Sony BDPS5000ES - Replacement

[psurquhart]

Im holding out for some news from the CES Las Vegas 2011 exhibition about a replacement for the above Sony flagship Blu Ray model.

Can anyone from What Hi Fi give us any news ?

I followed the live forum q and a with the Sony UK guy and he hinted an announcement might be coming ? But he didnt exactly sound like he had a clue either ?

Sony are being very quiet on this ? Whats going on ? How long does CES 2011 go on for and do you think they are saving a press announcement up their sleeves ?

Anyone know ? The anticipation or anti-climax is doing my head in !#?@

 

[Frank Harvey]

With how good and how much more popular the budget to mid priced models are, I'm not sure that manufacturers of higher end models like the 5000 or the Pioneer 91 are actually too interested in replacing them. Much more money would have to be spent bringing them up do date - they'd need to be 3D, fully universal, and be compatible with all the superfluous extras like YouTube, LoveFilm etc. Film enthusiasts generally don't want half of a products cost going towards what they see as pointless.

But I may be wrong - we'll see!!

 

[Andrew Everard]

psurquhart:I followed the live forum q and a with the Sony UK guy and he hinted an announcement might be coming ? But he didnt exactly sound like he had a clue either ?

I think that's pretty unfair on Eric: if he hasn't got a clue, as you put it, then no-one at Sony has, since he works very closely with his colleagues in Japan, including designer/Chief Distinguished Engineer Takashi Kanai, on the development and tuning of these products.

I get the impression development work may be going on regarding a higher-end player than the mainstream -80 models launched at CES, but it's far too early in that process to make any kind of announcement.

psurquhart:Sony are being very quiet on this ? Whats going on ? How long does
CES 2011 go on for and do you think they are saving a press
announcement up their sleeves ?

CES finishes on Sunday. No, I don't think any further announcement will be made on this product area.

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:With how good and how much more popular the budget to mid priced models are, I'm not sure that manufacturers of higher end models like the 5000 or the Pioneer 91 are actually too interested in replacing them. Much more money would have to be spent bringing them up do date - they'd need to be 3D, fully universal, and be compatible with all the superfluous extras like YouTube, LoveFilm etc. Film enthusiasts generally don't want half of a products cost going towards what they see as pointless. But I may be wrong - we'll see!!

Great call IMHO

I wonder what % of people actually use the majority of these features

Including me I hasten to add

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

FrankHarveyHiFi:With how good and how much more popular the budget to mid priced models are, I'm not sure that manufacturers of higher end models like the 5000 or the Pioneer 91 are actually too interested in replacing them. Much more money would have to be spent bringing them up do date - they'd need to be 3D, fully universal, and be compatible with all the superfluous extras like YouTube, LoveFilm etc. Film enthusiasts generally don't want half of a products cost going towards what they see as pointless.

But I may be wrong - we'll see!!

I agree, especially when you consider that the brand new £1k Arcam BDP100 is hardly any competition at all.

 

[John Duncan]

FrankHarveyHiFi:With how good and how much more popular the budget to mid priced models are, I'm not sure that manufacturers of higher end models like the 5000 or the Pioneer 91 are actually too interested in replacing them. Much more money would have to be spent bringing them up do date - they'd need to be 3D, fully universal, and be compatible with all the superfluous extras like YouTube, LoveFilm etc. Film enthusiasts generally don't want half of a products cost going towards what they see as pointless.

But I may be wrong - we'll see!!

I think you're wrong about motive, if not result. For starters, what you describe as 'superfluous extras' (which to me are actually part of what I described as 'democratising the technology' and A Good Thing) can be had for 99 quid in a 370, so that's not the difficult or expensive bit really is it?

What's difficult is to make a piece of technology that people will pay a couple of grand for.

And to answer

johnnymunro:I wonder what % of people actually use the majority of these features
Including me I hasten to add

I say: practically everybody.

 

[Frank Harvey]

JohnDuncan:FrankHarveyHiFi:With how good and how much more popular the budget to mid priced models are, I'm not sure that manufacturers of higher end models like the 5000 or the Pioneer 91 are actually too interested in replacing them. Much more money would have to be spent bringing them up do date - they'd need to be 3D, fully universal, and be compatible with all the superfluous extras like YouTube, LoveFilm etc. Film enthusiasts generally don't want half of a products cost going towards what they see as pointless.

But I may be wrong - we'll see!!

I think you're wrong about motive, if not result. For starters, what you describe as 'superfluous extras' (which to me are actually part of what I described as 'democratising the technology' and A Good Thing) can be had for 99 quid in a 370, so that's not the difficult or expensive bit really is it?

What's difficult is to make a piece of technology that people will pay a couple of grand for.But is the 370's rrp £99? Many licences are probably paid for via volume sales, which is fine for a sub £200 player, but £2,000 players aren't going to pull back as much profit.

And to answer

johnnymunro:I wonder what % of people actually use the majority of these features
Including me I hasten to add

I say: practically everybody.
I'm never going to stream a movie from LoveFilm via a Bluray player (until the quality matched Bluray anyway), and I'm not going to watch YouTube via a Bluray player either. I'm not interested in web browsing via it, or plugging USB sticks into it to watch compressed video formats, nor am I even interested in it's CD replay, or any on board decoding. Read a Bluray, stream it out, that's all I want. Oh, and it needs to be built like a tank too.

 

[psurquhart]

Andrew Everard:

psurquhart:I followed the live forum q and a with the Sony UK guy and he hinted an announcement might be coming ? But he didnt exactly sound like he had a clue either ?

I think that's pretty unfair on Eric: if he hasn't got a clue, as you put it, then no-one at Sony has, since he works very closely with his colleagues in Japan, including designer/Chief Distinguished Engineer Takashi Kanai, on the development and tuning of these products.

I get the impression development work may be going on regarding a higher-end player than the mainstream -80 models launched at CES, but it's far too early in that process to make any kind of announcement.

Hi Andrew - thanks for taking time to respond it really is much appreciated.

I apologise if this seems a little un-fair on Eric, it was not meant that way. I have been a massive fan of Sony products for the past 24 odd years since I got the av / hi fi bug and I do not want to purchase a 5000es ( which I am itching to do ) if an update is immenent.

I dont doubt Erics professionalism or worth to Sony or indeed Takashi Kanai. In fact he has been tremendously informant on new products on both your website and indeed many other websites which I follow with interest, so thanks to Mr Kingdon, please pass it on.

However, he didnt really answer the question (s) directly asked. Hence my not so appropiate comment, I should have used the word vague perhaps ? Quote " We have no details yet or a replacement high end player " and yet he did go on to say "However we may have something up our sleeves, watch this space! Keep listening." hence the whole topic / post.

psurquhart:Sony are being very quiet on this ? Whats going on ? How long does CES 2011 go on for and do you think they are saving a press announcement up their sleeves ?

CES finishes on Sunday. No, I don't think any further announcement will be made on this product area.

So why say that they have something up their sleeves when in your view they dont ? I am sure you talk to Eric behind the scenes and must get some gossip that you cannot publish or you would not say that you get the impression development work may be going on ?

Clearly, despite previous posts their is interest in a high end player still - if they can cram all the new features of the 370 / 380 new model into a £100 player ( ish ) unit then it should be a doodle to put this technology into a flagship model at not alot more cost. I still wait with anticipation for that model - I want the impossible, a top notch universal player that does it all and I dont think Sony were that far off such a product with the 5000ES.

Still craving that announcement, I apologise for that. But thats what these forums are all about.

 

[Andrew Everard]

psurquhart:So why say that they have something up their sleeves when in your view they dont ? I am sure you talk to Eric behind the scenes and must get some gossip that you cannot publish or you would not say that you get the impression development work may be going on ?

I don't have any gossip, but I do know where Eric and Kanai-san's interest lie, and would be very surprised if they didn't have something going on on the back-burner. However, they are unlikely to make any firm statement of what that is until Sony as a whole is ready to make an official announcement.

But I do think you are reading far too much into quite innocent comments, especially when Sony (and in particular Eric and Tim) are being open enough to take part in these live Forums and tell us everything they're allowed to.

 

[manicm]

FrankHarveyHiFi:With how good and how much more popular the budget to mid priced models are, I'm not sure that manufacturers of higher end models like the 5000 or the Pioneer 91 are actually too interested in replacing them. Much more money would have to be spent bringing them up do date - they'd need to be 3D, fully universal, and be compatible with all the superfluous extras like YouTube, LoveFilm etc. Film enthusiasts generally don't want half of a products cost going towards what they see as pointless. But I may be wrong - we'll see!!

On the other hand Sony are releasing $27,000 hifi speakers? Where's the market for this?

I'm sure Sony will update the 5000 series, after all they'd want a slice of Denon and Marantz's pie.

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

manicm:
I'm sure Sony will update the 5000 series, after all they'd want a slice of Denon and Marantz's pie.

They already have it, with the BDP-S5000ES.

 

[manicm]

Ronald Archiebald:manicm:

I'm sure Sony will update the 5000 series, after all they'd want a slice of Denon and Marantz's pie.

They already have it, with the BDP-S5000ES.

Emphasis on update. This model is a few years old already.

 

[Clare Newsome]

But if you don't need 3D or streaming etc - as several people have mentioned here - why would you want/need an update to a player that already excels wtih DVD upscaling and Blu-ray playback

Incidentally, Sony mentioned that the forthcoming '780 Blu-ray player includes a lot of AV technology from the '5000ES....

 

[psurquhart]

Clare Newsome:

But if you don't need 3D or streaming etc - as several people have mentioned here - why would you want/need an update to a player that already excels wtih DVD upscaling and Blu-ray playback

Incidentally, Sony mentioned that the forthcoming '780 Blu-ray player includes a lot of AV technology from the '5000ES....

Hi Clare,

Any news on the upcoming UK release of the 780 ?

Still after an upgrade to the 370 - PQ happy with but still after that all round universal player with emphasis on cd / audio playback as well as the expected stuff. The 370 doesnt do it for me on cd playback hence the original interest in the heavily discounted 5000ES.

Still chasing the impossible dream, sorry to harp on ! Whats the expectation with the 780 considering for the moment it will be the flagship model ?

 

[Frank Harvey]

But let's face it, it's a Bluray player, a visual product. It's not been designed for CD playback.

 

[Anonymous]

i've got my s370 hooked up to my v dac via coax, and i have to say i think cd's sound every bit as good as on my old cd6003. not so without the dac in the mix though..

 

[psurquhart]

Maybe thats the way forward then.

Would be interested to know what the 5000ES would sound like fed through a DA5400ES with a DAC ?

Any comment Mr FrankH Hifi ? I know your a fan of the 5000ES, perhaps this could be the answer I so crave ?

Dont suppose your up for an experiment ?

 

[John Duncan]

FrankHarveyHiFi:I'm never going to stream a movie from LoveFilm via a Bluray player (until the quality matched Bluray anyway), and I'm not going to watch YouTube via a Bluray player either. I'm not interested in web browsing via it, or plugging USB sticks into it to watch compressed video formats, nor am I even interested in it's CD replay, or any on board decoding. Read a Bluray, stream it out, that's all I want. Oh, and it needs to be built like a tank too.

I did say practically everybody. But then practically everybody buys £15.99 stereos...

 

[Frank Harvey]

psurquhart:Any comment Mr FrankH Hifi ? I know your a fan of the 5000ES, perhaps this could be the answer I so crave ?
Dont suppose your up for an experiment ?
I've been here for two and a half years now - I think everyone now knows my name by now - or do I have to threaten to bring back THE THREAD?!!

What sort of experiment did you have in mind psurquhart? Whatever it is, I'm keeping my clothes on....

 

[John Duncan]

May we be thankful for small mercies. And my apologies, the nation's tastes have become more expensive...

 

[Frank Harvey]

4 watts?!! Is that on a good day, with the wind behind it?

It's because the speakers are sealed - the whole system would be more efficient if they drilled some little holes in the cabinet and let the air chuff out.

 

[Frank Harvey]

JohnDuncan:May we be thankful for small mercies. And my apologies, the nation's tastes have become more expensive...The scary thing is, it's rated 8.9 out of 10.....

 

[Anonymous]

I know it would be great if we could contact them and let Sony know just how many of us would like a s5000es replacement. I've had mine for a little over 2 years now and think it is FANTASTIC! I would like to buy a new BR player and considering how much time has past since the S5000es was released there should be many new features available on a new model.

For example:

Improved upscaling (the 5000es is wonderful but I'm sure the chip has beeen upgraded).

Faster load times - most things like this improve as technology moves forward.

Netflix - can't imaging buying a player that didn't offer netflix streaming.

2 HDMI outs - if you want to connect a 3D player to a slightly older piece of equipment that doesn't have HDMI 1.4.

HDMI 1.4 - just makes sense.

3D - not that there are many movies that grab my interest for 3D but for Avatar, Thor and a few others 3D might as well be an option.

This isn't in any way to diminish the S5000es - a truly fantastic player with great upscaling and reliable playback. But as with computers, optical players tend to become outdated pretty quickly. When 2 years have passed, what was high end is no longer exactly cutting edge. I'd love to get a second BR player and I truly hope Sony will have a successor for the S5000es very very soon.

 

[Andrew Everard]

I think the powers that be at Sony are fully aware of this, thanks to several of our live Forum sessions.

 

[Anonymous]

boe: there should be many new features available on a new model.

For example:

Improved upscaling (great upscaling)

Faster load times - most things like this improve as technology moves forward.

Netflix - can't imaging buying a player that didn't offer netflix streaming.

2 HDMI outs - if you want to connect a 3D player to a slightly older piece of equipment that doesn't have HDMI 1.4.

HDMI 1.4 - just makes sense.

3D - not that there are many movies that grab my interest for 3D but for Avatar, Thor and a few others 3D might as well be an option.

you could well have just described Oppo`s new BDP-95