Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

Bought this yesterday, along with four BluRay movies. Thought it'd be a simple plug-in and run it ordeal, but that wasn't to be. This product took more to get it working right (reminded me of dealing with Windows drivers, updates, and so on, after buying a new Windows-based computer--I have a Mac, more on this below). It seems that the new generation of movie-at-home entertainment requires more hands-on technical maintenance. >>>This is important for everyone to know, not underestimate, and factor in as part of the 'experience'.<<<

This is not just plugging in a few cables and presto, everything works perfectly. Now, you need to be aware of firmware updates, nuances and so forth regarding, at least, Sony's BluRay BDP-S300 player. Folks who grew up with technology will be annoyed by this but can adapt; folks who grew up in the VHS era will likely have frustrating problems. I can't even imagine many people I know having the patience of figuring out how to download firmware, burn it, run it, and make sure it all works afterwards. Here's the kicker: how would many know to even look for a firmware update? And the bigger kicker--how to do this with an Apple Mac computer (which Sony doesn't support)?

A design flaw? I don't know--I'm new to BluRay. But it's following the reality of where computerization led us. Think about it: for what costs in the $300-$500 range, your responsibility is spending initially at least several hours configuring it and performing a firmware update, and then perhaps an hour every month checking for and running firmware updates yet again...simply because some movies won't work or won't play well otherwise. There's no way I could expect some folks to figure this out.

I happen to know how to do all of this, but it's nevertheless annoying and, frankly, time better spent reading a good book. What follows was my experience with this Sony BluRay player, all to get it working well:

(1) Buy the thing, unbox it, figure out the usual cable interconnects. I decided on HDMI, but Component Video should have worked, too. I went with coaxial digital sound. I already had all the decent cables I needed. This BluRay player has S-video and RCA plugs, but both defeat the purpose of BluRay; I don't even know why Sony includes those. It seems idiotic to include RCA cables with a high-definition product. They should consider including cheap component video cables instead. (0 hours--this was a given)
(2) Position it, plug cables in, make the setup changes on my A/V receiver and plasma display--both top-end, flagship Pioneer equipment from three years ago. (1 hour, as it took me awhile to remember how to reconfigure the A/V receiver)
(3) Things didn't work quite well, had sound issues--read the Sony BluRay manual and make adjustments. (30 mins)
(4) Turn on BluRay player and try it out. My son complained how SLOOOOW it was and how quirky the menus were; got stuck in setup and couldn't get out. Frustratingly mess around with quirky controller just to get the thing playing a movie. (15 mins)
(5) Fiddle around with all the settings on this BluRay player, A/V sound settings, display settings to get things working all copacetic. (15 mins)

I'm into it 2 hours now. Watched a movie last night--looks great! The details of the picture is spectacular! Can see details on hair locks, faint lines on buildings, and text that normally would be blurry on a DVD. Motion is incredible. It's quite the experience!

(6) Next day (today), discover the need for firmware updates, based on reviews posted on Amazon.com and other Internet sites. Some movies won't play or play well without the firmware update. I have mixed feelings of not having read the Amazon.com reviews first. If I had, I might have held off on BluRay until later this year. (30 mins)
(7) Go to Sony site and review the instructions--no Mac support! Good grief! Decide to use VMWare that I have installed on my Intel version Mac laptop; install burning software under Windows XP. Check firmware version on the Sony BluRay player I bought; 2.60 was installed. I wade through firmware installation warnings. (30 mins)
(8) Download Sony BluRay 3.70 firmware upgrade and unpack it. (15 mins)
(9) Find blank CD-R, re-read instructions, load burning software and burn. Cross fingers that this works on my Mac running VMware--it did (kudos to VMware!!!). (15 mins)
(10) Re-read instructions yet again, as the warnings are dire if the process fails. Load firmware update in Sony BluRay player, and start it up. Firmware upgrade proceeds. Watch the strange firmware process; Sony says it'll take 20 minutes. I got bored and did something else. Display on plasma TV goes eventually away. I wait and wait and wait--the final DL OK display never shows as instructions said it would, but the disk tray is ejected and remains that way. Instructions say that the player will appear off and/or ejected but don't do anything to interrupt, and wait until the DL OK shows. I wait until the hour passes. Maybe it got impatient with me? Checked the rear fan, it wasn't going. All indications show that the system is OFF. Instructions say that even if it appears off, don't do anything. Maybe the auto-off kicked in? Who knows. I wait a little longer, then give up and turn on the thing--it immediately shows DL OK. Phew!!!! (1 hour)

After 2.5 hours today, 4.5 hours total, finger-crossing throughout, this product now is running well, I'd say. Navigating through menus are quicker, start/stop/eject is MUCH faster. I'd say that it's in an acceptable mode. Based on what others have written, firmware version 3.70 seems to me the first quality version for this BluRay player.

Anything could have gone wrong in this process. I just can't see many people being able to handle this from start to finish just to get it to run acceptably. Design flaw? I don't know, to reiterate. It is reality that manufacturers have passed on a part of quality control and pre-release tasks onto the consumer. I see this happening often in consumer electronics.

Once up and running? Quality is deservedly terrific. It's fantastic! Like going from VHS to DVD. Blew me away! Sound is terrific, too, just as I would expect. Absolutely stunning (I'm running it at 1080i)! There are no video 'artifacts' and no freezes on the movies played thus far. It now performs as I would expect.

So is it worth it? For me, who could navigate through the frustrating process of Sony's BluRay player, yes...I'd give it 4 stars based only on picture quality. I surmise that other people I know would have returned the product immediately and declared BluRay not ready or not worth it. I'd readily empathize with them. They'd likely say 1 star--2 stars at best IF they got it running. 5 stars overrates it. I'll settle for 2.5 stars, if I could. 3, for benefit of doubt.

So, the pros of this Sony BDP-S300 BluRay player:
(1) Great picture and sound; terrific movie experience.
Cons:
(1) Setup and configuration annoyance.
(2) Will need to check for firmware upgrades periodically and install them.
(3) No true Mac support. For those with Macs, the process to get a free firmware disk from Sony sounds like a hassle and not worth it because they may not ship the most current firmware version (too frequent firmware updates prevents that). It's not worth installing Mac's Bootcamp or buying VMware or Parallel Desktop just to do a firmware upgrade--that's work better spent looking for a friendlier BluRay player, painting a room, or cleaning out your garage.

If you've got a Mac and have no reasonable ability to run Windows, I'd say don't buy this Sony BluRay player; the effort is simply not worth it. You could end up hating the BluRay experience. Consider another manufacturer. BluRay is worth getting the right player for you. And my very personal opinion is that getting this product even for half its original price is probably not worth the hassle for many people, either. Price alone can't make up for the annoying experience. Steep discounts of this BluRay player doesn't ease the frustration.

A final note that, it seems to me anyway, firmware upgrades are endemic with most if not all BluRay players; it's not just Sony. The key is how easy and compatible the manufacturer makes this process. Sony's is not very consumer-focused. I can't speak to Panasonic's or Sharp's. Reviews seem to say they're easier than Sony's.

I know technology, and I like good quality. I'm like the blu-ray technology, but I'm not impressed with Sony's implementation on the hardware.

I had intended to wait at least six months ago before purchasing a BluRay player, but when my Sony 400 Disc Progressive Scan 1080i output DVD player's motor went out, I was facing $250+ to repair it, $399 for an identical replacement, or $499 for the BDP-S300 player, (or $75-100 for a single DVD player w/ progressive scan & component output). I opted for the BDP-S300, but since I can still return the unit, I just might.

The biggest issue is that the interface is extremely annoying. Expect strange delays in many aspects of the user experience. The responsiveness of the player, whether using the front-panel buttons or the remote leaves the user waiting and wondering if the device is working or not.

The package comes with a "warning" that the initial power-up will take some time, but that in the future, operations will be faster. Faster is a relative term, and it should not be construed to mean fast.

Even after the very slow initial startup, the unit remains very slow. For example, it takes about 30 seconds after pushing the power button before the "power on" display shows up. It takes about 45 seconds from power up until you can insert a disc. Sometimes, after getting NO response to pressing the button, I'm wondering if my button press registered or not, so I'll press it again. Low and behold, the disc tray will open - and close - before I can get a disc on the tray. This is very annoying.

Watching a disc can also be frustrating. Incrementing chapters is inconsistent, and with the inconsistent responsiveness of the unit, it is sometimes difficult to advance to a desired movie chapter.

If you are going from a very old or very cheap DVD player to the Blu-Ray, then you will notice an improvement in quality. If you are going from a high-end DVD player with component output and progressive scan, you will not notice AS much a gain in quality - not enough to justify NOT waiting 6 months to a year before purchasing a sucessor to this player. My advice, wait a little longer - say around November or December 2007.

Mine is going back to the store.

Terrible product by Sony. Yes the picture is great, but it doesn't outweigh the hassle of >2 minute warmup time, flimsy remote, extremely poor upscaling and very few bells and whistles (didn't even have 'time left' feature).

Spend your hard earned cash on the new BDP-S350. Same price, half the size, better picture, easier navigation, minimal warmup time, etc.

Mine is running on a 52" Sony Bravia and it is incredible!

I run LG's Super Blu and Sony's S300 next to each other. The Sony is by far the most irritating piece of equipment I've ever owned.

Everything is painfully slow. Walk up to it and press the open button, and you wait about 70 seconds (no exaggeration) for it to open.

Loading Blu-Ray's typically takes anywhere 5 to 15 minutes. Sometimes it will have an error where it justs loads forever (eventually you figure it out). I usually open it up and put a disk in, come back in 5 minutes when the menu is up, then hit play, then come back in another 5 to 10 minutes after the movie has actually loaded and just rewind a little.

The fast forward settings are irritating. It just takes seconds for it to change speeds.

It even takes 9 seconds for my LCD to disconnect from it. I don't know if it's the TV or the player, I just know that everything is painfully slow, as if it were running a poor quality computer inside.

The picture and sound are great, there's no doubt about that, but this player is slow as a tortoise to do anything.

I actually own two high definition TVs and each one has a Blu-Ray player attached. On one I've got the Sony BDP-S300 and on the other I've got the Panasonic DMP-BD30. There is a huge difference in speed and responsiveness between the two players! Let me give you some very specific examples:

The Sony is powered off because you haven't been using it. You decide you want to watch a movie. So, you push the eject button to open the disc tray so that you can load a movie in to it. Well, after you push the eject button you might as well go pour yourself a Coke... because the disc tray doesn't open for an agonizingly slow 45 seconds after you push that eject button! The Panasonic boots up and opens in less than half the time: just 20 seconds.

OK... so now you've got the disc tray open. Stick in the disc and push the play button. Now wait for anything to show up on your TV screen! I timed it with "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets" and it took six seconds longer for the BDP-S300 to display the first splash screen than it did for the Panasonic. OK, so now we've at least got a picture on the TV, but we're still not actually watching the movie!

On "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets", there is a series of movie previews at the beginning of the disc. After the last preview plays, the player actually begins the process of loading all the menus and graphics from the disc and when it's finally read and loaded all that stuff, you see the first actual disc menu on the screen. On the Sony, this process takes an astonishing two minutes and seven seconds! Can you imagine sitting around with your kids, ready to watch a movie, and having to wait over two minutes for the Blu-Ray player to load everything and bring up the disc menu? It's outrageous... especially when you try the same thing on the Panasonic and watch it do the job in just 34 seconds.

It's also frustratingly slow to respond to commands from the remote. Again, using the "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets" disc as a comparison... if you want to explore the menus on the disc (for example, to see what special features are offered on the disc) things don't happen immediately when you push the buttons on the Sony remote. For example, when you push the up or down arrow to go up or down through the choices in the disc menu, there is a lag from the time you push the button until the time you actually see the menu choices scroll up or down on your screen. It shouldn't be that way! (And it isn't on the Panasonic DMP-BD30.)

Using the BDP-S300 reminds me very much of what it's like to use a very old computer with too little RAM and a very weak microprocessor. Ever used a computer like that... where you click on something and it takes the computer forever to execute the command? And then you do the same thing on a nice new computer with enough RAM and a powerful processor... and it just works? That's what the difference is like in using the Sony BDP-S300 and the Panasonic DMP-BD30.

By the way, in case anyone is wondering... yes, of course, I did do the firmware update from Sony. Everything I said in this review is based on using the latest firmware. Before the firmware update, the Sony would even play some of my Blu-Ray discs. At least now it plays them all... you just have to be really patient as you wait for anything to happen!

Buy the DMP-BD30, it's a MUCH better machine!