Basically all I needed to do was to plug the player into my router and the N did the rest. Again, your experience may be different. But if you have opted for the N, to take full advantage of its benefits, you should definitely connect it to the Internet. Once the player is linked to the web, the first thing to do is to check to see if your player has a firmware update that you can download from Sony's website. With this Sony, you select the Network Update icon in the Settings menu.
The player will go online to see if you have the current firmware version and if not, it will download and automatically install the new one. After dealing with network connections, there really isn't much more to fiddle with. The audio and video adjustments that you can make with the BDP-N are minimal. Though I do appreciate that you can make them while the DVD is playing. You can experiment with the choices and might prefer one as a quick fix for a certain DVD, but as a rule, I try to do all my picture adjustments directly on the HDTV.
Therefore, I am not concerned by this Blu-ray player's lack of extensive fine tuning controls. To access some of the content providers like Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand, you will need to go to your computer and register your N on their respective websites.
Also, to stream movies from Netflix, you must be a paid subscriber. If you are, then you can stream for free as many of the available 13, movies that your eyeballs can stand.
Amazon offers a wider selection of movies, but you either rent or buy them individually. Once you start watching an Amazon rental, you have 48 hours before it becomes unavailable. Many of the content providers like Crackle, Wired and Epicurious provide specific clips directly to Sony and are accessed from the Video menu. On this player at this time, Sony has added bonus content from one of their artists, the King of Pop. You can stream ten of Michael Jackson's most famous music videos, including "Thriller" and "Billie Jean".
As you can see, with the BDP-N, you never have to leave your cave to be entertained and enlightened. But if you are planning to stream content from these Internet providers, let me reiterate one point. The quality of streaming playback is directly related to the bandwidth that your Internet Service Provider can deliver to your home.
I would recommend twice that. Also, remember that if the kids are downloading god-knows-what at the same time as you are streaming, you are sharing the bandwidth. Don't blame the N if the picture quality of your streaming movie is sub par. Upgrade your bandwidth. From what I am seeing with products coming out in , you will want as much bandwidth as you can afford. Anything north of 10Mbps would be a good start.
Sony states that it "uses advanced conversion and processing to detect image changes at the pixel level, rather than at the level of whole scan lines.
Near HD, near but not Blu-ray quality. Now, I'm not ready to bequeath my collection of over SD DVD's to Goodwill, partially because I know some will never come out on Blu-ray and also because upscaling Blu-ray players like this Sony extend their lives. But I also know that I will gladly replace any of them with their Blu-ray counterparts. In fact, what I look for in a Blu-ray player is that it stays in the background and quietly lets the Blu-ray disc do its magic.
That's exactly what this player does. It spun every disc I threw at it without a hitch. If you have read any of my other reviews, you know that Blu-ray technology itself is still evolving.
Press HOME. Page Network Update We recommend the network update every 2 months or so. The player connects to the network, and the display asks for confirmation. Letter Box Displays a wide picture with black bands on the top and bottom.
Follow the on-screen instructions. The video output resolution will be reset to the lowest resolution. The color depth is indicated by the number of bits, and more colors can be reproduced as the value increases. The player supports a color depth of up to 12 bits. Select this when connecting an audio device without a built-in Dolby Digital decoder.
Password Sets or changes the password for the Parental Control function. Enter your four-digit password using the number buttons. Enter your ZIP code using the number buttons. Restart Internet Channels You can reconnect to the network and reacquire the Internet channels. Page Network Settings PC. Then, follow the on-screen instructions.
Auto Select this when you set the IP address automatically without using the proxy server. Page Additional Information Should any problem persist, consult your nearest Sony dealer. Power The power does not turn on. Turn the connected equipment off and on again.
Sony dealer or local authorized Sony service facility. Page Bravia Internet Video In this case, check the following table. The AVCHD format is a high-definition digital video camera format used to record SD standard definition or HD high definition signals of either the i specification or the p specification The specification enables consumers to enjoy digital entertainment content, including high-definition content.
Page Index Index Words in quotations appear in the on-screen displays. Color This manual is also suitable for: Bdp-nhp. Print page 1 Print document 71 pages. On the bright side, a new rental of Sony's Ghostbusters spooled up quickly and looked decent enough once playback started. Netflix and Amazon streaming is fine but when you want to get down to business and watch a film the way it was meant to be seen, nothing beats a p high definition Blu-ray Disc.
Blu-ray playback, the BDP-N's core competency, is definitely one of its strong suits. Discs load quickly and p video over HDMI looks every bit as good as it should. The results were solid overall. The color bars pattern revealed a pulsating flicker at marker 2 once the arrows appeared, but the unit did just fine with the two jaggies tests. Jaggies Test 2 revealed minor movement on the very edges of the third bar, but it was definitely a Pass.
The flag test showed some stair-stepping on Old Glory but the adjacent bricks looked good with zero artifacting. Nothing noteworthy was observed during the video noise tests but the BDP-N did an exceptional job with the Super Speedway sequence, immediately locking down the cadence. Like many Blu-ray players, the BDP-N does not output lossless audio tracks via bitstream by default.
It will do so, but you first need to change the "BD Audio" setting to "Direct" from its default value of "Mix. Before settling in to enjoy a few movies, I first got out my trusty stopwatch and conducted our three load time speed tests. For each disc, I started with the unit on and the tray extended; I hit play on the remote and timed how long before disc-specific content usually a studio logo appeared.
The Gladiator DVD presented its soundtrack menu in 13 seconds flat. Underworld 2 displayed the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment logo in a nimble 20 seconds. And last but not least, Pirates ' gold coin stopped spinning and gave way to the Disney logo after 34 seconds - exactly half the time needed by the recently-reviewed Pioneer BDP and 3 seconds faster than the Oppo BDP Bottom line: this is one of the fastest Blu-ray players I've seen yet.
To wrap things up, I spent some time actually watching that Gladiator DVD and was reminded of how great a movie it is. I can't wait to see what Ridley and Russell deliver with their upcoming Robin Hood film. Gladiator 's overhead pan of Rome looked sharp and stable and no major artifacts or red flags presented during playback of several key sequences.
The image wasn't as sharp as I'd like, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being suddenly spoiled by the splendor of Blu-ray. The Video menu can get a little messy.
That's slower than Pirates , but still respectable. Mann's glorious set design and the film's impeccable assortment of early 30's costumes looked truly splendid by way of the BDP-N, with crisp detail and a warm, natural palette. The first half hour of Public Enemies suffers from a few dialogue normalization issues, but these also presented on my Panasonic player.
Speedy boot-up and shutdown times are a huge plus and I was largely impressed with the unit's internet streaming capabilities. However, the unit's lack of onboard memory and its recessed, inconvenient USB port feels like poke in the eye. Not helping things are the chintzy front panel buttons and a mediocre, non-backlit remote. In the end, my issues with the BDP-N are largely ergonomic and they shouldn't overshadow the most important fact of all: the BDP-N is Sony's most affordable, full-featured Blu-ray player to date.
And when you consider the unit's solid audio and video performance coupled with its robust internet streaming capabilities, the BDP-N is a worthy contender for your hard-earned money. Phone: Web: SonyStyle. Toggle navigation. Home Movies Technology Blu-ray Disc. Amazon HD movie rentals. What did you think?
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