Sony BDPS5000ES - Replacement

[Anonymous]

albriscoe: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

I think Oppo is pretty darn good bang for the buck but there are so many issues with the BDP-93, I don't think I want to risk getting a BDP-95. I don't have a BDP-93, I'm just basing this off what I've read from BDP-93 owners (lipsync, 3d distortion). Mind you I have read of some issues about the S5000es which I have but most of them are people posting with dirty disks since almost always more than one person replies that they don't have an issue with that particular disk.

 

[Anonymous]

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

I hope they are seriously working on one thanks to your live sessions. I'd buy one today if one was available! Two if I liked it that much more than the 5000es - there is always someone in my family would gladly take my old HT equipment.

 

[Anonymous]

boe: I think Oppo is pretty darn good bang for the buck but there are so many issues with the BDP-93, I don't think I want to risk getting a BDP-93. I don't have a BDP-93, I'm just basing this off what I've read from BDP-93 owners (lipsync, 3d distortion). Mind you I have read of some issues about the S5000es which I have but most of them are people posting with dirty disks since almost always more than one person replies that they don't have an issue with that particular disk.

lets hope the new firmware release cures them, that said my own 93 doesn`t seem to have any problems at all and I know a couple of members on here who have purchased and so far without any issues reported back to me.

can`t wait to get the RF mod though and the new 95 sounds like its the answer to a lot of peoples wishes

 

[Andrew Everard]

Skating dangerously close to that thin ice of promotion again, al...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Andrew

the op has asked about a Sony replacement and the member I replied to virtually described the features on the Oxxo so I simply pointed these features out to him as........

anyway i`m waffling on again aren`t I

but I assure you i`ve no reason and certainly no need to self promote these at all

but am I the only member to mention products on here ?

thats how it sometimes seems to me mate

rant over sorry

 

[Anonymous]

albriscoe:

the op has asked about a Sony replacement and the member I replied to virtually described the features on the Oxxo so I simply pointed these features out to him as........

I think the thing is Al, you appreciate different types of equipment than I. That isn't a bad thing as if we all liked the same stuff there would be no competition, price difference, or selection. I see you have a lot of onkyo stuff. When I was in college some 20 years or so ago the Onkyo was great bang for the buck! Now I would describe it as a lot of bang for the buck. Not great bang for the buck, just a lot. I purchased the onkyo 885 (unseen from a local authorized dealer) and it sounded like doo doo compared to my much much older sony es preamp. I compared them and just assumed it was because it was a new product and they would release a fix. The Onkyo lip sync was off even after I adjusted it and applied firmware update after firmware update. I spent about a year applying every patch I could until I couldn't take it any more and spent a crazy amount of money on a Denon prepro and the sound was WONDERFUL. I put the onkyo in the bedroom and after leaving the living room the 885 sounded muffled and still had too many issues. I gave it to a friend who had no prepro so for him it is fine but IMHO it is the worst money I ever spent on any HT equipment. I ended up buying a second Denon AVP for the bedroom as it was such a dramatic improvement although rediculously expensive (for my income).

I have two friends with oppos and the oppos are good bang for the buck but not in the same league IMHO as the 5000es for build quality and reliable playback. Maybe the 995 will surprise me but right now I would gladly pay twice the price for a 5000es successor over an Oppo 995. That isn't to put down the oppo by any means but just in a different group for my wants than the Sony.

 

[manicm]

I agree, my main priority for a Blu-ray player is, wait for it, playing Blu-rays. I simply want the best picture possible.

It seems many are buying universal Blu-ray players for other reasons. They want the ultimate in SACD/DVD-A and CD sound in one box. And in my mind you'd have to spend upwards of about 1.5k, if things like Oppos are to go by i.e. it's not the last word for playing Blu-rays, a compromise which is understandable for a box of all trades, but which is not acceptable to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Is there a schedule for the next online forum with a Sony representative?

 

[Andrew Everard]

I believe the next session is being planned for around about the time of the Bristol Show at the end of February, but no time/date is yet confirmed. And I am sure Eric will appreciate being asked the question again, as he has during every Sony Live Forum so far...

He's promised to tell us what the company is planning as soon as things are finalised, and given that he's heavily involved in the tuning of the products - in fact that's what he's doing right now in Japan - you can be pretty sure you'll hear about it first.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

I may be a bit obtuse. Are you pulling my leg about him appreciating being asked because he has heard it so many times it is annoying or he would like to hear it because he is happy to know that people appreciate Sony's higher end products?

 

[Andrew Everard]

A little bit of both. But mainly the former, when there's nothing new to report.

 

[Anonymous]

I hear Sony is trying to clear their stock of the 5000es. I don't know if it is because they have a new unit to replace it or if it is because they fear people won't buy them since they are slipping into obsolesence.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I hardly think it's a case of 'obsolescence' - Pioneer's LX91 is quite popular at the moment, an that's more expensive than the Sony!

 

[lee37]

i think some people are way of the mark as to what customers want out of there blu ray players. it might seem it but im not having a dig at frank harvey just using what he said as an example of what some people keep saying on this forum

fully universal - i would love that feature at the moment i have to get a region free thing of ebay for dvd

3d and youtube - ok not bothered for both of them seem popular

loading time - a must upgrade even if you save 10 secs its worth it

film enthusiasts dont want half the cost going to see .... i have over 400 blu ray films, 800 dvd, and have spent some money on my home ciema system if im not an enthusiast then what am i

in the past 4 years i have had hd dvd 3 different models, and 5 different blu rays players excluding the ps3 just to get better features and i will be getting the sony 380 or 580 when it comes out

usb media support - that is very important, i have to be able to play my illegally downloaded films, tv shows and porn ( i dont watch it but lots of other people do) somehow without have to convert them to dvd everytime.

the only thing that really winds me up is the new players supporting old tech.

where is the NTFS support and wheres USB 3 support.

the new my passport are only NTFS and usb 3 is fairly common now (well i have it) as all the new chipsets are now supporting it

come on sony is it that hard to add these things into your hardware and whats happened to the ps3 NTSF update promised years ago.

lets add 3D on to 10 years old fat32 and usb 2 tech yeah great

 

[Frank Harvey]

The problem is, customers differ. While some want all these YouTube/streaming extras and see the Bluray player as an entertainment hub, others see it as a high quality source component for playing Blurays, just as their DVD player before it was only used for DVD's. I fall into the latter category, and just want a high quality player for movie playback - I don't want lots of extra features adding to the cost and increasing the possibility of something going wrong.

It's all down to requirements and priorities.

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:The problem is, customers differ. While some want all these YouTube/streaming extras and see the Bluray player as an entertainment hub, others see it as a high quality source component for playing Blurays, just as their DVD player before it was only used for DVD's. I fall into the latter category, and just want a high quality player for movie playback - I don't want lots of extra features adding to the cost and increasing the possibility of something going wrong. It's all down to requirements and priorities.

I too want a great player. I have the 5000es and it is fantastic. I do know that more than a couple of years have passed since I purchase mine. For most things like optical players - upscalers improve. Load times can be improved. I can get a 100 dollar player with 3D and neflix support along with a long list of other things that I won't use. I don't see that adding what comes on a 100 dollar player will add that much to the cost of a reference BR player. As for improving the picture quality icreasing the cost - hard to say much on that. I can buy a brand new S5000es from a dealer for about 1/3 original MSRP. I have no problem paying double that for something with a better picture quality than the S5000es BR player. That isn't to put down the quality of the S5000es but optical players are like CPUs. An i7-940 was the highend processor about 2 years ago - the sandy bridge processor while similar has some significant improvements in some areas. The i7-2600S can convert videos significantly faster than the i7-940. Most motherboards now have USB 3.0 on them. Most new video cards have at least 512MB on them. Times have changed and I'm sure the video processor that was on the S5000es has been improved. I'm sure tracking and boot times for BR has been improved as well.

Too be clear the S5000es is a fantastic player but that doesn't mean technology has stood still in the past couple of years since its release. And when you are talking about a unit that is over a grand MSRP and worrying about 1/20th of the cost to add features common on some of the cheapest BR players is like worrying about paying 50 dollars more for a full spare when buying a luxury automobile.

Nearly every year to year and a half, TV models change along with just about every other component in HT line. Expecting Sony to just say we have a great BR player and we don't think it can get any better doesn't seem logical to me. Panasonic certainly replaces their plasmas on a regular basis and just because they improve them, add more features to Viera, update the connection hardware, advance the picture, hasn't meant they've had to significantly change the price of their sets.

 

[lee37]

what i find strange is the price range of players. all the models stop at £300 then jump to £1000.

what about a player in the £600 range.

they do the same with cd players, i cant afford the most expensive one but can afford more than the cheap 300 ones

look at the tvs they have a staggered price structure, sony used to do it in the good old days with there ES range

if i paid £1000 for a top of the range blu ray i would expect everything the 100 player has and more. obviously picture and sound quality improvements but all other extras as well and just because a feature is there and you will not use it a year or so you might change your mind and want to. 4 years ago i never though i would be watching programs of a portable hard drive connected to my blu ray player

and why would i pay 1000 for a player that cant even support the latest gadgets

other makes seem able to manage this on there players with the exception of NTFS support and usb 3

i know lets stick with fat 32 and usb 2 and all get a copy of windows 98 'because we dont think it can get any better'.

im off to did out shrek 2 3D with the plastic 3d glasses cos it cant get any better than that

seriously though you can get a usb 3 card for £15 and ntfs is just a file system software update so whats the problem

 

[Anonymous]

Still hoping to see more people chime in on this thread.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Perhaps they're not simply because there's no new information to add?

 

[Anonymous]

lee37: what i find strange is the price range of players. all the models stop at £300 then jump to £1000.

what about a player in the £600 range.

you mean like the Oppo BDP-93 at £599.00 including the bluray/dvd region free modification or £100 less without

theres quite a decent review here if we`re allowed to post reviews, but its for the audio qualities only

EDITED BY MODS - no, you're nothttp://www.laaudiofile.com/oppo_bdp95.html

 

[Andrew Everard]

Or the Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD at £400, plus ?53 for the region-free kit from Bluraychip.dk, as I explained here

 

[psurquhart]

You really do like this player dont you Andrew. 650BD. To be refering to it in the upcoming Gramophone review must mean its good, you classical fans are hard to please.

Must say you really have me thinking about getting one now, you know of my interest of upgrading my Sony 370 hence this whole thread when it begun and this may well be the answer. Plus it would save me a fair few quid.

Can you just remind me of when Cambridge Audio are releasing the newer higher end model of this range please ? It must be soon ?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Not sure which upcoming Gramophone review you mean, but yes, I use it for all the SACD/Blu-ray reviewing I do for the magazine.

I believe the new Cambridge models are due sometime in the near future, but I'm not sure exactly when.

 

[Clare Newsome]

The Cambridge Audio 751BD will be out 'in Spring'; will try and narrow that down!

 

[psurquhart]

Opps.

Read your blog via link, didnt read the date though - Sunday, March 21, 2010 15:38

Thanks too to Claire.