Sony BDP-S350 Review
September 10, 2008
Manufacturer's overview
Revel in astounding HD clarity with the BDP-S350 Blu-ray Disc player. The most noticeable additions to this year's model are the Ethernet port that lets you download firmware updates directly to the player, and -- with one of those firmware updates -- access web contetent encoded to Blu-ray discs via BD-Live, compatibility with the Bonus View feature of select Blu-ray movies, and a USB port that allows you to add more storage to access the growing number of special features that will be available given the immense storage capacity of Blu-ray discs themeselves. This player also outputs a Full 1080/24p True Cinema picture, and upscales your existing DVD collection to 1080p when using an HDMI connection. Dolby TrueHD capability delivers lossless sound that is true to the original studio master. Bringing it all together is the new icon based Xcross Media Bar, which provides simple navigation of the player's menu system.
Our Take
Sony has pushed its Blu-ray format to victory over the HD-DVD format. It has made foray into the mass market by offering BDP-350 model. Althought it lacks the Profile 2.0, it has plenty feature and punch to become a very popular Blu-ray player. Sony has promised to update the Profile in the near future.
The connectivity lacks some of the backward compatible audios. It lacks the 5.1 or 7.1 audio channel connectivity. The standard HDMI is present as well as component and S-video. The big plus is having the ethernet port for future update to Profile 2.0.
The video output is very good across the board. None of the problems that plagued earlier players are present in this player such as jaggies, blockiness, and chopiness. The image quality is very sharp and can handle fast moving scenes with ease according to user reviews. The upconversion quality is fantastic for exisiting DVD movies.
The audio support is bit lacking as it does not have onboard decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio. However, it does have onboard decoding capability of Dolby TrueHD. If you have receiver capable of decoding these you can easily output these formats via bitstream. But if you are lacking receiver you will be limited to Dolby TrueHD decoding.
The remote is pretty good with plenty of big directional pads and good compatiblity with other components. However, we would of have liked to have back lit buttons.
Overall, it is an excellent player at a great price. This is one of the most popular stand alone Blu-ray player.
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Video Review
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Blu-Ray Discussions
Join our discussion at BluRayforums.net!
I want to add,I have this unit for over a year now,and i have been noticing alot of issues with blue ray movies.The first thing I have noticed is the volume has to be up all the way to seventy to hear the voices,not good at all,since i live in a small apartment.and this only happens in blue ray movies,regualr movies i put volume to 29-33 .so something is very wrong with it,its been getting worse,and to make matters worse,I paid 399.99 for this unit when it first came out..It does not up convert regular movies at all..i also am using 720p tv ..So Im not sure exactly what the problem is.i tried everything ,and nothing seems to work,i even updated all the software.that did not work.I would not recomend this unit
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wow
I received the blue ray in two working days, with free shipping!! wow.
I plugged it to my home theatre projector, no other settings required, up and running in about 5 minutes!!Wow
The quality of BD is excellent, and easily superior to DVD, inspite of my projector being 720p!!Wow
Also note that I am replacing oppo DVD upconversion. This unit definitely excels the upconversion. There was a clear improvement in pixels and grains, even my children could recognize it. !! Wow
I would highly recommend this product.
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Great Player
I bought this player after reading a lot of reviews, it lives up to its name. This is my first b-ray player
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Awesome B-ray Player
I went to Circuit City yesterday to purchase the Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-Ray Player. As the salesman showed me where the Blu-Ray players were located in the store I told him I was interested in the DMP-BD30K. His response was that I should consider the new Sony BDP-S350 instead. I was truly amazed by it’s performance. Fantastic buy and I would recommend it to anyone.
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Very good player
So far so good. No problem so far with the 20 or so films that I’ve run through this. Nice picture.
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GREAT Player! Best one on the market
One of the best BLU Ray players on the market right now for the price!
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Best BlueRay Player
This is the best player. I tried couple of other name brands before I got this one. Little pricey, but worth it.
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Great Blu-Ray
I’m very happy with my purchase. Good price too. Will be able to last through any technological advancements.
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Slick looking and Great finctionality
Great player. Even seems to make standard dvds look better but maybe just in my head.
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sony getting better
One of the best features of this player is its size. Sony has been able to reduce the size of the player to just over a 2″ height and only 8-3/4″ deep. Sony’s previous model was nearly 15″ deep and just over 3″ high.
Finally Sony adds a remaining time function to the display. Previous models only had a elapsed and total time display, so you had to do the remaining time in your head. Most Sony DVD players always had this function, but this is a first for their Blu-ray players.
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Great Blu-Ray Player
This is a great player. Simple to use. It’s Sony so you can expect them to understand how to properly play Blu-Ray movies.
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Excellent Player
I bought this player afer reading a lot of reviews, it lives up to its name. I have it hooed to my router and it periodically downloads the update and updates, great player. But I think Amazon sent me a used/returned item because the box says made in Malaysia and the actual player inside was made in China.
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Great Blu-Ray Player
I’ve been following blu-ray development and have finally decided to purchase a player. This one got the job done, I am very proud of it!
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Great player.
Purchased this player about a week ago. Fantastic picture quality on my LCD. Wondered how I ever watched regular DVD’s before.
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Love it
My first Blu-ray player. Absolutely love it. Some discs took a bit of time to load but I think that’s the disc issue, not the player. The PQ is awesome. Works great with my Sony Z series HDTV.
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Very good player, now I’m Bu-Ray spoiled!
I waited a long time before making the Blu-Ray plunge, and bought the Sony because of my very favorable experiences with the brand over the past 15 plus years. I am 100% satisfied! The operation of the BDP-S350 is first rate, and I don’t even mind the long load times compared to regular DVD players. The picture that eminates from both Blu-Ray discs and regular discs is superb, thanks to the miracle of HDMI connections. (Don’t even think about using any other type of connection with this, or any other player that you intend to get full 1080p resolution out of, because it ain’t happening!)
After watching only two Blu-Ray offerings (“Dark Knight”, and “The Mummy – Tomb of the Dragon Emporer”), I can immediately tell if a DVD playing is Blu-Ray or not without looking at the box! I’ve been ready for this for some time, and the BDP-S350 delivers in spades, for less than $300! It takes up very little space, and is easy to operate. The setup menu even has an “Easy Setup” feature, for crying out loud.
If you are considering this player, and want to take advantage of online updates and the BD-Live features using the internet connection, the Linksys WGA54G Wireless-G Gaming Adapter would be a good choice. Configure both the BD Player and the adapter with static IP addresses, and be sure to set the “Allow internet connection” setting on the player to “Yes”. Believe me, it does work.
So far I’ve upgraded the firmware on my player twice since purchasing it in mid-December, once by downloading a DVD image from Sony’s site, and once using the online feature. Both worked flawlessly. With the unit connected to the internet, you will be notified when a newer firmware version is available for your unit automatically when you turn it on, and you can download and install the upgrade in a matter of a few minutes.
Buy this player!
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Wonderful Stand alone Blu-Ray player
Great quality player. Loads blu-rays dics in a decent time. Spider-Man 3 took about 45 seconds; Black Hawk Down took about 15 – 20 seconds to load.
Quality is excellent. Menu options are self explanitory and easy to navigate. upconverts DVD to the resoultion you select.
Very happy with this product.
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Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player
After shopping around, on-line and in the stores, this was the best price I found for this item.. So far, the purchase has vastly exceded my expectations. Additionally, as this is my 1st BD player, I can never go back to the “old” way of viewing movies. Wow!!! Delivery was quick and secure, as I have come to expect from Amazon, as well, and my BD collection is growing rapidly, also due largely to Amazon.
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Beware of Shipping
2 Minor issues. 1. It doesn’t come with a HDMI cable, I read every description and review looking to see what cables it comes with (Composite Video/Audio) 2. I live in an unsecured apartment building and FedEx left it by the mailbox on the stairs in a giant box where anyone could have stole it. Luckily I was expecting it on that day and was checking on it every hour. So make sure that you’re tracking your package because FedEx doesn’t care about it.
It’s been noted that the space for a usb drive is small…here’s one that fits PNY P-FD4GBMIC-FS 4GB Micro Attache USB Flash Drive (Black)
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Patience, diligence is key
I’ve had my Sony S350 Blu-Ray player for over a year now and here are my thoughts. The picture is completely amazing, even makes regular dvd’s look better. I love that there’s no more cords for picture and more cords for sound, just one HDMI cable and poof – high quality picture and surround sound.
A couple things to consider before buying your Blu-Ray player and subsequent Blu-Ray discs:
1. Blu-Ray will play your regular dvd’s but if you have a regular dvd player (such as in your car) you cannot play Blu-Ray discs in it.
2. Patience is needed with this unit. After putting in a movie, especially if it is somewhat new, it could take 3-5 minutes to load. I am personally never in that much of a hurry to start the movie. While the movie is loading (a progress/status bar is provided on-screen) I can make popcorn, get the dogs situated, etc.
3. In conjunction with #2, the owner of this player must also be diligent about updating the firmware inside the player. I updated my player once last year (in November) and have noticed slower loads with current movies, so I plan to update it again next month (March). My guess is that it’s good to update it 1-2 times per year.
What’s involved in updating the firmware? I log onto a blu-ray firmware site, choose my model of player, then burn the update to a dvd disc. Place the disc in the player, it will read and update your firmware (took mine about 5-10 minutes as I remember). Afterward, your player will load movies more quickly.
Note: Loading never occurs during the movie, the only load-time that is experienced comes immediately after inserting the disc. Here’s an example of the patience it takes to operate this blu-ray player:
Turn the player on – wait about 30 seconds for the unit to be able to receive or eject a disc (if you’re trying to quickly eject a disc and run it back to the movie store, this can seem long!)
Insert disc and close – wait 3-5 minutes for movie menu to load
After that, you’re set to go. For me, it’s worth the wait and the trouble to keep it updated. I am quite sure that future models will require less patience and diligence, but for now this is the way it is. If you want extremely good quality with your movies, it’s a wonderful addition to your home theater.
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Audio Doesn’t Work Correctly
The Blu-Ray player does not output either Dolby Digital or DTS audio. Everything comes out in stereo.
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