Sony Home Entertainment Server HES-V1000 - Blu-Ray disc changer / digital multimedia receiver / HDD recorder

1. ( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 24 2008

   The item looks great and has a plethora of home server features, but for this pricetag you would expect it to work flawlessly and not be missing some very important features. It does not decode nor transmit DTS-HD and DDHD audio signals which is a big negative. Another big negative is that it is not yet supporting BD-RE authored blu ray discs which is what I have been making for my home videos. As the previous user mentioned, disc loading is awefully slow and can be embarrassing if you are trying to show it off to friends. Hopefully future firmware updates can address these issues.

2. Posted: Jun 13 2008

   This product is truly awesome. It is asthetically gorgeous and is an incredible piece of engineering. However, it has some shortcomings which really stand out: 1. The unit is very slow to start up 2. UNBELIEVABLY slow to load a DVD 3. Even MORE unbelievable slow to start playing a DVD, even non-BluRay 4. Doesn't seem to support fast forwarding through BluRay discs However the pros far outweigh the issues above. The menuing system is easy to use and understand. Ripping music, photos and video is a breeze, including non protected DVDs. The quality of the picture is stunning - even non Bluray discs (connected to a Bravia XBR4) I was specifically looking for a jukebox DVD changer for Bluray discs and this appears to be the only game in town. Overall I'm very happy with the unit, although I look forward to firmware updates that will increase performance.

3. ( 5 of 6 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 13 2008

   This product is truly awesome. It is asthetically gorgeous and is an incredible piece of engineering. However, it has some shortcomings which really stand out: 1. The unit is very slow to start up 2. UNBELIEVABLY slow to load a DVD 3. Even MORE unbelievable slow to start playing a DVD, even non-BluRay 4. Doesn't seem to support fast forwarding through BluRay discs However the pros far outweigh the issues above. The menuing system is easy to use and understand. Ripping music, photos and video is a breeze, including non protected DVDs. The quality of the picture is stunning - even non Bluray discs (connected to a Bravia XBR4) I was specifically looking for a jukebox DVD changer for Bluray discs and this appears to be the only game in town. Overall I'm very happy with the unit, although I look forward to firmware updates that will increase performance. [Update September 02, 2008]: I finally got in touch with Sony support to inquire about the slow disc loading speed. They acknowledged the slow loading speed and I received the following reply from customer support: "I asked our escalation dept. regarding a firmware update addressing the slow loading speed of disc's in the Home Entertainment Server. They stated that no firmware update is in the works for the Home Entertainment Server at this time. Unknown it they will have one addressing this issue. Sorry I am not able to provide you better news at this time."

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