Visual fault with blue ray player BDP-S373

[iaabbot81]

Is anyone who has purchased the BDP-S373 also experiencing problems playing normal DVDs? With a particularly dark picture, or scene there is a distinct discolouration of the bottom 8-10cm of the screen. This is still the case after testing different TVs, different HDMI cables, different DVDs etc. and updating the firmware.

I have even returned to the store and after a few attempts got a replacement. This, it turns out, has exactly the same fault. I'm in the process of make a written complaint to customer services, alongside planning more trips back and forth to the Sony Centre to try and solve the problem.

If more people can see this fault, it might go some way to explaining why it came free with the television I bought!

[Outtasight]

Are you watching on HDMI?  I'm using a 370 (that is supposed to be  identical to the 373 except for the light-up remote) and I don't see any  colour banding on DVDs.  I tried some B&W movies too as it should  show up obviously on them.

But I'm watching on component analogue via a projector that does not have HDMI.

Another  thing... when watching DVDs it doesn't seem to upscale as when I press  the Display button on the 370 remote it always says the DVD is showing  in 576p mode.  The component analogue setting in on the 370 is set to  1080i though.  Blu-rays show in hi def though so it's only DVDs that  show in 576p mode for some reason.

[iaabbot81]

I am watching on HDMI, and a discussion with the local repair centre explains that this is partly the problem.

You won't have experienced the problem because it is in fact the up-scaling via HDMI that is displaying the problem. I'm told this is an issue with all BDP-S373 at the moment (and possibly on other models as well), and Sony Technical apparently don't know how to rectify the problem except to turn-off the up-scaling in the settings of the player.

I've been told that the Sony Technical people are working on it, and I'll have to survive on playing DVDs without up-scaling until they can release some software to rectify the problem.

I don't know much about up-scaling, and whether or not it's at all possible to do so with a component connection. If it is, and you could get a normal DVD to play in 1080i mode it would be interesting to see if you then get the same problem...

Thanks for the feedback.