Product ReviewsSony BDP-S1 Blu-Ray Player

excellent picture, solid construction

Bought a used BD-S1 from ebay for about $300 in an attempt to save money over a new third-generation BDP-S500. The S1 is beautiful looking, solid and heavy. There is a cooling fan, but it is relatively quiet. The unit would not work for my application (playing my own BD-video rendered from Sony Vegas) as received, but a firmware update to version 3.1 solved the problem (and many others). Thanks Sony for making a second generation product upgradeable to near third-generation performace!

The ability to color balance the HDMI output video is a plus. As with the 500 there is no internet connection and no interactive features. The unit lacks support for AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color (xvYCC) technology - but this feature is not important to me at this time. Up conversion of standard DVD to 720p is good, but I see little difference between the S1 and my inexpensive LG player with HDMI out. Overall I am quite happy with the S1.Read full review...

Sony BDP-S1 Blu-Ray Player

Very well built, excellent picture and sound quality. In addition to HDMI output, analog outputs are also provided. The only drawback is that the time to load a disk is somewhat long. This is normal for this model-and the load time is acceptable.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: adnolor24

Sony BDP-S1

I love this unit. The setup using the supplied HDMI cable was effortless. The remote is very user friendly and very intuitive. To say the picture is great is an understatement. I first watched a blueray disc of the 5th Element and was totally blown away by what I saw. The picture on my Sony KDL-52XBR3 was astonishing. After being totally impressed I watched a standard DVD of American Gangstar and was pleased by the upconverted picture. At the price I paid ($300.00) this unit was worth every dollar. My only gripe is with the cheap plastic loading tray. Having bought Sony ES level DVD players in the past I had become accustomed to a certain build quality, I don't see that here but by waiting as long as I did to get this unit I paid much less than the original asking price ($1000). I think I got my money's worthRead full review...

sony blue-ray technology-dvd/cd player

sony just came out with this new " blue-ray " laser that seriously enhances the image on a hdtv - even on the standard dvd's it is quite a difference. on the new blue-ray dvd's - it is outstanding !!! not just the image but the sound and quality together makes for one completely must see dvd ! they are not cheap-new at stores - 900-1000 bucks-on e-bay - 740-900 bucks ! you should have the right equipment to go with it - like a newer hidef tv and a newer model reciever and also get the best speakers that you can. you will not be dissapointed.Read full review...

Loyal Old Dog that has trouble with New Tricks

Great by the Year it was produced. But by today standards it LACKS. Very slow at start up and slow once a disc is inserted to get to menu. Issues with DVD-R or BD-R that are created with certain software programs. But the image are wonderful when it works. Sound is a plus and the analog out is nice. But again a low end Samsung F5700 does just as well IMHO and has extra's to boot.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: crescent_moon_o...

Leave it to Sony,Their first one still one best!

yes,it does not decode DTS,and take ever to load,but the picture quality ,is as good as the newest machine out there,remember the famous dvds7000? I have one ,and it still working,that tell you about the first one from Sony,over built,over engineer ,elegant looks, and tough as a tank,they just don't built thing like that after the initial model!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: prism_electronics9

Reads no cd's.

Tis is a great machine. The drawback is, i didn't know it reads no cd's of any type. But was my fault not to read it.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: asset-reset

State of the Art

The visual quality is highly dependent on the quality of the transfer to BluRay. The new digital movies are spectacular. Older movies that are digitally restored are a satisfying improvement. Garbage in-garbage out. BDP-S1 has no provision for playback of standard Audio CDs, SACDs, or DVD-Audio Discs, but I do not consider this to be a drawback. It palys plays discs with following formats BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD +R/RW, DVD ?R/RW, AVC-HD, and MP3/JPEG from DVD formats and most BD R/RE discs. I bought this to watch movies. As of 6/07 there are nearly 300 BluRay titles (very similar to the number of HD-DVD titles available) for rent on Netflix, a cost-effective way to access BluRay movies, unless you are rich and can afford to buy them at $30 each. However this is misleading as many of these movies are ones you have already seen or do not want to see. New titles are coming out very slowly, but I expect that eventually a good portion of the 60K+ titles out there will be available in HD.
Sound -wise, I get stereo but have yet to access even 5.1 surround of the digital audio output. My Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD will do this, why not the Sony? another major beef is the that the unit will stall and freeze occasionally on regular DVDs. This may be due to a flaw or damage on the DVD but the only way out most of the time is to pull the plug and start over. Furthermore, if you stop in the middle of a movie, and shut down you will need to figure out where you left off when you start over. Duh! Even my 15 year old DVD player trumps this one.
The player has a 2 second lag when you press something on the remote. Be patient and count to 100 on start up. My advice is not to wait unless money is an issue, you can get a used one fairly cheap off Ebay and the new 2nd generation Sony Bluray palyer is going to be half the price, or you can get the new Playstation 3. Bottom line is you are going to be ecstatic with the fantastic picture you will get if you have the 1080p HDTV to match. Everything is clearly sharper, with greater contrast, black level saturation, and three-dimensionality. The image has much greater depth, and detail. Your jaw will be sore from hitting the floor.Read full review...

Sony BDP-S1

Excellent picture and sound!!! Very pleased with this purchase. Easy to use. It is just a bit slow to load discs but the ease of use as well as outstanding picture and sound make it a worthy purchase. The outside finish of the player itself is very nice with a modern finish.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: gadgetheavenworld

BDP-S1 BLU-RAY.

Bulid quality is excellent.Reminds me of the McIntosh equipment.Only gripe its slow but great picture quality and sound.The newer models does not compare in build quality but always the first players are over done.Tray is plastic instead of metal with this bulid quality figured the loading tray would be metal or a thicker plastic.Picture quality is superb even with regular DVds.Needs to be upgraded on a regular basis as this is 1st generation.This is SONY ES bulid quality except for the tray.Good deal and can be found fairly inexpensive.Estechics are very nice with the brushed steel or aluminum top and glass front.One thats a keeper.Read full review...