(1 votes, average: 9 out of 10)
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Up for review: The Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player. Sony’s new BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player delivers a commendable picture and sound quality, and, like many other BD players, it can upconvert regular DVD movies to 1080p format reasonably well. The affordable price is definitely a good attraction, but the BDP-S300 does lack certain advanced Blu-ray features, such as PIP as well as online services. Also the start up and disc loading time is a bit slow. This Blu-ray model is profile 1.0 format which means you won’t be able to access Bonus View features. There is also lack of support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD audio tracks; in fact the new Sony BDP-S300 only supports one of the four HD audio formats.
However, the functionality of this Blu-ray player is really easy and it also offers a strong selection of configuration options. Sony’s understated style in this model is really appreciative. Sony’s new BDP-S300 supports 24-Hz output with Blu-ray movies. Even though the BDP-S300 doesn’t pick up the 3:2 ratios and deinterlace 1080i correctly, it doesn’t make much difference as most Blu-ray titles are film based and 1080p already.
There is no Ethernet jack for future firmware update in this Blu-ray player, which also means no Internet download provision. However, the soundtrack support is really good in Sony’s BDP-S300. Apart from the Blu-ray discs, standard audio CDs, DVDs and MP3 and JPEG files can also be played here. The BDP-S300 has support for Dolby Digital Plus, standard Dolby Digital and DTS surround soundtracks. But sadly, the BDP-S300 lacks support for DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD soundtracks. With a single HDMI output, a component video output, composite and standard def S-Video along with the optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, connectivity of the BDP-S300 is standard. Also the analog audio of the new BDP-S300 is supported by a 5.1 multichannel output.
So overall, if you’re looking for an affordable Blu-ray player without all the bells and whistles, the BDP-S300 is a good option.
Sony BDP-S300 Key Features Review:
DVD Features
Media Type DVD, DVD+R, DVD-R, BD-ROM, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM
Audio D/A Converter 24 bit/ 192kHz
Built-in Audio Decoders Dolby Digital
Picture Modes Letterbox, Widescreen, Pan and scan
DVD Repeat Modes Title, Chapter
CD Playback Modes Repeat all, one track repeat, Random play / shuffle
Supported Digital Video Standards MPEG-2, MPEG-4
Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
Upscaling Yes
MP3 Compatible Yes
Additional Features Screen saver, JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning
Audio System
Sound Output Mode Stereo
Digital Audio Format DTS digital output, Dolby Digital output
Connections
Connector Type 1 x HDMI ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Rear , 1 x SPDIF output ( RCA phono ) - Rear , 1 x S-Video output ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Rear , 1 x SPDIF output ( TOSLINK ) - Rear , 1 x Audio line-out ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Rear , 1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ) - Rear
Miscellaneous
Cables Included 1 x Audio cable, 1 x Video cable
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year