Thinking of getting the Sony BDP-S350, any thoughts? ...and yes, should have picked it up last week

New firmware for the Samsung BD-P1500 is out. Seems like just a compatibility update -

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/do...sp_nm=BD-P1500

Hello,

I'm new to the Blu Ray world - just picked one up and I absolutely love it. But I am having some serious issues with this BD-Live stuff. My player is connected to the internet (because I downloaded the update) but any disc I click with BD-Live says it's not available.

I finally called Sony and they're telling me now that I need some kind of memory stick made by Sony for it download all the features.

Is this true or are they just trying to milk more money out of me?

(I have a BDP-BX1)

I believe you just need a 1gb thumbdrive

Go buy $5-$10 thumbdrive at Best Buy

The specifications for BD Live require at least 1 GB of memory and Sony chose to make it removable and not included. One caveat: there are reports that the slot for the flash memory device is pretty small so you might need to consider the dimensions of the one you want to use.

There are also reports that certain Blu-ray Disc titles won't play their "Bonus View" features without the added memory, so even those with no interest in BD Live might want to consider adding it.

Sony is not the only lower-end player manufacturer to take the cheap way out and not include the memory with the player. Even a couple of dollars saved helps margins with lower-priced BD players, I would guess. Making the memory removable will also allow the use of larger amounts of flash memory, should that be useful.

The Sony BDP-S350 has had excellent reviews and is considered one of the best values for the money available. It is most appropriate for those who have HT receivers that can handle HDMI inputs. (Those with older receivers that don't have HDMI would want to consider the Sony DMP-S550 or the Panasonic BD55.)

The only complaint I have read about the S350 (and S550) is that it does not have a slow motion or frame-by-frame advance feature that so many other DVD and BD players do. Sony players are well supported with firmware updates and have a reputation of being able to handle any Blu-ray Disc made. The DVD upconversion is said to be pretty good as well.

Given that it can be had for less than $200, the S350 is probably the best buy in Blu-ray players currently available, with the somewhat more expensive Panasonic BD35 being next.

The s350 decodes all the HD audio doesn't it? I know my s300 does not.

Internally decodes TrueHD.
Does not Internally decode DTS MA.

Will bitstream all.

The Sony BDP-S550 decodes and bitstreams all lossless audio. It also has 7.1 analog outs.

Right now, it's $318 on Amazon. But prices change often. I've read it hit $299 over Thanksgiving weekend. It's a great player.

Nice. Took less then a week for me to get it even though it was backordered. Never got an email saying it was shipped though.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Sony player required a proprietary Sony stick like their cameras do.

I don't know if they still make 1GB cards or not.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....c=abcat0400000

No it's a standard 1GB flash drive, the only difference is that it has to be a skinny one.

That's what she said!

I just got the Samsung 2500. It's all set up for netflix and seems to be working great so far!

Blu-ray.com: BD Player Benchmarks

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2138

According to the site, the LG BD300 is the second fastest player, behind the PS3. Click on "specifications" for each player and scroll down halfway to see the performance ratings.

I gotta say ...

I love my PS3. It's used exclusively to watch Blu-ray movies. And I actually think it looks great next to my TV. Plus I love the sound effects of the PS3. Just saying.

I'm still trying to decide between the Samsung 1500 and the Panny BD35. Someone please help sway me! I have a Sony 7.1 receiver, however it only has HDMI pass-through (wish I knew that before it was too late). So my audio will come via digital optical. My TV is only 1080i. Any comments that may help me decide? TIA!

im just woundering whats better to get a ps3 or a sony blue ray
Sony® BDPBX1
Blu-ray Disc™ Player
With HDMI Cable 269$ candian


i have just ordered blue rays so havent watched any yet whats better to get ps3 or sony player?

That depends in part on what sort of HT system you have (or expect to get) and what your needs are. Do you play video games? Do you have a new HT receiver that you would like to bitstream lossless audio to? (The PS3 can't bitstream). Do you have an older HT receiver with no HDMI? (Neither the BX1/S350 nor the PS3 has six or eight channel analog output, but the S550 and Panasonic BD55 do.)

It is buried earlier in this thread, but here is a reprise of the advantages and disadvantages of the PS3 as a Blu-Ray Disc player:


Pro:
• Well supported by Sony.
• Profile 2.0.
• Can decode and output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD-MA as PCM over HDMI to an HDMI capable receiver.
• Reported to be fairly quick to boot up and load discs, in contrast to many other players.
• Seems to have a good reliability record thus far.
• Handles java-heavy discs without difficulty.


Con:
• No multi-channel analog audio outputs (for lossless audio with older HT receivers).
• No bitstreaming of lossless audio codecs (for use with the latest HT receivers with on-board decoding).
• The PS3 is a power hog, compared to just about any other Blu-ray Disc player one cares to name — that’s why it is often reported to get so hot. The Panasonic BD30 is rated at just 25 watts, by contrast.
• No IR remote compatibility (meaning that one can't use a universal remote without an add-on device, and even that won't enable power-on). Also, one has to use the game controller as the remote or pay extra for a more conventional (Bluetooth) remote.
• The PS3 is a slot loader. While some might like that, I would guess that many of us don’t like trusting our discs to a slot loader, scratch-resistant coating notwithstanding.
• No LCD display panel on the machine.
• Some PS3 models are reported to be very noisy.
• The PS3 is considered by many to be “ugly” as a home theater component.


Which of these characteristics can be considered important will vary for each of us.

If you are using optical for audio, there isn't any technical difference between the players for your purposes. The Panny BD35 is somewhat better reviewed, but the Samsung 1500 is one of their best players yet. And the Sammy seems to be available with a killer deal from Amazon: buy eight BDs from a fairly extensive list, and get $200 off the player (although the player keeps going out of stock, no surprise).

Sorry, not much help.

^

He already went for the Sammy at Amazon. I'm holding out hope that they will have the same promotion for the BD35.

^I wish there would be some promotions for the BD55, but I guess it isn't likely for the higher-end player. Don't know if I am willing to wait until the BD55 is supplanted by a newer model someday, to get a good price for it.

Then you will want the newer model....trust me.

The player is part of the buy 4 WB titles get $100 off. The price is around $336, which isn't too bad since it normally goes for $399.

I got in on the deal Friday when the price was lower, but it's still a solid deal.

The key to the deal is to buy the four cheapes disc and basically take another $25 off the player price. (My total ended up being around $285... I dump the three duplicate disc for $5 to $10 and have a hell of a deal.)

fitprod