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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sony BDP-N460 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)

Experience Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p quality with stunning HD sound that supports enhanced audio formats including Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio. You can also play and upscale your DVDs to near high definition. Connect to the internet and instantly stream thousands of movies, videos, music and more from Netflix, YouTube, Slacker and other leading content providers with the Sony BDP-N460 Network Blu-ray Disc player.

Amazon Sales Rank: #385 in Home Theater Color: Black Brand: Sony Model: BDP-N460 Dimensions: 2.20" h x 16.90" w x 8.10" l, 4.60 pounds Plays Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p Instantly streams online entertainment from leading providers Upscales DVDs to near high definition BD-Live ready Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding

Sony BDP-N460 (October 13, 2009)In addition to playing Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, the Sony BDP-N460 streams one of the largest collections of premium and free on-demand entertainment from the BRAVIA Internet Video platform, including thousands of movies, TV programs, and music from from over 25 leading content providers--including YouTube, Slacker, and Netflix. Simply connect the BDP-N460 to your existing Internet connection. Stream video from one of the largest collections of premium and free on-demand entertainment, including thousands of movies, TV programs, and music from YouTube, Slacker, and, later this fall, Netflix. The Sony BDP-N460 incorporates Sony’s Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology that converts standard-definition signals (480i) to near HD quality (see larger image). It supports Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD audio codecs for up to 7.1 channels of high-definition sound, and there's even quick start-up mode which begins operating your Blu-ray Disc player in approximately six seconds from the time it is powered on. You can also play and upscale your standard DVDs to near high definition. And navigation of the player's menus is a breeze thanks to the icon-based Xross Media Bar (XMB) menu system. Key Features Instantly stream thousands of movies, videos and music from an ever-growing list of over 25 content providers including Netflix, Slacker Radio, YouTube and more. (Learn more) Full HD 1080p Output (Learn more) DVD Upscaling via HDMI technology: DVD Upscaling via HDMI makes your existing standard DVDs look better on your HDTV by upscaling them to near HD quality. Dolby TrueHD and dts HD- 7.1 Analog: In the past, most audio codecs used compression that actually removes some sound data to transmit audio from the disc to the audio circuitry. This means that what you hear is a subset of the original audio. However, newer formats allow the audio to be compressed but not discarded, allowing the original audio to come through once it's been decoded. This player allows you to stream the audio out via HDMI to a capable receiver or through analog 7.1 outputs for maximum compatibility with high end receivers. (Learn more) BD-Live Technology allows you to download and stream bonus content such as additional scenes, shorts, trailers, movie-based games, and more. And with Bonus View, you can enjoy "picture-in-picture" capability with select Blu-ray titles. External memory (sold separately) is required. Quick Start Mode: Quick Start Mode lets you begin operating your Sony Blu-ray Disc player approximately six seconds from the time it's powered on. Ethernet port lets you connect the BDP-S360 to your home's existing broadband network to access bonus features on BD-Live enabled Blu-ray Disc movies. Bonus View feature provides "picture-in-picture" capability with select Blu-ray Disc titles--useful for viewing director or actor commentary while the movie plays. x.v.Color output plays AVCHD-format discs with support for the international xvYCC color standard, producing images with nearly twice as many viewable colors as the existing RGB color standard. BRAVIA Sync technology lets you enjoy the convenience of one remote control to operate and control all your compatible home entertainment devices. It utilizes the HDMI CEC function to easily turn on and control your compatible HDMI-connected components without having to use multiple remote controls. 24p True Cinema technology lets you watch films at their intended 24 fps (frames per second)--the way movies are shot and mastered--so you can enjoy cinematic picture quality. Precision Cinema HD Upscale circuitry delivers accurate and vivid images with clarity and detail that are faithful to the source--whether film or video (upscaled image quality will vary). This circuitry uses advanced conversion and processing to detect image changes at the pixel level, rather than at the level of whole scan lines. Additionally, separate algorithms are used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts. Emmy-Award Winning Xross Media Bar Interface: Sony's exclusive xross media bar user interface makes it simple and intuitive to navigate television menus, controls, and user settings. (Learn more) x.v.Color output plays AVCHD-format discs with support for the international xvYCC color standard, producing images with nearly twice as many viewable colors as the existing RGB color standard. (Learn more) Easy Wi-Fi setup: In addition to a built-in Ethernet port, the BDP-N460 includes built-in software that makes it easy to connect this player to your existing wireless network by pairing the optional Linksys Wireless Ethernet Bridge (WET-610N) to connect to your home router (each sold separately). Or you can use the built-in Ethernet port to use a wired connection. Convenience features include parental controls, child lock, and video bit rate indicator Dimensions: 16.9 x 2.2 x 8.1 inches Warranty: 1 year parts and labor Connections HDMI audio/video output: 1 Component video (Y/Pb/Pr) output: 1 Composite video output: 1 Optical digital audio output: 1 Coaxial digital audio output: 1 Analog audio output: 1 (2-channel) Ethernet networking: 1 USB port: 1 Video Specifications AVC-HD: Yes (8cm/12cm; DVD+R/RW/-R/-RW) BD-R/RE Read Compatibility: Yes (BDMV & BDAV) BD-ROM: Bonus View (Profile1.1); BD-Live (Profile2.0); BD-ROM (SL/DL) CD (CD-DA): Yes CD-R/RW: Yes (CD-DA & Data) DVD Playback: Yes DVD+R Read Compatibility: Yes (DL) (+VR) DVD+RW Read Compatibility: Yes (+VR) (8cm) DVD-R Read Compatibility: Yes (DL) (VR) (VR with CPRM) (8cm) DVD-RW Read Compatibility: Yes (VR) (VR with CPRM) (8cm) JPEG Playback: Yes (BD-R/REDVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R/CD-R,RW) Noise Reduction: Yes PhotoTV HD: Yes x.v.Color Technology: Yes Audio Specifications Dolby: Yes & Dolby TrueHD bitstream out over HDMI (V1.3) Dolby Digital plus Decoding: Yes Dolby True HD bitstream output: Yes Dolby TrueHD Decoding: Yes LPCM: Yes (multi channel decoder): Yes (HDMI bitstream out) MP3 Playback: Yes (BD-R/RE/DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R/CD-R,RW) dts Decoding: Yes dts HD bitstream output: Yes dts Output: Yes, & /DTS-HD bitstream out over HDMI (V1.3) What's in the Box Sony BDP-N460 BD player, remote control (with 2 AA batteries), composite video cable, AC cable, printed instruction manual Learn More Premium Online Entertainment Streaming Instantly stream thousands of movies, videos and music from an ever-growing list of over 25 content providers including Netflix (coming Fall 2009), Slacker Radio, YouTube and more. Just connect the BDP-N460 to your existing internet connection and enjoy the convenience of instant streaming. Content providers include: Netflix YouTube Blip.tv Crackle Video Detective Slacker Concierge.com Fear.net Men.Style.com Wired SingingFool.com Style.com Dailymotion Videocast.com On Networks My Play eHow Golflink.com Howcast Epicurious Livestrong.com Sony Pictures Television Ford Models More Picture See Everything Your HDTV Can Show You with Full HD. 6 Times the Picture Data on DVDs See everything your HDTV can show you. Blu-ray Disc's Full HD 1080p resolution produces over 2 million pixels per frame to produce a razor-sharp picture with unmatched depth and clarity that takes full advantage of the capabilities of today's 1080p HDTVs. That's six times the picture data contained on DVDs, which are encoded at only 480p. 24p True Cinema Video Output Most of all Hollywood movies are shot at 24 frames per second, and Blu-ray Disc movies are mastered at 24 frame per second, so it is only fitting that the Sony Blu-ray Disc Players can output your films at 1080/24p for a true film-like experience at home. Of course, Sony Blu-ray Disc Players can also output at 1080/60p for more traditional HDTV sets on the market. Either way Sony has you covered for the best picture possible in Full 1080p. Backwards compatible and Upscaling All existing Blu-ray Disc players will play your standard DVD collection without a problem. And with built-in 1080p video upscaling, they'll look even better. More Sound This Sony BD player is compatible with Dolby TrueHD, Dolby’s next-generation lossless technology developed for high-definition disc-based media. Dolby TrueHD delivers tantalizing sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master, unlocking the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs. When coupled with high-definition video, Dolby TrueHD offers an unprecedented home theater experience that lets you enjoy sound as stunning as the high-definition picture. Delivers enthralling studio-master-quality sound that unlocks the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs. Offers more discrete channels than ever before for impeccable surround sound. Compatible with the A/V receivers and home-theaters-in-a-box (HTIBs) of today and tomorrow. Dialogue normalization maintains the same volume level when you change to other Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD programming. Dynamic range control (Night mode) enables you to customize audio playback to reduce peak volume levels (no loud surprises) while experiencing all the details in the soundtrack, enabling late-night viewing of high-energy surround sound without disturbing others. Xross Media Bar Xross (pronounced Cross) is Sony's Technical-Emmy award-winning graphic user interface for Sony WEGA and BRAVIA televisions and PS3 and PSX game systems. The interface features category icons spread horizontally across the screen that organize the viewing options (TV, Music, Internet, Tools, etc...). When a category icon is selected on the horizontal bar, a vertical bar appears showing the viewing options within that category. Using the directional pad on your remote, you can easily maneuver horizontally from category to category, then scroll vertically through individual viewing options to easily navigate through the wide range of programming available on today's televisions. x.v Color Thanks to the adoption of a newly approved international color standard called xvYCC (an option in the HDMI v1.3 spec and which Sony participated in creating), the color space has been greatly expanded. All Sony XBR HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers  an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors Amazon Instant Video Watch Amazon Instant Video on This DeviceChoose from over 90,000 movies and TV shows, with thousands available in HDPurchase or rent the latest new release movies and TV showsStart a one-month free trial of Amazon Prime and get unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of more than 5,000 movies and TV showsBegin watching instantly - no waiting for a downloadPause, fast-forward, rewind, or watch it over again - just like a DVD

Most helpful customer reviews 869 of 913 people found the following review helpful. Very poor Netflix performance; overall disappontment for the first year. Turn off CineMotion to remedy. By GrafZeppelin127 I've had this player for several days now. Blu-Ray playback appears to be good, although I don't really have anything to compare it to. But so far its other attributes leave a great deal to be desired. Netflix playback is especially poor. I waited to buy this unit for its Netflix capability to kick in, and was using the Roku HD player in the meantime. Even with a wired connection, the Sony's Netflix HD content playback is noticeably sluggish and jerky, almost to the point of being unwatchable, compared to the Roku player connected wirelessly to the same router. I watched parts of the same video on each player and the difference is not subtle; it is pronounced. Also, the upscaled DVD picture on this player is very, VERY soft, almost to the point of looking out of focus, even with the TV's Sharpness setting turned up to maximum. This is in comparison to the Sony DVP-NS700H upscaling DVD player I had been using previously, which appears to have a sharper, crisper image; again, the difference is noticeable. I'm going to try a few more DVDs and see if Sony and/or Netflix tech support can address the streaming problem, before I give up and return the unit. I had hoped this player would be a nice addition to my BRAVIA setup (46" Z4100 LCD TV), but so far it's let me down. UPDATE: I called Sony and went through three levels of support. They agreed with my description and assessment of the Netflix HD picture quality and told me there was nothing that could be done about it. I also called Netflix and they couldn't help either; none of their suggestions worked. If I can't resolve this myself I'm going to have to return the player. UPDATE 2: Amazon on Demand HD video looks fine; very good, actually. Looks like this is a Netflix issue (probably the onboard software, not the stream, since Netflix still looks fine on the Roku) that will have to be fixed with a firmware update sometime in the future. UPDATE 3: CNET has now reviewed this product. From their review of the player's Netflix performance: "We also noticed that the overall streaming video quality seemed to be slightly worse than we're used to seeing. We saw more "jerky" playback than we're used to seeing on other players". UPDATE 4: The Sony firmware update issued on December 22 has had no effect on the Netflix HD streaming quality. It looks the same as it did before. UPDATE 5: For reasons unrelated to this issue, I upgraded my cable internet service to Cablevision's "Optimum Boost," which among other things is supposed to more than double Internet speed. Indeed, I'm now seeing over 20 Mbps on [...]. Nevertheless, the problem remains; the Netflix HD video is still "jerky". Apparently the problem is not the network. I think it may be that the Sony does a poor job handling the Netflix stream compared to the Amazon stream, such as, e.g., upconverting from 720p to 1080p. UPDATE 6: I did some more experimenting with the player, this time removing the HDMI connection and using component instead, setting the player's component output to 720p. This did not correct the jerky motion problem; it looked essentially the same. UPDATE 7: The June 14 firmware update (version 146) has had no effect on resolving this problem. I think it's officially hopeless. UPDATE 8: Well, after a year, there is finally a solution (and it's not the recent firmware update); great thanks to commenter Dean Ferreyra the review thread. Turning off the CineMotion feature on the Sony TV for the HDMI input where the BDP-N460 is connected appears, for the moment, to have solved the problem. Even sweeping camera shots appear smooth and fluid. Thanks so much to Dean and everyone else who has tried to help resolve this over the past year. If the problem stays solved, I may come back and change my star review. UPDATE 9: I'm

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