Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player reviewed

by Richard Lawler, posted Dec 8th 2006 at 6:01PM

The Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player is finally available to the masses, but how does it stack up against other players on the market, or even Sony's own PlayStation 3? HDGuru has put up a review of the unit after testing it out on a Panasonic TH-50PX600 plasma. One major complaint are the loading times, with it taking well over a minute from power on to actually playing a movie, as well as some lag on commands via the remote. Still, that $999.95 does buy the first player capable of 1080p/24 output and didn't display the annoying visual problems encountered by the earlier Samsung BD-P1000. The pack-in copy of The Fifth Element still looks as bad as ever but other Blu-ray releases show the potential of the format. Just like the PS3, it's BYOC for HDMI and component connections, that a high definition player doesn't include a way for it to connect to an HDTV is still just silly. CD playback is also not a part of the package, but future firmware updates will add Blu-ray Java and BD-R/BD-RE compatibility. Without features like HDMI 1.3 and BD-Live support, it's tough to see this as a good buy right now but we'll see if the picture quality is worth it to some.

[Via HDBlog.net]

Filed under: Blu-ray, Players, Sony

Tags: 1080p, 1080p24, bd-j, bdp-s1, blu-ray, hdmi, high definition, HighDefinition, review

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

humpty @ Dec 8th 2006 6:10PM

Hey HDBeat, you forgot the conclusion:

While the Sony BDP-S1 takes some time to load and play discs and the occasional soft pops are not desired, the overall outstanding picture performance and quality of construction warrant it a ♥♥♥♥ rating , a best value in its class, the HD Guru says �Buy It�. Check it out.

Highly Ranked

hmurchison @ Dec 8th 2006 6:15PM

Nah...I'd rather buy a A2 HD DVD player and 20 HD movies for the same cost.

Neutral

Ed @ Dec 8th 2006 7:08PM

This is crap. $ony delayed this player like 4 times and still no good. Sign the HD DVD Petition so we can end this formart war.
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/HD_DVD_Studio_Support

Neutral

pliepl @ Dec 10th 2006 1:39AM

�This is crap. $ony delayed this player like 4 times and still no good.�

I wouldn�t call it crap, although, I don�t see the point in buying this unit over a PS3 (if I was in the market for a BRD player). PS3 supply constraints notwithstanding obviously. The same holds true for every other BRD player actually. With Sony positioning the PS3 at around the half grand mark, that pretty much screws over all the BRD manufacturers. It harms Blu Ray more so than help if you really think about it.

Neutral

Xyzzy @ Dec 8th 2006 9:02PM

"CD playback is also not a part of the package, but future firmware updates will add Blu-ray Java and BD-R/BD-RE compatibility. Without features like HDMI 1.3 and BD-Live support,"

Oh look, it's more of Sony's "We'll be good later!" stuff. *laugh*

Neutral

Wellinformed @ Dec 9th 2006 3:10AM

Why has no one published an article about the HD-A2 and HD-XA2 being DELAYED? I guess it's ok for Toshiba but not for Sony. That's real fair.

Did anyone mention that you can get pay $500 for a PS3 (same price of the HD-A2 but with HDMI 1.3, a 20GB hard drive, 8 processors, and 1080p/24fps & upconversion coming soon). The HD-A2 is just an illogical choice over the PS3. The HD-XA2 ($999) is now more expensive than the $799 Samsung player (Best Buy). The HD-XA2 still only does 1080p/60fps and not 1080p/24fps directly off the disc. The only plus is the ethernet cable and HDMI 1.3. The advanced audio decoders are already built into the player so you really don't benefit from HDMI 1.3.

By the way HD DVD players aren't selling in retail chain stores. Microsoft's smear campaign is really great. HD DVD has almost no news of their own. They just try to spin Blu-ray news to their advantage. I wonder if people are smart enough to see all of this.

Neutral

Xyzzy @ Dec 9th 2006 11:06AM

Wellinformed (or should i say, "Not Wellinformed,"), the A2 has been released already. People are buzzing about it on AVSForum.com. And to say that the players aren't sellign in retail stores is a bold-faced lie. The players are SELLING OUT in retail stores (at least the first round did very quickly -- we'll see about the new models. The BD players are still sitting on the shelves collecting dust; check out your local Best Buy Magnolia if you want proof).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=764683

(note that the official release date is supposed to be December 14th, but some stores are letting them go early).

Neutral

pliepl @ Dec 10th 2006 1:57AM

�Why has no one published an article about the HD-A2 and HD-XA2 being DELAYED? I guess it's ok for Toshiba but not for Sony. That's real fair.�

Maybe because Sony has delayed this unit almost a half dozen times. When you announce a product, then delay it over and over again, people are a lot less lenient towards it.

�Did anyone mention that you can get pay $500 for a PS3 (same price of the HD-A2 but with HDMI 1.3, a 20GB hard drive, 8 processors, and 1080p/24fps & upconversion coming soon). The HD-A2 is just an illogical choice over the PS3. The HD-XA2 ($999) is now more expensive than the $799 Samsung player (Best Buy). The HD-XA2 still only does 1080p/60fps and not 1080p/24fps directly off the disc. The only plus is the ethernet cable and HDMI 1.3. The advanced audio decoders are already built into the player so you really don't benefit from HDMI 1.3.�

If you said this to me a year or two from now, I might have understood where you were going with this, but at this point in time, the PS3�s benefits for the Blu Ray format isn�t there but rather, I�ll say that it�s harming Blu Ray as a whole. For those wanting a Blu Ray player, who in their right mind would buy an $800 BRD only player when you can get a $500 BRD + Game player. Now with PS3 availability problems, this also adds to the problem as well. There hasn�t been a dramatic shift (or any news of) Blu Ray software flying off the shelves even with almost 1/2 million PS3 units already out there.

�By the way HD DVD players aren't selling in retail chain stores.�

Would you elaborate a bit more on this? Are you saying this as a personal observation or was there some �official� news on this?

Neutral

Dave @ Dec 9th 2006 5:43AM

One of the best Blu-ray players to me!

Neutral

ckelly @ Dec 9th 2006 8:55AM

Wellinformed - That's a hillarious post! You sound VERY bitter. I'm not partisan to either side - I actually own a Blu-Ray (no HD-DVD either) but HD-DVD is clearly to me the better format! I'm ordering me an A2 today as a matter of fact. I'm tired of the Blu-Ray camp shouting VICTORY when a movie for their players MATCHES the output of HD-DVD. They don't even have goals to be better. Blu-Ray is all about what's over the horizon. I've never seen anyone claim and reasonably back why Blu-Ray is the better format TODAY (even when I hoped they could). It's time I supported the side that has given everything we wanted in the beginning - great HD quality.

I've determined that if Blu-Ray stomps HD-DVD into oblivion, we'd be losing the best HD Picture quality in favor of a lesser (but possibly more "promising") format. Who ever hear of buying for potential when it is so painfully obviously an inferior format NOW. I bought into the Blu-Ray hype myself, the best I should have done is either trust my eyes and buy HD-DVD or wait until Blu-Ray is as it promised it would be. Heck, even Sony's exec's have lost their jobs over the Blu-Ray debacle (and that wasn't the result of Microsoft's so-called smear campaign)!

Studio support? Heck, they'll go where you go. Even Sony would put its movies out HD-DVD if BR didn't sell. The question then is, why do people buy on promises/specualtion when the competition has what you want today? It's like buying a Fort Escort on the promise that someday it'll be exchanged out by the manufacturer for a Porsche...then pulling up next to a Corvette and revving your engine and saying, "Yeah, but someday it'll be a Porsche!"

Neutral

a2 @ Dec 9th 2006 1:42PM

I've tried for weeks to locate an HD DVD player to no avail. Best Buy, Circuit City, and others keep telling me they're sold out.

I would LOVE to find one on the shelves.

Neutral

Ed @ Dec 9th 2006 10:08PM

Try http://www.jr.com/ they still have some instock online.

Neutral

Derrick @ Dec 9th 2006 2:16PM

All of this is sad IMO. When you buy a new auto you don't purchase it with the intent that your dealer will tweak it later to give you more horsepower. IMO the BR and HDDVD camps have both let us down in this regard, Sony has continually promised better codec's, better disc and better picture soon. I for one refuse to spend a G on anything with the hope that it will one day be superior.

Neutral

Scott @ Dec 13th 2006 10:36AM

Here's something original, a post from someone who actually owns this player! I love it, the images are jaw-dropping and the sound is vastly improved over DVD which surprised me. I'm sorry HD-DVD camp, but bigger discs will mean better quality. That will become more obvious as encoding gets better. Really looking forward to the announcements just around the corner...

Neutral

pliepl @ Dec 13th 2006 3:58PM

�Here's something original, a post from someone who actually owns this player! I love it, the images are jaw-dropping and the sound is vastly improved over DVD which surprised me. I'm sorry HD-DVD camp, but bigger discs will mean better quality. That will become more obvious as encoding gets better. Really looking forward to the announcements just around the corner...�

Personally, if I were in the market for a BRD player, the PS3 would be my choice (assuming it�s available obviously).

I have to disagree with you on the �bigger discs will mean better quality� part. The numerous early adopters have already disproved this. Regardless of size differences, movies on the two formats have been shown to be at best equal (at worst with HD DVD PQ slightly edging Blu ray). The higher storage on Blu ray is relegated to storage of extra features/ longer contents and/or a less efficient codec.

If you remembered back to last year (before the formats released) Blu ray was touted as being �better� (PQ) than HD DVD. They have so far shown that they are (at best) equal. It�s interesting how many people forget that.

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