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"Very poor Netflix performance; subpar DVD upconversion"
on by GrafZeppelin127Pros Good Blu-Ray picture quality; network connectivity; BRAVIA sync.
Cons Poor non-Blu-Ray performance, especially Netflix HD content; inferior DVD upconversion; no WiFi.
Summary Very disappointed in this player so far. Purchased it for Netflix capability but HD content playback from Netflix is sluggish and jerky, as if on an old PC with a slow processor or weak video card. Picture and motion quality from the Roku HD player connected to the same TV and the same router is much, much better; the difference is pronounced, not subtle.
UPDATE: I called Sony and went through three levels of tech support. They agreed with my description and assessment of the Netflix HD picture quality and said that nothing could be done about it. I also called Netflix and while they seemed to be familiar with the issue, none of their suggestions worked. Unless I can solve this some other way, I'm going to return the player.
DVD upconversion is also noticeably inferior to the Sony DVP-NS700H upconverting DVD player I had been using previously. The picture is -very- soft, almost to the point of looking out of focus, even with the TV's sharpness setting turned up to maximum. Again, the difference between the two units is highly noticeable.
I will give Sony tech support a chance to address this problem before I return the unit. It's been a big disappointment so far.
Updated on Nov 25, 2009
Updated on Dec 22, 2009UPDATE 2: Feel somewhat vindicated now that CNET's review agrees with mine vis-a-vis "jerky" Netflix playback ("We also noticed that the overall streaming video quality seemed to be slightly worse than we're used to seeing. We saw more "jerky" playback than we're used to seeing on other players".) Decided to keep the player as its other features, including Amazon HD Video on Demand, are fine; holding out hope that Netflix playback can be improved with a firmware update in the future.
Updated on Jan 1, 2010UPDATE 3: Sony issued a firmware update in late December, but it appears to have had no effect on the Netflix HD streaming quality. It looks the same as it did before. I don't gather that the update was directed at this problem, but it remains nonetheless.
Updated on Mar 6, 2010UPDATE 4: For reasons unrelated to this issue, I upgraded my cable internet service to Cablevision's "Optimum Boost," which among other things is supposed to more than double Internet speed. Indeed, I'm now seeing over 20 Mbps on [...]. Nevertheless, the problem remains; the Netflix HD video is still "jerky". Apparently the problem is not the network. I think it may be that the Sony does a poor job handling the Netflix stream compared to the Amazon stream, such as, e.g., upconverting from 720p to 1080p.
UPDATE 5: I did some more experimenting with the player, this time removing the HDMI connection and using component instead, setting the player's component output to 720p. This did not correct the jerky motion problem; it looked essentially the same. So the HDMI interface between the player and the TV is also not the issue.
Updated on Jul 10, 2010UPDATE 6: The June firmware update had no effect on the problem. I think it's officially hopeless.
Updated on Oct 10, 2010UPDATE 7: The solution to the Netflix problem appears to be to turn the CineMotion feature off on the Sony Bravia TV for the HDMI input to which the BDP-N460 is connected. -
"Solid Blu Ray Player"
on by sjonesronesPros Ease of use -- Plug it in, hook up HDMI and you're off to the races
Stable -- It's been a few weeks and we have not noticed any freezing or crashing
Looks good -- Simple and attractive player.Cons No WiFi -- Need to pull ethernet to this unit to get Internet content. Lame.
Content -- Aside from NetFlix, the content is pretty weak. Michael Jackson concert videos? Puh-leeze.
NetFlix Search -- Impossible to search from the unit. Need laptop.Summary Good all-around players and Internet video. It needs better content and Netflix searchability.
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"Decent blu ray player"
on by paulimusmaximusPros Netflix, fast load times, streaming works reasonable well.
Cons Does not bookmark where I left off the movie.
Summary I bought this player because I got it on sale for $179.99 at Best Buy. It works fairly well, and Netflix streams really well, better than on my Xbox 360. There are a ton of streaming services on here, more than the ones listed on the box. The only problem I have had so far is that I tend to not watch whole movies at once, and for some reason it does not bookmark the movie automatically, and there is a button to set a bookmark, but even though it says it sets it, I can't seem to ever get back to that part when I restart the movie.
I haven't been able to get the BD live to work yet either, but I haven't really read the directions on how to do it, but it keeps giving me an error when I try to use it.
Overall, it's pretty nice though, and it plays the movies really well, and they look really good on it. And the streaming works really well too. -
"stay away - doesn't work without firmware update"
on by jstaudPros relatively low price for listed features
Cons Needs firmware update to run blu ray disks.
Summary I ordered this for my family for Christmas from J&R, opened it up Christmas Day and it didn't play BluRays, but did play DVDs. I returned it to J&R for a replacement. The replacement doesn't work either. I didn't know until I read one of these reviews why it doesn't work - needs a firmware update to work. I can't imagine why Sony would sell a Blu Ray player that needs a firmware update to play BluRay disks. Needless to say, this is going back to J&R for either a refund or a BluRay player from another company. I learned my lesson - check CNET first before buying!
Clearly the experience with this player has been spotty - some folks saying good and others bad. I had two units where neither would play the BluRay disks I purchased from J&R when I bough it. I wish my experience had been good - we were planning to watch Transformers II on Christmas night. So, if you buy this product, keep in mind that you're really tossing the dice.
Updated on Jan 14, 2010
I replaced this with a Panasonic DMP-BD60 that seems to work fine. It doesn't have the built in Netflix and it's about $129 versus $200 for the Sony - so the Panasonic works and it is less $$. To get Netflix with the Panasonic, you can get a ROKU box with built in WIFI for Netflix, and you'll come out ahead because you still need to buy a WIFI bridge for the Sony unles you've got ethernet wired right near your BluRay player. You will need another HDMI cable for the ROKU.
By the way, don't spend $50+ on HDMI cables. You can get them for under $10 at Amazon and other sellers. -
"Great Device Simple set-up. Can't believe it was FREE!"
on by pdaugPros New to the world of Blue Ray players. Easy to set-up and understand. Network link works perfect. Lost of options with the web connection. Tons of free online content available. Very cool device.
Cons None so far. No real complaint. Only wish is it was a 1/4 shorter I could fit it into another slot on my cabinet.
Summary Got this player free with my TV purchase from Sony. The quality of the feed is outstanding. Set up was so simple and the internet connection took about 30 seconds to work. I have it going through one of my Airport express stations and it works perfect. Linking to my Netflix account was as simple as a couple of codes entered on line; took about 5 minutes to walk through the process. Player menus are simple and easy to understand even for someone who never saw the product before I opened the box. I have not played a Blue Ray movie yet but can certainly see the up-scaling on my DVD's; it's a nice improvement. There is so much within the unit you can do with the web connection it will take some time to learn it all; but that is part of the fun. Very happy with the device. After using it I would have paid the $250 price tag for a item like this.
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