Sony BDP-CX960 400 Disc Blu-ray Disc / DVD MegaChanger (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Initial review (10/09/2009), will update in the coming days:
Overall, I love it! Below are a few things I found while installing the unit:
My current entertainment center could not accommodate the changer due to its extremely large size. The width of the unit is pretty standard for a component; however, the height is 9.5 inches and almost 22 inches deep. My entertainment center does not have adjustable shelving, therefore the changer will not fit, and I will have to purchase a new shelving unit (bummer, but not a show stopper).
Once connected to my HDTV and surround receiver, the unit was very easy to set up via the onscreen guide. Initial set up was pretty quick, loading discs was not.
Okay, on loading my collection of 283 discs, the player began "Loading Disc Information" from Gracenote via the Internet. ***YOU MUST CONNECT THIS UNIT TO THE INTERNET*** or you will be forced to manually type the information into the player. I bring this up as I previously stated that I loaded 283 discs, and all but 12 could not be found on Gracenote. Why is this important? Well, you must type it in manually...... via the remote!! Prior models of this changer had a computer keyboard input for this, however, this one does not. Not a huge deal if it's only a few titles (it was like sending a text message a few years ago before QWERTY keyboards appeared on phones, for the letter "c" you have to hit the number 2 key three times, etc.) Actually, for 12 titles it was painful.
The player connected via the Internet to Gracenote for disc information. This process is time consuming so be patient. The "Loading Disc Information" portion for 283 discs took roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes. Once complete the changer will initially alphabetize your collection and place all the discs that it could not find at the top of each folder (e.g., Photo, Music or Video, etc.) This is where you have to type in the disc information.
Gracenote, hum, not so sure about this. Sort of strange results as I have both a DVD and Blu-ray version of a few movies and they are cataloged differently on the player. One example is "Young Frankenstein" one version is placed under "comedy" and the other under "horror". Also, it appears random, however, Gracenote found the movie "Airplane" which is roughly 29 years old, but could not find or have record of "The Wizard of Oz" on Blu-ray. Also, on boxed sets, it found some but not all of the collection (e.g., "Family Guy" it found disc 1, 2 and 4, leaving disc 3 to be manually entered???)
On BD-Live, pretty cool. You will need a USB thumb drive of at least 1 GB. And, the drive slot is on the back of the unit. So I would recommend that you place the drive in first before you place this unit into a cabinet and connect all the cables, as once you get going and then decide you need it, it's a bit cumbersome getting to the back of this unit (especially since it will be loaded with up to 400 discs, etc.)
On the rental slot, start loading your collection in slot number 2 as the "quick" rental slot is reserved for slot number 1. If you don't plan on using this, which I don't, then begin loading with slot 1. Actually, you can start loading disc wherever you want, just thought I would point that out.
Lastly, many of your DVD's will be located under multiple folders (e.g., Photo's and Video's) as the disc may contain JPEG images, which will qualify them as photo's, etc.
Well, I have only had the player now for roughly 27 hours and love it thus far. I will update this review if I experience any strange behavior or if something dramatically changes my opinion.
UPDATE 11/14/2009:
One month later, I still love it! There are reader comments and responses (below under comments) however, I thought I should make note that the player performed well with a power outage (I intentionally unplugged the unit to perform this test). This is extremely important if you have ever owned a prior Sony Megachanger as those units would not retain any data beyond at 6-8 hour period without electricity (I have personal experience regarding this and it was extremely painful.) This is a solid unit so far, and I promise to update this review and related comments should anything change. Stay tuned folks.
UPDATE 12/15/2009
Sony released a software update to the player today, December 15, 2009. I went from version 15.1.010 to version 15.4.013. The download and update was pretty smooth, and completed within 8 minutes. The screen on the unit will flash "Version Up 0/9", where there are 9 updates to be performed, etc. The system took the longest at 7/9 at roughly 4 minutes, however, when competed, you should see "Finished" on the box and it will then turn off. I have no details of this update as of yet. The system found two DVD's as NOT recognized (strange as they were there before), however, Gracenote found them and all is good. Best regards.
UPDATE 02/02/2010
Powered on the unit this evening and noticed I had 7 "unknown" discs (in various slots). Since I have not added any new discs in over a month, I was a bit concerned. Not sure what the problem/issue was, however, upon pressing the "load" button on the unit, the missing titles were restored from Gracenote. One positive note, the unit only scans the unknown discs to load, it does not attempt to reload the entire library. This is not a "show-stopper" for me, I still love this player!
UPDATE 01/03/2011
Purchased a boxed set (16 DVD's) and only the first four (4) were recognized by Gracenote. Strange, as the recognized disc's were the oldest dating back to 1988. I have submitted a service request to support@gracenote.com (providing all the required information) to get the information updated, will update this review on resolution. Still love the player.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony BDP-CX960 400 Disc Blu-ray Disc / DVD MegaChanger (Black)

Organize your disc library and enjoy quick access to 400 Blu-ray Disc movies, DVDs, and CDs with the Sony BDP-CX960 MegaChanger. A user-friendly interface makes it easy to find the movie, TV show or CD you're looking for by sorting and grouping title, genre, cast and more. The BDP-CX960 also features stunning Full HD 1080p quality in Blu-ray Disc technology and DVD upscaling to near HD quality.

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Sony DVP-NC85H/B HDMI/CD Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Changer, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I consider myself something of a video snob. I've got a $4500 tv for goodness sakes. I've got to say that I love this CD/DVD changer, primarily because the image / progressive scanning quality is excellent. I previously had a $400 Denon DVD changer with the Farjouda processor, which is what the high end DVD players use. The image was great, but the changer kept not loading DVDs correctly. I even sent it back in to the factory, etc ... they never could remedy the problem. But this isn't a Denon review ... I'm just trying to establish that I AM picky, and for me to give the Sony 5 stars is a big deal. I tested a number of scenes on the Sony and it looks beautiful. Sharp image, lots of adjustability (including black level adjustment which really helps if you have an LCD / DLP television) ... Sony has created a nice product.
I also love the feature where the player remembers where you stop a disc, even if you completely remove it from the player and stick it back in later! Great feature for DVD watching.
In summary, if you are looking for a good DVD / CD changer that will look awesome on your high-def tv (and at a great price point), look no further!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony DVP-NC85H/B HDMI/CD Progressive Scan 5-Disc DVD Changer, Black

Store hours upon hours of entertainment in Sony's DVP-NC85H/B five-disc carousel changer. This versatile unit plays DVDs and a variety of older disc formats, such as VCD and SVCD, as well as your favorite music CDs. And since the unit supports HDMI connections, you're sure to get the best picture possible.
HDMI Compatible High-Definition Multi-media Interface (HDMI) is an interface format that provides uncompressed digital audio and video directly to a digital television. It represents the current state of the art in high-definition video and sound because the information never has to be converted into an analog format. Another benefit of HDMI is that it puts all that information into one cable and one easy-to-use connector.

An added benefit of connecting the DVP-NC85H/B to your set with HDMI is that the unit can "upscale" commercial DVDs, which are rendered at 480p resolution, to a digitally interpolated 720p resolution, which makes for a much sharper picture.

For analog sets, the DVP-NC85H/B includes a 108 MHz 12-bit digital-to-analog converter for sharp picture and clear action. It features composite, S-video and component video connectors, as well as optical digital, coaxial digital, and RCA analog audio outputs.

Precision Cinema Progressive While other DVD players detect image changes at the scan line level, Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive (PCP) system detects them at the pixel level. This makes the picture more faithful to the source--whether film or video--because the technology uses separate, optimized algorithms to handle the differing pixel behavior. It also uses separate algorithms to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are virtually free from motion artifacts.

Precision Drive 3 System Sony's DVP-NC85H/B delivers excellent picture and sound quality--even from damaged discs. How? The unit's Precision Drive 3 system allows you to playback some DVDs that may have been damaged or warped without a degradation of picture quality. This feature comes in handy when watching rentals or other heavily used discs.

MP3 and JPEG File Playback The DVP-NC85H/B plays MP3 sound files and JPEG photo files. Simply insert the disc and use the remote control to navigate through your folders to your files.

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Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I have had the previous version (985V) for about two years now, and most of this review will refer to differences between the two. I have enjoyed the ability to store all my DVD's in one place (I have three children; and this prevents them from having to sort through the movies by hand).
The software is mediocre at best, though a large improvement over the 985V. The menu is much faster and allows scrolling by page. The folders (A, B, C, & D) now support labeling of more than three characters (a plus), though getting to the custom folders is a bit more cumbersome. Labeling remains nearly the same; a PS/2 keyboard is an obvious MUST. The remote control layout has been slightly redesigned, though I am not yet sure it was an improvement. I have read others reporting on the quietness when compared to the 985V, though I haven't noticed much difference. The load and disc change speed seam unchanged.
Several others have reported issues placing this monster into their entertainment cabinet, shelf, etc... due to its massive size. It is quite large and homework should be done to eliminate a VERY aggravating experience.
The video set-up functions are useful and probably similar to the much more expensive 777ES; though this may not be useful to an individual who has the ability to set up their TV specifically for this input.
Ok, so it is a great idea and a bit short on the software (disc explorer), but it is very functional. I don't think anyone will complain too much when only spending a bit over $300 for this monster.
Sony has a long history of maintaining proprietary connections and connectivity. This until does NOT support RS-232 connection, Ethernet connections, firewire etc... These players will NOT connect in series, nor will the software support multiple players. The 985V had a selectable switch in the back to allow up to three players to operate independently with the remotes (not very useful, but at least it's there if you need it). The 995V does not have that function.
The video quality: Yup, the HDMI works quite well with my Sony 50" LCD TV (KDF-50WE655). I've verified functionality of 480P, 720P, and 1080i via the HDMI connection. The video quality from the 480P and 720P are nearly identical (I can't tell a difference). The 1080i produces a grainier picture. I have done tests with several motion pictures (Lord of the Rings, Monsters Inc, Spider Man) using fast motion pictures and still images. ALL tell the same tale; No difference between 480P and 720P. The 1080i setting consistently losses the quality comparison. To be honest, this is no surprise, due to the native resolution of the DVD (480). It's just a novelty to see 720P or 1080i on the screen with a DVD input. The video quality is very good.
My recommendation: This is NOT a player to consider IF you are considering upgrading from the 985V, unless it is based solely on the software upgrade. It is an improvement. Video quality remains the same. I do NOT recommend using the very expensive HDMI cable. Use the component video out and you will not be missing anything (unless you're a gadget freak like me). Audio quality remains excellent
If you are considering a DVD Mega-Changer, then within this price range (there are no competitors yet) you will not be disappointed. This unit is far from perfect, but is a very functional player.
Addressing the DVD Changer Myth's:
"My data (titles) will all be lost if the power goes out." NOPE... It will hold them in memory for at least 30 minutes (that was the longest test I'd seen)
"The search function will not find any titles... what a piece of crap" Sorry, not a problem with the player, this is caused by the retail manufactures of the DVD's not placing this data on the DVD. Back-up you copy and use titlewriter. Then burn it. You will have your title automatically recognized.
"High Def from a DVD will look awesome on my TV" Sorry to disappoint you but you will find that the native resolution of the DVD is 480. This unit "upscales" the resolution to provide the high-def image. It is not truly high def. Many TV's actually have scalers built in to upscale the image. This may be the reason for no noticeable improvement on my system?
"This player automatically starts the last movie selected when powered up". Yup it sure does... and that really stinks. If you stop the movie while rolling credits, just hit the stop button once. Once your player powers up, it will begin where it left off. You can immediately Stop the video from that point. If not, you will be forced to view the FBI warning, THX audio scene, etc...
I hope this review helps others make a bit more informed decision when it comes to this specific player. Overall I am satisfied with my purchase and would buy again.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player

Conveniently store your entire DVD library (or all your favorite CDs and Super Audio CDs) in the Sony DVPCX995V 400-disc, progressive scan Mega Changer--the perfect tool for organizing your media library as well as providing extraodinary high definition sound and video to your home theater. It up-scales video to high-definition (1080i/720p) resolution and transmits high quality audio through a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). It also features a redesigned Disc Explorer on-screen graphic interface, providing intuitive and easy access to the expansive disc library. With the ability to conveniently house and sort through 400 media discs, this cool player can eliminate the need for racks and racks of CD and DVD storage.
It features Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive circuitry, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 channel outputs, and also offers coaxial and optical digital outputs. It's compatible with DVD-RW/-R/+RW/+R, MP3, JPEG, CD-RW/-R, VCD and SVCD formats--so it can play just about any disc you have from movies and video to music. Other convenience features include multi-disc resume (40 discs), custom parental controls (on all 400 discs), playback memory (400 discs), background graphics that display on your TV while music plays, and a multi-brand remote control.
Tech Talk HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface). This is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV or monitor. Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive. This feature detects image changes at the pixel level versus other types that detect image changes at the scan line level. Separate algorithms are used to process the moving and still parts of an image to achieve sharper backgrounds and moving objects that are free from motion artifacts. SACD (Super Audio CD). Super Audio CD is a high-quality audio disc standard in which music is recorded in the DSD (Direct Stream Digital) format (where conventional CDs are recorded in the PCM format). Using a sampling frequency 64 times higher than PCM and with 1-bit quantization, the DSD format provides both a wide frequency range and a wide dynamic range across the audible frequency range, providing music reproduction that's extremely faithful to the original source. Sony's 3:2 Reverse Pulldown DVD mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 reverse pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture. Composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television.

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Sony DVP-CX985V 400 Disc Progressive DVD / SACD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)Expectations are everything. My experience with the incompetence of the consumer A/V industry must lower mine. I've heard the complaints about the speed and clumsiness of this unit but I have no major complaints about it. I must admit that I place a higher priority on picture and audio quality, and this unit is awesome on both counts. In addition, the transport is well designed, quiet and well balanced.
For those of you shopping for one of these, make sure you read the dimensions. This sucker is HUGE. It's much deeper than any of my other equipment, including my Sony ES receiver. I had to cut the back out of my A/V cabinet in order for it to fit. Again, no biggie. I'd have bought a new piece of furniture for it.
The time required to set up this unit is nothing when compared with the nightmare of displaying, storing, and handling 350 DVDs. My wife and I spent about three hours inserting the discs and entering the titles, using a keyboard and a spreadsheet of our movies. It took me another hour to divide the DVDs into the four included groups in the Disc Explorer. I divided them into Family, Action, CDM (Comedy Drama Musical) and Other (special features, yoga, documentaries). Seems to work so far for me.
Is the Disc Explorer the greatest thing in the world? Nope, but it works fine if you are too lazy to have a printout of your movies nearby. The best part is that it's not required in order to use the unit, which gives you lots of flexibility. If you are serious about your video system, use DVDlobby and you'll never use Disk Explorer again.
I've heard complaints about the speed of the transport on this unit. Again, expectations are everything. How long does it take to look through the movies in your media cabinet, decide which one you want, open the sometimes bizzarre packaging, load the disc into your player, take the old one out, and put it away?
With this unit, it takes 18 seconds to load and play a disk on the opposite side of the platter. It takes 9 seconds to go from viewing a movie to viewing the Disk Explorer. It takes about 4 minutes to navigate through all 400 disks with the Disk Explorer. It's faster if you don't add pictures to the disc names, and some of the names from the disk manufacturers are just wrong, so you might be better off not letting the unit detect your disks.
The only movie I had a real problem creating a title for was Confessions of a Dangerous Mind since there was only room for "Conf/Dangerous M". I settled for "Dangerous Mind". I know my movies well enough that I don't require an entire paragraph to remind me.
If you are interested in using this unit for SACD, remember that you must have a 5.1 channel input on your receiver. If you have more CDs than DVDs, don't expect this thing to be a good CD player. It isn't, but I've never seen a DVD player that was. Buy a megaCD changer and save yourself the trouble.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony DVP-CX985V 400 Disc Progressive DVD / SACD Player

Store your collection of DVD movies and audio CDs in Sony's DVP-CX985V progressive-scan DVD/SACD player, and they'll just be ready for playback at a moment's notice. The DVP-CX985V multiformat mega-changer stores 400 discs and is compatible with DVD-RW/-R, DVD+RW/+R, SACD (Super Audio CD) multichannel discs, and CD-R/RW discs with CD and MP3 audio.
Other DVD players detect image changes at the scan line level--Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive (PCP) system detects them at the pixel level. The picture is more faithful to the source--whether film or video--because separate, optimized algorithms are used to handle the differing pixel behavior. Separate algorithms are also used to process the moving and still parts of an image, resulting in sharp backgrounds with moving objects that are free from motion artifacts.
The high-speed 108MHz/12-bit video D/A converter employs 4X oversampling for much more effective noise filtering.
In addition to standard 2-channel CD playback, the DVP-CX985V plays 2-channel and multichannel Super Audio CDs. It reads the disc information of all the discs and loads the information into memory so that disc type, titles, and other text information can be displayed on the TV screen.
It has the following video output options (with number of ports): component video (x1), S-Video (x1), composite video (x1), coaxial digital (x1), and optical digital (x1). It also has the following audio output options: analog audio (x1) and 5.1 channel (x1).
Other features include:
Included remote operates the DVP-CX985V as well as a number of functions on select brands of televisions and receivers; its keys glow in the dark.
Instant Replay feature enables you to go back 10 seconds to review a scene with a single press of a button.
TV Virtual Surround feature generates a convincing surround-sound effect using only 2 stereo speakers.
Dolby Digital and DTS output.

Tech Talk
SACD: Super Audio CD (SACD) is a high-resolution digital audio format that promises vast sonic improvements over the current audio CD format. SACD discs can be played back on dedicated SACD players or combination SACD/DVD-Video players. Certain SACD discs feature a conventional audio CD layer (hybrid SACDs) which can be played back by any CD player or computer with a CD-ROM drive.
Progressive scan: Also called sequential scanning, a progressive-scan system displays the entire image--providing all the horizontal lines per frame, rather than every other line--once every 60th of a second. This method reduces flicker and increases stability. Progressive-scan viewing requires a compatible digital TV.
Component video: Unlike a single video input, component video maintains the video signal as three separate signals through these three jacks. This connection provides optimum quality. To ensure maximum picture quality, use three video-grade cables for the Y, Pb, and Pr connections.

What's in the Box Sony DVP-CX985V DVD/SACD player/changer, remote control (RM-DX500), 2 AA batteries, RCA cable (57 inches), and operating instructions.

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