The Sony BDP-S300/301 Review Thread

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by tron3

I'm one of those guys who will stick with it until the joyful firmware gifts stop giving. Few things could entice me away from the S300. Faster power up, load times and quicker navigation to name a few. Then it is time to look longingly those players with features I do not need, nor could use, but absolutely must have.

Please don't hawk the PS3 a me. I have a stand alone player for a reason.

I owned my S301 for 7 months now. I know where you're coming from and feel the same way. Back then, during the format war, the S301 looked good because PCM tracks were commonly available on BDs. It was an entry level player and my old Pioneer didn't even have HDMI inputs! I had it hooked up through the 5.1 analog outputs until I bought an Onkyo 805. My Onkyo can decode any lossless codec now available. I am pretty sure Dobly True HD is the last give away for the S300/1. It's too bad because the S300 is a fine well built, quiet (as mouse) player that delivers great PQ and AQ. But some of the insider talk, guru, and expert/special members have pretty much made that clear. The S300 isn't going to decode the greatest and best lossless codec that's out there and most sought for, DTS HD Master Audio.

To that end, I've been biding my time waiting for either the Panny 50 or Sony 350 BD players to come out. I will go with either one, lowest priced one, that is. I think it will be the Sony. I have always been a Sony fan when it comes to players (ES line from the good ole days 24 bit CD player still have it for background CD stereo music in my study, and it still works flawlessly). Sony makes good products.

Just some friendly advice, but I wouldn't ever ask folks out right not to 'hawk' the PS3 on you. There are a lot of PS3 supporters on this forum, and for good reason. It is perhaps the best future proof player available at entry level prices. These folks are proud owners of their PS3s. I can't blame 'em for their enthusiasm for always recommending the PS3 when someone asks, 'Which BD player should I buy?'. It's a Blu-ray form, PS3s are fantastic machines, and just something you get used to. You can think of the PS3 analogously as a Sony battleship in the format war. It blasted the Toshiba HD-DUD player out of the water. Without the PS3, I am not sure we would have won the war. So, I have great respect for this player.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by blurayisking

The last firmware update (eg: 3.9) did not provide Dolby TrueHD according to a Sony representive that I spoke to recently.

That whole spanish thing about providing Dolby TrueHD was an error.

Here we go again, round and round...

Please read the link (posted elsewhere) by Paidgeek our Sony insider, who has made it unequivocally clear that the S300 FW 3.70 does indeed decode Dolby True HD.

He said not to contact Sony customer service. Consider it a gift. He said future firmware releases could remove it. But that is not to say that FW 3.90 doesn't have DD THD decoding either, and another thing is that FW 3.90 didn't remove it. Future FW updates will have DD THD unless Sony decides to remove it. You can believe what you want, Sony customer service, or whatever. But I believe what Paidgeek said.

[SS316SRV]

Damn and I thought my S300 was getting better...PS3 may be purchased sooner rather than later.

[elwaylite]

Any of you 300 owners having trouble with the Nat Treas 2 bonus features?

[nathan5]

Thanks for saying it again and again... I just purchased the s300 and upgraded the firmware to 3.9. This firmware upgrade cut the load time in half or more for Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and the audio is outstanding. I am not sorry I made this choice. I will say that I knew the specs of the player before buying it and don't understand how someone can be angry or disappointed with those- so many people here make it sound like they had something put over on them- if they want a PS3 so badly, they should go get one and stop whining about it.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

...
Just some friendly advice, but I wouldn't ever ask folks out right not to 'hawk' the PS3 on you. ... It blasted the Toshiba HD-DUD player out of the water. Without the PS3, I am not sure we would have won the war. So, I have great respect for this player.

Oh, in no way do I mean to disparage the PS3. I am well aware the PS3 helped win the format war. I am very thankful to Sony for this brilliant marketing move.

I have said before that standalone players have a timeless appeal beyond how they fit in my home theater setup. In 10 years time, both the S300 and PS3 will still be playing blu-ray. But in 10 years time, a PS3 sitting next to your TV will be as quaint as seeing a PS1 connected to a TV today.

Gaming systems get old really fast in this changing gaming market. Standalone players improve as well but who will remember model numbers in 10 years? They still look nice in your home theater. In 10 years no one will come into your home and say, "Geeze. you still have the Magnetbox BDX-Z270?" Standalones age gracefully in that respect - PLUS I won't have a bunch of games which might need replacing.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by tron3

Gaming systems get old really fast in this changing gaming market. Standalone players improve as well but who will remember model numbers in 10 years? They still look nice in your home theater. In 10 years no one will come into your home and say, "Geeze. you still have the Magnetbox BDX-Z270?" Standalones age gracefully in that respect - PLUS I won't have a bunch of games which might need replacing.

Yes, I agree. That's some of the things I weighed (PS3 vs S301) when I bought my S301 plus the fact I don't have time for gaming (not because I'm too old for that stuff ). But in the end what really swayed me toward the S301 was that my old receiver was not HDMI ready and I needed a player with 5.1 analog outputs which the S301 has. I wasn't ready to buy a new receiver then however. When the format war ended with Blu victory, I bought a new Onky 805. Which was the best thing I've done so far to improve my system. A new BD player is next and I am waiting/biding my time before deciding which of the three I really need: Sony 350, Sony 550, or the Panny 50.

[Bonifax]

I've had my S300 for a week now, and I'm really happy with the SQ and VQ, I think is a big upgrade vs. DVD. One of the best things I've noticed is the PCM uncompressed audio via 5.1 analog, it's just a huge difference but I would love it to have 7.1 analog output instead of 5.1 since my receiver has 7.1 analog inputs but hey! I can't have it all

[Omegaice]

Greetings,
I recently purchased a BDP-S300 & so far I am content with it. After updating the firmware to 3.90 I stumbled on this wonderful site in hopes to get my Blu-ray experiance to where I want it to be. Anyways, my question pertains to the usage of HDMI & Optical cables. Currently, I have my S300 connected via HDMI to my Sony STR-DG720 (AVR) which is then connected via HDMI to my SONY KDL52W4100. I have a 5.1 speaker set-up. The picture and sound is stunning! However, I've been reading that it MIGHT be better to utilize a Tosi-Link to transmit sound to my AVR. Also what are the optimal settings in regards to audio oput for the S300. Any advice given will be greatly appriciated! Thanks!

_____________________
Sony BDP-S300 FW 3.90
Sony KDL52W4100 52" 1080p
Sony STR-DG720
Kenwood Series L/R Front, Center, L/R Surround
Kenwood 12" Subwoofer
Time Warner HD

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by omegaice

Greetings,
I recently purchased a BDP-S300 & so far I am content with it. After updating the firmware to 3.90 I stumbled on this wonderful site in hopes to get my Blu-ray experiance to where I want it to be. Anyways, my question pertains to the usage of HDMI & Optical cables. Currently, I have my S300 connected via HDMI to my Sony STR-DG720 (AVR) which is then connected via HDMI to my SONY KDL52W4100. I have a 5.1 speaker set-up. The picture and sound is stunning! However, I've been reading that it MIGHT be better to utilize a Tosi-Link to transmit sound to my AVR. Also what are the optimal settings in regards to audio oput for the S300. Any advice given will be greatly appriciated! Thanks!

_____________________
Sony BDP-S300 FW 3.90
Sony KDL52W4100 52" 1080p
Sony STR-DG720
Kenwood Series L/R Front, Center, L/R Surround
Kenwood 12" Subwoofer
Time Warner HD

I don't recommend using the Toslink or coaxial outputs of the player for audio connections if you have your S300 connected to your AVR via HDMI. You got the best connection already. You won't get lossless audio using a Toslink connection, but you can get it if you use HDMI. There is a setting you need to make in the System Menu. Just for your reference, turn to page 47 in the S300 manual on Audio Setup. You access Audio Setup from the System Menu. When you get that, scroll down to Audio (HDMI). You need to change the default setting, AUTO, to PCM.

Now, when you select Dolby True HD or PCM 5.1 formats on a BD, your player is going to output linear PCM to your AVR. NOTE: Your AVR is not going to have any idea which audio format or codec you selected. But what it does know is that it's getting PCM. So don't be confused when your AVR says the source is PCM when you actually selected DD True HD or DTS MA. That's normal and there is nothing wrong.

On a side note, this player decodes Dolby True HD (according to our Sony insider on this forum starting with FW 3.70 update). It will not decode DTS MA but you will get the higher bit rate DTS MA core (higher bit rates than lossy DTS). Now you'll be getting the best possible sound this player has to offer since you already have updated to FW 3.90. Enjoy!

[Rolo71]

There's a new firmware out: 3.95

ftp://ftp.vaio-link.com/pub/HAV/BDP/FW/

This is for European models

[WarrenPS]

This is only a small annoyance but I still thought I would mention it here on the board. After removing a disc from my 300, the unit sits there idly for 3 to 5 minutes and then shuts itself off. According to the manual, the unit is supposed to stay on for 30 minutes before shutting down automatically. I called Sony support and they had me do a power reset (Hold down the power button until all display lights go out and then hit the power button again to turn back on). Initially, this seemed to work. I have also unplugged the unit for a minute and then plugged it back in again. However, my unit is back to shutting down after only a few minutes of idleness. Thus, I have changed the settings so Auto Power Off is turned Off. This is a satisfactory work-around for me. I am just curious if anyone else has noted this behavior and knows of any other ways to get this feature to work properly. I am using firmware 3.90.

Thanks in advance!!

[Omegaice]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

I don't recommend using the Toslink or coaxial outputs of the player for audio connections if you have your S300 connected to your AVR via HDMI. You got the best connection already. You won't get lossless audio using a Toslink connection, but you can get it if you use HDMI. There is a setting you need to make in the System Menu. Just for your reference, turn to page 47 in the S300 manual on Audio Setup. You access Audio Setup from the System Menu. When you get that, scroll down to Audio (HDMI). You need to change the default setting, AUTO, to PCM.

Now, when you select Dolby True HD or PCM 5.1 formats on a BD, your player is going to output linear PCM to your AVR. NOTE: Your AVR is not going to have any idea which audio format or codec you selected. But what it does know is that it's getting PCM. So don't be confused when your AVR says the source is PCM when you actually selected DD True HD or DTS MA. That's normal and there is nothing wrong.

On a side note, this player decodes Dolby True HD (according to our Sony insider on this forum starting with FW 3.70 update). It will not decode DTS MA but you will get the higher bit rate DTS MA core (higher bit rates than lossy DTS). Now you'll be getting the best possible sound this player has to offer since you already have updated to FW 3.90. Enjoy!

Thank you for the advice! Now that is cleared up, what would be the best way to adjust my KDL52W4100? I've tried searching through the Net for optimal settings but I think because is still a new market item. Anyways, thanks for any advice y'all may have.

_____________________
Sony BDP-S300 FW 3.90
Sony KDL52W4100 52" 1080p
Sony STR-DG720
Kenwood Series L/R Front, Center, L/R Surround
Kenwood 12" Subwoofer
Time Warner HD

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by omegaice

Thank you for the advice! Now that is cleared up, what would be the best way to adjust my KDL52W4100? I've tried searching through the Net for optimal settings but I think because is still a new market item. Anyways, thanks for any advice y'all may have.

_____________________
Sony BDP-S300 FW 3.90
Sony KDL52W4100 52" 1080p
Sony STR-DG720
Kenwood Series L/R Front, Center, L/R Surround
Kenwood 12" Subwoofer
Time Warner HD

Try checking in Blu-ray forum, Home Theater, HDTV Discussion for this sticky: Official Sony KDL52W4100 Owners thread, if it exists. There's also a sticky for 'Calibrate Your HDTV'. There is special calibration BD for making your own custom adjustments (trying googling for it or check Amazon, I don't know the name of it off hand and never used it). Some Sony BDs (like: The Fifth Element, remastered, has a Picture Calibration Easter Egg (punch in: 7669 on your remote control when the menu is displayed). I might suggest that although searching for optimal settings for your HDTV is good for a starter, people have different room lighting conditions, color preference, etc that might not be optimal in your HT environment. Well, good luck, and hope you get your HDTV set to your liking.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by WarrenPS

This is only a small annoyance but I still thought I would mention it here on the board. After removing a disc from my 300, the unit sits there idly for 3 to 5 minutes and then shuts itself off. According to the manual, the unit is supposed to stay on for 30 minutes before shutting down automatically. I called Sony support and they had me do a power reset (Hold down the power button until all display lights go out and then hit the power button again to turn back on). Initially, this seemed to work. I have also unplugged the unit for a minute and then plugged it back in again. However, my unit is back to shutting down after only a few minutes of idleness. Thus, I have changed the settings so Auto Power Off is turned Off. This is a satisfactory work-around for me. I am just curious if anyone else has noted this behavior and knows of any other ways to get this feature to work properly. I am using firmware 3.90.

Thanks in advance!!

You know, I never actually timed mine. But I do know for certain that there is at least 15 - 20 minutes before my S301 automatically shuts off. When you noticed the early power off glitch, did you just play a disc with BD-j? I have noticed other odd behavior glitches with this player after loading BD-j like after pressing the Stop button, the picture disappears but the sound keeps playing (Across the Universe BD does it every time). I wouldn't be surprised if BD-j has some bugs and glitches of it's own that messes up our players. But, I really have no idea what is causing your player's glitch.

[Omegaice]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

Try checking in Blu-ray forum, Home Theater, HDTV Discussion for this sticky: Official Sony KDL52W4100 Owners thread, if it exists. There's also a sticky for 'Calibrate Your HDTV'. There is special calibration BD for making your own custom adjustments (trying googling for it or check Amazon, I don't know the name of it off hand and never used it). Some Sony BDs (like: The Fifth Element, remastered, has a Picture Calibration Easter Egg (punch in: 7669 on your remote control when the menu is displayed). I might suggest that although searching for optimal settings for your HDTV is good for a starter, people have different room lighting conditions, color preference, etc that might not be optimal in your HT environment. Well, good luck, and hope you get your HDTV set to your liking.

Thank you very much! I will look for the CAL BD today & start tweaking. Thanks again & I hope to talk to you again soon!
_____________________
Sony BDP-S300 FW 3.90
Sony KDL52W4100 52" 1080p
Sony STR-DG720
Kenwood Series L/R Front, Center, L/R Surround
Kenwood 12" Subwoofer
Time Warner HD

[Bonifax]

Originally Posted by omegaice

Thank you for the advice! Now that is cleared up, what would be the best way to adjust my KDL52W4100? I've tried searching through the Net for optimal settings but I think because is still a new market item. Anyways, thanks for any advice y'all may have.

Search for AVCHD.iso on google and you'll find a HD calibration disc, it's really functional and works fine with the S300.

[Octavio]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

You know, I never actually timed mine. But I do know for certain that there is at least 15 - 20 minutes before my S301 automatically shuts off. When you noticed the early power off glitch, did you just play a disc with BD-j? I have noticed other odd behavior glitches with this player after loading BD-j like after pressing the Stop button, the picture disappears but the sound keeps playing (Across the Universe BD does it every time). I wouldn't be surprised if BD-j has some bugs and glitches of it's own that messes up our players. But, I really have no idea what is causing your player's glitch.

I had the same problem with one of my BD-J (Big Fish) whenever I pressed the stop button the image disappeared but the sound continued playing for several seconds more.

Once I updated the firmware (3.90) that problem was fixed. But I can't tell you if it will work for you since I haven't Across the Universe BD. However I have many discs with BD-J and none of them (except for Big Fish) have done that.

BTW I have never had problems with my player automatically shutting off before 30 min (The time stated in the manual).

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by Octavio

I had the same problem with one of my BD-J (Big Fish) whenever I pressed the stop button the image disappeared but the sound continued playing for several seconds more.

Once I updated the firmware (3.90) that problem was fixed. But I can't tell you if it will work for you since I haven't Across the Universe BD. However I have many discs with BD-J and none of them (except for Big Fish) have done that.

BTW I have never had problems with my player automatically shutting off before 30 min (The time stated in the manual).

Updating to FW 3.90 didn't fix Across the Universe Stop button glitch for me. I think some FW fixed the other BD-j bugs I have seen like the BD-j menus freezing up the player. That was the biggest annoyance until the FW updates fixed it.

[Bonifax]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

Updating to FW 3.90 didn't fix Across the Universe Stop button glitch for me. I think some FW fixed the other BD-j bugs I have seen like the BD-j menus freezing up the player. That was the biggest annoyance until the FW updates fixed it.

The same happens to me with Across the Universe, let's hope it will get fixed with FW 3.95 that seems to be almost avaliable.