Sony BDP-S7200 vs. Pioneer BDP-450

[TnA200]

Hello all,

I am considering the Sony BDP-S7200 to replace our Panasonic DMP-BDT310 bluray player, but am suddenly wondering if the Pioneer might have something extra to offer that the Sony does not. I am a little audio biased so am looking forward to having a SACD player in the living room again with 5.1 surround sound and the option of playing Hi-Res music from our NAS drive.

If I had had any other Pioneer equipment the matching Pioneer player would have been a cert.

Appreciate any help. TnA.

 

[TnA200]

Sony BDP-S7200 it is then!

 

[bigboss]

I would trust Sony to provide more firmware updates than Pioneer.

 

[TnA200]

BB,

Thanks for your comment. I ordered the Sony earlier that afternoon. Arrived and installed into our system.

Overall I must say, I am impressed with its' NAS and network capabilities. It plays all my discs in one unit, SACD to CD, DVD to BluRay, so am finally enjoying my Depeche Mode SACD's and the 5.1 version off of the DVD disc too. Good stuff. It has many online features that I hope to play with at a later date.

Minus points: 1) The Hi-Res music playing is a bit of a let down though... I only have 24/192 sitting on the Synology NAS drive and it won't play any of them, I really hope a software update will allow that to happen. 2) I had to order a Digital Coaxial cable today as there is no 2nd HDMI socket to send the audio to a AV-Receiver for 3D movies. 3) The Menu system might look nice with its cross layout as per the PS3, but the basic settings to allow DTS-HD etc are hidden under silly headings. So clarity in description and setup is not a strong point, when it so easily could have been.

My 10 cents worth for anyone else looking at this player a possible purchase. TnA

 

[bigboss]

Can you not connect your blu ray player straight to your TV, and use ARC to send audio to the AV receiver? A coaxial cable won't carry multichannel HD audio. If you want 3D as well and have a non-3D capable AV receiver, you should ideally go for a player with twin HDMI outs.

 

[TnA200]

BB,

Today the new (not very cheap?) coaxial cable arrived. I plgged it into the digital output of the player and into the coaxial input for digital audio into my Onky 875 AVR. The HDMI cable is now going straight from the Sony to the Panasonic 3D TV, into HDMI 1 (which shows it has ARC).

As you mentioned, after having tried Avatar 3D, Casino Roayle I do NOT get HD audio of any sort... Very disspointed and it seems a step back for me in audio terms from a 2014 player that is the Product of the Year! My old 2011 Panasonic (with dual HDMI) had no issues, but had horrible to no NAS connection capabilities and did not play SACD.

What to do...? Send back the new Sony player? Mail back the new coaxial cable after only 3 hours use...? Or live with non HD audio for 3D movies? Seems Sony's top player does not quite cover all the bases, hence why €500 players exist!

 

[bigboss]

If I were in your place, I would either return the Sony and the coaxial cable back and get a player like Pioneer 450 with dual HDMI out, or I would upgrade my AV receiver to a 3D capable one.

 

[grdunn123]

or go for the natural update to the '310 in Panasonic's own '460 model which does have 2 HDMI and (hopefully) better streaming capabilities.

 

[bigboss]

or go for the natural update to the '310 in Panasonic's own '460 model which does have 2 HDMI and (hopefully) better streaming capabilities.

It won't play SACDs though, which the OP wants.

 

[grdunn123]

aahh ok.

 

[TnA200]

If I were in your place, I would either return the Sony and the coaxial cable back and get a player like Pioneer 450 with dual HDMI out, or I would upgrade my AV receiver to a 3D capable one.

I think replacing the AV Receiver would be the expensive option! Not wife friendly that's for sure!

I'm undecided as I was quite enjoiying the Sony's NAS features and the PQ, SQ are also good too. The Pioneer seems to be of an older vintage (2012) and I am wondering if a newer version is in the pipeline...

 

[bigboss]

If I were in your place, I would either return the Sony and the coaxial cable back and get a player like Pioneer 450 with dual HDMI out, or I would upgrade my AV receiver to a 3D capable one.

I think replacing the AV Receiver would be the expensive option! Not wife friendly that's for sure!?

I'm undecided as I was quite enjoiying the Sony's NAS features and the PQ, SQ are also good too. The Pioneer seems to be of an older vintage (2012) and I am wondering if a newer version is in the pipeline... 

Pioneer has sold its AV business to Onkyo. It has just released this one woth twin HDMI outs (quite pricey):

http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/42/84/222/BDP-LX58-K/page.html

 

[TnA200]

BB,

You're right. Nice but pricey. At that price point it is in competition with Oppo 103 (or 105) and Marantz UD5007 (or UD7007) as well as other higher end models that would make a fab system with matching AVR and screen/plasma/4K TV.

Once the house is renovated and a new dedicated home cinema/media room is possible, then I can hope to have a major upgrade. Hopefully 4/8K 3D projectors might rule the land then!

Regards, TnA