Sony UBP-X700 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[WKoA13]

Originally Posted by SunShines

Pardon my ignorance, but... is the X700 better than the X800?

I would think the model number suggested otherwise, but in side-by-side specs comparisons, I can't see much difference, other than that the X700 supports Dolby Vision, while the X800 doesn't..?

Thanks in advance for clearing this up for me!

I see a lot of people complain about the "build quality" of the X800 being better.
The 700 is definitely smaller, and so looks less high end I guess? But it's still a very solid feeling unit. The couple tear downs I've seen seem to say it's far from a poor/cheap build either but...

The X700 does have the option for Dolby Vision. The X800 does not. Though I think the 800 has a connection and/or audio option that the 700 doesn't? (Can't remember for sure, and my Google-fu sucks this early in the AM)

[hagios]

Originally Posted by tcripe

I have the Phillips player, (which I have zero problems with and would recommend to anyone.) So, not entirely sure on the on issues related to the LG player.

What is the warranty for your Phillips bdp-7502?

& is it worth getting an extra 4-year Standard Protection Plan for it?

[Voltaire53]

Originally Posted by RJ MacReady

It's not so much about the audio, just having a direct connection to the TV for the video. I'm no expert but I swear there's a slight difference in picture quality, at least with my TV/receiver combo.

It is a known and definite (small) improvement, AIUI simply down to direct signal path rather then being passed on by an intermediary which, even if supposedly just 'passing through' will very slightly degrade the video signal... as it happens I *have* to run mine this way as my receiver is too old to pass through the HDR signal because it needs HDMI 2.2(?... the latest/whatever) through the *whole* chain and my receiver is only 1.8 (?/older than that) so passes the 4K itself but drops HDR if I try to send the video and audio through on the same connection.

I'm assuming, jblank, that you receiver is recent with the latest HDMI standard and is not stripping all HDR and this is why you can't see a decent image from the X700... I'm sure you have probably made sure of this but we've all been known to miss some bit of 'oh everyone knows that' knowlege occasionally so I thought I'd ask.

[tcripe]

Originally Posted by hagios

What is the warranty for your Phillips bdp-7502?

& is it worth getting an extra 4-year Standard Protection Plan for it?

I'm not sure about the manufacture warranty tbh.... but, I always play it safe with my electronics. Usually buy at least a 2 year warranty, if not a 4 year.

[jblank]

Originally Posted by Voltaire53

It is a known and definite (small) improvement, AIUI simply down to direct signal path rather then being passed on by an intermediary which, even if supposedly just 'passing through' will very slightly degrade the video signal... as it happens I *have* to run mine this way as my receiver is too old to pass through the HDR signal because it needs HDMI 2.2(?... the latest/whatever) through the *whole* chain and my receiver is only 1.8 (?/older than that) so passes the 4K itself but drops HDR if I try to send the video and audio through on the same connection.

I'm assuming, jblank, that you receiver is recent with the latest HDMI standard and is not stripping all HDR and this is why you can't see a decent image from the X700... I'm sure you have probably made sure of this but we've all been known to miss some bit of 'oh everyone knows that' knowlege occasionally so I thought I'd ask.

It was going straight into the TV so that wasn't it. For whatever reason, with my QLED, the Samsung player just puts forth a better image. I returned the Sony.

[Globallove]

I’ve read a couple of publication reviews that said the x700 gave a more natural picture than the x800 and the x800 gave a more saturated image.

[hagios]

Originally Posted by tcripe

I'm not sure about the manufacture warranty tbh.... but, I always play it safe with my electronics. Usually buy at least a 2 year warranty, if not a 4 year.

I bought the player w/4yr. protection!

[avs commenter]

Originally Posted by Globallove

I’ve read a couple of publication reviews that said the x700 gave a more natural picture than the x800 and the x800 gave a more saturated image.

I believe it. Though sometimes I wish the colors on this player were a bit punchier

[DVD Josh]

Originally Posted by avs commenter

I believe it. Though sometimes I wish the colors on this player were a bit punchier

You can always force DV or turn up the gamma on your display.

[therealjondoe]

Would this be ok when paired with the tcl 6 series or will i have issues ?

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by therealjondoe

Would this be ok when paired with the tcl 6 series or will i have issues ?

It should be fine.

[therealjondoe]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

It should be fine.

Thanks , im leaning towards picking one up

[sigma1914]

Originally Posted by therealjondoe

Thanks , im leaning towards picking one up

I have the TCL with it and it's great.

[therealjondoe]

Originally Posted by sigma1914

I have the TCL with it and it's great.

Awesome thanks

[ahossein79]

I am a disappointed owner of a X800 player that broke down on me and I am wondering if the X700 has the same freezing and firmware issues the X800. I am blaming myself for not getting the warranty on the X800. If I purchase a X700 I will definitely be getting the 4 year best buy warranty. I also am considering plunking down $500 and purchasing the Panasonic UB820. My question is should I be frugal and hope the X700 doesn't give me problems or should I justify spending $300 more and purchasing the UB820 and is it worth the extra $$$

[sapiendut]

I used to own both 800 and 700. The 800 was more reliable than my 700. That’s why I went with the 820. Better picture quality, better upscaling and it has HDR Optimizer too.

[Globallove]

Originally Posted by ahossein79

I am a disappointed owner of a X800 player that broke down on me and I am wondering if the X700 has the same freezing and firmware issues the X800. I am blaming myself for not getting the warranty on the X800. If I purchase a X700 I will definitely be getting the 4 year best buy warranty. I also am considering plunking down $500 and purchasing the Panasonic UB820. My question is should I be frugal and hope the X700 doesn't give me problems or should I justify spending $300 more and purchasing the UB820 and is it worth the extra $$$

I have had the x700 for six months and I use it for discs quite heavily and it froze on me three or four times all with 4k discs not blu rays, but other than that it's quite good. It upscales blu rays well and gives a sharp detailed image that's true to the source (at the "direct" video setting.) I actually really like it except for the few freezing issues I have had. Just make sure you have it at the correct color space setting for your tv to get more benefit.

[MarcinL]

I guess I've been lucky as I've had X800 since it came out and only had one issue where Dunkirk 4K disc paused or pixelated. Took the disc out, wiped it down even though it was clean brand new, power cycled the X800 and it worked fine. No other issues. Got a X700 recently as I've replaced the TV in another room with a Dolby Vision and watched 15 discs so far (2 blu rays and 13 4Ks with very little issues). Dr. Strange Blu-Ray would not play until I turned off Dolby Vision and then it was flawless. Also one day the player would not respond to any commands via remote or panel. had to unplug from power and plug it back in and worked fine since then without issues. Little annoying but not bad. I was going to wait for X800M2 but figured why not buy this now and enjoy it. Can't see too much PQ difference between 700 and 800. Also maybe it's just me but there is not too much PQ difference between HDR and Dolby Vision. tested it on Black Panther and DV is brighter with punchier colors but that's about it. had to actually turn down brightness on TV with DV movies.

[DVD Josh]

I've never had a single problem with my X700.

[Kaonashi]

Ok so I’ve been troubleshooting some Dolby Vision playback issues with the X700 and can’t find a permanent solution.

Basically, sometimes while watching a 4K Dolby Vision blu-ray there will be a quick fluctuation in brightness any time there is a cut or the shot changes, this is usually in scenes with a high APL (or at least much more noticeable in them). It appears like a flicker when a shot changes, making it rather jarring and feeling a bit more prolonged than a simple cut. Of the Dolby Vision titles I own so far I noticed it in scenes such as the museum heist and daylight Wakanda scenes in Black Panther and the Washington monument and Tony stark scolding scene in Spider-man Homecoming. I tried filming my TV screen using slo-mo and locking the exposure and I saw that just before a cut the brightness of the whole image would suddenly get brighter and then lower. On the Black Panther UHD thread other users had reported similar things.

The “solution” was to eject the disc and then reload it. When I visited the same scenes there was no longer any flicker in brightness when there was a cut (I tried just turning the player on and off but there was still something there). The thing is, I know what to do if I start noticing it in a film, but I’d rather not have to stop and start watching while I’m in the middle of a movie. It’s a bit like a lotto when putting on a disc, I don’t know if it’s going to play fine this time or not. I feel that maybe it might be related to the player reading the dynamic metadata wrong and it not being in sync with the changes in the picture, but maybe that’s impossible.

Any ideas of the causes/what might fix it?