Sony BDP-S350 review
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Aug 14th 2008 2:45PM
posted Aug 14th 2008 2:45PM
The Good
- Pretty fast, took 6 seconds to eject when off and only took 23 seconds of "loading" after inserting a disc.
- 24p light is a nice touch, but a little annoying because it's so blue.
- HDMI-CEC worked great even with a non Sony TV.
- Good looking with a remote that is better than last year's.
- Coax and optical digital out are nice for those who haven't moved on to HDMI audio.
- Network connection for BD Live (via future update) and firmware updates.
- Power cord isn't permanently attached, a nice touch for custom installers.
- Very nice on screen display, including scrub bar.
- The menus are like other Sony products (think PS3).
- AV sync and other options accessible while disc is playing.
- Bitstreams all codecs.
- Internally decodes TrueHD and DD+.
- No problems playing any disc we tried.
The Bad
- No internal decoding of DTS-HD HR or MA.
- Both TrueHD and DD+ get down mixed via TOSLINK to DD, not DTS as some players do.
- Recessed USB port.
- No back-light on remote.
- Failed upconversion and de-interlacing HQV tests.
- No RS-232 for home automation.
- No screen saver -- we waited 10 minutes with a disc on pause and nothing ever happened.
- Only 2-channel analog outputs (BDP-S300 has 6).
- No BD-Live until firmware update.
The Ugly
Out favorite feature of the BDP-S300 (source direct) is missing and the 24p "auto" feature didn't work on our favorite 1080p30 title, Planet Earth (BBC). So to watch it at its native resolution, we had to stop the movie to change the frame rate to the native 30.
Conclusion
As you can see, other than the fact that we can't change the resolution on the fly anymore -- or simply choose to pass on the native resolution of the content -- we really don't have anything substantially bad to say about the BDP-S350. It played every disc we threw at it perfectly, and it's much faster than its predecessor. We are disappointed to see so many players dropping analog outputs, but the trend is expected as we saw a similar progression with DVD players almost ten years ago. But as much as we enjoyed Sony's latest player, unless you have to have the new codec support, we wouldn't recommend throwing out your BDP-S300. As for how it stands up to the competition, we won't compare it to players that cost substantially more, but we will say that without having both it and the Samsung BD-P1500 side-by-side, it's so close we'd have to go on brand preference to decide which to buy.
Nice review there Ben, but could you or someone answer me why it took 45 seconds to eject a disc? And why it still takes 6? Whats the hold up?
I think what he's saying is that if you start with the unit turned off, and press "eject", it takes a total of six seconds to power up and extend the disc tray. That should be acceptably fast, I'd think.
Ya, plus why would you be so concerned with the 45 seconds on the older unit if they have improved upon it. There's a better option, no need to worry about the past.
6 second is bogus. It's from "fake" power off. The unit only shuts off the display and drive. All electronics are still 100% power-on. The unit is warm to the touch when you use "Quick Start" mode. For the real power up from complete off, it still takes about 20+ seconds.
zerocalories, stop being a dick with the affiliate links please. Every story you do this. IMO it should be a bannable offense.
Bummer..No 5.1 analog out........
It is less deep than the S300, but just as wide. About 3in wider than my DirecTV Hr21, which makes it impossible to stack since it's not deep! It doesn't fit well into my setup.
Also, this same player is available at Costco now, only labeled as something else, not S350. And believe it or not, it HAS a backlit remote! It was also $379.99 here in Columbus, OH
I work at Circuit City and I've done a side-by-side comparison of the BDP-S350 and the Samsung BD-P1500 and I've found that the 1500 has a faster load time than the 350. And on the screen saver issue: we have our device set up in an audio room so our movies sit on the main menu for upwards of an hour and I have seen the screen saver on. I'm not sure at what time point it activates but it does eventually (soon enough that is doesn't cause any image retention on our PDP). And finally, I personally liked the 300 and 500 remotes over the 350's remote. It just feels poorly made, it's too light.
I really want to pull the trigger on this player with my Sony Points (SonyCard member here). But the lack of internal RAM memory for (future) BD-Live, as well as the lack of internal decoding of DTS-HD HR or MA, makes me want to wait for the 4th generation players from Sony.
OK well i found a site for 318.00 USD and I'm thing of buying one. its time to go blu-ray. Ever since the so called war is over I havent bought a one HD-DVD disc and just heard all the fanboys complain. So here is the link I would like to share with you folks. http://www.thenerds.net/SONY.Sony_BDP_S350_1080p_Blu_Ray_Disc_Player.BDPS350.html?affid=8&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=BDPS350^~^SONY
Thanks for the review, Ben. I'm always interested to see the new standalone players as they come out. Still nothing beats the PS3 yet in my mind, but they're getting closer with every unit released.
I have to admit it kind of cracks me up that people are harping on the remote. Maybe I'm in an unusual category, but as soon as I got to four components in my system, I had to get a universal remote, just for my sanity! For any new gear I buy, the batteries go into the remote just long enough to learn any special codes I need, then out come the batteries and into the drawer it goes for good.
i'm with you there i really hope there's a harmony one under the tree this year working with 4 remotes right now and it is driving me frickin crazy specially with 2 kids scattering them all around!
I brought up the remote because it acts as the primary way of interaction between you and any device you have. The device itself feels the same way; flimsy and cheap. The same way the Sony STRDG520 feels like a toy when compared to the Onkyo TXSR805 (17 lbs. vs. 51 lbs.). It may just be me but tactile experience is important to me. I don't like gummy buttons for the most part. I also hate the DIRECTV remotes because of the silicone backing on it... and those silicone covers for phones and iPods. They just feel dirty.
Im waiting for the 550 which is suposed to have a 7.1 analogue output
I'm with you. The 550 "could" be my first Blu-ray player. Until then I'll make due with my HD DVD players.
If they're selling for $320-360 now, it seems likely you'll be able to pick one of these up for $300 or less for Christmas. Which probably means a similar price for the new Panasonic 35 model. And the Samsung BDP1500 and the Funai are going to have to be cheaper yet. I fully expect the Funai to be $200 for Christmas.
Does the PS3 have auto 24p and source direct?
Does the PS3 have these video features like source direct and the 24p "auto", or were they only on Sony's older Blu-Ray drive models.
And I hate the PS3's menu. And I hate it more on a standalone blu-ray player. When I first saw it, I was like WTF.
Sam's Club has the BX-1, which looks like this player with a back lit remote and an HDMI cable, for $378.
In a few minutes of playing with it I felt it was a vast improvement over the S300. Starting the player with a BD in the drive on the S300 took 3:30, where this one took 1:06. The 1:06 included my having to press enter to get it to play though, for some reason it went straight to the menu instead of loading the disk up.
If I'm reading Ben's review correctly, then the new audio codecs (trueHD, DD+) get to the receiver via coax or optical as 5.1 channel Dolby Digital. I've got an older receiver (Denon 3801) with coax/optical input as well as 7.1 analog input; but not HDMI. I've assumed I need to wait for the Sony 550 to get new codecs thru my recever as 7.1 via analog inputs. Ben's review reinforces this assumption - true?
That's right. You can read about it in detail here.
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/22/how-to-actually-use-dolby-truehd-and-dts-hd/
I have the same model of the dennon that you have, and I have the panasonic Blu-Ray Bd10A which has 7.1 analogue output but no DTS Hd master, so the only 7.1 blu-Ray movies that work are the ones that are 7.1 uncompressed not 7.1 Hd master, but Im going to get the 550 when it come out
Thanks for the confirmation and link to your 'how to actually use" article. Another question - do you have any idea when the Sony 550 will be available in the USA? (Hint - my birthday is Oct 2).
Here's the wacky thing... I have been reading the manual on esupport.sony.com and it states on page 62 (The audio specs page) that it only outputs 5.1 DTS Core via Bitstream, but then there's a little *5 beside that... So we look on down at *5 and it says:
"When BD Audio Setting is set to direct, audio recorded by the source is output via Bitstream. However, this audio may be output as follows depending on the audio formats supported by the receiver. When AV Receiver does not support HD Audio (DTS-HR, DTS-MA, TrueHD, DD+) BUT supports Multi-Ch LPCM, up to 7.1 LPCM is output".
This to me says that it DOES have a decoder, but that the receiver that it is connected to must be at least HDMI 1.2 but not 1.1 (Not enough bandwidth). Now, I have a STR-DA5200ES from Sony, which DOES support HDMI 1.2 (Multi-CH 7.1 LPCM), so anyone care to reaffirm my hypothesis? Or should I rely on the return policies.. =)
Ben --
Re: your example of "Source Direct" with the "Planet Earth" blu-ray:
I have the BDP-S300, set to 'source-direct' and '24p' ON, through HDMI to a Sony Z-series (120hz) LCD and the display on the tv says the source is 1080/24p. Are you saying that the playback is supposed to be native 30fps? The blu-ray display says the source is 1080/24p.
The original source material may have been video, but it was either shot at or mastered at 24p before being put on disc. So unless I have something set up incorrectly, I am not sure what you're saying about the settings on a player for "Planet Earth."
I agree - the 550 is going to be the first player that I think will genuinely be a much better BR-D player overall than the PS3. That said, I think I would be satisfied with the 350 if they fixed "the ugly". I don't really care about internal decode of HBR audio, I've got a fancy receiver for that, and buying a USB memory stick for profile 2.0 features isn't exactly the end of the world.