Sony UBP X500 vs. X700

[LeSamourai.]

Hi all,

I plan to buy a 4k player from the UK store Multi-region Magic.

I'm considering these players:

1) Sony UBP-X500
2) Sony UBP-X700

The price difference is around £30 (£269 vs £299).

Which should I buy? Which is better in terms of reliabilty/durability/long-lasting/etc.?

I've not much idea re: 4k players as I've only had a standard Blu-ray player till now. I plan to buy a 4k TV next year; I'm buying the player because I want a second one and there's no point buying a non-4k.

Thank you.

[Jonathan McLeod]

You are being charged too much for either of them.

Buy this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-D.../dp/B07D9K6SC1

for the same as your more expensive option and live a much happier life.

If you are absolutely determined to tear your hair out with a Sony, you shouldn't be paying more than £120 for the X500 or £200 for the X700.

[Doc Samson]

I second the UP820. My first player was the X700 and I had so much trouble with it. It would lock up on almost every BD-100.

I finally bought the UB820 after 3 years and every disc plays perfectly.

[LeSamourai.]

Originally Posted by Jonathan McLeod

You are being charged too much for either of them.

Buy this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-D.../dp/B07D9K6SC1

for the same as your more expensive option and live a much happier life.

Originally Posted by Doc Samson

I second the UP820. My first player was the X700 and I had so much trouble with it. It would lock up on almost every BD-100.

I finally bought the UB820 after 3 years and every disc plays perfectly.

Thank you, both. The reason they're more expensive is because they've had multi-region modification done on them. Even the Panasonic you linked to is £449 in its region-modified version.

There are cheaper Panasonic players from the same seller- would you recommend any of those? £449 is quite a lot. Their prices on their page are the same as their prices on their Amazon UK store. Please do have a look:

https://www.mrmdvd.com/opencart/inde...tegory&path=33

[Jonathan McLeod]

I've only ever used the 820 so can't personally vouch for the others. As I understand it, the 420 shares the same internals as the 820, and also has the HDR optimiser. What it does not have, and what I see as absolutely the reason to get the 820, is Dolby Vision support. The 150 runs on a completely different chip and has none of the above. I wouldn't recommend.

I've never bothered with region free stuff myself, so you'd get better information from someone else, but looking at those specific prices for region-free versions, I can't help but think you might be better off just supplementing your main player with a dedicated Region A player instead?

[PlexShaw]

I'm also in the UK and got a multi-region version of the Panasonic UB450 to replace my Sony X700 as I was fed up with the BD-100 discs freezing all the time and hated having to manually switch it into Dolby Vision mode for discs that have it. I don't have the space for a dedicated Region A player, so this was the best option for me as I needed the player to be multi-region for Blu-ray (as well as DVD).

There are definitely a few operational quirks with the UB450 and I would strongly recommend getting a larger third-party replacement remote as the supplied one is awful but otherwise I'm very glad I swapped as BD-100's play on it without freezing and it detects Dolby Vision automatically.

[Yogi6807]

I never knew the x500 existed until this post.

[LeSamourai.]

Originally Posted by Jonathan McLeod

[Show spoiler]I've only ever used the 820 so can't personally vouch for the others. As I understand it, the 420 shares the same internals as the 820, and also has the HDR optimiser. What it does not have, and what I see as absolutely the reason to get the 820, is Dolby Vision support. The 150 runs on a completely different chip and has none of the above. I wouldn't recommend.

I've never bothered with region free stuff myself, so you'd get better information from someone else, but looking at those specific prices for region-free versions, I can't help but think you might be better off just supplementing your main player with a dedicated Region A player instead?

Thank you. A separate player of good quality might cost more than buying this all in one. Space is an issue, too. What is Dolby Vision (in ELI5 terms)?

Originally Posted by PlexShaw

[Show spoiler]I'm also in the UK and got a multi-region version of the Panasonic UB450 to replace my Sony X700 as I was fed up with the BD-100 discs freezing all the time and hated having to manually switch it into Dolby Vision mode for discs that have it. I don't have the space for a dedicated Region A player, so this was the best option for me as I needed the player to be multi-region for Blu-ray (as well as DVD).

There are definitely a few operational quirks with the UB450 and I would strongly recommend getting a larger third-party replacement remote as the supplied one is awful but otherwise I'm very glad I swapped as BD-100's play on it without freezing and it detects Dolby Vision automatically

.

Thank you for the details. For how long have you had the Panasonic UB450? And do you have any experience with the Panasonic 820?

[PlexShaw]

Originally Posted by LeSamourai.

Thank you for the details. For how long have you had the Panasonic UB450? And do you have any experience with the Panasonic 820?

I've had the UB450 since September this year.

I have absolutely zero experience with the 820 but it wasn't on my radar as it would have been an awkward fit for my home entertainment stand and I couldn't really justify the extra cost over the 450.