Sony UBP-X800 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[eddievanhalen]

Originally Posted by Paul.R.S

Thanks for the comments, Mr. Van Halen. (I assume you mean the player stopped working in March 2018.)

Over the years, I've owned/flipped about a dozen BD players. OPPO, Sony and Panny decks. I've never had one behave the way multiple people have described about their X800s herein, namely repeatedly freezing on (UHD) BDs and/or ceasing playing any kind of disc after a year or (much) less of ownership.

The not-entirely-analogous "exceptions" would be: the OPPO BDP-83's glitchy playback of SACDs and DVD-As, which it was my understanding was a Mediatek SoC issue; and last year my Panny DMP-BDT220 stopped recognizing all BDs. That's a six year-old player. I bought another one for $60 on Amazon Marketplace since I generally have been pleased with Panny's BD players going all the way back to the DMP-BD10 (their first) and I prefer the traditional 17-inch rack mount form factor and wanted analog outs--both of which started getting left behind in 2012 due to "Analog Sunset." So that makes a total of four of the BDT220s (I bought two for my parents) with only the one (so far) crapping out like that.

My point is that it just seems borderline inexcusable for Sony, a company with nearly unparalleled (?) engineer bench depth and hardware experience to have these kinds of problems on a deck that's "only" handling an "extension" to a format that's been with us for 12 years now. I understand that a lot has changed in terms of the bottom lines of CE in that time. I'm not an engineer but I would have thought that a deck that "only" adds UHD BD playback--not even DV--would perhaps choke on UHD BDs but still play everything else. Whether it's an SoC issue or a QC issue, I just find it dismaying that this is happening at all, much less for players with list prices above what all other mass manufacturer BD players are selling for these days.

You mention 100Gb BDs and that's nice but, at the rate the format is going, the quantity of UHD BDs I (will) own is going to perennially be outnumbered by the number of DVD-As and certainly SA-CDs I own. Have you taken the player through its paces with those formats? Sony has very little experience with DVD-A so it's all the more cause for concern for me when they can't apparently get the (UHD) BD stuff ironed out at launch.

Unless a Sony engineer says it's because of DVD-A/MLP capability that these other problems exist . . .?

Thanks for your reply. I still remember the Sony ES range from the 1990's, those were semi-High End components built like a tank that really shined and at affordable price. Those were the "It's A Sony" years.
I think Sony is more interested now on the T.V. upper range of the market and selling Playstations. They don't have high quality A/V receivers, or CD players and their BD players are subpar for a brand like Sony, including the UBP X-800.
The X-800 is a midrange multiformat player that just gets the job done. I said before I think its low point is quality control. I do think the player is designed to play right and do a fine job at what it does IF you're lucky to get a player with all its components working right as a whole. I was not lucky with my first X-800 as it often froze it was almost impossible to play a 3 layer/100 Gb disc (Pacific Rim, Westworld season 1) without several freezings. With the new X-800 I got from Sony I NEVER had a single freezing and I've played quite some new discs on it some of them 3 layer discs like the European version of The Matrix, Game Of Thrones season 1, Westworld season 2 or 2001 A Space Oddyssey, and these haven't frozen.
This may be because of two reasons, one, I was lucky and got a "good" X-800, or two, Sony internally corrected something on the newly made X-800. My first X-800 was preordered 3 months before it was marketed so it was a first batch player, the new one I got from Sony around a year after it was first marketed so after so many issues reported Sony located what was causing these issues and corrected it.

[danran1271]

I own 3 of the UBPX800 players. Mine are all first generation players that were sent to retail directly for display in stores. I have never had any issues with any of them freezing up or not playing disc. The only issues I have had are glitches with the 4k disc themselves. I buy new disc that are pre scratched or pre smudged, they have issues. I clean them or return them for replacements and no issues at all. I have tried the other players,as well as used others for continuous displays in stores and the Sony out last them all. Maybe I've been lucky?

[Paul.R.S]

GKolb: Perhaps you misspoke but you used the word "universal"--that's what my point/question was about. If the player doesn't do SA-CD and/or DVD-A, it's not a universal player in the sense that term has been used as far as disc players are concerned.

[Paul.R.S]

Van Halen:

Originally Posted by Paul.R.S

You mention 100Gb BDs and that's nice but, at the rate the format is going, the quantity of UHD BDs I (will) own is going to perennially be outnumbered by the number of DVD-As and certainly SA-CDs I own. Have you taken the player through its paces with those formats? Sony has very little experience with DVD-A so it's all the more cause for concern for me when they can't apparently get the (UHD) BD stuff ironed out at launch.

You unfortunately didn't answer my question so I'm starting to assume the answer is a big "No."

[eddievanhalen]

Originally Posted by Paul.R.S

Van Halen:



You unfortunately didn't answer my question so I'm starting to assume the answer is a big "No."

I've never had any issues with SACD's on this player but I must say that I seldom played them as I have all my SACD discs ripped, got their tracks stracted with ISO2DSD and play the resulting DSD files, either stereo or multichannel, from a Toshiba SSD.
Regarding DVD-Audio discs I have a few of them, the soundtrack for Artificial Intelligence (both the stereo and multichannel tracks are 88.1/24), Foreigner S/T (96/24), Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet as a DualDisc, the DVD side is a DVD-Audio (96/24) and Iron Maiden's Dance Of The Death (I think it's 48/24), they all played well but as with SACD's I haven't played them much as the only one of this bunch I really like is Foreigner S/T and I have it on SACD released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs that sounds much better. I don't like DVD-Audio discs, I dislike its menus. On this regard most BD-Audio discs are well authored and thought and you can sellect the stereo or multichannel tracks using the color buttons and then push play,no need to have a monitor to play them.

[Old Bones]

A few times the deck wont turn on by both the remote or the panel button , but a 30 second unplug has always fixed it

[Paul.R.S]

Thanks, VH, but we have different needs/priorities/"consumption patterns."

[eddievanhalen]

Originally Posted by Paul.R.S

Thanks, VH, but we have different needs/priorities/"consumption patterns."

But one need in common: Gattaca. I want it on UHD BD, the sooner the better.
I love that movie I can't believe It's been over 21 years since I saw it at the cinema.

[Pieter V]

Firmware update version M36.R.0338 for UBP-X800
12/03/2019

• Removes the Gracenote® function

[Paul.R.S]

Yes, Gattaca is a special picture (in no small part thanks to a haunting Michael Nyman score). Remarkable cinematography (from Slawomir Idziak, the same DP as Black Hawk Down). And wow look at 1997 Ethan Hawke.

Originally Posted by Pieter V

Firmware update version M36.R.0338 for UBP-X800
12/03/2019

• Removes the Gracenote® function

Pieter, do you know why all these years later we are seeing "baked" technology like Gracenote removed from a player? Why was it added in the first place if there was an interoperability (or legal?) issue.

[Pieter V]

Originally Posted by Paul.R.S

Pieter, do you know why all these years later we are seeing "baked" technology like Gracenote removed from a player? Why was it added in the first place if there was an interoperability (or legal?) issue.

No idea. Maybe Sony has a server up and running no longer wants to invest into it. Never used Gracenote, if I want info I will Google it. Maybe Sony has the same thoughts as I do.

Same goes for all those BD-live functions, half-dead.

[WKoA13]

Originally Posted by Pieter V

No idea. Maybe Sony has a server up and running no longer wants to invest into it. Never used Gracenote, if I want info I will Google it. Maybe Sony has the same thoughts as I do.

Same goes for all those BD-live functions, half-dead.

Aaaah, good ol BD-live and using the internet to "improve" our movie watching experience.

God knows there's nothing I loved more on a Universal disc than popping it in, and then waiting for it to "find the latest trailers" online so I could skip them.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Paul.R.S

Pieter, do you know why all these years later we are seeing "baked" technology like Gracenote removed from a player?

Jumping in here with a guess. Sony owned Gracenote for several years then sold it. They probably had rights to its use for a period of time.

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Paul.R.S

Yes, Gattaca is a special picture (in no small part thanks to a haunting Michael Nyman score). Remarkable cinematography (from Slawomir Idziak, the same DP as Black Hawk Down). And wow look at 1997 Ethan Hawke.



Pieter, do you know why all these years later we are seeing "baked" technology like Gracenote removed from a player? Why was it added in the first place if there was an interoperability (or legal?) issue.

I could be mistaken, but, I thought Oppo removed Gracenotes last year, never really saying why either. again, I could be mistaken so sorry if I'm wrong.

[HDTV1080P]

When I get a chance today I well update the firmware over a Ethernet connection.




About this 3-12-19 firmware download

Benefits and improvements from the latest update

• Removes the Gracenote® function

Previous Benefits and Improvements

• Improves HDMI connection stability
• Enables HDR10 for Prime Video content
• Solves playback issue for specific Blu-ray titles
• Extends Ultra HD Blu-ray compatibility (Japan and North America)
• Improves the stability of network service
• Solves possible disc playback issues
• Improved intense color quality on HDR Content playback
• Improved compatibility with OLED TVs from other brands
• Supports additional network services (YouTube, Spotify Connect)
• Extends 4K UHD content availability on some TVs
• UI (background) has been changed
• Supports some network services

[HDTV1080P]

I always considered the Grace Note feature a benefit when playing audio CD's. How is removing the feature considered a improvement?

[HDTV1080P]

Most firmware updates are required to play the latest Blu-ray discs that contain the latest encryption keys. Therefore if I lose gracenote its not the end of the world. However consumers do not like to lose features that they originally paid for.

[HDTV1080P]

I just updated two Sony UBP-X800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players to the latest firmware released today. Both updates went smoothly over a wired Ethernet connection. After update both players appear to be working just fine.

[Deviancy]

I just updated to the firmware that came out today for the BDP6700, the release notes are a bit different however. The notes say it gets rid of Gracenote (the thumbnail saying gracenote is ending on the 28th is still on the front screen however) and it says mentions that network connectivity has been improved. That bit spooks me since nothing was wrong to begin, at least via ethernet, maybe there were wifi issues?

I wonder how long it'll take before they get rid of the Gracenote is ending thumbnail on the front screen, its annoying. I guess they're giving users a lot of time to be notified to reduce tech calls/emails.

[Frank@Chicago]

Why are we being 'upgraded' from v239 to v238? Isn't that going backwards.

That seems just weird, like when the X700 replaced the X800...