Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player Review

Slashdot It!

by Tom Andry — last modified November 06, 2007

Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player

Summary

Product Name: BDP-S300
Manufacturer: Sony
Performance Rating:
Value Rating:
Review Date: November 06, 2007 09:55
MSRP: $ 499.99

Specifications: Dimensions (Approx.) - 17 x 3 1/8 x 14 7/8" (430 x 79 x 375mm)

Weight (Approx.) - 10 lb. (4.5kg)

Dimensions (Approx.) - 17 x 3 1/8 x 14 7/8" (430 x 79 x 375mm)

Limited Warranty - 1 year parts / 1 year labor

Remote Control Functions - Multi Brand TV Remote Control

Screen Saver - Yes

DVD+R Read Compatibility - Yes

DVD+RW Read Compatibility - Yes

DVD-R Read Compatibility - Yes (Video Mode Only)

DVD-RW Read Compatibility - Yes (Video Mode Only)

High Definition - Full HD 1080/24p and 60p

BD-ROM - Yes

BD-R/RE Read Compatibility - Yes (BD-MV only. Requires firmware higher than ver.1.55)

JPEG Playback - Yes (Content must be in DVD+R/+RW/-R/-RW format.)

x.v.Color™ - Yes (output without Meta Data)

Analog-to-Digital Converter - 192KHz/24bit

dts® Output - Yes

MP3 Playback - Yes (Content must be in DVD+R/+RW/-R/-RW format.)

Dolby® Digital - Decoding: Yes; HDMI™ bitstream out: Yes

Dolby® Digital plus Decoding - Yes

Dolby® TrueHD Decoding - No (Dolby® Digital Stream Only)

dts® Decoding - Yes

dts®-HD Decoding - Hi-resolution Audio: No (dts® Stream Only); Hi-resolution Audio HDMI™ bitstream out: No (dts® Stream Only); Master Audio: No (dts® Stream Only); Master Audio HDMI™ bitstream out: No (dts® Stream Only)

SA-CD Playback - No

HDMI™ Connection Output(s) - 1 (Rear)

Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Output(s) - 1 (Rear)

S-Video Output(s) - 1 (Rear)

Composite Video Output(s) - 1 (Rear)

Optical Audio Output(s) - 1 (Rear)

Coaxial Audio Digital Output(s) - 1 (Rear)

Analog Audio Output(s) - Analog Audio Output(s) : 5.1 ch; 1 (Rear), 2 Channel; 1 (Rear)

PCM Output(s) - Linear PCM Decoding; Linear PCM out via HDMI™ bitstream

Remote Control - Multi Brand TV Remote Control

CD - Yes CD-DA

DVD - Yes (Video)

Pros

Price - one of the lowest on the market
Easy setup

Cons

NO DOLBY TrueHD OR DTS HD DECODING
Long startup time
Unresponsive remote and interface
Lackluster upconversion ability
No SACD support

Introduction

While the Sony BDP-S300 is an entry level Blu-ray player, entry level doesn't necessarily mean cheap. At $500, you're getting a capable high definition video player and that's about it. The unconversion ability of standard DVD's is lackluster at best and it only decodes Dolby Digital Plus. If you already have a capable upconverting DVD player and don't care about the decoding of Dolby TrueHD and the myriad of high definition DTS formats, this may be the Blu-ray player for you.

Recent Forum Posts:

Read the Complete Thread

Post Reply

Charles Nelson posts on February 07, 2009 00:56

Sony BDP-S300 offers HDMI, component video, S-video and composite video outputs. Its HDMI connector also carries digital audio. People are researching for prices on the players.

allargon posts on January 03, 2008 17:24

I plan on buying a 42" Panasonic Plasma 720p tv. Would it be worth buying the Sony BDP-S300 to go with? Will this increase picture quailty(when using blu-ray discs) compared to a standard upconverting dvd player? I'm pretty set on the 720p set because of the price. They have them at sears $1099 with two years intrest free financing till Jan 5. Def buying it I can get them to knock a $100 of that price. Figure that might be easier to do if I pick up a Blu-ray player at the same time. So should I go for the blu-ray to, or is it not worth it unless I buy a 1080p tv. Thanks for the input.

Worth buying? No, I would get the Sammy BD-P1200 despite its reputation for bugginess. At least it internally decodes Dolby TrueHD and provides bitstream audio support. Yes, you will see an increase in PQ even on a 42" 720p set unless you sit far away. (It will still have a better picture!)

funked up posts on December 31, 2007 15:52

velcrometer posts on December 29, 2007 12:21

OneCall.com has the Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc / DVD Player for $279.77 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price since a deal last week at Circuit City, and that deal required in-store pickup and had far more sales tax hassles. Get five Blu-ray Disc movies for free via this mail-in rebate. "Features include 1080p output, DVD+/-R playback, and HDMI, component, S-Video, and RCA video outputs." Deal ends tomorrow.

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=88133 [onecall.com]

dobyblue posts on November 20, 2007 21:03

lifamily;329822
What a piece of garbage for $500.00. I hope Sony loses their shirts on the blu-ray format. Maybe, just maybe this will teach them a lesson to play nice and come up with one unified format that everyone can afford and enjoy. I don't hate Sony, I just despise their defiance and ignorant ways of thinking things through, because its the buying public that gets burned, not Sony.

It doesn't matter if Sony loses their shirts on Blu-ray, there are more powerful companies like Panasonic and Samsung involved - Blu-ray will not lose to HD DVD.

There are also 17 companies with patents in Blu-ray Disc technology - it is not "Sony's format" as many ignorant people may have you believe.

http://www.mpegla.com/pid/bluray/ [mpegla.com]

CyberLink Corporation; Dell Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Hitachi Ltd.; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.; LG Electronics Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic); Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Pioneer Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sonic Solutions; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.; and Warner Home Video Inc.

Sounds to me like you're describing the HD DVD format as most people were behind Blu-ray as the next optical media disc before Microsoft stepped in and gave Toshiba the extra boost they needed to go ahead with their format. Toshiba are the largest patent holders in DVD technolgy and it is their greed that forced them to go ahead with HD DVD, which keeps the income pouring in for them....or at least it would if the format sold discs!