Sherwood BDP-5004

[jacobsever]

Searched back like 10 pages and couldn't find anything.

I've heard it's a good, cheap region free player.

But two downsides are the bright display lights in the front, and a loud humming noise during playback.
Not too concerned about the lights, but exactly how loud/distracting is this so called "hum" that is produced?

I need a region free player, and for almost half of the Oppo 80, I'd just assume get this player instead.

*EDIT* Instead of a region free player, does anyone know where I could purchase a blu ray player from the UK so I would have a region B player along with my current region A player?
Amazon.co.uk won't ship blu ray players to the States.

[jw]

Is the 5004 like the 5003 as far as region free capabilities?

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by jwbbud

Is the 5004 like the 5003 as far as region free capabilities?

Yes, it is--plus it's also Profile 2.0, and its remote uses Momitsu codes so you shouldn't need a universal remote if you flash it with Momitsu firmware (as some 5003 owners did to play newer discs--I haven't had to update its firmware yet). It also has 7.1 analog audio outputs (unlike the Momitsus it's based on), as well as TrueHD & DTS-HD MA Essential decoders for LPCM (though the logos aren't on the box).

For general information (including remote hacks), check out DVDBeaver's review of the Momitsu BDP-899, which also applies to the Sherwood as well. (They assumed the Momitsu was modded, but that wasn't the case.) You can buy the Sherwood from Amazon (edit: or via this direct link), but I got mine from TheNerds.net which is slightly cheaper. (DVDBeaver's sales link for the Momitsu no longer works.)

The player has a rather loud noise while seeking, but it quietens down while playing. It also has some bright lights, but the biggest complaints are about the red standby light; you can cover it with tape if necessary. (It doesn't bother me, but I have three other standby lights.) It automatically resets to the default regions when in off or standby, except DVD Region 0 will hold; however, it's not RCE-resistant so you'll have to manually set the region on RCE DVDs. Also, sometimes you may have to press Enter after entering the 6-digit remote code.

Despite those annoyances, though, it's by far the cheapest option for region-free BD playback; hardware-modded BD players can easily cost $500 or more--and even then may not upconvert 25/50-fps video. (Though the manual says otherwise, the Sherwood will upconvert it to 1080p60 if set properly.) And though most Oppo DVD players were region-free, their BD players aren't without third-party hardware or firmware cracks; the Sherwood's remote hacks work out of the box.

(Edit: I don't know of any UK site that ships Region B players to the U.S. A few have managed to bring their UK PS3s over, but even those may stumble over PAL video since the PS3 won't upconvert SD video on BDs; my Sherwood will.)

[jacobsever]

Originally Posted by RBBrittain

Yes, it is--plus it's also Profile 2.0, and its remote uses Momitsu codes so you shouldn't need a universal remote if you flash it with Momitsu firmware (as some 5003 owners did to play newer discs--I haven't had to update its firmware yet). It also has 7.1 analog audio outputs (unlike the Momitsus it's based on), as well as TrueHD & DTS-HD MA Essential decoders for LPCM (though the logos aren't on the box).

For general information (including remote hacks), check out DVDBeaver's review of the Momitsu BDP-899, which also applies to the Sherwood as well. (They assumed the Momitsu was modded, but that wasn't the case.) You can buy the Sherwood from Amazon , but I got mine from TheNerds.net which is slightly cheaper. (DVDBeaver's sales link for the Momitsu no longer works.)

The player has a rather loud noise while seeking, but it quietens down while playing. It also has some bright lights, but the biggest complaints are about the red standby light; you can cover it with tape if necessary. (It doesn't bother me, but I have three other standby lights.) It automatically resets to the default regions when in off or standby, except DVD Region 0 will hold; however, it's not RCE-resistant so you'll have to manually set the region on RCE DVDs. Also, sometimes you may have to press Enter after entering the 6-digit remote code.

Despite those annoyances, though, it's by far the cheapest option for region-free BD playback; hardware-modded BD players can easily cost $500 or more--and even then may not upconvert 25/50-fps video. (Though the manual says otherwise, the Sherwood will upconvert it to 1080p60 if set properly.) And though most Oppo DVD players were region-free, their BD players aren't without third-party hardware or firmware cracks; the Sherwood's remote hacks work out of the box.

(Edit: I don't know of any UK site that ships Region B players to the U.S. A few have managed to bring their UK PS3s over, but even those may stumble over PAL video since the PS3 won't upconvert SD video on BDs; my Sherwood will.)

Thank you for the detailed response.
Sounds like I'll probably end up getting the Sherwood.
I never thought about UK players having a different plug in.

[jw]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

Searched back like 10 pages and couldn't find anything.

I've heard it's a good, cheap region free player.

But two downsides are the bright display lights in the front, and a loud humming noise during playback.
Not too concerned about the lights, but exactly how loud/distracting is this so called "hum" that is produced?

I need a region free player, and for almost half of the Oppo 80, I'd just assume get this player instead.

*EDIT* Instead of a region free player, does anyone know where I could purchase a blu ray player from the UK so I would have a region B player along with my current region A player?
Amazon.co.uk won't ship blu ray players to the States.

look at 3rd party sellers who ship internationally

[jacobsever]

Got this today.

Some of the movies worked, some didn't.
Most of the bonus features don't work.

My tv keeps saying "mode not supported".

Any ideas what to do?

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

Got this today.

Some of the movies worked, some didn't.
Most of the bonus features don't work.

My tv keeps saying "mode not supported".

Any ideas what to do?

Looks like it's not upconverting 50hz video, nor does your TV support it. Go to Settings > Display; make sure TV Type is set to NTSC (always--do *NOT* change it for PAL discs) and Resolution is set to 1080p (or your TV's native resolution if less). You may also have to turn Film Mode off. Finally, make sure you're using HDMI; I don't know if the other outputs have been tested for 50hz upconversion.

[Moviefan1203]

This might be a really stupid question, and I'm sorry for it. However, I have a Sherwood BDP-5004, and I wanted to check a Blu-ray I just got in the mail to make sure it is 1080p. For the life of me, I cannot get the player to display the resolution. It's driving me nuts because with my other Blu-ray player (Sony BDP-S360), I can display the resolution quite easily. So does anyone know how I can display the resolution to make sure a Blu-ray is 1080p with the Sherwood BDP-5004? Thank you very much in advance.

[David Bunn]

I just got mine but am waiting for a Region B/PAL blu-ray disc of Kenneth Anger films to arrive from Amazon UK, so have not tried it yet (as I only wanted it to play Region B and PAL - I already have a great Region A/NTSC player in the Denon DVD-2500 BTCI as my main blu-ray player).

But, here is what I got by email from tech support at Sherwood:

"The BDP-5004 will play in PAL. This is located in the setup menu. Blu-Ray players are not region free. To make DVD’s region free press 9735 0 1."

Best Regards,
Ray Casillas
RMC Sales & Management

That was enough to make me buy one (I can always return it if it doesn't do the job. the other thing Sherwood tech sent me was a link to dvd beaver and the comparison to the Momitsu 899, which must mean they agree. ...other details: purchased mine from buy.com which was @ $180 delivered. on initial setup complaints about lights and loading sound do not seem objectionable to me. Will post again with results of actually playing once I get my disc from UK.

If everything works this is a great deal to play Region B/PAL as a second deck.

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

This might be a really stupid question, and I'm sorry for it. However, I have a Sherwood BDP-5004, and I wanted to check a Blu-ray I just got in the mail to make sure it is 1080p. For the life of me, I cannot get the player to display the resolution. It's driving me nuts because with my other Blu-ray player (Sony BDP-S360), I can display the resolution quite easily. So does anyone know how I can display the resolution to make sure a Blu-ray is 1080p with the Sherwood BDP-5004? Thank you very much in advance.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

[DrBobintheBronx]

Originally Posted by RBBrittain

Looks like it's not upconverting 50hz video, nor does your TV support it. Go to Settings > Display; make sure TV Type is set to NTSC (always--do *NOT* change it for PAL discs) and Resolution is set to 1080p (or your TV's native resolution if less). You may also have to turn Film Mode off. Finally, make sure you're using HDMI; I don't know if the other outputs have been tested for 50hz upconversion.

My Momitsu 799 will play 1080i/50 Hz ("super PAL") BDs with extras in SD PAL (the UK version of Twilight, for example) on a TV that will not accept PAL, but I have not had luck duplicating this performance on the Sherwood 5004. I do having it playing Region 2 BDs and PAL DVDs, but it balks at the 1080i/50 BDs like the BBC/2 Entertain UK version of Life. I had to switch the Display setting from NTSC to PAL and back again to get it to play PAL discs. Any idea how to get the 5004 to behave like the 799 WRT the 1080i/50 BDs?

[henson1855]

On the settings menu.I had to switch the HDMI auto to 1080i setting in order to play Max Manus,Antichrist,and Red Room

[jacobsever]

So I've had this for about a year now. Worked great for a while.

After sitting on my rack unused for a few months, I tried watching a Region B movie last night. I turned it on, but the tray wouldn't open. Tried using the button on the player itself, and on the remote. All the blue lights turned on, but there was nothing on the display.

Anyone have any idea how to get the tray to open so I can actually put a disc in?

[giidaog]

So does anyone know how I can display the resolution to make sure a Blu-ray is 1080p with the Sherwood BDP-5004?

[DrBobintheBronx]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

My tv keeps saying "mode not supported".

Any ideas what to do?

Try going to the Screen menu and switching from NTSC to PAL and then back again. Worked for me.

[adoinele]

I have had a Region free Sherwood BDP 5004 player since January 2010 and never had any problems with it. It has basically played anything I have put in it. For the last few days, it loads and plays regular dvds with no problem, but once a blu-ray disk is loaded in it, it either ejects it after a minute or so or does not recognize the disk and gives a no disk signal. I called and talked with Sherwood, they said I can try to upgrade the firmware, but they also confirmed that once the firmware is upgraded, I will lose the region free playing ability.



Anyone has any ideas or similar experience? Any suggestions?



Also if I do get another one from Amazon, is there a way to make sure it comes with the old region free firmware?



Thanks!

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by adoinele

For the last few days, it loads and plays regular dvds with no problem, but once a blu-ray disk is loaded in it, it either ejects it after a minute or so or does not recognize the disk and gives a no disk signal.

Anyone has any ideas or similar experience? Any suggestions?


Thanks!

Hey there, I've had the Sherwood for a while too and haven't had any problems except it being moody. Right now, it takes forever before recognizing a German Region B blu-ray (I have a feeling it's just that particular blu-ray, because other Region B blu-rays from different countries work). It doesn't recognize it, so I spend maybe 20 minutes trying to get it to work or I just give up. Have you experirenced this and do you know any tricks to prevent it from being moody? I've done the "put in another blu-ray to get it going" trick: I'll put in another Region B or Region Free blu-ray which will work, then I eject it, then I put in the Region B blu-ray that's giving me a prob. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Maybe there's another code to get it going smoother? I just use the 973502 code usually.

Does anyone know if Is there other tricks to combat blu-ray player moodiness or different codes to try to get a Region B blu-ray going?

And can someone explain why a player that used to work flawlessly would start to act moody? Is there dust in the machine? If the blu-ray player is taken care of properly, why would it just start acting strangely?

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Hey there, I've had the Sherwood for a while too and haven't had any problems except it being moody. Right now, it takes forever before recognizing a German Region B blu-ray (I have a feeling it's just that particular blu-ray, because other Region B blu-rays from different countries work). It doesn't recognize it, so I spend maybe 20 minutes trying to get it to work or I just give up. Have you experirenced this and do you know any tricks to prevent it from being moody? I've done the "put in another blu-ray to get it going" trick: I'll put in another Region B or Region Free blu-ray which will work, then I eject it, then I put in the Region B blu-ray that's giving me a prob. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Maybe there's another code to get it going smoother? I just use the 973502 code usually.

Does anyone know if Is there other tricks to combat blu-ray player moodiness or different codes to try to get a Region B blu-ray going?

And can someone explain why a player that used to work flawlessly would start to act moody? Is there dust in the machine? If the blu-ray player is taken care of properly, why would it just start acting strangely?

Have you tried cleaning it? Be careful; DO NOT use CD or DVD brush-style cleaners as the BD lens is MUCH closer to the disc surface and the brushes will ruin the lens. Though there's a few brush-style cleaners that claim to work with BDs, personally I can only recommend Maxell's BD cleaner, a brushless cleaning disc with two holes designed to create a "wind funnel" that removes dust from the lens without harming it. (It's actually a DVD, so it also cleans DVD drives.)

As far as changing regions, I always leave the drive closed and empty, then enter the 9735xx code, then press Enter (even though Enter opens the menu) before re-opening the drive. In some cases, you *must* press Enter after the code for it to take; I just do it automatically.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by RBBrittain

Have you tried cleaning it? Be careful; DO NOT use CD or DVD brush-style cleaners as the BD lens is MUCH closer to the disc surface and the brushes will ruin the lens. Though there's a few brush-style cleaners that claim to work with BDs, personally I can only recommend Maxell's BD cleaner, a brushless cleaning disc with two holes designed to create a "wind funnel" that removes dust from the lens without harming it. (It's actually a DVD, so it also cleans DVD drives.)

As far as changing regions, I always leave the drive closed and empty, then enter the 9735xx code, then press Enter (even though Enter opens the menu) before re-opening the drive. In some cases, you *must* press Enter after the code for it to take; I just do it automatically.

thanks for the recommendations... I haven't tried cleaning it. I definitely don't want to use those brush-style cleaners. What about a mini vaccum or compressed air? And if all my other blu-rays play fine, do you really think it has to do with dust? Maybe it doesn't need to be cleaned.

[toddly6666]

I had two blu-rays that this player wasn't recognizing, so I did something genius and put a piece of scotch tape onto the top of the disc and now it works! I'm assuming that the tape gave the disc a little bit more weight?