Customer Reviews

Sony DVP-SR500H 1080p Upscaling DVD Player

5 star:		(104)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

We had a 3-yr old Sony DVD player but were not happpy with image quality on 42" LCD TV. Bought this newer sony and it is excellent. Much smaller, lighter, and a lot quicker to load/eject a disc. Image quality finally looks as good as all the display models in the stores. Compatible with all older Sony remotes, including a 15-year old one. Simply the best.

I did not want to replace my extensive DVD library with new Blu-Ray movies for two reasons, #1 cost #2 I feel that Blu-Ray will soon be replaced. So, I wanted an upscaling DVD player. I previously had a Sony product that was virtually indestructable. By the way, it had an eject button on the remote that was NEVER used. My DVD player sits behind a closed glass door and I always had to open that door before ejecting. I went with a Sony product again because of reliability and low cost, and SONY did it again. I've had this one for about 6 months now and have no complaints whatsoever. It's just as reliable as the last one. I don't use the remote for this one either, I have a remote for my Pioneer Receiver that controls everything. I'm not what one would consider a huge afficianado as far as home theater is concerned, I like to put a disc (movie) in and watch it, period. This DVD player allows me to do just that. I would recommend this unit to anyone who, like me, is more interested in watching a movie than they are always making adjustments or ejecting.

As stated in the other review, the remote to this DVD player does not have an open/eject button. I know it isn't such a big deal, but sometimes at night I have to pop open the dvd player to add another DVD and have to turn on the light. I assumed since it was the 21st century that a simple eject button would be available! Other then that, the quality of the dvd player is TREMENDOUS! My brother and I currently own one and I purchased one for my girlfriend as well. If you're VERY picky about remotes than I'd say this is a deal breaker, but if you really don't care, with an HDMI cord you could say the second best thing next to blu-ray!

I bought this because it was the exact size I needed, and I because I was thinking of Sony as a good brand. Thinking back, though, I cannot remember the last time I bought a Sony product that I wasn't disappointed with.

The worst problem is that it simply does not play a large number of my valid disks, which play fine in my four other DVD players. It displays "loading" and will just stay there forever. On top of that, you cannot just hit the "eject" button. Once it's stuck like this, you have to unplug it and plug it back in again to get the disk out.

Techies will also hate the fact that the stop-stop-play technique does not work with this box. So you're doomed to sitting through the entire string of FBI warnings, anti-piracy "public service" commercials, previews, etc.

There are so many better players out there that there's just no reason to go with this box.

This DVD player failed completely after 3 months. Amazon said it was too old to return and I needed to contact Sony. Spent 20 minutes on the phone with Sony only to be told to unplug it, wait 3 minutes, then try again. Seriously? If that failed to fix it, (which it did) then I had to go onto Sony's website and find a way to get it repaired. This was covered by the 12 month warranty, BUT I would have to pay $33 for them to fix it. What kind of warranty is that? So, $33 to fix, have to mail the DVD player, wait for fix, return, etc, all for a $50 DVD player? Pathetic. It is going in the garbage and Sony will not be getting any more of my money. Terrible customer service.

this is a basic no thrills dvd player that does one things great: plays dvds

picture quality is excellent (heads and shoulders above PIONEER DV-220V-K which was returned).
Analog sound quality also very good.
small form factor.

it has none of the usual gimmicks i never use (like usb capability etc).
discs have to be very clean and in excellent condition otherwise it would skip/stuck (other players would just move on). loading time could be faster..

I thought of getting another unit with an optical audio out (there aren't that many anymore) but the picture quality is so good i decided to stay with this one.

This is a fine product and the picture shown through a HDMI cable is astonishing. My only complaint is the remote control does not have a button for opening and closing the drawer. A small thing, I know, but surprisingly annoying.

I have only owned this DVD player for less than three months, and it has increasingly gotten worse. Discs that are practically new and scratch free randomly seize and skip, brand new discs also do the same, and it's beginning to increasingly simply not read discs. I normally do not write reviews, but this is out of the returnable period, and i have gotten sick of settling down to a film only to be interrupted by read failure. It's happening far too often.

Perhaps this unit is a lemon, but it is still quite frustrating,, and i have not yet contacted the manufacturer.

I also have not cleaned the unit, as it is still "new." I have owned other players for 2+ years and never had a problem.

Disc after disc (different films) i can put into the unit, only to settle down, starting watching, and have it seize.

Note: it SEIZES, it does not "skip."

Make your own decision. My experience is terrible.

~

Update: After registering the product with the manufacturer, it appears as though Sony is exchanging this particular model for a factory refurbished version. I suppose they now know that this a faulty model? I hope they do. Unfortunately, the "exchange fee" is $33, not including shipping. The question becomes, is it better to take a $50 loss, or exchange it, sell it, and hopefully recoup some of the loss? I say the latter.

FOR THOSE OF US NOT READY TO TAKE THE BLU-RAY LEAP YOU CAN'T BEAT THIS UNIT AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. I DID 8 MONTHS OF RESEARCH TRYING TO FIND A UNIT THAT DID NOT DISABLE THE ANALOG SOUND OUTPUT WHEN THE HDMI WAS CONNECTED. THIS UNIT FITS THE BILLING AND DOES WHAT THEY SAY IT WILL DO. I NOW HAVE HDMI PICTURE AND WAS ABLE TO CONNECT TO MY PRE HDMI CAPABLE HTR FOR FANTASTIC 5.1 SOUND WITH IT. THE PICTURE QUALITY IS FANTASTIC AND THE SOUND AS WELL. IT'S TRUE IT'S LIKE VIEWING A NEW MOVIE WITH HDMI CAPABILITY AND IT SAVES ME FROM HAVING TO MAKE MY HTR OBSOLETE IN THE CLOSET WITH ALL THE OTHER OBSOLETE COMPONENTS. THE AMAZON PRICE AND DELIVERY WAS FANTASTIC AS WELL. I JUST HOPE I DON'T WEAR IT OUT RE-WATCHING ALL MY OLD DVDS. AND BY THE WAY THE AMAZON BASICS HDMI CABLE GOT THE JOB DONE FOR A PRICE THAT IS ONLY 10 TO 20% OF WHAT THEY WANT ELSEWHERE. BUY IT YOU WILL BE VERY HAPPY WITH THE SONY DVP-SR500H AND THE AMAZON BASICS HDMI CABLE.

I had a DVD player that "died" on me that I used in my Country Kitchen area. It was mated to a 26" Samsung Flatscreen TV which has an outstanding picture and HD features. The DVD player I had hooked up to it though would only broadcast in 720p so when I decided to replace it I happened to be at Best Buy and saw this model for under $50. An upscaling player that would output a 1080p resolution so this peaked my interest. After a few moments of deliberation I opted to get this player instead of a more expensive Blu-Ray player for my country kitchen area. I'm glad I made the decision! The first movie I tried on it when I got home was "Avatar" and remember the scene when the seeds from the tree of life hovered around Jake?? The colors were so vibrant and beautiful I thought I was watching a Blu-Ray disc! Needless to say I was quite impressed! As with some of the other reviews I've read on this site I was a bit disappointed that the remote did not have an eject button. I'm surprised Sony overlooked this very important feature but other than that I love the price and the player itself! It's very sleek & compact and set up very easily! The start up is fast and the picture quality of course is what makes it worth every penny!! I wonder if a universal remote would control the eject on this player. I should try it...

So based on the picture quality & price I have rated this player 5 stars! Compact, attractive, fast & a great picture! Go get it!