I remember not to long ago reviewing the S5000ES. I was very impressed with the overall picture quality. It reminded my family of a PS3 with its GUI. And since we still use a PS3 as our utility player to this day, the 1000ES is very easy for everyone to operate. So what best describes the 1000ES? That's simple. A 5000ES Lite. Seems like I have been using the lite term a lot lately. The 1000ES is no exception. It weighs a ton less, but to be perfectly frank, that is the main difference. The 1000ES is even better in pic Q (mainly due to it having a Marvell chip like the 09FD) and loads very fast. Sure many will complain about its msrp (699.00) but wat does it do to justify it? Read on...
Features... Sony has really made an impact on me with its Super Bit Mapping and HD Reality Enhancer. I was a big fan of these features on the 5000ES but even more so now. Super Bit Mapping smooths out background shadow and color gradients and HD Reality Enhancer sharpens moving edges to create the finest video output available from Sony. And yes, that includes the 5000ES. I hate to admit it but I am getting an excellent image that is as good as the Denon DVD-A1 and Pioneer 09FD (my current champs). This little player (weighs just 6.6 pounds) has to be the lightest player I ever touched with this good an image!
Other features...Here is another good one. Wi-Fi which connects to the net very easily. Speaking of the net, It also includes 4GB external memory for BD-Live. I did not have any trouble with any of the Disney titles I played with. You can also do Photo Streaming to. I have to also report that the 1000ES has a "quick start" mode which allows you to put a disc in very quickly. I am a huge fan of being able to put a disc in within seconds!
Real-Time viewing... I started with Supernatural Season 4. Dean's 67 Impala looked so clear you could almost see your own reflection in it! I then went to Roadhouse which looked the best I have seen to date. I could have sworn there was smoke (scene when Dalton is first telling like it is) coming out of the screen. It looked that good. On to the Skynet T2 movie. Yes, it played! And it looked terrific. I spent a lot of time with Gladiator and Braveheart. Both titles made me very happy I upgraded from my SD dvds. Notice the details in the pics below. And yes, we watched Hannah Montana. The colors were deep and rich with plenty of depth but also natural. The Sony S1000ES allows for YCbCr 4:4:4 with 12 bit upconverted color. The results were as good as I seen to date. Going 1080p/24 into my Sony VW200 PJ yielded excellent results. You get picture adjustments (including a complex but effective Gamma slider) as well as Sony's own picture settings. I left it in Standard (even though there is a theater, brighter room and memory selection) for the most part. I did do some tweaking but the Standard picture setting was very accurate... As for SD dvds, I was very impressed with the improvement over the 5000ES. The upconversion is nearly as good as the higher end models and most will be more than satisfied. Kudos goes to Sony for making progress.
Audio... I won't spend much time on it. I mainly bitstreamed but the 1000ES does have 7.1 analog outs with speaker settings. The brief time I did spend testing it out yielded pretty good results. Though I will say that is the only area the 1000ES falls behind the big boys (DVD-A1, 09FD to name a few). If you plan to use HDMI then there is nothing to worry about.
Remote (pic below)... The most important parts light up nicely. I especially like the way the bottom feels. It won't slip out of your hand! Hitting Display (pic below) shows the resolution, sound mode, disc type, Mpbs count and of course the spot in the movie. There is also a really cool scene search button. I was also successful when using an IR emitter without making it messy. You can easily slide it in from the side and it won't intrude.
Final thoughts... So where do we go from here? Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. We have truly reached the pinnacle of picture quality and the 1000ES proves it. Sony has outdone themselves as well as many others. If your main concern is picture quality and plan to bitstream then you cannot do any better than the 1000ES. Sony claims it was made for movie lovers by movie makers. Within seconds of first turning it on you can see that is not far fetched. I now have some tough choices of my own to make. Yes, it is that good! And as the 1000ES says when you tur it off, See You...
I have always been a firm believer that build quality meant something. The 1000ES is the first player I have come across where it doesn't.
(the same solution used in Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD...)
