[Lozin]

I'm trying to decide between the 5500/6500 or the Panasonic T460. I would like to find out if the Panasonic will play a few region free BD's I bought from the UK which are encoded at 1080i/50. I had to buy a Samsung BD-D6500 in order to play these disc's. I also use a Sony BDP-S370 which is still rock solid, plus a PS3 & PS4 none of which will play my UK BD's, but the Samsung(which is slow as hell with load times) plays them flawlessly. If either of the 5500/6500 or the Panasonic will play them I'd happily take the Samsung out of my setup. If not I'll get whichever one is faster and keep the Samsung in the setup. My other equipment is a Sony KDL65W840B & Onkyo TX-NR1030. I don't know if the 6500 is out yet or not, but the main reason I've kept the S370 so long is I really like using the skip back & forward buttons on the remote. It seemed like the new players didn't have the option anymore.

 

[JoeKustra]

I don't know if the 6500 is out yet or not, but the main reason I've kept the S370 so long is I really like using the skip back & forward buttons on the remote. It seemed like the new players didn't have the option anymore.

I have an S6500 and an S6200. I'm using the remote from my S570, which is RMT-B107A. You can see pictures of these on eBay. The new smaller remotes added the Amazon & Netflix and dropped the Theater, Replay and Advance. However, the S6500 still responds to the Replay & Advance button. If those are the buttons/functions you are looking for. I never use them, but I just tested them and they do work.

 

[Alex F.]

I thought the 5xxx series had the IP noise reduction but the 6XXX and higher had the IP Noise Reduction Pro? At least that seemed to be the case for the last few years.

EDIT: Yes. I just looked at the S5500 manual online. It lists "IP Content Noise Reduction"

While the S6500 has IP content Noise Reduction Pro.
My S5100 also has the non pro version. WHile my S6200 and S6500 have the pro versions.

I cannot find an IP Noise Reduction setting in the 5500's online user manual. Please tell me on what page you found it. Here is a link to the manual:

https://docs.sony.com/release/BDPS5500_S3500_S1500.pdf

I took another look at my 5100 and could not find IP NR there either. I checked the player's main menu and option menu. Neither is the feature mentioned in the 5100's user manual. Here is a link to it, too:

https://docs.sony.com/release/BDP-BX510_S5100.pdf

Are there any owners of a 5500, 3500, or 1500 that can check to see if their player has IP Noise Reduction in the "Screen Settings" menu?

 

[Lozin]

I have an S6500 and an S6200. I'm using the remote from my S570, which is RMT-B107A. You can see pictures of these on eBay. The new smaller remotes added the Amazon & Netflix and dropped the Theater, Replay and Advance. However, the S6500 still responds to the Replay & Advance button. If those are the buttons/functions you are looking for. I never use them, but I just tested them and they do work.

That's good to know. If I get a 6500 I'll use the remote off the S370 & move the S370 to the bedroom with the remote off the 6500

 

[aaranddeeman]

Dell.com is running a promotion on BDP-S5500 if anyone wants to grab it..
(Only if it wasn't the e-Gift card, I would have grabbed one by now)

I finally pulled trigger on this deal.
Hopefully I will receive a quiet one..

 

[steve1971]

I decided to go with the 5500. It will fit my needs just fine. Plus as I said before I have the Sony $50 discount so I will be ordering it tomorrow and should have it by Saturday.

 

[aaronwt]

I cannot find an IP Noise Reduction setting in the 5500's online user manual. Please tell me on what page you found it. Here is a link to the manual:

https://docs.sony.com/release/BDPS5500_S3500_S1500.pdf

I took another look at my 5100 and could not find IP NR there either. I checked the player's main menu and option menu. Neither is the feature mentioned in the 5100's user manual. Here is a link to it, too:

https://docs.sony.com/release/BDP-BX510_S5100.pdf

Are there any owners of a 5500, 3500, or 1500 that can check to see if their player has IP Noise Reduction in the "Screen Settings" menu?

The manual I looked at was here

http://tv.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/sony/bdps5500.html

I looked at the PDF view and did a search for "noise" and on page 24 it says

[IP Content Noise Reduction]:
Adjusts the picture quality of Internet
contents.

On the link you have for the S5100, I did a search for "noise" and on page 23 it says

x [IP Content Noise Reduction]:
Adjusts the picture quality of Internet
contents.

No idea why the manual for the S5500 from your link is different than what I looked at. But on your link for the S5500 there is no mention of "IP Noise Reduction" on page 24.

But on the S5100, I own two of them and it's definitely there in the player settings.

 

[mdavej]

IP NR has been in every Sony from the past several generations. I don't remember it being in any settings menu, but accessible during playback from tools or options or something like that. IMO it's completely worthless.

 

[Alex F.]

IP NR has been in every Sony from the past several generations. It isn't in any settings menu, it's accessible only during playback from tools or options or something like that. IMO it's completely worthless.

In the new 6500 it is not accessible during playback and it is not in the Options menu. It is in the main menu under Screen Settings.

 

[Alex F.]

The manual I looked at was here

http://tv.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/sony/bdps5500.html

I looked at the PDF view and did a search for "noise" and on page 24 it says

On the link you have for the S5100, I did a search for "noise" and on page 23 it says

No idea why the manual for the S5500 from your link is different than what I looked at. But on your link for the S5500 there is no mention of "IP Noise Reduction" on page 24.

But on the S5100, I own two of them and it's definitely there in the player settings.

That is what I meant by conflicting information from Sony. The Sony links I provided are from Sony USA itself. I also noticed the two 5500 manuals are different editions (see the code on the top right of the cover).

Since your 5100 has IP NR and mine does not, I learned today there are at least two versions of that model. Yes, my 5100 has the latest firmware; there is no IP NR in the main menu; and IP NR is not in the Options menu during playback or otherwise.

So, I ask owners of the 5500, 3500, and 1500: Does your player have an IP Noise Reduction setting?

 

[mdavej]

There aren't multiple versions of the 5100 in the US. The 510 is the same exact machine with an HDMI cable in the box. It's only an option during playback of internet content. Which app did you try it in?

On the 5500, it appears to be split into two settings, BNR and MNR. I associate mosquito noise with compression artifacts from IP based content. Alex, does your 5500 or 6500 lack these settings?

 

[Alex F.]

There aren't multiple versions of the 5100 in the US. The 510 is the same exact machine with an HDMI cable in the box. It's only an option during playback of internet content. Which app did you try it in?

On the 5500, it appears to be split into two settings, BNR and MNR. I associate mosquito noise with compression artifacts from IP based content. Alex, does your 5500 or 6500 lack these settings?

I tried finding IP NR in the Options menu while streaming Netflix (and while playing a DVD just in case logic was not applicable). If my 5100 has IP NR it is well hidden.

I do not have a 5500, which is why I'm asking owners. If it has IP NR I would like to try it and consider the player for streaming in one or two systems in my home.

My 6500, which I returned due to problems mentioned in this thread, had IP NR Pro in the main menu under Screen Settings. The three video noise filters (FNR, BNR, MNR) are in the Options menu, along with other video adjustments. All settings matched what is shown in the online manual.

 

[Alex F.]

But on the S5100, I own two of them and it's definitely there in the player settings.

Aaron, how do you pull up the IP NR setting in your 5100?

 

[Dreamliner]

Sony Playstation 3 vs Sony BDP-S5500 vs Sony BDP-6500 (SMB On & Off)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Update: 1/3/2016: I ended up buying a Sony BDP-S6500 for movies. The PS3 will not do simultaneous 3D+DolbyHD, prompting this whole quest. I bought a PS4 as it gave me another gaming platform and solved my aforementioned PS3 issue. I then bought a Harmony Elite remote to control the PS4 and found out, at this time, the Elite doesn't work for play, pause, rewind, etcetera during Blu-ray playback and I had to use the PS4 controller so I bought the Sony BDP-S6500. Not having to use my PS4 controller was worth the $100 alone. Harmony really screwed the pooch. Their 'work-around' is a joke (they want you to pull up the onscreen controls and use the arrow and enter keys).

I chose the S6500 over the S5500 as it does have a dual-core processor which is noticeably smoother over all in Netflix, VUDU, etc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------


Here are my comparison pics between the Sony Playstation 3 Slim, Sony BDP-S5500 and Sony BDP-S6500 (SMP On & Off). Except for a slight horizontal shift on the S5500 (but not S6500 curiously), there is ZERO picture quality difference between these players, I also couldn't see what, if anything, the SMB was doing.

Setup:
136" Carada Criterion 2.35:1 screen (roughly width of 144" 16:9/1.78:1 screen)
13' Viewing Distance
JVC RS46
Canon 70D, Identical exposures for comparison photos, tripod & Remote shooter.

In the setup interface, BD Playback (FF, RW, etc) the S6500 is no better in performance than the S5500. Its sad to see these things react so lethargically. The PS3 is MUCH smoother zipping around the disc. I became very frustrated finding the same frames on the S6500 & S5500 for this comparison. So much so that they are both headed back and I'll just pickup a PS4 on the next price drop. I didn't have a PS4 for this comparison, but based on my findings, I doubt that would be different either.

I don't mean to sound overly harsh, but I am used to the performance of the PS3 which offers much smoother interface performance.

***This site really compresses the image, I HIGHLY recommend downloading full resolution images at the links below***

Full Resolution download links for TASM2 here and Skyfall Part 1 here, Skyfall Part 2 here.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ive had a Slim and Super Slim, never impressed me as a blu-ray player, but YMMV. Have even seen banding in scenes on a blu-ray where it was not there on an Oppo.

Another issue with game systems as a streaming player is they output RGB for apps, like Netflix. Can cause people issues depending on display type, and the PS4 doesnt even allow you to set ycbcr color space to see which one works. HDTV Test basically said it was "worse" than a PS3. If anything Id keep the PS3, at least you have settings.

 

[aaronwt]

Sony Playstation 3 vs Sony BDP-S5500 vs Sony BDP-6500 (SMB On & Off)

Here are my comparison pics between the Sony Playstation 3 Slim, Sony BDP-S5500 and Sony BDP-S6500 (SMP On & Off). Except for a slight horizontal shift on the S5500 (but not S6500 curiously), there is ZERO picture quality difference between these players, I also couldn't see what, if anything, the SMB was doing.

Setup:
136" Carada Criterion 2.35:1 screen (roughly width of 144" 16:9/1.78:1 screen)
13' Viewing Distance
JVC RS46
Canon 70D, Identical exposures for comparison photos, tripod & Remote shooter.

In the setup interface, BD Playback (FF, RW, etc) the S6500 is no better in performance than the S5500. Its sad to see these things react so lethargically. The PS3 is MUCH smoother zipping around the disc. I became very frustrated finding the same frames on the S6500 & S5500 for this comparison. So much so that they are both headed back and I'll just pickup a PS4 on the next price drop. I didn't have a PS4 for this comparison, but based on my findings, I doubt that would be different either.

I don't mean to sound overly harsh, but I am used to the performance of the PS3 which offers much smoother interface performance.

Full Resolution download links for TASM2 here and Skyfall Part 1 here, Skyfall Part 2 here.

Good luck with the PS4. That is one of the last devices I would use for BD playback. It is just too noisy. Plus it uses alot more power. I'll take these stand alone players any day over the PS3 or PS4.

The PS3 was fine in it's day, but I think the stand alone players surpassed it around four years ago.

 

[aaranddeeman]

Sony Playstation 3 vs Sony BDP-S5500 vs Sony BDP-6500 (SMB On & Off)

Here are my comparison pics between the Sony Playstation 3 Slim, Sony BDP-S5500 and Sony BDP-S6500 (SMP On & Off). Except for a slight horizontal shift on the S5500 (but not S6500 curiously), there is ZERO picture quality difference between these players, I also couldn't see what, if anything, the SMB was doing.

Setup:
136" Carada Criterion 2.35:1 screen (roughly width of 144" 16:9/1.78:1 screen)
13' Viewing Distance
JVC RS46
Canon 70D, Identical exposures for comparison photos, tripod & Remote shooter.

In the setup interface, BD Playback (FF, RW, etc) the S6500 is no better in performance than the S5500. Its sad to see these things react so lethargically. The PS3 is MUCH smoother zipping around the disc. I became very frustrated finding the same frames on the S6500 & S5500 for this comparison. So much so that they are both headed back and I'll just pickup a PS4 on the next price drop. I didn't have a PS4 for this comparison, but based on my findings, I doubt that would be different either.

I don't mean to sound overly harsh, but I am used to the performance of the PS3 which offers much smoother interface performance.

Full Resolution download links for TASM2 here and Skyfall Part 1 here, Skyfall Part 2 here.

Thanks for this information.
I have just traded my PS3 for 3D+TruHD/Atmos problems as well as the Vudu ATmos trailers were not being played in Atmos.
Getting the BDL-S5500. I don't care for 4K, so 6500 was not considered and good to know the PQ between the two (or three) have no difference.
Let's see. When it arrives, I will know exactly (albeit I have only my memory to compare).

 

[aaronwt]

Aaron, how do you pull up the IP NR setting in your 5100?

It depends on the streaming app whether it is available. When streaming a title select options and if it's available a menu will show up in the upper right that lists..
Socialize
IP Content Noise
SImulated 3D
Control Panel

On IP COntent Noise Reduction it gives you three choices, "1, 2, 3"

In the 6200 and 6500 that have the pro version it seems to be in the regular settings menu. And I guess there are options to set it for film or video with three options each.

 

[MidnightWatcher]

Sony Playstation 3 vs Sony BDP-S5500 vs Sony BDP-6500 (SMB On & Off)

Here are my comparison pics between the Sony Playstation 3 Slim, Sony BDP-S5500 and Sony BDP-S6500 (SMP On & Off). Except for a slight horizontal shift on the S5500 (but not S6500 curiously), there is ZERO picture quality difference between these players, I also couldn't see what, if anything, the SMB was doing.

Great shots. Do you have Superman Returns on Blu-ray? If so, can do you comparison of the underwater shot around the 105-minute mark that displays heavy color banding? I'm curious to know if SBM on the 6500 will make a difference or not.

 

[Alex F.]

It depends on the streaming app whether it is available. When streaming a title select options and if it's available a menu will show up in the upper right that lists..
Socialize
IP Content Noise
SImulated 3D
Control Panel

On IP COntent Noise Reduction it gives you three choices, "1, 2, 3"

Thank you, Aaron.

I tried again today while streaming Netflix. As usual, while streaming, the Options menu will not open. It opens during disc playback only (during which, as expected, IP NR is not listed). Apparently my 5100 just does not have IP NR. I appreciate your help trying.