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"Perfect for Me!" on by CraigRenner
Pros: + Produces astounding picture quality
+ Beautiful device
+ Sound is fantasticCons: - Command response time slow
- Pricy and impending format uncertaintySummary: About ten minutes to open box, slide it into my cabinet and look at Blu-ray disc. The image is the best that I have seen on a 40 inch screen. The sound is fantastic. Old SD disc image quality is boosted greatly on this machine by the way. The operation seems as smooth as can be. My previous player was the first machine that Sony produced.
That one has performed flawlessly and should continue to do so in its new location. I have no reason to expect less from this Blu-ray. The box is a work of art... kind of like a special edition camera. It would be a major project just to make an empty chest that looks this good. Photos don't do it justice. In my cabinet it looks very different depending on the surrounding light.
The white function lights comes through the glass and look great. You can't beat the breakthrough over the top production quality of something like this. Yes, it is a very good buy. I'm just an audio/video freak... not a lunatic. I won't wait around for another drop of perfection. I will just enjoy this for many years.
*** if you will buy this Blu-ray disc player I suggest you have a compare with other model or newer model of Sony Blu-ray disc players at: www.amazon.com/gp/*************?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26redirect%3Dtrue%26ref_%3Dsr_nr_n_0%26keywords%3DSony%2520Blu-ray%2520Disc%2520Player%26bbn%3D172514%26qid%3D1297391484%26rnid%3D172514%26rh%3Dn%253A172282%252Cn%253A%2521493964%252Cn%253A1266092011%252Ck%253ASony%2520Blu-ray%2520Disc%2520Player%252Cn%253A172514%252Cn%253A352697011&tag=***************&********=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957 -
"Wonderful machine, but expensive." on by gizmomojo
Pros: Biggest Pro: It's Blu-ray, and not HD-DVD.
Cons: Pricey, and it only supports blu-ray and dvd formats, and does not support anything else.
Summary: The video quality is simply outstanding. For those of you wondering if 1080p video is really better than DVD, the answer is very simple: YES! Especially on a good display. You will never understand how much better it is, though, if you watch it on a non-HD tv, or even on an HDTV without an HDMI connection; though, you will see an improvement in picture quality even through component video. Everything is clearly sharper, with greater contrast, black level saturation, and three-dimensionality. The image has much greater depth, and detail, with much less compression artifacts.
The audio quality, when heard on a good system, is just unbelievable. I really never expected to hear my movies at home sound this good. It is better than most theaters! Again, a definite step up from DVD.
Blu-ray players and HD-DVD players offer essentially the same quality video and audio, but more studios are supporting blu-ray which will mean many more titles will be available for it, than for HD-DVD in the future.
As for the other aspects of this machine's performance, I found it to be very similar to other blu-ray players on the market. The operation of it is a bit slow in the ON/OFF and disc loading, and sometimes the unit seems sluggish to respond to a remote control command, such as "fast-forward". The machines menu, and remote control, are superb, and are typical of Sony, which has had a tradition of having the most well thought out menus, and well layed out remote controls historically. I should also say that I found the machine to be very attractive in it's fit and finish cosmetically, but it's bluish face does not match my mostly black components, which is no big deal to me, but may be to others of you.
This machine has excellent build quality, and is a great addition for anyone who already has a great home-theater set-up. But, this unit's price, and lack of compatibility with CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, MP3, WMA, JPEG, SACD, DVD-AUDIO, and every other disc format except Blu-ray and DVD, means that it is not ready to be your ONLY player, and is truly only for the enthusiast at this point. Still, if you have the money, and right equipment, then you will enjoy this machine.
A FEW THOUGHTS ON BLU-RAY VS. HD-DVD:
1)Blu-ray is a better format than HD-DVD. Not because it has better picture, or sound quality, but because it has more storage potential. Currently, HD-DVD has about 32gb of space per disc compared to Blu-ray's 50gb. Blu-ray also has the potential to do as many as eight 25gb layers, for a whopping 200gb of storage per disc. HD-DVD cannot touch this!
2)Blu-ray has many, MANY more studios supporting it. Last I checked there were something like seven major hollywood studios exclusively supporting blu-ray compared with one for HD-DVD. WB is supporting both formats, giving HD-DVD two studios, and Blu-ray eight. Oh, and the eight studios supporting blu-ray sold approximately 89% of all DVD's last year 2005. Blu-ray has been out now about half as long as HD-DVD, and has already surpassed it in the amount of titles available.
3)The massive storage capacity of blu-ray gives it the ability to do things that HD-DVD can only dream of like next generation interactive menus. You can actually jump around to different scenes of a movie while it's playing, without having to leave the movie to access a "scenes" menu like with DVD. You can even adjust audio settings, languages, and turn on or off special features while the movie is running, and never interrupt the movie. VERY COOL!!!
4)Many more manufacturers are making blu-ray players than HD-DVD. In fact, the only manufacturer not making blu-ray players in favor of HD-DVD is Toshiba, and that is because HD-DVD is their baby. If this "format war" between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is the Beta/VHS war all over again, then Toshiba is the new Sony, because they are making many of the same mistakes that Sony made in the last format battle.
5)Blu-ray is more expensive, for now. However, that will soon change. HD-DVD had the advantage of being based on virtually identical technology to DVD and therefore was cheaper to manufacture. Blu-ray, though, is a very new technology, and therefore is more expensive to build, and to buy. Give it a year and the prices will be much closer to HD-DVD, and the movie titles available for blu-ray will probably be double to triple that of HD-DVD.Updated
Just wanted to correct some bad information that I gave about this unit. I mistakingly said that this unit was not able to play any disc format other than Blu-ray or DVD; however, after referring to the specs, here is what Sony says:
"[The BDP-S1] plays discs with following formats BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD +R/RW, DVD –R/RW, AVC-HD, and MP3/JPEG from DVD formats. Planned firmware upgrade in 2007 will allow for compatibility with most BD R/RE discs.
Sometime in 2007 a firmware upgrade will be available which will allow the BDP-S1 to play most BD-R/RE discs. Please sign up at www.sony.com/blurayupdate or call 866-909-7669 to receive your upgrade disc at no charge."
So, this player's main compatibility limitation is that it will not play CD, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM discs.
Also:
To correct a statement that I made about Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD, and the studios that are supporting each, here is a quote from www.blu-ray.com:
"Blu-ray Disc is supported by seven of the eight major movie studios (Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony and Warner), which have announced that they will release movies in the Blu-ray Disc format. Universal Studios is the only movie studio which has chosen to support the competing HD-DVD format exclusively for now. That means that if you want to watch movies in high definition from Universal Studios, you have to buy a HD-DVD player. However, if you choose to buy a HD-DVD player instead of a Blu-ray player, you won't be able to play high definition movies from Disney (Buena Vista), Fox, Lionsgate, MGM and Sony, which has decided to support Blu-ray exclusively. Warner and Paramount has decided to support both Blu-ray and HD-DVD. With the majority of the movie studios supporting Blu-ray, a massive support from consumer electronics companies, the fact that PlayStation 3 features a Blu-ray Disc drive that you can play Blu-ray movies with and that Blu-ray is the superior technology over HD-DVD, we believe that Blu-ray is the best choice."Updated
I made a mistake in saying the Sony BDP-S1 is only compatible with Blu-ray discs and DVDs. I am delighted to report the following from www.sonystyle.com:
"Plays discs with following formats BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD +R/RW, DVD –R/RW, AVC-HD, and MP3/JPEG from DVD formats. Planned firmware upgrade in 2007 will allow for compatibility with most BD R/RE discs.
Sometime in 2007 a firmware upgrade will be available which will allow the BDP-S1 to play most BD-R/RE discs. Please sign up at www.sony.com/blurayupdate or call 866-909-7669 to receive your upgrade disc at no charge."Updated
I mistakingly said that the BDP-S1 was only compatible with Blu-ray discs, and DVDs. Here is what Sony says on the BDP-S1 specs page at www.sonystyle.com:
"[The BDP-S1] plays discs with following formats BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD +R/RW, DVD ?R/RW, AVC-HD, and MP3/JPEG from DVD formats. Planned firmware upgrade in 2007 will allow for compatibility with most BD R/RE discs.
Sometime in 2007 a firmware upgrade will be available which will allow the BDP-S1 to play most BD-R/RE discs. Please sign up at www.sony.com/blurayupdate or call 866-909-7669 to receive your upgrade disc at no charge."
Also:
I mistakingly reported incorrect information about the actual studio support for Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD. Here is a quote from www.blu-ray.com that clears it up:
"Blu-ray Disc is supported by seven of the eight major movie studios (Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony and Warner), which have announced that they will release movies in the Blu-ray Disc format. Universal Studios is the only movie studio which has chosen to support the competing HD-DVD format exclusively for now. That means that if you want to watch movies in high definition from Universal Studios, you have to buy a HD-DVD player. However, if you choose to buy a HD-DVD player instead of a Blu-ray player, you won't be able to play high definition movies from Disney (Buena Vista), Fox, Lionsgate, MGM and Sony, which has decided to support Blu-ray exclusively. Warner and Paramount has decided to support both Blu-ray and HD-DVD. With the majority of the movie studios supporting Blu-ray, a massive support from consumer electronics companies, the fact that PlayStation 3 features a Blu-ray Disc drive that you can play Blu-ray movies with and that Blu-ray is the superior technology over HD-DVD, we believe that Blu-ray is the best choice." -
"WOW!!! Stunning Picture....." on by dentalrep
Pros: 1080P, 24 FPS, picture controls, nice remote
Cons: delay when using remote, slow start-up, on the big side
Summary: Well so far I am impressed with Blu-ray. Don't judge the player by the free "The Fifth Element". This movie did not have a good transfer to Blu-ray. Watch Kingdom of Heaven or Ice Age The Meltdown instead, if you want to be blown away.
Another thing to be cautious of is high def film is not as crisp as high def video, i.e. football games on cable. If the film has any grain on it, you will see it on Blu-ray also. This player is only as good as the content you put in it. There are some sites that have a rating system for the quality of the movies. Xmen 3 has good but Kingdom of Heaven had 3D effects jumping out at you.
The player has a 2 second lag when you press something on the remote. I had to learn to be a little patient when using the remote. The player is a little on the tall side and barely fit in the spacce under my TV.
If you are interested in the 24 FPS (frames per second) feature, be aware that not all or many TV's can accept this feature. The setup is fast and painless which is always nice.
I almost forgot that this player makes regular DVD's look so much better by upconverting them. I was pleasantly surprised by this feature and am happy since I already have an elaborate DVD collection.
If you are looking for a better picture for your high def TV by jumping into high def movies or want to upconvert regular DVD's then this is the player for you. -
"Great Picture; Bad Features; Compatibility Issues" on by i.g.w.t.
Pros: Picture quality
Cons: Slow at doing everything; Regular DVD's skip from time to time; No time remaining display feature; No backlit remote
Summary: I was very excited to purchase this next generation high-def DVD player. At first, I was disappointed that the remote was not backlit and there is no option to view the time remaining on a disc/chapter. But, I was willing to let that go due to the awesome picture quality and 1080i upconversion for my regular DVDs. But, I started to notice a pattern that every time I played a regular DVD (and I played several), somewhere in the movie (usually within the first 30 minutes) the movie would pause briefly and then skip ahead a few seconds. When I would rewind over the problem area (to hear all the dialog, etc.) it would play back just fine. This became very annoying -- especially for such an expensive player. This problem did not appear when playing blu-ray discs, however. So, I contacted Sony's technical support and after hours of being on the phone and being transferred from one person to another, the best they could tell me is that the unit "appears to have a problem." They recommended that I ship it to a Sony authorized service center -- at my expense! Before trying that, I exchanged the player for another one. It too produced the same problem. Again, I tried to convince Sony that there must be a design problem (perhaps firmware), but they wouldn't even log this as a known problem. They kept repeating "this player has a good review."
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"Amazing Machine" on by ACLeftGuard76
Pros: Superb Video Quality, Outstanding Audio Quality, Huge Power Supply, Easy Updates, Attractive Machine, Great Build
Cons: No CD Playback...As of yet, No ES Version
Summary: After owning this player for a couple of months now, Ive pretty much decided that I totally got my moneys worth for a spectacular BD player. $790 I paid for mine throught OneCall.com and compared to the others that are offered as of now (including the Phillips, the LG combo, Samsung, Pioneer Elite and the new Panasonic) it is by far the superior machine, though the Elite BD player isnt far behind. The Sony has the least amount of Digital noise that gets throught to the picture. It EASILY has the largest and best power supply. The Burr Brown 1791 LPCM audio boards inside of it make the sound EXTREMELY dynamic. Face it, this machine is built to reference standards...yeah, I said it...REFERENCE standards. In a couple of months Sony is to release their BDPS300 for about $600 and as you may see when you Google it...its significantly smaller. Sony says its no different, but I dont trust that. Get your mits on this Reference machine now before theyre gone.
Blu-Ray Disc Player user reviews
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