SonyUBP-X700M HDR 4K UHD Network Blu-ray Disc Player with HDMI Cable

love the player, its not hi-end buts its not bargain generic either .. ive gone through several players over the years, mostly to support an extensive dvd and file collection and now we have bluray capability although its not my main use ... my initial feelings after setting it up and exploring its operation is - its simple, it plays most file formats, runs fairly quiet, looks good, footprint on the small side, and the remote works really well not directional like some can be, also 'most' settings are auto detected but a couple requires going into settings which is relatively quick and painless ... it does have some quirks but theyre not serious imo, such as it likes to be stopped before the next operation, it likes the tray closed with the button before play is pushed, it doesnt like to be interrupted with a disk in the tray etc .. all procedure type things, do it how it likes and it doesnt complain .. another thing is the power and eject button on the unit itself are large and right above the usb port - i challenge you to insert or remove a usb without hitting them haha, an extension cable will solve that .. also when playing files off the usb it plays all video formats ive thrown at it with the exception of oddball audio formats .. so, so far so good .. lastly, the manual doesnt list my hisense tv as compatible with the tv/volume controls on the remote, but it is, just do the manual procedure and hold the buttons in turn several seconds until you hit the right one, red i think it was .. finally, at the risk of being preachy i'll pass a general tip along ive learned over the years - dont turn the tv off and leave a player with a disk in it spinning on a menu all night and fall asleep, eject any disks and shut it down, ALL the way down, disable fast start in settings to, itl last longer ..

(DECEMBER 2021 NOTE: I will provide an update at the bottom of the review.)(APRIL 2022 NOTE: I will provide a second update at the bottom of this review.)ORIGINAL REVIEW:I bought one of these units when I upgraded my TV to a 4K model, and for the most part, it did its job well. My 4K UHD discs look excellent, and even regular Blu-Rays have a nice upgraded look to them when upscaled to my 4K screen. The player typically works well, and has good load-times and is relatively accessible. Even my parents who can't wrap their head around most modern tech can use it.However, there is one big bug that did bring it down a few points for me. That being that certain titles sometimes won't display when you put the discs in. It's happened consistently with several Blu-Ray discs I own. You put them in... and the TV loses the player's signal, so you can't watch the movie. In order to get them to play, you have to eject and re-insert the disc over and over again until it randomly works. (Sometimes it takes up to a dozen times before the disc will display.) As I said, it seems to only happen with certain specific titles, which is kind of mystifying to me. (Ex. My Blu-Ray copy of "Tucker and Dale VS Evil" has this problem every time I try to play it.) It's not the discs... they're in excellent condition and work in other players. So it seems to be a problem with the player.This is a pretty annoying issue, and it's happened enough to become a genuine nuisance. So I do gotta dock the player a few points.All in all, it's a decent player that is unfortunately brought down a few pegs due to technical bugs. I'd still mildly recommend it because it works MOST of the time. Just be aware you may have the same issue I'm having. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.DECEMBER 2021 UPDATE:It has been a few months now since I have encountered this bug. It was happening all the time until this past summer, when it began happening less and less. And it has effectively not happened at all in over four months. I'm going to assume this was some sort-of bug that got squashed in a software update. Therefore I am upping my score to a better 4 out of 5. If it continues to function this well for a while and I encounter no other bugs, that I'll probably update it to a perfect 5 in the future, because it is otherwise a very good 4K player.APRIL 2022 UPDATE:It has officially been about eight full months since I encountered the software bug with the TV losing the player's signals. I've not had a single issue with it since. Therefore, I am upping my score to a 5 out of 5. As long as your software is up to date, this is pretty much a perfect 4K player.

With the revelation that the bitrate of my 4k streaming library absolutely PALES in comparison to even 1080p Blu-Ray discs, and with the addition of the Samsung S95b display and 5.1 surround finally mounted in my viewing area -- I'm having a physical media renaissance. This began with me pulling out the ol' PS3 for a test drive comparison of how my blu-ray collection would look in comparison to streaming. Spoiler alert: I was immediately taken back by the clarity of motion and details in dark scenes, especially with HDR.The PS3 is a solid (but loud) piece of blu-ray playback kit, but my wife and I decided to pull the trigger and make the jump to 4K UHD discs, which called for a new piece of tech to adorn our entertainment center, and this is the one we chose...It. has. EVERYTHING! All of the HDR10+ support one could desire but in addition Dolby Vision and crystalline 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus/Atmos output for our speakers, it has truly allowed us to realize the full potential of our equipment.The upscaling is amazing as well and has revitalized our prolific collection of blu-ray and DVD films in a way I could have never imagined. It can't magically add detail to the content, but it somehow makes the image sharper and easier on the viewer and closes the gap between Blu-Ray and 4K UHD.It comes with a remote, but it also supported input from my TV remote immediately out-of-the-box, which is fantastic and helps the device meld with our existing TV menus.Also this thing is SILENT. During menus and playback, I haven't heard any fan noises whatsoever, which I'm not sure how they managed. I wouldn't even suspect it was on if it didn't have a small LED indicating that fact.What a value proposition for the home theater!