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 Post subject: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 14 Jun 2017, 14:03 
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I just finished the review of the Sony UBP-X800 player in this month's Sound and Vision magazine and was pleasantly surprised at their results. The title of the review is "Universal Love". If you can, get a copy of the magazine and read the review. The player's performance puts it in company with the Panasonic DMP-UB900 and the Oppo UDP-203 players.

In a summation, S&V finds that the player is very good for its price of $300. (The Amazon price is $298) It can play SACD, DVD-Audio, standard Blu-Ray, 3D Blu-Ray discs, Ultra-HD Blu-Ray discs, DVD's and CD's. That pretty much covers about 90% of the discs in existence. (VCD was not mentioned. Of course, laserdiscs are out of the question.) The only major complaint that the magazine could find is the lack of RCA audio jacks. Instead, a coax connector is provided for the digital signal. I guess you would pipe the digital signal to your AVR to decode. The player also does a very good job of upconverting DVD and BR discs to 4K resolution.

Does anyone have this player yet?

If so, could you post your impressions here so that the rest of us could benefit?

I, for one, will buy this player whenever I get a 4K HDTV. (Maybe sooner.)
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 17 Jun 2017, 03:21 
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I have also read the review and find myself tempted as well. What makes it even more tempting is the fact the the local Best Buy has one at an open box price. ;) Seems like this is a very good option when looking for a "universal" player. I also noticed the Crutchfield is out of stock currently so many must have read the review.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 17 Jun 2017, 12:21 
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I have been looking for a player that could handle 4K discs and that did not cost an arm and a leg (so to speak). This player is definitely in my price range.

I plan on converting a room in my addition into a home theater and wanted a BD player for it. The X800 player covers a lot of disc formats so it should work well. It will not play VCD or CDV discs which is no big deal. I only have 2 VCD discs (Star Wars 1) in my collection so that is not a worry.

The 4K HDTV I have my eye on is a Sony XBR49X800E 49-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV sold by Amazon. I am not sure if 49" is big enough or too big for the room. I have not done any measurements yet.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 17 Jun 2017, 22:40 
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X800 is a fine player. X1000 is the same thing with ip/serial control interface and two ch analog audio outputs added.

Samsung 8500 is also a fine player with even more 4K streaming apps on it then the Sony.


@chemist, you have to keep in mind that higher resolutions allow(and kinda dictates) sitting closer to the screen. Crosspoint for 4K is half the length of 1080p. This being said, at 49" you need to sit 3 feet away from your screen to be able to tell any difference from 1080p.

4K for home is a bit overkill. One needs 144" display in order to sit at 8-10 feet away. You will be able to see the higher color gamut and hdr at any distance which are the real advantage.


I recommend anyone who go into 4K to buy the last reef cities beneath the sea disc. Also Planet Earth 2. These have amazing video. On the reef disc the fishes are coming at you with a 3D effect.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2017, 02:29 
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The main thing that sets the X800 apart form the Samsung 8500 is the fact that the X800 plays SACD and DVD-A discs. You have to take a big step up price to get that feature in a UHD player.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2017, 02:40 
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I don't believe any Sony plays dvd-a, at least the actual lossless tracks (mlp). Dvd-a was the competitive format(while sony owned sacd). It would probably play the compability tracks like any dvd player.

You are correct. The next step up is the oppo at $550. Neither of them will decode hdcd unfortunately. You can convert those to 24bit flac using dbpoweramp.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2017, 02:44 
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Also check if the coax output supports sacds. Generally sacd output is analog only or hdmi.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2017, 03:28 
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Wow today's players just don't excite me looks wise, just totally uninspiring.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2017, 05:43 
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substance wrote:
I don't believe any Sony plays dvd-a, at least the actual lossless tracks (mlp). Dvd-a was the competitive format(while sony owned sacd). It would probably play the compability tracks like any dvd player.

You are correct. The next step up is the oppo at $550. Neither of them will decode hdcd unfortunately. You can convert those to 24bit flac using dbpoweramp.

Check the specs here.https://www.sony.com/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/ubp-x800/specifications
Also check page 24 of the manual.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2017, 15:13 
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An FYI:

The Amazon price has dropped $30 so the player now costs $268.

Get them while they are hot.

PS: I did it. I bought one. I will give a review once I get it and do some testing.
I will have to eat peanut butter on crackers for a week; but, that is okay. Anything for a hobby.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 19 Jun 2017, 07:19 
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I was at the Best Buy today staring at the open box X800. Could have got it for less than $250 if I wanted to. Since I already have an Oppo 103, got it for $199 w/all accessories at Best Buy, that plays all of my SACDs, DVD-As, and HiRes audio I passed since my plasma is still looking as good as ever. I figure by the time I have a 4K TV good players will be under 2 bills. Man that steak will be good this week. ;) :lol:
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 22 Jun 2017, 12:40 
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I received my player yesterday in excellent shape. The only concern I had was a small dent in the cardboard box at one end. The dent did not come even close to the player as the styrofoam protected the player very well.

Now as to performance:

As I am writing this, the X800 is playing the The Alan Parson's Project's Eye in the Sky CD and playing it with phenomenal clarity and fidelity. It is funny to hear such good music coming from the speakers on my Bravia, a 1080 HDTV. I can't wait to pipe the X800's sound into my AVR.

Yesterday, I played my BD of Tomorrowland with very good to excellent results. The PQ is great with no signs of distortion or noise. The picture detail is very good. I played the DVD of Tomorrowland and the detail is almost as good as the BD. I wonder what a 4K disc would produce on a 4K HDTV.

I have tested the X800 with a CD, DVD and BD discs and it works as good as it could. Maybe someone else could test the player with other disc formats. Since I only have the 3 discs formats, I cannot test the player with SACD, DVD-A and other ones.


Last edited by dumbchemist on 22 Jun 2017, 12:58, edited 1 time in total. _________________
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 22 Jun 2017, 12:57 
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My previous post covered the performance aspects of the player.

This post is to cover my overall impressions of the player:

The player has only 2 buttons on the front. One for power and the other to open/close the disc drawer.

All other functions are controlled by the remote. The remote looks like a cross between a TV remote and a DVD remote. There are buttons for TV control: Volume, muting and display; BD player: stop, next, previous, audio, pause, etc. At the top of remote, there are buttons for player power, TV power, drawer open/close, bluetooth, TV input, and net service. There is a button for Netflix if you desire to use the service.

The remote is small compared to other remotes and easy to handle.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 22 Jun 2017, 13:16 
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My Panasonic DMP-UB900 also proved to be a great cd player :thumbup:
PQ is stunning . Only dislike the touch sensitive buttons. I use the remote most of the time.
I managed to make it region free for dvd playback. Dvd looks marvelous compared to my previous BD player(s)

The sony sounds like a great deal for the money :thumbup:
Enjoy it
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 23 Jun 2017, 02:00 
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Good day Guys,

I purchased this Player as a package deal with a TV and Soundbar around a month ago.

The 4K Player plays flawlessly however I would have liked Sony to have included a view screen, as this would have helped with operation.

I have no complaints, calibration and fine tuning the player's internal settings was fine and quite straightforward. Picture quality is Superb and operation is slick, Fast Loading times with each disc is perfect.

I must admit thou that if or when Sony releases an ES high end player then I would also purchase that as well, as I am one who appreciates the extra quality of ES product build quality.......

Sony UBP-X800 is well made and quite heavy considering it's rather small size of which is good.
Highly recommended to all regardless, and if you can live without the onscreen display then the rest is excellent.

Sincerest Regards to all enthusiasts.

This item was purchased for £299 from Sony Centre Basingstoke in May 2017.

Pros;
Ease of use, Fast Loading times, general build quality, easy navigation and internal settings & Price
Slim design means that you do not need much space for this player on any shelf ect.
Price point is great for all those who want to get onto the 4K ladder.

Cons;
Lack of Display
The power on light could have been more visible very small.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 23 Jun 2017, 08:10 
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benmbe wrote:
Good day Guys,

I purchased this Player as a package deal with a TV and Soundbar around a month ago.

The 4K Player plays flawlessly however I would have liked Sony to have included a view screen, as this would have helped with operation.

I have no complaints, calibration and fine tuning the player's internal settings was fine and quite straightforward. Picture quality is Superb and operation is slick, Fast Loading times with each disc is perfect.

I must admit thou that if or when Sony releases an ES high end player then I would also purchase that as well, as I am one who appreciates the extra quality of ES product build quality.......

Sony UBP-X800 is well made and quite heavy considering it's rather small size of which is good.
Highly recommended to all regardless, and if you can live without the onscreen display then the rest is excellent.

Sincerest Regards to all enthusiasts.

This item was purchased for £299 from Sony Centre Basingstoke in May 2017.

Pros;
Ease of use, Fast Loading times, general build quality, easy navigation and internal settings & Price
Slim design means that you do not need much space for this player on any shelf ect.
Price point is great for all those who want to get onto the 4K ladder.

Cons;
Lack of Display
The power on light could have been more visible very small.


Ubp-x1000es is the es version and the only es player since the 7000es 400 disc bluray changer a few years ago. It retails $700 in the US. It's the same thing as x800 but adds ip and rs-232 control options and a dedicated 2ch analog outputs(no xlr).

Sony rarely releases es machines. They generally do a 1000es and a 5000es a year or two later. So far we have the 1000es. Historically 5000es machines are state of the art but around $2000.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 23 Jun 2017, 14:45 
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My other BD player is a Sony BDP-S360 that I bought about 4 years ago. It has buttons on the front for power, drawer open/close, play and stop. The one difference between the S360 and the X800 is a lack of a drawer open/close button on the remote of the S360. I guess Sony learned their lesson and put that button on the X800 remote thus making it easier to operate the player. You can press the drawer button on the remote and the drawer operates before you can get to the player. So much the better. The S360 does have the full complement of jacks on its back: 3-component, 1-coaxial, and 3-line outs which the X800 does not have (except for the coaxial). There are also an HDMI and a LAN jack.

FWIW: The power cord on the S360 is detachable whereas the cord for the X800 is permanently attached.
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 01 Jul 2017, 14:06 
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Yesterday, I received Handel's Water Garden suite, a DTS digital sound CD. It is labeled "for DTS capable 5.1 sound systems". I just now put the CD in the X800 and am giving it a spin as I write this. The sound is good considering the speakers are for TV sound. The player is not connected to my 5.1 sound system.

A note about the HDTV picture. When you play a not movie disc, the picture turns to a generic pattern. The upper left of the screen is a music note with the words "Track X" where X is the current track. On the upper right is a music note followed by "DTS 44.1KHtz./16Bit 1.4Mbps". On the bottom of the screen is the tried and true progress bat. On the bar is a dot that moves as a track is played. Noting new here.

Someone else will have to judge the sound quality on a 5.1 setup. It will be a while before I can get the X800 blended into my system.


Last edited by dumbchemist on 03 Jul 2017, 15:23, edited 1 time in total. _________________
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 Post subject: Re: User review of the Sony UBP-X800 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
PostPosted: 01 Jul 2017, 15:34 
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I forgot to mention that Sony is providing 2-4K UltraHD movies when you buy the UBP-X800 player for free. You can select 2 from a choice of 15 discs. The time period is 2/10/17 to 9/30/17. How to make your selection is included on the packing box that the player comes in.
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