Is my BD player obselete?

fmw · 05-06-2009, 04:54 PM

I have a Sony BD-S300 player that I've had for a few years. I haven't been watching discs for over a year. I've been watching movies on DirecTV instead. I just restarted Netflix and the first BD arrived today - Frost/Nixon. It won't play. I upgraded the firware in the hopes that that would solve it. No soap. I put one of my own BD discs in the player and it plays just fine. Perhaps I got a defective disc from Netflix. Am I right? Should the disc have played in my player or is it obselete?

Bigloww · 05-06-2009, 05:28 PM

The player is not "obsolete" IMO.. That is what firmware upgrades are for. It should play.. You may of just got a bad disk.. But perhaps it has not been addressed yet either..

fmw · 05-06-2009, 06:25 PM

Thanks. Glad to hear that. My assumption is that my old player is lacking in features but for me it only has to play the movie. The rest of the things aren't important to me. I'll quit worrying and wait for a replacement disc.

Stew4HD · 05-06-2009, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmw

Thanks. Glad to hear that. My assumption is that my old player is lacking in features but for me it only has to play the movie. The rest of the things aren't important to me. I'll quit worrying and wait for a replacement disc.

Look closely at the disc. It may be cracked somewhere along the outside edge. I received many cracked BDs from NF and they simply will not play.

fmw · 05-07-2009, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew4HD

Look closely at the disc. It may be cracked somewhere along the outside edge. I received many cracked BDs from NF and they simply will not play.

The disk started OK but right after the FBI warning it would stop sending a signal. The counter would turn but I got a no signal message on the screen. It's on it's way back. Thanks.

Stew4HD · 05-07-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmw

The disk started OK but right after the FBI warning it would stop sending a signal. The counter would turn but I got a no signal message on the screen. It's on it's way back. Thanks.

You are most welcome. I have learned to open the envelope and look at the disc as soon as I get them. NF asked me to do that after so many arrived cracked. Heck, it too me 3 tries to get a playable copy of Hitch. I haven't had any broken lately though.. which is quite nice

ju5tin99 · 05-07-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmw

I have a Sony BD-S300 player that I've had for a few years. I haven't been watching discs for over a year. I've been watching movies on DirecTV instead. I just restarted Netflix and the first BD arrived today - Frost/Nixon. It won't play. I upgraded the firware in the hopes that that would solve it. No soap. I put one of my own BD discs in the player and it plays just fine. Perhaps I got a defective disc from Netflix. Am I right? Should the disc have played in my player or is it obselete?

Sounds obsolete to me. Not good for much more than a paperweight. You should send it to me for the cost of shipping and I'll take care of disposing of it for you.

HD Goofnut · 05-07-2009, 10:26 AM

The Sony 300 and 301 has been known to have trouble playing the newer BDs. I had thought Sony had solved these issues with their recent FW updates, but apparently they have not.

BANDB · 05-08-2009, 11:28 AM

Just my opinion, but I bought a BD S300 some time back from Costco and for me, the load times were just excessively long (especially for my wife, who complained incessantly), plus the SD upconversion seemed mediocre. I returned the player and waited until the BD S350 was released and bought one. A night and day improvement over the S300! Now there is an S360.
Your S300 is not obsolete, but there is MUCH better out there.
My

Chris Gerhard · 05-08-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BANDB

Just my opinion, but I bought a BD S300 some time back from Costco and for me, the load times were just excessively long (especially for my wife, who complained incessantly), plus the SD upconversion seemed mediocre. I returned the player and waited until the BD S350 was released and bought one. A night and day improvement over the S300! Now there is an S360.
Your S300 is not obsolete, but there is MUCH better out there.
My

I have the older BDP-S1 and painfully slow load times and no DTS-HD MA are the only complaints I have. Assuming the BDP-S300 is basically the same as the BDP-S1, Blu-ray performance is still very good otherwise. It will be interesting to see if the BDP-S350 lasts as long as these sturdy early models. I do like the BDP-S350 really well, it is a great player for the price but it is slight in size and weight comparatively. I have never tried a Blu-ray disc that won't play in my BDP-S1, Sony firmware updates have been timely and effective.

Chris

Peter Marlowe · 05-08-2009, 07:12 PM

It has always been a head-scratcher to me why Sony -- one of the early gatekeepers of the Blu-ray format -- couldn't get their shiiiiznit together when it came to Blu-ray PLAYERS...the early models were PAINFULLY slow and included zero support for high rez codecs from what I recall...outside of the Playstation console, I can recall all this being reason enough to look to the Panny 'BD10A at that time, which I ended up getting; I can distinctly remember thinking "The Sonys don't even have TrueHD support/decoders!!??" but we're talking REAL early on...first generation or so. I can also remember seeing a demo at a Frys where the guy was trying to play Fantastic 4 on a Sony player and it took like 20 minutes or so (well, it seemed anyway) for the damn menus just to load...it was ridiculous.

Now, from what I have read in a Home Theater Magazine review, the new $2K ES model didn't fare well in video processing, given the price point...that sealed the deal for me regarding Sony and BD players -- but that's just my opinion. Having said that, for being "obsolete" I can understand that way of thinking -- I keep feeling my Panny 'BD10A is obsolete but then a firmware update comes along and helps...still, I think a player is "obsolete" when it simply doesn't do what you want it to do anymore. In my case, that time has arrived in that my deck won't support Master Audio at all, and won't bitstream TrueHD signals -- and the DVD playback is horrible. Otherwise, if it's working to your liking, it may not be time to trash it.

Just my

What do you guys think?

Chris Gerhard · 05-08-2009, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

It has always been a head-scratcher to me why Sony -- one of the early gatekeepers of the Blu-ray format -- couldn't get their shiiiiznit together when it came to Blu-ray PLAYERS...the early models were PAINFULLY slow and included zero support for high rez codecs from what I recall...outside of the Playstation console, I can recall all this being reason enough to look to the Panny 'BD10A at that time, which I ended up getting; I can distinctly remember thinking "The Sonys don't even have TrueHD support/decoders!!??" but we're talking REAL early on...first generation or so. I can also remember seeing a demo at a Frys where the guy was trying to play Fantastic 4 on a Sony player and it took like 20 minutes or so (well, it seemed anyway) for the damn menus just to load...it was ridiculous.

Now, from what I have read in a Home Theater Magazine review, the new $2K ES model didn't fare well in video processing, given the price point...that sealed the deal for me regarding Sony and BD players -- but that's just my opinion. Having said that, for being "obsolete" I can understand that way of thinking -- I keep feeling my Panny 'BD10A is obsolete but then a firmware update comes along and helps...still, I think a player is "obsolete" when it simply doesn't do what you want it to do anymore. In my case, that time has arrived in that my deck won't support Master Audio at all, and won't bitstream TrueHD signals -- and the DVD playback is horrible. Otherwise, if it's working to your liking, it may not be time to trash it.

Just my

What do you guys think?

The Sony BDP-S1 does decode Dolby TrueHD for use with HDMI or analog. Panasonic did get their first player to handle Dolby TrueHD a little quicker but if I recall correctly, the BDP-S1 was updated shortly after the DMP-BD10A/K. My conclusion now is that the BDP-S1 is a little better player overall than the DMP-BD10A/K, Blu-ray and DVD quality is better with the BDP-S1. Of course the PS3 handles all Blu-ray functions and is still a full-featured player even today, well over 2 years after release. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi and that is just now starting to show up in standalone players. The expensive Sony ES player is a joke, not worth half the price but the rest of the line up are all good players for the price.

Both companies have done a great job with Blu-ray players in my opinion.

Chris

Peter Marlowe · 05-08-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Gerhard

The Sony BDP-S1 does decode Dolby TrueHD for use with HDMI or analog. Panasonic did get their first player to handle Dolby TrueHD a little quicker but if I recall correctly, the BDP-S1 was updated shortly after the DMP-BD10A/K. My conclusion now is that the BDP-S1 is a little better player overall than the DMP-BD10A/K, Blu-ray and DVD quality is better with the BDP-S1. Of course the PS3 handles all Blu-ray functions and is still a full-featured player even today, well over 2 years after release. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi and that is just now starting to show up in standalone players. The expensive Sony ES player is a joke, not worth half the price but the rest of the line up are all good players for the price.

Both companies have done a great job with Blu-ray players in my opinion.

Chris

Interesting...I could have swore that the very first generation Sony BD player (the model that was launched parallel to Panasonic's 'BD10/A) didn't even support internal TrueHD decoding over analog or HDMI...but it's been so long, I honestly don't remember.

Just out of curiosity, why would you call the ES deck a joke -- and then compare it to the non-ES models in Sony's lineup?

Chris Gerhard · 05-09-2009, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

Interesting...I could have swore that the very first generation Sony BD player (the model that was launched parallel to Panasonic's 'BD10/A) didn't even support internal TrueHD decoding over analog or HDMI...but it's been so long, I honestly don't remember.

Just out of curiosity, why would you call the ES deck a joke -- and then compare it to the non-ES models in Sony's lineup?

I own the first Sony standalone player, the BDP-S1, so I didn't have to remember what it does but the other early models are becoming hazy in my memory. I consider the Sony ES Blu-ray models a joke because performance is no better, or at best only very marginally better, than the less expense Sony players but the cost is a multiple. It is just a marketing strategy to make profits, the basic players have very slim margins and the excellent PS3 is sold at a loss. I have no problem with Sony offering an ES player trying to capitalize on the high end brand name and tiny market that might pay for the product, it is a business after all.

Chris

**PFC5** · 05-09-2009, 01:36 PM

I believe the BDP-S1 added DtHD via a later firmware update right Chris?

I also remember that this player was mfg by Pioneer for Sony and does not play CDs either. Did they ever add CD support to the S1 Chris?

05-06-2009, 04:54 PM	#1
fmw High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 947	Is my BD player obselete? I have a Sony BD-S300 player that I've had for a few years. I haven't been watching discs for over a year. I've been watching movies on DirecTV instead. I just restarted Netflix and the first BD arrived today - Frost/Nixon. It won't play. I upgraded the firware in the hopes that that would solve it. No soap. I put one of my own BD discs in the player and it plays just fine. Perhaps I got a defective disc from Netflix. Am I right? Should the disc have played in my player or is it obselete?

05-06-2009, 05:28 PM	#2
Bigloww SHITTER was FULL!! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: In a van, down by the river. Posts: 5,569	The player is not "obsolete" IMO.. That is what firmware upgrades are for. It should play.. You may of just got a bad disk.. But perhaps it has not been addressed yet either.. __________________ Commit to the Indian.. *In Loving Memory of Junkie, The Rizz, Eagle and the Boys.. They are gone (wasted in fact) but not forgotten..*

05-07-2009, 10:26 AM	#8
HD Goofnut The Official HDF Reviewer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mississippi, U.S.A. Your resident Dune, Star Wars, and war film expert Age: 28 Posts: 7,524	The Sony 300 and 301 has been known to have trouble playing the newer BDs. I had thought Sony had solved these issues with their recent FW updates, but apparently they have not. __________________ Living Room Sharp LC-46SB57UN 46" 120Hz 1080p LCD (24fps)-Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Receiver-Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1-DirecTV HR21-100 HD DVR-LG BH200 Super Blu-Sony 40 GB PS3-Toshiba HD-A20 Bedroom Sanyo DP46848 46" 1080p 60Hz LCD-DirecTV H23-100 HD-Maganvox NB500MG9-Toshiba HD-A2 Office HP 2159m 1080p LCD-Logitech X-540 5.1-ASUS SBC-06D1S-U External BD Drive My Movie Collection 371~140 Latest BD Review: *Armored*

05-08-2009, 07:12 PM	#11
Peter Marlowe Resident BD/DVD Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,298	It has always been a head-scratcher to me why Sony -- one of the early gatekeepers of the Blu-ray format -- couldn't get their shiiiiznit together when it came to Blu-ray PLAYERS...the early models were PAINFULLY slow and included zero support for high rez codecs from what I recall...outside of the Playstation console, I can recall all this being reason enough to look to the Panny 'BD10A at that time, which I ended up getting; I can distinctly remember thinking "The Sonys don't even have TrueHD support/decoders!!??" but we're talking REAL early on...first generation or so. I can also remember seeing a demo at a Frys where the guy was trying to play Fantastic 4 on a Sony player and it took like 20 minutes or so (well, it seemed anyway) for the damn menus just to load...it was ridiculous. Now, from what I have read in a Home Theater Magazine review, the new $2K ES model didn't fare well in video processing, given the price point...that sealed the deal for me regarding Sony and BD players -- but that's just my opinion. Having said that, for being "obsolete" I can understand that way of thinking -- I keep feeling my Panny 'BD10A is obsolete but then a firmware update comes along and helps...still, I think a player is "obsolete" when it simply doesn't do what you want it to do anymore. In my case, that time has arrived in that my deck won't support Master Audio at all, and won't bitstream TrueHD signals -- and the DVD playback is horrible. Otherwise, if it's working to your liking, it may not be time to trash it. Just my What do you guys think? __________________ THEATER: ONKYO TX-SR605B OPPO BDP-83 SONY 1080p KDS-50A2020 SXRD Mains: polkaudio RTi12 - *NEW!* Center: polkaudio CSi30 Surrounds: SpeakerCraft In-Ceiling Sub: polkaudio PSW350 APC SurgeArrest System INTERCONNECTS & SPEAKER CABLING BY MONSTER *2-CHANNEL (IN PROGRESS):* ONKYO A-9555 (coming soon) polkaudio R20 (possibly) Stands by Sanus Systems (possibly) marantz CC4001 TASCAM CD-RW900SL Professional Technics SL-1200 (coming soon) Numark CD MIX-1

05-09-2009, 01:36 PM	#15
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 31,268	I believe the BDP-S1 added DtHD via a later firmware update right Chris? I also remember that this player was mfg by Pioneer for Sony and does not play CDs either. Did they ever add CD support to the S1 Chris? __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier PSN: PFC5

05-06-2009, 06:25 PM	#3
fmw High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 947	Thanks. Glad to hear that. My assumption is that my old player is lacking in features but for me it only has to play the movie. The rest of the things aren't important to me. I'll quit worrying and wait for a replacement disc.

05-08-2009, 11:28 AM	#9
BANDB High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 222	Just my opinion, but I bought a BD S300 some time back from Costco and for me, the load times were just excessively long (especially for my wife, who complained incessantly), plus the SD upconversion seemed mediocre. I returned the player and waited until the BD S350 was released and bought one. A night and day improvement over the S300! Now there is an S360. Your S300 is not obsolete, but there is MUCH better out there. My

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