AVS › AVS Forum › Blu-ray & HD DVD › Blu-ray Players › Sony BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 Blu-ray players (and BDP-BX2)
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Sony BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 Blu-ray players (and BDP-BX2) - Page 6

post #151 of 1348
5/18/09 at 12:46pm
If you are basing your decision on whether the remote control has an eject button or not:

1) Get a changer

2) Get a Harmony or a decent universal and program the all-important button

3) Just press the button on the front of the player. If you're gonna eject a disc, you've gotta physically be there to put a new one in, or put the disc away. Unless what you want to do is remotely eject the disc then walk away.

4) Keep one of your children handy, or train your dog to press eject with its nose

5) Quit complaining

The player responds very quickly to the eject button. Also, so many people have half-decent remote controls that it doesn't make sense for companies to put any extra money into factory remotes.


The S360 is a GREAT player. Don't let a missing button ruin your day.
Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #152 of 1348
5/18/09 at 10:18pm
The Sony bdp-s360 is a great bluray player, but with all the competition out there that offers more bells & whistles it's hard to recommend it.
Reply
Reply
post #153 of 1348
5/19/09 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cads View Post

The Sony bdp-s360 is a great bluray player, but with all the competition out there that offers more bells & whistles it's hard to recommend it.

Please name a few with the same price perhaps because of drops with new players coming to market, not players available as USED units. I got the S360 for $288 brand spanking NEW! How many players had these features at release date for that price? It is a STEAL for the buck spent.

No eject on the remote is a ridiculous reason not to check this unit out! I'll admit the remote layout isn't the greatest but it still wouldn't be a reason for me to return this player.
Reply
Reply
post #154 of 1348
5/19/09 at 11:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeewing View Post

is it the remote from the BDP-S1? or the BDP-S350...

The reason I ask is that I have a Harmony One for my living room setup so if the S1 or 350s remote works then I won't have to confuse my wife as much about the stupid eject button for the player in the family room.

No matter what, this has to be the first remote ever designed for a media player that doesn't have an eject button.
Reply
Reply
post #155 of 1348
5/19/09 at 6:08pm
A client picked a S360 against our recommendation and found out that you can not stick an infrared emitter on the front of the player for his remote control system. Why? The whole front panel door drops down when you eject the disc tray. If you stick the emitter over the players sensor, you can't eject a disc or insert one.
Reply
Reply
post #156 of 1348
5/20/09 at 9:16pm
RE: the low volume, in my setup I run an HDMI cable directly from the S360 to my Sony XBR2 (SXRD) for video and I also run an optical cable from the S360 to my Denon receiver for sound. I also noticed very low volume with the default settings. I changed the setting in the Audio settings from HDMI to optical/coax and volume levels now seem normal.

Perhaps a firmware fix will address this issue.

I still cannot get the player to connect to the server for a firmware update check. I checked network diagnostics and the player is connected to my router so it should be able to access the internet. Since this is a new player maybe the sony site isn't up yet?

I bought my 360 from Amazon for $250 shipped 2 day.
Reply
Reply
post #157 of 1348
5/21/09 at 6:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by roblim View Post

RE: the low volume, in my setup I run an HDMI cable directly from the S360 to my Sony XBR2 (SXRD) for video and I also run an optical cable from the S360 to my Denon receiver for sound. I also noticed very low volume with the default settings. I changed the setting in the Audio settings from HDMI to optical/coax and volume levels now seem normal.

The volume level between HDMI and SPDIF is very different. I've been to 10 different locations where HDMI audio is lower.

For instance on the processor you can run the volume at full with HDMI. If you switched to SPDIF (or by accident) it would blast your ears and give you heart palpitations. When we first discovered this we had to re-program the control system to lower the volume if the client switched from HDMI to SPDIF
and the volume was set to a level higher than the max comfort level for SPDIF.

It would be nice if they matched though.
Reply
Reply
post #158 of 1348
5/21/09 at 6:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by robertc88 View Post

Please name a few with the same price perhaps because of drops with new players coming to market, not players available as USED units. I got the S360 for $288 brand spanking NEW! How many players had these features at release date for that price? It is a STEAL for the buck spent. [IMG]http://www.*****************/trafficreport/img/3721/k08t1221bbuq/gdsmile.gif[/IMG]

No eject on the remote is a ridiculous reason not to check this unit out! I'll admit the remote layout isn't the greatest but it still wouldn't be a reason for me to return this player.

Thank you for the info,
for the other, Please share some feedback too.
Reply
Reply
post #159 of 1348
5/21/09 at 7:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by diehardz View Post

Thank you for the info,
for the other, Please share some feedback too.

For what it's worth. Our client that didn't listen to us is regretting his purchase of the S360. He stated the picture was much better with his older Samsung 1200 model than the Sony. Take that for what it's worth.
Reply
Reply
post #160 of 1348
5/21/09 at 12:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim HTPC View Post

For what it's worth. Our client that didn't listen to us is regretting his purchase of the S360. He stated the picture was much better with his older Samsung 1200 model than the Sony. Take that for what it's worth.

Didn't listen to you folks? I don't see any other posts on this thread by you except on this last page unless I missed them.

What is your experience with the Sony S360? I never tried the Samsung 1200 so I don't know the quality but personally I'm steering clear of that manufacturer's players. There have been plenty of issues brought up on those players whereby it isn't worth it regardless of the PQ. I've read enough owner and professional reviews on Sony players regarding very good to excellent PQ besides.
Reply
Reply
post #161 of 1348
5/21/09 at 12:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by robertc88 View Post

Didn't listen to you folks? I don't see any other posts on this thread by you except on this last page unless I missed them.

What is your experience with the Sony S360? I never tried the Samsung 1200 so I don't know the quality but personally I'm steering clear of that manufacturer's players. There have been plenty of issues brought up on those players whereby it isn't worth it regardless of the PQ. I've read enough owner and professional reviews on Sony players regarding very good to excellent PQ besides.

Correct. I only posted since I just recently had to re-program a remote system for our client (for S360). Our client grew tiresome of Samsung not releasing updates in a timely manner for his 1200 BR player. Personally I would not have either in my system. I am trying out the Oppo BD-P83 in the meantime until the new Arcam BD player comes out around CEDIA timeframe. If I was to have a Sony BD player, I would wait for the 560 to come out. My partner has the 550 and he isn't entirely happy with his. Good news is that new BD discs play. So there is an upside.

*edit* Our client felt that the picture quality wasn't as good between the S360 and BD-P1200. Also the Samsung model is discontinued. And I forgot to mention the client's first S360 was DOA out of the box. Which resulted in another hour of labor while we waited for him to go exchange it for another one. Haven't seen a DOA for quite some time. The 2nd one powered up and played.
Reply
Reply
post #162 of 1348
5/21/09 at 12:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim HTPC View Post

If I was to have a Sony BD player, I would wait for the 560 to come out. My partner has the 550 and he isn't entirely happy with his.

If you were, I hope you wouldn't be planning on using MCH (7.1) out because the S560 won't have them. 2ch analog only.
Reply
Reply
post #163 of 1348
5/21/09 at 7:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slimm View Post

If you were, I hope you wouldn't be planning on using MCH (7.1) out because the S560 won't have them. 2ch analog only.

With higher end processors coming out with HDMI 1.3 it would be a hard sell to use analog coming from an inexpensive device. I understand that some don't have bitstream capability (or hdmi for that matter), and therefore are using analog outs. In our market analog out is not a determining factor. Still the only thing Sony I own is..... well nothing
Reply
Reply
post #164 of 1348
5/21/09 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim HTPC View Post

Correct. I only posted since I just recently had to re-program a remote system for our client (for S360). Our client grew tiresome of Samsung not releasing updates in a timely manner for his 1200 BR player. Personally I would not have either in my system. I am trying out the Oppo BD-P83 in the meantime until the new Arcam BD player comes out around CEDIA timeframe. If I was to have a Sony BD player, I would wait for the 560 to come out. My partner has the 550 and he isn't entirely happy with his. Good news is that new BD discs play. So there is an upside.

*edit* Our client felt that the picture quality wasn't as good between the S360 and BD-P1200. Also the Samsung model is discontinued. And I forgot to mention the client's first S360 was DOA out of the box. Which resulted in another hour of labor while we waited for him to go exchange it for another one. Haven't seen a DOA for quite some time. The 2nd one powered up and played.

What are you doing hanging around the entry-level BDP threads, putting down a product in it's own thread? Shouldn't you be in the "HIGH-END" sections mixing it up with other vendors?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim HTPC View Post

With higher end processors coming out with HDMI 1.3 it would be a hard sell to use analog coming from an inexpensive device. I understand that some don't have bitstream capability (or hdmi for that matter), and therefore are using analog outs. In our market analog out is not a determining factor. Still the only thing Sony I own is..... well nothing

Ahh. Now all of your posts make sense. You have something against Sony in general.

The S360 is a great player. It's got everything I need and nothing I don't (streaming services, for one).
Reply
Reply
post #165 of 1348
5/22/09 at 4:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 808///M3 View Post

What are you doing hanging around the entry-level BDP threads, putting down a product in it's own thread? Shouldn't you be in the "HIGH-END" sections mixing it up with other vendors?

I was sharing information mostly about the poor design of the front panel for those that may have less expensive IR emitters.

With product designs like these, why would you want to buy this Sony? I had an old Sony 3MP camera, it's battery was terrible at holding a charge and was forced to use Sony memory sticks. Guess what, got rid of it. Had an old PS2. It turned outdated and I got rid of it. Had a Sony Walkman back in the day. Now have an iTouch. Sony makes pretty good projectors, we just don't like ones with a dynamic iris. Sony has a place in the market, but they make mistakes just like other manufacturers. I also do not care for the DRM and proprietary nature Sony tries to impose on consumers. So for some reasons I do not promote Sony. If there is a good product and a client wants it, I'll be the first to recommend it. But it better be the best in its category. Seems Sony isn't the leader it once was. That's just how I feel. It doesn't mean the information I shared is wrong.


Quote:
Originally Posted by 808///M3 View Post

What are you doing hanging around the entry-level BDP threads, putting down a product in it's own thread? Shouldn't you be in the "HIGH-END" sections mixing it up with other vendors?

According to your logic; I suppose saving the po folk their hard earned dollars. You're being absurd. That's like saying you're not allowed to join us in the $20k+ forum. If you have experience on a particular product I believe everyone would like to at least hear about it; so they can make an informed decision on whether to buy it or not. Maybe they might want to research the product more before buying. I never stated to not buy a S360. I do not recommend it to our clients. Since you are not a client, you have nothing to worry about.

Um... why are you giving me a hard time when I stated Arcam? When you have Arcam in your own signature, which I am led to believe is what you have. Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? LOL
Reply
Reply
post #166 of 1348
5/22/09 at 11:13am
Jim,

Sorry about your client. So far the Sony S360 has performed flawlessly and it has the features that I personally need. The remote control layout isn't the greatest but that is a personal nitpick but far from a deal breaker.

I recommend folks give this player serious consideration for the buck if it has the features they need. I'm VERY IMPRESSED to say the least and not just with the PQ for the buck!
Reply
Reply
post #167 of 1348
5/22/09 at 2:02pm
Has anybody spotted the S360 in Costco or Sams Club?
Reply
Reply
post #168 of 1348
5/22/09 at 2:46pm
Why is everyone crying about an eject button on the remote? You have to walk up and change the disc anyway.

I got the BDP-S360 last week, and the player has performed well thus far. I've watched 5 movies no problem. I'm sure if any disc give me any problem, a firmware update will cure it. Anywho, I like this player. So much so, I sold my PS3! I like the small profile of this player, and the lower power consumption.

Hotel For Dogs
Yes Man
Deception
Madagascar 2
I Robot
Reply
Reply
post #169 of 1348
5/22/09 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim HTPC View Post

I was sharing information mostly about the poor design of the front panel for those that may have less expensive IR emitters.

With product designs like these, why would you want to buy this Sony? I had an old Sony 3MP camera, it's battery was terrible at holding a charge and was forced to use Sony memory sticks. Guess what, got rid of it. Had an old PS2. It turned outdated and I got rid of it. Had a Sony Walkman back in the day. Now have an iTouch. Sony makes pretty good projectors, we just don't like ones with a dynamic iris. Sony has a place in the market, but they make mistakes just like other manufacturers. I also do not care for the DRM and proprietary nature Sony tries to impose on consumers. So for some reasons I do not promote Sony. If there is a good product and a client wants it, I'll be the first to recommend it. But it better be the best in its category. Seems Sony isn't the leader it once was. That's just how I feel. It doesn't mean the information I shared is wrong.


According to your logic; I suppose saving the po folk their hard earned dollars. You're being absurd. That's like saying you're not allowed to join us in the $20k+ forum. If you have experience on a particular product I believe everyone would like to at least hear about it; so they can make an informed decision on whether to buy it or not. Maybe they might want to research the product more before buying. I never stated to not buy a S360. I do not recommend it to our clients. Since you are not a client, you have nothing to worry about.

Um... why are you giving me a hard time when I stated Arcam? When you have Arcam in your own signature, which I am led to believe is what you have. Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? LOL

You've got a handful of posts talking about other brands, and their suggested superiority, in a thread for Sony BDPs. You're constantly putting down the subject of this thread. You didn't think people would get irritated?

We got your point the first time.

Even I'll admit that I appreciate your insight; but you go on and on. Come on, imagine spending your hard-earned dollars on an "entry level" piece of equipment that you're perfectly satisfied with - and then someone comes along, putting it down because that person has the luxury and resources to use much better equipment.

To say to equivalent of, "I don't care for Sony or Samsung. I'm waiting for the Arcam," is pointless in this thread.

I like Arcam, don't get me wrong. I'd have more stuff from Arcam if I could afford it. What I have are 7 of their Musos as my modest L/C/R/Surrounds, which probably still don't add up to the price of an Arcam BDP.

No eject button on the Sony's remote? SD upscaling worse than a Samsung? Incompatible with an IR repeater? Maybe deal-breakers for some, but all 100% non-issues for myself, and many others.

My apologies to everyone for going off-topic.
Reply
Reply
post #170 of 1348
5/22/09 at 4:55pm
For those of us who first took the plunge into blu-ray with a PS3, the S360 is a worthy replacement for movie-watching duties.

While the PS3 was long considered the best way for the masses to begin enjoying BDs, there are several ways that the S360 (or any other standalone, admittedly) improved my movie-watching experience:

1) Quiet operation compared to PS3

2) No add'l cost for full remote-control usability. BD control on the PS3 requires either an adapter for IR operation, purchase of a PS3 remote control, or clunky control via the Dual Shock controller.

3) Bitstreaming of TrueHD and DTS-MA. A minor issue with the PS3 is that the hardware will not support bitstreaming of such codecs, regardless of software updates. PS3 decodes, and then outputs, 7.1 LPCM well enough. However, your new receiver with built-in decoders for advanced codecs will have its hardware unutilized.

4) Ability to simultaneously output HDMI and optical audio. At night, I use wireless headphones with an optical input and the PS3 requires choosing HDMI/optical out through multiple menu layers. No such switching required with the S360.
Reply
Reply
post #171 of 1348
5/22/09 at 5:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 808///M3 View Post

No eject button on the Sony's remote? . . . Maybe deal-breakers for some, but all 100% non-issues for myself, and many others.

Have you ever priced a replacement [front bezel] eject button?

Several years ago, the eject button on the front bezel of my 3 year old [out of warranty!] $90 Sansui VCR broke [no button on the remote (hence 'overuse' of the front bezel eject button!) nor could I find any IR codes]. The aftermarket parts stockist in LA carried the part, but the listing read:

Samsui VCR xxx - Eject Button - Part of Complete Front Bezel . . . $87.50 . . . plus tax & S/H

Since that day, I've paid more attention about whether buttons appear on the front bezel, on the remote, or on both. But that's just me.
Reply
Reply
post #172 of 1348
5/22/09 at 6:09pm
It's very strange how Sony gutted the remote for this compared to the S350. They got rid of the eject button, the scene search button, the clear button, the mute button, and the channel buttons. Even with the 350 they got rid of the frame advance buttons that were in the S300. Regardless how essential some may or may not feel about these, shouldn't Sony be ADDING features to its players/remotes instead of removing them? Seems so backwards.
Reply
Reply
post #173 of 1348
5/22/09 at 6:20pm
The BDP-S360 is aweomse, I got it 10 days ago & I'd recommend it [IMG]http://***************/9/P/i.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://***************/9/F/i.jpg[/IMG]
Reply
Reply
post #174 of 1348
5/23/09 at 8:42am
Does anybody know whether or not the 560 has the Source Direct feature like my 300? As I have an external video processor, I just want to send the native DVD resolution to it - 480i or 1080p/24. Thank you.
Reply
Reply
post #175 of 1348
5/23/09 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by juda View Post

The BDP-S360 is aweomse, I got it 10 days ago & I'd recommend it [IMG]http://***************/9/P/i.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://***************/9/F/i.jpg[/IMG]

I was wondering how the audio is , if you are using optical or coax. i am looking to get the 360 . but for now i will only be using one or the other for audio. also does the LFE> seem to be. thanks...
Reply
Reply
post #176 of 1348
5/23/09 at 3:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KenMar View Post

Does anybody know whether or not the 560 has the Source Direct feature like my 300? As I have an external video processor, I just want to send the native DVD resolution to it - 480i or 1080p/24. Thank you.

No source direct. Source direct is on the Oppo blu-ray player and Pioneer blu-ray player (51FD, 05FD, 09FD, 320, 23FD).
Reply
Reply
post #177 of 1348
5/24/09 at 9:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoundChex View Post

Have you ever priced a replacement [front bezel] eject button?

Several years ago, the eject button on the front bezel of my 3 year old [out of warranty!] $90 Sansui VCR broke [no button on the remote (hence 'overuse' of the front bezel eject button!) nor could I find any IR codes]. The aftermarket parts stockist in LA carried the part, but the listing read:

Samsui VCR xxx - Eject Button - Part of Complete Front Bezel . . . $87.50 . . . plus tax & S/H

Since that day, I've paid more attention about whether buttons appear on the front bezel, on the remote, or on both. But that's just me.

Well I didn't unpack my BDP-S360 remote. I just added the S360 to my Harmony remote, and suprise. I had an eject button on my remote! The harmony remotes are nice, I think everyone should own one.
Reply
Reply
post #178 of 1348
5/25/09 at 12:20am
The thing that bothers me is that I feel the remote on the low end units should be complete, and include TV power/volume. People buying the pricier units are much more likely to use them with a Harmony or whatever.

I have a BDP-S350 that I use with my small HDTV in my office and the TV buttons on the remote mean it's the only one I need.

Couldn't care less about an eject button on the remote... I've never had an eject button break on any of the 30-40 components I've had. And as others have mentioned, you need to get up to do anything with it after ejecting anyway.

And for the record, I also think the cosmetic appearance of these units have taken a large step down... the (very dark) blue front panels on the last gen are quite nice, and I like the power/eject buttons slightly up top.

I've regretted getting the Panasonic BD35 for my home theater (seems a fair amount slower than the 350, and the menus are very primitive in comparison), and had been thinking about picking up another 350. After seeing the 360, maybe I will see if I can still find a 350...
Reply
Reply
post #179 of 1348
5/26/09 at 7:34am
Hi,

Can the BD360 play DIVX files? If yes which discs does one use?

Paul
Reply
Reply
post #180 of 1348
5/26/09 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cnickersonjr View Post

Well I didn't unpack my BDP-S360 remote. I just added the S360 to my Harmony remote, and suprise. I had an eject button on my remote! The harmony remotes are nice, I think everyone should own one.

Harmony makes so many different remotes. So what, pray do tell, is the model # of your Harmony Remote?
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Blu-ray Players

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Blu-ray & HD DVD › Blu-ray Players › Sony BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 Blu-ray players (and BDP-BX2)