Manage updates with the Download AppSony BDP-S300
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: BDP-S300
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The BDP-S300 is a decent choice if you're limiting yourself to a relatively cheap, standard-design Blu-ray player, but everyone else should consider the competition.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memory4Less.com | Not yet rated | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/21/2013 |
CNET editors' review
Sony BDP-S300 price range: $148.48
- Reviewed by: Matthew Moskovciak
- Edited by: David Katzmaier
- Reviewed on: 07/16/2007
- Released on: 06/15/2007
The good: Excellent picture quality on Blu-ray and DVD; DVD upconversion up to 1080p; HDMI output.
The bad: Slow load times, particularly unbearable on newer BD Java discs like Pirates of the Caribbean; some minor video performance issues; no Ethernet port for firmware upgrades.
The bottom line: The BDP-S300 is a decent choice if you're limiting yourself to a relatively cheap, standard-design Blu-ray player, but everyone else should consider the competition.
User reviews
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Superb! Great Price for latest technology!
by bryankean on June 22, 2007
Pros: Slim, sleek and it looks good.Fantastic picture and sound!
Cons: Minor issue but load time is a bit slow.
Summary: Love everything about this unit and i have the ability to compare both HD-DVD and Blue-Ray. Now, i have to consider that my HD-DVD is the add on for my ...
Summary: Love everything about this unit and i have the ability to compare both HD-DVD and Blue-Ray. Now, i have to consider that my HD-DVD is the add on for my Xbox-360 so it may be at a slight disadvantage but even so, i will have to give the nod to Blue-Ray for over all picture quality and a big nod on sound. Blue-Ray just seems to do both better. This player is simple but looks great with the blue tint and single glowing light when on.Connetions are plenty for all modern recievers or most HD Televisions. I will say that if you have the option of HDMI, use it.The very first startup and setup does take a minute( as they clearly note in the paperwork) but even after that, powering on to tray opening seems to take a bit long. In any case, it is the only real complaint i have and is a very minor one at that. I watched the Itailian Job as my first movie on this unit and compared it side by side with a standard version of the movie i have just to see what the deal was. To say Blue-Ray looks and sounds better would be the understatement of the year. There really is no comparison to be honest. What we have all gotten used to watching over the years with DVD is not even half of what Blue-Ray offers in picture and sound. I am extremmly happy with this unit and running it with my Yamaha Reciever and JBL surround setup makes for one more reason to save the 10 bucks and watch a movie at home. When rental stores start offering more titles in HD, i will be in heaven.
Having both technologies on hand keeps me covered untill one format wins the war, until then, i will enjoy both. For the price, 499.99 when i bought, its a reasonable exspense to get next generation technology. Go for it.8 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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WOW - A must have at under $500.
by tonyc4s on June 24, 2007
Pros: Upscale to 1080p
Cons: Slow Loading, Size of Unit
Summary: The only real complaint and reason I gave this player an 8 is the slow time it takes for that loading tray to open. If you leave a DVD in ...
Summary: The only real complaint and reason I gave this player an 8 is the slow time it takes for that loading tray to open. If you leave a DVD in it and want to take it out, prepare to stare at the player for a good minute. Whistle your favorite tunes and think back on how much faster that old junk player you used to have would open. I can deal with the load times when I go watch a movie but to have to wait just to eject...
Anyways, watch any movie on it and be ready to be amazed. I even think my old DVDs look as good as blu-ray. Very impressive on the upconversion to 1080. You will never watch movies on another player. It does have its side effects, now my friends keep bringing their movies to watch them on the player.
One other thing I did not like is the size, it still needs one more generation to shed some weight and gain some speed, but you can not go wrong with this baby. It has everything you expect and need for that top of the art home cinema!!6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Just an OK Player
by djsincla on July 18, 2007
Pros: Picture Perfect
Cons: Very slow to start and very slow with Java menus
Summary: Since this player was first announced, I was optimistic Sony's second player to the market would be a quality product. Unfortunately this is not the case with the BDP-S300. ...
Summary: Since this player was first announced, I was optimistic Sony's second player to the market would be a quality product. Unfortunately this is not the case with the BDP-S300. Out of the box the player comes with a green piece of paper warning of slow start time for first time use - It was slow all the time. Press the power on button on the remote and wait 45 seconds before you can load a disc. Slow response to scanning forward and backwards and discs coded with Java menus took several minutes to load. Overall a disappointing product.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Disappointing
by ciphernetic on September 30, 2007
Pros: Unit looks very slick, thin, silent operation, video quality and audio quality
Cons: *Very slow* to load some discs, probably wont be able to upgrade to Blu-ray profile spec by firmware, audio format support
Summary: I just recently purchased a BDP-S300. The unit looks very good with my other home theatre gear and operates silently.
The video and audio quality is superb, as is to ...Summary: I just recently purchased a BDP-S300. The unit looks very good with my other home theatre gear and operates silently.
The video and audio quality is superb, as is to be expected.
The one thing that really lets this player down is that it takes *forever* to load discs. As mentioned in the CNET review, it truly does take approximately 3 mins to load Pirates of the Caribbean. It takes a similar amount of time to load any one of discs in the Spider-man trilogy.
Another thing to look out for is that this player does not support TrueHD or DTS HD MA... and probably wont - ever. I'm not hugely concerned about this, but it is a shame that I would probably have to buy a new player to get that functionality.
One last thing... as the Blu-ray specification is still not complete, as the new specifications are approved - it is highly unlikely the player will be able to take advantage of them via a firmware update. Again - it's a shame that it is a high probability that a new player would need to be purchased in order to take advantage of future Blu-ray features.
Overall, if you are looking for lower cost entry in to HD and aren't too concerned about slow loading discs, the absolute highest quality sound or being able to take advantage of soon to be added capabilities - then this would be a good choice. In all honesty, you are probably better off buying a PS3 (or a Toshiba HD DVD player/Xbox 360 with HD DVD add on).4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Just bougt a blu-ray bdp-s300 player
by faizanmir on June 17, 2007
Pros: mind blowing picture and audio quality
Cons: needs a firmware upgrade after you buy a player
Summary: i just bought a blu-ray bdp-s300 it has a mind blowing picture and audio quality BUT while playing a disc whenever there was darker area like a tree or mountain ...
Summary: i just bought a blu-ray bdp-s300 it has a mind blowing picture and audio quality BUT while playing a disc whenever there was darker area like a tree or mountain shadow the picture started flickering, reason is the player will not play certain types of blu-ray disc formats, so i called sony to send me a firmware upgrade which sony claims should solve the problem, so waiting for the firmware and without the firmware the player plays a bad quality of regular dvd's aswell.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great 2nd Gen Blu-Ray Player
by ttk421 on July 5, 2007
Pros: Blu-Ray PQ, Menu System,
Cons: Upconversion of standard DVDs. Speed of loading java-enabled blu-ray discs
Summary: I bought both the Sony BDP-S300 and Samsung BD-P1200 one week apart, and connected both to my Sony KDSR60XBR2. After a week comparing the two, I've decided to return ...
Summary: I bought both the Sony BDP-S300 and Samsung BD-P1200 one week apart, and connected both to my Sony KDSR60XBR2. After a week comparing the two, I've decided to return the BDP-S300, but it wasn't an easy choice. Both these blu-ray players perform well, but the main difference is in upconversion of standard DVDs and speed of loading java-enabled blu-ray discs. Samsung is better in both respects. I had to perform the firmware upgrade to the BD-P1200, and after that most of the early-reported glitches disappeared (yes, I had them all!). I still get a brief pause on one disc (7 Years in Tibet) when layers are switched, but it's very minor and worth the trade-off for better upconversion and speed. Maybe a future firmware release will fix this minor shortcoming as well. The notoriously problematic Pirates of the Caribbean blu-ray loads and runs flawlessly on both machines, but loads twice as quickly on the Samsung. I am aware that the Samsung also offers HDMI 1.3 unlike the Sony, but from a performance point of view with current TV and receiver I can't tell the difference. The Samsung has an ethernet port for upgrading, the Sony does not, however you can burn a CD and upgrade firmware on either machine that way so this is not a big deal. IMHO, the Sony has a better menu system than the Samsung, but maybe that's because I've gotten used to an upconverting Sony dvd player after all these years, including the typical Sony remote. I have set both players to bitstream audio out and connected to my higher-end (but not ES-series) Sony receiver for decoding Dolby Digital, etc. Sound connected this way seems the same from both players. Again, I might notice a difference if I were to use a higher-end receiver. And lastly, for what it's worth, somehow the Sony's PQ on blu-ray seems ever-so-slightly softer, but with ever-so-slightly less motion artifacts. These are minor differences, but I do prefer the Samsung's sharper PQ overall. At first, I was sure I prefered the color balance of the Samsung over the Sony, but after a week I'm beginning to think it's my imagination. I am posting this review on both the Sony BDP-S300 and Samsung BD-P1200 review pages. The price (as of July 2007) of the Samsung BD-P1200 has dropped to near the price of the Sony BDP-S300 and so I feel it's a fair comparison. I am rating the Samsung a 9, and the Sony an 8.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fantastic Machine!
by mbarrows1 on June 22, 2007
Pros: clear, sharp images; great sound
Cons: "boot" up time somewhat long
Summary: I love my BDP-S300 Blu-Ray! Picture quality is excellent and so is the Dolby digital 5.1 (sorry, I don't have Dolby HD). As reported by someone else previously (...
Summary: I love my BDP-S300 Blu-Ray! Picture quality is excellent and so is the Dolby digital 5.1 (sorry, I don't have Dolby HD). As reported by someone else previously (poor picture with "flicker" in certain sections), I have found NOTHING of the sort!
It is connected to a Toshiba 64" DLP with 1080p native resolution.
The only troubling thing was that Blockbuster reported "only" having Blu-Ray DVDs from now on and when I went to two different Blockbusters, neither had even ONE Blu-Ray DVD for rental. I've gotten them on Blockbuster online so this really isn't a problem but it is very strange that retail stores do not have them.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The Cnet reviewer is incorect on about TrueHD
by extirpator on June 21, 2007
Pros: Price is good for a dedicated player, Blu-ray has the largest selection of movies, Blockbuster just went Blu-ray exclusive in 1400+ stores.
Cons: PS3 is a better bang for your buck as you can still get the 20GB version at some places for the same price, and it supports HDMI1.3, can play games, and work as a media hub.
Summary: So, a quick look at the manual for this unit reveals that indeed it DOES support TrueHD sound. I'm puzzled how the reviewer got this important feature wrong... Perhaps ...
Summary: So, a quick look at the manual for this unit reveals that indeed it DOES support TrueHD sound. I'm puzzled how the reviewer got this important feature wrong... Perhaps they should RTFM before the make inaccurate claims. The manual is available at http://www.docs.sony.com/release/BDPS300.pdf page 48 shows TrueHD as a supported 5.1 channel PCM output on BD-ROM.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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BDP-S300 / MAY 2008
by caijen on May 23, 2008
Pros: Simple setup,reasonable load time,Extraordinary picture quality and sound
Cons: Remote is not backlit.
Summary: The Sony BDP-S300 second generation blu-ray disc player is entry level player.If you are a novice who is just learning about HDTV-VIDEO and you cant afford a top end ...
Summary: The Sony BDP-S300 second generation blu-ray disc player is entry level player.If you are a novice who is just learning about HDTV-VIDEO and you cant afford a top end player this is a model for you.I purchesd my Reconditioned Blue-ray from Greys on line for $365 with 12monts warranty.
I'm useing a Phillips 42" plasma with built in HD,and a Dennon AVR 2700 amp.
My Sony Blu-ray took me around 10 minutes to set up useing a HDMI cable and then run a RCA lead from my digital out on the TV to the digital input on my amp and got dolby digital sound from my amp(yes).The latest firmware version for the Sony BDP-S300 is
version 3.8 and if you have this version then a lot of the problems mentioned in other reviews Have been addresed,and your hd video playing experiance should be very enjoyable.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great player - still some quirks
by GoPSULions on July 4, 2007
Pros: 1080p, video, cost, look
Cons: very slow for some operations
Summary: I waited to buy this Sony unit with great expectations. I was not let down on the video department. It looks fantastic on my Sony 1080p LCD via HDMI. Regular ...
Summary: I waited to buy this Sony unit with great expectations. I was not let down on the video department. It looks fantastic on my Sony 1080p LCD via HDMI. Regular DVDs look great as well.
I do not care if it can decode every audio mode. I rather have the receiver do the decoding, just like I've always done before. The new receivers are now hitting the market, so I am glad Sony released a lower cost unit that lets me redirect the savings to a new receiver.
My only complaint, is like most others, is the reposiveness of the unit. The power up, eject, and loading does take a while. I thought this would have been much faster by now. But this is quickly forgotten when the video comes up!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: BDP-S300
- Description: Everyone will marvel at the stunning sound and picture quality of this second-generation Blu-ray Disc player. With remarkable features and versatile performance, the BDP-S300 is an amazing value. See and hear a whole new world of high definition with the incredible BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc Player. The crystalline clarity of 1080p Blu-ray Disc movies and DVD up scaling has to be seen to be believed. Amazing 24p True Cinema output and cinema-tuned picture presets allow you to see movies exactly how the director intended. And with BRAVIA Theatre Sync, you can now you can control your compatible BRAVIA TV and AV systems from just one remote.
General
- Component type Blu-ray player
- Form factor Tabletop
- Dimensions (WxDxH) 16.9 in x 14.8 in x 3.1 in
- Weight 9.9 lbs
Blu-ray
- Media Type DVD+R,
BD-ROM,
DVD,
DVD-ROM,
DVD+RW,
DVD-R,
DVD-RW - Audio D/A Converter 24bit / 192kHz
- Built-in Audio Decoders Dolby Digital
- Media Load Type Tray
- Picture Modes Widescreen,
Letterbox,
Pan and scan - Blu-ray repeat modes Title,
Chapter - CD Playback Modes Repeat all,
One track repeat,
Random play / shuffle - Upscaling Yes
- Supported Digital Video Standards MPEG-2,
MPEG-4 - Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
Blu-ray Features
- Parental lock Yes
- TV screen saver Yes
- Additional features Progressive scanning ,
Screen saver,
JPEG photo playback Audio System
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Digital Audio Format Dolby Digital output,
DTS digital output Connections
- Connector type 1 x HDMI ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Rear,
1 x SPDIF output ( RCA phono ) - Rear,
1 x S-Video output ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Rear,
1 x SPDIF output ( TOSLINK ) - Rear,
1 x Audio line-out ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Rear,
1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ) - Rear
Remote Control
- Type Universal remote control - Infrared
- Features Multi-brand compatibility
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x Audio cable,
1 x Video cable Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
