11.4.2017

Build Quality:Really good! The entire unit is basically a sandwich of matt black top and bottom, and the centre is glossy black. It looks quite tasteful, no unnecessary LEDs and indicators (there is no display) apart from an extremely tiny green LED on the right that is actually hard to spot - I like it.It is basically a sturdy, all-black monolith on its side. The design will not age quickly.At the right side are the power and eject buttons, and a single USB port under a plastic flap; the USB port is for playing media from memory sticks, but you can cast stuff from your mobile phone too (see further below).The remote control is of good quality too, it matches the modern Sony TVs in style.In fact it's better, because it has silent rubber buttons instead of the clicky tactile buttons on the remote control of the current Sony TVs. You can control the movie and the volume from either the Sony TV remote or the one supplied with the player, and you won't feel confused at all, it all is intuitive. This is because the HDMI connections these days also carry the remote control signaling between the player and the TV.Setting up the playerIt comes with a hard-wired mains cable (boo, we like figure-of-8 'C7' cables) of approximately 125cm long, manual/leaflets that are not really needed (it is easy to use), the remote, batteries, a bundled 4k disc ('Inferno' in my case, this is one of the Dan Brown movies but it's quite enjoyable and of course is a nice demonstration of 4k video and sound) and no HDMI cable.In terms of set-up, I connected up my existing old HDMI cable (a no-name sub-£10 cable) and the TV indicated that 3840x2160 (i.e. 4k) content was being received. Basically I just connected a single HDMI cable from the player to the TV, to send audio and video combined.Note that if you have a separate sound system then your wiring topology changes slightly but it doesn't have to be much more. For me, the TV had a single HDMI cable (connected to the TV's HDMI 'ARC' port) to a sound bar and this is used to send the volume control signaling from the TV, so that the sound bar volume can be adjusted from the TV or the UBP-X800 remote control, and an optical cable in my case from the TV output to the sound bar input, and the TV successfully sent the audio to the sound bar.There are other possible topologies (like connecting the player to the sound bar and letting it send the video picture to the TV) but I've not experimented with that yet. I might do that if the audio lip-sync is bad, but on the single movie I watched, I did not notice any lip-sync issue with the current topology. My sound bar is older so I didn't want it to be in the 4k video path. If you have a more modern sound bar/system, then you can connect the player HDMI connection to the sound bar/system and allow it to send the video and audio to the TV.I had to set the HDMI1 configuration on my TV into an 'Enhanced format' mode (on recent Sony TVs this is at Home->Settings->TV External Inputs->HDMI Signal Format->HDMI1->Enhanced Format), but the player prompted me to do that, so I didn't need to dive into any user manual to figure that out.That was it! When playing a 4k movie, the TV automatically went into a 4k picture mode and any picture settings (like brightness, noise reduction etc) can be controlled from the UBP-X800's configuration settings. I didn't feel the need to change anything. The picture is great.Some feature highlights* It has 2.4 and 5GHz WLAN capability! and also wired Ethernet capability. This is really flexible and I choose to use 5GHz because it is less crowded and will perform well* The built-in Bluetooth capability means I can use my headphones if desired. It also supports the fairly modern Bluetooth 4.1 specification and if you have appropriate headphones (Sony unfortunately) then you get higher bitrate (known as Sony LDAC). I tested with Bose Bluetooth headphones which do not support this feature, but the quality was still ok, nothing like the poor Bluetooth audio of the past but still just ok. However I have a feeling LDAC is worthwhile due to the vast bitrate improvement that they claim LDAC offers, but I hope Sony license that technology to other headphone manufacturers too. Incidentally some Sony sound bars offer LDAC support too but I have never tried it. I used a Yamaha sound bar wired using HDMI to the TV.* The built-in Amazon video app and NetFlix both appear to function more smoothly than the built-in apps on my smart TV, so I will likely end up using the player for these apps. Also, the Amazon app supports 4k video.* It is easy to upgrade. The system update wasn't super speedy (took about 4-5 minutes) but it was a greater than 100MB download, so there is a fair bit of operating software inside the player* It is easy to use! On start-up, you get presented with a single pane which has graphic tiles for Amazon player, NetFlix, Disc, USB playback, etc. Overall just about half a dozen options. That's nice and easy.* The menu system isn't complicated - and to be honest I left everything pretty much at default after I'd pared my Bluetooth headphones using the menu* Super easy to send material from your mobile phone to be displayed on the TV screen - I didn't need to do anything except select a photo on my Samsung Galaxy phone using the usual Gallery app on the phone, and hit 'share' and then 'View content on TV'. This is present on recent releases of Android.* It handles 3D discs (if your TV supports it) but also for audio fans it supports FLAC - I inserted a USB memory stick with 24-bit FLAC files and they played. The full list of codecs (video and audio) that are supported is quite long, it is in the PDF user manual here: https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/res/manuals/4687/46873101M.pdf on pages 31-32.Negatives* Not just a Sony thing, but when will manufacturers realize that in this global environment there are so many languages that up/down buttons should be present on the remote control (or a long-press option to revert to the first option), so that we don't get to language 31 and then accidentally double-press and skip English by accident and have to press the button another 30 times : (* Again not just a Sony thing, (I hope you're listening Sony!) when will manufacturers insert an Ethernet switch (and please make it GigEth, this is the 21st century) inside the player, so that you only need to run one Ethernet cable up to the player and then connect to the TV Ethernet connection from the switch port. As it is today, if you wish to use wired Ethernet, then you need to run two Ethernet cables, one for the TV, and one for the player, from wherever your router is placed, or purchase a switch to keep close to the TV and player. I'd rather this be integrated into the player so that it can feed the TV and any other future wired network device.SummaryI was surprised at how easy to use this Sony product is, since traditionally a lot of modern products end up having complex user interfaces. The picture and sound are of course superb and at least from what can be physically seen the Sony build quality is there. I have no doubt this product will provide many years of good service. I don't intend to upgrade this player for the next five years at least, to get the best value for money.If you have a recent Sony TV then I'd suggest that a Sony player is recommended, since it will have been tested together. If you are planning on upgrading to a Sony TV in the next few years then a Sony player would be recommended too. I can't comment how well it would work with a non-Sony TV but HDMI is a standard so it will function.There are not many 4k players out there at the moment, but there are enough movies available now that I found it very compelling to purchase a 4k player now. I stream (buy or rent) some movies, (and now I'll be able to do that in 4k mode with the player's in-built apps), but the best movies for which I currently purchase Blu-Ray discs, I will soon get to the point where I'll want to purchase the 4k disc for three or four movies per year perhaps, until disc prices come down a bit more.

17.5.2017

Tested with: Samsung KS8000 4K HDR 10 bit TV; (using Reference Quality 4K HDR Blu rays: The Revenant, Deadpool, Lucy, Sicario, Fantastic Beasts, Pacific Rim, Planet Earth 2; Poor 4K blu rays: Oblivion, Bourne Trilogy; 1080p and 1080i blu rays, DVD’s, Audio Cd’s, MP3’s etc and Netflix House of Cards streamed 4K).I owned the Samsung UBD –K8500 4K blu ray player at the time of testing and writing this review, so it was easy to see and test how this new Sony player performs in comparison, so here goes for the Sony player:Design: a nice looking rectangular slab, barely 50mm high but weighty and beautifully crafted.No front display (don’t need one – just use the options button to bring up all the info you need); a tiny unobtrusive green ‘on’ light on the far right-hand side and the usual few, basic manual touch buttons. USB port also on RHS, disc tray on LHS side – very quiet operation, opens fully (unlike the Samsung) so easy loading discs without scratching them. Almost the whole length of the front panel opens when inserting a disc – bit of a design throwback to old Video players/VCR’s – not sure why that was really needed, but never mind. Without doubt the quietest player I have ever owned (and I’ve owned a good few Sony and other brand DVD/BD players in the past) while discs are playing – no noisy fan mechanisms to be had here. When you stop a disc playing there is a beautifully engineered braking system any car manufacturer would be proud of – then absolute silence – wonderful! Two HDMI connections on the rear (one Audio only), a coaxial digital out, but no Digital optical out and mains lead is hard-wired. Hence you can send Dolby Atmos and other audio options straight to your receiver independently if required. If your receiver only has an optical connection, you’ll need to route the audio via the coaxial connection or your TV’s optical out to your receiver. Bluetooth will stream audio to any other compatible device that you may own.Picture Quality: Don’t get me wrong, the Samsung 4K player produces a very good 4K and upscaled 4K picture, but this new Sony just produces a better image. This was very evident when I tested ‘The Revenant’ on both players. Although not the most colourful movie, the detail and clarity produced from the Sony player was a whole notch better than the Samsung – and that was my final conclusion on testing all of the aforementioned media, at 4K, upscaled 1080p, 1080i and upscaled DVD’s. This player will also play 3-D discs if your TV has that capability. Just set it to upscale all video to 4K and you’ll be blown away by the picture quality. Dolby Vision is not supported on this player at the time of writing. I found no issues using this player with a 10 bit 4K HDR TV.Audio: Goodness me – I’ll just say ab fab – I’ve read it may even outperform the more expensive Panasonic 4K player in this respect, but cannot say myself. The Sony is marketed as being able to play any audio file format and it certainly ticks all the boxes here (ever heard of ‘upscaled audio’ – me neither, but send some compressed audio files via this unit to your audio receiver or hi-fi and you’ll get the picture – or rather the sound). The player supports Dolby Atmos.Interface: Very basic home single screen with standard app icons. Simple to navigate, but not many apps included in comparison with the Samsung (e.g. BBC i-Player, Demand Five, Spotify, Netflix and Amazon, but no ITV Hub or All Four/My Four). One very minor annoyance is that on loading a video disc, all you see is the unchanged grey disc square icon with a partly visible scrolling title – in contrast the Samsung player immediately loads a rather nice and large relevant image to the screen. The Sony has Gracenote but I have never had an image for a BD or DVD appear upon loading, even with it enabled – surprising, because all my old Sony BD players always threw an image on screen at some point. Hopefully Sony will improve their Home page layout via a future update – just a little too mundane in my opinion.Settings and Set-Up: Easy to set up initially. You may have to dig a little deeper into the audio settings to get a Dolby Atmos signal on your receiver. Loads of options and when playing a video disc, under the options button you will even find additional picture options to tweak the picture to suit your personal preferences if you wish.Remote: Thank goodness – it’s a normal, standard sized, sensible block remote with raised buttons - unlike Sony’s awful latest flush TV remotes or Samsung’s frankly useless mini smart remotes. You’ll be able to fast forward, pause, skip and jump just like in the good old days. No backlit buttons though.Conclusion: A no brainer choice in the entry level 4K BD player market. Outperformed my Samsung UBD K8500 in pretty much every way; nicely designed, very quiet in operation and built like a tank. Highly recommended purchase. Great 4K and upscaled 4K picture and stunning Audio – but be warned, you’ll want to watch your blu rays all over again.

3.12.2017

Was dubious about buying a dedicated 4K blu-ray player as I already own an XBOX ONE S and that works well as a 4K player but...and this is where most review seems to say 'if you own an XBOX ONE S, you already have the best value for money 4K player'...the XBOX ONE S is loud when it plays 4K films; clearly running a film stresses the XBOX far more than playing a game, this wasn't just disc spin noise but cooling fan noise too.So, if like me you wanted a good 4K set up and thought it would end at the ONE S, it might not.On the unit: excellent build quality, clean, uncluttered front; it feels like a proper hi-fi component and fits in perfectly, same width, with my AV amp [Yamaha RX-A660].Setup was simple and unit was up and running in minutes if you don't take into account what now seems to be the obligatory 'out of the box' firmware update. That in itself was simple enough and was announced by the player on switching on. There's no display on the front of the player just a very small green LED on the far right top corner to show it's on. I saw this mentioned in other reviews and found the concept a bit odd, I like an LCD display but there's no need for it, I don't miss it and should you be using an XBOX to play films you wouldn't have on anyway.The main thing I have to mention is how quiet this unit is; that was the motivation for getting a dedicated player and it's worth it for that alone. I would have to describe it as whisper quiet; the disc tray is probably the loudest aspect and even that is quiet. You literally can’t hear the player running while you watch even when the volume is down low.I can't fault the quality of sound or picture this unit puts out but of course a lot of that will depend on what you are running it through but suffice to say, I'm happy that the player is doing its job and not letting the side down.Remote control: A little bit boxy and utilitarian but well-made and does the job. Raised rubber buttons make it easy to operate, maybe some backlighting would be good as generally you're watching films in sometimes less than half light, well at least I am but as none of my remotes have backlighting now I keep a small torch handy just in case: my eyes just aren't up to seeing the buttons in the dark.Interface: I find the GUI to be a little dated in appearance, for the money I was expecting something a little bit more akin to the PS4 home screen. As I have no plans to use the player for Netflix and apps etc. this is not really an issue. I just put a disc in and play it so no need for anything fancy. Having to look at the home screen at start-up though it would have been nice to see some continuity between Sony products; my last Sony AV amp was very PS3 like at the set up screen.All in all very happy with my purchase, I don’t have that any of that ‘did I really just spend that much?’ feeling.If you go for it buy yourself a certified 4K HDMI cable at the same time as there is one in the box. I bought several from Amazon during my 4K set up quest and they were all around a tenner each, all doing a grand job. I went for these

12.3.2018

After reading the problems some people have had with this player I just decided to buy it anyway and so far it's been running completely fine for me. The build of this machine is just lovely with its glossy black sides sandwiched between a chunky textured top and bottom and along with its special metal chassis and electronic innards overall give it a nice bit of weight. There's not much else in the box: just the remote & batteries, instructions & warranty, but to my delight there was also a 4K Ultra-HD-HDR copy of 'Spider-Man Homecoming' included inside.When the machine was set up and I'd had a flick through the menus I watched 'Spider-Man Homecoming' and shortly after it I watched 'Avatar'

2.11.2018

***Update***: Well, today I went to watch a Blu-ray I had borrowed only to discover my unit is now dead. Barely 18 months old with very light use. I can’t believe it. I’ve changed the fuse and done the few troubleshooting things you can do when the device won’t even power on. This is connected to a surge protector and other devices on the same socket are absolutely fine. It’s had an extremely easy life.Out of warranty, and out of luck. Buyer beware.Original review:This is a good player and relatively fuss free.In the short time I’ve had it I’ve had to upgrade the software twice. This has been slightly annoying as you cannot seem to defer them if you want to use any of the ‘internet’ content e.g.

26.7.2017

The packaging promised me this would be one of Sony's top tier products. The packaging was not lying. Everything inside and outside the box oozes quality. Expensive but reflected in the build quality of the player and its performance.I'm not sure if it's the case for all, but mine came with a boxed copy of Inferno. Anyway, moving on, let's talk about how some good films look on it. Mad Max Fury Road is the most interesting case in my fledgling collection so far. It's like a completely different colour palette, but not in the way HDR marketing might make you think. Colours are subdued but more natural. Going back to the Blu-ray after it highlights some absolutely awful skin tones in the 1080p release.Kong Skull Island is my most recent pick up.

11.6.2017

I bought this 2 weeks ago and have been fairly impressed with it. The picture quality from 4K and blu ray is spectacular, far better than the Samsung UHD player it's replacing. Even standard definition DVD's don't look hideous. The build quality is also unlike any I have seen on a blu ray player before. Top quality. There are just two issues that I have had with it so far. The first was the first 4K blu ray I watched on this player, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Towards the very end of the film the player completely froze, became unresponsive to commands, either from the remote or the physical power and eject buttons on the unit itself, and had to be physically unplugged from the wall to get it working again.

2.1.2018

This Sony UBP-X800 is the first Blu-Ray/DVD player which I've ever owned and accordingly, I don't have anything which I can compare this too. However, I can say that it is an exceptional Blu-Ray/DVD player. The design is very sleek and fits in perfectly with my glossy black glass TV stand.The Blu-Ray/DVD player is very easy to set up, as all I can remember doing in plugging in the power cable and connecting an HDMI cable from the Blu-Ray/DVD player to my TV. Please note that the HDMI cable is not included in the box and must be purchased separately.The functionality of this Blu-Ray/DVD player is also much greater than I was expected and in essence, could be described as a Smart Blu-Ray/DVD player (similar to Smart TVs etc).

31.8.2019

This is an amazing product at an amazing price. Effectively the top of Sony's range of DVD/CD/BluRay at less than half price and with the infant mortality presumably by now evolved out. I was completely amazed at the improvement in sound over my previous instrument, coincidentally made also by Sony. The sound is pure, smooth and wide ranging, usually without a trace of distortion (difficult not to distort massed strings playing high up).I was also impressed at the lack (yes, lack) of clutter on the rear panel. Just what one really needs and nothing else, even with one connector blanked off until it is needed.Sony has somehow produced a player which is itself whisper-quiet, which I have never come across before.

3.2.2019

I've had this unit for a year now and the unit is excellent in most ways.The Excellent:- Picture quality with 4K Blu Ray, Blu Ray and DVD (upscaled) is excellent. No complaints here- Sound Quality also excellent. It handles all of the sound formats found on discs including SACD and DVD Audio. I have a large collection of SACD and DVD-A discs so this was a deal breaker for me when considering this unit. It supports most music formats for streaming over a NAS including hi res audio.-Build quality is excellent. Unlike most modern Blu Ray players today this unit is solid with a metal casing. This has the added benefit of an almost silent drive when playing Blu Ray discs which is more than can be

9.7.2018

Extremely impressed, this player is a beast. Not just in terms of construction (build quality is impeccable) but performance. I must confess I was sceptical this 4K player would make that much of a difference over my Xbox One X as a 4K player, but I can appreciate the difference. I wouldn't say it is a night and day upgrade, but the enhancement in clarity and colour production is appreciable. The player is also very quiet in operation, which is a must in my view. Although build quality is very robust - made from high-grade materials - aesthetically there are no standout features - though being minimalist could be deemed a positive. Note that at 43cm in width this player is rather wide,

27.6.2017

This Blu-Ray / DVD player is very capable and is a great update to my ageing Philips payer.I'm still waiting for a 4K television, so haven't yet been able to experience it in all its glory, but even on a humbler TV it makes for a great disc player and streaming device. I'm particularly pleased that it has an Amazon Video app, as this isn't supported by my smart TV. It also has iPlayer, Five-on-Demand, NetFlix, YouTube and more. Notable for their absence, however, are ITV and Channel 4 apps, which are not currently provided. The apps and interface more generally run very fast, with none of the lag that my NowTV box has.The player is pretty easy to use,

28.4.2017

OMG, yes oh my God,Sony have come up trumps with this bit of kit. This top end 4K Blu ray player is the muts nuts. My TV is a Samsung 65'' UHD 4K ready and I have been using a PS4 as a Blu ray player, display was good but not upscaled. Open the box, plug it in and the set up is VERY simple. It detects your Wi-Fi, you log it on, it detects that it needs a software update, it downloads and updates and re-starts.It displays all the streaming services available. I have Amazon Prime so can stream movies for free, well the quality of the stream is perfect, as if you were playing the Blu ray disc itself. The audio Hi-res quality is stunning, yes I have a sound bar which helps.

25.7.2018

In the last few years sony have really got back in the game and instead of producing a bit butter than average with the strength of a household brand have actually positioned themselves as genuine contenders for best in class in all price categories. Their TVs and Projectors cannot be beaten at any price point they compete in, their blu-ray players pretty much can’t but it’s not so hotly a contested market. I’m brief it’s quite solidly built, can sometimes take a while to recognise a disc but other than oppo nobody else has got this perfect. Video and sound quality top notch. IP control very good bar hit and miss WOL function. Smart features good but lacking compared to some TVs including their own.

12.6.2017

Overall, i think that this is a good piece of kit. The picture quality is great on 4k bluray discs (& 4k Youtube). Amazon video works rather well through wifi and my Bluetooth earphones connect easily to the device. They also mute the system simply by switching the headphones on. It's all quite clever stuff when linked up to a Sony tv, because it automatically changes to the HDMI channel when the unit is powered up and either remote can be used to pause, rewind & change volume.The main issue i have with picture quality is with fast moving images on Bluray. Whilst watching "Fortitude" i noticed it within seconds. It looks unnatural and i dislike it compared to my previous 1080i TV.

Sony UBP-X800 - Reviews

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