I don't see it. You talking the BDP-S1 on the Sony site? What version #?

V4.2

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS1

V4.2

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS1

Thanks,
Funny that if you enter via another direction it still shows 4.1 as the latest. Thank you !!

Thanks,
Funny that if you enter via another direction it still shows 4.1 as the latest. Thank you !!

No problem. I just keep it bookmarked to make things easy on myself.

Donnie, thanks for the notice. I see both 4.1 and 4.2 in there at the moment.

I surprised Sony was listing both myself. It's probably just temporary since there is no way for users to downgrade to previous versions.

Any word if this FW fixes any of the Bond issues?

Thank you Donnie for the heads up and the link!

Anyone else experience excessively long loading time for The Strangers?

5 minutes and counting...

Maybe I should be downloading 4.20 soon to fix it.

After 20 mins of loading, I added the 4.20 firmware to my S1 player and The Strangers played no problem.

Lucky for me this upgrade arrived the same day as I bought the movie.

I would have hated owning a disk that couldn't play on my BD player.

Set-up Question, I am hooking up my S1 throught the analog 5.1 outs to my pre/pro which re-digitizes the signal allowing delays, levels and SW to be set.

Wondering if the S1 does suffer from the LEF bug throught the analog outs? Do I need to add +10db on the analog inputs on my pre/pro for the S1??

In terms of setting, should I set the Speakers to Large for all channels and sub on the S1??

Tried it last night and it felt like that I needed Sub +15db to make it sound good??

Set-up Question, I am hooking up my S1 throught the analog 5.1 outs to my pre/pro which re-digitizes the signal allowing delays, levels and SW to be set.

Wondering if the S1 does suffer from the LEF bug throught the analog outs? Do I need to add +10db on the analog inputs on my pre/pro for the S1??

In terms of setting, should I set the Speakers to Large for all channels and sub on the S1??

Tried it last night and it felt like that I needed Sub +15db to make it sound good??

Yes, to +10db on the sub.

Any word if this FW fixes any of the Bond issues?

JB issue fixed after installing firmware 4.2

Any word if this FW fixes any of the Bond issues?

JB issue fixed after installing firmware 4.2.

You know, the more I read about the new models (S350 and S550), the more difficult it is to justify replacing my BDP-S1. For a first-gen unit, Sony has done a great job keeping it up-to-date with firmware releases. The player has produced a gorgeous picture since day one, and the Uncompressed PCM and Dolby TrueHD playback are outstanding; first through multi-channel analog, and now over HDMI. The ONLY negatives I can find are the relatively slow load times and the lack of DTS Master Audio support.

However, I think I can continue to live with these until something truely remarkable comes along. I'm hoping the new BDP-S5000ES will be the one to replace it, but the price will have to get much better. Or either a Denon or Oppo unit that also provides DVD-A/SACD support and substantial build quality. I went as far as getting the Sony card that offers $150 off either the S350 or S550, but I'm really trying to hold off for something even better...



Thanks for posting this. I came to ask what others were looking to do in terms of updating from this player.

I have been hanging around from the start and appreciate Sony doing a good job updating this unit as much as software changes alone will allow.

Running the output via HDMI into my Lexicon MC-12HD so I don't think even if the Sony passed DTS-MA I could take advantage of it anyway. Had hoped to maybe try something better, but there really doesn't seem to be a major improvement to this unit as yet, at least until Lexicon takes a step too.

Is anyone else having a freezing issue with Wall-E? I've had this movie freeze up on me about four out of the eight times I've played it (my two year old boy really likes this movie). It never freezes in the same place, so it probably isn't a disc issue. I'm on 4.2, also, so everything is current. Anyone, anyone??

Is anyone else having a freezing issue with Wall-E? I've had this movie freeze up on me about four out of the eight times I've played it (my two year old boy really likes this movie). It never freezes in the same place, so it probably isn't a disc issue. I'm on 4.2, also, so everything is current. Anyone, anyone??

There have been a few Sony BDP300 owners who have reported freeze problems with this title, so it wouldn't surprise me if there are issues with the BDP-S1 (which is one generation older).

Future firmware will probably address this issue...but how do you explain that to your 2-year-old? :o

No problem here with any freeze on Wall-E I'm on version 4.2 also.

Hello guys,
Running the latest software but having problems with a Netflix copy of When We Left Earth. It will load but never offers a menu and won't start, it simply loops the horizontal scroll of pictures.

Think I have a bad copy or is this a problem disc for the BDP-S1?

Thanks.

Hello guys,
Running the latest software but having problems with a Netflix copy of When We Left Earth. It will load but never offers a menu and won't start, it simply loops the horizontal scroll of pictures.

Think I have a bad copy or is this a problem disc for the BDP-S1?

Thanks.

Bad copy.

This one freeze on my Panasonic BD10A it looks like the disc

I'd be interested in knowing how the S1 performs with the Dark Knight -- if anyone already has the movie.

I'll have it next week when it becomes available.

Hello guys,
Running the latest software but having problems with a Netflix copy of When We Left Earth. It will load but never offers a menu and won't start, it simply loops the horizontal scroll of pictures.

Think I have a bad copy or is this a problem disc for the BDP-S1?

Thanks.

Discs that come in the mail are notorious for having load problems or skip/lockup problems at some point during the movie. Not sure what it is exactly. I thought bending the discs may cause problems, but I got a free copy of Vanwilder I didn't care about and bent the crap out of it and it still played fine. Some of the by-mail titles I've had problems with, I was able to fix by bending them a bit. Others haven't responded to the bending trick at al. Obviously, dirt, scratches or wear on the disc is bad news - the pits for data are much smaller (and the blue laser beam is much smaller) than what you are used to on DVD. So a scratch, rub-spot, or fingerprint that would be no problem on a DVD can disable a Blu-ray disc. A few mail discs have played OK after washing them with liquid soap and drying with a soft cotton towel. If the bending and washing don't work, return the disc and ask for another copy.

Discs that come in the mail are notorious for having load problems or skip/lockup problems at some point during the movie. Not sure what it is exactly. I thought bending the discs may cause problems, but I got a free copy of Wilder I didn't care about and bent the crap out of it and it still played fine. Some of the by-mail titles I've had problems with, I was able to fix by bending them a bit. Others haven't responded to the bending trick at al. Obviously, dirt, scratches or wear on the disc is bad news - the pits for data are much smaller (and the blue laser beam is much smaller) than what you are used to on DVD. So a scratch, rub-spot, or fingerprint that would be no problem on a DVD can disable a Blu-ray disc. A few mail discs have played OK after washing them with liquid soap and drying with a soft cotton towel. If the bending and washing don't work, return the disc and ask for another copy.

I've been spoiled by Netflix. Been on a nice string of good BR discs. The failures in the past have been total -- won't load period. Thanks for your insight, I had assumed an all or nothing at the start but you're right that a cleaning etc couldn't hurt.

Ok, so I have had this player for a while now but am just getting a surround system and receiver. The receiver i have will do about any kind of decoding you can think of...will the S1, by not outputting DD-HD in bitstream, be lower quality, or is the decoding of the player just fine. Can i still get DD-HD through HDMI or do I need to use the multi-channel audio output. I'm kinda confused if you can't tell. I should probably just give this to my dad and get a S350 but I just spent more than I should have on the HT setup. BTW I haven't gotten the receiver in the mail yet so I haven't been able to test any of this, I was just curious. Thanks

Ok, so I have had this player for a while now but am just getting a surround system and receiver. The receiver i have will do about any kind of decoding you can think of...will the S1, by not outputting DD-HD in bitstream, be lower quality, or is the decoding of the player just fine. Can i still get DD-HD through HDMI or do I need to use the multi-channel audio output. I'm kinda confused if you can't tell. I should probably just give this to my dad and get a S350 but I just spent more than I should have on the HT setup. BTW I haven't gotten the receiver in the mail yet so I haven't been able to test any of this, I was just curious. Thanks

The player does bitstream TrueHD and it also decodes it. What the player doesn't do is bitstream or decode DTS-HD MA. For DTS-HD MA you will get the DTS core only.

I'd be interested in knowing how the S1 performs with the Dark Knight -- if anyone already has the movie.

The S1 performs just fine with TDK.

The player does bitstream TrueHD and it also decodes it. What the player doesn't do is bitstream or decode DTS-HD MA. For DTS-HD MA you will get the DTS core only.
Actually, the BDP-S1 does NOT bitstream Dolby TrueHD (it is HDMI 1.1). It will decode internally and send the PCM over HDMI, however.

Actually, the BDP-S1 does NOT bitstream Dolby TrueHD (it is HDMI 1.1). It will decode internally and send the PCM over HDMI, however.

Hi Brad / Others,
Maybe you can advise be on my best S-1 configuration. I input via HDMI into a Lexicon MC-12HD. Right now I send LPCM from the S-1. Is that the best approach?

Hi Brad / Others,
Maybe you can advise be on my best S-1 configuration. I input via HDMI into a Lexicon MC-12HD. Right now I send LPCM from the S-1. Is that the best approach?
Sounds like you've got it right. Should show up as "Multi CH PCM" or something similar on the Lexicon.

Sounds like you've got it right. Should show up as "Multi CH PCM" or something similar on the Lexicon.

Yes it does. Thanks Brad.

Ok, so I have had this player for a while now but am just getting a surround system and receiver. The receiver i have will do about any kind of decoding you can think of...will the S1, by not outputting DD-HD in bitstream, be lower quality, or is the decoding of the player just fine. Can i still get DD-HD through HDMI or do I need to use the multi-channel audio output. I'm kinda confused if you can't tell. I should probably just give this to my dad and get a S350 but I just spent more than I should have on the HT setup. BTW I haven't gotten the receiver in the mail yet so I haven't been able to test any of this, I was just curious. Thanks

The decoding in the player is fine - but limited. It will decode Dolby TrueHD and DD Plus. It will not decode either flavor of DTS-HD. It cannot send DTS-HD to your AVR either. It can only send PCM to your AVR (or bitstream DD or DTS - not the high-res versions, only the old "legacy" versions from DVD days or fom the core file in an HD track).

The multi-channel connections are not very well implemented - there are few of the adjustments you need to produce a well-integrated soundfield (speaker distances, speaker levels, etc). AVRs, these days, are 100% digital - everything they do takes place in the digital domain. Few AVRs will convert 5.1 or 7.1 analog inputs into digital, process them, and convert them back to digital. Not even the $5500 Denon 5803 will do that. This is because the AVR would have to have 6 or 8 channels of analog-to-digital converter chips and almost all of them have a single stereo analog to digital converter. So you can convert an analog stereo input to digital, process it, and convert it back to analog, but you can't do that with the multi-channel inputs (for most AVRs - there are a FEW exceptions). This means you have no control over speaker levels, sizes, subwoofer level, speaker distances (time delays), crossover frequencies, etc. A fair number of newer AVRs contain Audyssey room correction software to improve the sound in your room... if you use the multi-channel inputs, you don't get the Audyssey processing either since that happens in the digital domain also.

If you want DTS-HD and a nicely corrected soundfield, you'll really need a newer Blu-ray player or PS3 and an HDMI connection between the player and AVR. But don't assume every "current" Blu-ray player can do all the audio stuff - even some recent models have 1 or more limitations in what they can do. The PS3, for example, will decode every format in the PS3 and send PCM to the AVR but you can't send any of the advanced (high def) audio codecs to the AVR. There are just 2 or 3 current disc players that will both decode every format and send every format in bitstream to an AVR. But sending every format as a bitstream to an AVR is way over-rated - there's no sonic advantage and you lose all the secondary audio track capabilities of the Blu-ray player and discs because the secondary audio tracks (pic-in-pic, commentary, etc) are mixed while the audio is in PCM format - if you send bitstream codecs to the AVR, PCM never exists in the player so the secondary audio tracks can't be mixed with the primary audio tracks - you never hear the secondary tracks. If you never, ever, access any special features on Blu-ray discs this won't matter. If you do want to use special features, you'll have to reset the player to PCM mode.

I admit I wish I was buying a Blu-ray player for the first time now. Blu-ray Live and Bonus View would have been a luxury.

But who's kidding, I wanted to jump into HDM early, hence my S1 (not the PS3) was a logical step for me.

I'm still happy with the S1's performance.

Still, would have been nice to take part of that Nolan online hook up for The Dark Knight.

Might buy a PS3 just for Live and Bonus View in the future. It would be a waste to get rid of the S1.

I am having problems with my S1 performance. I have tried 3 different Crystal Skull BRD copies and the disk "loads" and "loads" and "loads" but will not start. I have firmware 4.2. Any suggestions about what to do next?

I am having problems with my S1 performance. I have tried 3 different Crystal Skull BRD copies and the disk "loads" and "loads" and "loads" but will not start. I have firmware 4.2. Any suggestions about what to do next?

Hang tight. A new firmware update is imminent.

This is the first time that a firmware update has not fixed any issue that I came across. How soon do you think the firmware update will be released?

Firmware 4.30 has been released. Check out this link,

Firmware v4.30

ftp://download.sony.com/US/bluray/UP...S1_VER0430.EXE

Firmware 4.30 has been released. Check out this link,

Firmware v4.30

ftp://download.sony.com/US/bluray/UP...S1_VER0430.EXE

That's not a valid file.

New firmware is now up.

Version 4.30 is now up at Sony esupport (http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDP-S1&region_id=1)

Any problems with the new firmware? I skipped the last upgrade as 4.1 was working fine. Anything but enhancements for the workings of new movies?

Any problems with the new firmware? I skipped the last upgrade as 4.1 was working fine. Anything but enhancements for the workings of new movies?

Addresses compatibility with the new version of BD+ and Wall E.

I'd be interested in knowing how the S1 performs with the Dark Knight -- if anyone already has the movie.


I'm on version 3.85 and Dark Knight plays with NO problems on my S1.

I'm on version 3.85 and Dark Knight plays with NO problems on my S1.

No problems here either, though I swapped it out last week for the 5000ES.

Having my first disc issue.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (BD). Rented from Netflix. The first disc I received had some obvious scratches on the disc, and would jam up and skip in several places. The replacement disc only has one visible scratch on the disc, but will not load. The BDP-S1 just locks in the "Load" mode, and I'm having to do a "forced eject" to recover the disc and unlock the player.

Firmware Version 4.3.

Having my FIRST real issue with my S-1, Wall e won't play at all PERIOD! I'm on version 3.85 and have ordered the newest version. Anyone else using older versions AND the disc DOES play?

I tried to play The Prestige tonight but got a message on screen "Cannot Play This Disk" so I loaded the new firmware (4.30), but now it gets stuck on the "Loading" message. I tried a different bluray disk and it loaded and played, so it seems to just be a problem with this one disk.

Just bought a like new S1 and it works great but it won't play thru the HDMI output. I tried another player and it worked thru the HDMI. But it works fine thru the component cables but will it upconvert thru Component? According to the manual it will do 1080i thru Component. Any Ideas? OH, it has firmware 3.70, I'm in the process up installing 4.30.

Just bought a like new S1 and it works great but it won't play thru the HDMI output. I tried another player and it worked thru the HDMI. But it works fine thru the component cables but will it upconvert thru Component? According to the manual it will do 1080i thru Component. Any Ideas? OH, it has firmware 3.70, I'm in the process up installing 4.30.

SD DVD via component is 480P Max
Blu-ray via component is 1080i Max

Just bought a like new S1 and it works great but it won't play thru the HDMI output. I tried another player and it worked thru the HDMI. But it works fine thru the component cables but will it upconvert thru Component? According to the manual it will do 1080i thru Component. Any Ideas? OH, it has firmware 3.70, I'm in the process up installing 4.30.You may want to check the HDMI connection on the S1. It is possible that the connection is loose or broken or the PC board is cracked. I bought a new unit last December 2007; HDMI worked as long as the cable was supported in an upward tilt. Sony replaced the mother board under warranty. You may want to invest in a short strain relief cable to plug into the unit before the regular HDMI cable.

HDMI seems like a good idea but the design and implementation of the connector is not very well thought out IMHO.

I had to send mine in for warranty work for this issue. It's a design defect of some sort where the HDMI port is properly secured. I was unplugging it to plug in another device until I got a receiver that had multiple inputs. If you bought one, there's good odds it is something similar.

Same solution on mine - if I yanked up on it, the connection became good. Not a good long term solution, but maybe if you open it up you can find a way to secure the port to the back base.

Picked one of these up at BB for $99.00. Open box with no remote or manual. Fortunately I have a Harmony remote. Nice well built player but very slow compared to my PS3

Picked one of these up at BB for $99.00. Open box with no remote or manual. Fortunately I have a Harmony remote. Nice well built player but very slow compared to my PS3

But the picture quality is a little sharper, right?

But the picture quality is a little sharper, right?

Hard to tell since my PS3 is hooked up to a different TV

I have my S1 for sale... where can I list it?

Posed by "rdodolak" on the Blu-Ray BDP-S1 forum,

Firmware v4.40 is now available via Sony's ftp server for those that what to try it out. No further info is currently available.

ftp://download.sony.com/US/bluray/UP...S1_VER0440.EXE

Posed by "rdodolak" on the Blu-Ray BDP-S1 forum,

Firmware v4.40 is now available via Sony's ftp server for those that what to try it out. No further info is currently available.

ftp://download.sony.com/US/bluray/UP...S1_VER0440.EXE

The link was truncated. Here's the complete FTP working link:

ftp://download.sony.com/US/bluray/UPDATE_BDPS1_VER0440.EXE

I just downloaded the file

--curtis

The link was truncated. Here's the complete FTP working link:

ftp://download.sony.com/US/bluray/UPDATE_BDPS1_VER0440.EXE

I just downloaded the file

--curtis

Thanks for the correct link. I'll install it tonight.

Updated without issue. No noticeable difference, likely just a compatibility update.

Firmware ver 4.40 is now available at Sony's esupport website,

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS1

Upgrade addresses compatibility issue.

Thanks for the update notice for v4.40

S1 is still does the good job to me even it was old one.Why don't Sony get FW to send bitstreams for hi-rez codec for this player?It must be a policy to get the buyers to spending money for the new ones.

It's like the PS3 it's not in it's DNA.

I just got one from sears and I wonder if is posible to play movies without remote . I am wating for one from sony.

I just got one from sears and I wonder if is posible to play movies without remote . I am wating for one from sony.

Yes

I wonder how you dod that if most of my BD and dvd go to menu and play button does nothing? I run 4.40 version and only one BD plays right away

I tried to play The Prestige tonight but got a message on screen "Cannot Play This Disk" so I loaded the new firmware (4.30), but now it gets stuck on the "Loading" message. I tried a different bluray disk and it loaded and played, so it seems to just be a problem with this one disk.

It might be your copy. The Prestige is one of my favorite movies and I've watched it on my S1 more than once without a problem, even way back with earlier firmware (I think I have 4.20 on here right now, I skipped the last update and haven't done the newest one yet).

For the other poster, Wall-E works on 4.20 at the very least perhaps others after 3.85.

Im still on 2 something for firmware and havent had a problem watching anything . guess im lucky

My S1E (the european model) is still working well with all discs i've tried (including Wall-E, Prestige and IronMan) and i have 50 of them. We have allready the Firmware 4.50. There is no other Player with such a Build-Quality.

Apologies if this has been covered - did not see a FAQ or original thread with spoilers.

I have a friend who has a BDP S1 connected to a Sony 1080P LCD, but he cannot change the resolution to 1080P - it defaults to 1080i. He has a universal remote, but not the original remote. In looking at the setup menus, it does not appear that there is a selection. Any ideas to get the unit to output 1080p with the absence of the factory remote?

Apologies if this has been covered - did not see a FAQ or original thread with spoilers.

I have a friend who has a BDP S1 connected to a Sony 1080P LCD, but he cannot change the resolution to 1080P - it defaults to 1080i. He has a universal remote, but not the original remote. In looking at the setup menus, it does not appear that there is a selection. Any ideas to get the unit to output 1080p with the absence of the factory remote?Is it connected via HDMI?

Did this player ever get an upgrade for this? Thinking of buying one.

Did this player ever get an upgrade for this? Thinking of buying one.

Nope. It doesn't have the necessary hardware.

Ok Thanks

I'm have an issue with my BDP-S1. When I push the power button, the button lights (as does the open/close button) but I get no display and no other functions (i.e. open/close drive) work. The hard rest does not work. The only action I can take is to hold odwn the power button which turns off the two lights. Is the player dead? Anyone else have this problem?

I'm have an issue with my BDP-S1. When I push the power button, the button lights (as does the open/close button) but I get no display and no other functions (i.e. open/close drive) work. The hard rest does not work. The only action I can take is to hold odwn the power button which turns off the two lights. Is the player dead? Anyone else have this problem?

I don't recall reading anyone having this problem in this thread. You might try unplugging the power cord at the wall, wait 20 seconds and plug it back in. If you are still having the problem then call Sony.

Thank for the reply. I found the same problem posted at another forum but there was no reply to the issue. I'll try calling Sony this week, but I'm going to replace it with a 550 now...

Thank for the reply. I found the same problem posted at another forum but there was no reply to the issue. I'll try calling Sony this week, but I'm going to replace it with a 550 now...

If you find a solution would you post it in case this happens to anyone else in the future? Thanks.

I'm trying to watch Goldfinger on my BDP-S1 right now. It's been "Loading" with the blue status bar for quite a while. My firmware is current. Anyone else having this issue?

I'm trying to watch Goldfinger on my BDP-S1 right now. It's been "Loading" with the blue status bar for quite a while. My firmware is current. Anyone else having this issue?


Blu-ray or DVD?

Blu-ray

Blu-ray

I would exchange it.

Blu-ray

Did it ever finish loading? It takes a while.

Recently I turned on my Blu Ray Player and TV and a "No Signal" message was displayed on my screen. So I changed the HDMI Cable to a working HDMI Cable and I got the same message. I went to the menu to video connections and saw the Component Connection was highlighted, I followed the arrow to set the resolution at 1080i, 720p, 480p, or 480i, then I highlighted 720p which is the resolution for my TV. Connected the component cables, set the TV to Component 1, and got a picture. Went back to the menu and scrolled up to the HDMI Connection. It was a brown color with gold lettering and there was no arrow to set the resolution for the player. I remember when I first set up the player there was a resolution setting for the HDMI Connection. The player has worked for 8 months with the HDMI Cable. Does this mean my HDMI Connection is broken and is it fixable? Has anyone out there come across this problem? I would appreciate any help in this matter. Thank you.
My model # is a SONY BDP-BX1.

Recently I turned on my Blu Ray Player and TV and a "No Signal" message was displayed on my screen. So I changed the HDMI Cable to a working HDMI Cable and I got the same message. I went to the menu to video connections and saw the Component Connection was highlighted, I followed the arrow to set the resolution at 1080i, 720p, 480p, or 480i, then I highlighted 720p which is the resolution for my TV. Connected the component cables, set the TV to Component 1, and got a picture. Went back to the menu and scrolled up to the HDMI Connection. It was a brown color with gold lettering and there was no arrow to set the resolution for the player. I remember when I first set up the player there was a resolution setting for the HDMI Connection. The player has worked for 8 months with the HDMI Cable. Does this mean my HDMI Connection is broken and is it fixable? Has anyone out there come across this problem? I would appreciate any help in this matter. Thank you.
My model # is a SONY BDP-BX1.

You posted in the wrong thread. Use this one. LINK (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1046952&page=194)

You posted in the wrong thread. Use this one. LINK (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1046952&page=194)
Since you replaced the cable could it be the TV? Do you have another HDMI source to check the TV? If you have had the BDP for less than a year take it in the a Sony Repair station. Next you could try an update if one is available. Depending on the purchased price it may or may not be worth fixing.

Charles

Just a heads up to everyone firmware 4.80 is out as of today. I kept meaning to check the site the last few days and happened to check it today, sure enough, 4.80 is out and was released today. Flash in progress as of the moment I'm typing this. Guess I'm the one experimenting right now.

At least I can say it didn't brick the player though it seems to take longer than the previous versions to load (I skipped the last two or so), up about to watch Gran Torino now. What, if anything this does for functionality I don't know, never had a movie this player didn't play. So far though I think I'm one of the first on here to have tried it! Have to give Sony credit for continuing to support their earliest players.

Thanks for the notice of the update to v4.80. I normally check for updates about once a month, loading it now...

I have three bluray players and my Sony S1 is still working great, Slow but it works with every disc. The best sony bluray player so far, I think it well last me for 5 more years. My samsung 2550 is great but I think my sony well outlast it....DC

Has anyone attempted to play Ghostbusters or one of the new BR releases on the BDP-S1? A lot of owners of the Samsung BDP-1400 are complaining of poor or non-performance with the 1400.
The BDP-1400 is a ver. 1.0 BR player same as the BDP-S1.

Has anyone attempted to play Ghostbusters or one of the new BR releases on the BDP-S1? A lot of owners of the Samsung BDP-1400 are complaining of poor or non-performance with the 1400.
The BDP-1400 is a ver. 1.0 BR player same as the BDP-S1.

With updated firmware, mine plays everything I've tried, including the latest releases I've rented. Haven't tried Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters plays fine.

My BDP-S1 is now 30 months old and still going strong...(w/ 11 individual firmware upgrades!)

Mine is still playing ok and has played all of the latest titles I've purchased. On a side note I recently had to make a copy of a DVD 9(I wanted to make a bit for bit copy) and instead of getting some DVD 9 media I figured why not so I used a BD-R 25. I made an ISO of the DVD then I burned the ISO. The copy played fine on my laptops. I put in both my PAN-55 and DENON-2500 and no go. I put it in the S1 and blam it works. On my third year of owning this machine and wow it still keeps giving. The wife was happy as a clam..

Mine is still playing ok and has played all of the latest titles I've purchased. On a side note I recently had to make a copy of a DVD 9(I wanted to make a bit for bit copy) and instead of getting some DVD 9 media I figured why not so I used a BD-R 25. I made an ISO of the DVD then I burned the ISO. The copy played fine on my laptops. I put in both my PAN-55 and DENON-2500 and no go. I put it in the S1 and blam it works. On my third year of owning this machine and wow it still keeps giving. The wife was happy as a clam..

Without going into a lot of research... if I remember correctly, there are at least 2 BD-R specs... version 1 and version 2 (may be fractional versions in between). If I remember right, the BDP-S1 is compatible with the early BD-R spec (version 1 or whatever it was called). And it is possible that the other Blu-ray players you own are only compatible with the newer BD-R spec (version 2 or whatever it is called). If you change authoring software to something that creates BD-Rs with the newer spec, you may find that the discs will work in your other players but not in the S1.

I could be remembering this wrong, but for certain, as shipped, the S1 would not read BD-R at all - that came with one of the firmware updates - and it's possible there has been no update to the newer BD-R spec perhaps because the S1 hardware is not capable of reading the newer BD-R spec - again, this is all from vague recollections - so I may be off in some details.

Ghostbusters plays fine, in fact it was the movie I was watching before and after the upgrade. Have no fear.

Upgraded both BDP-S1s to firmware 4.80; looks like it is powering up faster. No problem encountered. Hope Sony will keep up the support to this unit.

Based on the fact that this was Sony's first player, their flagship, and the one to launch the format as a standalone player they'll likely to continue to support it as long as it needs to support the loyal early adopters. Sony will not alienate those who were loyal at the outset. Keeping the few that bought this thing happy might cost them a bit financially but the long term rewards of this format will be where they make their money. They'll support this thing probably as long as needed to make movies play at the very least. What is weird is that when I buy new movies this is the player I never have any doubt that they'll work fine in, despite that it is their first. 4.80 works perfectly from what I can tell (and I'm watching another movie right now), and that is another thing I give Sony credit for, they are not introducing any new issues with the new firmware so obviously they are testing them well. I honestly commend Sony for this one, top notch build, top notch support. It never has let me down.

It's still sooooo slow.

It's funny putting in BDs to my PS3 and BDP-S1 and watching them race....

Build quality is very nice however. I wish it had the copper chassis of the DVP-S7700!

>>Build quality is very nice

I'm not picking on anybody, certainly not the most recent poster, but those not involved in product design/manufacture are easy to fool. There is NOTHING particularly "nice" about the "build quality". The circuit boards are no better or worst than those in a $50 DVD player. The piece of blue glass on the front isn't something you see often, but it's pure styling and has nothing to do with build-quality. The substantial "heft" of the S1 is also an illusion. The top cover accounts for about 1/3 of the weight of the product... heavy sheet metal with a plastic "liner" underneath. This gives the illusion that the parts that matter are substantial when it's only a "trick" and the heavy parts have nothing to do with performance. The chassis is tall because the first generation Blu-ray drive is tall - and fairly bulky compared to second-gen and later Blu-ray drives. Is this a good thing? Not in and of itself. The later drives more than likely benefit from more fully developed blue lasers which are likely to last longer. And newer drives will have fewer electronic components, use less power, and fail less often. Frankly, aside from the 2 front-to-rear braces inside, the "build quality" of all the parts that create the audio and video are no better or worse than what exists in a $250 Blu-ray player. The $250 Blu-ray player benefits from smaller drive assemblies and smaller circuit boards because of more functions being inetgrated into chips rather than having to use multiple chips or discrete components in the S1. So the newer, slimmer Blu-ray player weighs much less but doesn't suffer at all when it comes to probable longevity. Of course there was no money in the $250 Blu-ray player's parts budget for the blue mirror glass on the front panel or the 4-pound top cover, but those things are like putting a Ferrari body on a Corvette chassis (a la Miami Vice). Absolutely no benefit to performance or reliability.

There's nothing WRONG with the S1 - first generation products are always expensive. But it's not particularly special either. One point many owners don't know... the same circuit boards and drive were in Pioneer's first Blu-ray player and Pioneer sold theirs with a $1500 MSRP!!! The only difference was the Pioneer player had an Ethernet port. The S1 has empty holes on the circuit board where the Ethernet port was installed on the Pioneers. So the S1 wasn't even a unique product. Pioneer moved the drive off to one side and shuffled the circuit boards around. Sony put the drive in the middle - that makes the front panels look different, even though essentially the same guts were inside. So you could consider the S1 a relative bargain... compared to Pioneer's first player.

Technically I'd think the sheet metal would protect from outside interference better than plastic. The weight would dampen vibrations.

Is first generation worse off than later generations? Well my original Toshiba DVD player circa 1998 still works if it is any consolation. We were using a Durabrand at work and it popped a capacitor in a little under a year (though the Samsung TV it is hooked up to is pushing 7 years old and works fine). Just stuff worth noting.

As far as cost comparisons? Keep in mind some of us picked up this player cheap on clearance (I paid $150 last January or so). So I paid less a year and a half ago than a bottom of the line player is selling for today.

I'll hesitate to claim a newer generation product to be better simply because it has less chips, less weight or a simpler more advance design or uses less power. I bought a very early 32" LCD iLo TV of all brands and have had less problems with uneven backlighting than people are experiencing with new sets today. It runs hotter, it probably uses more power, but that backlight is even. Aside from a black level that is not up to the most modern of standards (but honestly isn't bad, and isn't a weird off color blue or something, like some cheap sets), it is technically comparable to mostly anything else otherwise and still works.

Technically I'd think the sheet metal would protect from outside interference better than plastic. The weight would dampen vibrations.

Is first generation worse off than later generations? Well my original Toshiba DVD player circa 1998 still works if it is any consolation. We were using a Durabrand at work and it popped a capacitor in a little under a year (though the Samsung TV it is hooked up to is pushing 7 years old and works fine). Just stuff worth noting.

As far as cost comparisons? Keep in mind some of us picked up this player cheap on clearance (I paid $150 last January or so). So I paid less a year and a half ago than a bottom of the line player is selling for today.

I'll hesitate to claim a newer generation product to be better simply because it has less chips, less weight or a simpler more advance design or uses less power. I bought a very early 32" LCD iLo TV of all brands and have had less problems with uneven backlighting than people are experiencing with new sets today. It runs hotter, it probably uses more power, but that backlight is even. Aside from a black level that is not up to the most modern of standards (but honestly isn't bad, and isn't a weird off color blue or something, like some cheap sets), it is technically comparable to mostly anything else otherwise and still works.

Vibration is really a non-issue with movie discs... you are reading 1s and 0s from the disc, they are either right or wrong. If they are wrong, there are obvious problems plus error correction that is 100% effective in making a bad read accurate. You vibrate a Blu-ray player all you like and it's not going to affect what you see or hear since 1s and 0s traveling on conductors are unaffected by vibration. CD playback is another issue altogether and is quite different from Blu-ray playback (audio is not continuous on Blu-ray - it is read in chunks and "knit together" into continuous sound later... audio is a continuous process when playing a CD). It doesn't matter how heavy or light the player is in regards to making "perfect" Blu-ray images or sound - if 2 players read the same disc and produce the same streams of 1s and 0s, what you see and hear will be the same. If 2 players DO really LOOK and or MEASURE differently, at least one of them is changing the data present on the disc and that's a no-no. This is not analog technology - what applied/made a difference in the analog world does not apply in the digital world.

There is a TON of plastic in the S1 including under the top panel and the entire fake fluted side panels. The lower-cost Blu-ray players have no plastic under the top cover or on the sides.

Anecdotal product experiences are meaningless when 10s or 100s of thousands of a product are out there. Early LCD TVs look like crap, image quality-wise, compared to any current model, even bargain models. An early LCD may be fine to use for a second TV or in a guest room or whatever, but put beside a current plasma or LCD of the same size, it will NOT be impressive, at all. If PS3s had quiet fans when the S1 appeared, I'd have spent $400 on the PS3 instead of $840 on the S1 (lucky I had some Best Buy discounts and certificates to knock the price down from $1000). Even if the PS3 had died out of warranty and I had to pay Sony's $150 fee to repair it, I'd still be money ahead. Now the S1 gets 2 or 3 movies per year played on it in our study and the PS3 gets frequent use in the main system. 3 minute load times on the S1 require about 30 seconds on the PS3 - and some of the newest and reasonably priced standalone Blu-ray players are challenging the PS3's disc loading speed.

My first DVD playe also still works, but it is a horrid piece of crap compared to any new $60 DVD player. It doesn't support DTS, makes more noise, is 3-5 times larger, has much worse picture and sound quality. Frankly, it doesn't matter that it still works as it is completely useless to me since there are 2 other newer DVD players here now that outperform that original in every possible way. So it goes with Blu-ray players. Yes, you can purchase some horrid off-brand DVD player for $30 that would probably piss you off constantly with bugs and glitches... there are limits to how cheap something can be before it is a complete waste of money.

I have very seldom had a problem with the BDP-S1 playing a disc, but I am now watching the newly released Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series and have had a couple of freezes on Year 2 Disc 1 episodes "Fragged" and "Resistance".

I switched over to the PS3 and they played without a problem, hopefully this was just a glitch with the BDP-S1, just wanted to see if anyone is having a problem with the disc's.

The whole Year One played without any problems.

Like everyone else, I do appreciate the heft even if it's not what it seems.

I have loaded firmware 4.8 and have confirmed on the setup menu..

But I can not play Fast&Furious 4 without skipping.. right around the part when they were doing the exchange for $6M and it would skip around till the end.

Can anyone confirm if I have a defective BR or is the machine at fault?

Lastly, 16-235 is the correct setting?? going to a Sony Bravia W3000 series TV??

Like everyone else, I do appreciate the heft even if it's not what it seems.

I have loaded firmware 4.8 and have confirmed on the setup menu..

But I can not play Fast&Furious 4 without skipping.. right around the part when they were doing the exchange for $6M and it would skip around till the end.

Can anyone confirm if I have a defective BR or is the machine at fault?

Lastly, 16-235 is the correct setting?? going to a Sony Bravia W3000 series TV??

It played fine on mine, I'm running 4.8 also.

Guys, I just got a Sony BDP-S1 on ebay and having trouble playing a couple of BluRays, ie.. Kung Fu Panda and Open Season 2. How can I tell what version is in unit and can I just download the latest update and install using a CD? Is it easy?

Guys, I just got a Sony BDP-S1 on ebay and having trouble playing a couple of BluRays, ie.. Kung Fu Panda and Open Season 2. How can I tell what version is in unit and can I just download the latest update and install using a CD? Is it easy?

Updating the firmware is easy, but you must use a dvd as the S-1 does not read cd's (data or music).

Go to the Sony support site for latest version and install instructions.

Finally got a blank DVD to burn the firmware ISO file and loaded it into the SOny player. Was really concerned when it kept giving me read warnings and ejecting the disc tray. Now unit reads all my DVDs! Thanks guys!

Download at:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS1&LOC=3

Is it my imagination or have things sped up a bit with 5.1? Disc load time seems somewhat shorter, and response to remote commands seems a little faster.

I just downloaded 5.1 into the player, had to go to work, so I will have to give it a try later.

Can anyone confirm that Sony's BDP-S1 actually contains a Blu-ray burner inside? I am thinking of pulling the drive out and using it in my new HTPC if so.

Any complications in doing so?

I never heard that the BDP-S1 had a BD burner as its disc drive. I did hear that Panasonic's first model, the BD10, had a burner as its disc drive but that the burner capability had been disabled by firmware.

I never heard that the BDP-S1 had a BD burner as its disc drive. I did hear that Panasonic's first model, the BD10, had a burner as its disc drive but that the burner capability had been disabled by firmware.

I read about it a while back and now I can't find that information. In fact I believe the author wrote that it was a Pioneer Burner if I'm not mistaken?

If it does, it's the first time I've heard of it.

I read about it a while back and now I can't find that information. In fact I believe the author wrote that it was a Pioneer Burner if I'm not mistaken?


I don't think so... the issue is/was that the guts of the first Pioneer Blu-ray player and the guts of the BDP-S1 were the SAME - main board the same, power supply the same, audio board the same. Pioneer moved things around so the drive was off to one side and Pioneer installed a jack for the Ethernet port (the Sony main board has empty holes where the Ethernet jack goes). Both players use the same drive and to the best of my knowledge, it is not a writer. Oh, and Pioneer sold their player for $1500 MSRP vs $1000 MSRP for the Sony. That's far from the worst "markup" I've ever seen for a Blu-ray player though... there's one player that has as much as a 6.5X markup over the original price when sold by a second company with different cosmetics but all the same guts, same menus, same Owner's Manual (reformatted only, same text, line drawings replaced with photos). And if I remember right, the boards from ~$300 Pioneer DVD player were found inside a $20,000 European DVD player.

So, has any on had any issues with this new firmware?

I haven't updated my unit in quite sometime.

chris

What is the new firmware?

Version 5.1 is still showing as current. Its been out since mid-November.

No issues.

Haven't had any issues yet with this firmware, I suspect it won't be updated again until an issue arises if one does. Sony has been good about their support of this player. I've got nothing but praise for it, since I got it it has functioned admirably. I've since started using it as a DVD player too since they're now cheap enough to easily replace (when I bought this thing $150 was the exception not the rule) and this player is one amazing upconverter too.

Software Update is available v5.20 released 4/9/2010 Sony eSupport (http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS1&SelectOS=7)

Anyone try the new firmware? I haven't had a single playback issue with 5.1 even with newer movies. Wondering if it fixes something in some particular movies, if so I haven't run across the bad ones yet. I guess I can't complain I've gotten more than my fair use out of this player and it still is working like a champ. It did what I wanted I can buy a replacement for half the cost of the $150 I paid for it more than two years ago. Hats off to Sony for their support. It has been a good player and has played every movie I've thrown at it. Been great in the bedroom.

I loaded the new firmware. I thought perhaps some of the discs that previously took quite long to load, loaded a little quicker and smoother. That's about it though. Mine is still going strong. The PQ and audio is so good I can't justify replacing it yet.

Guess I'll have to do the new firmware. This player has always been good for me in terms of playback, but I recently was playing some newer Blu-ray Live enabled movies (Funny People was the one I tried tonight, movie played but got a lot of weird issues with the menus, also would not unpause once paused), and have been running into some weird glitches. I skipped the last two firmwares because it seemed like I was wasting my time downloading and burning them. Guess that shows why they release the updates. Still I've thrown well over a hundred movies into this player and it has been used an awful lot and still works like a champ.

I have kept the player up to date firmware wise and so far have had no issues. (knock on wood). The old Sony is my player of last resort and so far has not failed me. If one of my newer Samsung players refuse to play a new BluRay release, I can always count on the Sony to come thru. I don't feel that BluRay is still fully developed as yet and has a long way to go before its performance is as acceptable as DVD.

New firmware 5.30 dated 6/23/10. Doesn't appear to be anything major, as the description is pretty generic: "Improves BD-Java compatibility to enhance interactivity with some BD-ROMs."
Link: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?upd_id=5859&mdl=BDPS1

Mike T

Thanks for the update information...

Updated the BDP-S1 this morning to V5.30

Can anyone confirm that Sony's BDP-S1 actually contains a Blu-ray burner inside? I am thinking of pulling the drive out and using it in my new HTPC if so.

Any complications in doing so?

Yes, the BDP-S1 does have a BD burner inside ... atleast mine does (model # BDR-101)

A new firmware has been released, version 5.40

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=BDPS1&upd_id=6168&os_id=49

Are you saying that I can take the drive out of my BDP-S1 install it in my computer as a BD read/writable drive?

You should be able to ... it's an internal BD drive; the same model was sold by Pioneer as a drive for computers. I don't remember what the interface is though ... it may be an IDE. I'll see if I still have some pics I took from way back then.

You should be able to ... it's an internal BD drive; the same model was sold by Pioneer as a drive for computers. I don't remember what the interface is though ... it may be an IDE. I'll see if I still have some pics I took from way back then.

Yes, it's an IDE interface.

@colofan

The BDP-S1 drive is a Pioneer drive and will work in your PC. As already stated, it is an IDE drive that will easily connect. This is what shows up in Nero InfoTool (PIONEER BD-RWBDR-101AX 1.08 07/04/05PIONEER) and it's listed as a BD Rewriter. However, although Nero info and other programs will recognize it as a read/write drive, it cannot write. Most likely, this is due to the firmware installed on the drive to block it's writing ability.

I am currently using my BDP-S1 drive primarily to rip files to my HD and it does a real fine job.

Mike T

Okay so the writing function is not available unless there is a download from pioneer to enable this function....thanks all for the input.

Is it possible to download the pioneer firmware and "convert" the drive to a pioneer 101A ?

Is it possible to download the pioneer firmware and "convert" the drive to a pioneer 101A ?

No, I tried applying the actual Pio 101A firmware and it didn't take. I believe that Sony may have somehow locked the drive to prevent this but it's possible that a "hacked" firmware may exist somewhere. I also did some minimal searching about 6 months ago for any "alternative" firmware and came up empty.

If you are able to find something, please post it here. ;)

Mike T

I must say this player has fantastic up conversion. I've used some supposedly good players for upconversion before, the Toshiba HD-A1, the Samsung BD-UP5000, this one still bests them all. Tried watching my old Devil's Advocate DVD on the Panasonic today, looked all blurry and poor, tossed it on the BDP-S1 looks clean and crisp, almost well enough to suffice until they finally release the Blu-ray.

The difference is so great that I'm actually considering buying a used one strictly for DVD viewing over the BD-UP5000. Anyone else feel the same about this one?

New Version 5.60 is now available:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=BDPS1

Thanks, jwstegbauer. I'll be ordering a copy of the disc from Sony in the near future.

Does anyone have any idea if there is a way to change the color of the pillar-bars (which display during a 1.33:1 film) from gray to black?