Against my better judgement I purchased this player because I had problems updating the firmware on the Samsung player I purchased and then returned! I say against my better judgement because Samsung is owned by Sony and most things come of the same production line. I also do not rate Sony ... Read review
Advantages: Great picture and sound, easy setup. Disadvantages: Unbelievably slow to load, quirky busy remote, firmware updates will break the machine!!!!
...because Samsung is owned by Sony and most things come of the same production line. I also do not rate Sony as the high grade producer of electronics it portraits its self as. Without fail, every piece of Sony equipment I have ever owned has failed me. This player was no different!!
Like all Sony equipment it is very well built and looks great with a cool blue light appearing on the facia when turned on. The initial setup is a doddle ... ...but what a nuisance. The Sony website where you get the updates is also quite clunky and confusing. The forth update I did on the player was the nail in its coffin. I downloaded the update, put it on a CD-r and put it in the machine to let it do its thing. 20 minutes later all was done and I went to watch my latest purchase. Nothing!!
On the front panel the 'No Disc' message kept coming up and there was nothing I could do to remedy ... more
Against my better judgement I purchased this player because I had problems updating the firmware on the Samsung player I purchased and then returned! I say against my better judgement because Samsung is owned by Sony and most things come of the same production line. I also do not rate Sony as the high grade producer of electronics it portraits its self as. Without fail, every piece of Sony equipment I have ever owned has failed me. This player was no different!!
Like all Sony equipment it is very well built and looks great with a cool blue light appearing on the facia when turned on. The initial setup is a doddle and the interface is very user friendly and runs smooth. The remote is a bit busy but quite easy to use. The problems start when you put a disc in. Go and make your tea or order a take away. When you are ready to eat, the film will have loaded!! Honestly, I know this is new technology and there is a lot of data to buffer, but damn!! Once it does start though the picture and sound are great.
This player required a lot of firmware updates. Every time I purchased a new film and put it in, the picture froze or it wouldn't play at all. A firmware upgrade always did the trick but what a nuisance. The Sony website where you get the updates is also quite clunky and confusing. The forth update I did on the player was the nail in its coffin. I downloaded the update, put it on a CD-r and put it in the machine to let it do its thing. 20 minutes later all was done and I went to watch my latest purchase. Nothing!!
On the front panel the 'No Disc' message kept coming up and there was nothing I could do to remedy it. I went on to the net and various forums and this seemed to be a common fault. The firmware update actually corrupts the players drive or memory and that is the machine broke!!! One bloke said that Sony don't want anything to do with it. I thought this a little odd as it is their software. He was right. I have tried contacting Sony and they want nothing to do with it.
Sorry folks if I have shattered any illusions. It is a terrible player in my experience and as a whole I think Sony equipment is terrible. I am now sticking to Panasonic and Toshiba. Never had a single fault on any of their equipment!! Hopefully the BDP-S 350 will be a million times better than the 300, but somehow I doubt it.
Advantages: SIMPLE TO SET UP, Disadvantages: NO EHERNET, NOT AS SOLID AS OTHER MACHINES
Considering how much effort sony invested in the blu-ray format, it was a weirdly long time getting players on o the market - players that weren't globe straddling games consoles, anyhow. And having finally got its finger out, the resulting BDP-300 is not quite the format-war-winning lap of honour you might expect. Though sturdily and attractivly built, up to sony's usual standards, loads discs relatively quickly and is simple to use, its not without ... ...what you really buy this sony for - playing blu-ray discs - it leaves a surprising amount to be desired.
How it was for me?
FIRST THOUGHTS.
Sony never disappoints where pride of ownership is concerned - when you pull it from its packaging, the BDP-300 looks and feels the most covetable player I've seen.
SETUP
The menus are'nt quite as swish as those you'll find on the ps3, but Sony can still teach the opposition a thing or two about how to make ...
Ronnie_2008 22.05.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony BDP-S 300
Advantages: Great looking, Easy set up, Disadvantages: Long loading time, Running noise
I was bought this Blu ray player as a gift and it does what it says on the tin. Was realy easy to set up it has an automatic set up function it finds what ever lcd tv your using and sets itself up acordingly. Or it does have the option of manual set up. It is a great looking machine but is quite bulky it does take up a bit of room. It does take a long time to load up but thats not the end of the world hit the power button then go make a cup of tea ... ...noise louder then you would excpect from any dvd player but that is soon drowned out by the sound of the tv. All in all I would say its a great machine and like I said before it does what it says on the tin. Just remember to buy your HDMI cable seperate it does not come with one ...
leeroy337 12.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Sony BDP-S 300
First impression of this was ouch look at the price, but if you look deeper there is so much it has to offer. Years i have spent hundreds on dvds and after several months they suddenly stop working, i lose the reciept and so im faced with the problem of having 2 purchase yet another dvd. Then a few months ago i saw this and daringly decided to buy it, although the price tag may seem steep when you see the product itself you will know you have made ...
googeth 04.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Sony BDP-S 300
Home Theatre System (Digital Dolby and DVD Player)
Yes
iPod Control
No
MP3 Docking
No
MP3 Playback
with MP3 Playback
Number of Discs
1
Number of Output Channels
5 + Subwoofer (5.1)
Number of Speakers
6 Speakers
RDS/EON
with RDS/EON
RMS Wattage
143
Width in mm
430 mm
Wireless Music System
No
Wireless Speakers
Wired Speakers
Blu Ray Playback
Yes
Manufacturer's product description
The new BDP-S300 model can output 1920 x 1080p (progressive) high-definition video, currently the highest resolution high-definition signal available through an HDMI connection. The player supports various video formats, including MPEG2, MPEG4-AVC and VC1. For those who own an HDTV set without HDMI, an analog component output for 1080i (interlaced) is available as well. The new BD player is compatible with most standard DVDs and has the added feature of 1080p upscaling through HDMI to 1080p capable HDTVs, improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries.
