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BlueRay BDP-S1 or BDP-S300 or next generation


kde

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Why is Sony's first RlueRay player the BDP-S1 still $300 more expensive than the newer BDP-S300 model? I've read that the S1 has a better chassis and perhaps better audio capacity than the S300, but why would Sony release a newer player that is "worse" than the first -- simply to reach a lower price concious crowd?

So, if I am ready to enter the BlueRay market -- should I get the S1, the S300 or wait until the next generation comes out?

If you could get the S1 and the S300 at the same price -- which would you get?

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I think they released the lesser quality one because of the price of HD DVD players. I think they felt they needed to get closer. Either way though, I actually wouldn't go with a Sony player at all though. Both of them have demonstrated video dropouts in our store. Instead if you're looking to go exclusively Blu-Ray, I'd say look into Panasonic's player. It comes with 5 free discs on top of the mail in offer, and is just a really solid player all around.

But also if I remember reading correctly, the BDP-S1 also has a better de-interlacing chip in it so the 1080P stream will look better than the BDP-S300 model.

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I wouldn't go with either of them or any current blu ray player besides the ps3. No current player on the market is BD live capable as it is not a mandate until after Oct. I think. If you do not know what that is it is Blu Ray's interactive features specification. The reason I would only go with the ps3 is that it is the only one that has the possibility of being updated with the spec via its firmware capabilities. Also the ps3's video decoding is software based unlike a player hardware based which allows it to be updated with new capabilities as they come out.

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I'd get the S301 from costco (same as s300).. you get a free hdmi cord and the 5 movie offer.. The S1 does have some better features, but the s300 is a faster machine. The S1 is extremely slow in load times etc....the s300 also has 1080p/24 so you cant go wrong.. at the same price I would still by the S300.

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Is the audio capability the same on both systems?

What does it mean that the BDP-S1 has "two separate boards" (one for audio) -- something that I read on the web? Does the feed from a Starwars DVD come off the disk in 6.1 or 7.1 and then the dvd player sends 5.1 to the receiver which decodes the signal back to 7.1?

From the example above -- why does the Sony player rate audio at 5.1 and the Panasonic rate audio at 7.1? Is this better or just marketing? Planning to use HDMI from DVD to receiver.

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It appears that your audio/video setup is close to mine. Pioneer is about to release a third generation blu-ray prior to December, and your system would handle it fine. I would wait if possible. I have heard really good things about the Elite Blu-ray players (although they are more expensive).

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I like Pioneer products, but will want to stay away from a player that will only be able to play half of my netflix slections in Blueray and still costs $1,000. I'm trying to stay around the $500 pricepoint.

That brings me back to my point -- Pioneer is releasing a likely better product at around the same price (likely), however Sony released a new player at a lesser price than the first model (BDP-S1). Why is their older model more expensive by $300 than their latest technology??? Did they release a product that wasn't as good as their first attempt?

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I really do not know why they don't lower the prices on 1st generation hardware. As you can tell, I closely watch the Elite prices, and they still list their first generation player as $1,500. Ouch. The second generation player is $999 (although by going through thedigitalbits.com you can knock $150 off-an indespensible website by the way). I suspect the 3rd generation Elite will list around $750-$800 with discounts bringing it down to $650-$700. With the interactive features of Blu-ray not fully implimented, I would wait and see what the holiday prices bring. I know it is hard not to pull the trigger, but I would definately not get a first generation player of any format. All of the ones I have demoed have not worked well.

Edit: The "third generation player" that I have been hearing about is actually a $299 drive for the PC, although I am still wondering if we will either see a 3rd by Christmas or a firmware upgrade that supports the interactive feature.

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