Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

Picture is excellent for the blu-ray discs. The most impressive feature is the upconvert of a standard DVD. Seems to increase them to about a 750p. Impressive. Starting up and setting is slow, you must answer 3 queries to get going. The picture quality is worth it.

Very satisfied with ease of installation via HDMI cable.
Only 3 HDMI cables between my Sat Receiver, Disc player, Surround Amp and TV. Great sound and picture.

Here is some background on my home theater equipment. I've got an older 1080i Toshiba 50H82 (Jan 2003), a Yamaha 300 (5540) surround sound, a solid Panasonic DVD player, the RP82 and a Directv DVR receiver. This has been an excellent over all system for watching movies and HDTV. It is a component type of system with the Yamaha 5540 having both a coaxial and optical audio outputs. The coaxial output is dominant which brings me to the Sony BDP-350 which contains both a coaxial and optical sound output.

When I first hooked up the new Sony DDP-350, I could see very little different with a standard DVD. I would give it a slight edge over the Panasonic RP82($210 about 6 years ago). However, we placed a blue-ray movie (Bedtime Stories) in the Sony BDP-350, and even with component connections, the picture was much better than the standard DVD movies. In fact, it was just outstanding. I did a little test yesterday with a Sony Bravia HDTV with a HDMI connection to the new blue-ray and our older system. I placed a blue-ray version of the Bourne Identity in the BDP-350 and a regular Bourne Identity in our older system. I played both movies in sync, and it just wasn't fair for the regular DVD. The Sony BDP-350 blew the socks off the older system. The color and quality of picture was far superior on the blue-ray. Don't get me wrong, the old system was of high quality and with a good picture and sound. But apples to apples, the blue-ray Sony was much better.

Years ago, when I decided to buy my Toshiba, 50H82, which upconverts standard DVD's to 480P, I was questioned about this decision since I would need a HD convertor for HD viewing. The salesmen at BB asked me, "do you like watching movies?" Of course I did and the system has functioned very well since. However, the same question can be asked now only on a much higher quality, that is, blue-ray. Sure, you need to play blue-ray movies, but that is not a problem with rentals and on-line companies which provide a vast selection. I am hooked on blue-ray.

One other note. Sony sent me a free firmware upgrade for the BDP-350 to profile 2.0. The player itself loads blue-ray discs almost as fast as my older DVD player. Out of the box the set-up was easy and there have been no problems. The Sony BDP-350 works great and I hope this review helps others with an older home theater system. I would highly recommend this blue-ray player.

ACT I:

Got this player at Best Buy nearly a month ago. One evening, out of the blue (no pun intended), the player started sliding the images right to left. I've never seen anything like it. Starting with the DVD's menu, it started sliding images at lightning speed, right to left. After trying a few things, I unplugged the player and plugged it back again. It seemed to reset itself.

ACT II:

All worked well for another day. Now, all of a sudden, it will not recognize the HDMI connection, graying out the option in the video settings (note that the option worked until tonight).

So, moral of this 2 act story: back to Best Buy tomorrow to return the player. Glad I got their extended warranty, chances are I will get refund or exchange. Do I want a replacement unit of the same model? Probably not.

The End

UPDATE:

Replaced this unit with the Samsung BD P3600. The machine died after 24 hours! Replaced it again with the LG BD390. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Loading times are lightning fast. Every disc I throw at it plays. Netflix streaming is impeccable (SONY BDP s350 does not offer this). HDMI connectivity is detected AUTOMATICALLY, so no need to make selections the player may decide not to allow. Allows for different audio and video resolutions. Overall, I will go with the LG over and over again.

We have been really pleased with this product. Easy to set up, great picture. Great product.