Jordan O'BrienDespite having recently revealed the 4K HDR-compatible PlayStation 4 Pro, Sony left off one important feature that those opting for the Xbox One S would receive – a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. It doesn’t look like Sony is going to fix that omission anytime soon, but the company has revealed its first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player and it is good news for the custom install industry – as the X1000ES player won’t be available to end-users when it launches in spring 2017.
Sony says that this new Ultra HD Blu-ray player was specficially designed for the custom install market – boasting many features that installers will find helpful, such as support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio formats and ‘virtually any optical disk format’.
According to Yukio Ishikawa, director of home entertainment systems for Sony Electronics: “The new UBP-X1000ES player has been long awaited by custom installers who desire a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player that provides a ‘one-stop’ solution for their clients’ premium entertainment needs. Our new reference model has been specifically designed to deliver the highest quality video and audio possible and will excite the most demanding AV enthusiasts.”
The X1000ES Universal Player is compatible with Ultra HD Blu-ray discs as well as video streaming in full 4K resolution and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
In addition to support for Ultra HD Blu-ray discs the X1000ES utilises a Sony developed Precision HD drive to help maintain consistent performance with virtually every optical disc format, including DVD Video and DVD Audio; CD and SA-CD; and Blu-ray 3D and BD-ROM media. The player further incorporates a variety of video codecs that can deliver 4K streaming from video streaming services.
A dedicated picture mode for HDR content is provided, along with Sony’s video processing that upscales 1080p content to near 4K 60p resolution. Additionally, when playing 4K HDR content on a 4K SDR television the X1000ES utilises a unique Sony algorithm to reproduce the proper brightness and colour gradations to provide the best picture possible.
The UBP-X1000ES’s support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-oriented audio compatible receivers is going to be key for some installers. In addition to that support, the player’s 32-bit processing DAC is compatible with both native DSD (at up to 11.2 MHz) and LPCM (at up to 192kHz) Hi-Res Music files, which are available in a number of different formats.
As for hardware, Sony has incorporated some of the flourishes that have been seen on several ES range products in recent years. This includes its Frame and Beam (FB) chassis which helps to increase structural rigidity. It also includes its honeycomb top plate, sf heat sync and offset insulator feet which reduce the effects of both airborne and mechanical vibration. Even the player’s removable rack-mount ears (to be sold separately) are designed to reduce vibration and electrical noise.
The X1000ES offers a number of other ES refinements, including dual HDMI outputs with separate audio and video signal paths and its HDMI, 2ch analog and coaxial digital outputs are gold evaporated for better conductivity.
So what makes the X1000ES specifically for the custom install industry? Well, unlike many conventional 4K Ultra HD players currently on the market Sony has fully certified its model with some of the leading home control and automation systems – this includes Control4, Crestron and Savant, amongst others. Furthermore, The UBP-X1000ES provides virtually every connectivity option required for today’s custom installations, including IP Control over CAT 5 cable or Wi-Fi networks; RS232C two-way control and IR-IN. A web browser interface is also offered, along with support for ihiji.