Sony BDPS5500 3D Blu-Ray Player with Wi-Fi (2015 Model),Black

I was looking at purchasing a WD-Live box to stream my digital music and movie collection until I ran into this gem at about 1/3 the cost. This little guy plays MKV and VOB files! I have compressed most of my DVD collection and have them stored on an external HDD and this player plays them like a champ. It also plays AVI but most of what I use for compression is MKV since Blu-Ray came along. I love streaming my movies/tv series from an external drive for 2 reasons. The first is convenience, I can scroll through movies and press play instead of hunting for the physical disc. Second is it saves the original disc from wear and tear.Pros: MKV, VOB, AVI files play like a champ! (It also can play Blu Ray and DVD discs!)Cons: Apps - You get Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crackle and some others I've never heard of. No HBO-GO...really? There needs to be a wider variety of apps, but this does not warrant a star-off from me.If you like to stream movies and/or TV shows from an external source, this will play about everything you throw at it. The remote also controls the SONY TV I have it plugged into. The footprint is small, the unit is very light, and the WIFI picks up my signal like a champ. 5 Stars

Blu-Ray Player works well and has all I need with 3D option (of course will still play regular DVD & BLU-RAY DISCS, 3D requires a 3D TV), built in WI-FI and easy set up. Preloaded with Netflix, Vudu and many others. USB port is great to have for memory stick, music players (MP3, etc...), camera and more. This thing has so many options I haven't explored them all yet. So far this player does a great job of playing all disc (check supported format types if a disc won't play), has nice set up for ease of use, picked up WI-FI router signal with no problems, is fast when streaming (so far) with no interrupted or choppy signals, upgrades all your DVD's to near BLU-RAY quality...very nice picture, easy hook up with HDMI going to TV and power cord to outlet and you are ready to watch discs, I really can't think of any complaints at this time. I am happy, happy, happy with this unit and it does a great job. Thank you Sony for making such a simple and effective Blu-Ray Player that anyone can enjoy. I'm hoping it lasts for years and years because I do love it.

The BDPS5500 is one of a family of identical Sony blu-ray players aimed at the entry-level market. It slots above the 3500, which has no 3D, and below the 6500, which is region free. Above that you have the rarified world of $150+ BD players, be they enthusiast models from Sony or Samsung, or luxury marques like Oppo and Pioneer. We call this "Just buy a playstation" territory. And since I got this player to replace a PS3 in which the drive had died, I'll review it in that context. I think a lot of people struggle between using a console for a BD player and just buying a bespoke player for less money, so hopefully this will help some of you.BLU RAY PLAYBACKOstensibly the reason to buy a BD player. The S5500 does indeed play Blu Rays, and in fact seems to load them marginally faster than my PS3 did, although I need to play more to verify this. It saves BD data for saved playback position, as you would expect. The picture is crisp and lustrous, but then you have to dip pretty low to find a player that makes BDs look bad. I didn't notice any gain in, or loss of, quality vs the PS3, and the motor in this player is far quieter.Audio quality is good, and you get enough options to make most home theater setups work. The sheer number of output formats is less here than on a console or enthusiast player, but unless you're driving a really massive theater space, you're unlikely to have any complaints.STREAMINGThe real reason most people buy BD players. The S5500 is not a miniature computer like the PS3 or a Roku, so its menus, and those of apps like Netflix aren't as buttery smooth as on such machines, but they're far better than the stuttering nightmares of players past. Netflix loads as fast, browses as quickly, and plays videos as well here as on my old PS3. Is it worth paying more just so your thumbnails scroll by at a full 60fps? No, of course it isn't.Further, the S5500 boasts an updated, expansive roster of media channels to choose from- more than the PS3 or many competing players, but fewer than, say, an XBMC box. You get all the main movie and TV players, Pandora, lots of sports, and a surprising number of web and international channels. Sadly absent are the a-la-carte on-demand services of FX and HBO, at least for now.Many people stress the rate at which Netflix sharpens up when buying a new player- that is the amount of time before the server and your device work out how fast you can stream and give you the best quality. I am pleased to report it is just as good here as on the PS3, although the device is probably the least significant link in that particular chain.PERFORMANCEAs mentioned above, menus are a little jerky, but they're fast enough that it doesn't seem like an inconvenience. The old XMB UI has been banished in favor of an Android-esque tile system that's fast and easy to use- it returns only for system settings, where it's rather clunky. Compared to the obviously effortless menus of a PS3 or better, this is the biggest actual step down.BUILD QUALITY AND LIVABILITYThis is a very small player, and very light. In spite of that, it has a sturdy aluminum case that inspires confidence. The fascia is plastic, and if I'm honest is sort of a mess of textures, but the buttons feel solid and the fold-down drive door doesn't rattle or catch. Even if you don't like its looks, it's so small you can easily hide it. The remote is infrared, but powerful enough to work through a wire mesh cabinet as in my case.Compared to a console, which has a fan-cooled CPU and mechanical hard drive, this player is quiet during use. The motor on the drive is audible, but in a case this small that's unavoidable. Most movies and shows will drown the sound out. The PS3 is loud even by console standards, so the low volume here is its biggest advantage.Note that the MSRP for this unit is quite high but you shouldn't have to pay it- between the Amazon sales price and some smaller deals, I was able to get it for $70. I consider that a very good price for such a capable device. I have yet to explore DVD playback or Playstation Now functionality on this player, and I will update this review as I learn more about it or experience any issues.UPDATE 10/26/2015The player continues to perform without issue. Overall we have found performance with Amazon movie rentals inferior to Netflix, but I have experienced this on other devices; I don't think it's the player. Low noise and a lower profile continue to be highlights.I didn't talk much about the remote above. It's much smaller than the second-generation PS3 remote I had been using, but it feels sturdier like the first-gen remote. It's also fast to register- in fact until you get used to it, you'll probably start and stop your Netflix shows in one over-long press. This doesn't seem to happen on faster-responding physical media. It's possible opening my cabinet might also improve things. Now that both my TV and BD player take an infrared remote, I'm tempted to get a decent universal, but that's not a black mark on this remote, which is perfectly fine.I have yet to experience any of the losing-the-network issues other reviewers have reported, but I selected the fast wakeup option on the player, so I don't think it's ever turning off all the way.UPDATE 11/11/2015Last night I decided to try some DVD playback. I went with Cowboy Bebop because the contrast and clarity of cartoons tends to give upscalers some trouble. The results were pretty standard: some artifacting on very thin lines, and the occasional peek-through of interlacing, however the quality of textural pictures and bolder lines looked darn near high-def. So I would say this player is strong on upscaling, but not exceptional at providing a clean image, as some of the higher-end Oppos are. But then it doesn't cost over a thousand dollars either.On the app front, I can also report the Pandora app is simple and easy to use, a definite leg up for this player over the PS3 where, last I checked, you have to access Pandora through your browser and do some Java jiggery-pokery every single time to make it work. My wife has been watching Downton Abby on Amazon, and while the app works fine, streaming connectivity is quite poor- obviously not a problem on the player's end. I suspect the issue may be either a port blocked by my ISP, or Amazon itself. There seems to be a broad perception that Amazon video streaming simply doesn't work right on Sony devices, but this is a rather anecdotal accusation that I haven't seen borne out by any real-world testing or evidence.UPDATE 11/30/2015Like many users of Sony players I've noticed an audible noise from this player with some disks. It seems more pronounced with DVDs, probably because DVDs rotate at a different speed. I don't think this is a construction fault with the player, rather it is simply so light that any vibration (perhaps due to uneven disk balance) is translated straight outward. If you place your hand on the player while it's doing this, you can feel a worrisome (although rather suggestive) buzz through its otherwise sturdy metal hull. I'll try giving the corners some additional cushioning in order to see if this can be muffled.It's worth noting that this was a problem in the PS3 as well sometimes. Even high-end players don't talk up mechanicals like this, so I can't tell you how a more expensive player (that I don't own) might stack up in this regard. I would suspect a cabinet-mounted or more robustly caged enthusiast model would vibrate less audibly, if at all, but we do need to consider price in this regard. Still a 4/5.

I had some problems with my prior Blu-Ray player, so I decided I would get the brand who developed Blu-Ray! That didn't do me much good as far as functionality does. The player works ok and has a nice selection of apps to use. It even has a "Netflix" button on the remote which is convenient. However, it's very slow to load, even PLUGGED DIRECTLY INTO THE INTERNET router! It's slower than my prior player which was connected via wifi. Netflix locks up fairly regularly, and reloading it does not help. You have to log out and then in again. I have called and emailed Sony. They can't offer any solutions other than telling me to update the software on the player, which I had already done. Also, when playing discs, the unit does not even remember where I left off on a movie which would be nice as glitchy as the player is. There are MUCH better options out there. I hope you can learn from my misfortune.

Quite pleased took a little time to learn all the moves