Sony UBP-X800 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I did also aks David if maybe this conversion functionality is detected by the EDID, my thinking being that if you were to plug a UK player (which outputs 50Hz as 50Hz, I'm not making it up, see photos) into a TV which lacked 50Hz capability then it would detect that and activate the conversion - but he didn't think it was, so the conversion simply appears to be a default feature of the US models.

Okay, to add some more confusion then, I just called 220electronics and asked them if the X800 has built-in PAL/NTSC conversion from Sony, or if that is added with their mod, and the guy I spoke to said it is added in the mod, not built-in from Sony. I'm not sure who I talked to though. So then some Sony players convert 50Hz>60Hz and some don't? That makes it even trickier to make sure I pick the right player.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

But with a UK one being $320 then that's a hefty premium over the $199 US version you're willing to pay anyway, if you can swallow that you might as well go all in and drop the extra clams on the full-fat modded version which is seemingly the only way you'll get region B AND the 50-60 conversion on a Sony player.

And yeah, I get that you want to verify shit but what's so exasperating is that you don't actually want to believe anyone who tells you something to the contrary.

I didn't say I don't believe you. I wanted to make sure we're understanding each other. It sounds like you're getting more frustrated than I am, and I'm the one that just discovered my plans for this player fell apart. I just want to make sure I don't make a mistake and order a player that won't work for me.

[Geoff D]

Okay, fine, we're back here then:

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Maybe that's something they've added/activated on the NA deck (you could hit up dobyblue with a PM) but it's not on the UK version that I can see, and for the very simple reason that it's as useful a concrete parachute to UK owners because our TVs are designed to play back 50Hz content in 50Hz.

Originally Posted by mar3o

I thought the only thing 220electronics did with these mods is add a chip that makes it region-free? It shouldn't have anything to do with actual video conversion.

Looks like it's "them" as in 220 doing that mojo after all, because David's multiregion player has also come from them as I said.

Originally Posted by mar3o

I didn't say I don't believe you. I wanted to make sure we're understanding each other. It sounds like you're getting more frustrated than I am, and I'm the one that just discovered my plans for this player fell apart. I just want to make sure I don't make a mistake and order a player that won't work for me.

I've understood what you wanted from the start. I told you the UK player didn't do it from the get-go.

[mar3o]

As far as cost, $450 is a large leap for me over $320 from the UK, or $200 (US X800) + $160 for a modded player from 220 electronics. That's almost $100 difference. $360 vs $450.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I've understood what you wanted from the start. I told you the UK player didn't do it from the get-go.

Right, but another member confirmed it sends out 60Hz out of the box, and that it plays 50Hz content. Can you see why I was confused?

I still don't get then why Sony even bothered to enable 50Hz on the US players. What's the point if most US TVs can't accept the signal? It's useless without conversion to 60Hz.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Right, but another member confirmed it sends out 60Hz out of the box, and that it plays 50Hz content. Can you see why I was confused?

Honestly? No, because I've never considered such a conversion to be an automatic consequence of a UK machine being able to play both because (if you look at it from the other angle) 60Hz content isn't some rare thing for a European BD player to handle, most players' menu screens are at 60Hz (as mentioned) and 60Hz content is common to the vast majority of Blu-rays that are out there, even in PAL territories. The cross conversion is still quite a rare feature outside of OPPOs and those chinese supermarket cheapies because you need specific processing to handle it, and more importantly to do it well.

I still don't get then why Sony even bothered to enable 50Hz on the US players. What's the point if most US TVs can't accept the signal? It's useless without conversion to 60Hz.

Right, which is why you need to hit up some of the owners of the North American deck to see exactly what the player is doing with 50Hz content. doby moaned about it enough so he must have some content to check what the player is doing with it.

Right. Back to the drawing board we go.

[mar3o]

Lol, but it wouldn't matter then anyways, because I know the US player won't play region B discs, which is a requirement for me, which is why I was considering the UK player. So it don't matter to me if US players can convert or not. That's why I specifically asked about the UK player. It's precisely because I knew UK was better with multiple formats that I figured the UK player would be more likely to have conversion features built-in.

It seems this player just isn't the solution I'm looking for, at least not an all-in-one like I was hoping from the UK.

[Geoff D]

That's the point though mate: handling multiple formats is never a guarantee of being able to convert multiple formats from one standard to another. That sort of esoterica is reserved for outboard processors and the like.

[mar3o]

Well at any rate I'm outta luck I guess. I need to find another option for playing region B discs, with 3D built in. I liked the suggestion in another thread about importing from the UK because then I would be 100% sure it would play region B discs without issue, but of course the trick is finding one that can convert out-of-the-box. I was told LG players can do that. Now I'm wondering If I misunderstood that too.

[Geoff D]

If folks say that the LGs can then I'd be more inclined to believe it because as a company they seem to do less fiddling from territory to territory, but the likes of Sony and Panasonic are a bit more provincial. Maybe it's just a Japanese thing.

But you know what the funny thing about the LG 4K player was when it first came out [edit] in the UK? It didn't do 60Hz at all, it converted it to 50Hz IIRC

[mar3o]

I don't know what to expect from LG anymore, because when I was shopping for a UHD TV last year, I was told from many people that LG TVs usually display 50Hz signals, just like Vizio and Samsung. Yet my 2016 model doesn't. Yet their players seem to convert 50Hz to 60Hz. Go figure. Frustrating because I never had this issue before this TV because my old Samsung TVs used to display 50Hz fine.

[mar3o]

Thanks for helping out. Sorry for the confusion but I was obviously not getting it and I needed to understand.

[Geoff D]

No worries.

[Fat Phil]

Geoff, Do you have the 'regular' version of this player or has yours been modded for multi region blu ray playback?

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Fat Phil

Geoff, Do you have the 'regular' version of this player or has yours been modded for multi region blu ray playback?

regular, not multi-region. part of the reason I bought the OPPO is because it has a SUPER easy (and free!) mod for DVD MR, and for BD MR you just buy a little doobrie to stick in the RS232 port around the back. The Sony needs an internal hardware mod for both DVD and BD AFAIK and I've always been wary of those ever since I had a modded BDPS470 that went very squinky after a firmware update. Since then I've tried to keep my multiregion either to custom firmware (like on my Panny BDT310) or external mods like the OPPO one (which I don't need just yet because I've got the Panny still ).

[chip75]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Okay, to add some more confusion then, I just called 220electronics and asked them if the X800 has built-in PAL/NTSC conversion from Sony, or if that is added with their mod, and the guy I spoke to said it is added in the mod, not built-in from Sony. I'm not sure who I talked to though. So then some Sony players convert 50Hz>60Hz and some don't? That makes it even trickier to make sure I pick the right player.

From what I've read over the years, Sony are the last company to plonk in a conversion for 50hz/60hz material with their US players, it's not how they roll. The UK players don't need to convert, they just output 50hz/60hz or 24hz as standard.

I wouldn't expect any Sony players to convert out of the box.

I think some Panasonic BD players had/have the option. Back in DVDs heyday, I had a cheap player that had a conversion option on the remote. The best thing to do is go through the manuals and see what options are there. I sympathize as most manuals on-line are garbage or completely generic for 12 different players.

The person you spoke to is probably correct, like their multi-voltage options most of the things away from the norm are mods and not standard. Although it would be neat if they did label which players could handle different voltages, as most of us would just buy a locked machine to add to our standard player. Having two players isn't a huge deal breaker.

[Fat Phil]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

regular, not multi-region. part of the reason I bought the OPPO is because it has a SUPER easy (and free!) mod for DVD MR, and for BD MR you just buy a little doobrie to stick in the RS232 port around the back. The Sony needs an internal hardware mod for both DVD and BD AFAIK and I've always been wary of those ever since I had a modded BDPS470 that went very squinky after a firmware update. Since then I've tried to keep my multiregion either to custom firmware (like on my Panny BDT310) or external mods like the OPPO one (which I don't need just yet because I've got the Panny still ).

Ah, interesting. And that's the Oppo UDP-203 that you're referring to? I've had a few modded Sony blu-ray players over the years and touch wood they've been okay even after updates. The company I bought from last time (TPS methinks?) includes a three year warranty to guard against any tomfoolery so that helps me sleep a little better at night.

I'm planning on getting something in time for Christmas, so decisions, decisions. The Oppo does look mighty fine but it's quite a jump in price.

[Geoff D]

Yes, da two-oh-tree. Lovely player, not worth that kinda money in this day and age but it's got the best all-round disc playback in one box and handles most other formats over USB just fine so I thought "sod it, I'll try it on for size". Really liking it so far.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

The Sony needs an internal hardware mod for both DVD and BD AFAIK and I've always been wary of those ever since I had a modded BDPS470 that went very squinky after a firmware update. Since then I've tried to keep my multiregion either to custom firmware (like on my Panny BDT310) or external mods like the OPPO one (which I don't need just yet because I've got the Panny still ).

This is why I was liking the thought of the UK X800 working out for me. I don't know if I feel comfortable plopping down a bunch of money on a region-free player from 220 just to have an update break the region-free mod. I've also read that some times locked discs won't play even with a mod. Importing a region B player was a guarantee that it would play all region B discs.

I definitely wouldn't spend $450 on a modded UHD player, as those need regular updates especially since it's a newer format that still has growing pains and they're still adding features and functionality. Maybe I could get away with a modded $160 blu-ray player as those are likely to not need updates (and probably don't even get updates - my Panasonic player hasn't had an update since I bought it last year).

[Geoff D]

Yeah, if it's region B Blu playback that's the overriding factor then you might well be better of with just a BD player for that purpose rather than killing that UHD bird with the same stone.