Originally Posted by
PraiseBear 
In a nutshell: Very Happy
Purchased from local Target, $99.99 + Tax. Comes with remote, basic A/V cable. No HDMI cable supplied. Made in Malaysia. See link from previous posts of e-Manual for details.
Since I've only become an owner of this newly released player for a few hours, I can't possibly give a very detailed review. But I would like to make some observations, esp the differences against NS75H, or its twin NS71H, so other buyers could make a more informed decision.
Obvious Differences:
- 77H comes in Silver or Black (I got the black). 75H in silver only.
- 77H is about 1 inch shallower than 75H
- 77H supports 1080p, 75H maxed out at 1080i
- 77H has a new front panel with 2 less buttons (Prev/Next)
77H added Features:
- 1080p
- Bravia Theatre Sync, HMDI control link with select Sony TVs
- JPEG Resolution settings
- 4 BGM sound track to select with JPEG Slide show
- A remote control reset code "369" (see Manual p.57)
77H deleted features:
- BNR
- MNR
- Audio ATT
- Audio Filter
Basically, I care little about the feature changes, with the exception of the added 1080p support and the subtracted BNR. The rest of the review is very subjective.
I read that most people don't see a difference with BNR on/off, or don't care for it and leave it off. Personally, I see a huge difference and I like it. It makes the picture a little softer, by suppressing block video noise and hide very strong details. With it on, faces are smoother, picture is softer and less tiring to look at. Picture is still very detailed. Some people call the effect "blur". I don't think so. I still see lots of details, but no overly pronounced sharp details. So, I like it. It's a personal choice. And now, I miss it.
The 1080p resolution didn't do it for me. On my display, 1080p is more grainy with no obvious benefit over 1080i. In fact, I prefer watching it in 1080i format. That is a huge let down.
I noticed that the spec left out detail numbers regarding S/N ratio, Freq Response, and Harmonic Distortion. Most users don't care about these, but I do, in fact, a lot. After doing a bunch of head-to-head Audio comparisons, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 77H sounds even better than the 75H! The music fidelity, response, transition, and range all sounded better than before. That was a huge surprise.
Conclusion: It's a keeper! Although I miss the BNR and felt disappointed by 1080p, this 77H does not lose any significant features. While it doesn't gain many useful new features, its black chassis and its superior audio performance just won me over. The low price helps also. (My 71H cost me $120)
For me, there is enough benefit for me to send back the 2 week old 71H to the store and keep this 77H/B. I need to provide my own HDMI cable now, but it's not a big deal.
As a side note, I have also tested the Philips DVP5982/37 player. All I could say there is the Philips is loaded with features for 40% less in price. It's not a bad deal if you are not ultra-critical of picture/sound quality. It's cheap and it feels that way, too. I prefer the Sonys much better when it comes to those critical qualities, remote, connectivity, and menus.
