Sony blu-ray player with wifi bdps390 review

One saving too far perhaps is the presence of only one USB socket. That's on the front panel for convenient multimedia playback. But if you want to use advanced Blu-ray functions, such as BD Live, then there is only one place to add the memory required for its purposes: poking out of the front USB socket. It is a good player, giving excellent picture performance on the majority of Blu-ray and DVDs. On trickier Blu-ray discs, such as those encoded in i format at 50 hertz, and some difficult DVD scenes, the results were good, but imperfect, with some film scenes being construed as video source.

The processing generated visible artefacts. These were few though. I recently checked out a Sony player that costs nearly three times as much, and the performance on this front was identical. The unit also has good transport controls. Unusually, it can actually step back and slow motion back with Blu-ray discs.

Sony has loaded up the player — or more precisely, it loads itself up on first installation — with access to an enormous range of internet and other network resources. There's also a dedicated key on the remote for SEN, which stands for the Sony Entertainment Network, a subscription service run by Sony in two chunks.

The Network category offers Facebook and a web browser, and some additional apps downloadable from the "Opera TV store", including games, and Vimeo on some educational stuff. The biggest category is Video, which has 29 entries, not counting local sources. At this price, that ought to be the end of it, but in fact, you get some other extras, such as full control using apps for Android and iOS. The web browser available on the unit is difficult to use, of course, but the app allows you to navigate the web within it, and then "throw" it to the unit for display on the big screen.

The Sony BDP-S is an excellent unit for someone who wants to add smarts to their TV at low cost, offering almost all the important stuff and eliminating most frills. Stephen Dawson. Good range of smart functions. Excellent value for money. WiFi for convenient connectivity. No 3D. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence. Read more about how we test. Sign up below to get the latest from What Hi-Fi?

Home Reviews. Our Verdict. For Clear and detailed picture lively colour balance stable motion smart features good functionality price. Against Sound could be fuller no 3D. Cons - Sound could be fuller - no 3D. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands.

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