Sony BDP-S780 Review

There are many Blu-ray players on the market today. Sony’s new BDP-S780 is a high end flagship Blu-ray player from leading electronics company, Sony. The Sony BDP-S780 has a host of features including built in Wi-Fi and internet connectivity, 3D and access to online media services. Compared to other Blu-ray players, the Sony BDP-S780 provides a complete experience and has loads of features to make up for the loss of other features like Google TV. I found this to be a great player to add to an established home entertainment set up, even if you are just buying the Sony BDP-S780 as a first time Blu-ray player, it is a worthy investment.

By the way, if you aren’t looking for a review and just want a link to buy the player, click here.

The Design
When you first look at the Sony BDP-S780, it is possible to think that it is just another Sony Blu-ray player. With a size that is a tad bit bigger than most standard DVD or Blu-ray players, the Sony BDP-S780 has a front with a glossy black finish and you will find the main controls and access to a USB port. Around the back side, you will find an assortment of connections including for video output like a HDMI connection, composite video as well as audio component connections for coaxial and optical audio. You will also find a second USB port as well as an Ethernet port for connecting to the internet and your home network.
The Sony BDP-S780’s dimensions are 16.9 inches by 7.5 inches by 1.6 inches, for width, depth and height respectively. As a high end Blu-ray player, you might expect that the Sony BDP-S780 will have a sophisticated remote, but it’s rather simple and easy to use. The remote gives you access to navigation and playback controls as well as a number pad for you to use. You can also download a dedicated iOS or an Android Media Remote app to control selected Sony products including the BDP-S780 instead of using the included remote.

Features
The Sony BDP-S780 comes with a number of features. If you want an all in one solution, look no further than the Sony BDP-S780 Blu-ray player. As a fully loaded Blu-ray player, the Sony BDP-S780 comes with Blu-ray and DVD playback capabilities but it doesn’t stop there. You will also get 3D playback capability as well as connectivity over Ethernet or WI-FI to access content on your home network or if you are like me, to access content through online media content services like YouTube and others.
I personally think the incorporation of Google TV into the Sony Blu-ray players hasn’t really helped much since Google TV has limited functionality. However what I found with the Sony BDP-S780 was that the exclusion of Google TV made it easier to use the Blu-ray player especially since the Sony XrossMediaBar is available as a replacement. Like most of the other Sony Blu-ray players, the Sony BDP-S780 uses the XrossMediaBar menu that allow for easy navigation across the various menu options that are available. You can access a host of online services including your Hulu Plus account, Netflix and even Pandora for streaming content from the internet to your Sony BDP-S780 and your home entertainment system.

The 3D feature also allows for 2D to 3D up scaling and conversion which allows you to convert 2D video into 3D. You can also use BD-Live Blu-Ray discs and the Sony BDP-S780 performs quite well with BD-Live discs as well as other Blu-ray discs.
When you connect via WI-FI or Ethernet to the internet, you can also use Skype chat for chatting with friends and family. Skype also allows you to connect compatible Logitech, Microsoft and Sony web cams to the Blu-ray player.

Ease of Use
The Sony BDP-S780 is a fairly simple Blu-ray player to use and works quite well in my view when compared with many other Blu-ray and TV systems because it allows you to connect everything you need to your Blu-ray player and use it to control your media. Compared to other brands like Panasonic however, there are some features missing. One of the best features I found was the ability to be able to use my iPhone (or even an Android phone) to control my Sony BDP-S780 since the remote is a little too simple for me.

The built in Sony video processing unit is fairly good in its reproduction of connect, especially the content from a Blu-ray disc, although some Blu-ray discs do take a little time to load but this is actually not an issue if you compare it to other Blu-ray players on the market. The Sony BDP-S780 is not a slow Blu-ray player in any regard and is easily be one of the fastest Blu-ray players available.

The Sony BDP-S780’s reproduction of video tends to be different from other Blu-ray players and although most discs and content will play fine the video processing unit built in by Sony can slow the Blu-ray player down just a bit.

Why Choose the Sony BDP-S780
If you want the best features and an all-in-one Blu-ray player, the Sony BDP-S780 is the right choice for you. While other Blu-ray players may offer similar functionality and features, what makes the Sony BDP-S780 stand out is its fast boot up speed, integration of useful features like Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB ports for access to your other content, you actually get an all-in-one Blu-ray player that can be used with almost any home entertainment setup. It is also the flagship model in the Sony Blu-ray player range which means that you get premium quality and features.

If you are on the market for a fully packed solution and want a fast Blu-ray player, the Sony BDP-S780 should be on your list of options. With its clean black finish look and rather simple layout, this is a Blu-ray player that anyone can use. From personal experience, I would recommend the Sony Blu-ray player for its future proof investment. With built in 3D support, you won’t have to worry about 3D content (as long as you have a 3D ready HD TV) and the Wi-Fi and other features make this a good Blu-ray player.

UK visitors, to purchase the UK model of this player, click here.

Four out of five stars.	We liked Compact design, brilliant picture, fantastic sound.
	We didn't like No photo apps, USB device support seems unreliable.