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Until now, we haven’t encountered a budget 4K Blu-ray player that wowed us in the way we believe 4K and HDR picture quality should. Sony Ubp-x700 Black Friday Deals 2022
The Sony UBP-X700, however, endeavours to deliver a five-star performance where rivals have failed – and it succeeds with flying colours.
Sony Ubp-x700 Black Friday Deals 2022– Sales Discount Offer
Launched at CES 2017 for just £269 (and now available for £249/$250 or less), this affordable Sony player boasts virtually identical features to the Award-winning UBP-X800. The main difference? The UBP-X700 supports Dolby Vision HDR.
Sony joins LG as the only big TV brands to support Dolby Vision alongside the standard HDR10 format (the other three are backing HDR10+)
Sony Ubp-x700 Black Friday Deals 2022– Guide
Earlier this year, Sony added a new, lower-priced player to its Ultra HD Blu-ray lineup. The UBP-X700 ($199.99) represents a step down, price-wise, from the $249.99 UBP-X800 that I reviewed last year. The X700 offers the core features you’d expect of a UHD player–namely, the ability to pass the higher-quality UHD signal on a UHD Blu-ray disc, including Rec 2022 color and HDR10 High Dynamic Range–and adds one thing that the X800 lacks: support for Dolby Vision HDR, which will be added via a firmware update coming this summer. At the same time, the X700 omits some features that the X800 offers, which I’ll point out through the course of this review.
In addition to its Ultra HD capabilities, the UBP-X700 also supports 3D video and SACD audio playback (DVDs and CDs too, of course), as well as hi-res audio via USB. The player also has a nice assortment of streaming services, including Netflix, VUDU, Prime Video, Hulu, Spotify, Pandora, and more.
The supplied IR remote is shorter than the one that comes with the X800 but sports most of the same buttons, so they are packed together a bit more snugly. The remote lacks backlighting, but I found the button layout to be intuitive, and the differently shaped buttons makes it a little easier to locate certain functions in a darker room. There’s a dedicated Netflix button, and you can assign another app to the Favorite button. The remote can be programmed to control your TV’s volume, power, and input selection. Sony also offers a free iOS/Android control app called “Video & TV Sideview” which allows you to use your smartphone or tablet as a controller.
Features and connections
The UBP-X700 shares nearly every other feature with the UBP-X800. It supports 4K 60p pictures and can play all types of discs, including SACDs and 3D Blu-rays (even if your new 4K TV doesn’t support 3D).
If you’re a fan of streaming 4K, you’ll be happy to know the Sony player supports 4K HDR streams on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Other apps found on the player’s home page include BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, Demand 5, Spotify, Rakuten TV, YouTube and more.
MORE: Best video streaming services 2018
Connecting to your home network using wi-fi or ethernet is a painless process. A close inspection of the specs sheet shows the X700 supports only single band 2.4GHz wi-fi, while the X800 model supports dual band 5GHz as well.
The latter adds an extra layer of stability, but the X700’s 4K stream of Jessica Jones holds up nicely without any drop outs during testing.
On the connections side, you get twin HDMI outputs – handy if you want to separate the video and audio feeds in your home cinema set up – a coaxial digital output, and a USB port for playing content stored on media drives or USB sticks.
MORE: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray – all the 4K discs on sale and coming soon
Build
Being a more affordable model, we’re not surprised Sony has fitted the X700 with a different chassis to the X800. The X700 is smaller – about two-thirds the size of the hefty, metallic rectangle of the X800. It’s lighter, too.
But it’s not an all-plastic affair. The thin metal panels around the X700’s angled body prevent it from feeling cheap, and while the power and eject buttons are plastic, they’re prompt and work without fail.
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The included remote control, on the other hand, is small, plastic and lightweight – it won’t suit everyone. All the buttons are functional and easy to use, though, even in a dark room.
Button-prodding leads to instant responses, the disc loads quietly and, overall, the X700 is a breeze to use the second you hook it up to your TV.
Verdict
The X700 is a fantastic player that makes watching 4K discs an affordable reality.
It may not exude the same sensation of premium quality as its older sibling, but the fact that it can deliver a subtler, more lifelike 4K picture on a tighter budget is remarkable.
It’ll take quite some rival to knock this superb 4K player off its five-star perch
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