Sony introduces new UHD BD player and OBA sound bar (1 Viewer)

[Martin Dew]

Martin Dew submitted a new blog post

Sony introduces new UHD BD player and OBA sound bar

Continue reading the Original Blog Post.

 

[Philip Verdieck]

I am thinking this just changed my mind from pulling the trigger on a Panasonic UB-820.

FYI. I went to Sony to check out the link on the X800M2.

There is a review here
https://www.sony.com/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/ubp-x800m2/reviews-ratings

Its not a review. Its an entertaining post I would expect to find here on a number of HTF topics including a pitch on how to do 3D. I don't know how accurate it is, but its interesting...

Great if you use gaming headphones
UBP-X800M2 12/01/2019 by tripletopper (USA)

One of the problems I experience is that it seem like the only devices that can do either DTS-> Dolby or Dolby-> DTS conversions are gaming consoles. If you’re going for a 4k console, your only choices are either an Xbox One S if you don’t care about 4K gaming or an Xbox One X if you do. Playstation 4 has no 4K player on it, not even the pro model.

Dad insisted on getting a Sony for the front room. Our previous LG 3D BD player broke down. Dad saw a sale on the Sony UBP-X800.

For a while it was a good player. We have the ability to play 4k discs, but we don’t have a 4K TV yet. We could ply 3D discs, but since no one makes either a 4K 3D TV or a device which can turn any TV into A 3D TV, we’re just "futureproofing" and "pastproofing".

Then I read an interesting article on a Sonos Soundbar website, which was referred to me by my surround headphone manufacturer, Turtle Beach. Sonos owners have been complaining that their DTS Blu Rays being silent for many years.

Apparently nothing Sonos, and nothing Turtle Beach, even the new DTS X: Headphone headphones can accurately can give if DTS sound unless it relies on a external DTS-> Dolby converter, which is typically found in PS3s, PS4s, (if one wanted to watch HD DVDs, Xbox 360s) and all Xbox Ones, especially the One Ses and One Xes for 4K movies.

Someone said there were 2 good brands of TVs and one good brand of Disc player, if you define good as one that can covert DTS to Dolby, the Disc player brand and one of the 2 TV brands was almost ANY Sony.

So I looked for a setting. Look at the setting "downmix". The only 2 settings are "stereo" and "Surround" I notice no sound gets through on my Turtle Beaches if set on Stereo, which you have to connect to the Coaxial out and then through a Coaxial ->Toslink converter. But change it to surround, and a whole new world opens up. The lower text description mentions Dolby Digital, so I gave it a try. I checked a Blu Ray, made sure it said DTS, tried it, and I got surround sound. And with headphones 5.1 is all you need for 3D direction, because that’s all Toslink can deliver.

If you live in a media room which is in no way symmetrical or accousitcally balanced, you’ll have a hard time with "communal speakers". Turtle Beach (and possibly other brands, I don’t know) offer pinpoint accurate sound gamers rely on to get directional and distance cues in first person shooters. They are in situations where hearing something can be a matter of virtual life or death. If they trust surround headphones, shouldn’t you?

Turns out the effect livens movies more too. It also made me more stereophonically aware when tracking down a lost cell phone or a cat puke noise. The only caveat is those DTS movies which about 60-65% of my Blu Rays are in. I was going to try to convince dad to dump this and buy a second Xbox One S, but as it turns out, the setting was already built in. You just had to know where to find it.

Ironically, LG does in the OTHER direction, converting Dolby into DTS for DTS-exclusive equipment. Now I’ll watch movies upstairs with dad if I don't feel in a 3D mood.

By the way Sony, there is a way to revive the 3D movie/TV industry. it’s a 2 part plan. One make a 3D decoder that is independent of the TV. Sony was a champion of Shutter-based 3D, and Sega proved you can turn any TV into a shutter-based 3D TV, just look at the Master System Sega Scope 3D. So if Sega can turn any TV into a 3d TV using pre-1990 tech, then the patent should be expired. Also you don’t have to buy a new TV to make it 3D, or you can buy any size, any make, any resolution, any aspect ratio, any color depth TV into a 3D TV, or use an existing one. Have the model of 3D TV decoder bet like adding surround sound to movies, a nice little extra, but not strictly required, and totally independent of your screen choice

The other secret is to make 2D/3D combo discs, where the 2D presentation is just the left eye half of a stereoscopic image. Even 4K discs can be made 2D/3D combo. And if you want to encourage 3DTV, make it so that it’s 2D compatible, unlike Super Bowl 2013, which people complained that they can’t watch the Super Bowl if it was only in 3D. If you can encode a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack, closed captions, and alternate language in a TV/Cable/Satellite broadcast on ATSC 1, then with ATSC 2.0, why can you encode right eye views that are invisible to ATSC 1 but decodable in ATSC 2? If you can do 120 Hz, but no one films in 120 Hz, then you can make 120 Hz mode into a 60 Hz x 2 Eye mode. Some people can get along with 30 Hz, so a 30 Hz x 2 Eye mode would be good too. Heck decent-TV quality animation is 12-15 Hz. I notice no choppiness in Kim Possible, but I frame-by-framed it to 2 stills on one image, or 15 Hz assuming 30 Hz NTSC satellite broadcast back in 2004.

You don’t hear fuddy duddy people complain that they have to pay more for 5.1 surround, or feel they pay for Atmos / DTS:X, yet people actively avoid 3D because of the extra disc. If discs were designed 2D/3D combo, it’d be always there if you need it, and hidden when not. And there’d be more 3D copies because they are not differentiated by 2D and 3D SKUs, and 4K has more room so it can incorporate the hidden right eye as a feature in a 4K 2D/ 4K 3D combo disc. Just like Blu Rays can accommodate 2-track stereo TVs, and DVDs mono TVs

And stereoscopy of "real world" things is so easy, just put a dual lens and record both halves in a synched format. at a fixed distance and parallel angle. As a matter of fact Side by Side Half is a 3D VIDEO EDITING format that doesn’t require a special editor... as long as you don’t want to add effects or play with the stereoscopy, in other words, just doing "real life" things.

 

[Philip Verdieck]

Bump! Any news on this? I don't see any review here.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The player has not been released yet, so finding reviews right now will be difficult.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I am waiting for the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player to replace my current Samsung UBD-K8500 4K UHD Blu-ray Player. One of the things is a quirky HDMI handshake issues occasionally and I will be glad to be done with that once I switch over. The Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player will be a better match to my Sony XBR55A9F 4K OLED TV!

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

I’m looking at the X800M2 for this Christmas as my second UHD Blu-ray player. It will go of course to the main Home Theater while the X700 would move to the soon to be newly upgraded master bedroom TV.
That way both TVs will have UHD Blu-ray capability.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I’m looking at the X800M2 for this Christmas as my second UHD Blu-ray player. It will go of course to the main Home Theater while the X700 would move to the soon to be newly upgraded master bedroom TV.
That way both TVs will have UHD Blu-ray capability.

I am doing the same thing with my Samsung 4K blu-ray. My Samsung 4K TV was turned into a bedroom TV after the Sony arrived and the Samsung 4K blu-ray will soon make the transition to the bedroom as well.

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

@Ronald Epstein : I wonder, if its OK with @Martin Dew, to make (and re-title) this thread as the official thread for the Sony UBP-X800M2?

Suggested title: "Sony UBP-X800M2, The Official Thread".

 

[Philip Verdieck]

So pricing known, but still no review???

 

[Tino]

So pricing known, but still no review???

I Didn’t like the sparse menu, forced Dolby Vision and soft picture.

Returned.

How’s that?

 

[Philip Verdieck]

Sparse.

Its the 1st evidence that anyone has one of these.

But it doesn't cover stuff like use as an audio player. If you look at Sony's website they proclaim it to be an uber BR player for audio. I am thinking I should spend 200 more for the Panasonic UB820.

 

[Tino]

Sparse.

Its the 1st evidence that anyone has one of these.

But it doesn't cover stuff like use as an audio player. If you look at Sony's website they proclaim it to be an uber BR player for audio. I am thinking I should spend 200 more for the Panasonic UB820.

Sorry. Don’t go by me. Im just having tons of issues with players.

I’m sure it a fine player for most enthusiasts.

 

[Philip Verdieck]

Sorry. Don’t go by me. Im just having tons of issues with players.

I’m sure it a fine player for most enthusiasts.

NP, I read of your trials...

 

[PMF]

I Didn’t like the sparse menu, forced Dolby Vision and soft picture.

Returned.

How’s that?

Sparse.

Its the 1st evidence that anyone has one of these.[...]

You mean, the 1st evidence that anyone had one of these; with "Returned" being the operative word.

 

[B-ROLL]

Perhaps the geniuses as SONY can figure out that Americans want a choice of which flavor they want and will come up with a software update that fixes the "undocumented feature9s) TM Microsoft(R)" hhhrpmf

I noted that one of the Best Buys I go to still had FOUR of the original release
SONY X800s for sale at $100 more than the NEWER X-700 (X800 $300.00 X700 $200.00) ... Random Lockups for both units come with no extra charge. ,,,

 

[William06]

Received my 800m2 this afternoon from Best Buy. Got the 2 free discs which I already own. I also own the panny 820. You all know it’s features and at this time I am not Doing an in-depth review. Over all it has beautiful picture quality both in hdr and Dolby vision disc. i would give the 820 a small edge there because of its many picture controls including the hdr optimizer but it is a bit over kill. The big negative for me is the dv toggle and so far no atmos in the network apps. It’s build quality is very good and runs whisper quiet. It was an easy set up connected wirelessly to the internet and did firmware update with no issue. The panny is less cumbersome with Dolby vision except for its Netflix app. I love my Panasonic and despite some dislikes to me I like the Sony as a nice backup player. Pending any operational issues I plan to keep it. The way some vendors ar discontinuing making them its good to have a good backup. My wish is the add auto Dolby vision, atmos in Netflix and amazon but wont hold my breath. As far as recommending the x800m2 as long as no issues mainly freeze ups or other issues develop its a nice solid player. Worth the money. I don’t really use a disc player for streaming as I use streaming devices for that.
Just my 2c

 

[William06]

I forgot to add an update. I started to get some freeze ups on several discs, because of that and the crazy dv toggle I returned the sony and upgraded the panny 820 to the 9000. Couldn’t be happier. There was nothing wrong with the ub820 which I sold and went for The guilty pleasure of the Ub 9000.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Apparently, the Dolby Vision toggling issue was a mandate by Dolby to Sony for this player. Why Dolby did not make that mandate to Panasonic is a real head scratcher. Personally, I don't think the toggling would be as much of an issue if Sony hadn't buried the switch 2 levels deep into the setup menu. Why couldn't it be a button on the remote, an option on the Home screen, or within the Options submenu that allows you to adjust the location of subtitles, adjust HDR conversion, etc.?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Apparently, the Dolby Vision toggling issue was a mandate by Dolby to Sony for this player. Why Dolby did not make that mandate to Panasonic is a real head scratcher. Personally, I don't think the toggling would be as much of an issue if Sony hadn't buried the switch 2 levels deep into the setup menu. Why couldn't it be a button on the remote, an option on the Home screen, or within the Options submenu that allows you to adjust the location of subtitles, adjust HDR conversion, etc.?

I read that elsewhere, but I'm not sure I buy that "explanation". Why would Dolby insist on this only for Sony and not for any other manufacturer? It makes no sense to force one company to cripple its product and lose sales to their competition. This certainly was the main reason I bought a Panasonic UB820 instead of the Sony X800M2 as my DV upgrade to the Sony X800 I already own. It seems more like a convenient excuse for Sony instead of admitting they screwed up the design.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I read that elsewhere, but I'm not sure I buy that "explanation". Why would Dolby insist on this only for Sony and not for any other manufacturer? It makes no sense to force one company to cripple its product and lose sales to their competition. This certainly was the main reason I bought a Panasonic UB820 instead of the Sony X800M2 as my DV upgrade to the Sony X800 I already own. It seems more like a convenient excuse for Sony instead of admitting they screwed up the design.

What boggles the mind even more is the fact that the DV toggle is buried so deep into the setup menu.