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Change the picture setting to 1080p for all playback and you are guaranteed automatic upscaling for SD DVDs and 1080p for Blu-Ray discs. And take the time to properly set up the unit for playback. And the upscaling on this unit is terrific -- your standard def dics wil look great.Also, several negatives are coming from people who aren't playing the unit through a 1080p HDTV. All will be fine.I'm giving this player 4 stars because the remote isn't designed as well as it could be. Of course the picture isn't going to look better than your SD DVD in that situation. Therefore, don't buy this unit it you don't have a 1080p HDTV -- you are wasting your money. I am surprised at the negative reviews of the BDP-S350.
So, if you put in a standard DVD it is going to play it at 480p. I purchased mine just last week and have had no problems: quick start times, quiet operation, excellent picture quality.I've determined that most of the negatives are coming from users who are not properly setting up the player before use. NOTE: The default setting on this unit is "auto," meaning that it will set the picture quality to match the disc. It's not bad, but it's not designed for use in the dark unless you have the layout memorized.
This isn't the default setting. I took one home, cabled it up and my first impressions were good. I confirmed that it wasn't a fault in my new Sony Bravia TV by playing the same DVD in my Pioneer upconverting player and saw the correct 4:3 image. Then I tried upgrading the firmware as recommended by the "Read Me First" flyer in the box. The final straw was discovering that skipping to the next chapter takes several seconds.
Change the Video Settings / Screen Format to Fixed Aspect Ratio. The webpage says you can upgrade via a homemade CD -- but only if you have a PC. After speaking with Sony technical support for 30 minutes without success, I stumbled on the right option. Then I discovered it doesn't remember a DVD has been played before and offer to return to the last played position. Next I discovered it couldn't play some of my homemade DVDs (iMovie + iDVD) which have worked in every other player I've owned.
Then I discovered that 4:3 DVDs were being stretched to fill the screen. I have been considering the BDP-S350 for a couple of months when I noticed a big stack of them at Costco today. There's no Mac or Linux support. All in all, it's been a very frustrating 4 hours wasted. The system saw my network, but refused (for 2 hours) to connect to the server.
The unit goes back tomorrow.
This model retailed at $399. The only complaint I have is that I purchased too soon. Sony recently lowered the retail to $299. The Sony 350 has been a great product so far. Setup was easy and the controls are easy to navigate. I paid $334. I had a Toshiba HD Player before and the Sony is smaller is size and loads up a disc more quickly. I have seen it as low as $268 on Amazon.
Sony just released the update, and you can download it directly to the player or to your computer (you'll have to burn an update disk. The player is smaller than most blu-ray players and looks great on my entertainment center.The player needs a firmware update if you want to use the BD Live feature. Easy setup, pretty quick startup and loading. Excellent video and audio via HDMI. Note: You can't use the disk update method if you use a Mac).
Easy to set up and use. The player performs this task flawlessly and I get to re-enjoy my old films once again. I bought this product to accompany a Samsung LN40A550 TV, and I have been pleased by the results. I have not even rented a BluRay disc yet, merely using the player to upconvert my collection of DVDs. Delivered by Amazon on time and in good condition.
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