Bought the Sony 370 Bluray player just before Christmas, for £99.99 in Tesco. reasonably happy with it so far, although not tested the BD part as I don't have any discs. Tried out the iPlayer and LoveFilm, and both look better than when using the PC, even if iPlayer did tend to pause a bit more than usual during one program.
The player is connected to a Panasonic 26" LCD, the recent X20 model. I know that's not full HD and so I won't get the full benefit of BluRay but I got the player more for the upscaling of DVDs and the extra functionality (although the TV does a very good job of upscaling from the old Pioneer DV-530 DVD player I've been using).
There is one minor technical issue which I can't quite get to grips with, which hopefully a couple of the more knowledgable on here can assist with. When navigating the Cross Media bar, and playing anything accessed through it, eg iPlayer or USB port, there is an audible hum from the TV. This hum is more noticable from the back of the TV than the front, and is present when the TV is on Mute. It goes away when the player is turned off, but only after I change to another input on the TV. It doesn't initially start until the TV input is changed to the BD player, so isn't present when the player is first switched on, unless the TV is already on that input. However, the hum disappears completely when playing DVDs, and reappears again when the player goes back to its menu bar. Also, terrestrial TV reception is poorer while the player is on, but again only if I go back to TV mode after using the player, and goes back to normal when the player is turned off. I can turn the player on, and as long as I don't switch the TV over to that input, there is no hum or interference.
The HDMI cable is from Tesco's own Technika range as it wasn't convenient at the time of purchase to go somewhere else for one. I thought that may be the cause, as there's no mention of any shielding on the packaging, but I'm thinking that the hum should be there all the time if that was the cause. I also don't think it's the TV for the same reason. I've tried various options to no avail, eg, tried all 3 HDMI inputs, kept the HDMI cable as far away as possible from the aerial lead, ensured the power lead and HDMI cross at 90 degrees. The only conclusion I can come to is the hum is related in some way to the circuitry running the player's Media bar, and that it doesn't use this circuitry during normal disc playback.
So, any thoughts? I was considering contacting Sony, are they likely to be responsive? There is a Sony centre near where I work but based on previous experience I don't think they'd be any help, probably even less so as I didn't buy from them.
Thanks.
The player is connected to a Panasonic 26" LCD, the recent X20 model. I know that's not full HD and so I won't get the full benefit of BluRay but I got the player more for the upscaling of DVDs and the extra functionality (although the TV does a very good job of upscaling from the old Pioneer DV-530 DVD player I've been using).
There is one minor technical issue which I can't quite get to grips with, which hopefully a couple of the more knowledgable on here can assist with. When navigating the Cross Media bar, and playing anything accessed through it, eg iPlayer or USB port, there is an audible hum from the TV. This hum is more noticable from the back of the TV than the front, and is present when the TV is on Mute. It goes away when the player is turned off, but only after I change to another input on the TV. It doesn't initially start until the TV input is changed to the BD player, so isn't present when the player is first switched on, unless the TV is already on that input. However, the hum disappears completely when playing DVDs, and reappears again when the player goes back to its menu bar. Also, terrestrial TV reception is poorer while the player is on, but again only if I go back to TV mode after using the player, and goes back to normal when the player is turned off. I can turn the player on, and as long as I don't switch the TV over to that input, there is no hum or interference.
The HDMI cable is from Tesco's own Technika range as it wasn't convenient at the time of purchase to go somewhere else for one. I thought that may be the cause, as there's no mention of any shielding on the packaging, but I'm thinking that the hum should be there all the time if that was the cause. I also don't think it's the TV for the same reason. I've tried various options to no avail, eg, tried all 3 HDMI inputs, kept the HDMI cable as far away as possible from the aerial lead, ensured the power lead and HDMI cross at 90 degrees. The only conclusion I can come to is the hum is related in some way to the circuitry running the player's Media bar, and that it doesn't use this circuitry during normal disc playback.
So, any thoughts? I was considering contacting Sony, are they likely to be responsive? There is a Sony centre near where I work but based on previous experience I don't think they'd be any help, probably even less so as I didn't buy from them.
Thanks.
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