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Official Sony BDP-S590 and BDP-390 Thread - Page 4

post #91 of 3461
3/14/12 at 11:06pm
I recently ordered a Panasonic BDT210, which had a serious black screen flashing problem any time that you used Netflix. I looked at the new Panny BDT220 and people claim that it doesn't have the black flashing problem, but it has other problems that weren't fixed like their crappy viera cast interface which had ridiculous lag.

So now my patience for Panasonic is at an all time low. Streaming is my primary use right now, can anyone chime in on how they think the Sony BDP-S590 would compare to the Panny BDT220? Do the Sonys have better PQ and streaming functionality?

I might jump boats if the new Sony's are better...
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post #92 of 3461
3/15/12 at 4:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by avspace View Post

I recently ordered a Panasonic BDT210, which had a serious black screen flashing problem any time that you used Netflix. I looked at the new Panny BDT220 and people claim that it doesn't have the black flashing problem, but it has other problems that weren't fixed like their crappy viera cast interface which had ridiculous lag.

So now my patience for Panasonic is at an all time low. Streaming is my primary use right now, can anyone chime in on how they think the Sony BDP-S590 would compare to the Panny BDT220? Do the Sonys have better PQ and streaming functionality?

I might jump boats if the new Sony's are better...

Interested to see people's opinions on this as well. Trying to decide between the Panny 220 and the Sony BDP-S390.
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post #93 of 3461
3/15/12 at 5:59am
Bestbuy.com now has the BDP-S590 available for shipping. None of my stores have it per the website. Hopefully they show up this weekend.
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post #94 of 3461
3/15/12 at 9:26am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema View Post

Bestbuy.com now has the BDP-S590 available for shipping. None of my stores have it per the website. Hopefully they show up this weekend.

Thanks ! I will update the initial post which has shipping/buying info.
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post #95 of 3461
3/15/12 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LSU fan View Post

Interested to see people's opinions on this as well. Trying to decide between the Panny 220 and the Sony BDP-S390.

Well .. i've owned the S580, the S390, and the S590 .... also the Panny 210 and 220 ... oh and the good ole' Sony streamer the N200 ...

The PS3 and the ATV1 and 2 (with XBMC) and Mac Mini (with XBMC). Leave the PS3 and ATV out of this discussion but would be happy to provide any feedback should folks want it.

:-)

The S590 is the one I picked ..... until maybe the S790 arrives !

Why?

Principal requirements:

1) Streaming (Main content providers (netflix, vudu, amazon vod, hulu+)
2) Netflix 1080p/DD+, Vudu HDX/DD+, Amazon VOD DD, Hulu+ that works.
3) Responsive UI experience across all apps and main menu.
4) Bluray and DVD playback
5) DLNA (some content, but not that picky).
6) Cheapish .. Under $200
7) 3D

.. Well the Panny's were eliminated quickly. They don't fit all my requirements. The Panny Hulu+ app doesn't work and it can't do Amazon VOD DD. I didn't particularly like Viera connect experience, and the responsiveness of the UI was poor within and across apps. The Panny 210 Netflix black flicker issue is inexcusable. That is no doubt the worst Netflix client that I have ever used. I've got a 100mb/s down connection and the player is hardwired to the router, and I still got them.

One feature the Panny 220 does have that the Sony S590 doesn't was VOD 24p output. I've got mixed feeling's with this. When I tried it on the 220, and compared it not turned on ... I didn't notice the same type of difference you note with BD @ 60 or 24. ... that could be just the content I was using ... but felt it wasn't that of a big deal ... at least in its current implementation.

The Sony S580 wasn't able to do Netlix 1080p or DD, so was ruled out quickly. The Sony N200 was the same and didn't have bluray support anyway.

So that left the S390 and S590. Since I wanted 3D .. then it was the S590 in the end.

The S590 was also able to playback the MKV files natively served from a DLNA server, so that was a plus too. In fairness the S580 could do too ...and I didn't try the Panny for that purpose.

As far as picture quality .... as I've said before, I never noticed any big difference between the panny and sony players quite honesty. Streaming was a different story, but that had more to do with the stream the player was playing. Again though, Vudu HDX looked awesome on both the Panny and Sony players ..... I am very pleased with the Sony 390 and 590 Netflix 1080p picture quality. I think it looks awesome. I like the new netflix UI on the Sony and the UI is responsive and snappy.

Oh, one last thing. DVD upscale. Although its nice to try and get your old DVDs to look as best they can, I generally found that all those filters and tricks just tended to smooth out the picture in the end, so ended up turning them all off anyway. So became not a primary requirement for player selection.
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post #96 of 3461
3/15/12 at 10:29am
Still no response from Sony Rewards . It's been almost a week since I've ordered with no shipment.
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post #97 of 3461
3/15/12 at 10:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LSU fan View Post

Interested to see people's opinions on this as well. Trying to decide between the Panny 220 and the Sony BDP-S390.

Quote:
Originally Posted by michaeltscott View Post

Still no response from Sony Rewards . It's been almost a week since I've ordered with no shipment.

You should just drive over there, and demand your player !
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post #98 of 3461
3/15/12 at 11:14am
Apw2607,

Thanks for the response. My needs are much simpler than yours but it was good read. I stream a lot if Netflix and reports about the slow UI from the new Panny owners had me nervous. Overall, I can't think of a single reason not to get the Sony. Since I don't care about 3D, I'll probably go with the 390.
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post #99 of 3461
3/15/12 at 11:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by apw2607 View Post

You should just drive over there, and demand your player !

Again, Carson's 115 miles from me. I want the player, but 3-4 hours round trip is a bit more than I'm in for .

I really, really wish that I'd insisted that the guy cancel my order on Monday and had ordered the S390 while Amazon had it in stock. I'd probably have had it yesterday.
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post #100 of 3461
3/15/12 at 11:40am
I picked up a 390 at my local Best Buy today for $124. They had a dozen or so. They did not have the 590 on display and I was told they hadn't gotten any. They had a display 580. Showed on clearance for $113, but were sold out. He said last 580 to go was on Monday so he was expecting 590's "soon".
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post #101 of 3461
3/15/12 at 2:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by michaeltscott View Post

Again, Carson's 115 miles from me. I want the player, but 3-4 hours round trip is a bit more than I'm in for .

I really, really wish that I'd insisted that the guy cancel my order on Monday and had ordered the S390 while Amazon had it in stock. I'd probably have had it yesterday.

Gotcha. Looking back .. I placed the order on the 1st of March with SonyRewards. I got a email notification that it shipped on the 6th March. Thats 2 full business days and change really. The player arrived on the 8th March. 2 Day Fedex shipping was used.
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post #102 of 3461
3/15/12 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by apw2607 View Post

Well .. i've owned the S580, the S390, and the S590 .... also the Panny 210 and 220 ... oh and the good ole' Sony streamer the N200 ...

The PS3 and the ATV1 and 2 (with XBMC) and Mac Mini (with XBMC). Leave the PS3 and ATV out of this discussion but would be happy to provide any feedback should folks want it.

:-)

The S590 is the one I picked ..... until maybe the S790 arrives !

Why?

Principal requirements:

1) Streaming (Main content providers (netflix, vudu, amazon vod, hulu+)
2) Netflix 1080p/DD+, Vudu HDX/DD+, Amazon VOD DD, Hulu+ that works.
3) Responsive UI experience across all apps and main menu.
4) Bluray and DVD playback
5) DLNA (some content, but not that picky).
6) Cheapish .. Under $200
7) 3D

.. Well the Panny's were eliminated quickly. They don't fit all my requirements. The Panny Hulu+ app doesn't work and it can't do Amazon VOD DD. I didn't particularly like Viera connect experience, and the responsiveness of the UI was poor within and across apps. The Panny 210 Netflix black flicker issue is inexcusable. That is no doubt the worst Netflix client that I have ever used. I've got a 100mb/s down connection and the player is hardwired to the router, and I still got them.

One feature the Panny 220 does have that the Sony S590 doesn't was VOD 24p output. I've got mixed feeling's with this. When I tried it on the 220, and compared it not turned on ... I didn't notice the same type of difference you note with BD @ 60 or 24. ... that could be just the content I was using ... but felt it wasn't that of a big deal ... at least in its current implementation.

The Sony S580 wasn't able to do Netlix 1080p or DD, so was ruled out quickly. The Sony N200 was the same and didn't have bluray support anyway.

So that left the S390 and S590. Since I wanted 3D .. then it was the S590 in the end.

The S590 was also able to playback the MKV files natively served from a DLNA server, so that was a plus too. In fairness the S580 could do too ...and I didn't try the Panny for that purpose.

As far as picture quality .... as I've said before, I never noticed any big difference between the panny and sony players quite honesty. Streaming was a different story, but that had more to do with the stream the player was playing. Again though, Vudu HDX looked awesome on both the Panny and Sony players ..... I am very pleased with the Sony 390 and 590 Netflix 1080p picture quality. I think it looks awesome. I like the new netflix UI on the Sony and the UI is responsive and snappy.

Oh, one last thing. DVD upscale. Although its nice to try and get your old DVDs to look as best they can, I generally found that all those filters and tricks just tended to smooth out the picture in the end, so ended up turning them all off anyway. So became not a primary requirement for player selection.

Huge thanks for this well thought out response. I'm on board now with getting a S590, whenever they are stocked on amazon, looks like pre-order right now?
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post #103 of 3461
3/15/12 at 5:17pm
Great write-up. I got a pan. 210/215 as I found that the pan has slightly better PQ for both BR and DVD. I will almost certainly return it however since as many have stated, the netflix experience is a disaster.

My main reservation with sony however is their employment of cinavia, the copy protection system. I understand that cinavia encoded disks contain a supposedly inaudible watermark. Has anyone experienced problems with PQ or audio quality as a result of cinavia, or any other problems?

I don't use burned disks at all, so that won't be an issue.

Quote:
Originally Posted by apw2607 View Post

Well .. i've owned the S580, the S390, and the S590 .... also the Panny 210 and 220 ... oh and the good ole' Sony streamer the N200 ...

The PS3 and the ATV1 and 2 (with XBMC) and Mac Mini (with XBMC). Leave the PS3 and ATV out of this discussion but would be happy to provide any feedback should folks want it.

:-)

The S590 is the one I picked ..... until maybe the S790 arrives !

Why?

Principal requirements:

1) Streaming (Main content providers (netflix, vudu, amazon vod, hulu+)
2) Netflix 1080p/DD+, Vudu HDX/DD+, Amazon VOD DD, Hulu+ that works.
3) Responsive UI experience across all apps and main menu.
4) Bluray and DVD playback
5) DLNA (some content, but not that picky).
6) Cheapish .. Under $200
7) 3D

.. Well the Panny's were eliminated quickly. They don't fit all my requirements. The Panny Hulu+ app doesn't work and it can't do Amazon VOD DD. I didn't particularly like Viera connect experience, and the responsiveness of the UI was poor within and across apps. The Panny 210 Netflix black flicker issue is inexcusable. That is no doubt the worst Netflix client that I have ever used. I've got a 100mb/s down connection and the player is hardwired to the router, and I still got them.

One feature the Panny 220 does have that the Sony S590 doesn't was VOD 24p output. I've got mixed feeling's with this. When I tried it on the 220, and compared it not turned on ... I didn't notice the same type of difference you note with BD @ 60 or 24. ... that could be just the content I was using ... but felt it wasn't that of a big deal ... at least in its current implementation.

The Sony S580 wasn't able to do Netlix 1080p or DD, so was ruled out quickly. The Sony N200 was the same and didn't have bluray support anyway.

So that left the S390 and S590. Since I wanted 3D .. then it was the S590 in the end.

The S590 was also able to playback the MKV files natively served from a DLNA server, so that was a plus too. In fairness the S580 could do too ...and I didn't try the Panny for that purpose.

As far as picture quality .... as I've said before, I never noticed any big difference between the panny and sony players quite honesty. Streaming was a different story, but that had more to do with the stream the player was playing. Again though, Vudu HDX looked awesome on both the Panny and Sony players ..... I am very pleased with the Sony 390 and 590 Netflix 1080p picture quality. I think it looks awesome. I like the new netflix UI on the Sony and the UI is responsive and snappy.

Oh, one last thing. DVD upscale. Although its nice to try and get your old DVDs to look as best they can, I generally found that all those filters and tricks just tended to smooth out the picture in the end, so ended up turning them all off anyway. So became not a primary requirement for player selection.
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post #104 of 3461
3/15/12 at 7:57pm
The concern you have about cinavia is something that might spread to other brands as well with a simple firmware update. Some part of me thinks this is inevitable. I did think the Panny 210 looked pretty good while I had it, but the whole viera cast interface and netflix and hulu streaming problems just turned me off to the brand. I think it's inexcusable, I mean, how could the netflix black flashing problem get past quality control? It just seems like they either don't care if their players have glaring problems or they just don't test them enough.

I don't think I would mind sacrificing a little PQ to just get an all around balanced and solid bluray player that is a reliable streamer as well. So the Sony S590 is on my radar at the moment, just can't seem to find them anywhere yet...
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post #105 of 3461
3/15/12 at 8:06pm
Pan. streaming is a weakness. There is still an audio sync. issue in some cases. It's file support is still limited compared to Sony as well. I have to weigh that vs. the slight but noticeable improvement in PQ.

At this rate, I may have to buy one of each, lol.
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post #106 of 3461
3/15/12 at 8:33pm
Yeah, wouldn't it be great to get the whole package! Somebody is going to get it right eventually and I'll be there waiting for it.
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post #107 of 3461
3/15/12 at 8:59pm
Thread Starter 
Guys, you must have a better eye than me for PQ. As I mentioned I couldn't tell the difference, and I was pushing the output onto a largish 110" screen via a Panasonic AE-4000.

The new ATV 3 / 1080p arrived today. Replaced my older ATV2, as I do like the tight coupling to iTunes and airplay support, especially if you use iTunes as your principal music library.

Interestingly, although the ATV3 now supports 1080p netflix, doing a quick A-B with "the fighter" ... although both excellent PQ, I give the S590 the edge. Something about the picture looked overall sharper to me compared to the ATV version ... and that the S590 supports DD+, where as the ATV3 still supports DD.
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post #108 of 3461
3/15/12 at 9:32pm
I'm all about the streaming. I bought the BDT110 just to get the Viera Cast (now Viera Connect) app suite. I do appreciate having a player for my occasional BD viewing which is pretty much silent and which draws a tiny fraction so much power as my launch-model 60GB PS3 does. I'm not going to be very nit-picky about BD or DVD PQ.
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post #109 of 3461
3/16/12 at 1:18am
Being more amateur, what settings are you all changing to get the most accurate picture and sound?
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post #110 of 3461
3/16/12 at 1:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by apw2607 View Post

You should be able to use the DLNA / USB features prior to updating, but it looks like you need to update the firmware in order to use the on-line services.

Next time there is a firmware update, I will test out this theory.

I meant if existing firmware was Cinavia contaminated.
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post #111 of 3461
3/16/12 at 6:25am
I'm guessing the 590 is the same size as the 390? I saw the 390 on display at Best Buy yesterday. That is a tiny machine.
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post #112 of 3461
3/16/12 at 7:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema View Post

I'm guessing the 590 is the same size as the 390? I saw the 390 on display at Best Buy yesterday. That is a tiny machine.

No. The 390 is 320mm wide, the 590 is the standard 420mm.
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post #113 of 3461
3/16/12 at 7:45am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mariner888 View Post


I meant if existing firmware was Cinavia contaminated.

I would but don't have a file to test with.
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post #114 of 3461
3/16/12 at 8:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stryprod View Post

Being more amateur, what settings are you all changing to get the most accurate picture and sound?

During playback of BD or DVD

Picture Quality : Normal
BNR: Off
MNR: Off

During Internet video playback

IP Content Noise Reduction: Off

Screen Settings:

All defaults other than:

Screen Format: Actually toggle this one back and forth between Full and Normal depending on if I want 4:3 content to be stretched across 16:9, or IP Contents that to be scaled.

Audio settings:

DSD Output mode: DSD (note, you can only do this if you're receiver can decode DSD directly
BD Audio Mix: Off (Allows for high-resolution audio bitstream from player)
Audio DRC: Off (Hate compression generally)
Downmix: Surround (if you're receiver supports Dolby Pro Logic / II or DTS Neo, etc)

Think thats it.

A note about 24p

There are now two settings for 24p output.

By default they are

BD-ROM 24p output: On
DVD-ROM 24p output: Off

and I left them like that. Many DVDs are not 24p compatible, and with DVD generally a last resort, can't be bothered to keep toggling this one.
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post #115 of 3461
3/16/12 at 8:16am
Thread Starter 
I'm pretty certain best buy now has the S590 in store. I did a quick search in my area and all 10 stores have then in stock ...
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post #116 of 3461
3/16/12 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 
Player user interface and the new SEN Home portal:

Just a quick note about these players user interface. Note, I said Players UI, not the VOD service UI. Its not changed from the 2011 players. Its still the same XMB Ps3 style as before. There is no lag however in moving up down, left right. However I mention it as some folks just don't like it. Coming from a PS3, it works for me.

What has disappeared is the favorites feature from this 2012 version, where you could select a number of your favorite "channels" within a favorites screen. Sony removed the favorites button from later version's of the 2011 players remote control, and you had to access favorites via the options button which took 3 or so clicks, which sort of defeated the point !

Favorites for 2012 is going to be implemented using the new SEN Home portal, which will divide the screen into a number of categories. The service is currently not active but this is the info I've managed to gather ...

Favorites: Applications which you have added from the Application area.

Music: This area shows Sony's Music Unlimited content.

Videos: This area shows Sony's Video Unlimited content.

Applications:

The following applications would typically be displayed here:

Video service application : browse, discover, search for and purchase video contents.
Music service application : browse, discover, search for and purchase video contents.
Game application : various mini games.
Social applications : communication channels with other users.


What you're watching: This area displays what you were watching just before accessing SEN.

Search for video: Search Sony's Video Unlimited plus some internet video contents.

So in essence we will have applications that live on the player directly, e.g Vudu. And then additional video applications that live inside of "SEN". Maybe MLB for example since its listed as a SEN video partner. Some maybe be duplicated like Netflix. So not sure how this is all going to work, but its a free service, and I can only believe that this will add value, rather than diminish it. At the end of the day, you've still got the services that live on the player directly.

Here's a screenshot I posted on the initial thread post of this service:

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post #117 of 3461
3/16/12 at 8:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by apw2607 View Post

I'm pretty certain best buy now has the S590 in store. I did a quick search in my area and all 10 stores have then in stock ...

Some stores do. None of the 10 stores closest to me have it in yet. (The 11th closest store, in La Jolla, is 18 miles away--I'm too lazy ).

I called Sony yesterday and they told me that they'd get me a response within 2 business days . They responded to my e-mail with this:
Quote:


Thank you for contacting Sony Rewards Online Support.

Thank you for your request for an update on Order XXXXXX. It is currently in processing status. Please allow up to 2-4 weeks for your item(s) to ship.

Once your order ships, an email confirmation will be sent to the email address we have on file.


Kind regards,

The Sony Rewards Team

I'm going to call again and demand that my order be cancelled and the hold taken off my funds. It's been in "processed" state for the past 5 days during which the site indicated that it was in stock (they've marked other products, like the S390, as "Sold Out").
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post #118 of 3461
3/16/12 at 11:15am
Now the 390 and 590 are circulating to stores I hope we start seeing results from HVQ tests. The 380, reportedly had issues with horizontal scrolling, juddering and tearing... Just like my 370 that I want to upgrade.

Anyone tried a HQV or seen results posted yet?
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post #119 of 3461
3/16/12 at 11:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by apw2607 View Post

During playback of BD or DVD

Picture Quality : Normal
BNR: Off
MNR: Off

During Internet video playback

IP Content Noise Reduction: Off

Screen Settings:

All defaults other than:

Screen Format: Actually toggle this one back and forth between Full and Normal depending on if I want 4:3 content to be stretched across 16:9, or IP Contents that to be scaled.

Audio settings:

DSD Output mode: DSD (note, you can only do this if you're receiver can decode DSD directly
BD Audio Mix: Off (Allows for high-resolution audio bitstream from player)
Audio DRC: Off (Hate compression generally)
Downmix: Surround (if you're receiver supports Dolby Pro Logic / II or DTS Neo, etc)

Think thats it.

A note about 24p

There are now two settings for 24p output.

By default they are

BD-ROM 24p output: On
DVD-ROM 24p output: Off

and I left them like that. Many DVDs are not 24p compatible, and with DVD generally a last resort, can't be bothered to keep toggling this one.

Thorough.... tank you!
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post #120 of 3461
3/16/12 at 12:22pm
Leaning towards the 390 (no interest in 3D), but I sure hope it gets the MLB.tv app. Gotta have that. But the cinavia issue is troubling.
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