I bought this to replace my Panny 210 and so far, it works well, with just a couple of complaints. Compared to the Panny 210, the unit is quieter and much quicker to load and play a BD. The UI is typical Sony and I like it, a lot. The wireless was easy to set up, and the firmware update was finished quickly.......... Make sure you turn the "BD Audio Mix" setting to OFF if you are connecting the player to an AV receiver that can decode DTS Master and Dolby HD signals, otherwise you won't get the best that Blu-ray has to offer.
Now, as for the issues. The Pandora app takes much longer than I expected between songs. On my Sammy 6420 TV, it is no more than 5 seconds between songs and on my Onkyo 709 it is no more then 3 seconds, but on the S5100 it takes at least 15 seconds or more between songs........Pretty annoying. However, the YouTube and Amazon Prime apps both work great with no stuttering or buffering and I'm only on a 2.5mbps connection.
The main issue: Today when I went to play Pandora it got stuck on the "Acquiring internet content 3/3" screen and would not load any smart apps. I turned it off/on and nothing, then I unplugged it for 5 minutes and plugged it back in, nothing, I rebooted my DSL ( even though the S5100 said that my connection was OK ), and still no joy. I read online that with some of its other players, Sony recommends to do a system reset to fix this, but I also read from users that a reset didn't do a thing, and they had to spend 20 minutes resetting up their player, so I didn't do it. I then got stubborn and tried to load Pandora again and let the machine idle on the "acquiring internet content" screen for 20+ minutes and it magically fixed itself. This would be a huge deal breaker if it becomes a trend. I will update with the results and adjust my rating when I get more time on the unit. If it happens again, it will be going back immediately, but if it was a one time fluke, then I will be more than happy to keep it.
Hopefully Sony gets enough complaints regarding the Pandora app and sends out a firmware update to fix it. If that happens, and today's app issue never happens again, then this would be the perfect 5 star player......Time will tell.
UPDATE 5/7/13: I read over on AVS Forum that it was recommended to disable the "Software Update Notification" setting (set to ON by default) to prevent the "acquiring internet content" freeze that I experienced. I did so the day I wrote this review and I have not had another issue since. The downside is I have to manually check for updates my self, but I personally prefer that as it's no different on how I handle Microsoft Updates for my computers. One check per month should be more than enough, but since it's so easy, you can do it at the end of every session as it takes under 15 seconds to complete.
I could no longer take the Pandora & Slacker delays between songs, so I ditched them, and now just use my Samsung's Pandora app instead. If you have other smart machines in your home theater, then they probably have Pandora & Slacker on at least one of them, but if you're going to have to rely on the 5100's Pandora & Slacker apps, then be prepared to be frustrated.
I raise my rating to 4 stars because of the simple fix for my main issue, and it only falls short of 5 stars because of the lazy apps. If Sony fixes them, then it's a 5 star machine......Overall, a very good player that (knock on wood) will live happily in my system for years to come.
UPDATE 6/4/13 Today's firmware update completely fixed the Pandora app. Now there is only a 4 second delay between songs. I raised my rating to 5 stars.
UPDATE 6/28/13 It's been 3 weeks since the firmware update that fixed Pandora and I'm happy to report that this is the only Pandora app that I use now. 3-5 seconds in between songs is awesome. Also, I re-enabled the "Software Update Notification" and I have not had the issue I mentioned above regarding the unit freezing on the "Acquiring internet content 3/3" screen, and I use it daily.............Typical Sony, find a problem, fix it........... I can't recommend this unit enough.
UPDATE 9/1/13 We have been using the Amazon Instant app more than we ever have, and I am happy to report no issues. We are now on U-verse 6Mbps and that speed is fast enough to receive DD 5.1 when it's offered, also no stutters or freezes either and the video is above average for a streaming HD feed. The firmware updates have lessened as of late so it looks like Sony is happy with its current performance..........I know I am.
UPDATE 5/20/14 It's been 13 months with many, many hours of use both as a Blu-ray player, as well as a streaming media player and I am happy to report there have been no major issues. Sure, there has been the occasional issue once or twice that turning it off/on resolves, but knock on wood, I have not had to do any type of soft/hard reset like unplugging or hitting the reset button in the settings. I would say that it gets used for 70% BD movies and 30% streaming as I now have a Roku3 that I rely on for streaming duties. I see no reason to pay more for the 2014 Sony when this model can be found for so much cheaper............... 5 stars easy.
| Brand Name | Sony |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 2.8 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 1.69 x 7.83 x 14.17 inches |
| Item model number | BDP-S5100 |
| Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color Name | Black |
