze thanks to the icon-based Xross Media Bar™ (XMB™) menu system.

Full HD 1080p video output
Full HD 1080p video output provides high-resolution HD images so you can take full advantage of your HDTV and the detail of Blu-ray Disc™ video content. BD/DVD/CD and AVCHDTM compatibility lets you play your favorite Blu-ray Disc™ movies, DVDs, audio CDs, and AVCHD-format discs.2

DVD Upscaling via HDMI™ technology
DVD Upscaling via HDMI™2 makes your existing standard DVDs look better on your HDTV by upscaling them to near HD quality.2

BD-Live™ Technology
BD-Live™ technology: BD-Live™ technology brings you the next generation of interactivity, allowing you to connect to the internet to access bonus features on BD-Live enabled Blu-ray Disc™ movies, including additional scenes, shorts, trailers, movie-based games, and more. (External memory (sold separately) is required.)1

Support for enhanced audio formats from Dolby® and dts®
The BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc™ player supports both internal decoding and bitstream output2 of enhanced audio codecs, including Dolby® TrueHD and dts®-HD Master Audio. These high definition audio formats delivers “lossless” surround sounds with 7.1 channels of discrete audio that is bit-for-bit identical to the master studio recording, allowing you to enjoy uncompromised sound from the comfort of your living room.

Quick Start Mode
Quick Start Mode lets you begin operating your Sony® Blu-ray Disc™ player approximately six seconds from the time it's powered on.

Xross Media Bar™ technology
Sony’s exclusive xross media bar user interface makes it simple and intuitive to navigate television menus, controls, and user settings.

Ethernet port
The ethernet port lets you connect the BDP-S360 to your home’s existing broadband network to access bonus features on BD-Live enabled Blu-ray Disc™ movies.1

x.v.Color™ output
x.v.Color™ output plays AVCHD-format discs with support for the international xvYCC color standard, producing images with nearly twice as many viewable colors as the existing RGB color standard.4

BRAVIA® Sync™
BRAVIA® Sync™ technology lets you enjoy the convenience of one remote control to operate and control all your compatible home entertainment devices. It utilizes the HDMI™ CEC function to easily turn on and control your compatible HDMI-connected components without having to use multiple remote controls.

24p True Cinema™
24p True Cinema technology lets you watch films at their intended 24 fps (frames per second) -- the way movies are shot and mastered -- so you can enjoy cinematic picture quality.5

Precision Cinema HD Upscale
Precision Cinema HD Upscale circuitry delivers accurate and vivid images with clarity and detail that are faithful to the source -- whether film or video (upscaled image quality will vary). This circuitry uses advanced conversion and processing to detect image changes at the pixel level, rather than at the level of whole scan lines. Additionally, separate algorithms are used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts.

Bonus View
Built-in USB port enables you to connect a portable USB storage device (sold separately) for additional storage capacity and lets you take advantage of specially created content on BD-Live™1 with compatible Blu-ray Disc™ media.

MSRP- $299

Current Deals
Fry's- $249 Online and In-Store
Buy.com- $249

Reviews
CNET
PCMag

Hi , so for the record, this decodes DTS MAster Audio internally as well as, direct audio, is that correct? I thank-you for your clarifacation. I ask because most people who review the 550 still think it internally decodes DTS MA and it does not.

Thanks

[Jmobie]

Originally Posted by stick99

Hi , so for the record, this decodes DTS MAster Audio internally as well as, direct audio, is that correct? I thank-you for your clarifacation. I ask because most people who review the 550 still think it internally decodes DTS MA and it does not.

Thanks

The S550 does decode DTS MA internally. The S350 does not.

[JoshKelhoffer]

Just had a bad experience with a Phillips player, and my PS3 seems to have a harddrive problem, so I'm thinking about purchasing this one. Has anyone noticed or heard about any playback issues with this player?

[arthursiew]

Originally Posted by JoshKelhoffer

Just had a bad experience with a Phillips player, and my PS3 seems to have a harddrive problem, so I'm thinking about purchasing this one. Has anyone noticed or heard about any playback issues with this player?

No issues. Its great.

[robertc88]

Arthur,

For what you listed the PROs far outweigh the CONs, the latter which aren't particularly all that important to me personally.

I don't know that this player has taken even 30 seconds to load any disc so far. I'm really in no hurry so long as it does so and I'll add without any firmware upgrades that I would have been looking for to do so if it didn't. If it is indeed sluggish on complex menus, I haven't really noticed that to the point of it being an issue.

This is one player that seriously needs to be contended with bang for buck right out of the box for the price. I seriously recommend folks try it if it meets their needs. I'm VERY IMPRESSED so far!

[stick99]

Originally Posted by Jmobie

The S550 does decode DTS MA internally. The S350 does not.

Man with all the players Sony makes and all the posts there is still confusion, The BDP-S350, 360, 550, 560 do not internally decode DTS MA!!!
They can bitstream all audios, but only can decode True HD. I have had everyone of these and tested with current firmware, they only internally decode DTS CORE!

[Jimbo976]

Originally Posted by stick99

Man with all the players Sony makes and all the posts there is still confusion, The BDP-S350, 360, 550, 560 do not internally decode DTS MA!!!
They can bitstream all audios, but only can decode True HD. I have had everyone of these and tested with current firmware, they only internally decode DTS CORE!

Speaking of confusion - you are confused.

The BDP-S360 DOES INTERNALLY DECODE DTS HD MA and TRUE HD. I have one and can verify this 100%. It will internally decode DTS HD MA if the receiver it is connected to cannot decode DTS HD MA. If the receiver is capable of decoding then the DTS HD MA is bitstreamed and then the receiver is made to do the decoding. This is handled in the handshaking between the receiver and the BDP-S360. I don't think there is a way to force it to decode internally though if the receiver can also decode it.

I have no idea on the other Sony models you list since I don't have those but my understanding is that at least the BDP-S350 does not internally decode DTS HD MA.

[stick99]

Originally Posted by Jimbo976

Speaking of confusion - you are confused.

The BDP-S360 DOES INTERNALLY DECODE DTS HD MA and TRUE HD. I have one and can verify this 100%. It will internally decode DTS HD MA if the receiver it is connected to cannot decode DTS HD MA. If the receiver is capable of decoding then the DTS HD MA is bitstreamed and then the receiver is made to do the decoding. This is handled in the handshaking between the receiver and the BDP-S360. I don't think there is a way to force it to decode internally though if the receiver can also decode it.

I have no idea on the other Sony models you list since I don't have those but my understanding is that at least the BDP-S350 does not internally decode DTS HD MA.

Holy smoke, Dude, I'm not trying to piss anyone owners off here, I'm just frustrated with Sony. I also have a Sony 360, and it doesn't decode DTS MA. Allow me to try to convince you. Please, try this experiment. I assume from your comments that you are not bitstreaming. On the Sony Player please go to "BD Audio Setting" on the cross-bar menu, it should be set to "Mix", to use Sony's decoders. For this test you'll need a disc with Dolby True HD Blu-ray, and a Blu-ray with a DTS-Master Audio. For this experiment, I'm using "the Dark Knight" for True HD and "Force 10 from Navarone" for DTS-MA. First I popped in "Dark Knight" s went to the disc menu and selected True HD audio. Once the movie started, using my Sony BDP-S360 remote hit display. With the display on it says it's Audio #2 English Dolby TrueHD 3/2/.1. So clearly the player knows what audio codec it is and is sending through the HDMI as PCM. Now the next disc with DTS-MA, again I'm using "Force 10 From Navarone". OK do the same thing once your DTS-MA Feature title is running select "display" on the Sony player and it will display DTS 3/2.1, that is what the player is decoding, DTS 5.1, not DTS MA. Now if your player was set to "Direct" under the 'BD Audio Settings" and you do the same experiment, it would Display 'DTS MASTER AUDIO" but that means you are not decoding through the player but bitstreaming.
If you are using the player to decode your audio DTS-MA it will be sent as DTS Core. I urge you to try the above, you'll be as disapointed as me that a player purchased by Sony in late 2009, still doesn't internally decode what's becoming the most popular audio Codec by Studios

[arthursiew]

Originally Posted by stick99

Hi , so for the record, this decodes DTS MAster Audio internally as well as, direct audio, is that correct? I thank-you for your clarifacation. I ask because most people who review the 550 still think it internally decodes DTS MA and it does not.

Thanks

This player does decode DTS True HD and Master Audio. This is not the 350, but the 360.