The Sony BDP-S360 Review Thread

[connect42]

I wanted to post this here, as well as the other thread, because I mentioned the problem here:
I figured out the green flicker I have been seeing when the Sony is set to 1080p. I have several different brands of HDMI cables. I tested the player at my brothers house with his cable and it worked fine. I brought the player back home and connected it with the same type of HDMI as used at my brother's house and the flicker still appeared. After some thought (and dirty words) I figured out that the brand of HDMI that the player appears to not like was connecting my Onkyo (which the Sony is connected to) to my TV. I replaced that HDMI cable and the flicker has disappeared.

[arthursiew]

Originally Posted by hoju3508

From the picture, it looks black instead of blue. Is this correct?

If you're talking about the new chassis of the player, it's black. It looks nice in person.

Originally Posted by septim

I'm kind of confused. What do you mean by impressive PQ and AQ? As compared to what? Blu Ray playback should be identical unless the player applies post processing.

Some BD players doesn't process the PQ and AQ very well. For an example, I compared to this player to the BD370 they were using as a display. I don't exactly remember, but the BD370's PQ wasn't as great.

[HDTV1080P]

SONY BDP-S360 BLU-RAY PLAYER
(Home Theater magazine June 2009 review link)

The improved loading speed, better video quality, and advanced audio decoding of DTS HD Master audio is a nice improvement over the BDP-S350 that I purchased last year. The Sony BDP-S360 and Panasonic DMP-BD60 both are $300. I perfer the Panasonic over the Sony. The Sony does not have as good as video performance when compared to the better quality Panasonic. The Sony does not offer reverse 3:2 pulldown for film based 480I DVD's. The Panasonic will up convert film based DVD's to 1080p/24 with its 3:2 pulldown detection. Like the Panasonic the latest Sony BDP-S360 has dropped legacy 480I S-Video support. The Sony BDP-S360 does not have built in 1GB of internal memory and does not offer 1GB ethernet networking support like the PS3 does. Just like the two BDP-S350's that I purchased last year the new BDP-S360 uses a micro USB slot in the back of the player to plug in for BD-LIVE. The Sony players would be much easier and better to use if they included 1GB of built in memory for BD-LIVE and a front loading SD card slot to add additional memory. The Panasonic SD card slot for BD-LIVE is easier to access and looks a lot better cosmetically compared to USB flash memory.

The Sony auto check for firmware updates is nice and it notifies one if there is a firmware update available as soon as the player is turned on. I also wish BLU-RAY engineers would design a BLU-RAY player that would automatically turn on the player in the middle of the night and check for the latest update and if one is available to have it automatically installed while one is sleeping. Having to wait 10 minutes to install a update to watch the latest new releases is not consumer friendly. These updates should automatically be installed when the player is turned off and not in use. I am on a 100% 1GB network using CAT5E cable and am not interested in a wireless option. For those consumers that are on a wireless network the Sony BDP-S560 will be released later this year that will add wireless Internet and a easy to access front USB port for BD-LIVE. The BDP-S560 list price will only be $50 more at $350.

Quotes

" Sony includes a USB port on the back panel to meet the memory requirements for BD-Live. Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t include the memory, so you’ll need to purchase a 1-GB USB stick if you want to try out BD-Live. Again, we would prefer that manufacturers either meet the 1-GB spec with internal storage or at least include the external storage to minimize confusion."

" Sony’s auto update feature notifies you when a firmware update is available. This takes out the guesswork, and it’s a very nice touch that I hope we see from other manufacturers."

" Most of the market is now approaching this same price point and including more features, such as on-demand video streaming from online sources like Netflix. This makes the competition stiff for the rather bare-bones Sony. However, that doesn’t mean that Sony doesn’t deliver a capable Blu-ray player for the dollar."

" The BDP-S360 ($300) is Sony’s newest entry-level offering, and it supports Blu-ray’s full interactive capabilities. This includes BD-Live via its Ethernet connection and Bonus View picture-in-picture. This year, Sony will also release the BDP-S560 ($350), which builds on this platform by adding wireless Internet connectivity and a front-panel USB port."

" The back panel features only a stereo analog audio output. As with the Panasonic, you need HDMI in your surround processor or AVR to take advantage of the player’s output capabilities. This seems to be the norm with a lot of players on the market, and I wouldn’t be surprised if multichannel analog outputs completely disappear in the future."

" The HDMI output is version 1.3a, and the setup menu lets you select the output color space. This can be a big plus in terms of tweakability. It also lets you set the bit depth for upsampled Deep Color. The BDP-S360 supports up to 12 bits per channel for a total of 36 bits. It includes standard analog video connections, along with TosLink and digital coaxial options."

"The BDP-S360 includes full internal decoding for all of Blu-ray’s advanced audio codecs, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. You can also choose to simply bitstream them in native form. However, the player does have one minor quirk. The dynamic range function defaults to on, so I’d recommend that you set it to Wide Range during your initial setup in order to eliminate any possibility of unnecessary implementation of dynamic range compression."

Video Performance

"Sony has definitely upped the ante with the BDP-S360’s video processing. Previous players did a good job with 1080p/24 playback of Blu-ray titles, but their deinterlacing and standard DVD playback left a lot to be desired."

"The BDP-S360 features very good video processing that actually improves upon Sony’s flagship BDP-S5000ES’s performance. (See our March 2009 issue for the full report.) It includes full HD deinterlacing and solid standard-definition deinterlacing."

The BDP-S360 still doesn’t sup- port HD motion-adaptive deinter-lacing. This is vital for material that’s sourced from video-based cameras. This also includes some concert titles that are only available in 1080i and any AVCHD content that’s sourced from a consumer-grade 1080i camera. However, this will generally have little effect on Blu-ray playback."

"The Sony’s standard-definition DVD deinterlacing was good, but its scaling wasn’t quite up to the level of the better video processing solutions out there. I used several different luma and chroma bursts to evaluate resolution, and I noticed some occasional flickering and scaling artifacts. If you want to make the most out of your DVD library from a Blu-ray player, you might want to evaluate this player’s performance against some of the other options that include higher-end video processing solutions."

" It was nice to see Sony improve on its general operability with this new design. While I can’t say the BDP-S360 has reached the level of the outstanding PlayStation 3 in terms of load and response times, it’s definitely faster than previous Sony models I’ve tested. Load times were just above average for a new player, and I didn’t find myself as agitated with the Java-intensive discs as I typically am with most players. Sony also includes a Quick Start mode hat turns the player on a bit faster than normal. It doesn’t cut down on load times, but it gets you up and going quicker. General navigation was average and could still use some improvement."

" DVD playback was good, but some other manufacturers deliver better video processing, including 1080p/24 playback, at or near this price point."

" Overall, Sony has definitely improved upon its previous players and delivered a solid Blu-ray player with the BDP-S360. I have no complaints about the BDP-S360’s Blu-ray playback performance, but the design leaves a bit to be desired in terms of extra features and connectivity."

http://hometheatermag.com/discplayer...yer/index.html

[robertc88]

Thanks for posting. Long story shorter, I have both the Sony S360 & Panasonic BD60 I've been trying. I'm keeping the Panny! I got it for $249 on sale at Best Buy.

[robertc88]

Well I'm back to the Sony S360 again. The Panny BD60 is giving some pausing that that has been random on some players and I don't want to have to live with that as I'm experiencing it as well.

The Sony S360 works great for BDs so far as many never looked better to me, not so great for SD DVD playback though.

[arthursiew]

Originally Posted by robertc88

Well I'm back to the Sony S360 again. The Panny BD60 is giving some pausing that that has been random on some players and I don't want to have to live with that as I'm experiencing it as well.

The Sony S360 works great for BDs so far as many never looked better to me, not so great for SD DVD playback though.

Normally, Sony's players are high in quality, but their players aren't as feature packed as their other competitors. For an example, the BDP-S350 is probably the best selling Blu-ray player in the market. Although the PS3 is feature packed, the selling price is higher than the standalones. I still have to say that Sony has the best performing players, but less features.

[Mauri]

Hi ,

I would like to know what NEC chip is used by the S360. I think it could be the MC-10092 (Emma family), the same used in the expensive S5000ES. Could you please have a look inside the player?

Thank you in advance .

ps. from what I read until now around the web, this player actually seems to me the most interesting, taking all in consideration.

[djc11369]

So you want someone to tear into their brand new player and void their warranty so they can tell you what chip is inside? Takers anyone? Anyone at all?

[Mauri]

That information was reported in this web site for the S350 and for the S5000ES models.

I have just asked. If you don't like to open your player to have a look inside, just don't do it. Thank you anyway.

[nvrsbr]

Anyone know if the 360 plays DIVX ?

[arthursiew]

I am taking my Blu-ray player to China next Sunday. I don't know how I should take it on the plane though. I resealed the box. How should I take it to China? Should I check it in or hand carry it? I think it's too big for hand cary as the box for this player is big. If I was to check it in, should I stuff it in a bag with a lot of clothes or just get a shipping box?

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by arthursiew

I am taking my Blu-ray player to China next Sunday. I don't know how I should take it on the plane though. I resealed the box. How should I take it to China? Should I check it in or hand carry it? I think it's too big for hand cary as the box for this player is big. If I was to check it in, should I stuff it in a bag with a lot of clothes or just get a shipping box?

I really don't have a recommendation. Maybe ship it in advance instead of taking it with you if possible.

[joker552]

Originally Posted by arthursiew

Normally, Sony's players are high in quality, but their players aren't as feature packed as their other competitors. For an example, the BDP-S350 is probably the best selling Blu-ray player in the market. Although the PS3 is feature packed, the selling price is higher than the standalones. I still have to say that Sony has the best performing players, but less features.

Question: What are the most important differences between the 360 and the 350...besides DTS Master Audio decoding on the 360?
Are the load times FASTER?

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by joker552

Question: What are the most important differences between the 360 and the 350...besides DTS Master Audio decoding on the 360?
Are the load times FASTER?

This is on the first line of the HTF review in post 43. There are probably other comparisons in there as well.

"The improved loading speed, better video quality, and advanced audio decoding of DTS HD Master audio is a nice improvement over the BDP-S350 that I purchased last year".

I ended up keeping this player and returning the Panny BD60 for which I was getting random pauses from time to time during BD playback.

The video performance bests one of their flagship players? Guess I'm glad I don't own that one!

[muathusanjose]

BDP-S360 Cannot play IP Man HK version region all.
What's wrong ?? All others are fine

[AKORIS]

Guys, my Sony 350 equivelant from Costco (BDP-BXI) just went south on me last night-- it won't read any discs-- when pop any in it just stalls and says "no disc".

Since I bought it from Costco (on purpose because of their no hassle exchange policy) I want to know if their new BX2 model is the same as the
Sony player discussed here.

Is anybody familiar with what Costco carries and do you have any reccomendations?

I can't believe that this is the second player that went bad on my in just under 2 years-- my original Panasonic model lasted only 6 months!! Now this Sony went about 14 months! WTF!

[goku683]

hi, in advance sorry for my bad english..
I would know one thing, there r someone that can try how this player work with homeburning blu-ray? I have many copy of backup of my blue-ray disc but on my Samsung BD-P2500 have micro pause and dropping too many times.
I would buy this new Sony S360 but I would be sure that it can read better.

P.S. all my BD homeburning working very good on PS3

[joker552]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

Guys, my Sony 350 equivelant from Costco (BDP-BXI) just went south on me last night-- it won't read any discs-- when pop any in it just stalls and says "no disc".

Since I bought it from Costco (on purpose because of their no hassle exchange policy) I want to know if their new BX2 model is the same as the
Sony player discussed here.

Is anybody familiar with what Costco carries and do you have any reccomendations?

I can't believe that this is the second player that went bad on my in just under 2 years-- my original Panasonic model lasted only 6 months!! Now this Sony went about 14 months! WTF!

Damn guy. Maybe you need to take "better" care of your blu-ray player(s).

[AKORIS]

yeah, thanks a heap!!!!!!!

[mugupo]

does Sony BDP-S360 read media file from usb port?