Sony UBP-X800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player

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UPDATE 11/20/17: Well, the second player didn’t work out and has been returned. It got to a point where the picture was distorted, would blank out, and/or the player would freeze up and only a hard reset would fix the issue. To be clear, yes the HDMI cable was updated and more than capable of handling 4K, the picture would distort when playing both discs (DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K) and apps (Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Vudu), and it wasn’t the TV because I even purchased a new Sony XBR55930E. This player is a piece of junk and is not worth the hassle. Amazon has reduced the price of this player for Thanksgiving; yet, as tempting as that is I still have no interest in dealing with a 3rd player and it’s inevitable issues. I’m just going to wait for a new model to come out. Buyer beware, this is a great player when it works but it is absolutely not worth the time, effort, and frustration. Im on my second UBP-X800 player, and things dont look any better the second time around. First thing is first: when the player functions as intended, the picture quality is phenomenal! Truly amazing! The images are crisp, action sequences are smooth, and the colors are vivid and vibrant! However, this thing freezes up CONSTANTLY! Player #1: Easy set up, everything loads very quickly, and the control is noticeably heavy, in a good way. We enjoyed this player issue-free for about two weeks, when it started to randomly shut down. The screen would go black, a Sony image would come on, and then it would just shut off. After making sure I had the latest software and performing a hard reset, I contacted Sony and they were no help. They simply told me to do the same thing. So the problem continued, and then I contacted Sony again, at which point they informed me Id have to go through their warranty services division. Then out of nowhere, the picture become distorted. So back this player went. Player #2: Same easy set-up, same gorgeous picture. However, within 1 week, the player would freeze up when watching Netflix using the auto-play feature. For example, an episode would end, and the countdown to the next episode would begin. But just as the countdown hit the 1 second mark, it freezes up. The only remedy is to do a hard reset (unplug, wait, plug back in.) This is beginning to happen more frequently, and is very frustrating. Considering our entire A/V set-up is Sony, and weve had terrible experiences with Samsung blu-ray players, our choices are very limited in seeking out a 4k Blu-ray player. At this point, it would seem we have to keep returning and purchasing a new one until Sony can get their act together. Therefore, unless you absolutely ~must~ have a 4k blu ray player (weve invested pretty heavily in 4k movies at this point), then I would hold off on this purchase until improvements have been made.

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I have owned the player for one week. Every day I use it there will inevitably be a random freeze at some stage during my viewing the screen image will freeze and the player will become unresponsive. The only remedy is to remove from the mains power and restart. The freezes are random - they are not due to faulty discs as in all cases the scene will play correctly after the restart. It also happens when streaming Netflix. I have updated the firmware and performed a factory reset. I note from other bords this is not an isolated incident. Sony recommends I have the unit replaced. However, I am worried this is actually a latent defect and replacement may not help.

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This device was an utter disappointment. It has multiple defects that make it useless. Even if I could continue tweaking ad nauseum, it’s not worth it to me — I expect a product to actually work and do what it’s supposed to with a reasonable set up experience. This device does not. I read the reviews and online tips and tricks on how to set it up (e.g., turn off quick start, use wireless instead of wired network connection), but even so it just doesn’t work. (1) Audio cannot by synced with video on all sources. If I adjust audio delay so a disc plays correctly (side note: I should not have to do this), then streaming sources have mis-synced audio. (2) Netflix (built-in app) video quality is extremely poor. (3) YouTube (built-in app) never actually loads. All I get is a YouTube logo. (4) It can’t stay connected to my network. I never had any of these issues with my previous Sony Blu-Ray player. After reading many reviews, I have to say this model is not ready for commercial release. Far too many defects, even if some people are lucky and get a good one. As a customer, I don’t want to clean up the mess from sloppy product engineering or quality control. It’s being shipped back and I’ll look for something else.

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The device keeps locking up two days after I received it. Apparently this problem has been around awhile according to the support community blog. I have all the latest firmware updates installed. Unplugging the unit to do a hard reset is not a viable ongoing option. I called to the listed 888-support number and just get a busy signal. This is not the level of quality and support I would expect for the price and from Sony. Disappointed and plan to return the unit.

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Ive always been a fan of Sony products. They were always very reliable. This one not so much ... Ive owned it going on 1 month and it has begun freezing up requiring an unplug and plug back in to eject a disk or simply to turn it off! Not happy at all. Im going to see what Sony has to say about this as others are having the same problem. Not expecting much as companies dont seem to care anymore.

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This unit randomly freezes or locks up. It doesnt matter if it is a DVD, Blu-Ray or Netflix. Once it freezes the only way to get the unit working again is to pull the power plug on it. Ive done the firmware update and it still freezes or locks up. Ive called their support and all they had me do was factory reset it. When I asked them about the firmware update they wouldnt answer. The support person would not deviate from his flow chart script and wouldnt answer any of my questions. Super bad support experience. I checked the forums and other online sites and there are 1000s of people complaining of this same issue. Ive tried all the recommended settings changes like 24p OFF, HDMI AUTO, all kinds of settings changes and nothing fixes this issue.

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One of the worst Sony products every developed! Ive owned many (and I mean many) Sony products in my life, but this one is by far the faultiest. This particular model freezes up for no reason ALL the time! The only way to reset it is to unplug it and plug it back on. It started after the first update. Then, I reset the unit to the original factory setting but the unit continues to "misbehave." Often times the unit doesnt even turn on when I press the power button on the remote (or the unit itself). Other times it just doesnt turn off at all either. More often than not, when playing a DVD/Blu-ray disc, the unit freezes up only to be fixed with a re-plug. When I attempted to contact customer service, all they did was to refer me to the FAQ/"Community" on the Sony website to see if maybe I can find a solution on my own! What kind of crappy customer service is that?? I may have received a lemon but Ive read many a similar complaint from other customers on this particular unit. On a positive side though, both the picture and sound from this unit are really good--WHEN IT DECIDES TO WORK, that is. Avoid at all costs!!

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It freezes every time I rewind the DVDs, and sometimes on Bluray Discs. When I had just bought it, it didnt bother me that much, because it was only sometimes. That is why I did not return it. After a few months, I have decided to play my tv shows which are on DVDs. Yes, for the most part, it plays them, yet "every time" I rewind them, it becomes frozen. There is another thing, when I place some of my dvds, it plays the previews and show the menu, but when I click "play", it wouldnt play at all! It doesnt matter how I open the tray and close it back, I still get the same thing. I unplug and plug it back in, it is still likewise. The thing that bothers me the most is I have to keep pulling the hefty TV stand of my entertainment center just to unplug the player, given the cord of the player is connected to the latter. You cannot unplug it from the player itself. You must unplug it from the socket or surge protector, and plug it back in to work. And, sometimes it doesnt even work right away, Ive gotta wait for a few minutes for it to start working. Sometimes, it still does not work, although Ive already waited up for a few minutes. So, I always end up putting my DVDs in my non-4K UHD Panasonic bluray player. I should have believed, what the other reviewers comments in here, that their players kept freezing on them, as well, prior to procuring this messed up Sony 4K UHD player! Imagine, I had only purchased this late last year, and thus it is giving me massive issues!

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Let me start by saying that I have been purchasing Sony audio and video products for over 25 years and I hardly ever write reviews. However, I felt compelled to write this Sony product review since I have personally noticed a decline in quality over the past five years. This is the second Sony Blu-ray player that I have purchased that constantly requires a hard reboot by unplugging the player to turn it on. My earlier player that had the same issue was less of a hassle because the plug disconnected from the back of the player making it easier to unplug in order to turn it back on. This player has the power plug permanently attached to the back of the player so I have to move my entire media stand to unplug it everytime I want to use it. This is unacceptable for a somewhat high end 4K player that I purchased less than a year ago (only 4K Sony model available at that time). Overall, the player looks nice but it has an extremely large footprint and having to unplug it constantly to use is a major drawback. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Sony products any longer because of this third issue with Sony products in less than five years. Two faulty video players and a receiver that the audio for the main TV input failed within a year. If anyone who works for Sony is reading this review, please improve the quality of your products. I would rather pay more for a product that lasts long like your former products than pay less for something that fails in under a year requiring the need to purchase a replacement product.

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I have been a loyal Sony customer for many years; almost all of my home theater components are theirs. However, this unit failed after only three days of use. The screen froze while watching a streaming feed. After shutting it off and trying to start it again its still stuck on the same frame where it originally froze. So very disappointing from a company that has produced such high quality products in the past!

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