Sony 4K UBP-X700 issues

[snakeeyes]

Did you create a 1in space underneath it by propping it up on the corners? These have a flaw that they get warm. The air has to get under them. Mine is the x800m2.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have horrible freezing problems with my x700...they are intermittent and I cannot determine a pattern that might explain it. Sometimes the player will stream for two hours before it locks up--other times it will lockup every 15-20 minutes--same streaming apps--happens on Prime as much as Netflix. It's maddening. Once it went into a hard lockup and wouldn't shut itself down or respond to the remote--had to unplug it, where usually when it freezes it will cut itself off. That's happened only once, but that is once too much. I even replaced all of my aging 5e cabling with brand-new Cat6 cabling just in case--did not improve the x700's freezing one iota. I tried everything--even setting the resolution to 1080P just to see if it made a difference--it didn't. I have a 4k TV HDR 10 55", btw.

So...bought a 2020 Roku Ultra--which downloaded and installed a bios update immediately. What a difference--using the same apps and the same network supporting the x700 (I only use wired networks) it hasn't frozen even once in the last week, although used for hours each day! That would be impossible for this x700--completely impossible. The image quality is noticeably superior to the x700's when streaming: ROKU claims to have used newer chips in the 2020 edition of the ultra--the image quality is simply better than the Sony (when the x700 is working in between freezes.) I have to say that those Roku reviewers on the 'net who complain about the ROKU's UI must be smokin' crack... It's so simple and easy and intuitive it makes the Sony UI look like a Chinese water puzzle by comparison--which is just another strike against the x700, imo. I agree with ROKU--don't change it--you will just screw it up!

Tried my first 4k movie in the x700--a 2:15 movie that played perfectly until the last 20 minutes, when the player locked up--exactly like it does when streaming. This was a brand-new movie, carefully removed from the packaging by its edges--no fingers have ever touched the disk. I am very disappointed in this Sony. I was only surprised it didn't freeze much more often during the movie, but that is the intermittent nature of the problem. My last S3100 BR player never locked up streaming Netflix or Prime or playing Blu-ray disks. For some reason, AMZN dropped support for the S3100 player for Prime, although Netflix did not drop support for the S3100. Gave the S3100 away!

I tried to return the x700 to AMZN for an exchange, but was told that I could only get a refund because AMZN had discontinued selling the device direct. Go to the Amazon Sony store page today and the x700 says shipped and sold by Amazon! Guess I'll try Amazon again for an exchange. Don't want the refund--I want a 4k player that works as advertised. That last bios update for the x700 was March 2019--two years ago! It doesn't provide me with any confidence that there will ever be another update for this very buggy 4k player.

I think your problem is that disc players are really just that: - disc players. Streaming I think is an after thought. I had a bad experience with a coupe of Panasonic disc players are few years ago. I have a Sony disc player also, but I have never streamed with it. You need a streaming device, or use your TV and the ARC. Personally almost all of my streaming has been done with an HTPC, and via one of our TVs just for Netflix and Amazon. I also use Google Chromecast on occasions, which I think is very slick.

I think your major problem is the wrong choice of streaming device. I think it would save a lot of grief, if disc makers stopped offering streaming.

 

[WaltC]

Thanks TLS guy, but the sole reason I thought to use the x700 for streaming (The ROKU's job now) was because with the Sony S3100 BR disk player I don't remember ever locking up once when streaming Netflix and Prime @1080P, which the TV upscaled to 4k. Naturally I did not think that a much newer 4k player would exhibit these kinds of problems! Never expected them to go backwards. Ah, well, live and learn. Thanks for the comments... I simply wanted to add my voice to that of the many wholly unsatisfied consumers who also went with an x700 because of very satisfactory service from older Sony products. I actually don't know how this product is still being sold--and with a 2-year-old bios update with no word on any other updates planned. Sony must not have a Q&A department when it comes to these x700's. I actually believe this is the worst electronics product I've purchased in the last 30 years. But, as I say, lesson learned. It's been fairly shocking to discover what a poor product this is.

It's like the warnings in a stock prospectus: "Past performance is no guarantor of future results."...

 

[sterling shoote]

Seems like Sony has gone from NO BALONEY to FRIED BALONEY.

 

[WaltC]

Watched another brand-new 4k-disk movie last night--only locked up once... I can live with that! It would be a much better product without the streaming advertising and claims, imo.

 

[JengaHit]

I think your problem is that disc players are really just that: - disc players. Streaming I think is an after thought. I had a bad experience with a coupe of Panasonic disc players are few years ago. I have a Sony disc player also, but I have never streamed with it. You need a streaming device, or use your TV and the ARC. Personally almost all of my streaming has been done with an HTPC, and via one of our TVs just for Netflix and Amazon. I also use Google Chromecast on occasions, which I think is very slick.

I think your major problem is the wrong choice of streaming device. I think it would save a lot of grief, if disc makers stopped offering streaming.

Roku has worked for me, without troubles. Chief problem with Sony Blu-ray players as streaming devices is you're limited to the pre-installed apps--can't add apps. I wanted Disney+ on my x700 and was stuck.

 

[snakeeyes]

The firestick 4K is a great streamer for $40

If you need Atmos for Netflix though you will need the 2019 version Fire Cube TV 4K which is $120 but it does also have the functionality of an Echo built in as well. Also required for Netflix to give you Atmos is a 4K subscription to Netflix.

Roku is well liked but I haven’t used that one.

I dislike the remote on the AppleTV 4K but a lot of people like that one too.

 

[Gmoney]

The firestick 4K is a great streamer for $40

If you need Atmos for Netflix though you will need the 2019 version Fire Cube TV 4K which is $120 but it does also have the functionality of an Echo built in as well. Also required for Netflix to give you Atmos is a 4K subscription to Netflix.

Roku is well liked but I haven’t used that one.

I dislike the remote on the AppleTV 4K but a lot of people like that one too.

@snakeeyes, My Son hooked me up with a Roku! I should have listened to you guys months ago! I like it a lot! No issues what so ever! Now, my Sony X700 the one I have now as some may know I went though like 4 of them with freezing up issues but this one has been really good. It doesn't freeze up when playing a 4k movie but it did freeze up when streaming Netflix which tells me its a App issue. Some days it would go all day not freezing up and some I'd have to unplug my X700 a few times but never when playing a 4k movie disc. But with that said Netflix app would do the same thing on my Vizio 4k tv which as of now it does work at all on my Vizio.

 

[topminttwo]

I’ll probably try a Panasonic UHD player at some point although not sure if they have fan noise. LG as the other possible choice.... I would keep Sony x800m2 in the rack for SACD and DVD-A anyhow.

 

[WaltC]

Had to come back to add a few things:

First--in the matter of playing disk-based media, this Sony UBP-x700 is without a doubt the very worst disk player I have ever owned, bar none. There is something fundamentally wrong with this player. My opinion is that the software is heavily bugged--so much so that Sony cannot fix it. I also have another opinion which I will share later on.

No matter what sort of disks I view, the player invariably locks up & shuts itself down--most of the time. Occasionally, I have had to physically remove the power cord because the system locks up hard and refuses to power down. None of Sony's horrible--unplug the pwr cord, wait a minute, plug it back in and power-it-up "fixes" have accomplished anything at all. Doesn't matter how many times I reset to factory options--the problems endure. I have never seen such horrible "technical" advice for any product I have ever owned.

Whether it's DVD movies, Blu-Ray or 4k, lockups and pwr-offs are regular occurrences. Bear in mind that these disks are all brand new--never been touched! We can't watch a movie--without at least one freeze! Multiple freezes is the rule. Last night was the last straw--a DVD movie we were trying to watch kept locking up every five minutes until we simply gave up on it. Brand new movie, never been touched.

One thing I've noticed is that if you have to fast-forward a DVD that doesn't have its own top menu with a go-to-scenes option, in order to return to where you were before the last freeze & power off, shortly thereafter (five minutes or so) the movie will lock up tight and the player will power down (maybe)--again! Rinse & repeat. So the problems are related to pausing the disk and/or fast forwarding the scenes, apparently. Doing those things seems to aggravate and accelerate the freeze-frames and power offs. But as I say, neither pausing or fast-forwarding is required for lockups and power-offs to occur on a regular basis.

Theory: I bought the x700 from Amazon, new, on sale for $175. My thinking is that Sony dumped a bunch of defective returns on Amazon--and reduced the price to get rid of them quick. I got caught in the net. And get this: I tried to return it to Amazon for a swap--in the allotted time period--and Amazon said: "Gee, we aren't selling that unit direct anymore so we cannot exchange the unit for you. We will be happy to refund the full purchase price, if you like." To this day, Amazon sells the x700 only from third parties--even if Amazon ships them. IMO, Amazon has suffered a *lot* of returns and refunds for the x700--hence its decision to drop it except from third party sellers.

And get this: Now, Amazon is selling direct the x700M!... The x700M has 8 reviews as of today--and every one of them is review from a person who received a free x700M. Wonder how long this will last. The whole thing feels like a scam to me.

Today I ordered a Panasonic UB420-k which I will receive in two days time, on sale for $195. Amazon *is* selling that one direct. I cannot possibly see how it could be worse than this Sony x700, for disk play or streaming--the lockups are the same--possibly worse playing even brand-new, untouched disks. As far as streaming goes, I am delighted to report that my ROKU Ultra has yet to lock up one time streaming 4k or anything else--for the last couple of months. The ROKU is excellent for streaming, imo.

Please, do not buy a UBP-x700--you owe it to yourself and your family! Last, I'm aware there are people who have had no problems with this unit--but they certainly seem to be as rare as hen's teeth. What a truly awful product to have released.

 

[snakeeyes]

@WaltC

Did you create a 1in space underneath it by propping it up on the corners? These have a flaw that they get warm. The air has to get under them.

Mine is the x800m2.

 

[Mr._Clark]

@WaltC

Did you create a 1in space underneath it by propping it up on the corners? These have a flaw that they get warm. The air has to get under them.

Mine is the x800m2.

I bought an X800M2 from Best Buy about 5 months ago and I'm having issues with it locking up. I tried spacing it up but it is still happening. It tends to lock up about an hour into a Blu Ray which makes me think it may still be overheating. I'm going to try providing more ventilation.

 

[Verdinut]

I bought an X800M2 from Best Buy about 5 months ago and I'm having issues with it locking up. I tried spacing it up but it is still happening. It tends to lock up about an hour into a Blu Ray which makes me think it may still be overheating. I'm going to try providing more ventilation.

It would be good that you eventually let us know whether or not the additional ventilation has resolved your problem . I have the X-800 and I'm not experiencing your problem. It's sitting however on top of my AV control console.

 

[snakeeyes]

Well mine is more like 2in clearance to be honest.

 

[WaltC]

@WaltC

Did you create a 1in space underneath it by propping it up on the corners? These have a flaw that they get warm. The air has to get under them.

Mine is the x800m2.

Thanks much for the remark! Yes, that was one of the first things I tried early on as these symptoms all sound very much like overheating...but I got no satisfaction from it, sad to say. It might or might not work for a less than a 90-minute movie, but on the second movie the lockups *always* returned. I even put a fan blowing on the elevated unit to circulate over and under the unit with no resolution.

Your unit is a bit more upscale than mine, so perhaps that helps... I read a post by one guy who said he hadn't ever had a lockup with his x700 over 17 months; and another guy who said he had to go through like five of the darn things before he found one that didn't lockup! I might've played wack-a-player like that with Amazon--but they dropped direct sales of the x700--ostensibly, for the same problems as I have had (and so may others report via the Internet.)

My last Sony BluRay player/streamer never locked up even once...! Not once... That's why I didn't do due diligence as I usually do before I buy a new product! Had I done what I usually do I'd have seen the reports of the freezes and lockups & I could have saved myself a lot of frustration. Thanks for the suggestions!

My gut tells me this is a software problem--possibly having something to do with Sony shoehorning Dolby vision support into the unit's software stack--maybe. Last bios update was mid 2019 so it doesn't look good for another one, incredibly. I have noticed that the lockups do abate for at most one entire movie before returning--if I have reset everything to factory defaults. But the problems are quick enough to return, and what's the point of having "options" if you can't use them?

Hopefully this UB-420-k will allow me to enjoy the disks I buy... If this doesn't work I guess I'll drop back to a BluRay player and just let my TV do the upscaling!

 

[Mr._Clark]

I'm probably going to give mine the old "Swiss cheese" ventilation treatment shortly. If nothing else it will allow me to take out some frustration on the blasted thing!

 

[WaltC]

I bought an X800M2 from Best Buy about 5 months ago and I'm having issues with it locking up. I tried spacing it up but it is still happening. It tends to lock up about an hour into a Blu Ray which makes me think it may still be overheating. I'm going to try providing more ventilation.

Yes, it's weird. It mimics computer-component overheating very well. Odd that I was getting the same symptoms, the lockups and freezes, whether I was streaming (now my ROKU Ultra does that job) or playing disks--any kind of disks. I think it's just a buggy software stack that Sony cannot really fix because of a design flaw in the basic unit--not enough cache, memory, physical room for a proper software stack, bios, etc.

I had the same problems whether I set the unit to 1080P, 4K, or Auto--whether disc or streaming--and so on.

This new "x700M" that Amazon is selling for $249 is interesting. Does it correct the x700's problems? There is no way to tell looking at the specs. Anyway, I hope you have better luck in resolving this than I've had... I view telling people these things as a public service, really!

 

[Mr._Clark]

For what it's worth, I also have a Panasonic 4K Blu Ray player (I don't know the model number off the top of my head, but it's a couple years old, nothing special) and an Oppo UDP-203. I have not had any problems with either of these. In hindsight, I wish I'd bought another Oppo.

 

[afterlife2]

I use mine once in a while with DVD. I get no issues since poking some holes.

 

[TLS Guy]

Yes, it's weird. It mimics computer-component overheating very well. Odd that I was getting the same symptoms, the lockups and freezes, whether I was streaming (now my ROKU Ultra does that job) or playing disks--any kind of disks. I think it's just a buggy software stack that Sony cannot really fix because of a design flaw in the basic unit--not enough cache, memory, physical room for a proper software stack, bios, etc.

I had the same problems whether I set the unit to 1080P, 4K, or Auto--whether disc or streaming--and so on.

This new "x700M" that Amazon is selling for $249 is interesting. Does it correct the x700's problems? There is no way to tell looking at the specs. Anyway, I hope you have better luck in resolving this than I've had... I view telling people these things as a public service, really!

My Sony X800 M2 has given no problems. I'm wondering if the item you bought from Amazon is actually fake, and a Sony knock off. I bought my unit from Best Buy.

Amazon have just announced today, they have recently found 10 billion dollars worth of fake goods being sold. I ordered Gillette razor blades during lockdown. They looked genuine, but they were rough and lost their edge almost right away. I'm sure they were knock offs.

We recently bought our grandson a Mitutoyo digital Vernier caliper and micrometer for his twenty first birthday. There were numerous warnings in the Amazon reviews of worthless fake goods. So we ended up buying from a specialist engineering vendor.

Right now you have to be very careful buying from Amazon. I have a hunch your player was a Sony knock off.