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The Official Sony BDP-S350 Owners Thread - Page 217

post #6481 of 6719
10/18/10 at 6:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JBaumgart View Post

Rich, thanks for trying to help me.

I've already tried to disconnect and reconnect the power, at both ends and directly into a wall socket, with no success. Nothing lights up, so I guess my player is "bricked" as they say. I looked at page 56 and there is nothing that seems to describe how to reset the player (which I would imagine it wouldn't do anyway if it does not have any power and won't even turn on).

Kind of ****es me off, because as I said this player has had VERY limited use, and I was just trying to keep its firmware current, even ordering the upgrade disk from Sony and closely following all directions. On my other BD player (Oppo) the firmware update worked flawlessly.

Is there any chance this was connected to power when you had a power surge and maybe it fried the power supply in the player? I've had that happen to some A/V equipment in the past - thankfully never a blu-ray player. If it was my player . . . this is the point where I would take it apart and look for a fried in-line fuse inside. If you find one, and it is blown, get a replacement (Radio Shack, probably) and try it. If the power supply in the player was cooked - the replacement fuse will blow also. Then it's a question if you want to pay to have the player fixed . . 99% probably not worth it. If you find yourself there - send me a message . . your player might be worth a few bucks for spare parts for my S350 and S550 players.
If you have Best Buy stores in your area - march into the Magnolia section and look for a Sony BDP-S1000ES. If you do not see one, ask for one (either new, or a top condition demo). They are on sale for $99.99 and top notch players - far superior to the S350 . . . Be sure to insist on the proper 106A model remote for it (to control the volume on the headphones output at least). If they are selling you a demo - try to get them to lower the price to at least $89.99 (they did that for me).
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post #6482 of 6719
10/18/10 at 6:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chives View Post

Hi all,
The last 3 films i have watched on my bdp-s350 have frozen after around 50 mins. I take the disc out and put it back in and then it will play for say another 15 mins before it happens again. Any ideas?

Player overheating? Does it have excellent air flow all around it? NOT enclosed in a cabinet when it is running? Not sitting on top of something that produces heat while it is running (a receiver, for example)?
Is the player clean inside? No dust? Laser assembly clean?
Are the discs being played scratch free and clean?
Just some ideas and things to consider/check . . .
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post #6483 of 6719
10/19/10 at 2:53am
Thanks Rich86,
I thought the same thing. Last night i removed the lid of player to allow more air flow and played blu ray. The player played for a bit longer 90 mins i think. I noticed that the fan may not be working. I see it has 3 wires so i guess there is a thermostate somewhere which could be playing up? Has anyone else had this problem? If so any ideas. Thanks.
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post #6484 of 6719
10/19/10 at 6:59am
OK, so out of the "blu" my Stargate copy won't play in my 350. I get the "cannot operate this disc" message! This disc has played at least 10 times with no problem, and has no dirt, scratches, etc. I reset the player, unplugged it, but nothing helps. This is the only disc this has happened to, anyone have any suggestions?
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post #6485 of 6719
10/19/10 at 8:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich86 View Post

Is there any chance this was connected to power when you had a power surge and maybe it fried the power supply in the player? I've had that happen to some A/V equipment in the past - thankfully never a blu-ray player. If it was my player . . . this is the point where I would take it apart and look for a fried in-line fuse inside. If you find one, and it is blown, get a replacement (Radio Shack, probably) and try it. If the power supply in the player was cooked - the replacement fuse will blow also. Then it's a question if you want to pay to have the player fixed . . 99% probably not worth it. If you find yourself there - send me a message . . your player might be worth a few bucks for spare parts for my S350 and S550 players.
If you have Best Buy stores in your area - march into the Magnolia section and look for a Sony BDP-S1000ES. If you do not see one, ask for one (either new, or a top condition demo). They are on sale for $99.99 and top notch players - far superior to the S350 . . . Be sure to insist on the proper 106A model remote for it (to control the volume on the headphones output at least). If they are selling you a demo - try to get them to lower the price to at least $89.99 (they did that for me).

If there was a power surge of some kind it damage anything else in my home, so I doubt this had anything to do with the player not wanting to turn on. Rather I do believe it is the direct result of the 020 firmware update that I installed. It was working just fine before that (the very few times that I actually used it).

I've owned a lot of A/V gear over the years, but this piece of **** has had the shortest lifespan, by far, of anything I've ever had. We'll see what Sony says...but certainly not expecting much since it's well past warranty.
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post #6486 of 6719
10/19/10 at 11:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JBaumgart View Post

If there was a power surge of some kind it damage anything else in my home, so I doubt this had anything to do with the player not wanting to turn on. Rather I do believe it is the direct result of the 020 firmware update that I installed. It was working just fine before that (the very few times that I actually used it).

I've owned a lot of A/V gear over the years, but this piece of **** has had the shortest lifespan, by far, of anything I've ever had. We'll see what Sony says...but certainly not expecting much since it's well past warranty.

I disagree with you about a power surge not being capable of taking out a particular piece of CE equipment while letting other devices survive - it most definitely can happen - I speak from personal experience - twice. It should be fairly easy to check if you open up the cover and look for a fuse inside and see if it is blown. Just a friendly suggestion.
If the firmware update bricked the player, I would expect it to try to power up and then throw an error or shut down - but I'm surely no expert on how a player behaves if it get bricked by a firmware update, since it has never happened to me. I can tell you firmware 020 worked just fine in my players (a 350 and a 550), but that doesn't mean the firmware update didn't somehow fail and brick your player without you realizing it at the time. Here's hoping Sony helps you resurrect your blu-ray player successfully.
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post #6487 of 6719
10/20/10 at 10:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich86 View Post

I disagree with you about a power surge not being capable of taking out a particular piece of CE equipment while letting other devices survive - it most definitely can happen - I speak from personal experience - twice. It should be fairly easy to check if you open up the cover and look for a fuse inside and see if it is blown. Just a friendly suggestion.
If the firmware update bricked the player, I would expect it to try to power up and then throw an error or shut down - but I'm surely no expert on how a player behaves if it get bricked by a firmware update, since it has never happened to me. I can tell you firmware 020 worked just fine in my players (a 350 and a 550), but that doesn't mean the firmware update didn't somehow fail and brick your player without you realizing it at the time. Here's hoping Sony helps you resurrect your blu-ray player successfully.

Thanks again, Rich, for your suggestions. I did call Sony yesterday and because the player is out of warranty they will not fix for free. Rather I can send it in at my expense plus $87.57 and they will do an exchange for another 350 or, if not in stock, another "similar" player. Such replacement would be a refurbished unit.

I still do not believe the player was damaged as the result of a power surge, and yes I do realize a power surge can affect just one piece of electronics in a home. But my player has been connected to a high quality power conditioner with built-in surge protection, and all of the other connected pieces work fine.

I'm debating what to do - send it in for $88 or just go find a new replacement. But before I do either I think I will try to open it up and check for a blown fuse - don't have anything to lose at this point.
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post #6488 of 6719
10/20/10 at 11:59am
I recently picked up a demo Sony BDP-S1000ES player from Best Buy/Magnolia for $89.99. It is a superb player, much better than a S350. You might explore that as an option with a nearby Best Buy in case they still have one. That player comes with a 106A remote - and 4GB USB thumb drive for BD-Live. I did not get a thumb drive with mine - but convinced the salesman to let me dig through their drawer of remotes to find the correct 106A remote for this player. It might be worth a shot . . .
If you do get one - there is a fairly new firmware update available. I updated mine via the internet connection.
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post #6489 of 6719
10/20/10 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich86 View Post

I recently picked up a demo Sony BDP-S1000ES player from Best Buy/Magnolia for $89.99. It is a superb player, much better than a S350. You might explore that as an option with a nearby Best Buy in case they still have one. That player comes with a 106A remote - and 4GB USB thumb drive for BD-Live. I did not get a thumb drive with mine - but convinced the salesman to let me dig through their drawer of remotes to find the correct 106A remote for this player. It might be worth a shot . . .
If you do get one - there is a fairly new firmware update available. I updated mine via the internet connection.

Does it come with a factory warranty as if you purchased in new?
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post #6490 of 6719
10/20/10 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDMoose View Post

Does it come with a factory warranty as if you purchased in new?

Yep. 5 years, according to the Sony site.
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post #6491 of 6719
10/20/10 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich86 View Post

Player overheating? Does it have excellent air flow all around it? NOT enclosed in a cabinet when it is running? Not sitting on top of something that produces heat while it is running (a receiver, for example)?
Is the player clean inside? No dust? Laser assembly clean?
Are the discs being played scratch free and clean?
Just some ideas and things to consider/check . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chives View Post

Hi all,
The last 3 films i have watched on my bdp-s350 have frozen after around 50 mins. I take the disc out and put it back in and then it will play for say another 15 mins before it happens again. Any ideas?

I have just found out that my player is only freezing during blu ray playback. I was playing another blu ray toninght and again the picture frooze after around 60 mins. I then put in a dvd and the film played with no problem. Any ideas or solutions would be great.
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post #6492 of 6719
10/21/10 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JBaumgart View Post

I'm debating what to do - send it in for $88 or just go find a new replacement. But before I do either I think I will try to open it up and check for a blown fuse - don't have anything to lose at this point.

Well I opened it up yesterday and it was difficult for me to identify ANY fuses in there...I will take Rich's advise and see if one of the nearby Best Buy has the 1000ES player in stock.
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post #6493 of 6719
10/24/10 at 2:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gerianne View Post

I did a search for an answer to my question, but couldn't find one so I'll ask it here (apologize if the answer is already lurking somewhere).

I am using my BDP-S350 with an HDMI connection to a Pioneer Pro-111FD. Since I got the 111FD (early Nov.), I seem to have noticed a lot of judder on DVDs and Blu-rays and I've various settings on the display to try and correct it. I also changed the output settings on the BDP-S350 a number of times (1080p to 1080i and back...and forth...and back...)

This morning I changed the setting of the BDP-S350 Cinema Conversion mode to Video (instead of Auto, where I've had it since I got the Blu-ray player in August). I turned of all the video processing on the Pro-111FD display and the judder is gone!

My question is, can someone tell me, in technical terms, exactly what the two Cinema Conversion modes are doing? If the Cinema Conversion mode is set to Auto when watching movies, is it doing a 3:2 pulldown when it detects 24 fps sources? And does the Video mode only swing into operation when a source is 30 fps?

Thanks for any info!

I had to do the same with my 350 which is partnered with a JVC HD750 projector. When watching BD movies with 24fps when i had Cinema conversion set to Auto in the 350 i was getting very bad judder and a soft/blurry image So i changed the setting to Video and low and behold no judder and a sharper/cleaner image So i guess the correct Cinema conversion setting for film based material is Video from the 350........ I think the PS3 is the same and probably other Sony BD players ? On a side note i have'nt tried any Dvds as i only have BDs now anyway I will try 1080i/60hz Concert BDs to see if Auto or Video is the correct setting
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post #6494 of 6719
10/24/10 at 3:18pm
I guess no one else has any issues with Apocalypse Now? I got it from Netflix, and was so pumped to watch it tonight. I popped it in and get "Cannot play disc/Unknown Disc". I have the most current firmware. Sigh
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post #6495 of 6719
10/25/10 at 3:51pm
I have an S350 that I bought when it first came out. I have never upgraded the firmware and it always worked on all my blu-rays. But just recently it would not play any blu-ray disc and would only play dvds. It showed "unknown disc" on my tv. I thought I would have to get a new player but first I tried this. And I only mention this since it may help some of you other guys. First I reset the player to all its factory default settings per the instruction book. Then I reset all of my preferred settings in the setup menu. And finally I did the "quick setup" that is required as per the instructions. And guess what...all my blu-rays are playing fine again. Hope this helps some of you. Don
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post #6496 of 6719
10/25/10 at 7:20pm
Guess what. After being off for about two - four hours it will not play my blu-rays again. Very weird. It was just working. Well I certainly would not send it in for a repair to Sony. Might as well buy a new one. I saw the BD-S370 for I think $148 at Best Buy but I don't know if I want another Sony. I would think that my S350 would have lasted at least three to four years! Oh well, best of luck to all.
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post #6497 of 6719
10/26/10 at 7:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scarpi View Post

Guess what. After being off for about two - four hours it will not play my blu-rays again. Very weird. It was just working. Well I certainly would not send it in for a repair to Sony. Might as well buy a new one. I saw the BD-S370 for I think $148 at Best Buy but I don't know if I want another Sony. I would think that my S350 would have lasted at least three to four years! Oh well, best of luck to all.

As I posted above my S350 will not turn on at all. I opened it up and there apparently is no fuse that might have blown. Rather than do the exchange for a refurbished unit that Sony offered - which would have cost me $88 plus shipping - I decided to junk the S350 and purchase a new player from a different manufacturer. I thought Sony's exchange offer was inadequate and in any case I've lost confidence in their reliability, at least when it comes to blu-ray. So I ordered a LG BD570 network player from Amazon yesterday. Sure hope it lasts longer than the Sony.
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post #6498 of 6719
10/26/10 at 8:25am
I am aware there is some degree of variability when it comes to electronics, but I just thought I would toss in the fact that my player has been alive and kickin' since launch.

Don't want people new to the thread thinking all of these units are trash.


FWIW, I use mine an average of once a week and it has played all BR discs that I have tried.
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post #6499 of 6719
10/27/10 at 6:43am
Well I finally solved my S350 problem. I bought a new BDP-S570 at Best Buy for $199. Hopefully it will last longer than two years. The load times are super fast!
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post #6500 of 6719
10/27/10 at 1:01pm
How much faster? I picked an S350 when they first came out and have dealt with the long load times just because "hey, at least I've got Blu-ray" but that was two years ago. I'll move it to the other TV in the basement and pick up an S570 if the S570 is that much faster.
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post #6501 of 6719
10/27/10 at 1:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scarpi View Post

Well I finally solved my S350 problem. I bought a new BDP-S570 at Best Buy for $199. Hopefully it will last longer than two years. The load times are super fast!

I just read an article on the newer BDP-S770. Faster load time. Don't have the article handy but look in this month's Sound & Vision for a comparison test. It also plays SACD, a disc library I have access to
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post #6502 of 6719
10/27/10 at 8:34pm
I gave up trying to get my 350 to play my Stargate disc and ordered the BDP-S1000ES from Vanns. I should have it in a week, at the closeout price it was a no-brainer!
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post #6503 of 6719
10/30/10 at 11:18pm
I am using my brothers sony 350. It has the original firmware from the first wave of 350's sold. I can not get No DTS MA or DTS HR over HDMI (LPCM). Has there been a firmware upgrade that will allow it? I bought the Iron Man 2 which is dts HD and I want the best audio I can get. Im using the Dennon 4308CI. Will the 350 output source direct so I can get that DTS HD ? Do I turn on the ip scaler in the dennon and set the 350 to this?

Double check the following settings:

Audio Output Priority: HDMI
Audio HDMI: Auto
BD Audio Setting: Direct
Audio ATT: Off
Dolby Digital: Dolby Digital
DTS: DTS
Audio DRC: Standard
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post #6504 of 6719
10/31/10 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kutlow View Post

I am using my brothers sony 350. It has the original firmware from the first wave of 350's sold. I can not get No DTS MA or DTS HR over HDMI (LPCM). Has there been a firmware upgrade that will allow it? I bought the Iron Man 2 which is dts HD and I want the best audio I can get. Im using the Dennon 4308CI. Will the 350 output source direct so I can get that DTS HD ? Do I turn on the ip scaler in the dennon and set the 350 to this?

Double check the following settings:

Audio Output Priority: HDMI
Audio HDMI: Auto
BD Audio Setting: Direct
Audio ATT: Off
Dolby Digital: Dolby Digital
DTS: DTS
Audio DRC: Standard

The firmware makes no difference, the 350 can send all the HD audio codecs over HDMI. Make sure you are connecting your 350 to your Denon with an HDMI cable.

I have the exact same settings on my 350 and my 3808ci detects the signal appropriately. Personally, I would change Audio DRC to 'Wide Range.' That won't fix your issue but should provide the greatest variance in frequencies.

When playing a movie with an HD audio track make sure you select that audio track using the 350s remote; not all BD movies default to the lossy or lossless track. You can check the audio track being used by pressing 'Display' on the remote.

On the Denon, the ip scaler affects the video only. The 4308 should pick up the HD audio automatically.... have you read the following setup guide for Denon's: http://batpigworld.com/setup.html#audio_setup?
Do you have your Surround Mode set to 'Standard'?

I am thinking the issue is with the Denon's settings.
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post #6505 of 6719
10/31/10 at 11:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbexperience View Post

Just wondering if, by chance, anyone here has tried to play "Letters to Juliet". My wife got the blu-ray/DVD combo and the blu-ray will NOT play. The DVD version works without issues. It's a single disc with the blu-ray version on one side and the DVD version on the other, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I upgraded the firmware to .21 and still nothing. We must have tried just opening/closing the tray 15 times. Every time it comes up with 'Cannot operate this disc'. I tried Iron Man 2 and that seemed to play fine. I also tried it in a Sylvania blu-ray player we have in another room and it worked there. She said it gave her problems with the blu-ray of Twilight as well but eventually it decided to play that one. Maybe it just has problems with the quality of the movies!

Anyway, at this point I'm on the verge of just looking for a new player...

Any thoughts before I scrap this thing? I like it when it works. Thanks.

I just bought the "Letters To Juliet" combo today and I had the same problem. The Sony BDP-S360 would play the DVD side but not the Blu-ray side. I just upgraded the firmware to the latest version 008 this past week. I returned the combo to the store from where I purchased it and exchanged it for the DVD version.
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post #6506 of 6719
10/31/10 at 3:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickff View Post

The firmware makes no difference, the 350 can send all the HD audio codecs over HDMI. Make sure you are connecting your 350 to your Denon with an HDMI cable.

I have the exact same settings on my 350 and my 3808ci detects the signal appropriately. Personally, I would change Audio DRC to 'Wide Range.' That won't fix your issue but should provide the greatest variance in frequencies.

When playing a movie with an HD audio track make sure you select that audio track using the 350s remote; not all BD movies default to the lossy or lossless track. You can check the audio track being used by pressing 'Display' on the remote.

On the Denon, the ip scaler affects the video only. The 4308 should pick up the HD audio automatically.... have you read the following setup guide for Denon's: http://batpigworld.com/setup.html#audio_setup?
Do you have your Surround Mode set to 'Standard'?

I am thinking the issue is with the Denon's settings.

Thanks. It was the dennons ip scaler. I had it set to off. Once I turned it on and swithed the settings it works now. Thank you very much.
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post #6507 of 6719
10/31/10 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by davesc View Post

I just bought the "Letters To Juliet" combo today and I had the same problem. The Sony BDP-S360 would play the DVD side but not the Blu-ray side. I just upgraded the firmware to the latest version 008 this past week. I returned the combo to the store from where I purchased it and exchanged it for the DVD version.

Well, I'm not crazy then.

I think I'll be getting the Panny 85 and keeping the 350 as a backup.
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post #6508 of 6719
10/31/10 at 5:59pm
Hey gang, my 350 is suddenly freezing on nearly every disc that goes in it. Sometimes it can be resolved by pausing and playing. I've updated the firmware and turned off network options, but still having issues. I've had it since Black Friday 08. Is there something special I should do to disable Blu Ray Live? Would that help?
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post #6509 of 6719
11/1/10 at 8:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by killthepoodle View Post

Hey gang, my 350 is suddenly freezing on nearly every disc that goes in it. Sometimes it can be resolved by pausing and playing. I've updated the firmware and turned off network options, but still having issues. I've had it since Black Friday 08. Is there something special I should do to disable Blu Ray Live? Would that help?

Clear out the usb memory card, if your using one, if not, add one, USB 1gb or larger. Worth a try
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post #6510 of 6719
11/2/10 at 6:52am
I was having problems playing Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the 350, with firmware version 5. First disc that has caused problems in a long time, other than one disc of The Tenth Inning. Every few seconds the timeline would pop up on screen for no reason. Updated to 21 via cd-r (dl'd zip file, unzipped, dropped the two files into Nero Express as a data cd) with no problems and the disc plays fine. Will try the problematic Tenth Inning disc today and update. . .

Disc 1 of The Tenth Inning took much longer than usual to load, but it did load and play. So, fw 21 is a winner for me thusfar.
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