Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Disc Player - Black

To fix playback freezing about an hour into a film, here's what I did.First, update the firmware:Setup > Network settings > Internet settings > connect to the Internet however you have it set up. Wireless must be 2.4ghz as 5ghz connections don't show up.Setup > Software update > via InternetAfter it's done you can disconnect it from the Internet forever unless you want to use any online features.Secondly, the 4k upscaler seems to cause issues. So let's fix that.Setup > screen settings:Hdr autoDolby vision on (if you're watching Dolby Vision content and your TV supports it. Should be turned off for HDR movies and regular SDR Blu-rays as it desaturates the colour)Output video resolution auto if you want blu-rays to be upscaled by the TV, 4K if not.>>> 4K UPSCALE SETTING OFF <<< (this is seemingly what upsets it!)HDMI deep colour output autoWith these settings I've had no problems with any discs at all. I'm not sure why it doesn't have these settings out of the box, but there you go.And here are the audio settings I'm using that might save someone some time:Setup > audio settings:Digital audio output autoDts neo:6 offAudio drc offDownmix surroundAnyway! Nice and small, about the size of a PlayStation 1. Feels quality, nice design. Very easy to set up (aside from the above!) and as mentioned I've had no problems enjoying my film collection since changing a few settings. Picture and audio quality is great. Player software is pretty barebones (reminds me of PS2 menus) but does the job very well. The manual's description of what every setting actually does can be confusing at times, so most of the setup time went into looking things up online.It should be noted that this is my first UHD player so I can't compare it to anything else, but I wanted something that supported Dolby Vision and wasn't massively expensive and this certainly doesn't disappoint!

I’m not going to go into the technical specs, as other reviewers have already done so.This machine plays DVDs, Blu Ray, and 4K discs. Image quality is excellent, with regular Blu Rays benefiting from the upscaling feature (between 5% and 20% improvement, depending on the quality of the disc.) It’s compact, quiet, and loads pretty quickly. The remote is very user friendly, and fits snugly in one’s hand. 4K discs look stunning, as expected. I don’t think there’s a better buy at this price. 9/10

You can play any disc on it. Blu ray, dvd, or ultra hd blu ray and for a good price too.

Excellent. Very good player. Beautiful picture. Great value.

The Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Disc PlayerSummary:A great product, pretty much future-proofed and well worth the price. A really good player with really good value for money. Highlights are built-in support for HDR.10 and Dolby Live will be added later.Review: First ImpressionsA solid and well-built unit. A good mix of plastic and metal, with a piano-black trim. Does not look out of place on my unit next to the tv. The remote by contrast looks and feels a bit on the cheap side, but buttons respond quickly and accurately to the touch, and becomes 2nd nature to use.Plugging in and initial setup:The instructions state to hook up all the connections BEFORE powering on the unit...so I did that. My tv is an LG C7 OLED unit so I plugged in my own HDMI cable as the Sony doesn't ship with one. It also had an HDMI audio out so you can plug in your sound-bar if you have one. Connecting via LAN, USB or coaxial digital is equally simple. Wireless support is limited to 2.4 Ghz but streaming directly from Netflix showed no drop-outs or buffering. The built-in setup wizard is quick and easy to follow and if you mess up you can reset all back to default and start again. It has the basics as far as apps go with Netflix, Amazon and Youtube available, so you can smarten up you TV if you need to.Picture:Wow. In conjunction with my OLED tv the picture is stunning. Visual are crisp, clear and startling. The first movie I played was The Martian blu-ray in standard and UHD formats and, the difference is palpable; the arid landscapes and harsh beauty are brought home with a clarity and detail that is jaw-dropping. The SD copy looks pale and washed out in comparison. Other UHD movies I tried were Kong, Superman vs Batman UHD, Pacific Rim UHD and Mad Max. DVD playback is okay, not impressive but it's fine,I really doubt if anyone is going to be playing dvd's here though it's nice that it has that ability if you want.Sound:My TV is Dolby Atmos enabled and has virtual surround sound abilities.The Dolby Atmos and surround-sound quality is adequate, having heard a dedicated Dolby Atmos setup and surround sound, I realised that to get the full detail of the picture and sound quality I need to upgrade from a tv speaker system to a dedicated setup.That being said, the sound, for all its limitations is amazing, Mad Max, Kong, Supes vs Bats have soundscape that really come over well with this unit compared to my other player. The LG really gives you an immersive experience, but I do think after this I need to upgrade my system. A better review for the sound can be found on What Hi*Fi's website.It also can playback most music formats like SA-CD, mp3, flac etc. I did not test this as this is a 4K player and will be used primarily as such.Verdict:This 4K player has value for money like no other 4K player. The bang for you buck is unrivalled.It's a bargain at the price-point and outperforms its big brother UBP-X800 by some distance. It's natural rivals at this point like the Panasonics and others cannot beat this unit in features or its crisp natural 4K output. Buy it. You won't regret it.Specifications:Playback CapabilityDISC - BD-RE, BD-RE Dual Layer, BD-ROM, CD (CD-DA), CD-R / -RW, DVD+R, DVD+R Double Layer, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-R Dual Layer, DVD-RW, DVD-Video, SA-CD (SA-CD / CD) Playback, Stereoscopic 3D (profile 5), Ultra HD Blu-rayVIDEO FORMATAVCHD Disc Format, HEVC, Motion JPEG (.mov, .avi), MPEG-1 Video / PS (.mpg .MPEG, .mkv).VOB, .VRO, MPEG-2 Video / PS, TS ( .mpg.MPEG, .m2ts, .mts, .mkv).VOB, .VRO, MPEG-4 / AVC (.mov, 3gp, .3g2, .3gpp, .3gpp2, .flv), MPEG-4 AVC (.mkv, .mp4, .m4v, .m2ts, .mts), VC1 (.m2ts, .mts, .mkv), VP6, VP8, VP9, WMV9 (.wmv, .asf, .mkv), Xvid (.avi, .mkv)AUDIO FORMATAAC (.AAC, .mka), AIFF (.aiff, .aif), ALAC (.m4a), Dolby Digital (.ac3, .mka), DSD - DSDIFF / DSD (.dff, .dsf), FLAC (.flac, .fla), HEAAC v.1 / v.2 / level2, LPCM (.mka), Mokey's Audio, Vorbis, WMA10 Pro, WMA9 Standard (.WMA)PICTURE FEATURE24p True Cinema, 4K Upscale (60p), Deep colour (12bit)DOLBYDolby Atmos®(bitstream out)/Dolby® TrueHD decoding (7.1Ch) DTS DTS:X™(bitstream out)/DTS decoding (7.1ch)WI-FI® BUILT INYesWI-FI MIMOYesFEATURESScreen mirroring (Wi-Fi Miracast)STREAMING3D Streaming, 4K streaming, Live StreamingINPUT AND OUTPUTCoaxial Audio Output (s): 1 (Rear), Ethernet Connection (s): 1 (Rear), HDMI Output (s): 2 (Rear), USB Input (s): 1 (Front)Box Contains Instruction Manual, Remote Control, Type AAA x 2 batteries, Warranty Card,