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The BDP-S300 also has a couple of additional enthusiast-friendly features. One is the ability to output at 24 frames per second, which some claim can minimize judder when used with a compatible display (i.e. a display with a refresh rate that's an even multiple of 24). We've tested a few players with this ability and haven't seen any increased performance with the displays we've used, but we're holding our final judgment until we've seen more displays. The other feature the BDP-S300 has is x.v.Color support, which is a new, larger color space. While it's nice from a feature-proofing perspective, it's unlikely to have much utility in the near future--you'd need an x.v.Color-compatible display and an x.v.Color-compatible Blu-ray disc, and there are no such Blu-ray discs currently released.
Blu-ray image quality performance
Overall, the Blu-ray image quality performance of the BDP-S300 is very good. For those who haven't seen Blu-ray or HD DVD discs yet, the increase in picture quality over DVD can be stunning, especially when viewed on a large HDTV that can take advantage of the increased resolution. We looked at several Blu-ray discs, including M:I III, The Wild, and Ghost Rider, and the BDP-S300 largely delivered the high-def goods. The Wild is an extremely sharp-looking disc, and the BDP-S300 was up to the task of delivering all the detail we've come to expect. While we wouldn't suggest that anyone sit through Ghost Rider, we can't deny that it can look pretty good, and the BDP-S300 did an excellent job delivering the deep blacks and saturated colors we've come to expect from good Blu-ray discs. To emphasize, the BDP-S300 isn't a better performer than other Blu-ray players, it's just that almost all high-def disc players perform very well when playing high-def discs.
While we generally find performance on Blu-ray players to be nearly identical, we did notice an issue with the 1080i deinterlacing on the BDP-S300. Using Silicon Image's HQV test suite on Blu-ray, we looked at the film resolution tests in 1080p on our Pioneer Pro-FHD1. The first test involves a shifting resolution pattern and several of the boxes had a strobe-like effect where they should have been stable. Similarly, the next test involves camera panning over Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, and we could make out moire in the grandstands, especially the upper tier. When we switched the BDP-S300 to 1080i mode, so that the Pioneer plasma was responsible for the deinterlacing, these issues went away. Note that recent high-def players we've tested since the HQV suite came out, like the Toshiba HD-XA2 and Samsung BD-P1200, have not struggled with this test.
Ghost Rider is a movie where we've seen 1080i deinterlacing issues pop up, especially with HDTVs. We took a look at the end of the sixth chapter, where the camera pans over Nicolas Cage and there's an RV in the background. The grille on the front of the RV often shows jaggies when 1080i deinterlacing is done incorrectly, but the BDP-S300 didn't have any problems with this scene. We've also seen some HDTVs struggle with some scenes in M:I III, but again, the jaggies didn't show up. So while the BDP-S300 certainly has some minor performance issues, as demonstrated by the HQV test, they're not likely to show up often.
Blu-ray operational performance
Standard operational performance has always been an issue with Blu-ray and HD DVD players, as load times on first generation players were often unbearable. While many newer players have improved on load times, new discs with interactive features have slowed down players once again, and this player is definitely in the slow lane.
Even for standard Blu-ray discs, such as M:I III, the BDP-S300 was a little on the slow side--it took 28 seconds to load the disc when it was on, and 1 minute, 4 seconds to load the disc started with the player off. However, those times seem speedy compared to how long it took to load the new Pirates of the Caribbean Blu-ray discs. Starting with the player on, for both Dead Man's Chest and The Curse of the Black Pearl, it took us 1 minute, 15 seconds just to get an image on the screen, and then a total of 3 minutes, 20 seconds before we could get to the actual beginning of the film--and that's with fast-forwarding through the previews at the fastest speed. As much as we love the image quality of Blu-ray, these kinds of wait times are just unacceptable. Comparable players were still slow, but considerably better--the BD-P1200 took 37 seconds until the loading screen came up, and 2 minutes, 12 seconds before the movie started, while the PS3 took 30 seconds until the loading image came up, and 1 minute 54 seconds until we got the movie playing.
It also was a pain trying to take advantage of the interactive features of these discs. For example, to activate the "pop-up video"-style "Scoundrels of the Sea" feature on The Curse of the Black Pearl, we had to go back to the main menu (not the pop-up menu), select the feature, and then wait several minutes before it would start. While having to go to the main menu to access that feature is the fault of disc, the load time is clearly the fault of the player. For example, the PlayStation 3 was able to load this feature in just seconds--presumably because it has a very fast internal processor, but the BD-P1200 also loaded it relatively quickly as well.
As we expect more Blu-ray discs to include these features, we feel that the sluggish performance of the BDP-S300 is a significant drawback. Sure, the vast majority of movies already released load relatively speedily, but anyone planning to use this player for several years might regret the decision.
Standard DVD performance
At this point, even early adopters will probably have more DVDs than Blu-ray discs, so the ability of the BDP-S300 to upscale standard-def DVDs is still important. To assess the BDP-S300's DVD performance, we took a look at Silicon Optix's HQV test suite on DVD. For the most part, the BDP-S300 performed well, but not quite up to the excellent standards set by the Samsung BD-P1200 and the Panasonic DMP-BD10A for upscaling Blu-ray players. It handled the initial resolution test easily, proving that it's capable of displaying all the detail of standard definition DVDs. The next tests were a little better than average, with only slight jaggies on a test rotating white line, as well as a test with three pivoting lines. Unfortunately, it didn't fair that well on a important 2:3 pulldown test, with it never kicking into film mode, which resulted in moire in the grandstands as the racecar drives by.
We were able to prove that the BDP-S300 did have 2:3 pulldown processing by watching the beginning of Star Trek: Insurrection, as the hulls of the boats and curves of the railings were rendered smoothly, without any jaggies. The BDP-S300 also did an above-average job with Seabiscuit. While the introductory montage of old photos gives many players trouble, the BDP-S300 handled it mostly without jaggies, with just a few minor jaggies spoiling the picture. The excellent looking King Kong was handled superbly, demonstrating that even standard DVDs can still provide a captivating home theater experience.
Overall, the BDP-S300 is a pretty good upscaler, but not the best we've seen. We certainly feel that high-def disc players with HQV processing offer a slightly better experience on DVDs and that the PS3 is certainly comparable. But these minute differences will only be visible to image quality enthusiasts--everyone else should be more than satisfied with its DVD performance.
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Where to buy
Sony BDP-S300:
$199.96 - $359.99
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