- Premium Design & built-in Wi-Fi with superior range and strength
- 100+ streaming apps: Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora & more
- Full HD 1080p Blu-ray Disc 3D playback with 2D to 3D conversion
- Throw content to your TV from your tablet with TV SideView
- I/P noise reduction helps eliminate excess noise for a better viewing experience
The player uses the same XMB (Xross Media Bar) interface as last years players and the PS3. All the same services are on this player as last year, including all the popular ones Netflix, Amazon, VUDU, Hulu and Crackle. The Netflix interface supports the new Super HD (5800kb/s) stream, with Dolby Digital + audio. Amazon also supports Watchlists and Dolby Digital 5.1 bitstream. I mention this, because its one of the few players out there that does.
New for 2013 is the Youtube app, that gets a serious facelift, and supports HD streams and a new look.
Disk start up times have also being improved over last year by at least 10 seconds (compared to the top of the line BDP-S790 from 2012).
A lot of folks complained about text input on last years player, as the onscreen keyboard used a numeric keypad to provide the input. This year, Sony replaces it with a full QWERTY style onscreen keyboard, which is certainly easier to use.
What else is there. Well again the Sony player is very good for supporting local media playback through DLNA. This bluray player supports more file formats and codecs that most, and is best used with the Serviio DLNA server.
Also new for 2013 is the players ability to work with Sony's new 2nd screen app called TV Sideview. This gives folks the opportunity to interact with the player using a iOS or Android device. You are able to search across multiple network services (Netflix, youtube) and local content too ... although i've not had much luck with search ... the system seems to have a few bugs in it right now. Early days though.
One other new capability over last year is the built in Opera web browser. It has being improved and will support "some" HTML5 video streams ... such as youtube, within the browser. Again, my experience with it wasn't ideal, and I really wouldn't recommend using this blue-ray player to browse the net! Its just too slow to render the pages.
Visually, its a nice looking player, and has a semi metal case, compared to last years all plastic one. Its suppose to have improved WIFI reception too ... although I only tested it with a wired Ethernet cable.
If you're looking for a solid disk and network player, the BDP-S5100 is well worth a look. Is it worth upgrading from last years BDP-S590? ... well, only if you are a heavy youtube user would I consider it. The BDP-S590 was already a excellent Bluray player, and Sony has only done a few incremental improvements here.
Final thoughts ... note that this player has no analog outputs; not even for audio .. so if you have non HDMI equipment, don't even consider this player. No Digital optical output either (Only Coaxial) Also this player won't come with a HDMI cable, so plan ahead !!
I can't comment on its 3D abilities as I don't have any 3D displays.
For folks that may have a issues with video cutting out intermittently, do yourself a favor and turn off "deep color" in the screen settings. No content uses this feature anyway.
Thanks for reading.
Buy Sony BDP-S5100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi Now
I purchased this Sony BDP-S3100 Blu-Ray Player to replace an LG BD390 player that had stopped reading discs. I selected the BDP-S3100 over the lower cost Sony BDP-S1100 for the DLNA support for media streaming over a home network and the built-in WiFi. And since I'm not interested in replacing my current television with a 3D capable display right now, I skipped the higher end BDP-S5500 player.I enrolled in Amazon Prime with this purchase to gain access to Amazon Prime videos. The standard two-day shipping is also very nice. The Prime two-day shipping worked as advertised. I ordered the player on a Sunday and it was sitting on my doorstep on Tuesday.
Set-up was quick and painless. I plugged in the HDMI, coaxial audio (I predict a new receiver in my future), and power cables. After connecting to my home network, the player downloaded the latest patch and I was ready to go… to set up an account with Sony to enable the Amazon Prime, Pandora, Facebook, etc. access. Having a notebook computer right there was extremely helpful for entering the various access codes displayed on the television. Setting up the remote to control my television (primarily to turn it on and off) was simple.
I am pretty satisfied with this new player. Discs load noticeably faster than they did with my old LG player (which is to be expected with five years for player improvements). I'm enjoying the Amazon Prime videos and the access to the videos, photos, and music on my home network.
The only thing keeping this from being a five-star review is a persistent issue with the audio intermittently dropping out. I've consistently experienced this problem with DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, and streaming videos. Every 15 to 20 minutes, the audio stops and there's two to three seconds of silence. I'm hoping it will be fixed soon in a patch. But I'm monitoring some AV forums to see if other people experience this same issue to determine if I actually have a defective player.
Read Best Reviews of Sony BDP-S5100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi Here
Bought this player 10 days ago. Had the other top brand along with a not so old Sony bdp-s390. The Wi-Fi range is 10x better! Where I used to have buffering before..... NO MORE! (same cable provider and same exact place I had the other players) If you are having trouble only when straming, it is your network (cable provider) and not the player. The picture with streaming and dvd is even better then my PS3. As hard as I am to be happy with a product, I am blown away! This is my first written review ever. I had to let buyers know this is finally the way a blu-ray player supposed to work....PERIOD!Want Sony BDP-S5100 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi Discount?
With the release of these three updated Sony bluray players in 2013 I have put together a quick overview of the main differences between the three to help you decide. I went with the middle of the road S3100 and so far have been very pleased. It pretty much comes down to whichever features you need in your player as all three from a playing bluray perspective are the same. When you are ready to put your big boy audio/videophile pants on, check out the Oppo high end player at the bottom.---------------
The Base Player BDP-S1100 Replacing the Sony S185
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWX6EYQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AWX6EYQ&linkCode=as2&tag=stupisms-20
No WI-FI Wired Ethernet only
Does NOT support DLNA
There is NO internet browser
Does NOT support Super Audio CD
There is NO analog video or audio outputs whatsoever
There is only one USB input (on the front of the player)
There is NO optical digital audio output on any of the three players. In addition to the HDMI there is digital coaxial audio output only.
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Middle of the road BDP-S3100 Replacing the Sony S390
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWKC0EC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AWKC0EC&linkCode=as2&tag=stupisms-20
All the previous plus...
WI-FI support (2.4GHz)
Internet Browser with Opera TV store
DLNA support
Gracenote "lookup" support
TV Sideview Android and iPhone App support
There is NO optical digital audio output on any of the three players. In addition to the HDMI there is digital coaxial audio output only.
------------------
The High End BDP-S5100 Replacing the Sony S590
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWKC0JM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AWKC0JM&linkCode=as2&tag=stupisms-20
All the previous plus...
3D support
Extra USB port in rear
2D -> 3D conversion ability
There is NO optical digital audio output on any of the three players. In addition to the HDMI there is digital coaxial audio output only.
------------------
The Sony Flagship player BDP-S790 Not being replaced by anything this year yet
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006U1YUW2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006U1YUW2&linkCode=as2&tag=stupisms-20
All the previous plus...
4K Video Upconversion
Internet Picture Enhancer Pro
Super Bit Mapping
3D Streaming
Skype
Additional HDMI out in the rear
Composite Video output in the rear
Analog Audio output in the rear
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And for those that didn't know that high end bluray players existed out there, check out one of the most popular ones on the market.
The Oppo BDP-103
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009LRR5AQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009LRR5AQ&linkCode=as2&tag=stupisms-20
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I wasn't sure if this "super wifi" claim was a gimmick or not, but since I was in the market for a new player precisely because of bad wifi connectivity, I thought I'd give it a try. I have to say, I'm very impressed with both the wifi and many other features about the player. I'm getting 12-20 Mbps while watching videos and my tablet/phone for a change are also reporting similar speeds. (My wired PC gets around 30 if you are wondering how fast my modem connectivity is.) I haven't had it all that long but so far there have been no issues with dropped connections or rebuffering (a first for a player, I think!)A few other things I like:
*The size: the thing is amazingly small about the size of a hardback book. It's beveled top is a bit decorative, and if you care more about your wifi connectivity than storing it inside a cabinet, leaving it on top of a console wouldn't really be an eyesore. I left it this way just to avoid having to disconnect wires if I decided to send it back (so far not likely!), but I'm kind of liking the option of leaving it on top of the cabinet.
*"No Internet" option setting for Blu Ray Discs: This is a HEAVENLY find for me! I have a number of Blu Rays that come with that blasted BD Live software, which can hold your disk hostage forever trying to load useless internet content instead of just allowing the disc to start playing. It got to the point where I almost preferred to buy non-Blu Ray dvds just so I could start watching them ten minutes earlier than the equivalent blu ray version. By turning on the "no internet" option, the blu rays start up like any other disc would, without trying to access internet content. It's a thing of beauty.
*Amazon interface: I am replacing a Panasonic BD-210, and this player's amazon interface is much better. Unlike the Panasonic, the Amazon interface on this one allows you to see your watchlists, videos you've recently watched, top movies, etc. The only thing I don't like about it is that each episode of tv shows is shown by a numbered blocks that take up a good portion of the screen, with the description of the block(episode #) you've selected at the bottom of the screen. You dont' get an all-in-one list of episodes like you do on the Panasonic, with indicators as to which episodes you've purchased. Not a deal breaker for me, but less convenient. I should note that the interface on this one is NOT like Roku's you don't get little scene indexes when you try to fast forward or rewind through the content. Instead it's just a bar with the time indicated. I do think the ability to zip forward and backwards is not too bad, though the controls are fairly responsive.
*Disc loading: There are buttons on the top of the unit that are very ergonomic loading button is distinct and placed at the far left of the built-in controls so you can't miss it. Some of the early Sony players had "tray open" buttons that were nothing more than tiny little stubs that were ridiculously placed at the bottom of the unit. This is a big improvement.
*Remote apps: I'm still a bit mystified as to how the TV Sideview app is supposed to allow you to play cable or satellite content on your tv, but I can say i've tried both the youtube and remote features, and they worked very well. The youtube feature lets you find videos on your phone or tablet and then play them on your tv. You just bring up a variation of the youtube website in the stock browser of your android phone or tablet and type in your google credentials and it does the rest. I was impressed at the quality of some of the videos playing on the tv. The TV Sideview app includes a remote control that works very well I kind of like it better than the remote that came with the unit, especially in the dark!
*Blu ray quality: you wouldn't think this would change from player to player, but compared to the Panasonic, the quality of this one spectacular. I threw in Avatar and was amazed at the color depth and detail. It just seemed richer than on the other blu ray player I've been using.
I should mention that there are buttons on the remote for Netflix and the Sony Entertainment Network. You can also program the player to automatically bring up the Sony Entertainment Network upon startup. While I'm not big on Sony's offerings, the screen it takes you to has ALL the internet apps on itso for me it's a cinch to get to Amazon Instant Video (the main reason I bought the player in the first place).
I'll update once I've had it awhile, but so far I'm liking this one alot.
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