Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 1080p signals available through HDMI output only; 720p/1080i signals available through HDMI or component video) * built-in audio decoding to PCM for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS * bitstream audio output for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, and DTS-HD Master Audio * BD-Java interactive capability * BRAVIA Sync for control of compatible Sony TVs and components via HDMI *

Shame on you Sony, how can you justify ignoring hearing impaired users? This player does not output closed caption, CC, on either HDMI or Component video outputs. Many DVDs do not have subtitles, especially those from TV shows. How much could it have cost Sony to encode CC to the output. I can't believe this omission is even legal.

Just getting acquainted with the unit. INEXCUSABLE -- No MP3 playing capability. I would have paid more for another brand with flexibility.

I was very pleased with this product when I brought it home. I had a Samsung prior to the Sony, and it lasted about 5 days (very disappointing). The Sony player had the Xcross menus, making it easy to set up, and the remote would also control my TV volume and inputs with NO setup. I love the "right-out-of-the-box" ease of use. Not to mention the picture quality was amazing, and it was quick to load discs.

About 5 weeks after purchase, I tried to play a DVD and when the disc drawer closed, "No Disc" displayed on the unit and it was unable to read the DVD. I tried the same with a Blu Ray, and got the same result. After doing all of the troubleshooting recommended on the internet, and doing an online chat session with a Sony rep, I found out the unit needed service and would have to be sent in for repair. That's not acceptable to me, so I had to return the unit to the store for a refund.

Today, I will try to put the refund money toward a Playstation 3. From the reviews and recommendations from friends, it seems to be the best player on the market. I was trying to avoid spending the extra money for the PS3 and remote (and now, obviously a service plan), but it looks like you might get what you pay for. I'll review the PS3 after I've had a chance to put it to the test as well.

The Sony BDP-S350 is a great player. My household has been using it for a few months, and there are only a few problems that I have found.

I have had the machine freeze up on me while trying to load a disc one time, it would not let me select the option to play the movie from the main menu screen, would not eject the disc, and would not turn off. I had to unplug the machine and replug it. Worked perfectly fine after that.

Other than that, the other "problems" are more like minor nuisances. The menu takes an extremely long time to load up in order for you to open the disc slot, but this can be circumvented by turning on quick load in the menu options. The remote control is compatible with the Sony Sync technology (allowing you to control your tv minorly from the blu-ray remote) but not the other way around. (The Bravia TV won't detect the HDMI device, therefore not allowing you to control the blu-ray minorly from the tv remote.)

Beyond this, it's a great machine, especially since it's a Sony product and cheaper than most other non-brand-name players on the market.

I had high expectations from this Blueray player, and Sony did not disappoint. I have the player hooked up to the TV via component video cables at 1080i and audio is going to a Sony receiver via digital coaxial cable. Picture and sound are nothing short of incredible. My ONLY problem with this unit so far is the lack of a RESUME PLAY function after hitting the STOP button when playing a BD. If you STOP the movie, the player does not remember where you stopped it and must start from the very beginning (as if you ejected and reinserted the disk. When playing DVD's, however, the Stop/Resume function worked normally. You CAN resume playing a BD if you use the PAUSE function but if you remain paused too long, the unit goes into a screen-saver mode that I have not been able to figure out how to come back out of without using the STOP function (and having to start all over again). Hopefully, these quirks can be remedied with firmware changes because as I said, the picture and sound are truly worth the price of the unit!