Sony SMP-100 [Electronics]

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Sony SMP-100 [Electronics]

2011-07-12 01:19:31

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6810|132 and Bush

Since I've talked about it so much in the Tech thread I thought I'd do a quick review.
This player started off at $130 USD when it first came out. However, I've found several deals lately. I own two of them now. On average they cost about $75. If you do any kind of comparative shopping you should be able to find them for less than that. The last one I was able to pick up for less than $60.

7.3 in Wide
7.6 in deep
1.6 Height

The SMP-N100 has a simple monolithic design, offers built-in 802.11n connectivity, which allows you to connect to the the internet, or stream content from computers or storage devices on a home network, anywhere there’s a TV screen. Its DLNA-compliant, allows ‘plug and play’ connection to all similar devices on the network and play most movie formats, including ivXHD, MKV and AVCHD, audio tracks and display your photos, as well contend from attached USB drives. It also supports full 1080P video output on HDMI, compatibility with the latest high-definition audio codecs, like dts 2.0+Digital Out and DOLBY DIGITAL PLUS. The media device comes loaded with Sony’s XrossMedia Bar user interface and also allows access to BBC iPlayer and Demand Five, watch online video through services such as YouTube, features “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity” giving instant on-demand access to the latest Hollywood blockbusters and classic movies in a choice of HD or standard definition.

The outs are simple enough. Most people will use the HDMI, but there are also Component, Composite, as well as optical.

You can also control all your entertainment using an iPhone, iPod Touch or any device running Android, using free apps available from the Apple App Store or the Android Market. The SMP-N100 feature Sony’s IP Content Noise Reduction to improve streamed video and optimising the picture quality.

I primarily use it to stream most of my own files to the device. I can do this via DLNA (My home computer), or by simply plugging in my WD MyPassport (External HD).Here is a picture I took with my ExtHD plugged in to the front.

Navigating the menu is simple enough. Getting to your files requires only a few clicks. So far it has played every format I have tried. Here is an official list of supported files.

AAC : Yes (USB)- m4a
AVC-HD : Yes (USB)
DivX : Yes (USB )- jpg, jpeg
DivX HD : Yes (USB and DLNA)- XviD
JPEG : Yes (USB and DLNA)- jpg, jpeg
LPCM : Yes (USB and DLNA)- wav
MP3 : Yes (USB and DLNA)- mp3
MPEG-1 : Yes (USB)- vob, vro, mpg, mpeg, m2ts, mts
MPEG : Yes (USB and DLNA)- vob, vro, mpg, mpeg, m2ts, mts
Simple MPEG : Yes - MPEG 4 AVC (USB)- mkv, mp4, m4v, m2ts, mts
WMA : Yes (USB and DLNA)- wma (DLNA:Basic profile only no 32kpbs or lower)
WMV : Yes - WMV9 (USB)- wmv, asf

The user interface will look extremely similar to anyone who has a Sony PlayStation 3 because it's just a modified version of the XMB interface. Across the top you'll get icons for each type of media (photos, videos, music) but also network and Qriocity.

Once you setup wifi the first thing you will want to do is check for updates. Originally there was no support for advanced Netflix features like search and browse. But those have since been added. The streaming quality of this device is excellent. The wifi signal is consistent, and I have not lost my connection once.
Personally I'm only interested in Netflix, Hulu plus, and occasionally Youtube. However, you may use more. The supported online services.

Here's a little crappy camera phone video I made showing how quick video playback is from the HD. As you can see fast forwarding and resuming play is virtually seamless. I will note that it takes a minute for the box to gather the information from an external source. But that is to be expected on a large storage device.

This is the setup I integrated it with.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2512/3828660076_8af2110153_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2566/4006524057_3be17e9f41_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3656060869_68d8c3cc28_b_d.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/4007259772_413eb79550_z.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/4007286502_ac4bd11d06_o_d.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/4006523999_da9523845a_z.jpg?zz=1

In the first image you'll note the antennae on the right. That catches the local over the air HD broadcast. I'm replacing that (tacky) antennae with one that I can mount outside. It's actually smaller than that one, very discreet. The in-ceiling speakers are Polk TC60i's. My center is a CSi5. I have an Onkyo TX-SR805 pushing them. The TV is a 52" Sony XBR series, and the subs are two Polk DSW PRO 500. Finally, the remote is a Logitech Harmony 1000

In summary I have to say that the Sony SMP-100 is a great box for the price. It's enabled me to free myself from cable services. I'm now able to stream what I want when I want without paying the ever increasing cable/fios bills. I'd recommend it to anyone who is serious about taking control of their home entertainment.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2011-07-12 01:31:48

Jenspm: penis; +1,716|6942|St. Andrews / Oslo

Sounds pretty sweet, I've been looking for something like this myself. I kind of wish it had all the fancy movie posters/fan art and stuff, but I realize this is a tough ask.

Any idea how it compares to, say, a WDTV?

edit- also, what's the picture quality like? Comparable to Blu-ray players (assuming the source file is good, of course)?

Last edited by Jenspm (2011-07-12 01:33:45)

https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/26774/flickricon.png

2011-07-12 01:40:02

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6810|132 and Bush

When I bought the first one I was actually going out to get the WDTV. This one included wifi built in and was much cheaper. The picture quality is very good. It supports full 1080p.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2011-07-12 07:32:11

Winston_Churchill: Bazinga!; +521|6948|Toronto | Canada

Does it integrate any information from IMDB or anything like that? Or does it just go by filename?

The Boxee Box can grab movie trailers, posters, summary, cast, etc and it looks really nice. It can do all of those features and quite a few more - though the box itself is $200. You can download the software to put on your computer or any other built HTPC for free. The remote has a full qwerty keyboard on it for easy searching/browsing.

hulu plus, netflix, VUDU, youtube, pandora, last.fm, full flash browser, any music/movie format you can think of. Obviously its a premium player, but id say its worth it (especially since i didnt pay for it )

2011-07-12 08:08:48

SEREMAKER: BABYMAKIN EXPERT √; +2,187|6778|Mountains of NC

Bought it - returned it

I switched out and put this in my bedroom. Since its in my bedroom, I was able to plug into the wireless router. Using HDMI I plugged into our 32" lcd and it showed up in box format. Played with the settings and would not come out of box. Started up a movie on netflix, would only show it in letterbox format. Tried hulu plus and it would show it in box. I could not get it in wide screen, even after spending 30 mins of playing with the settings.

The playback for netflix was slow, I couldn't believe how slow espically with it being plugged in. I'm sure I just got lucky and bought the bad one out of the whole bunch but I've gone a different route with how I've done my set up.

https://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/1359/1359828_ra.jpg

with a 9' hdmi cord plugged into my laptop that sets on the desk next to the armoire

https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/17445/carhartt.jpg

2011-07-12 15:49:16

TheDonkey: Eat my bearrrrrrrrrrr, Tonighttt; +163|5926|Vancouver, BC, Canada

I've been looking around for a DLNA player for a while now.

The one feature I have yet to find (although I haven't been looking all that hard per-se) is something with an IR blaster.

I want to be able to push any XVID video off my media server through my laptop onto the player and have it automatically turn my TV onto the right input and start the video.
(Or use my iPod as a remote and push video through there)

(With DLNA you can have all the media on a single device and use any other device to push the media to any player.)

2011-07-12 16:11:55

Ilocano: buuuurrrrrrppppp.......; +341|6877

Does it simultaneously dual out between HDMI and Component? I have a Roku in the living room, HDMI to 55, Component to 47. Switched over depending on which TV is being used for gaming.

BTW, everyone else get the email about Netflix splitting streaming and DVD.

2011-07-12 16:13:29

jsnipy: ...; +3,276|6732|...

Ilocano wrote:
BTW, everyone else get the email about Netflix splitting streaming and DVD.

Like to separate plans?

nvmd i see it. Great, offer more streaming context, i'd pay $3 extra for that. Can;t stand that key things are still DVD.

2011-07-12 16:16:13

Ilocano: buuuurrrrrrppppp.......; +341|6877

jsnipy wrote:
Ilocano wrote:
BTW, everyone else get the email about Netflix splitting streaming and DVD.
Like to separate plans?

Yup. From $9.99 for both to $7.99 each. /mad. Bye bye DVD option. There are other cheaper options.

If too OT, feel free to delete.

2011-07-12 22:58:14

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6810|132 and Bush

SEREMAKER wrote:
Bought it - returned it

I switched out and put this in my bedroom. Since its in my bedroom, I was able to plug into the wireless router. Using HDMI I plugged into our 32" lcd and it showed up in box format. Played with the settings and would not come out of box. Started up a movie on netflix, would only show it in letterbox format. Tried hulu plus and it would show it in box. I could not get it in wide screen, even after spending 30 mins of playing with the settings.

The playback for netflix was slow, I couldn't believe how slow espically with it being plugged in. I'm sure I just got lucky and bought the bad one out of the whole bunch but I've gone a different route with how I've done my set up.

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/im … 828_ra.jpg

with a 9' hdmi cord plugged into my laptop that sets on the desk next to the armoire

Well that's pretty odd. Everything plays 16x9 on my TV (you can even see it in the little video I posted). The only time I run into an aspect ratio problem on netflix is when I play something really old (like a John Wayne western). Then it plays in 4x3, but I can fix that with my tv. I usually don't because it looks weird though. Those movies were simply not intended for that type of ratio.

I was able to set it up and have it run perfectly within 15 minutes. The only thing that took time was registering my box for netflix. I don't know if you have a bad connection, that's the only thing that makes sense, because netflix takes about 15 seconds to load a movie and never pauses for me on wifi. I'll post more video's to demonstrate it tomorrow. Just to show that I'm not full of shit .

You can also plug any keyboard in to the usb, or even use a phone app if you are so inclined, = Voila, full keyboard.

Winston_Churchill wrote:
Does it integrate any information from IMDB or anything like that? Or does it just go by filename?

The Boxee Box can grab movie trailers, posters, summary, cast, etc and it looks really nice. It can do all of those features and quite a few more - though the box itself is $200. You can download the software to put on your computer or any other built HTPC for free. The remote has a full qwerty keyboard on it for easy searching/browsing.

hulu plus, netflix, VUDU, youtube, pandora, last.fm, full flash browser, any music/movie format you can think of. Obviously its a premium player, but id say its worth it (especially since i didnt pay for it )

File name for local files. Boxee box is great and all... but I could buy almost four of these boxes for one Boxee Box ..lol. None of those features are worth an extra $140, when I can get a box that will do everything I primarily want it to do for $60 IMO. I realize that's important to some people though. For me the goal is just to quickly get to the content, which happens to now be anything I want. I had a pretty easy decision choosing between the two.

.. and the new netflix pricing sucks. I realize they are trying to do away with the DVD plan all together. But at least get most everything ready for streaming first.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2011-07-13 08:23:23

justice: OctoPoster; +978|6950|OctoLand

Good review, I never even came across this box when I was searching for one a few months ago. Ended up buying a WDTV live hub with 1TB internal storage, pricey but very worth it.

I know fucking karate

2011-07-13 08:39:34

SEREMAKER: BABYMAKIN EXPERT √; +2,187|6778|Mountains of NC

Kmar wrote:
SEREMAKER wrote:
Bought it - returned it

I switched out and put this in my bedroom. Since its in my bedroom, I was able to plug into the wireless router. Using HDMI I plugged into our 32" lcd and it showed up in box format. Played with the settings and would not come out of box. Started up a movie on netflix, would only show it in letterbox format. Tried hulu plus and it would show it in box. I could not get it in wide screen, even after spending 30 mins of playing with the settings.

The playback for netflix was slow, I couldn't believe how slow espically with it being plugged in. I'm sure I just got lucky and bought the bad one out of the whole bunch but I've gone a different route with how I've done my set up.

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/im … 828_ra.jpg

with a 9' hdmi cord plugged into my laptop that sets on the desk next to the armoire
Well that's pretty odd. Everything plays 16x9 on my TV (you can even see it in the little video I posted). The only time I run into an aspect ratio problem on netflix is when I play something really old (like a John Wayne western). Then it plays in 4x3, but I can fix that with my tv. I usually don't because it looks weird though. Those movies were simply not intended for that type of ratio.

I was able to set it up and have it run perfectly within 15 minutes. The only thing that took time was registering my box for netflix. I don't know if you have a bad connection, that's the only thing that makes sense, because netflix takes about 15 seconds to load a movie and never pauses for me on wifi. I'll post more video's to demonstrate it tomorrow. Just to show that I'm not full of shit .

You can also plug any keyboard in to the usb, or even use a phone app if you are so inclined, = Voila, full keyboard.
http://i.imgur.com/zCAs5.jpg

Winston_Churchill wrote:
Does it integrate any information from IMDB or anything like that? Or does it just go by filename?

The Boxee Box can grab movie trailers, posters, summary, cast, etc and it looks really nice. It can do all of those features and quite a few more - though the box itself is $200. You can download the software to put on your computer or any other built HTPC for free. The remote has a full qwerty keyboard on it for easy searching/browsing.

hulu plus, netflix, VUDU, youtube, pandora, last.fm, full flash browser, any music/movie format you can think of. Obviously its a premium player, but id say its worth it (especially since i didnt pay for it )
File name for local files. Boxee box is great and all... but I could buy almost four of these boxes for one Boxee Box ..lol. None of those features are worth an extra $140, when I can get a box that will do everything I primarily want it to do for $60 IMO. I realize that's important to some people though. For me the goal is just to quickly get to the content, which happens to now be anything I want. I had a pretty easy decision choosing between the two.

.. and the new netflix pricing sucks. I realize they are trying to do away with the DVD plan all together. But at least get most everything ready for streaming first.

I ain't pulling your punk card or something, thats why I said I probably got a bad one out of the bunch

2011-07-13 20:33:45

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6810|132 and Bush

Also, you need to make sure you update it.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2011-07-14 07:32:20

SEREMAKER: BABYMAKIN EXPERT √; +2,187|6778|Mountains of NC

I usually skip those

since I got screwed with the updates on BF2, I no longer trust updates

2011-07-14 07:45:19

tazz.: oz.; +1,338|6384|Sydney | ♥

here's a crazy idea...

...flash this sony box with boxee.

...ohh shiiit.

^{everything i write is a ramble and should not be taken seriously.... _{seriously. ♥}}

2011-07-14 07:51:29

SEREMAKER: BABYMAKIN EXPERT √; +2,187|6778|Mountains of NC

tazz. wrote:
here's a crazy idea...

...flash this sony box with boxee.

...ohh shiiit.

https://www.whereonearthgroup.com/images/flashing-man.gif

2011-07-15 01:20:22

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6810|132 and Bush

I'm very happy with the way it works out of the box. It does everything I want it to do, and I'd only piss myself off if i bricked it for some meaningless to me features.

For 60 bucks its an all inclusive and relatively small device (I can palm it). And that's hard to beat.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2011-07-15 22:37:24

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6810|132 and Bush

SEREMAKER wrote:
I usually skip those

since I got screwed with the updates on BF2, I no longer trust updates

If I didn't update my bd player it'd still take me 15 minutes to fire up a movie..lol I was an early adopter.
I should also note that you have to change the default setting to 1080p output in the video options. You'll still only get 1080i for streaming for the net (which is actually fine for streaming), but I think the factory default settings are 480i for some unknown reason.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

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Ilocano wrote:

jsnipy wrote:

Ilocano wrote:

SEREMAKER wrote:

Winston_Churchill wrote:

Kmar wrote:

SEREMAKER wrote:

Winston_Churchill wrote:

tazz. wrote:

SEREMAKER wrote:

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