Anyone having issues with Sony UBP-X700? (1 Viewer)

[Brian Husar]

This is my second Sony. I finally got a 4K player last year and got the Sony UBP-UX80, and certain titles kept pausing and/or tiling. Got some great advice here to turn off Auto Home Network Access and remote start and software update. Worked fine after that, except on Ready Player One. Flash forward to December, and a new firmware update which caused the player to power off and on at random. We bought a new one at Best Buy, we were leaning towards a Samsung with Dolby Vision, the seller who was a "Sony Expert" per his name tag, got us to go with the Sony UBP-X700 which also has Dolby Vision. Same thing has now happened, and I have everything turned off as well as Quick Start, and that's what the Sony rep told me to do when I contacted them. NOTE: This is not with every disc, it seems like it's primarily 4K discs that are from Warner Brothers, or Disney. Just got done watching my second viewing of 2001 and both times it pauses and freezes when HAL is being shut down, and during the long pan of the planets and the monolith during the Jupiter and Beyond The Infinite sequence. Anyone having issues like this? The discs are totally clean and I have the right high speed HDMI cable etc. Are all players like this? It's really starting to put me off 4K UHD, but I have no issues with discs from Paramount, Universal, Lionsgate, or Sony Pictures Home Video. HELP PLEASE!!!

 

[Todd Erwin]

First things first - the Samsung player you were looking at does not have Dolby Vision, despite what a sales rep or "expert" may have told you.

Sony players are known for having lockup and freezing issues. Trust me, I have two of the X800 models, and both have been replaced by Sony, yet still have occasional issues. I have found that unplugging the unit from time to time helps to flush the system, but lockups are still likely to occur. Despite what the phone reps say, it is a known issue and Sony really is working on it. If you purchased a protection plan n the unit at Best Buy, I would stick it out until their newer model comes out (supposedly to replace the X800) and trade it in for that newer model, or possibly an LG if you need Dolby Vision. Or splurge a bit more and upgrade to a Panasonic.

 

[Brian Husar]

First things first - the Samsung player you were looking at does not have Dolby Vision, despite what a sales rep or "expert" may have told you.

Sony players are known for having lockup and freezing issues. Trust me, I have two of the X800 models, and both have been replaced by Sony, yet still have occasional issues. I have found that unplugging the unit from time to time helps to flush the system, but lockups are still likely to occur. Despite what the phone reps say, it is a known issue and Sony really is working on it. If you purchased a protection plan n the unit at Best Buy, I would stick it out until their newer model comes out (supposedly to replace the X800) and trade it in for that newer model, or possibly an LG if you need Dolby Vision. Or splurge a bit more and upgrade to a Panasonic.

Thanks Todd. The Best Buy rep actually recommended the Sony. So it sounds like a known issue and Sony is trying to fix it.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I bought my x700 back in mid-Dec and haven't watched that many 4K discs yet, but only times I've had that issue (so far) is if the disc is not perfectly clean -- seems like 4K discs come w/ smudges and such (or are simply more problematic w/ such) much more often than BDs... so I usually check before playback.

And yes, I've updated the firmware/software maybe 3 or 4 times so far -- seems like most of them have more to do w/ streaming app updates than disc playback.

Haven't gotten around to trying any Warner 4K discs so far. I'll give them a try this week (before my return period runs out), including my copy of 2001...

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Watched these Warner 4K titles w/out any problems so far:

2001
Argo
Batman Begins
Blade Runner
Blade Runner 2049
Pacific Rim

Started watching Interstellar, but only watched ~1/3 of it.

I have these others in my collection I could check, if you have issues w/ specific ones:

Dark Knight
Dark Knight Rises
Matrix Trilogy
The Town
Harry Potter complete set

_Man_

 

[Brian Husar]

Watched these Warner 4K titles w/out any problems so far:

2001
Argo
Batman Begins
Blade Runner
Blade Runner 2049
Pacific Rim

Started watching Interstellar, but only watched ~1/3 of it.

I have these others in my collection I could check, if you have issues w/ specific ones:

Dark Knight
Dark Knight Rises
Matrix Trilogy
The Town
Harry Potter complete set

_Man_

I had an issue with 2001 and Ready Player One

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I watched the section of 2001, where you had problem, on 2 separate occasions w/out problem. Don't have the other disc.

If those are the only 2 w/ that (persistent) problem, maybe you should try getting them replaced. Maybe they just don't quite meet pressing spec or the like and are failing at a layer change perhaps...

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Hmmm... maybe you should bring those discs to your Best Buy and try the problem sections in the store’s demo players first. If various demo players, especially including a Sony x700, play them just fine, then maybe you can just have BB replace the player for you inmediately.

Not sure what’s BB’s holiday shopping return policy, but it might be extended enough to cover you if you do it asap.

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I don't have those discs, so can't check myself. I will probably eventually get Alien... though I'd rather just wait for the inevitable boxset.

Since nobody else seems to have the issue w/ 2001, which is one of two problem discs in Brian's earlier post (and he has not reported back about it since), it's not at all clear what's the actual cause of the problem... at least for his case, which included Ready Player One.

Based on the (little) info provided, it can still be a couple diff other potential causes, including slight issue w/ the specific player hardware (that doesn't impact all discs) or the discs themselves...

_Man_

 

[Brian Husar]

It seems to be working OK now. Don’t know how it changed

 

[TheSteig]

My player sometimes turns off when I just turn it on. And when I turn it on I have to restart the internet settings. Anyone experience that or have an answer for that ?
This isnt a very good player

 

[Jim517]

Not that problem, but mine likes to lock up. The only way to fix it is to unplug it, then plug it back in.

 

[Sam Favate]

Old thread, but I’m having the same issue with the Sony X700. Certain discs it just won’t read, usually Warner discs, like Shawshank or WW84. The disc spins and spins, there’s a high pitched whine sound, and eventually a message comes up saying the disc isn’t playable, or “isn’t finished.”

Did those of you with this problem ever find a solution?

 

[Jim*Tod]

A few months ago after almost two years of no problem service my UBP-X700 stopped working if the Dolby Vision function was turned on. Otherwise it was fine when the Dolby Vision was switched off. I went so far as to buy 2 other 4K players to replace it.... a Panasonic and a Sony. Both turned out to be defective and were returned. Somewhat defeated I put the UBP-X700 back into service. And did the thing where everything is returned to the original factory settings. Lo and behold the problems with Dolby Vision went away and it has been problem free since then. So that might be a solution to some problems.