Amazon DVD UK - Sony BDP-S300 - Blu-Ray Disc Player

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Sony BDP-S300 - Blu-Ray Disc Player - 1080P Full HD
From Sony

Price:

£256.00

Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Dispatched from and sold by Reliant Direct

3 new or used available from £124.99

Average customer review:

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #18006 in Consumer Electronics
Brand: Sony multiregion
Model: BDPS300B.CEK
Released on: 2007-09-05
Dimensions: 9.92 pounds

Editorial Reviews

Manufacturer's Description

Whether you are watching movies, listening to music, playing games, recording and storing content or all of the above, Blu-ray Disc™ makes your High Definition world come to life.

Sony products with Blu-ray Disc™ technology take High Definition further than ever.
Only Sony delivers such a wide range of Blu-ray Disc™ products from consumer electronics, computers
and recordable media to movies, music and games.

The majority of major Hollywood studios, virtually all leading consumer electronics, four of the top
computer brands, the world’s two largest music companies, PLAYSTATION®3 and the leading gaming
companies all support Blu-ray. Are you ready to discover Sony Blu-ray?

Blu-ray Disc™

Blu-ray is the next generation optical disc format which uses blue violet laser to deliver unsurpassed storage and interactivity and unlocks the potential of HD TV and HD gaming.

Sony helped to develop Blu-ray Disc™ to meet the amazing growth in demand for technology that can integrate movies, games, computers and the internet into a single solution.

Blu-ray Disc™ technology out-performs regular DVD formats. Unmatched optical media storage allows it to hold up to nine hours of HD viewing on a dual-layer disc and five times the content of a standard DVD.

Blu-ray Disc™ is the format that can do it all and deliver functionality unlike anything you have ever known before.

Blu-ray Disc™ is the ultimate choice for your High Definition entertainment.

1080p - The Ultimate Picture Quality

Remember the first time you saw how DVD pictures looked fantastic compared with ordinary television transmissions? That’s because DVD uses a higher bit-rate than conventional TV broadcasts, and more digital information means better picture and sound quality.

It’s the same story with Blu-ray Disc™. Recording and playing back digital data at an extraordinary 40 Mbps (megabits per second), BD can effortlessly display HD1080 images at 1920x1080 line resolution with progressive scanning. This means you can look forward to better picture quality than any HDTV transmission. With the option of 24 frame output, customers have the possibility to enjoy movies exactly as the film-maker intended.

High Capacity

Blu-ray Discs™ (BD) are exactly the same diameter (12 cm) as Compact Discs and DVDs. The big difference with BD, however, is loads more storage capacity to hold High Definition content such as videos, pictures, sound and more.

To achieve this, Blu-ray Disc™ uses a blue/violet laser that’s focused to produce an incredibly small, precise pinpoint of light – five times smaller than the beam falling on the surface of a DVD.

On the disc itself, tracks of data are squeezed together twice as tightly as on a DVD. Together with the super-fine laser beam, this means that Blu-ray Disc™ can hold an incredible 25 GB of data on a single-sided, single layer disc.

A single-sided dual layer disc holds a massive 50GB of data. 25GB is enough for two and a half hours of movie entertainment in1080-line Full HD with multichannel digital surround sound plus loads of interactive features and extras thrown in.

The High Definition Audio Visual Experience

People sometimes think that High Definition is all about great-looking pictures. They’re right, but it’s important not to underestimate just how important audio is too.

Digital multi-channel sound is an absolutely central part of the cinema going experience – just imagine paying to watch the latest blockbuster without the bangs, crashes, rumbles and other effects that literally make you shake in your seat.

Sony knew from the outset that sound was going to be a vital component of Bluray, and so the format can handle up to 32 different audio streams. That means that each disc can accommodate a vast range of audio formats, from stereo right up to uncompressed 7.1 multichannel surround.

Interactivity

Aside from breathtaking picture quality and digital multi-channel surround sound, the other thing that has really excited the studio business is Bluray’s interactive possibilities.

Although it’s not yet supported by all players, interactivity is something that will add a huge amount of value to your enjoyment of a movie at home. Blu-ray has been designed to offer a more satisfying, far more sophisticated interactive experience compared to what is available with DVD.

You can make choices from pop-up menus on screen without interrupting the movie. Some players will also support an even more powerful interactive mode. If you’ve got a connection to the Internet, this will allow you to download additional content in real time from a server to enhance what’s on the disc.

For example, you could access subtitles in your own language for a foreign movie that you bought at an airport in another country. This extra dimension of interactivity also opens up fantastic new possibilities for film makers and distributors.

Imagine being able to view the webcast of an exclusive director’s commentary that’s streamed over the Internet and displayed as a picture-in-picture on your HD television screen during the movie.

Industry Support

The good news is that right now, six out of eight major Hollywood studios have committed to support Blu-ray Disc™.

That list includes Disney, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Lionsgate and Warner Home Entertainment.
The other studio name, of course, is Sony Pictures.

Only Sony can offer you the full HD entertainment experience with fantastic movies, music and games.

Enjoy unbelievable colour and detail, crystal clear audio and unbelievable creativity and interaction from a wide range of movies, fantastic new music and an ever-growing range of superb new games for PLAYSTATION®3.

Movies

The best names in the movie industry and indeed, entertainment have offered their backing for Blu-ray Disc™.

Steven Poster, President of the influential American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), has put his weight behind the new Blu-ray format. "I think the Blu-ray Disc™ is truly amazing – it poses a WOW factor that will draw movie lovers to it".

Blu-ray can touch every part of the production of movies. It can change the very culture of making and viewing movies.

Music
Blu-ray brings all of the excitement of live music right into your living room. Not only do you feel that you are right there with amazing picture quality but sound quality is like nothing you have experienced before.

Blu-ray brings you closer to the musicians you love with internet connectivity and
seamlessly integrated bonus content.

Gaming

Blu-ray simply takes gaming to new heights. A whole new world of gaming has been unlocked by Blu-ray technology. Immerse yourself in unbelievable life-like experiences, fantastic visuals and interactivity.

High Definition images, the power of the Cell Broadband Engine and the capabilities of Blu-ray Disc™ have opened up new doors for games developers. Games are becoming more and more intertwined with the world of cinema creating an entirely new digital art form. The PLAYSTATION®3 gives games developers the ability to accurately represent emotion and drama like never before.

For example, using motion capture technology they are able to work with dramatic actors to show deep facial detail and accurate body movements. Games on the PLAYSTATION®3 will engage us with the drama and intrigue of their fantastic worlds more deeply than we have ever known.

BDPS300 Blu-ray Disc™ Player

With the BDPS300, you can experience superior 1080p High Definition video and audio content and advanced interactive features of a Blu-ray Disc™.

As well as 24p True Cinema, x.v.Colour, 7.1ch Surround Sound and upscaling DVD content to 1080p, you can also look forward to rich functionality with interactive graphics planes which allow you to see video, subtitles and pop up menus at the same time.

BDPS300 Blu-ray player

24p True Cinema

Until now, TV broadcasts and home video media like DVDs and VHS tapes have shown films faster than they were recorded due to limitations in the processing of films to the PAL (50Hz) format.

This affected picture quality and even the pitch of the actors’ voices. With 24p True Cinema, for the very first time, you can enjoy and experience the film just as the director intended.

7.1 ch Surround Sound

Uncompressed audio, in up to 7.1 ch surround sound, delivers sound beyond anything you’ve experienced before.

Special Blu-ray Discs™ capture and reproduce master-quality music and sound through the best possible playback of any HD format when using compatible media and receivers with HDMI technology.

x.v.Colour

x.v.Colour is the new standard which realises more colour in High Definition.
x.v.Colour realises 1.8 times more colour than the conventional RGB standard. The BDPS300 is the perfect playback device for Sony x.v.Colour supported HD camcorders.

More colour. More detail. More accuracy.

BRAVIA Theatre Sync

You can start your home cinema experience at the push of a button with BRAVIA Theatre Sync.

Blu-ray and HDMI

Both the PLAYSTATION®3 and BDP-S300 feature a Blu-ray Disc™ player and HDMI ports for connecting to any HD Ready TV. This means that both products can output High Definition video in the currently highest possible resolution of 1080p.

PLAYSTATION®3 and BDP-S300 owners can look forward to amazing video quality including images with incredible depth of field detail and vibrant colours with their Blu-ray movies.

‘Sony’, ‘x.v.Colour’, ‘HD1080’, ‘BRAVIA Theatre Sync’, ‘like.no.other’ and their logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation, Japan.
All other trademarks acknowledged.

Box Contents

Video Cord

Stereo Audio Cord

Mains Lead

Remote Control

Batteries for remote control

User Manual

Customer Reviews

Blu-ray, yes we're getting there.
We've had this Blu-ray player for about five weeks. It's connected to a Sony Bravia TV and installation was extremely easy. We have watched several Blu-ray films (300; Die Hard 4; Reign Over Me; Black Hawk Down) and the analysis that follows is based upon watching those and several ordinary DVD films.

Firstly comments about the slow start up time/film load time are correct. It takes approximately 52 seconds to start and a further 40 seconds after inserting a film into the tray to be ready to play the film. However we haven't really found this to be a problem as if you know it is going to take a couple of minutes you start the process and then get yourself settled (drink to the ready). If you're watching a two hour film, is the extra two minutes such a big issue?

We've also compared the start up times to our existing DVD players (yes we have several accumulated over the years). As a comparison we've used Black Hawk Down as we have both the DVD and Blu-ray versions. On the Blu-ray player (BDP_S300) the times are stated above; on a Pioneer DVR-420H, start up takes five seconds and after inserting the film a further 17 seconds to be ready to play the film; on a Sony RDR-HXD560, start up takes 40 seconds and after inserting the film a further 19 seconds to be ready to play the film; on a ten year old Sony DVP-S325, start up takes two seconds and after inserting the film a further five seconds to be ready to play the film. The Pioneer DVR-420H and Sony RDR-HXD560 are both hard drive recorders as well, so that might have some bearing on the start/load times.

Viewing - well this is only our assessment. Again as a comparison Black Hawk Down has been used to reflect our views. Playing the original DVD through the Sony BDP_S300 which then upscales the film, yes it is better; crisper and better colour saturation. Playing the Blu-ray version is again a further improvement. However we are not sure that these improvements warrant an extra £250.

We haven't commented on sound as this depends so much on the individual set up, but again we did notice significant improvements with the Sony BDP_S300 using our set up (Denon Amp). Currently we haven't had any problems with films not playing correctly. The unit and the remote are well made but it is true that once a button on the remote is pressed it is slow to respond - which takes a little getting used to.

Conclusion - is it worth the outlay? Well if you need to replace an existing old DVD player and would like to take advantage of the higher quality output, yes we think it is. But the gains are marginal compared to the outlay. It might be better to wait as prices are bound to come down and hopefully choice of units and Blu-ray DVDs will become greater. It did come with both the Spiderman trilogy and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (via registration) which makes the package more attractive. We are happy to give the Sony BDP_S300 three stars in the current climate, but if the price comes down it would be a better deal.

Fantastic Box of Tricks
Like many other DVD enthusiasts, I have watched the Blu-Ray/HD DVD format war with growing frustration and impatience. For me, the tipping point came with Warner's decision to opt exclusively for Blu-Ray and the appearance of this Sony BDP-S300 at the excellent price offered by Amazon. This is still relatively new technology, and you need some incentives to go there. I am also very grateful to earlier reviewers; your opinions have undoubtedly had an influence.

I received this last Thursday, having finally come to a firm decision to order it on Monday, so well done to Amazon for getting it here so quickly. It's slightly deeper than some kit, so check out your storage dimensions, although this is not likely to be a problem. I have been using a decent Pioneer DVD machine which allows an HDMI interconnect and which is good at upscaling. Connection was, therefore, quite easy - in essence, plug and play with the AV receiver. Earlier reviews have commented on the slowness of the system, and it does take some time to power up on every occasion, but this really is no problem at all.

Initial setup is straighforward, but you might have to flick through the visual formats to synchronise your system. So much of this stuff is 'intelligent' and needs to find the right match to speak to other items. Nonetheless, pretty seamless.

What I did not expect was the staggering quality of both sound and picture. I'm fortunate enough to have a 42" Philips HD Pixel Plus Ambilight TV (and if that isn't an investment in future technology, I don't know what is!), which provides stunning images on Sky HD at 1080p. You can view HD films through Sky Box Office which are incredibly impressive, so the benchmark had to be to match these. Well, preparing myself with a few Blu-Ray discs, I have sat in amazement through one disc of Planet Earth, had a taster of Pan's Labyrinth and this morning blasted my way through Die Hard 4.0. Resolution at 1080p is breathtaking, and I am still recovering from the impact of Bruce Willis's hot little picture - actually two hours of mesmerizing mayhem with a fabulous soundtrack that will push your surround system to the limits and make the floor shake.

Upscaling on non-HD DVDs is very good; it will get the best out of the basic material, but again the sound is significantly improved. I have several classical music DVDs and, while picture quality is quite variable on account of the dates and origins of the recordings, the sound has been dramatically improved (Mahler 2/BPO/Haitink/Philips).

Yes, it meets and, in terms of audio experience, exceeds the best that Sky HD has to offer, so it steps beyond the benchmark. What a fantastic box of tricks! ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY!

Lee 30 review
I have had this player for quite a while now,and with the added benefit of multiregion modification,it makes sense to opt for this player. It looks just as good as the other top players out there now. The downside is the lack of features,but picture quality is out of this world!