Sony UBP-X700 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[pr0darek]

It's not that hard to buy a USB stick with an LED what will show when read/write occurs ... it's also not that hard to remove the drive during playback, if any files are buffered there they will be there.

[y2jman]

Originally Posted by blupetros

That's the previous update.

yeah i went back website still showing it my bad i wonder when website will show this new update

i think 1 time i unplug and plug up player fire up it notify that last firmware update and i updated firmware using usb stick over wifi

i do have enable updates turn on perhaps i should do that unplug and replug again or just wait for player to notify theirs a firmware update next time i turn it on i don't know

have all of you 4k players being notify this firmware update or are you just checking for new software update and then updating?

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by Necril

Thanks for the clarification. And do I understand correctly, that it is assumed that cache you mentioned is normally stored on the blu-ray player, but when a USB drive is inserted, the player automatically switches to external storage? And the reason you don't see any files on the USB afterwards is that the player "dumps" the cache after you stop playing the disc?

I've no idea how it allocates available memory, but my most educated guess is that it would switch to the USB when the onboard runs out. Which would be a logical explanation for the slight pause reported by some others. I'd assume that the empty subfolders in the BUDA folder are the ones made by the player when buffering, so I think I'll watch a few more discs this coming weekend and I'll check it again to see if anything's changed in that regard.

[LanceL]

So, is there a certain data amount to go for with this flash drive?

[4katlanticfan]

I’m not seeing the update notification on my player here in Canada yet, hopefully soon! Curious what the readme notes will describe as the changes.

[y2jman]

i had to unplug and replug player due to my receiver turn off and couldn't turn on player after it was turn off<-had something pause went upstairs fixed something for lunch

anyways i never saw no update notification so i guess making it rounds to certain players

[LanceL]

I totally forgot to get a flash drive at the store today. Oops.

You know, a couple weeks ago I was trying to watch a disc. Popped something into the player, it went in and nothing. The screen said there wasn't a disc in it. I ended up opening the player, which was pretty difficult, and I wiped the laser lens with a Q-Tip and eye glass spray. Thankfully it worked. I had to break a seal on the inside, which is weird because I could have sworn I opened it a few years ago to dust it out when I had to use diatomatious earth on the floors to get rid of a flea infestation. I wonder how I achieved that without breaking the seal that time...? I'm pretty sure I have only owned one UHD player. I could be wrong...sorry for the ramble.

[apollo828]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

In short, the player caches the last portion of each layer (which is located at the outer edge of the disc) so the laser can move back to the beginning of the next layer (which begins at the inner rim) and continue playback seamlessly.

That's not how Blus work. Lasers can adjust their focus and keep reading where they are. Some DVDs had to reset to the inner rim but I'm pretty sure not all of them had to do that either, especially once the DL pressing process matured.

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by apollo828

That's not how Blus work. Lasers can adjust their focus and keep reading where they are. Some DVDs had to reset to the inner rim but I'm pretty sure not all of them had to do that either, especially once the DL pressing process matured.

Well the focus adjustment goes without saying but I did a half minute of research and yeah, RSDL discs do get read in either direction. Either way, the freezing problem with some 4K players is almost certainly caused by memory issues (especially when it's solvable by expanding the player's memory), and possibly that could theoretically be connected to a focus issue with the laser. Figuring out the *exact* reason why it happens is something that could only be explained by someone of considerable expertise. I'd be surprised if any such individuals are present on this forum

[SymbioticFunction]

I connected the player to the internet on Tuesday but no new update was available. Will try again next week.

[hallowdrew]

Someone earlier recommended at least 64GB. Why that number, I have no idea!

Originally Posted by LanceL

So, is there a certain data amount to go for with this flash drive?

[Herry Dunston]

Originally Posted by hallowdrew

Someone earlier recommended at least 64GB. Why that number, I have no idea!

It doesn't matter the amount, as long as there's any kind of storage in the USB. I tried both 16gigs and 64gigs with similar results.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

Well I'm no electrical engineer but it's fairly obvious that the freezes at the second layer change are caused by a lack of onboard buffer memory. In short, the player caches the last portion of each layer (which is located at the outer edge of the disc) so the laser can move back to the beginning of the next layer (which begins at the inner rim) and continue playback seamlessly. Clearly the X-700 is either underequipped in the memory department, either that or it hasn't been programmed to dump the cache after each layer change. It probably dumps it each time playback is stopped, which would explain why it tends to play perfectly upon restarting. It's basically the same thing your car CD player does to avoid skipping, except there's a whole lot more data involved.

I tried an external usb in my OPPO to fix its triple-layer errors, it seemed to work like a charm...until it started skipping again. Player went off to OPPO, got the drive replaced, and it's had one brief glitch in the five years since. Personally I think it's a myth that players use their persistent storage to store actual buffered video data.

I'm no expert but I think that the tolerances certain drives have for error correction is fractionally minimal, it's still using BD tech but it's reading up to twice as much data, at three times the transfer rate of regular BD tech and they just didn't seem to adjust the error overflow accordingly. Get a player that's properly dialled in - you won't know, it's just luck - and you'll have years of mostly glitch-free viewing. Get one that's not, and it'll be a sketchy piece of shit. Unfortunately it seems like Sony's drives fall into the sketchy territory.

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I tried an external usb in my OPPO to fix its triple-layer errors, it seemed to work like a charm...until it started skipping again. Player went off to OPPO, got the drive replaced, and it's had one brief glitch in the five years since. Personally I think it's a myth that players use their persistent storage to store actual buffered video data.

I'm no expert but I think that the tolerances certain drives have for error correction is fractionally minimal, it's still using BD tech but it's reading up to twice as much data, at three times the transfer rate of regular BD tech and they just didn't seem to adjust the error overflow accordingly. Get a player that's properly dialled in - you won't know, it's just luck - and you'll have years of mostly glitch-free viewing. Get one that's not, and it'll be a sketchy piece of shit. Unfortunately it seems like Sony's drives fall into the sketchy territory.

95% of freezy discs I've had have been fixed by wiping the greasy (and mostly invisible) factory residue from the surface of the disc. It also pays to give old discs a wipe because continued off-gassing can occur (this happened the last time I watched Apocalypse Now). But I haven't had any issues with most commonly reported problem discs eg LOTR, Back to the Future, and the vast majority of BD-100s in my collection have played through just fine.

I don't know for sure whether adding the USB drive does anything, but considering the results some here have reported, it seems to have some effect even if it is just snake oil. Even if it's not using the additional space for buffering, maybe it's using it for some other background nonsense thus allowing the player's memory to correctly prioritize itself for playback? Theories, all theories.

[Telemachus]

Who is still spreading this urban legend that a USB drive fixes the layer freezes? I don't know how you can actually believe that at all. The freezes are from the player heating up on 100gb discs and not having adequate cooling, period. I would love to be proven wrong with technical data. Someone on Youtube or Reddit posting this isn't evidence enough imo.

[Herry Dunston]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

The freezes are from the player heating up on 100gb discs and not having adequate cooling, period.

Oh, I'm certain the player overheating also plays a factor.

I can't explain why my player is prone to failure on certain BD-100s, or why a USB stick kinda offhands that failure for a tick. In a ideal world, no UHD player should be problematic for any disc. Yet here we are. Some people like Alister can be blessed; others may not. It's a roll of the dice.

[Alister_M]

If it's any help, I keep my X-700 in a cabinet with 8cm clearance on top and 9cm each side, and I removed the glass door so it's fully open. Air circulation is definitely important.

[Herry Dunston]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

If it's any help, I keep my X-700 in a cabinet with 8cm clearance on top and 9cm each side, and I removed the glass door so it's fully open. Air circulation is definitely important.

Outside of the glass door in front of it, my player has plenty of space in its own cabinet with an open hole in the back. Made damn sure it gets air, although I must note that it was moved from a different shelf which had to share space with another player. That was some time ago.

[y2jman]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

If it's any help, I keep my X-700 in a cabinet with 8cm clearance on top and 9cm each side, and I removed the glass door so it's fully open. Air circulation is definitely important.

mine inside a cabinet aka wooden entwinement center and i always leave glass door open

[albabe]

I hope you folks can help me out here - I wanted to make sure I understood this enough to make due with the equipment I have.

Right now I have a 1080p Flatscreen; an Entertainment Center from Costco, a BR Player and my PS4 and Speakers. All are plugged-in to the Entertainment Center so all the signals pass-thru there.

My problem is I didn't wanna shell-out for an entire 4K set-up all at once. I'll likely get a 4K Monitor, and a 4K Entertainment Center (and maybe even a PS5) in the near future, before the possible tariffs raise prices on gear, so I was trying to stretch it out so it didn't bust me setting this up.

So, my understanding is I can plug the X700 in to replace the BR Player I already have and just use the same HDMI Cables, and it should play all my DVDs, Blu-Rays and even 4Ks through my current System (downscaling the 4Ks) and up on my current Flatscreen. Does that make sense? Yes?