@Roy Yeah, i get the bitrate thing, less of an issue as broadband speeds improve generally, although fluctuation will continue to occur. Of greater importance perhaps is for those who can see the difference between 30 and 60fps, sadly I am not one of them.
@Visionman What can I say? Bargain! What make/model is it out of curiosity? But not up to 4K standards, of course.
@Stevef_fr8ys Perhaps you can pick the bones out of this lot? There are multi-region Blu-ray UHD players I can find with the briefest of research from around the £250 mark
I was having trouble with my old Yamaha receiver playing HDR via Prime, so I've upgraded the receiver to an HTR2071.
TV is an LG 49SM8600PLA which is 4K and hooked using arc to the Yammy as you call it, using pass through.
I previously had a Sony as I had a number of SACDs and had 3 that failed after a couple of years as I found they overheated badly. I used to swear by Sony but over the years have fallen out of love with them. My CRT TV was one of those they programmed with only 2 digit channel numbers and it took them I think, 3 years to update it the 3 digit numbers.my dad and I both bought VCRs and found the grease Sony used dried up after 2 years making the mechanism seize. We both had replacements that both failed. I then found they used the same grease in their Mini Disc decks making 2 I had redundant. You asked why not a Sony, so there you have it.
I'm considering the Panasonic DP-7N159EB £149, or the DP-UB450EB £199 LG UBK80 £149 or 7BK90 £219 (it was £199 yesterday!) but can't confirm any of these are multi region for DVD, but as said I have found hacks being sold on eBay.
To get a Sony multi region seems only possible by buying grey, which is what I did before, but you get very limited guarantees.
Yes these were really clever. Got one for my nan who struggled with the tiny buttons and display on her VCR remote and she thought this was amazing. Type in a few numbers, pop the unit back on top of the VCR and that was Emmerdale sorted!
I was amazed that such a short code - I think in some cases even just one digit for the common ones like the soaps sometimes - was sufficient to decode all that channel/date/time information.
(Edit: apologies @Roy, I chopped a bit too much off your quote)
I was having trouble with my old Yamaha receiver playing HDR via Prime, so I've upgraded the receiver to an HTR2071.
TV is an LG 49SM8600PLA which is 4K and hooked using arc to the Yammy as you call it, using pass through.
I previously had a Sony as I had a number of SACDs and had 3 that failed after a couple of years as I found they overheated badly. I used to swear by Sony but over the years have fallen out of love with them. My CRT TV was one of those they programmed with only 2 digit channel numbers and it took them I think, 3 years to update it the 3 digit numbers.my dad and I both bought VCRs and found the grease Sony used dried up after 2 years making the mechanism seize. We both had replacements that both failed. I then found they used the same grease in their Mini Disc decks making 2 I had redundant. You asked why not a Sony, so there you have it.
I'm considering the Panasonic DP-7N159EB £149, or the DP-UB450EB £199 LG UBK80 £149 or 7BK90 £219 (it was £199 yesterday!) but can't confirm any of these are multi region for DVD, but as said I have found hacks being sold on eBay.
To get a Sony multi region seems only possible by buying grey, which is what I did before, but you get very limited guarantees.
The DP-UB159EB (sic) is a Curry’s-only model (nothing wrong with that) that seems to be a 154 with twin HDMI outs. It is bettered, I think, on paper at least, by the DP-UB450EB, which also has twin outs, but which supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision for HDR, so you don’t have to choose. And is £179 at John Lewis, so only £30 in it.
The LG UBK80 has only one HDMI out, so moving swiftly on, we come to the LG UBK90, which has twin HDMI outs, and supports Dolby Vision, but only HDR10 besides, not HDR10+. And is £40 more than the 450, though Hughes still have it for £199.
So on balance, I’d be looking hardest at the 450. However, Which? liked the LG UBK90 best of all of these, in practical testing, but thought it ‘only average’ and pricey at £180, so what they would think at £199, or £219 would not be as complementary.
What both Which? and What HiFi? liked best, though, by a large margin, was the Sony UBP-X700. It is pretty solidly £229, and I think the lack of multi-region and your past bad experience with Sony are deal-breakers though, so it’s a toss-up between the 450 and the X90, with the 450 ahead on points.
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
Hi @Roy, thanks for your thoughts. Having been looking further I had thought 2 HDMI was the way to go, and am veering towards the DP-UB450EB as you suggest.
Yes, bad experience with Sony rule that one a non starter, but does look good.
Hi @Roy, thanks for your thoughts. Having been looking further I had thought 2 HDMI was the way to go, and am veering towards the DP-UB450EB as you suggest.
Yes, bad experience with Sony rule that one a non starter, but does look good.
Many thanks for your input.
Now, about Netflix in trouble......
Heh heh.
I had just about got my mind straight about the relative merits of these players when I read the Which? ratings of them. You have to respect Which? ratings because they are based on practical use of the products, not just reading specs; but you also need to be careful that their weightings of various factors chime in with your own, so more than once I’ve skipped over the Which? Best Buy to something a little lower down. But Which? is putting the ones you are looking at a long way down, which is unusual.
One thing I investigated, but didn’t touch on above, is your existing equipment. Both items seem to be completely up to date, with the exception that they are both described as ARC, not eARC.
Being only ARC disqualifies using a single HDMI input on the TV from the player, as the audio won’t get through to the receiver unscathed. But you might be able to use a single input to the receiver, as this would then get the audio direct, and pass the video to the TV unscathed. Which is probably the simplest solution, even with a two-output player like the 450.
So you could consider the UBK80 after all; though I do think two outputs is more future-proof.
If you can get into a John Lewis easily enough, I would recommend a play with the 450; if nothing puts you off it, on ease of use and other practical considerations, buy it.
If something puts you off it though, buy the X90.
[NB: your model number typos are good! The wrong model number you gave for the DP-UB159EB is that rarest of creatures, a Google Unicorn, with only one hit on the entire World Wide Web, your posting here 😛 I don’t generally pick up on typos, but this one deserves an accolade 🥳]
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
@Roy, thanks for your further thoughts. I think you are saying that even with ARC set as pass-through for the TV the sound will be affected. Is that so, and if so is it theoretical or is there a marked difference?
I've ordered the 80 in the end and am happy to play with settings, but I'm also thinking of others using it as they are used to switching inputs, where necessary, on the TV and adding an extra layer of having to adjust the receiver may be a step too far (if you get my drift).
For those interested, it's all hooked up and I have connected both ways, to the TV using pass through and then direct to the receiver and to my ears at least there is no discernible difference to the sound, so taken the line of least resistance and connected via the TV.
Also the hack I found on the AV forum for LG players to make them multi region worked first time so saved £30 over buying an already updated version. If anyone is interested the image file can be found here with instructions to unpack, or you can create your own disc following the instructions and link to download. https://www.avforums.com/threads/make-lg-bp125-dvd-player-region-free.1717812/page-4
Yes, the difference is why eARC was invented, to pass any sound format that is thrown at the TV.
What happens is that the BluRay player says to the TV (say) - ‘can you handle Dolby Digital+?“ And the TV detects that it is outputting on ARC and says “no I can’t”, so the player says how about Dolby Digital then? And the TV says, ‘well I can pass that, but I will have to see what the thing on the other end of the ARC thinks”, so it asks the receiver if it can do Dolby Digital, and the receiver says “of course”, so the TV tells the player this, and all then goes on in Dolby Digital. But not Dolby Digital+ 😢
But with eARC when the BluRay player says to the TV (say) - ‘can you handle Dolby Digital+? “And the TV detects that it is outputting on eARC and says ‘well I can pass that, but I will have to see what the thing on the other end of the ARC thinks”, so it asks the receiver if it can do Dolby Digital+, and the receiver says “yes I can”, so the TV tells the player this, and all then goes on in Dolby Digital+ 😀
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
Yes, the difference is why eARC was invented, to pass any sound format that is thrown at the TV.
What happens is that the BluRay player says to the TV (say) - ‘can you handle Dolby Digital+?“ And the TV detects that it is outputting on ARC and says “no I can’t”, so the player says how about Dolby Digital then? And the TV says, ‘well I can pass that, but I will have to see what the thing on the other end of the ARC thinks”, so it asks the receiver if it can do Dolby Digital, and the receiver says “of course”, so the TV tells the player this, and all then goes on in Dolby Digital. But not Dolby Digital+ 😢
But with eARC when the BluRay player says to the TV (say) - ‘can you handle Dolby Digital+? “And the TV detects that it is outputting on eARC and says ‘well I can pass that, but I will have to see what the thing on the other end of the ARC thinks”, so it asks the receiver if it can do Dolby Digital+, and the receiver says “yes I can”, so the TV tells the player this, and all then goes on in Dolby Digital+ 😀
No mention of Philips TV's at the 32" size. I have a very old 32" Philips (before the TP Vision takeover) and am a big fan of 'ambilight' and general picture quality. This looks to be a good price 32PFS6905.
No mention of Philips TV's at the 32" size. I have a very old 32" Philips (before the TP Vision takeover) and am a big fan of 'ambilight' and general picture quality. This looks to be a good price 32PFS6905.
In my option Philips once a good make of TVs has slowly been going downhill over the last 5 to 10.
@redchiz I think you'll find that writing "(sic)" is pretty much by definition breaking the forum rules. But I suppose that in the same way so is this post.
Well this is strange..I thought with the interdiction of Sky stream Sky would reduce the now discounts to entice people to Sky stream. Out of the blue without threatening to leave just got an email offering Sky movies for £4 monthly for the next 12 months . Have taken up the offer but sadly its not that good these days with Sky originals seemingly replacing cinema releases. But at roughly a quid a week it's just too good to turn down.
Well this is strange..I thought with the interdiction of Sky stream Sky would reduce the now discounts to entice people to Sky stream. Out of the blue without threatening to leave just got an email offering Sky movies for £4 monthly for the next 12 months . Have taken up the offer but sadly its not that good these days with Sky originals seemingly replacing cinema releases. But at roughly a quid a week it's just too good to turn down.
The relationship between Now and Sky seems to be an uneasy thing, and I’m never sure how much autonomy Now have.
If you take the big-ticket item, Sky Sports, then the gap between Sky Stream and Now narrows to a hair’s-breadth, and we actually priced out one combo as cheaper on Sky Stream.
After which it comes down to flexibility in the home, where you can get Now on all manner of devices, and a £20 stick if your chosen TV hasn’t got Now, but with Sky Stream, you need a dedicated device in each location you want to watch, and an extra multiroom fee to boot. Unless you want to cart your puck about, of course.
So maybe your offer is Now putting some more distance between them and Sky Stream, instead of the opposite happening 😛
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
You don’t perhaps think that the low traffic in the Community might be a testament to the stability of the YouView software, and the rapidity and accuracy of the support, both from fellow users and from dedicated YouView staffers, when things don’t quite go as one or another customer expects?
If you would prefer a bearpit, though, try the Now Community 😛
‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ Wm Morris
I've just found out that Netflix with Ad's will not work on the Youview boxes, DN360 / 370T or 372T as apparently they do not support Ad insertion technology.
Does this also apply to to Humax boxes, and if so which ones?
@Rohit, can you confirm if this is the case please?
Comments
Yeah, i get the bitrate thing, less of an issue as broadband speeds improve generally, although fluctuation will continue to occur. Of greater importance perhaps is for those who can see the difference between 30 and 60fps, sadly I am not one of them.
@Visionman
What can I say? Bargain! What make/model is it out of curiosity? But not up to 4K standards, of course.
@Stevef_fr8ys
Perhaps you can pick the bones out of this lot? There are multi-region Blu-ray UHD players I can find with the briefest of research from around the £250 mark
I was having trouble with my old Yamaha receiver playing HDR via Prime, so I've upgraded the receiver to an HTR2071.
TV is an LG 49SM8600PLA which is 4K and hooked using arc to the Yammy as you call it, using pass through.
I previously had a Sony as I had a number of SACDs and had 3 that failed after a couple of years as I found they overheated badly. I used to swear by Sony but over the years have fallen out of love with them. My CRT TV was one of those they programmed with only 2 digit channel numbers and it took them I think, 3 years to update it the 3 digit numbers.my dad and I both bought VCRs and found the grease Sony used dried up after 2 years making the mechanism seize. We both had replacements that both failed. I then found they used the same grease in their Mini Disc decks making 2 I had redundant. You asked why not a Sony, so there you have it.
I'm considering the Panasonic DP-7N159EB £149, or the DP-UB450EB £199
LG UBK80 £149 or 7BK90 £219 (it was £199 yesterday!)
but can't confirm any of these are multi region for DVD, but as said I have found hacks being sold on eBay.
To get a Sony multi region seems only possible by buying grey, which is what I did before, but you get very limited guarantees.
So there you have my ramblings.
Thank in advance if you have any thoughts.
I was amazed that such a short code - I think in some cases even just one digit for the common ones like the soaps sometimes - was sufficient to decode all that channel/date/time information.
(Edit: apologies @Roy, I chopped a bit too much off your quote)
The DP-UB159EB (sic) is a Curry’s-only model (nothing wrong with that) that seems to be a 154 with twin HDMI outs. It is bettered, I think, on paper at least, by the DP-UB450EB, which also has twin outs, but which supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision for HDR, so you don’t have to choose. And is £179 at John Lewis, so only £30 in it.
The LG UBK80 has only one HDMI out, so moving swiftly on, we come to the LG UBK90, which has twin HDMI outs, and supports Dolby Vision, but only HDR10 besides, not HDR10+. And is £40 more than the 450, though Hughes still have it for £199.
So on balance, I’d be looking hardest at the 450. However, Which? liked the LG UBK90 best of all of these, in practical testing, but thought it ‘only average’ and pricey at £180, so what they would think at £199, or £219 would not be as complementary.
What both Which? and What HiFi? liked best, though, by a large margin, was the Sony UBP-X700. It is pretty solidly £229, and I think the lack of multi-region and your past bad experience with Sony are deal-breakers though, so it’s a toss-up between the 450 and the X90, with the 450 ahead on points.
Yes, bad experience with Sony rule that one a non starter, but does look good.
Many thanks for your input.
Now, about Netflix in trouble......
I had just about got my mind straight about the relative merits of these players when I read the Which? ratings of them. You have to respect Which? ratings because they are based on practical use of the products, not just reading specs; but you also need to be careful that their weightings of various factors chime in with your own, so more than once I’ve skipped over the Which? Best Buy to something a little lower down. But Which? is putting the ones you are looking at a long way down, which is unusual.
One thing I investigated, but didn’t touch on above, is your existing equipment. Both items seem to be completely up to date, with the exception that they are both described as ARC, not eARC.
Being only ARC disqualifies using a single HDMI input on the TV from the player, as the audio won’t get through to the receiver unscathed. But you might be able to use a single input to the receiver, as this would then get the audio direct, and pass the video to the TV unscathed. Which is probably the simplest solution, even with a two-output player like the 450.
So you could consider the UBK80 after all; though I do think two outputs is more future-proof.
If you can get into a John Lewis easily enough, I would recommend a play with the 450; if nothing puts you off it, on ease of use and other practical considerations, buy it.
If something puts you off it though, buy the X90.
[NB: your model number typos are good! The wrong model number you gave for the DP-UB159EB is that rarest of creatures, a Google Unicorn, with only one hit on the entire World Wide Web, your posting here 😛
I don’t generally pick up on typos, but this one deserves an accolade 🥳]
I've ordered the 80 in the end and am happy to play with settings, but I'm also thinking of others using it as they are used to switching inputs, where necessary, on the TV and adding an extra layer of having to adjust the receiver may be a step too far (if you get my drift).
Also the hack I found on the AV forum for LG players to make them multi region worked first time so saved £30 over buying an already updated version. If anyone is interested the image file can be found here with instructions to unpack, or you can create your own disc following the instructions and link to download.
https://www.avforums.com/threads/make-lg-bp125-dvd-player-region-free.1717812/page-4
Yes, the difference is why eARC was invented, to pass any sound format that is thrown at the TV.
What happens is that the BluRay player says to the TV (say) - ‘can you handle Dolby Digital+?“ And the TV detects that it is outputting on ARC and says “no I can’t”, so the player says how about Dolby Digital then? And the TV says, ‘well I can pass that, but I will have to see what the thing on the other end of the ARC thinks”, so it asks the receiver if it can do Dolby Digital, and the receiver says “of course”, so the TV tells the player this, and all then goes on in Dolby Digital. But not Dolby Digital+ 😢
But with eARC when the BluRay player says to the TV (say) - ‘can you handle Dolby Digital+? “And the TV detects that it is outputting on eARC and says ‘well I can pass that, but I will have to see what the thing on the other end of the ARC thinks”, so it asks the receiver if it can do Dolby Digital+, and the receiver says “yes I can”, so the TV tells the player this, and all then goes on in Dolby Digital+ 😀
A charming narrative @Roy 🙂
Yes, and when the TV tells the player it can’t handle the format, and the player asks ‘Who decided that then?’ the TV replies ‘EDID’ 😛
It's pointless in the daytime as it needs complete darkness.
Also unless your tv is in a alcove again completely useless as it loses it's effect.
Place it anywhere else other then the aforementioned alcove and it's akin to watching a TV in disco....definitely one to avoid.
https://www.techhive.com/article/583909/best-bias-lighting.html
24 months contract.
Boost obviously is extra,
And just the bog standard Netflix.
Another minus is you have to (or be willing to) subscribe to BT broadband.
Out of the blue without threatening to leave just got an email offering Sky movies for £4 monthly for the next 12 months .
Have taken up the offer but sadly its not that good these days with Sky originals seemingly replacing cinema releases.
But at roughly a quid a week it's just too good to turn down.
The relationship between Now and Sky seems to be an uneasy thing, and I’m never sure how much autonomy Now have.
If you take the big-ticket item, Sky Sports, then the gap between Sky Stream and Now narrows to a hair’s-breadth, and we actually priced out one combo as cheaper on Sky Stream.
After which it comes down to flexibility in the home, where you can get Now on all manner of devices, and a £20 stick if your chosen TV hasn’t got Now, but with Sky Stream, you need a dedicated device in each location you want to watch, and an extra multiroom fee to boot. Unless you want to cart your puck about, of course.
So maybe your offer is Now putting some more distance between them and Sky Stream, instead of the opposite happening 😛
What are you looking for, more traffic, or less?
You don’t perhaps think that the low traffic in the Community might be a testament to the stability of the YouView software, and the rapidity and accuracy of the support, both from fellow users and from dedicated YouView staffers, when things don’t quite go as one or another customer expects?
If you would prefer a bearpit, though, try the Now Community 😛
Does this also apply to to Humax boxes, and if so which ones?
@Rohit, can you confirm if this is the case please?