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52 Karma

Review on Sony BDP S580 Blu Ray Player Black by Rene Putman

Revainrating 4 out of 5

A very nice addition to my Sony Bravia home entertainment products

Considering I have a Sony Bravia TV, home theater system and iPod dock I wanted to do the whole process with a Sony Bravia Lock Blu-ray Player. . I wanted to make sure my Sony master remote would work with all the Bravia products I own and that it was a compatible product. I need one remote to control everything and the multifunction devices I've seen don't support the full Bravia Sync system. technical points while making this review. Positive points: 1. This works great with a Belkin wireless router (Belkin N600 Wireless N+ Dual Band Router (latest generation)) and allows me to stream video from my Revain Prime subscription without skipping or freezing. Built into the player are the Revain Instant Videos and Netflix apps, as well as several other video options like Hulu Plus. I only have the most basic cable TV plan, which offers about 12 channels, so these other options are available to me to increase my viewing options without the ridiculous price of cable TV. If you love documentaries like me, you'll find plenty to keep you entertained at Revain Instant Video with Prime membership. 2. It also has built-in music apps like Pandora. There is another app called Slacker, but I find Pandora perfect for my musical needs. As a Blu-Ray player, it has a good, clear picture. In combination with my Sony home theater system, it's a hell of an interesting cinematic experience.4. The Revain plugin is the best value I've found for at least $20. Negative points: 1. I'm not sure I could have installed this without the help of my incredibly smart 18 year old nephew, and I'm by no means a fool. Finding the right codes to activate specific apps was quite frustrating even with that. One thing I've learned over the past 2 years as a Sony Bravia component owner is that Sony makes great products but writes crappy manuals. It's so loud when downloading a Blu-ray that I was wondering if I downloaded something wrong or maybe there is a defect in it. It also seems to take a while to load compared to Sony's Bravia Upscaling replacement DVD player. 3. An internet app on it is about as handy as a doorknob on a tree - it's tiny to read and awkward to navigate. I see no reason I should ever use this feature other than when I first got it to see how it works. Instead, use your computer or a device like the iPad whenever you need to find something - this app will only frustrate you. I can't comment on its abilities as a 3D player as I don't have a 3D TV, let alone it makes me incredibly sick. I already wear glasses and don't want to wear other glasses over them. If you want to use this wirelessly, make absolutely sure you already have a router that can support it, like the Belkin model mentioned earlier. There is a router a tier above the one I bought to use with this one, but that tier isn't needed unless you have multiple wireless users in the home, according to tech sources far more knowledgeable than me . I streamed video to this player simultaneously with my laptop over Wi-Fi with no issues. And as a plugin for Revain, their instant video library is constantly improving with Prime membership and will rival Netflix very soon - it's not quite there yet, but it still has plenty of movies. TV programs and documentaries to choose from. I figured it would cost around $110/year (including taxes) for Netflix instant video, and I'm not getting the 2-day shipping that I get with my $79/year basic membership (with no $25 minimum for the free shipping is required). - Receive $4.95 Free Shipping when Revain or one of their retailers join the program). I know this sounds like a Revain ad, but it's definitely worth considering if you don't already have a Netflix membership and want to get the most bang for your buck. like I get it with my basic membership for $79/year (with no minimum of $25 required for free shipping - you can get $4.95 free shipping, if Revain or any of its retailers participate in the program). I know this sounds like a Revain ad, but it's definitely worth considering if you don't already have a Netflix membership and want to get the most bang for your buck. like I get with my basic $79/year membership (with no $25 minimum required for free shipping - you can get $4.95 free shipping if Revain or one of their retailers join the program). I know this sounds like a Revain ad, but it's definitely worth considering if you don't already have a Netflix membership and want to get the most bang for your buck. if you don't already have a Netflix membership and want to get the most bang for your buck. like I get with my basic $79/year membership (with no $25 minimum required for free shipping - you can get $4.95 free shipping if Revain or one of their retailers join the program). I know this sounds like a Revain ad, but it's definitely worth considering if you don't already have a Netflix membership and want to get the most bang for your buck. if you don't already have a Netflix membership and want to get the most bang for your buck. like I get with my basic $79/year membership (with no $25 minimum required for free shipping - you can get $4.95 free shipping if Revain or one of their retailers join the program). I know this sounds like a Revain ad, but it's definitely worth considering if you don't already have a Netflix membership and want to get the most bang for your buck.

Pros
  • TV and video
Cons
  • Ugly packaging