Sony BDP-S590 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi (Black) (2012 Model)

[added a "6 moths later update at the end] This isnt a super in depth review, but will give you more info that most will in a fairly brief summary: First off, I am a Sony TV guy who bought TWO Panasonic Blu-Ray players last year due to their seeming superiority(reviews, pro and online stores). First step for any modern electronic device, update your firmware. My initial update took over 5 minutes. I also recommend registering at internet.sony.tv as in the past some Sony products wont connect to certain services until you do. I connected to AmazonVideo on Demand and Netflix, BEFORE I registered it, so they may have responded to complaints and dropped the requirement, but incase there is a service that require it get it out of the way, it only takes a minute if you have a Sony account already Netflix app(they upgraded! Sony fans rejoice!): One glaring fault with (past/pre-2012?) Sony visual products is their Netflix app, as for years Sony decided to have a proprietary interface, and if you have researched it, a LOT of people had Netflix streaming issues. I guess Sony finally took note, as the new interface is like a across between the Wii interface and the Panasonic interface, as in it looks like you avgerage Netflix app now. I watched the Norwegian film TrollHunters, and it took about 15-20 seconds to load the movie, 10 seconds for the Netflix stream to stabilize to the bandwidth( this is mostly on Netflixs end I believe), with the unit 10 feet from my router. For the entire movie, it never reloaded or refreshed, or froze, and was in 1080 with 5.1 sound. I also paused the movie and rewound several times with no reload or delay. Truly the smoothest Netflix experience I have had yet on any of my devices. If your getting the S590 I assume this will be important to you. And yes, it has a dedicated Netflix button, and the app loads faster than my Wii or Panasonic Blu Ray players, and my Sony TVs, so I assume they have "fixed" it, but I havent done a lot of viewing yet. Blu Ray performance: Another reviewer said it wont play Disney movies, but I didnt have a problem, more later. First I put in the Star Trek (2009) Blu Ray, which has great visual beginning. I didnt have any performance issues that I could tell, and the menus are VERY fast and responsive, almost to a fault as there was a bit of shutter on the pop up menu, but unless you watch the movie with the pop up constantly going up and down I dont see this as a big issue. It was roughly 30 seconds from hitting the eject button to close the tray to the Paramount intro screen going, not bad. I then tried a 3D Disney Blu Ray (Tangeled, a true Disney made film), as one reviewer had said Disney BR does not work. Seeing as how this player is VERY new( a few weeks to a month on market), My guess is there was a firmware issue, disc issue, or user issue. That said, Tangeled played flawlessly in 3D as I skipped around chapters trying to cause an issue, but it all worked great. Also, this player, in my opinion, works very fast when skipping chapters or loading a scene from menu, where some playera seem to pause or lag. It was also quick to fast foward and "rewind", with little to no pause when hitting the button. A noticeable leap over my 2011 model panasonic bdt-220. Network set-up: As usual for modern Sony products, if you have a WPS router, took roughly 2 minutes, from the time I started the set up on the TV, walked to my router in the next room and hit the WPS button, and then walked backed to tell the TV to begin connecting. The Media Remote app for Android worked very well, but you must first go to the settings menu on the TV and scroll down to the Media remote section, and "register"(aka activate, a button push) the feature(an unnecessary step IMO but I guess they are worried about people with an unprotected router have their TV taken over by pranksters?). Now some people are complaining about build quality. Its true it doesnt feel as sturdy at the Panasonic Players I bought last year, but is by no means flimsy. Unless you are planning on dropping it regularly, or letting your dog chew on it, I dont see a problem with this. It does look nice, with a brushed metal "look" on the case. As with seemlingly EVERY Blu Ray player, it does not come with an HDMI(which baffles me, it isnt expensive to make a high quality HDMI cable, dont get fooled by the HDMI cable prices). 6-Month Update I have now owned this product for 6 months. If I were to again compare it to the Panasonics , although they are a generation older, the Sony absolutely blows them away. It loads movies faster, it streams Hulu and Netflix faster, it updates firmware MUCH faster, and I have not had any streaming or Blu Ray video problems at all. I have encountered one issue, but wont change my rating. On Fast Boot mode, while the boot is nearly instant, I did encounter an odd issue where it boots itself. If you have your TV HDMI control function, it will turn on the TV also. Its a bit unnerving when you are asleep and you are awoken by your TV turning on and seeing a Main menu. This COULD be an HDMI control issue with my TV though. There are two ways to solve it: Turn off fast boot(its still much faster than most Blu Ray players), or turn off HDMI control so it cant turn on your TV itself. Also, while some Sony TVs do not, this player will also auto zoom/strech the screen when you are watching a 4:3 format video on netflix, to fit your widescreen, so there arent any bars on the side. I know many people want to use every inch of their TV screen. Also, Sony has been fairly quick lately to keep the Internet Video Apps up to date/ recent versions, So no TiVo-style glacier slow Internet Application User Interface updates to worry about.

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This is a awesome Streamer/Bluray/DVD player. I havent experienced any issues whatsoever playing back Bluray disks. Boot times are very good with the disks I tested. Everything played back perfectly with stunning picture quality. However, I really purchased this player for its streaming abilities. Sony players were dinged in the past for a poor Netflix experience. Sony have fixed this with a updated Netflix interface that supports 1080p and Dolby Digital+ streams. Similarly Amazon VOD supports Dolby Digital bitstream audio, and VUDU and HULU+ are unchanged from the 2011 players, but work fine. Its also nice to have "crackle" on there so you can watch the odd Seinfeld episode when you fancy. I also tested the player with a DNLA server. Sony seem to recommend Serviio (free) so I think they must test the DLNA features of the player with this software. I tested photos, music and video and everything played back perfectly. Anyway, a great streamer/disk player. Highly recommended !! ** update ** Had a need to play a Disney BD disk on this player the other day. A comment here suggests that Disney BDs wont play. Complete nonsense. They playback perfectly. ** Update (8/27/12) ** Sony added support for watch lists with the amazon Vod app. Cinema NOW is now supported.

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In April I decided that although I loved my LG blu-ray player for Netflix and watching blu-rays, I wanted a new player that would let me watch Amazon streaming and have an updated and easier to use Netflix interface. My old player worked perfectly for what it did, I just wanted something that did more. First, based on my great experience with my LG player, I ordered the LG BD670. I liked the interface, liked how it played blu-rays, loved that I could search Netflix from the blu-ray player itself (the old player would only let you view your queue and a few of the specific categories that it chose, you had to go to another device if you wanted to search or even browse beyond that) and I loved Amazon streaming. But it did not play Netflix well: during the course of pretty much anything Id try to watch, whether it was a 2+ hours movie or a twenty minute tv episode, it would lose the sound and have stuttering picture for anywhere between a few seconds to several minutes. After less than two weeks I contacted Amazon and sent it back. I put my old blu-ray player back and it worked with no problems, for Netflix and blu-rays both. Then, based on glowing reviews, I tried the Panasonic DMP-BDT220. Initially it seemed great. I liked it even more than the LG. Then it started having connection issues. Actually, it started having connection issues the first day, but I didnt realize right away that it was going to be a *constant* problem. There was not one day that it did not lose the internet connection. Granted, where it was set-up is as far away from my wireless router as it can be while the two devices are still the house, so some connection issues are understandable, but it would lose connection when nothing else in the room it was in had lost their connection and beyond that even, it would not reestablish its connection until Id cycled it off and on, sometimes several times. I really wanted it to work, since when it was working, I loved it. I did not contact the company, in fairness, so I cannot say if they could have helped me or comment on their customer service. I did check online reviews and message boards and found that I was not alone in having internet connection issues with it. I tried some fixes that were posted but nothing worked. I read more than one person complaining that they *had* contacted Panasonic and were told that the wireless in the player just wasnt that strong, and the only real cure for connections issues was to move the player closer the router. That wasnt an option for me so, incredibly frustrated, after almost a month of it, I contacted Amazon and sent it back. Again I put my old blu-ray player back and it worked with no problems. Finally, as a last resort, I tried this player, the Sony BDP-S590. Tentatively, hesitantly, I would say it *seems* Ive found my player. I admit, I held off on the Sony because it was more expensive than the LG, and at least at the time I was first looking, the reviews werent as good as for the Panasonic. But for me, its working. It sits where the Panasonic sat (and where the LGs sat) and doesnt have any connection issues except when there is genuinely an interruption that is affecting everything else thats connected to the router--and even then as soon as the router is doing its thing again, all I have to do is hit "Retry" and the player is connected again, no turning it off and on repeatedly. It has no problem playing Netflix, or Amazon streaming, or Crackle, or Youtube, or good old blu-rays. I appreciate that its got the only remote that actually controls my not-that-old Toshiba tv, which isnt a big deal, but its nice. Im not an audiophile or videophile or whatever, so I cant comment on the technicalities of the sound or picture; it sounds and looks fine to me. The loading times arent long enough that I get impatient, but Im not the sort of person who times those things as long as they arent long enough to make me take notice. As far as Im concerned, if you just want to watch stuff, it works. And if you have any sort of distance constraints on where you can place it (like if you dont want to/cant put it in the same room with the router) this is your best bet. I waited to write this review, paranoid after the first two blu-ray players, but after about a month of this, Im still pleased with it.

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This is my first 3d blue ray player and I am so happy with it I dont know how to convey in words how good it is. I just have a 46" Vizio HD Tv and the picture display from the player is so beautiful. I was watching Aliens 2 from my bue ray DVD collection set and it was something to see.. Also included are the added apps that you can view like Netflix, Amazon streaming movies and TV shows,Hula,Vudu, YouTube live from the internet,Crackle,Horror movies apps and many more.The apps alone will put a smile on your face for years to come.You cannot view YouTube on the Roku player, only on the Sony 3d blue Ray palayer. Also the remote is very easy to use and the buttons are identified on the remote so you know just what one does what. Imagine what this baby would do if I owned a 3D television? But I will have to wait awhile to get that.But I am as happy as a kid in a candy store with this player for all that it does.Also Amazon delivery was spot on and neatly packed.

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I did a lot of research before buying this particular product. This is the best as of writing this review. The research also involved returning 3 other Blu ray players (Panasonic, LG and Toshiba). I was looking for a blu-ray player that has a built in Wifi, could stream Youtube, Netflix, Pandora and Hulu+. Needed DLNA as well. 3D was a nice to have feature as i was going to connect it to a non-3D projector. I also needed an audio out option other than HDMI to connect to a sound bar. All under $100. Toshiba one was just nasty. Kept on dropping signals and had a very slow boot. Though it was 30 bucks cheaper (refurbished), it was not worth it. LG was nice but I already had all the streaming features it had on my LG TV so wanted to add some variety. Also, it did not have 3D for the same price. Other issue was the manu navigation which lagged a little. Panasonic was good too and had very good navigation but again was lacking 3D for the same price. The deal breaker was the wifi signal though which kept on dropping after 20-30 minutes of streaming. Sony stood out to be the best. Cons; Not really a Con but I wish they could make it a tad smaller in physical size. The plastic seems a bit cheap.... but it is very acceptable for the price Pros; Best navigation System out there.Very easy and intuitive. Also, very fast. Its very similar to PS3s menu system. Very fast boot. No wifi dropped signals Crystal clear picture quality (the competitors were the same though). Had all the features i required and had 3D as well. Supports BD live and has 2 (front and rear) USB outlets Has option for composite audio/video and optical sound along with HDMI The app collection is the best i have seen in the lot. I did not see any app missing! I made the mistake of buying a Roku for almost the same price..... thankfully I sold it on craigslist for the price and invested in this blu-ray. This is as good as any streaming device out there and plays blu-ray in 3D! Very good value.

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We have been waiting on the blu-ray craze until prices settled down, and now with many players also including streaming in their functions, it seemed like a good time to buy. We bought this from Amazon for just over $100 and have been EXTREMELY pleased with the product. Shipping -- it came from Amazon, nuff said. It got here fast and safe. Setup -- Once I had the machine connected to the TV and power outlets, which took about 5-10 minutes including getting the machine out of the box, it took another 7-10 minutes to get the player connected to our wifi so we could view Netflix movies. Setup was extremely simple, although it is helpful if you do a quick review on how to use the remote. The only thing that might be tricky is that its not always simple to tell what "choice" you are getting ready to make. When the machine highlights a selection prior to you pushing the "enter" button, it turns the background white, but sometimes its not that evident at the beginning. The only other thing about the setup is to be sure that you have your computer on as well. (we can have our wifi on and the computer off at the same time) Youll need to visit a website to confirm the connection, but its not a big deal. Quality -- never having had a blu-ray player before, Im extremely happy with the quality of our movies -- both those that are blu-rays and just regular DVDs. The other night, my wife put the "Cars" movie in for the kids to watch. It was amazing to see the difference in the picture quality. We are using an HDMI cable. But instead of paying a crazy price at an electronics store, I found one on Amazon for less than $2 -- it is doing the job beautifully! In addition to the quality of the blu-ray, the Netflix movies which are streamed over the wifi at a distance of roughly 10 feet, going around a short corner and through some glass, are fantastic. Frankly, the Netflix quality is better on the TV (through the wifi) than it is directly on the computer monitor through an ethernet cable. Ive also tested it using YOUTube and it worked fine as well. Ease of use -- very simple. It takes a little getting used to as a home menu pops up most of the time even when you put a movie in, but its pretty simple to select your entertainment choice and go from there. Netflix can be just a little cumbersome if you are searching for a specific movie and need to enter the title. You have to scroll for each individual letter of the title, but its really not that big of a deal. Our 7-year-old can operate the machine for anything with no help at all. Cost -- I searched around and this model had some of the best reviews and as I mentioned -- the cost was very reasonable on Amazon. Its always tough with electronics because the minute you buy something, a newer version has hit the stores. However, Im hoping well have this for several years. Size -- just a note, this machine is quite small. Not near as deep as many DVD players weve had in the past and not very wide. I would highly recommend the machine to anyone who is getting into blu-rays and also is interested in internet streaming.

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I have been using this blu-ray player for two months. First it is very easy to set the S590 up and get it connected to your HDTV and receiver etc. And contrary to what some of the other reviewers complained about, the wireless connection is also very self-explanatory. The wizard will guide you through the process and even search the corresponding Security Type of your wireless network for you and all you need to do is type in the password--all should be done within three minutes. Now about the function and feature of this blu-ray dvd player, I can tell you one thing upfront: since the first day I introduced it to my home theatre system, Ive been buying all kinds of blu-ray movies just so I can continue enjoying the pleasure I have from watching movies on this player. Nice video and sound quality. On a side note, I use some cheap hdmi cord (slower transfer rate) I bought online to connect the devices. But it didnt stop the S590 from delivering excellent and consistent movie experience. That being said, I havent tried watching any 3D movies on S590 as I am waiting to see the results of the current 3D TV technology race; prices are changing all the time. So how about the apps? So far I have used Netflix, HuluPlus, Cinemanow, VuDu, and Amazon Prime--all without an issue. It also comes with tons of other apps that not only bring you movie experience, but also music, concert, news, fashion, and exercise programs. For those who complained about the loading time being "so long", I suspect they might suffer from symptoms of general anxiety disorder (life now is sressful for most of us), that there are some big stressors in their life that make the few seconds it takes for the player to connect to the internet and load into the app interface unbearable. The appearance and outer design stays true to the pictures you see. It has this sleek look yet it can easily blend into any settings (unlike anything Apple have made). Although the player does employ cheap plastic(I would prefer the word "lightweight"), the top of the player is rendered matt and textured that it doesnt look cheap--like the other devices that have glossy black surface do. However, being lightweight has its downside, apart from being labeled "not sturdy", it emits a discernible buzzing sound if and only if you leave a disc in the tray AND you dont position the player right--that it somehow resonates with your TV set at a bad frequency. Aside from the fact that the buzz it makes when its not properly positioned is nothing compared to that of the fans of your computer and you can only hear it in a quiet room when nothing is played on the screen, you will not hear a thing from the machine while watching movies online using the players apps (and there is no disc in the tray) no matter how--its "dead silent". Before I actually bought the S590, I also came across a review here that complained about the control buttons (Play,Stop,Eject,etc.) not being located in the front where the display screen is----the controls of this model are laid on the near rim of the top of the player. But in my opinion, its a major improvement in terms of outer design: its more ergonomic when it comes to pushing the buttons(Bend vs.Full Squat) and it adds to the integrity of the player as a whole. I will end the review here on one last note: my mother is having quite a lot fun too with the player, as she pulled out some aerobics video on Youtube and exercised in front of the TV everyday.

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Had been looking for a good quality 3d Blu-ray player and found it in this unit. I currently do not have a 3d TV but wanted to have that ability when I upgrade my TV this year. From opening the box to streaming a video via Amazon Prime and Hulu+ took less than 30 minutes. I have mine hardwired via Cat5e cable to my router, but also tried the wireless connection and it worked just fine as well. It is a 2.4Ghz so some other electronics (microwaves) might interfer with it, but not an issue with being hardwired. Registration of the unit took all of a couple minutes, registering on Amazon Prime took an extra minute. I didnt reaize there was a second registration code generated just for AP, that was my fault. Additional features Im looking foward to are using the USB port and ability to stream music from my home computer. Playback is great, I have a 42" LCD 1080p TV, Blu-Ray play is great, standard DVDs work as well. There are apps, which Im on the fence about, but could be fun for mild entertainment "geo quiz" and other fun stuff. Lots of apps for streaming beyond Hulu+ and AP, some I had no idea existed. Sony Entertainment Network might be something to look into, I like to stream music, SEN has unlimited music/video, but havent looked to the price yet. There is a Pandora app and others, but I use I <3 Radio now, might have to get a Pandora account again. The only issue I had was with the mobile "Media Remote" app, claiming to use your smartphone/tablet/etc. I could not get my HTC Inspire to register with the unit (both hardwired and wireless connections on the BDP) So not sure of the issue. Its not a big deal, I wanted it mostly so I could use a "keyboard" app when typing in searches, etc. There is a Facebook app as well, that will be nice to explore once I get a "keyboard" to connect. Id recommend going online to add movies to your queue as the search functions for apps like AP and Hulu+ require you to type in full words/names of the movies and you have to use the number pad i.e. 1 = a b c 1, 2 = d e f 2, so thats kind of time consuming, thus a keyboard widget would be great. Aside for that I am very pleased with the unit and the value at this price.

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