Customer Reviews

Sony BDP-BX1 Blu-Ray Disc Player Upscaling

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

First off, this IS the same player as the BDP-S350 however the remote included is a backlit remote that I believe is included with the BDP-S550 player. This BDP-BX1 also comes with a decent HDMI cable. Based on my research, Sony creates these different models at the request of the Big Box stores (BB, CC, etc...) to prevent shoppers from requesting they price match Costco, sam's Club, etc...

On to the Player:

This unit is profile 2.0 compliant. Blue ray discs load fairly quickly but the slight delay over standard DVD's takes a bit of getting used to. This is an inharent problem on any Blue-Ray player due to the sometimes heavy Java interface used for its menu structures. BD Live will require a USB memory stick to be inserted into the back of the player. I would suggest getting a 1 or 2 GB memory stick and just leave it there (not sure why Sony wouldn't include internal memory?). These memory devices are VERY economical at this point so this is no big deal. Be cautious when purchasing a memory stick though, many may not fit due to it's recession into the case a bit. I've read that the Kingstons work well.

Firmware updates are VERY easy; a "technologically challenged" person will have little or no problems updating the firmware if it becomes necessary.

I use the HDMI interface through my Denon 1909 receiver to my Pioneer plasma and the image quality is breathtaking; although this is expected from any Blue ray player. Standard DVD's play well and the image quality is as expected. It's upscaling ability matches my TV's upscaling abilities so no real improvement in video quality.

The audio quality is superb, though getting true HD audio (True Dolby Digital or DTS-HD) requires an easy change to the default menu setting (Select DD and DTS rather than bitstream if I recall correctly... just google it if having a problem); only do this if your reciever supports the HDMI HD Audio formats. DTS-HD in 7.1 (not too many movies in 7.1 but there are a few)is incredible and put a HUGE smile on my face to see my Denon reciever properly decode both HD-DD and DTS-HD. I notice only a small improvement from the HD audio (5.1) over the standard 5.1 audio and my system is a fairly good 7.1 audio system. The HD audio is NOT a reason to jump to Blue Ray but the image quality is.

The remote layout is acceptable and the backlit function is a nice feature. It lights up in a nice bright blue color rather than the typical boring greenish glow.

All in all I would highly recommend this player to anyone looking to jump into the Blue-Ray realm. If you have a nice TV that support at least 720P you will greatly appreciate Blue-Ray media. If you happen to have a reciever that supports the HD audio formats then you will find the HD audio to be the gravy.

With a good quality HD television, you will find that the upgrade to Blue-Ray from standard DVD is as large a jump as it was from VHS to DVD. Price points are finally making the Blue-Ray plunge a realistic jump for us mainstream folks rather than just the tech junkies.

I received this unit for Christmas from my wife. First thing I thought was she did not get the model I wanted. She is usually what I call electronically challenged. But I hooked it up to give it a try anyway. Easy set up, works well. Down load time is only about 30 seconds. Played and operated very well. Picture and sound was very nice. I am going to keep this unit. Works just fine at a good price. Oh and you get a HDMI cable as well. Over all a good unit and a good price. My wife did well.

I originally purchased a Memorex Blu Ray Player (MVBD-2510) since I figured all players were basically the same. Boy, was I wrong. The Memorex did an okay job of playing movies, but the startup time was MISERABLE and the menu system was extremely unresponsive and frustrating. Plus, the firmware update process was atrocious--I wasted seven CD-Rs trying to update it, before getting lucky and finding a way to get the player to accept the disc. Anyway, I finally cut my losses, sold the Memorex, and replaced the player with this one instead. What a difference.

This player boots up in the same amount of time as a typical DVD player--about five seconds from pressing eject to seeing the tray fully opened. It has a simple, intuitive menu system based on the PS3's XMB system. Discs load up fast--the speeds are almost as good as PS3, the undisputed king of fast loading times. Picture and sound quality is, of course, excellent--it's a Sony, you really should expect no less from the inventors of the Blu-ray format :) Really, there's nothing to complain about. Given the small price difference between the Memorex model and this one, I don't know why I waited this long to switch.

The only quibble I can think of is that you can't use a USB flash drive to update the firmware--you need to burn a CD-R. Not a big deal, especially since you can do it via the network if you can run Ethernet from your router/modem to the Blu-ray player, or don't mind spending a few extra bucks for a wireless router in your entertainment center.

Anyway, this is apparently the same thing as a Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player except for slightly less fancy audio decoding, and a backlit remote. I wouldn't sweat the audio decoding thing--if you have a sound system good enough to hear the difference, you'll be able to decode the HD formats in the receiver itself. And the backlit remote is cool. So buy either one and enjoy it. Or, go the extra mile and get a PlayStation 3 80GB if money is no object.

I have owned this player about a month and has been getting my use out of it. I have a Toshiba HDTV and a 5.1 pioneer system. I have purchase some blu ray movies and they look fantastic. But what really blows me away is that this player converts regular DVD's like a charm. It is like looking at a movie you seen so many times before for the first time. The whole picture looks so different and you will be like, I never noticed that scene before. This player has put me in movie heaven.But just reminder it will not play or convert regular HD DVD's.

Another reviewer provided a very good comparison of the Sony BDP-BX1 and BDP-S350 models so I will not repeat. Instead, I will provide a simple (NOT comprehensive) comparison of the BX1, BX2 and S360 models. BX1 and BX2 are Costco and Sam's Club model labels for the S350 and S360 models sold elsewhere, respectively. Inside the machine, the electronics are of the same grade/quality whether the unit is sold at Costco/SC or elsewhere.

Remote Control:
Remote control for BX1 or BX2 has back-lit/light button but remote for S350 or S360 doesn't. Remote control for BX1 or S350 has open/close, scene search, clear, mute, and channel +/- buttons but remote control for BX2 or S360 doesn't. Therefore, remote for BX1 has more buttons than BX2, S350 and S360. However, some folks may not need the extra buttons anyway.

Player Unit:
BX1 or S350 unit has play,stop and pause buttons in the front but the pause button is deleted in the BX2 or S360 unit. Also, BX1 or S350 unit has S-Video connector in the back but the BX2 or S360 doesn't have this connector. For most people, this is probably not an issue at all but I personally like the S-Video optional output for my old TV in another room while the HDTV in the living room is fed by an HDMI cable.

Video and Audio:
AV performance of the BX1 or S350 (with software version 020 or later) is essentially the same as that for the BX2 or S360. In my estimation, all 4 models provide very good to excellent Video/Audio performance. The BX2 or S360 are slightly lighter (in weight) and cheaper (in cost) than BX1 or S350 because some of the ("non-essential") features/circuits were removed to reduce manufacturing cost.

It stops. It freezes. It goes wack-o. It plays normal DVD's great, but hates Blurays. I got the update disk from Sony, but it didn't help. Too late to take it back to Costco, though. I tried a cleaning disk, that didn't help. I'll use it for a normal DVD player, & get a better unit for the main home theatre. Oh well...

I regret not returning this player after the first few times it failed to recognize a BluRay disc. But instead, I continued to contact Sony support, who assured me firmware updates would solve the problem. After dozens of attempts to update via the web, they sent a disc WHICH THE MACHINE WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE at first. Now, it's out of warranty and Sony support's suggestion is that I have it repaired, which would cost just about as much as I paid for it new. A quick search of the web produced numerous complaints similar to the ones here. It is pure and simple a LEMON and if Sony had any integrity, it would replace each and every one they sold. I am now shopping for a BR player to replace it and Sony is definitely OFF the list.

Once again I feel totally ripped off. I bought htis player about 3 years ago and have used it about 30 times. I only own 1 Blue Ray movie and played it about 3 times. I just bought a new Blue Ray disk and it will not load or play. Sony said to update the firmware but this made no difference. It still plays DVDs just fine. I now have a $186 boat anchor.

Damned if I will spend another dime fixing this thing. This is the 2nd Sony product that just stopped working under minimum use. I feel like a sucker!!!

Horrible.... Was awesome for a few months, then suddenly stopped playing bluerays. Just WONT play them. But DVD's work fine. Called Sony--they sent us an "update disc" (which I dont think you should have to do, but whatever.) And then it worked again for about a month. Then stopped working again. I can see having to update software if there is a new technology out or something, but this player wont evern play the bluerays we purchased and previously played on the same exact player... so stupid. such a waste of money.

Puchased a BDP-BX1 at Costco,,,,I works great with DVDs but not with Blu Ray Discs...After an hour on the phone with Sony (in the Carribean) and a bunch of useless experiments the tech rep tells me I don't have the correct firmware and they need to send a disc to me that will take 7-10 business days and cannot be expedited. OK I wait. The disc arrives with a three page instruction, but loads easily. I go to rent three new Blu-Rays and get the family together...they still don't work smoothly...barely viewable with blips in video and audio throughout. Another call to Sony suggests I try swapping swap ends of the HDMI cable??? or call back their weekday only tech support ...The unit is going back...(PS. My local Blockbuster store says this is common...as the Blu-Ray specs vary and people have to swap BR for DVD when the BR discs don't work on their specific unit.) Sony's unit is not yet ready for prime time.