Sony BDP-S380 information from Consumer Reports

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Sony BDP-S380

Price range:

$99.99 - $134.73

Summary: A Blu-ray high-definition disc player with 1080p upconversion for standard DVDs.

3 people have reviewed this model.

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Type: Standard Players

About - Sony BDP-S380
The Sony BDP-S380 is a high-definition Blu-ray disc player that can upconvert standard DVDs to quasi-1080p resolution. This model can access a lot of online content, including streaming movie services. It has an Ethernet jack for connecting to your home network or modem via a cable. It has 2 USB ports, which may allow you to plug in a thumb drive or memory card reader so you can play stored photos, videos, and music.

About - Sony BDP-S380

The Sony BDP-S380 is a high-definition Blu-ray disc player that can upconvert standard DVDs to quasi-1080p resolution. This model can access a lot of online content, including streaming movie services. It has an Ethernet jack for connecting to your home network or modem via a cable. It has 2 USB ports, which may allow you to plug in a thumb drive or memory card reader so you can play stored photos, videos, and music.

About This Brand
Sony is a top-tier consumer electronics manufacturer in many product categories and has a broad selection of Blu-ray products, including 3D-capable models. It was one of the first manufacturers to offer a Google TV-powered Blu-ray player with full Web browsing capability. Its PlayStation 3 game console, which includes an integrated Blu-ray disc drive, has recently been updated to play 3D Blu-ray content.

About This Brand

Sony is a top-tier consumer electronics manufacturer in many product categories and has a broad selection of Blu-ray products, including 3D-capable models. It was one of the first manufacturers to offer a Google TV-powered Blu-ray player with full Web browsing capability. Its PlayStation 3 game console, which includes an integrated Blu-ray disc drive, has recently been updated to play 3D Blu-ray content.

Features & Specs - Sony BDP-S380
Blu-ray load time range (sec.) Blu-ray load time range is the range in seconds that the model took to load different test Blu-ray discs, measured from the time of pressing the 'load' button to the time the first video information is displayed onscreen. Depending on disc, load time may vary from our result. Java-encoded Blu-ray discs may take longer. Blu-ray load time range (sec.)	19-30
DVD load time (sec.) DVD load time is the length of time in seconds that the model took to load our test DVD, measured from the time of pressing the 'load' button to the time the first video information is displayed onscreen. Depending on discs, load time may vary from our result. DVD load time (sec.)	16
DLNA compatible DLNA-enabled devices like Blu-ray players can receive digitally stored content like music, pictures, and videos over a home network connection--wireless or wired--from other compatible devices. The devices can include a computer, TV, DVR, set-top box, printer, and cell phone. For example, a computer running Windows 7 is already DLNA-enabled and will allow a DLNA-enabled Blu-ray player (with a built-in network connection) to "pull" digital photos and videos from the computer, with no additional software needed. DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance, an industry group that developed the standard and certification process covering how those media devices interact. DLNA compatible	No
Memory card slot This lets you connect an SD, SDHC, SDXC cards for multimedia playback such as music and photos and for BD-Live data storage to download extras like games and movie trailers in some players. Memory card slot	No
Internal memory Internal memory lets you access BD-Live to download online content, such as new movie trailers and movie-based games, when used with Internet-enabled BD-Live Blu-ray discs. To use BD-Live, a broadband Internet connection is required, and at least 1GB of memory in the player. Models that lack internal memory require additional memory to use BD-Live, in the form of a memory card or USB flash drive. Internal memory	No
Coaxial digital-audio out Digital-audio outputs are important only if your home-theater system lacks HDMI connections. As an alternative, you can pipe the digital audio signals--both stereo and multichannel--from the Blu-ray or DVD player, or television set-top box into a digital receiver. Coaxial digital audio interconnect, also called SPDIF cable, sends digital audio signals over a coaxial cable. This coaxial cable is the same as a composite-video cable -- both use common RCA connectors. Digital-audio, via coax or optical, supports multichannel Dolby Digital and DTS audio, but not the more advanced formats available over HDMI. When choosing your Blu-ray or DVD player, consider the models that have the outputs to match the inputs on your digital receiver or external, digital decoder. Most Blu-ray and DVD players have digital audio outputs--coaxial, optical, or both. Coaxial digital-audio out	Yes
Optical digital-audio out Digital-audio outputs are important only if your home-theater system lacks HDMI connections. As an alternative, you can pipe the digital audio signals--both stereo and multichannel--from the Blu-ray or DVD player, or television set-top box into a digital receiver. Optical digital audio interconnects, also called Toslink cables, send digital audio signals as pulses of light over optical fiber rather than an electrical signal over coaxial cable. Digital-audio, via optical or coax, supports multichannel Dolby Digital and DTS audio, but not the more advanced formats available over HDMI. Most optical cables use the small, squarish Toslink connector, but there's also a smaller mini optical connector, which looks a lot like a standard 1/8-inch mini-plug. When choosing your Blu-ray or DVD player, consider the models that have the outputs to match the inputs on your digital receiver or external, digital decoder. Most Blu-ray and DVD players have digital audio outputs--coaxial, optical, or both. Optical digital-audio out	No
Component out Component-video is a high quality analog video connection that can be used to transmit standard definition (480i), progressive-scan (480p), and upconverted and high definition (720p, 1080i, and 1080p) video signals. Component-video connections use three separate jacks that separate the video signal into three parts: two for color and one for luminance (the black and white signal). These connections are found on most video components that provide 480p through 1080p video. Note that most Blu-ray and upconverting DVD players will only transmit upconverted (720p, 1080i, or 1080p) video via an HDMI connection and will not transmit it through a Component-video connection. Component out	Yes
Wi-Fi capability This feature allows your player to connect to the Internet or to a home network without the use of a wired Ethernet connection. This is convenient when your Internet connection isn't near your entertainment setup, which would otherwise require you to run a long cable from room to room. A growing number of Blu-ray players can use Wi-Fi to connect to other DLNA-compliant devices in the home, enabling you to access digital music, videos, and photos stored on a computer or networked storage device and play them on the TV. Some players have built-in Wi-Fi capability, while others come with a Wi-Fi dongle (external adapter) that you plug into the player's USB port. In both cases, we denote Wi-Fi as a standard feature. Still other players require you to purchase the Wi-Fi dongle separately; in that case we indicate that Wi-Fi is optional. Wi-Fi capability	Optional
Type of streaming services Type of streaming services lists streaming services such as Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and Pandora Internet Radio that are available with latest firmware update at the time of testing. Internet connection is required and some services require subscription. Services may be added or removed with future firmware updates. Type of streaming services	Amazon, CinemaNow, Netflix, VUDU, Hulu Plus, Qriocity, YouTube, Slacker, Pandora
More features and specs

Additional Information (The information below has been supplied by an external source.)

General Information
Manufacturer	Sony Corporation
Manufacturer Website Address	www.sony.com
Product Model	BDP-S380
Product Name	BDP-S380 Blu-ray Disc Player
Product Type	Blu-ray Disc Player

User Reviews - Sony BDP-S380

Consumer Reports User Reviews

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from

CLT, NC

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Not what I expected

1/7/2012

Pros

Backwards Compatible

DVD Upconversion

Excellent Image Quality

Good Connections

Good Soundtrack Support

Has great features

Cons

Slow Load Time

Best Uses

DLP TV

LCD TV

Plasma TV

Comment:

Everything looked great on playing Blue Ray and DVD disk but when playing streaming movies or video, it stops constantly after a min or two to reload more info, then plays for another min or two. Even with netflick movies. I played the same movie using the same setup with a Roku box instead with no issues at all.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

Greg T

from

Tampa FL

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great for older TVs with component input

1/3/2012

Pros

Backwards Compatible

Easy Set-Up

Excellent Image Quality

Good Connections

Good Soundtrack Support

Upgradeable

Works with 27" tube TV

Cons

No Blockbuster

Best Uses

Home

Streaming

Comment:

My 2005 JVC TV with 480I has 4 inputs for Cable, Sony BDPS380, Magnavox VCR, Lite-on DVD recorder. Sony works great for Netflix, etc. This review is for people like me that want the maximum mileage out of older equipment. I am over 60 and now have Blu-ray & internet TV from the Sony.

How long have you owned it:

One-to-three months

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

Fletch

from

Columbia, SC

(36 of 36 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

All I need in a Blu-ray player

6/26/2011

Pros

Android remote

Backwards Compatible

DVD Upconversion

Easy Set-Up

Excellent Image Quality

Good Connections

Cons

No DLNA support

Wi-Fi not included

Best Uses

Home Theater

LCD TV

Sony Bravia TV

Comment:

This is Sony's current (2011) entry level Blu-ray player. Entry level or not, it is still a complete player. I won't go much into it's disk abilities, because you will find high quality disk playback in this as well as almost any other Blu-ray player. Rather, I'll focus on it's other features. In addition to doing a great job of handling Blu-ray disks and upconverting DVD's, the BDP-S380 does offer myriad options for streaming audio and video. Having a Sony receiver, Sony Bravia TV, and a nearby network router, this player is all I need. I had it set up and streaming Netflix, Amazon VOD, and Pandora in less than 15 minutes (computer required for setup). Sony also has an Android app that allows you to control the player. Why is this a good thing? Well, you can use the keyboard on your phone or tablet to search for content on YouTube, Netflix, etc. It's actually very useful. Also, because the Android remote works through your home network, you can even have the player in a different room or inside a cabinet and still operate it. The only real negative, and it's only a negative if you don't have a router or ethernet connection near your player, is that wi-fi is a cost prohibitive add-on. If you need wi-fi, step up to the next model. Note that you may find very negative reviews on other sites regarding how this player and earlier Sony Blu-rays handle Netflix (you could only play your existing queue). However, those shortcomings have been corrected and it works well.

How long have you owned it:

One-to-three months

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

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