Sturdy unit, great remote, numerous features, plentiful outputs, easy to follow on-screen menus.

Picture could be sharper, but is adjustable.

I agonized over this decision before finally buying the S560D. I have a 27" Panasonic TV purchased 6 years ago with a standard stereo system - no surround, no Dolby capabilities, etc. My goal was to buy the best player between $200-300, with an eye toward expanding my system in the future.

Since my receiver is not Dolby ready, I first purchased the Sony 360 since I didn't really need the decoder. Then I purchased the Panasonic RV-30, and truth be told, the Panasonic had a sharper picture - but only slightly, and only if you sit there like a nerd for hours (like me) comparing the pictures. But the Panasonic seemed like a flimsy unit, and the remote/on-screen menu system stinks. It also didn't have the output selection that the Sony had. So, out with the Panasonic, in with the Sony.

I then noticed that the 560 had more menu features than the 360, including video enhancement features. If you're at all picky about your picture, these features will be of importance to you. There were also more output jacks on this unit. The lowest Internet price I could find at the time was $260, which Sears matched. When all was said and done, the 560 was $15-20 more than the 360, so I gladly paid the difference for the features mentioned above.

Have enjoyed the unit so far. I think the blue light on the front panel that some have complained about is cool looking. And I have heard NO noise coming from the disc tray during playback, which seems to be a common complaint. Even if there was, I would think an enclosed stereo case would solve that.

Finally, my advice to those with a system like mine is to NOT purchase a Monster Cable like the salespeople pressure you to do. I have an S-video connection on my TV, and the Monster Cable makes no difference. Perhaps on higher end models it does, but not with me.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 360, Panasonic RV-30

There aren't any

cheap build, flimsy disc tray, unreliable

This is the first Sony product thats let me down. I've used older CD players and TV that work fine. I just received it last week from Netmarket. This player gave me problems immediately. The first CD I tried it paused on the second track. Then I couldn't get the tray to open. I had to reset the power switch to retrieve the disc. Finally I seemed to get it to play CD's fine. Gave it the benefit of the doubt..figured it had to get broken in or something. Today I tried out a brand new Pulp Fiction DVD and the thing can't get past the FBI screen without shutting down. The disc just stops spinning and it powers down. Finally after about 10 power resets I got it to work. I'm Sending it back tomorrow anyway. I'm thinking about the DVP-S7700 based on decent reviews or the Onkyo DVS-535.

Similar Products Used:

first DVD product

There aren't any

cheap build, flimsy disc tray, unreliable

This is the first Sony product thats let me down. I've used older CD players and TV that work fine. I just received it last week from Netmarket. This player gave me problems immediately. The first CD I tried it paused on the second track. Then I couldn't get the tray to open. I had to reset the power switch to retrieve the disc. Finally I seemed to get it to play CD's fine. Gave it the benefit of the doubt..figured it had to get broken in or something. Today I tried out a brand new Pulp Fiction DVD and the thing can't get past the FBI screen without shutting down. The disc just stops spinning and it powers down. Finally after about 10 power resets I got it to work. I'm Sending it back tomorrow anyway. I'm thinking about the DVP-S7700 based on decent reviews or the Onkyo DVS-535.

Similar Products Used:

first DVD product

**ATTENTION! THIS MAY HELP!**
I bought my S560D late last July. I have a Sony pro logic receiver so the dolby digital feature was perfect.Like many other owners who have posted here, the player ran without a hitch for the first six or seven months. Then the skipping,stopping,jumping,breakup up of the picture started. The works. I couldn't watch a 2 hr. movie. At first only for a moment(I'm not talking about the chapte changing pause)and has increased in frequency until it won't play after two minutes. I use only brand new DVD's. I thought it was an overheating issue. I keep everything in an audio cabinet without ventilation so I moved it away from any heat and kept the door to the cabinet open. No difference. It still craps out.
Last night I tried the DiscWasher lens cleaning and diognostic kit. The diognostic tracks are great.(There's a different diognostic for each track on the CD).I ran the disc,cleaned the lense,found there was something out of
phase,corrected it, and ran the demagnetizing track.
Now came the big moment. I put in Ben-Hur and crossed my fingers. It played perfectly! Crisp and smooth. The cabinet door remained closed throughout. I'm guilty of not cleaning
the lense before this but honestly in a closed closed door
cabinet using new disks I didn't think it would give out after 6 months. My CD and CDROM players have never had a problem even after years of use.
I don't know if this will solve everyone's problem but it's worth a shot for $20 before having to deal with repairs or returns. As far as other reviewers calling people who have these problems idiots, I was on your side before the problems started. Just hope it doesn't happen to you.
I'll post an update soon.

Size, style, quality of movie play. Manual and remote great.

None so far.

This was our first DVD and we're glad we made the leap. Have watched several new and rental DVDs and never had a problem. Quality of sound and picture were great. Even on rentals, there was no skipping or hesitation. The menu control pad, on the remote is easy to use and makes instant sense.

As to other reviews, we haven't heard a peep out of the disk drawer noise problem. Yes, it's a light-weight cabinet, but I'm not planning on dancing on top of it.

The remote is such an ease to operate, I couldn't even tell you what the panel controls do. I'd advise you to throw away the Sony batteries that come with the set. Used them on a remote for a Sony VCR we bought and they were nothing but a headach.

The manual was the best I've ever seen Sony produce. They take you through hook-up and programing step by step, so even a 1st time DVD user has no problems. I've heard so many comments about how other Sony equipment is difficult to operate, and can say that their VCR manuals (two different manuals) were a bit cumbersome. Not with this unit. I hope this is going to be a new trend.

Can't report on CD music, as we haven't used this feature, and probably won't unless our CD player breaks down.

All in all, this unit was well worth the money.

Similar Products Used:

Sony VCR

Sleek, when working properly I love it.

Drive is loud, scene skipping, no disk message is common when inserting disk.

So far I have had the DVD player for a month and have had numerous skips on DVD's, I was also told about the cleaning kit and used it on DVD's and have had no more problems. I also have inserted a movie and had a NO DISK message appear. My wife is really frustrated, I wish that I had known about this site. I have always had Sony products and have always been extremely happy and have recommended Sony to everyone, however this is one product that I deffinitely will not speak well about.

Similar Products Used:

1st DVD player

Good quality when working.

Too many problems.

Stay away from this model. I was a die hard Sony enthusiast for the past 10-12 years, but will not purchase a Sony again without careful consideration. I am getting a "no Disk" message with new DVDs. It is only 3 months old and I maybe use it once a week (tops). Be warned - stay away!

I didn't get enough time to enjoy the DVD player to say that it had any strengths.

Skips
Pauses
Stops playing
no disc error with a brand new DVD inside.

I purchased my DVD player from Tweeter in Wilmintongton, DE in Nov. By Feb, my DVD player was out of commission. I took the player back to tweeter only to find out it was not under warranty with them anymore. They cmentioned that they could send it in to Sony for me so Sony could look at it. For them to send it back it would cost me $110 just to look at it, that not even to fix it ( the jerk said "$50.00 to mail it and $60.00 for labor"). I asked them what labor are you doing to the machine and they said this is labor that Sony will charge, part are still under warranty. So after giving him my 2 cents and a few other things I can repeat, I called Sony. I mailed it off last week and can't wait to see what's wrong with it. Everything else I have with my system is Sony, but, I will never purchase a DVD player from them again. All other pieces are great, just this one piece of .............. I wish I would have read the reviews, I would have saved my self the pain.

Picture, easy set-up, 5.1 outputs, built in decoder

not sure if dolby digital is working right

I just have a question. I have a Sony reciever that is dolby digital ready ie. no decoder but 5.1 inputs on back of receiver. When I hit the test tone button on the DVD player the rear speakers fire with the front speakers. I do not have this problem with my receiver when I turn the DVD player off and perform a test tone. Anyone else have this problem???

Similar Products Used:

none

Features, Size, Price, Reliability (fingers crossed)

Haven't found any yet.

So, like so many others on this board, I finally found myself the victim of Panasonic's built-in obsolesence this past weekend. The first signs of trouble appeared when I got around to playing the copy of The Matrix that I received for Christmas. Right around the one hour mark I got all kinds of pixelization and freezes. A few days later I went to play my copy of Deep Blue Sea and had all kinds of problems. DOH!

So, after sucessfully convincing my wife that a new player was the right answer (my A-310 was about two years old), I set out to pick a more reliable model. After reading reviews here and elsewhere on the 'Net, I narrowed my search down to the Sony DVP-S360 and DVP-S560D. At first, I was leaning away from the S560D because my receiver (Sony STR555ES) already has onboard Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS decoding.

What ultimately convinced me to purchase the S560D despite the fact that it was $50 more than the S360 boiled down to the Video Enhancement feature and the remote control. Having heard several grumblings that Sony's picture is "soft", I wanted to have the ability to sharpen things through the VE feature. The difference between remotes was that the volume buttons could only operate both a TV's volume and a receiver's volume on the S560 (thanks to the mode switch. On the S360 it looked like you could only do one or the other (TV volume or receiver volume). It didn't hurt that the S560D also sported more ways to tweak the audio output of the player.

So, decision on model in hand, I took some printed price quotes from the Internet with me to my local Sears store. I expected some haggling over S&H, so I had a copy of what S&H was on the lowest-priced model I could find ($228 + 28.95), and what Sears.com would have charged ($299 + 6.50). I suggested that the sales rep split the shipping difference with me, and he agreed ($228.00 + 15.00 = 243.00). Not too shabby!

Of course I had to pay sales tax on top of this (@$13.00), and I had decided to get a 2-year service contract through Sears ($37.00), based on how things had gone bad with my Panny. Everthing ended up totalling under $300, and that is still before the $50 rebate that Sony is offering on purchasers of the S360 and the S560D until 3/31/01. Thats why my price above is listed as $193 (includes the rebate I am sending for, does not include sales tax or maintenance agreement).

I'm hooking the unit up later today, so I can't honestly comment on how it will work with my system. I'll post if anything is less than what I expect. All signs point to pure happiness going into this weekend!

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic A-310, Sony DVP-S360