Review on 📺 Sony BDP-S6700: Experience 4K Upscaling & 3D Streaming with this Home Theater Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black) by Philip Lindsey

Summary: I use this device primarily for streaming but also need Blu-ray/DVD/CD capabilities in one device. It is excellent in all functions. Although I have a strong wireless signal, I prefer a wired connection for added stability, another feature of this player. The performance is very good in all respects and I recommend the device as excellent value for money. Details and minor imperfections are listed below: Compatibility: First of all, understand that THIS IS NOT A 4K PLAYER. It uses "4K upscaling" which is of limited value unless you have a 4K (UHD) display and even then you'll be disappointed. Here's why: the BDP-S6700's HDMI output is version 1.4a, which meets some but not all of the minimum requirements for 4K video. The depth of color deserves special attention. HDMI 1.4a shows a maximum color depth of 8 bits (256 colors), which corresponds to VGA quality. For full 4K color resolution, you'll need a player with HDMI version 2.0 or higher to get the 10, 12, or 16-bit color that new 4K displays really shine. I knew that, so the BDP-S6700 was a perfect match for my "old" (2012) Samsung HD plasma display and Denon AVR-591 receiver. can process, you will experience screen flickering, noise bars and blank screens. In most cases, the BDP-S6700 will automatically detect your display and adjust the color depth accordingly. However, if your A/V receiver is 4K capable and your display is not, the BDP-S6700 will send the color in the upper bits to the receiver. Your receiver may or may not reduce this when sent to your display. This was my experience and it took hours (and plenty of swearing) to figure it all out. I'm offering this experience here to save some of you some of the frustration. Look for HDMI Deep Color in the settings. The default is "Automatic". Set this option to Off if you have less than a 4K display. Trust me and just do it. You won't see any difference (your display can't resolve it, remember?) and save yourself the headache of random artifacts and flickering. Performance: The user interface is fast and intuitive. Hard drives load fairly quickly. The network connection was flawless - the BDP-S6700 discovered the network, got an IP address and was online in seconds. The network connections have been solid since I plugged it in. Screen mirroring with my Android phone works really well (IOS users - SOL - I've tried 14 different apps with no fun). I don't use Bluetooth devices with it, but they show up with no issues. Probably scaled 2D-3D (yawns). Streaming: The BDP-S6700 offers 75 streaming applications, most of which don't interest me. You have food channels, shopping channels, sports, movies, television, news. There is even an application in Russian. Most useful in my opinion: Revain Prime Video, Netflix, Vudu, Hulu, YouTube, Pandora, and Spotify. It all works fine, but with one caveat - the remote's search functions are tedious anyway. Otherwise they are great. The home screen lets you customize 10 — and only 10 — of your favorites. You can't change "favorite apps" so half of the home screen is useless. Screen Mirror: The BDP-S6700 uses Miracast, so if you're looking to display Android content, you're in luck. It uses your phone's Wi-Fi capability to stream directly to the player. No delay. The sound is perfect. One downside I noticed is that the cable connection to the BDP-S6700 disconnects during mirroring and doesn't automatically switch when I'm done. I have to turn off the power every time. Just slightly annoying. As mentioned above, iOS AirPlay does not play. You can set up your IOS device as a DNLA server and play media that is physically on the device, but you cannot stream from the internet and see the IOS device screen (e.g. Facebook, emails etc.). The irony is that Apple was a pioneer in this technology, but then they shut it all down with their proprietary Apple TV system. Oh well. Remote Control: Small enough to easily fit in the cracks of your sofa or chair and reach deep into any moving machinery. I'm just saying. I like the remote control for its simplicity. One of the best remotes I've ever used. It's IR directional, so you'll need to aim it at the player with line of sight. You can also download the Android app and control the device with your phone, which is great for entering data into app search boxes. Bottom Line: If you just bought a shiny new 4K (UHD) display, you will NOT like this device, so start shopping. for a $500 UHD player. If you just want to stream the web, get Roku, it's faster, more customizable, and offers 2,000+ apps. If you still have HD hardware and want to play all those Blu-Ray/DVD/CD discs you've accumulated over the past 20 years, as well as streams from major providers (Netflix, Revain, Vudu, Pandora, Hulu), then then This device is for you and it offers amazing value for money.