Blu-Ray Reviews Of The Sony BDP-S300 Multi-Region Blu-Ray Disc Player

Blu-Ray Disc Player: Excellent picture quality on Blu-ray and DVD; DVD upconversion up to 1080p; HDMI output. Right off the bat everyone in the room noticed the image quality from the Blu-Ray Disc Player S300, it's always comforting when the results right out of the box are at least on par with expectations, surpassing them is of course a nice bonus.

The SONY BDP-S300 Blu-Ray Disc Player is an important product, giving Blu-ray some much needed traction in the affordable player category. Combine that with recent news from rental powerhouse Blockbuster that it is expanding Blu-ray titles in its stores (at the expense of HD DVD in most cases), and the BDP-S300 looks like a no-brainer.

HQV Benchmark Results: The BDP-S300 Blu-Ray Disc Player scored very well with the standard definition HQV benchmark disc, it passed most of the tests with flying colors and was able to lock onto the 3:2 film cadence test faster than many other of the DVD and BD/HD players tested recently.

• Color Bar/Vertical Detail: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• Jaggies Pattern 1: Pass - Score 5 of 5

• Jaggies Pattern 2: Pass - Score 3 of 5

• Flag: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• Picture Detail: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• Noise Reduction: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• Motion Adaptive Noise Reduction: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• 3:2 Detection: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• Film Cadence: Pass - Score (Combined) 40 of 40

• Mixed 3:2 Film, Horizontal Text Crawl: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• Mixed 3:2 Film, Vertical Text Crawl: Pass - Score 10 of 10

• Total Score: 128 out of a possible 130.

And the remote is a good one- it controls both the player and a television.
Unlike Sony's first-gen BDP-S1 (and Pioneer Elite's BDP-HD1) the BDP-S300 will play back CDs, either from its analog audio outputs or any of its digital audio outputs, including HDMI.

Once loaded and running, the BDP-S300 performed like a gold medalist. The best Blu-ray Discs looked sensational at either 1080p/60 or 1080p/24. And for those using 720p displays, or displays that will not accept 1080p inputs, the player also performed beautifully when set for either a 720p or 1080i output.
The Sony BDP-S300 Multi-Region Blu-Ray is a sure winner
The Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player is a good one, with superb playback quality from Blu-ray Discs, and solid upconversion of standard definition DVDs for your legacy collection.

Description: Everyone will marvel at the stunning sound and picture quality of this second-generation Blu-ray Disc player. With remarkable features and versatile performance, the BDP-S300 is an amazing value.

BDP-S300 Strengths: Picture Quality

Strengths: Great picture and excellent sound

Weaknesses: None for me

Summary: I bought this Blu-Ray player last July to watch movies and it has worked flawlessly for me from day 1. I am not a viewer who will use picture in picture (which this does not have) nor do I play any of the games which are on some of the discs. I wanted a Blu-Ray player which gives me full HD video and great sound. The audio sounds great on my surround sound system when I use it. Sometimes I just use the TV speakers and the audio is excellent. If you are interested in a Blu-Ray player with outstanding video and excellent sound this player is for you.

Strengths: Plays Blu-Ray Discs, upconverts standard DVDs. Full 1080p output. Good array of audio outputs.

Strengths: Great picture when playing Blu ray Disk. Connected all audio connections at once except Coax, and all worked automatically...Great sound.

While the Sony BDP-S300 is an entry level Blu-ray player, entry level doesn't necessarily mean cheap. You're getting a capable high definition video player. VD's is lackluster at best and it only decodes Dolby Digital Plus. If you already have a capable upconverting DVD player and don't care about the decoding of Dolby TrueHD and the myriad of high definition DTS formats, this may be the Blu-ray player for you.

Summary: Sony has finally come out their second generation Blu-ray player at half the original price of the original! The BDP-S300 looks like a bargain compared to their previous BDP-S1 model.

Besides the cost benefit, you get more with this player. Unlike the previous model the S300 can play CDs in addition to DVDs. In addition, it seems to load slightly faster than the previous model.

All in all, the BDP-S300 delivers what it promises.

The new BDP-S300 model can output 1920 x 1080p (progressive) high-definition video, currently the highest resolution high-definition signal available through an HDMI™ connection. The player supports various video formats, including MPEG2, MPEG4-AVC and VC1.

For those who own an HDTV set without HDMI, an analog component output for 1080i (interlaced) is available as well.

The new BD player is compatible with most standard DVDs and has the added feature of 1080p upscaling through HDMI to 1080p capable HDTVs, improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries.

Watching PIRATES I and PIRATES II I found the picture striking and vivid with no artifacts. My receiver is a delivers 5.1 DD so I am unable to take advantage of the uncompressed PCM codec. However, the Dolby digital audio track was quite impressive. All things considered, this an excellent player at a very good price.

This is an excellent BD Player for under $500! The picture quality is awesome!
Excellent upscaler quality for DVD movies

Below is mentioned that it can't be made region free. Only partially true. A California company already sells this model in a Multiregion (multi-region) version. It can play any Region A and B Blu-Ray Disc movie and display it on any TV that has HDMI input, regardless of video standard (PAL-SECAM-NTSC etc.)

This is a unit that we would buy for ourselves if it weren't for the fact that we couldn't make it region free, because we have a huge DVD collection with movies from regions 1 and 4. If you are going to play only region-free ("region 0") or region 1 discs then this unit is a great pick, especially because its cost/benefit ratio: great price and excellent image quality for DVDs - if the relative slowness of this unit doesn't bother you.

I haven't gone through all the bells and whistles yet, but the picture quality just floored me. Even my wife who really doesn't get the whole 'high def thing' was greatly impressed. We watched Pirates/Caribbean 2 and couldn't believe the quality.

Pros: Excellent picture quality, inexpensive for a Blu-ray player, offers HDMI upscaling to 1080p

Anyone looking to experience the formidable pleasures of watching movies on Blu-ray Disc, and at a reasonable startup cost, is advised to check out Sony's BDP-S300.

This is a magnificent Blu-ray DVD player. It enhances regular DVD viewing and presents Blu-ray discs in full 1080p (if you have a 1080p HDTV).

The video and sound quality is amazing!

Very good product for the money. Well worth getting if you want to get the best picture from your large widescreen HDTV.

"I have owned this Blu-ray player about 2 weeks. I purchased my first Blu-ray movie this past weekend and I was blown away by the full 1080p picture that it produces and the full digital sound is awesome. Be sure to purchase an hdmi cable for this player and you will not be disappointed. It will also upconvert standard DVD's to near HD quality."

Have this unit for a week and love it. Bought it for my husband from appliance bestbuys the price was great the units great and I would definitely tell everyone to buy this one if they want a good Blu ray without emptying their wallets.

Multi-region Blu-Ray Players now available! REGION FREE DVD players/recorders and High Definition, HD DVD players,Advanced Optical players/recorders in Blu-Ray DVD players/recorders. A multi region (aka codefree, allzone) DVD player or recorder is capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere in the world, that is all 8 regions and both PAL and NTSC standards. http://www.planetomni.com has many. Many not only play them but convert from one standard to the other for showing movies on any TV on earth. There are also PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com . Come with LIFETIME Warranties and ship worldwide. They also carry PAL-SECAM-NTSC TVs, PAL plasma, PAL LCD and PAL DLP multisystem TVs and multisystem converting and non-converting VCRs, voltage transformers, video standards converters & 140,000 other products. Tel. 877-327-5076, 925-686-9945

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By John Dulaney



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Sony 32D3000U HD LCD Television Review

Although high-definition TVs have been flying off the shelves recently, it is worthwhile noting that most of these people will still be watching mostly standard definition programmes on their shiny new TVs. Should you sit too close to a high-definition TV, all the imperfections inherent in compressed broadcast stations will be blown up on screen, destroying your viewing experience.

This is why it may be better to buy a smaller screen for standard definition viewing. The latest Sony Bravia KDL-32D3000 LCD TV fits the bill perfectly. In this article I'll highlight some of the good and bad points about this 32" high definition television.

Positives:


- In the past LCDs have been crippled by average blacks. Sony KDL-32D3000 defies this tradition in this respect: the blacks and grey gradation are some of the best I've ever seen on a HDTV of this size.

- Again, another shortcoming of LCDs is motion blurring. Sony KDL-32D3000 solves this problem by incorporating its Motion Flow technology, which I must admit functions very competently in maintaining detail in fast action scenes.

- For a TV of this size, I'm impressed that Sony has included rather good picture processing in terms of noise reduction and deinterlacing. This will make standard definition image even better.

Bad Points:


- Because of the Wide Color Gamut (WCG) implemented on the Sony KDL-32D3000, the colours could look slightly over-saturated. However, unless you're a videophile who strives colour accuracy, this should not bother you at all.

- If you want to get the best possible picture from the Sony KDL-32D3000 , you'll need to get into the service menu to adjust the greyscale.

- The price tag is high compared to other models of a similar specification.

In conclusion, the Sony KDL-32D3000 delivers a solid standard definition and high definition picture quality, though is priced at a premium. Only you yourself can decide whether it's worth it.

Rob Keene offers home theatre installation service. For more information, visit his http://www.KDL32D3000U.co.uk website.

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By Robert Keene



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Sony Bravia XBR3 HDTV Review Of The Sony Bravia XBR3

The Sony Bravia XBR3 is a HDTV (High Definition Television) and delivers pictures in a different method than Pal, Scart and rear projection televisions. One of the benefits of HDTV’s such as the Sony Bravia XBR3 is that it includes an HDMI port.

HDMI is the modern alternative to S-Video and Scart and you may have used these for connecting external devices such as video and DVD players to standard televisions. HDMI allows the same but is better designed to handle digital signals and makes the high resolution picture possible when playing games and watching films. HDMI can be found on the Sony Bravia XBR3 and Pioneer Pro-1540 and many other models of HDTV. Always check when choosing a HDTV that it includes HDMI port(s) as it makes a big difference to the picture.

HDMI is more than just a gimmick due to the difference it makes on a Sony Bravia XBR3 picture. Owners of HDTV’s such as those in the Sony Bravia XBR3 range that do not use the HDMI port should sell their HDTV and get a standard television. HDTV’s such as the KDL-70XBR3 in the Sony Bravia XBR3 range have 3 HDMI ports. If you have any doubt about the difference HDMI makes to the picture on a Sony Bravia XBR3, its worth noting Microsoft’s actions. The original XBOX 360 did not include an HDMI output so they made a version of the XBOX 360 that included one.

The Sony Bravia XBR3 also includes Triluminous Technology which is basically the backlight the comes with the range of Sony Bravia XBR3 HDTV‘s. When you switch on the backlight on a Sony Bravia XBR3, it makes a big difference to the colours it displays. Colours on the Sony Bravia XBR3 become vivid when it is used in conjunction with its backlight. The Sony Bravia XBR3 range also include Trusurround which is a very good emulation of a Dolby 5.1 speaker setup. Sony Bravia TV’s also include Dolby Surround for the avid film buffs who like to take advantage of a genuine Dolby 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup.

Sony is an industry leader producing HDTV’s. If you have been looking for a versatile television, the Sony Bravia XBR3 may be what your looking for. For an in depth look at its features, take a look at this
Sony Bravia XBR3 review.

Hahn Baker has reviewed the Sony Bravia XBR3 and analysed the details of its features. For details on the Sony Bravia XBR3 range, check out his Sony Bravia XBR3 review

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By Hahn Baker



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