Sony UBP-X800 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by Frank@Chicago

I wonder if X800 will ever get thumbnail pictures for discs?

After using PS3 and PS4 for playback, I started to take that for granted.

Anything would be better than that white box with scrolling text.

Thumbnails would be a nice 'quality of life' improvement.

Yeah, I'd like that as well.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I'm just keeping my region-free BD player hooked up. Makes it easier to compare UHDs to BDs anyway.

This is true, but just for ease of use when not doing comparison junk it'd be nice to have it all in the one player. As I said, even region free for DVD would be a start.

Originally Posted by DJR662

Isn't there a more simple solution for DVDs using those one 4 all universal remotes?

I never had any problems with mine but I'm more willing to take the risk since the guy lives an hour's drive away from me, should there be any problems then I'll just go to him. Btw I just checked and it was 150 Euro each for the Sony S570 and S790 and 125 Euros for a Sony S350.

The remote hack doesn't work, I guess because this is an all-new decoding chipset the old tricks don't apply (or if they do, the new trick hasn't been found yet).

[Drewbee87]

Just had a Birthday on the 17th and got $350 total from relatives. Debating on blowing it all on this and some movies or waiting until I have a new TV that can handle HDR.

[HDTV1080P]

Unless Sony surprises everyone with a Dolby Vision update this year, this Sony UBP-X800 might have a hardware limitation that will not allow it to decode Dolby Vision. Only OPPO and LG have 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players with the Dolby Vision feature.

[movielover1069]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

Unless Sony surprises everyone with a Dolby Vision update this year, this Sony UBP-X800 might have a hardware limitation that will not allow it to decode Dolby Vision. Only OPPO and LG have 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players with the Dolby Vision feature.

Have any of you guys actually seen any examples of Dolby Vision? If so, how is it better than HDR 10?

[HDTV1080P]

Originally Posted by movielover1069

Have any of you guys actually seen any examples of Dolby Vision? If so, how is it better than HDR 10?

Dolby Vision HDR is 12bit color and HDR10 is 10bit color. Dolby Cinema theaters use both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby ATMOS. Therefore since Dolby Vision HDR is an official format used in commercial movie theaters, we should see many new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players and movies using this format. High-end DLP projectors use Dolby Vision HDR and once and awhile one can see a Dolby Vision demo at a retail store on a OLED display. Dolby Vision HDR does look a little better then HDR10, however to see it you have to have the proper equipment. The Blu-ray player, A/V receiver, and display all have to have or be firmware upgradable to a minimum of HDMI 2.0b to use Dolby Vision HDR (That is if one wants to use the A/V receiver as a HDMI switcher for both video and audio).


Right now less than 1% off the human population is able to experience Dolby Vision HDR at home because they do not have the proper equipment.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by movielover1069

Have any of you guys actually seen any examples of Dolby Vision? If so, how is it better than HDR 10?

Keep in mind that for some people this question is the equivalent of "but why is your local team the one that should win?"

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by movielover1069

Have any of you guys actually seen any examples of Dolby Vision? If so, how is it better than HDR 10?

per the HignDefDigest UDP-203 review by M. Enois Duarte who has in several reviews made those DV vs HDR10 comparisons. Click his link for AV gear utilized.

Since the release of Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 back in early June, I've had the opportunity of enjoying Dolby Vision HDR on physical media. This is thanks largely to the fact that the UDP-203 is the only player currently on the market that plays the DV format. (At least, until LG finally releases the firmware update for their UP970.) With the promise of a brighter and wider array of colors, both animated films are simply phenomenal. Compared to their HD SDR counterparts, primaries pop with intense energy, practically oozing off the screen, making the Blu-ray almost seem dull and limited. One of my favorite moments in the first movie is Gru talking with next-door neighbor Fred and notice the true-to-life yellows of Fred's shirt bursting against a luminous blue sky and lush green grass. In the sequel, the birthday at the beginning with all the balloons and party favors should serve as perfect demo clips. The improved highlights in that same sequence also provide metallic objects with a shockingly realistic glow, and the movie comes with many examples of rich, silky blacks that are even better than the UHD.

Of course, when it comes to animated films, they're practically guaranteed — or at least, more likely — to be of reference quality, so the bigger question is how does the OPPO player do with live-action film in Dolby Vision. And the short answer is exceptional. Look no further than the 4K UHD of Power Rangers for several examples of where the DV beats out the HDR10 version. Not only are the Rangers' costumes more vibrant and colorful, there is actually more variation in the makeup work of Bryan Cranston's Zordon at the beginning of the movie, exposing what I suspect are veins that are of a darker blue shade than the rest of his body. This tiny detail is not as apparent in HDR10. Also, Rita Repulsa's sparse outfit comes with a more brilliant emerald green glow, and her golden staff seems to glisten and shine a bit more in bright, daylight exteriors. But the best scene for noting the marked improvement and the player's ability to handle it all is when the teens circle the morphing grid and an intensely blinding white light engulfs them. In Dolby Vision, the wrinkles and creases in the clothes remain distinct, and the glowing light is tighter and more controlled while retaining rich, luxurious blacks in the background. Although its HDR10 counterpart also delivers a reference quality presentation, the UDP-203 allows for a noteworthy difference in Dolby Vision.

Hope this helps.

[electricloseyland]

Originally Posted by Frank@Chicago

I wonder if X800 will ever get thumbnail pictures for discs?

After using PS3 and PS4 for playback, I started to take that for granted.

Anything would be better than that white box with scrolling text.

Thumbnails would be a nice 'quality of life' improvement.

Yes! Here I thought I was the only person pining for the thumbnails. It's a small thing, but it would be a nice touch.

(Come to think of it, the menu screen as a whole could take a few design cues from the PS3's.)

[movielover1069]

What is the correct setting on this machine for Blu-ray upconversion to 4K? Auto 1 or Auto 2?

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by movielover1069

What is the correct setting on this machine for Blu-ray upconversion to 4K? Auto 1 or Auto 2?

Auto 1 is some special handshake with Sony TVs. Auto 2 is for every other brand. Auto will choose the correct one automatically.

[Blu350z]

So my 4k disc of guardians of the galaxy is not being recognized by my player. Anyone else?

[Pieter V]

Originally Posted by Blu350z

So my 4k disc of guardians of the galaxy is not being recognized by my player. Anyone else?

-Do you have the latest firmware? (August 10th)
-Any dust/dirt on the disc?
-Return your copy and try again
-Start a chat with Sony and submit your feedback
-Contact Disney

[Cortiz]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Auto 1 is some special handshake with Sony TVs. Auto 2 is for every other brand. Auto will choose the correct one automatically.

Auto 1 = TV will do the upscaling

Auto 2 = Player will do the upscaling


I've had Sony 4K Upscaling players since the S790 and this is how it has always worked.

[dobyblue]

My experiences so far with this player, keeping in mind I'm not discussing 4K playback, are mixed. I think it's very puzzling to not have a single button other than the EJECT and POWER buttons, if you can't find the remote with many other players just pressing "ENTER" when the disc hits the main menu will usually "PLAY MOVIE" - this thing is unusable without it, completely.

There is no 1080i50 playback, there is no PAL playback. Advertising this with such an accent on the universal playback feature and not having the ability to play region free PAL DVDs and region free 1080i50 Blu-rays (converting to 1080i60 on the fly like all Samsung Blu-ray players have done since the BD-P1000) seems short-sighted.

The USB port is very cheap, you went with a flip out front panel for the disc eject, but the USB panel has a little plug stopper type connection that just dangles open.

The media server functionality, which is important given how Sony markets the high resolution audio capabilities, it errors every time you boot your server for high res audio if you don't have any video files on the media server because it defaults to video. Seems backasswards if you're going to tout all the playback features of audio including the DSEE HX Digital Sound Enhancement Engine.

Odd not to have a USB port in the rear.

Otherwise I'm happy that it plays back surround FLAC and DSD files via external USB HDD/flash drive, and the MKV playback is also very good. Load times for files from USB whether FLAC, mp3, mp4 video, MKV, whatever, is excellent, almost instant playback whereas my other players tend to take several seconds to begin playback.

SACD and DVD-Audio playback are excellent, very quick, handshaking very fast.

For those considering a universal player that don't care about PAL and 1080i50, this is certainly a very decent option. If you're limited to 1080p and have a non-HDCP 2.2 AVR this player also works very well, handshakes very quickly and sets all settings to what you'd typically have your Blu-ray player set to.

Blu-ray load times are very fast, playback is great, 3D playback also great.

With the few caveats, if I can upgrade to an Oppo at some point I will, but for the US$268 I paid on Amazon I have to say overall I'm pretty pleased with my purchase. I have an Orei BDP-M2 for my 1080i50 and PAL discs which is also region free and capable of playing anything so I'm not missing out, would prefer a one player rules them all though.

[Geoff D]

North American player from large mass-manufacture company in 'not playing 50Hz' shocker

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

North American player from large mass-manufacture company in 'not playing 50Hz' shocker

And yet every budget sub-$100 player from Samsung, the largest CE company in the world, since they hit that mark (several years now) has played 1080i50 discs.

Also the PlayStation 4 plays 1080i50 discs...from Sony.

And in what will likely be a shocker to you, none of THOSE products were marketed like this:







Seems you missed the point, with Sony adding DVD-Audio support for the first time in 18+ years and positioning this and the non-4K player as options in the universal disc market, they've skipped functionality that almost ALL other universal players support...PAL > NTSC playback and 1080i50 > 1080i60 playback. It's not a shocker, but noteworthy.

[Geoff D]

But Sony aren't Samsung. And the standalone player is not a PS4 (which doesn't actually play UHDs at all, or even CDs!). Besides, it does say "almost any disc" and "almost certainly be able to play it" and "almost anything you like". I don't see the word "universal" either. Like it or not, there's wiggle room there and given the historic lack of 50Hz playback on Sony standalones I wouldn't have expected it this time, same goes for PAL to NTSC conversion.

As for your first point I haven't had a player with a front-mounted play/enter button in years and it's never been an issue. Even if I don't have the player's remote to hand the HDMI CEC function will allow playback using the TV remote. If there's some sort of remote control apocalypse where they all get wiped out then sure, I guess I'm screwed but this hellish prospect won't keep me up at night.

[nospam]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

My experiences so far with this player, keeping in mind I'm not discussing 4K playback, are mixed. I think it's very puzzling to not have a single button other than the EJECT and POWER buttons, if you can't find the remote with many other players just pressing "ENTER" when the disc hits the main menu will usually "PLAY MOVIE" - this thing is unusable without it, completely.

There is no 1080i50 playback, there is no PAL playback. Advertising this with such an accent on the universal playback feature and not having the ability to play region free PAL DVDs and region free 1080i50 Blu-rays (converting to 1080i60 on the fly like all Samsung Blu-ray players have done since the BD-P1000) seems short-sighted.

DVD is the past, so while it is odd PAL DVDs aren't playing (I'll have to test a PAL disc myself) I don't think it can be viewed as "short-sighted".

The player can be controlled via HDMI-CEC aka Bravia-Link aka SimpLink etc. I can control it via both Sony and LG TVs as well as a Marantz AV7702mkII via CEC. You can also program your AVR and/or TV remote ls to control the UBP via IR. Finally, the TV SideView app can control the UBP via IP. Harmony 650/700 remotes are dirt cheap now and work well [as do the higher up models.

While a play/pause button on the unit would have been nice, you are far from out of luck if you lose the remote. I haven't seen my remote in weeks!

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Cortiz

Auto 1 = TV will do the upscaling

Auto 2 = Player will do the upscaling


I've had Sony 4K Upscaling players since the S790 and this is how it has always worked.

We're kinda both right. I remembered the manual saying Auto1 was for Sony equipment, and it does, but it's something about photo mode on Sony equipment, not video. In any event mine is on auto and it outputs at 4k.