earnhar eliska panacea
Judd Eisenhauer
Blu-ray players in the same way as DVD players before them is becoming something you may almost buy at the store around the corner. This in heavy contrast to those early generations, where the bplayes hung high. And were sour...
Sony is one of the producers who are heavily involved in this market, but perhaps not necessarily in the heavy end of the market. In last year's collection of Blu-ray players, all count in below a kilogram, and the review sample being the smallest in the collection weighs 0.8 kg. We are, in other words in the light end. But is it any good?
The new series is obviously different from previous generations by having a much cleaner design. Outgoing models have received some pepper because of some of its slightly quirky design, with a little gratuitous almost flat pyramidal top. Maybe okay, but not very pleasing in my eyes. The new series is far more pure in design - not something that stands out, but it's really a brilliant design concept. In all its ease and simplicity there is something a bit chic with the Cubist and clean design.
And while we're at with weight - fair enough that 0.8 kg is not a lot of steel. But when it is combined with a compact design that these new players hold, it is not really saying wrong anyway. For a body that is half the width of a regular full-size HiFi component, it becomes a sensible relationship between size and weight. It has a pretty decent bulk density, and therefore feels straightforward to touch.
Physical noise from the drive is a very relevant parameter for both Blu-ray and DVD players. And BDP-S1500 is not complete silent during the entire process. But the good news is that the noise is very limited, and also has a pleasant character. It is also largely limited to startup and manouvering of Blu-ray playback. I am in possession of a Blu-ray player from Denon at 10 times the price of the BDP-S1500, which has much larger powerful noise problems. From Sony BDP-S1500 noise never is apearant others thatn when the sound is muted, and even then it is only faintly audible at a distance of two meters. Not flawless in other words, but very good for the price. Only wormwood is that it is a tad weaker in this exercise than an even more affordable player from Samsung, which I also have in my collection.
Sony was always top of the class in the exercise quickness in Blu-ray players' childhood and youth. And even though the terrain has largely been leveled eventually, Sony is still among the leaders in terms of speed.
The review sample of BDP-S1500 uses 20 to 25 seconds from standby to load the menu of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , one of the very few movies in the Norwegian market currently available with Dolby Atmos. This is certainly more than approved.
The remote control is an important part of AV components, especially Blu-ray players. BDP-S1500's remote control is odefinitively in the compact class, but it scores well on many parameters. One of the most important one is that it is a logical and easy to navigate. Equally important is that it has good transmission power of the control signals, and the player has good sensitivity for the orders given from the listening position. Here the remote for BDP-S1500 scores very good. Even commands given from a position behind a sofa cushion is promptly executed.
A direct button for Netflix means that you don`t have to scroll through menus to activate this streaming service for movies. Netflix has in quite a short time conquered the market, and is actually starting to get a very dominant position in relation to "linear TV." The fact that the remote has received a direct button for activating the streaming service is to my knowledge unique. And I like it - a HiFi and AV enthusiast is using too much time and frustration deep inside silly menus.
Sony BDP-S1500 is thus a smart player that offers services like Netflix via the player. It depends on wired network connection, or at least a solution with receiver for wireless bridge if you don`t have access to wired network near the player. This is a limitation that it is possible to grumble over, if you have talent for that excersise. But to me it makes sense as an intelligent solution for the most affordable player in a series, to politely refer to the more expensive models if you need WiFi. It is more than equally relevant to be impressed that the player has wired network and Netflix available.
And if for some inexplicable reason vote that surfing the internet is a mandatory exercise for a Blu-ray player, you also need to put some more money into the pot. Here we talk BDP-S4500 and upwards ...
On the audio side, the player holds only digital outputs, in terms of HDMI and Coax. A very common development, and also a choice that makes sense for a player in this price category. This limits costs, as DACs are totally absent. The only parameter for sound quality in the player remains to be jitter characteristics. Since the test has been performed in a budget setup with an AV receiver costing 6.000, - (NOK) I have not had the ambition to dvelve into the sound properties via the digital outputs. I just note that it works pretty much the same with other players in the same general price segment. And BDP-S1500 is on par as a sound transmitter in the digital domain.
I think that Sony has done very much appropriate here. This is a player that has a suggested retail price of 799, NOK, but which in practice are available in major brands of 599, - (NOK). When you in addition to a highly competent player of Blu-ray get a thoroughbred Netflix machine that runs more bluntly into film streaming than any other instrument I have been in contact with, there is no battle left.
On top of all, it has a design that in its simplicity may go under the umbrella "gently elegant". I am pretty sure Mies would nod approvingly here. Less is more, even if it does not cost your shirt ...
If you miss WiFi and UPnP you can scroll up a few hundreds (NOK) extra - this is available in the more expensive models. Can you cope without , you get an incredible amount of bang for the money in this base model from Sony. Right now Sony BDP-S1500 a real bargain!
Hi I have just got the X800M2 Player and linked to XF9000 Sound bar and the Netflix app on player shows no ATMOS on any programs but when I use TV Nexflix it says Atmos Avalible. Is this cos the Blueray player app does not allow atmos. Any help.??.??
I am sorry I got confused. Well, I've double checked this. Unfortunately, the units do not support object audio (Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, DD+) from streaming services such as Netflix. That's why it doesn't work when you use the app from the player.
That does seem very daft considering the unit is capable of Dolby Digital
plus Dolby Atmos, DTS X and Dolby vision it seems a bit silly but it is what it
is. It must only mean that the unit is only capable when a 4K Blu-ray discs
and Blu-ray discs are running, not streaming.
Hi Everyone, i need some help please... i have an older model Sony Bravia KDL-55HX800 which I purchased in 2010. I'm looking into purchasing a roku streaming device to watch Netflix, Amazon prime, etc.... which roku streaming device is best and compatible with my model tv? There are so many....
@Naturequeen, they should all be compatible with your TV. It's really about what features you want. Only the Ultra model has an Ethernet port; all the others only support Wi-Fi. The least expensive model comes with a "simple" remote that has to have a clear line of sight to the front of Roku device. The others have a Voice Remote or Voice Remote Pro (the difference being the Pro is rechargeable) which are point anywhere remotes and support voice commands. They also have controls to turn the TV on/off and adjust the volume. The simple remote can't do that.
While I have a stick that's been reliable and hasn't given me any problems I still recommend against them. My preference has always been the Ultra, but it's also the most expensive. As far as streaming goes you really won't notice a difference with any of them.
@renojim thank you for your reply. I can not seem to find the roku ultra on the website. I do see the roku streambar. I do have one more question and I apologize for my ignorance, can I also stream tv channels and maybe cancel my cable subscription in the near futur? Is there an extra charge to stream tv channels? I hope I'm clear.
The streaming experience is very different than what you're used to if you've been using cable TV most of your life. The savings comes from picking only what you want, but nothing comes without some cost. With streaming, most people watch things "on demand" from some service - Netflix, Peacock, Paramount, HBOMax, etc. Those all cost money. To get your local channels it may be as simple as just connecting an antenna to your TV and watching them live for free. This blog post gives a good overview of how to watch local channels:
Whether you can get rid of cable completely depends on your viewing habits and how easily you can adapt to the streaming experience. There are channels (as Roku calls them, most people would call them apps) that are similar to the cable experience, but are also similar to the cable model with different tiers with different channels and pricing. Hulu, YoutubeTV, fubuTV, and Philo come to mind. They have multiple traditional TV/cable channels within the channel/app and may provide your local channels.
Some things from your cable subscription are also available via a Roku device, but they're only available if you have a cable subscription. I know that doesn't make sense, but that's how it is. If there's channels you're getting via your cable subscription that you just can't live without list them here and someone may be able to tell you whether there's a way to get them via one of the other providers (Hulu, etc.) or some other way.
There's plenty of material available via a Roku device that is absolutely free, but you may have to put up with commercials/ads (sometimes way too many). Streaming is a different experience, so you may want to get one of the lower priced devices just to give it a try. I'd say it's not for everyone, but I think if most people gave it a chance they would dump cable and never look back.
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