Does the Sony UBP-X800M2 still have freezing issues? - Blu-ray Forum

Chiptuner · 03-20-2022, 08:17 AM

Hi,

I’m looking for a new 4K Blu-ray player, preferably one that has Dolby Vision support. I heard the Sony UBP-X800M2 is pretty decent for the price, however I heard there’s a lot of freezing issues. However, in late 2021 there was a firmware update that supposedly made 4K Blu-ray playback more stable. Can anyone confirm this update fixed the freezing issues I hear so much about? Or does the player still have the issues?

The Admiral · 03-20-2022, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiptuner

Hi,

I’m looking for a new 4K Blu-ray player, preferably one that has Dolby Vision support. I heard the Sony UBP-X800M2 is pretty decent for the price, however I heard there’s a lot of freezing issues. However, in late 2021 there was a firmware update that supposedly made 4K Blu-ray playback more stable. Can anyone confirm this update fixed the freezing issues I hear so much about? Or does the player still have the issues?

I have had mine for two years now and the only disc that ever crashed the player was the 4K import of La Piscine - which caused most players (Panasonic included) to crash. That one issue was indeed solved by the latest firmware update. Other than that, I have never experienced any issues whatsoever with any disc, whether 4K, 1080p Blu-ray or DVD. Personally, I really don't find the manual DV switching to be an issue but I understand why it might annoy some.
That is my personal account but others have been having a different experience.

cochon · 03-27-2022, 03:09 AM

Do you think that if the freezing problems were so rampant like some here would have you believe, the machines would keep being sold after so many years they've been in production. If that was the case, most retailers selling them would be so tired of dealing with customers complains that they would stop offering it.
All players have problems and when you are dealing with a machine that sold so many units, over so many years, you will hear more about them.

Markjohnsonii · 04-13-2022, 06:23 PM

I just bought one at Best Buy and it occasionally freezes on 4k Blu-rays.

Necril · 04-21-2022, 10:41 AM

My X800M2 was bought in the early 2021 and has had occasional freezes when playing 100GB 4k discs. I've often heard that keeping the discs clean and wiping them before first use could reduce these issues, but until recently did not take this advice very seriously, as the discs were mostly brand new and appeared clean.

However, out of frustration I eventually conceded and started to wipe even the brand new discs with microfiber cloth. I was surprised to find out, that this actually had the intended effect. Out of 7 100GB discs I have played since then, none have had any issues (3 of them froze during my previous playthrough).

As a conclusion, I now assume that many if not most of the issues with 4k playback are due to the discs, not the players. From what I've heard, some manufacturing residue is the cause, usually can't be seen and requires quite a strong wiping to get off the discs.

gardengirl1331 · 05-04-2022, 09:26 PM

For us it depends. We've had a couple disk freeze, and even after cleaning them well and trying again they just freeze and jam up the machine. We've exchanged probably 7 disks and in all but one case (well there was another one on monday (Inception) which I just returned and am not sure if I will replace it with blu ray or 4k yet I'm still deciding) the replacements disks all played just fine, so it's the disks not the player. But yes it is a pain and the first time I watch every new 4k I worry about it freezing. One came with a little scratch and I thought it would be a problem and it played through with even a stutter. So who knows what causes it for my player? But that one case, Alien, we tried three versions of the disk (and no we didn't get the same one back) and even after wiping the machine of all things we changed and going to the new update (which happened before we bought it so we assumed it had the newest firmware but it didn't) it still would not play. We just bought it on blu ray sadly, because man, that movie looked awesome in 4k!

But, on the other side, the player is awesome! Not sure if it's the player or the TV or both, but it upscales blu rays to the point of looking like 4k! Old crappy DVDs look bad, but good DVDs look surprisingly good! We're still buying old used DVDs that we can't get on blu ray or 4k and even when they come scratched to hell, I mean a couple of them are BAAAADDDD, they play flawlessly! It's a solid player. Don't worry about buying it. And this is coming from someone who has had issues with disks skipping. All players will have problems at some point or another. It's a good price point if you can find them on sale, and really is a good player.

David M · 05-09-2022, 01:06 PM

I like the x800m2 myself, we have one in our player test bank. It's not too common, but it does appear to have occasional pauses in the middle of a 100gb disc more often than the Panasonic players. Those are my first recommendation.

BoydMike15 · 06-10-2022, 09:06 PM

I am now on my 3rd player and all of them have had freezing issues. They run solid for about 2hrs but anything longer than that and they freeze. I keep trying new ones because I love the player and construction materials but I am now looking for a different option as it takes us away from enjoying the movie. The latest one I bought was in May 2022 and I thought the issue might be resolved as it had a new remote, however no such luck.

IlCorvo · 06-15-2022, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoydMike15

I am now on my 3rd player and all of them have had freezing issues. They run solid for about 2hrs but anything longer than that and they freeze. I keep trying new ones because I love the player and construction materials but I am now looking for a different option as it takes us away from enjoying the movie. The latest one I bought was in May 2022 and I thought the issue might be resolved as it had a new remote, however no such luck.

Is you player connected to the Internet?

BoydMike15 · 06-15-2022, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IlCorvo

Is you player connected to the Internet?

Yes, it is connected to wifi. I only have it connected for updates, I don't use any of the built-in apps.

IlCorvo · 06-16-2022, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoydMike15

Yes, it is connected to wifi. I only have it connected for updates, I don't use any of the built-in apps.

There are reports that by disconnecting the unit from wifi freezing issues would stop to occur. Could you try that?

BoydMike15 · 06-29-2022, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IlCorvo

There are reports that by disconnecting the unit from wifi freezing issues would stop to occur. Could you try that?

Yes I will give that a shot, thanks for the tip! I'll report back if I notice an improvement.

AgentOrange · 07-01-2022, 04:19 AM

I've been using one for almost a year, like 99% of discs have played whithout a hitch. I did have it freeze up in just one instance while watching bonus features after a movie - no idea if it was the disc's fault (menu software causing the lock up), but the player itself did need a hard reset that one time. I have seen a couple of discs skip (and I mean only that 1% of discs, like a handful times total). But this would also happen with blu-rays occasionally, so I'm not sure it's related to the 100GB discs. Admittedly I haven't really paid attention if it's even related to a layer change, because it's such an infrequent thing to me.

I certainly haven't had any consistent problems or noticed any sort of pattern. I've even had days where I've done a back to back (double feature) or 3 films in a day without any issue - even with it running 5-6 hours straight. So far, it's been a solid player for me.

Obviously I'd like to see Sony do another revision and get that Dolby Vision auto-detect, instead of having to manually select. While it's a relatively minor thing, it's kind of amazing to me they've left it like that.

bhampton · 07-01-2022, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IlCorvo

There are reports that by disconnecting the unit from wifi freezing issues would stop to occur. Could you try that?

unplugging it from the wall and never plugging it back in solves the issue.

[Show spoiler]

bhampton · 07-01-2022, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cochon

Do you think that if the freezing problems were so rampant like some here would have you believe, the machines would keep being sold after so many years they've been in production. If that was the case, most retailers selling them would be so tired of dealing with customers complains that they would stop offering it.
All players have problems and when you are dealing with a machine that sold so many units, over so many years, you will hear more about them.

but people think if they do x or y that the problem is solved.

It's a case of bad customers.
I think the X700 and X800 have done significant damage to the UHD BD format.
If yours never locks up I’m happy for you but if it’s not working return it or throw it out.

kfbkfb · 07-03-2022, 06:02 AM

https://www.sony.com/electronics/sup...ticles/S1Q0530

Apparently, if the problem is serious enough, Sony will extend the warranty.

I bought several CFD-S70s (for the stereo cassette playback, not the CD playback, I'll use software Dolby B NR after digitizing my prerecorded cassettes).

On most of my CFD-S70s, the CD player has stopped working (I found out about the
extended warranty too late though).

Kirk Bayne

bhampton · 07-03-2022, 08:49 AM

I'm betting most people see this problem in the first month when it's still possible to return the thing to where you bought it.

zefeer · 02-08-2023, 05:11 PM

Come here to seek an answer to my doubts regarding the x800 and nothing. I want to buy a 4K player, i was considering the x800 or the panasonic ub820EB, my first choice (price) was the sony, but after so many freezing problems i have my doubts more than ever. So perhaps I'll wait a while and buy the panasonic. I haven't read anything bad about it. Do U?

bhampton · 02-08-2023, 05:25 PM

My Panasonic player has been a champion.

Actually I had the UB420 which was great but it was damaged while in storage.
I have the UB9000 and it's great with added heavy duty build quality.

cricepng · 02-08-2023, 08:37 PM

Why am I not surprised that someone posts a new comment and bhampton feels the need to come on in his ever-present hate of Sony? So sad. Granted the person did mention the Panny, but still sad.

Zefeer,

I've had my Sony for over a year and a half now. It is rare to have it freeze on undamaged discs. The last time was a 100 disc. It's so rare that I don't bother to preclean them. I have a couple of regular BDs and DVDs freeze, but those cases were discs that had scratches or other issues.

My suggestion is to buy the best you can afford.

03-20-2022, 08:17 AM	#1
Chiptuner Active Member Top contributor Member since:Jan 2018 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Trading Score:15	Does the Sony UBP-X800M2 still have freezing issues? Hi, I’m looking for a new 4K Blu-ray player, preferably one that has Dolby Vision support. I heard the Sony UBP-X800M2 is pretty decent for the price, however I heard there’s a lot of freezing issues. However, in late 2021 there was a firmware update that supposedly made 4K Blu-ray playback more stable. Can anyone confirm this update fixed the freezing issues I hear so much about? Or does the player still have the issues?

06-10-2022, 09:06 PM	#8
BoydMike15 New Member Member since:Oct 2020 Location:Canada 4K collection:79 Blu-ray collection:114 DVD collection:61 Digital collection:5	Multiple Freezing Issues I am now on my 3rd player and all of them have had freezing issues. They run solid for about 2hrs but anything longer than that and they freeze. I keep trying new ones because I love the player and construction materials but I am now looking for a different option as it takes us away from enjoying the movie. The latest one I bought was in May 2022 and I thought the issue might be resolved as it had a new remote, however no such luck.

03-27-2022, 03:09 AM	#3
cochon Power Member Top contributor Member since:Oct 2008 Blu-ray collection:- Blu-ray reviews:6	Do you think that if the freezing problems were so rampant like some here would have you believe, the machines would keep being sold after so many years they've been in production. If that was the case, most retailers selling them would be so tired of dealing with customers complains that they would stop offering it. All players have problems and when you are dealing with a machine that sold so many units, over so many years, you will hear more about them.

04-13-2022, 06:23 PM	#4
Markjohnsonii Active Member Top contributor Member since:Dec 2021 Location:USA 4K collection:1195 Blu-ray collection:2422 DVD collection:1 Digital collection:2 iTunes collection:94	I just bought one at Best Buy and it occasionally freezes on 4k Blu-rays.

04-21-2022, 10:41 AM	#5
Necril Active Member Member since:Apr 2022	My X800M2 was bought in the early 2021 and has had occasional freezes when playing 100GB 4k discs. I've often heard that keeping the discs clean and wiping them before first use could reduce these issues, but until recently did not take this advice very seriously, as the discs were mostly brand new and appeared clean. However, out of frustration I eventually conceded and started to wipe even the brand new discs with microfiber cloth. I was surprised to find out, that this actually had the intended effect. Out of 7 100GB discs I have played since then, none have had any issues (3 of them froze during my previous playthrough). As a conclusion, I now assume that many if not most of the issues with 4k playback are due to the discs, not the players. From what I've heard, some manufacturing residue is the cause, usually can't be seen and requires quite a strong wiping to get off the discs.

05-04-2022, 09:26 PM	#6
gardengirl1331 Special Member Member since:Jan 2022 Location:US 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Trading Score:34	For us it depends. We've had a couple disk freeze, and even after cleaning them well and trying again they just freeze and jam up the machine. We've exchanged probably 7 disks and in all but one case (well there was another one on monday (Inception) which I just returned and am not sure if I will replace it with blu ray or 4k yet I'm still deciding) the replacements disks all played just fine, so it's the disks not the player. But yes it is a pain and the first time I watch every new 4k I worry about it freezing. One came with a little scratch and I thought it would be a problem and it played through with even a stutter. So who knows what causes it for my player? But that one case, Alien, we tried three versions of the disk (and no we didn't get the same one back) and even after wiping the machine of all things we changed and going to the new update (which happened before we bought it so we assumed it had the newest firmware but it didn't) it still would not play. We just bought it on blu ray sadly, because man, that movie looked awesome in 4k! But, on the other side, the player is awesome! Not sure if it's the player or the TV or both, but it upscales blu rays to the point of looking like 4k! Old crappy DVDs look bad, but good DVDs look surprisingly good! We're still buying old used DVDs that we can't get on blu ray or 4k and even when they come scratched to hell, I mean a couple of them are BAAAADDDD, they play flawlessly! It's a solid player. Don't worry about buying it. And this is coming from someone who has had issues with disks skipping. All players will have problems at some point or another. It's a good price point if you can find them on sale, and really is a good player.

05-09-2022, 01:06 PM	#7
David M Power Member Member since:Aug 2007 Blu-ray reviews: 1 Trading Score:1	I like the x800m2 myself, we have one in our player test bank. It's not too common, but it does appear to have occasional pauses in the middle of a 100gb disc more often than the Panasonic players. Those are my first recommendation.

07-01-2022, 04:19 AM	#13
AgentOrange Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jul 2011 4K collection:382 Blu-ray collection:2619 DVD collection:69 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:10	I've been using one for almost a year, like 99% of discs have played whithout a hitch. I did have it freeze up in just one instance while watching bonus features after a movie - no idea if it was the disc's fault (menu software causing the lock up), but the player itself did need a hard reset that one time. I have seen a couple of discs skip (and I mean only that 1% of discs, like a handful times total). But this would also happen with blu-rays occasionally, so I'm not sure it's related to the 100GB discs. Admittedly I haven't really paid attention if it's even related to a layer change, because it's such an infrequent thing to me. I certainly haven't had any consistent problems or noticed any sort of pattern. I've even had days where I've done a back to back (double feature) or 3 films in a day without any issue - even with it running 5-6 hours straight. So far, it's been a solid player for me. Obviously I'd like to see Sony do another revision and get that Dolby Vision auto-detect, instead of having to manually select. While it's a relatively minor thing, it's kind of amazing to me they've left it like that.

07-03-2022, 06:02 AM	#16
kfbkfb Active Member Member since:Jan 2016 Location:Midwest USA	https://www.sony.com/electronics/sup...ticles/S1Q0530 Apparently, if the problem is serious enough, Sony will extend the warranty. I bought several CFD-S70s (for the stereo cassette playback, not the CD playback, I'll use software Dolby B NR after digitizing my prerecorded cassettes). On most of my CFD-S70s, the CD player has stopped working (I found out about the extended warranty too late though). Kirk Bayne

07-03-2022, 08:49 AM	#17
bhampton Blu-ray Count Member since:Aug 2007 4K collection:988 Blu-ray collection:2544 DVD collection:67 Blu-ray reviews: 6 Trading Score:18	I'm betting most people see this problem in the first month when it's still possible to return the thing to where you bought it.

02-08-2023, 05:11 PM	#18
zefeer New Member Member since:Jun 2012 4K collection:25 Blu-ray collection:325 DVD collection:21	Come here to seek an answer to my doubts regarding the x800 and nothing. I want to buy a 4K player, i was considering the x800 or the panasonic ub820EB, my first choice (price) was the sony, but after so many freezing problems i have my doubts more than ever. So perhaps I'll wait a while and buy the panasonic. I haven't read anything bad about it. Do U?

02-08-2023, 05:25 PM	#19
bhampton Blu-ray Count Member since:Aug 2007 4K collection:988 Blu-ray collection:2544 DVD collection:67 Blu-ray reviews: 6 Trading Score:18	My Panasonic player has been a champion. Actually I had the UB420 which was great but it was damaged while in storage. I have the UB9000 and it's great with added heavy duty build quality.

02-08-2023, 08:37 PM	#20
cricepng Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Jan 2013 Location:alternates between Papua New Guinea and Pennsylvania Home Theater Gallery:14 4K collection:439 Blu-ray collection:1612 DVD collection:311 Digital collection:658 Blu-ray reviews: 4 Trading Score:12	Why am I not surprised that someone posts a new comment and bhampton feels the need to come on in his ever-present hate of Sony? So sad. Granted the person did mention the Panny, but still sad. Zefeer, I've had my Sony for over a year and a half now. It is rare to have it freeze on undamaged discs. The last time was a 100 disc. It's so rare that I don't bother to preclean them. I have a couple of regular BDs and DVDs freeze, but those cases were discs that had scratches or other issues. My suggestion is to buy the best you can afford.

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals