Customer Reviews

Sony BDVIS1000 5.1Ch Blu-ray Disc/DVD Home Theater System

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When I set out to buy my home theater in a box I set out to Best Buy to get demos of all of the latest and greatest toys. When I told the sales person my requirements (blu-ray disc player, wireless rear speakers, preferably Sony) this was the model he brought me to. Not being too impressed with the size of the speakers (if fact, I told him they were very cute), I quickly mentioned I wanted something with power.

What can I say? After the demo, I was blown away. I thought it was some kind of trick and Sony had pulled the wool over my eyes to get me to drop a thousand big ones. I went to every tiny speaker and covered it with my hand to check as to how much sound was coming out. Trust me, there is power in those golf ball sized speakers. I was so impressed, bought it immediately.

When I got it home it was like Christmas, and I had it out of the box in less than 5 minutes. All of the speakers are color coded, so it's really idiot proof. Because I didn't mount anything to the wall it took me a little under 30 minutes to set everything up. The two rear speakers are wireless, but not really. They connect to a receiver box that you keep in the back of the room so there is still wires. When I turned everything on, I did the quick setup and synced my 57" Bravia TV and haven't looked back!

So here are my pros and cons of this system:

pros-
* very easy to set up
* small speakers don't interfere with my decor or overwhelm my small apartment.
* network updates.
* Blu-Ray 2.0
* S-AIR technology (wireless rear speakers)
* two HDMI Inputs
* Aesthetically speaking, it's beautiful.

cons-
* price, you can get a PS3 and a traditional home theater for cheaper, separately.(this is why I gave it a 4 stars instead of 5)
* the rear speakers aren't truly wireless, so little room for adjustments with out wires running up your walls.
* because it is HTIB you can't have the versatility you would with a normal receiver.

I recently bought this system [ASIN:B001EWEXOC Sony BDVIS1000 5.1Ch Blu-ray Disc/DVD Home Theater System] to replace a very old first generation system I put together about 10 years ago which included a Marantz SR4000 AV Surround Receiver, a Panasonic S52 DVD/CD player, JBL J2060 series front speakers, a Technics SB-C22 series center speaker, Infinity Sterling Series 2001 rear speakers, and a JBL PSW1000 series subwoofer.

I liked the idea of a Receiver/Blu-ray player all-in-one system. I
was also intrigued with (and a bit wary of) the wireless S-AIR rear speaker technology. I ordered the system on line and when it arrived I was very pleased at how quick and easy it was to set up and connect. But as feared, I had no luck in getting the wireless rear speakers to work. (By the way, they're not totally wireless. Although no wires need to be run from the main receiver, each rear speaker must be connected via speaker wire to the S-AIR surround amplifier, which itself must be placed near the rear speakers, be plugged into an electrical outlet, and have an unobstructed signal view line to the main receiver unit. That was OK with me since I could place the small amplifier on a lamp table next to my sofa and hide the rear speaker wires connected to the amplifier behind my sofa located in the back of my living room.)

The "paring operation" that must be performed in order to wirelessly connect the rear speakers with the main unit via a radio signal transmission was very frustrating and failed every time I attempted it. I ended up calling Sony's Customer Service and spent about an hour and a half on the phone with a representative trying to get the speakers to sucessfully "pair" and work properly - to no avail. By the way, there's no way to "hard wire' the rear speakers to the main unit. After trying everything possible the representative said that he was going to send me a "signal booster" cable (Sony part #: EZW-EC10) that I could attach via the wireless transceiver slot on the back of the main unit. To say the least, if this booster cable didn't work I was ready to pack the system up, ship it back, and look around for a different system! I received it in a couple of days, hooked it up (very easy) and presto!, I was able to sucessfully perform the "paring operation" and receive a strong signal between the speakers and the main unit. The speakers now work fine and sound great! I don't know why Sony doesn't include the signal booster cable in the box with the system! It would save alot of time and frustration for someone who is having trouble getting the rear speakers to work.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the performance of this system. I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for the frustrating rear speaker problem. But after being corrected, the resulting sound from the 5 tiny speakers and subwoofer is awesome and powerful! I believe wireless technology in surround sound systems needs further refinements.

I recently bought the BDV-IS1000 and had the same pairing problem as everyone else. I had read the boards and comments regarding possible solutions. While I cannot speak for each and every BDV-IS1000 that is out there and I am sure that there is certain equipment that is indeed defective, I would like to bet that my solution will probably solve 99% of the paring problems. The problem lies in the fact that the instruction manual is not very good at explaining the procedure for pairing.

While some speakers will pair with the receiver right out of the box; just plug and play, sometimes it is not the case. And the instructions fail to omit one key element vital to the pairing procedure.

After being unable to pair the speakers, I was ready to return my set as well. But then I tried something. I also purchased the AIR-SA10, the accessory wireless S-Air speaker system. I tried seeing if the receiver would pair with the S-Air speaker system and it did right out of the box. I was wondering why my receiver would pair with the speaker system and not the rear speakers. So I swapped out the "good" S-Air radio transmitter with what I thought was a "faulty" radio transmitter in my rear speaker amplifier and still the speakers would not pair. So obviously everything was working correctly as evidenced in the fact that the receiver was able to pair with the other unit and it was not the radio transmitter.

My experience with pairing a Bluetooth hands free and a cell phone reminded me that both units have to be looking for one another. In the case of the BDV-IS1000, the same thing needs to be done as well. The instructions tell you to go to system settings on the receiver and hit the set pairing button to have the receiver search for the speakers. The receiver will search for the speakers for 5 minutes or so, and alas no speakers to be found / paired.

Here is the key!

Before you hit the pair speakers function on the blu-ray receiver, on the back of the amplifier unit where it says S-AIR ID and there is a switch for letters A,B, and C, there is a small little hole which is labeled "Paring". Take a pin or some other small sharp object and push the button. A light should start blinking notifying you that it is searching for the receiver. At which point, hit the searching button the receiver and the units should pair instantaneously. However, it might take one or two attempts for it to work.

Anyways, I have a great sounding system now and am totally happy. I hope this solution helps and you are also able to enjoy your speaker system.

As far as the blu ray picture/video is concerned, it is fantastic. I have a Sony KDL-40XBR7 TV which is a perfect compliment.

The audio is reasonably good if your rear speakers work so that you can enjoy the whole package. The sound volume is kind of low though.

Like everybody else, my rear speakers paired only after the following with intermittent results:

1. Turn the wireless router I had nearby off.
2. Reset the player from Resetting->All settings menu.
3. Set the S-Air RF Change to Off after Reboot.
4. Perform the normal pairing operation as in the manual which paired after several attempts.
5. Relocating the wireless router.

Even after all these, the connection would drop off intermittently very often. Even when paired, the sound on rear speakers was crackling, skipping or very low. At times the pairing indicator on the Main unit would keep flashing when watching TV or blu ray disc with no sound on rear speakers. Sony tech support (very helpful) promised me the signal booster (S-AIR® transmitter extender - EZW-EC10 - Conn Assembly) after the issue was escalated. BTW, the product is on back order and Sony parts and accessories stores said to check in the first week of May.

In the mean time, I read in several posts that a poorly shielded hdmi cable near the wireless transmitter on the back of the player was the main issue (I was using Sony hdmi cable but not their high end one). I shelled out 129.99 on Monster Ultra 1000 hdmi cable (my wife's gonna hit me if she hears this... :))

And well, since then I can't help smiling all the time... They work ever since (nearly a week now). The sound is much better now too... I'll plug in the signal booster too once I get them and see the difference. Some guys were lucky with cheaper cables too... Good luck... I hope this helps.

I would rate this higher but for the bad experiences I had with the rear speakers.

Addendum: Well, after replacing the HDMI cable, my player recognized that I had rear speakers hooked up during speaker auto calibration. Earlier, it would not hold the pairing when I attempted to do so.

Addendum 2: Received the EZW-EC10 assembly from Sony Parts last week. Connected it to the receiver and have "not" faced any dropped connection since then. Things look good as of now. Keeping my fingers crossed... Sony should definitely do something about it to save people from this headache (and heartache...).

Addendum 3 (05/11/2009): Well, yesterday night while watching moving, the main unit again lost connection with the rear speakers even though I have been using the so called signal booster and the highest end Monster Ultra 1000 HDMI cable. Frustrating... Rebooted successfully and paired it to "C". Will watch for a few days as to what happens. Will call support again if it happens. I don't want and surely cannot afford a lemon.

We already own a Sony 52" plasma and was ready to step up to blu-ray and 5.1 channels. Setup was not a problem and the sound was reasonable. The wireless rear channel receiver quit working after a week. After resetting the system several times, I find out the instructions were incomplete on how to re-connect the S-Air wireless signal. Best Buy wanted to send the Geek Squad over for $150 and Sony wanted me to ship the unit back complete at my cost. I returned the unit for my refund... disappointed with Sony. The wireless was a significant factor in selecting this product.

Despite the comments from many other users regarding the inability to use the rear speakers, I figured I'd give this product a chance. Unfortunately, I ran into the same problem and after 3 hours trying to pair the rear speakers decided to call Sony. They are sending me the signal booster cable. I will update this review when I get it. It amazes me that this product can get 4 stars from reviewers who can't use their wireless rear speakers. Isn't that the whole reason to get this product?

The product does look beautiful, the sound out of the 3+1 working speakers is great, and everything that does work works perfectly and setup was easy. However, I'm convinced that if you use an HDMI cable to connect the product to your TV, you will not be able to use your rear speakers. This is a Sony design flaw, pure and simple.

I'm hopeful that the signal booster (extension cable) Sony is sending (another 7-10 day wait) will resolve the issue. If not, they will be getting back this product along with the Sony TV I got at the same time. If the product issue is resolved, I'll update this review and probably offer up the 4 star review I hoped to give (5 stars is now out of the question given the time and frustration). Sony told me they are getting lots of these calls.

UPDATE 1: A high-quality (expensive) HDMI cable helps. With a new HDMI cable, the unit paired immediately and sound was great. Additional update to follow upon receipt of signal booster from Sony.

UPDATE 2: Sony sent me the signal booster and I purchased an expensive HDMI cable. Months later, I still occasionally see that I have to re-pair the speakers to the unit. For some reason, they just periodically lose the connection. Granted, it's easy enough to re-pair once you have the accessories, but it's annoying. I generally love Sony products, but this one is just not worthwhile.

As other reviews have stated, the unit worked great for a few days when I was using composite cables. Once I connected an HDMI cable and set the resolution to 1080p, the rear speakers (through the S-air device) stopped working. If I lower the HDMI resolution to 1080i or lower, the S-air immediately reconnects. The issue seems to be with the high resolution 1080p signal (over HDMI cable) conflicting with the S-air. My rear speakers are no more than 20 feet away from the main unit.

Unfortunately, I had to spend several hours (no kidding) on the Sony support web chat (complete waste of time) then phone with the first level Sony support folks who covered nothing but the basics (power on, connections right, etc.). It took three phone calls until I was finally directed to contact a "product specialists" (with restricted hours) who had me try a few more relative basic things before I could convince him that this was a known/documented problem (on Amazon and various web sites). He read one of those and agreed to send me a "connection assy EZW-EC10" which is essentially an extension chord for the S-air transmitter to move it away from the HDMI cable. Now it works fine.

The sound out of the rear speakers is excellent except there is just a slight hissing sound when there is nothing being broadcast to the rear speakers. I very much like the tiny speakers for my purposes and the sound from them is quite good. I may have given it a 5-star rating if they would just ship the remote s-air connector with the product in the first place.

I had the same problem with the wireless rear speakers on my system that others are describing; not pairing or working at all. After hours of troubleshooting and fruitless phone calls to Sony I found the problem. The HDMI output jack on the main unit is right next to wireless transceiver. A poorly shielded HDMI cable will cause wireless interference; especially with the output resolution set to 1080i/p. You can test this by unplugging all HDMI cables and connecting it to your TV with the composite video cable that came with the unit. I purchased one of Sony's pricey triple-shielded DLCHD30G HDMI cables and haven't had any problems since. Sony is truly clueless that this is the real cause of the problem and had wanted me to send the entire system back to them for repair. The EZW-EC10 pairing wire may be helping some but I think HDMI cable interference is the root problem.

I purchased the Sony BDVIS1000 5.1Ch Blu-ray Disc/DVD Home Theater System and totally loved, so much I bought my parents one for xmas...Mine works great, theres on the other hand don't.The S-air will not connect no matter what I try..Mine I have in a closed cabinet with the wireless speakes 25 ft away and it works great, theres about 8 ft away?? I called Sony Tech support and they have no clue how to help...I even had support ask me if it was a Sony product. I have read that others are having this same issue...If you buy one and it works, The sound is great for a HTIB..If not GOOD LUCK...

Chris

My sole complaint is that the rear speakers do not work. When the rear speakers would not pair, we got on the phone with Sony support. After a couple of hours it was determined that Sony would send us a signal boosting cable (sony part# EZW-EC10). I also bought a very expensive Monster HDMI cable to help. This fixed the pairing problem, but still no sound came from the rear speakers.

After more hours on the phone with Sony support trying so many things to fix the problem, the Sony rep instructed us to mail the Surround Amplifier (Sony WAHT-SA10) to their repair center in Laredo, Texas.

We mailed it and got a call a week later from the Laredo Center. They said they could find no problem with the amplifier as it pairs immediately. We told them that pairing the speakers was NOT our problem. The problem is that the speakers will not play after pairing. Even if you plug headphones into the unit, you can't get any sound. They said alright and we never recieved another call from them. About 5 days later, we get the unit back in the mail and a piece of paper in the box states they can find nothing wrong with the unit.

We then get back on the phone with Sony support on Saturday to report this. They tell us that we will have to send the unit BACK to Laredo AGAIN. I asked if Sony could mail us a NEW WAHT-SA10, and we will mail them this unit. They informed me that this is not procedure and that I must follow their procedures and send the unit back to them for repair.

So, on Monday we will send it back again to Laredo once again..... If I had bought a 3.1 system I would be happy with the unit. The Blue Ray is nice and the front speakers and sub-woofer are sweet with lots of great sound. All I want is for the rear speakers to work!!!

We have spent $650 for a 3.1 system. I should have packed it up and sent it back to Amazon. Now, since it has been past my 30 days, I am stuck with it. the Sony support guy was very nice and told us Sony will make this right for us. I am still hopeful this will happen...in the mean time we will enjoy our 3.1 system.

If I had bought this at Best Buy, I could have taken it back to them very easily and gotten my money back. This experience will definitely prevent me from buying expensive electronic purchases from Amazon in the future.

Also, I should have not ignored all the reviews I read about problems with this unit. I should have realized there was a reason this unit is so heavily discounted from the original purchase price of $999. Live and learn.