Dear SONY:

You suck.

Your Blu-ray player (model BDP-S300) is perhaps the most kludgey piece of equipment I have ever owned.

Let me tell you that spending 40 minutes updating firmware for this pile is EXACTLY the way I want to spend the first portion of movie night with SWMBO. Thank you, really. Oh and by the way-- whose idea was it to hide the current firmware version in the menu? That man should be fired. System Menu --> Setup --> TV Set up --> Press Enter --> Press blue button on remote. To get the software version? Really. I also really appreciate the way the entire OS must boot before the tray will open: that's fantastic when I'm in the middle of herding kids and SWMBO into the car for a road trip to somewhere and their favorite movie is locked down in the player (this wouldn't be a problem if it didn't take longer to load than Windows 95 on my Pentium from 1996).

Fantastic job with the Alpha line of DSLRs, too. I didn't really want a responsive autofocus or anything-- it sure would have been nice to be able to use all my old Minolta lenses on a DSLR. sigh. Screw it...I'm buying a Nikon. Or a Canon.

Congratulations! You have taken what was once a premium brand and reduced yourselves to just another commodity electronics manufacturer. Bravo.

Cordially,
-MMW

Sony = Fail

It's been at least 10 years since I last bought a Sony product and was actually happy with it.

The Onion has warned you...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyVh1_vWYQ]YouTube - Sony Releases Stupid Piece Of **** That Doesn't ****ing Work[/ame]

I stopped buying sony when they started putting root kits on their audio cds.

Sigh. Sadly, it's true.

I guess a link to maddox would be in order?

Sony's draconian copy protection is great... for me to poop on.

I stopped buying sony products after I wasted $700 on a trinitron. The screen would flash bright green then the tv would shut off. I had a service guy come out, he looked at it, laughed and said it's a common problem and the best remedy is to whack the center of the screen with the heel of a shoe, seriously.

I only own one Sony electronic device - my MiniDisc player/recorder that rocks the house for recording live shows. Bought it in 2001, kickass piece of kit.

I think it is awesome that Sony feels the need to make their own proprietary hardware that only works in sony products so they can reep the profits alone. I really wanted to buy a sony memory stick so that I can only stick it into a sony product and oh yeah bluray, thank you for coming out with an inferior product and shoving it down our throat like force feeding a new born. I really like all the updates that I need to do every time I would like to watch a movie. I need that extra setup time so that I can pop my popcorn and shove it into your shi$$y player.

flyangler18 said:

I only own one Sony electronic device - my MiniDisc player/recorder that rocks the house for recording live shows. Bought it in 2001, kickass piece of kit.

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Holy crap! I haven't seen a minidisc player since, well, I guess it was about 2001. I always thought they were cool, played around with a couple, but just never wanted to spend the money.

Somebody will probably come along and chime in about their DAT next :fro:

humann_brewing said:

I think it is awesome that Sony feels the need to make their own proprietary hardware that only works in sony products so they can reep the profits alone. I really wanted to buy a sony memory stick so that I can only stick it into a sony product and oh yeah bluray, thank you for coming out with an inferior product and shoving it down our throat like force feeding a new born. I really like all the updates that I need to do every time I would like to watch a movie. I need that extra setup time so that I can pop my popcorn and shove it into your shi$$y player.

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I miss HD-DVD.

Holy crap! I haven't seen a minidisc player since, well, I guess it was about 2001. I always thought they were cool, played around with a couple, but just never wanted to spend the money.

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Can't beat it for doing live recordings! Small, compact, non-linear editing. I take mine to every concert I can.

MMW said:

I miss HD-DVD.

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Yes, me too. I was one of those people that bought a laptop with an HD-DVD drive on it. Hey... at least the discs are dirt cheap now

I bought Pioneer BDP. They don't even include a firmware update option in the menu. Turns out, you are forced to rip the update to a dvd and it will update from that on it's auto's.

I have yet to find where it even tells me the current formware version.

Nice player tho'. It's spun everything I have fed it so far. My only complaint is taht if you are connecting it using the analouge outs you have to whatch the levels close as it has does some mean clipping to the signal.

Especially if you are playing CD's through it.

I don't have a 7.1 processor and the digital outs downmix to 5.1.

7.1 is only output through the DVI/HDMI and teh analogue, internally processed on this particular player.

Bought it through WalMart online site to store and wasn;t much more than the Sony, Samsung, or Magnavox (IIRC) they were offering.

Pioneer makes good stuff, IMHO. I loved the surround receiver I had of theirs (my college graduation splurge).

The only reason I bought the Blu-Ray player was that I had a gift to return after Christmas 07, BestBuy would take it back for store credit, and that was about the only thing I wanted in the appropriate price range.

Still...I wouldn't put MY name on that piece of crap. They wrote the friggin standard for crying out loud. They ought to be able to figure out the hardware. The firmware updates the same way on the Sony, btw: download a file, burn an image to CD and plug it into the player. Turn it on...wait...it turns off...wait...it turns on...wait...it downloads the file...wait...it burns the flash...wait...it burns some more flash...wait...it reboots...wait...40 minutes later you're done! Wasn't that easy?

Oh yeah...you get to do this every couple of months (or every time you watch a newer Blu Ray than you previously had )

My PS3 has worked awesome as a BR players. Never had issues and its a multitasker. Believe it or not I get a better picture using componet cables over HDMI. Bought it on Craigslist new in the box right after xmas and saved a couple hundred bucks.

marubozo said:

Sony = Fail

It's been at least 10 years since I last bought a Sony product and was actually happy with it.

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That's crap. I've owned 4 Sony tv's, they were all excellent. Their tv's have some of the best pictures on the market.

wildwest450 said:

Their tv's have some of the best pictures on the market.

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Key word of "some" there are plenty better out there and more a more reasonable price. They make you pay a lot for that name and don't provide much in conmpensation. I agree that there are overpriced TVs for the quality difference you see such as a Runco but Sony has labeled themselves not a team player.

johnnyc said:

My PS3 has worked awesome as a BR players. Never had issues and its a multitasker. Believe it or not I get a better picture using componet cables over HDMI. Bought it on Craigslist new in the box right after xmas and saved a couple hundred bucks.

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I agree, the PS3 works great. I never have any problem with blu rays loading quickly and you can't argue with the picture. I also have owned several sony TVs and all have worked perfectly. The 55" Sony I'm running my PS3 into is several years old but still looks great.

Yeah, my PS3 is fantastic as a BR player. I wished they'd figure out how to really get the most out of it programming games, but I digress.

MMW said:

Holy crap! I haven't seen a minidisc player since, well, I guess it was about 2001. I always thought they were cool, played around with a couple, but just never wanted to spend the money.

Somebody will probably come along and chime in about their DAT next :fro:

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i have both a mini recorder and player as well as dat and get this Betamax oh cant forget the LD player either. haha the old pioneer with the sega built in

for blueray buy a player and put it in the pc. you wont regret it. or buy a ps3. ;-)

pen25 said:

for blueray buy a player and put it in the pc. you wont regret it. or buy a ps3. ;-)

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Yep, that is the route I went, cheap and gives you more flexibility than a set-top machine that is locked down.