Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony BDPS350 Blu-ray Disc Player 1080p Full HD

I've had this player since June and apart from the excrutiatingly long load times I've been really happy with it. But then I bought the new Star Trek film on blu-ray, and the disk wasn't recognised. I checked the website for a firmware update and its only available as an .exe file (e.g. Windows only) and I have a Mac. I contacted Sony customer services and they were very unhelpful - they just suggested finding someone with a PC and CD burner and getting them to do it, or else lugging my 46" plasma and blu ray player upstairs so I can plug it straight into the ethernet port of my cable modem! Not particularly helpful Sony! I've now managed to get the firmware updated, but it was a pain, so anyone with a Mac only system might want to bear this in mind - its the same for all of Sony's blu ray players. And finally, the firmware update isn't great - it will recognise the disk now, but if you stop it and restart the machine it won't remember where it was in the film, and you need to eject it and start from the front menu again (after waiting 15 minutes for it to load!).

As with all technology these days, it changes quicker than you can blink. I've owned the Sony BDPS350 for just under a year now, and two newer models have already been released. That certainly doesn't mean it's time to trade in your Sony BDPS350 anytime soon, it's still a very relevant machine and I've had no problems getting all the latest Blu Ray Discs to play on it.
In fact, just like a computer updates itself, if you are experiencing difficulties with discs then you need to update the player's firmware. This can be done either by connecting wirelessly to a router or creating an update disc from the Sony website. I managed to do that latter, it's reasonably easy once you have followed the instructions and will ensure your BDPS350 runs smoothly.
In terms of its performance, the BDPS350 performs excellently, on both Blu Rays and DVD's, upscaling the latter to 1080p.
Sound is also handled well, never quite up to a surround sound standard but all the necessary connections are present which will enable you to connect one should you so wish.
In summary, I don't recommend shelling out for a newer expensive model when this one does the job just fine - just remember to update the firmware!

Product purchased just over a year ago and it now no longer recognises any disc (Blu-Ray or DVD) in the drive bay. The error has been reported by numerous owners on forums all over the web. I wouldn't have posted this if I hadn't found so many results to a "No disc" error search on Google for this machine. I would have thought it was just mine that was faulty. Puts my faith back in the serious lack of quality in this brand of products.

This is an excellent Blu Ray player. The picture and sound quality are excellent.
It is very simple to set up initially, basically plug a HDMI lead into the back, then into the TV. IF you have a Sony bravia TV things get even easier as only one remote is needed.
It's worth (essential really) connecting the player into an internet router in order to allow it to update itslef to remain future proof.

I was Hugely disappointed with this product. Maybe the one I had for a time was faulty but I thought the sound was very poor and some blu ray discs would not play. However my friend has the player and he thinks it's superb so I guess mine probably was faulty.

I returned it back to supplier via amazon and opted for new playstation 3 slim line.

Even though both items are Sony the Playstation 3 is awesome. Far superior both for Hi DEF films and games.