Official New Sony S370/S470 Owners Thread - Page 9

Steve1022...........if you go to Sony's web site for the S470........there are instructions on the method using a burn image ISO file burn to cd.
Take a look.

Thank you, I found it and it is CD-R.

Here is a link to it if anyone needs it.........

http://esupport.sony.com/CA/perl/swu...=5518&os_id=99

I'm not sure what to say then, as the streaming works well here. Are you using a wireless network to connect the Blu-Ray up? Wireless doesn't always work well with streaming. Anything else taking up your bandwidth, like filesharing software, or streaming to two devices, or someone playing games?

I am hard wired to the router. I even tried it with the modem and still had problems.

Jacob

Thinking of purchasing S470, one question, I have a Sony non Blu-Ray HDMI upscaling player that I have had for awhile that upscales my normal DVD movies to 1080I really good. I dont have a 1080P HDTV, it will only do 720P and 1080I, so will the S470 upscale my old DVD's to 1080I, like my old player? I DL the S470 manual and it doesnt show any upscaling info, on my current plyer in the menu system I can set to upscale to 1080I, just want to make sure about this. Thanks, Randy

Even though they never mention it anywhere (manual, website, ad copy), all sony blu-ray players do indeed upscale DVD to 1080 over HDMI. It's pretty strange, but that's sony for you. Just wait until you try to figure out some of the settings. The description is usually the opposite of the actual function. In spite of that, the players are very nice.

I don't know what model Sony you have now, but when I compared my Sony 700H DVD player to the Sony 370 BR player, for DVD playback upconverted to 1080p I really preferred the 700. Both HDMI and composite was noticeably better on the 700. I didn't really play with component or 1080i and I would think(but have no proof) the DVD upconversion would be the same between the 370 and 470. I had last years BR 560 for a brief time and it was very comparable to my 700 for DVD upconversion. Just saying that if DVD upconversion is important to you, you should really check it out and not just assume the BR player will be better.

So I just got the bdp-bx37, supposedly just a s370 with an HDMI cable included. Replacing a samsung and it is much better. However I have a few issues wondering if anyone else is having. Occasionally it won't connect to the network I have to not only unplug and replug in the network cable but also power cycle the unit for it to work. im about 50-50 on it being the device or router, my network setup is a bit complex to the say the least. Also netflix occasionally just stops and the device has to be powered off and on to become responsive again. Anyone else have that happen?

BUT, the biggest issue I face is this. I was under the assumption I could play files off USB, and that this player will play .avi/.mkv. However with a 8gb USB drive plugged in with both avi and mkv files it says no files found. I have reformatted to make sure the device is formatted as FAT32. I can however play .mpg and .wmv files fine. Anyone else not able to play avi? Was I misunderstood that the player can play them. The manual says it can.

There will be a firmware upgrade to support HDD in the Summer. I expect MKV and AVI will be supported as well. My S570 can play MKV out of a pendrive but with an unbearable amount of pixelation. I hope the restriction on the NTFS disappears but I am not very optimistic on this.

Ok, I guess I will wait for the firmware update, however I also tried burning an avi to cd and it says no data found, but same thing with wmv and pictures work fine. The manual says it can play them.

Another issue just discovered with netflix.

When playing after a few minutes the video stops and it says loading. It takes about 3-5minutes and it will eventually start playing again. However the only option is to wait for it to start again. The remote becomes unresponsive other than power. If you turn the unit off it shut downs and the display flashes "see you" and the only way to get it back on is to unplug and plug it back in. I am going to try connecting directly to my modem and see what that does.

Exact thing happened on my 470! I'm hard wired in (whole house it wired for ethernet), and get 12mps. Kids watched the same movie today (Elmo in HD), no issues.

That you're trying to play a file in an .avi container is totally irrelevant. The compatibility issue has to do with the codec of the file itself.

My 370 manual has the avi format listed under DivX (page 32), which includes a footnote: "Canada models only".

I just purchased an S370 primarily for three reasons: 1) faster load times than my slow 3 year old Sony BR player, 2) smaller size, and most important, 3) Netflix streaming to my 37" XBR6.

I have a 12 mbps connection via Uverse. Therefore, it really averages about 9 mbps, still more than enough, even for HD. No uncorrected errors etc. Netflix streams very well to all PC's in the house and office, even one wired with ethernet through a powerline adapter, which is slowww.

However, on the S370, motion is not even close to being smooth. It is choppy, jerky, stuttering, jumpy, whatever you want to call it. It is almost like trying to play a 1080p AVCHD file on an old computer...ain't gonna happen. It isn't freezing, it is just like the frame rate is about 10-12 fps in scenes with motion of any kind. Static scenes are OK. Latest firmware, tried resets, diagnostics OK, happens on all movies/TV shows, blah, blah, blah. Sony support offshore was useless. Any ideas???

PS - Amazon HD on the S370, while not exactly BR or broadcast HD quality, compared to Netflix, was flawless - not a single frame out of place on fast action, like the Superman Returns HD trailer.

I had the same problem with netflix.. Jd.
you are not alone. I also have the roku and ps3 netflix and that worked fine.

Jacob

Does the 370 allow you to surf Netflix titles or will it only show what is in your "Instant Watch" queue?

I.E. I have to add the movies at a PC to see them on a 370...

I have also noticed what almost appears like a low frame rate or dropped frames when watching Netflix HD material. This is with a dedicated 10 MB fiber-to-the-home connection. Amazon HD and Netflix SD material work fine. The Netflix image quality is good and the "jerky" video is not bad enough to make it unwatchable, but is still noticeable. I mainly see it in movie scenes where the camera is panning across a wide background.

Add 'em on the PC only, then they show up on the 370.

I've got the jerky frame rate on SD material as well. Same with HD, of course. Amazon is as smooth as a hot knife through butter.

Update: Time of day makes no differrence. I'm hardwired 6 feet to the modem showing 11.5 mbps yet still stuttering SD and HD on Netflix. Anyone think swapping it out for another 370 might make a difference? I'd say the PQ is OK on Netflix but the smoothness isn't much better than the first NASA videos from the Moon 40 years ago! On second thought, it is worse.

So far, I feel my 370 streams netflix (SD/HD) slightly better than my Roku - although it's hard to say for sure since its connected to a better TV. No glitches. For what it's worth...

Connection: 24Mbps hardwired (tw/roadrunner)

JD. I switched the player around with the same model.. had the same problem. it seems that your internet speed is too slow for it. that is what I was told when I asked about it.

Jacob

Can't be. Amazon HD streams perfectly. Netflix speedtest and other test servers all show 10 to 11.5 mbps, almost double what is required. Netflix streams perfectly to PC's in the house, even wireless. The 370 is connected directly to the router via CAT 6 so, nothing makes sense as to why there is a problem, aside from the 370 firmware or its inability to play nice with the Uverse 2wire router I guess. Even Netflix SD stutters...badly.

I also own the ps3 and the roku machine. they played fine.

there is a small print that you need 10 meg to play netflix on the sony blu ray player.
there is something seriouly wrong there. I was on the phone with netflix, sony, and my local internet company.. sony said that they could not reproduce the problem that I was having. so I ended up taking it back. I still have the panasonic 80 and the ps3. might save up for a better player.

Jacob

I also have uverse and am paying for the 12 mb plan. I had issues playing HD in the begining, but haven't had any issues since on my 470. I'm also hard wired in.

Only shows Instant Watch, you need to add on the PC.

You all should be clarifying whether you've literally...actually...definitely checked for the latest firmware update, and installed it, AND verified that it installed correctly. Sony issued a fix specifically to address this problem.

Regarding the SACD playback capability of the S370/S470/S570....anyone tried it yet? Also, anyone knows whether these players do a DSD>>>PCM conversion when outputting SACD through their analog outputs?

I did...latest for the 370 ends in 0315, verified installed. On the phone finally with tier 2 Sony in the USA. He had no clue either and my case has been escalated to their engineering dept. Tier 2 agreed I had done everything possible on my end, no problems with my ISP, modem, TV, hdmi cable, firewalls, etc. To repeat, my speed is more than 10mbps and I'm hardwired to the model. No other video service presents a problem. Even YouTube streams better than Netflix on my 370. I think the Netflix CSR I spoke with gave me the best hint about the problem (of course, this still doesn't explain why for many, Netflix works just fine)...

Since everything works perfectly except Netflix...SD or HD, both are "jerky," and the Netflix CSR said since it streams fine to the PC, the issue is not on their end, BUT their KB says some vendors have difficulty properly implementing their HDCP related measures. She also told me season one of Heroes is their reference they use for troubleshooting streaming. They say that one is perfect. I had the same problem with it as with all other streams from Netflix.

My understanding about the "fix" was that connection speed for HD wasn't working right but, again, my issue is on ALL Netflix streams and NOT on Amazon HD, etc.

"This utility updates the Blu-ray Disc player firmware to version 315 and resolves an issue where video streamed over the Internet may be displayed at SD (Standard Definition) instead of HD (High Definition) even when using a high speed Internet connection (10 Mbps or more) and watching video that is provided in HD."

I use this website from my computer,www.speakeasy.net. If you have a laptop, plug in the network cable you have plugged into your blu-ray player or if you are using wireless, have the laptop in the same room as your blu-ray player and run the "Internet Speed Test" from speakeasy.net. It is located on the page near the bottom. When you get to the page to start the speed test, click on a city nearest you and run the test. In my experience it is fairly accurate. I have a 6mb download connection and have had no problems with either Netflix or Amazon streaming. If someone else in the house is downloading something or surfing the net heavily, then I have problems. I just get everyone off of their computer while we are trying to watch something. Hope this helps someone.

JD.. I had all the same problems that you are having. I even talked with netflix and tried heroes and still had the same problem.
I ended up taking the player back.
Jacob