What do you think of an Xbox One S as a 4K blu-ray player?

[Craig234]

I used the PS3 for blu-rays, worked great. Any reason not to use an Xbox One S for 4K blue-ray? Should have asked earlier since they're well under $200 for Cyber Monday.

 

[sdifox]

Are you just using it as 4k uhd player or actually playing games?

 

[Craig234]

Are you just using it as 4k uhd player or actually playing games?

An Xbox would probably be mainly for a 4K blu-ray player, but some games are a possibility.

 

[sdifox]

An Xbox would probably be mainly for a 4K blu-ray player, but some games are a possibility.

If gaming is not the primary concern then S is fine. The X is prettier for gaming

https://www.cnet.com/news/4k-blu-ray-player-shootout-xbox-one-s-vs-samsung-vs-sony-vs-oppo/

 

[Craig234]

If gaming is not the primary concern then S is fine. The X is prettier for gaming

https://www.cnet.com/news/4k-blu-ray-player-shootout-xbox-one-s-vs-samsung-vs-sony-vs-oppo/

Are the S and X players the same?

I saw someone say the player on the S was very loud playing 4K discs.

 

[sdifox]

Are the S and X players the same?

I saw someone say the player on the S was very loud playing 4K discs.

You mean the BluRay drive? I wouldn't know.

 

[Aikouka]

I don't recommend using the Xbox One S. It's unfortunate, because the console is a great value proposition if you also want to use it as a gaming console. However, it's biggest fault is that the console lacks shielding to reduce disc noise, and consequently, you can hear it during low volume scenes during a movie. My inaugural UHD viewing was Sicario, and I heard it quite a lot. I also had issues with my movie slowing down randomly... sort of like the framerate dropped to half. It wasn't a disc issue as it doesn't occur in the same spot, and it doesn't occur on other players.

If you just want a player, Best Buy has the LG UP875 on sale for $99 right now. Although, do note that the UP875 does not support Dolby Vision. LG did release an update for their UP970 ($199) to support Dolby Vision, but they ended up pulling it a week or so later. I haven't heard anything about LG releasing the update again, but it's supposed to support it at some point. I would do a little research into noise on some of these players. I recall reading that some people complained about the units being noisy, and they had to return them to get one that didn't have the problem.

To note, I own a Sony UBP-X800 and an Oppo BDP-203, and I haven't had an issue with either. If you're okay with paying around $199, the Sony unit is a fine choice, but it will never support Dolby Vision. The Oppo is far more expensive (around $500), but it also seems to work the best.

 

[alcoholbob]

Are the S and X players the same?

I saw someone say the player on the S was very loud playing 4K discs.

The Xbox One X also sounds like a tornado when playing UHD discs. It's much quieter when gaming. The disc drive makes up the majority of the system noise.

 

[Craig234]

I don't recommend using the Xbox One S. It's unfortunate, because the console is a great value proposition if you also want to use it as a gaming console. However, it's biggest fault is that the console lacks shielding to reduce disc noise, and consequently, you can hear it during low volume scenes during a movie. My inaugural UHD viewing was Sicario, and I heard it quite a lot. I also had issues with my movie slowing down randomly... sort of like the framerate dropped to half. It wasn't a disc issue as it doesn't occur in the same spot, and it doesn't occur on other players.

If you just want a player, Best Buy has the LG UP875 on sale for $99 right now. Although, do note that the UP875 does not support Dolby Vision. LG did release an update for their UP970 ($199) to support Dolby Vision, but they ended up pulling it a week or so later. I haven't heard anything about LG releasing the update again, but it's supposed to support it at some point. I would do a little research into noise on some of these players. I recall reading that some people complained about the units being noisy, and they had to return them to get one that didn't have the problem.

To note, I own a Sony UBP-X800 and an Oppo BDP-203, and I haven't had an issue with either. If you're okay with paying around $199, the Sony unit is a fine choice, but it will never support Dolby Vision. The Oppo is far more expensive (around $500), but it also seems to work the best.

Thanks, that's about where I've gotten starting to look at this. I'm not in a rush since I have no 4K discs (the tv isn't even here), and it seems like I should get dolby vision since the 930e says it'll do it eventually, but $500 for the oppo isn't the first choice, to see any other options. I'm guessing new players will come out.

 

[Craig234]

The Xbox One X also sounds like a tornado when playing UHD discs. It's much quieter when gaming. The disc drive makes up the majority of the system noise.

That sort of kills it.

Unless there was a sound enclosure for the Xbox to quiet it (I've thought about that for a PC).

 

[Aikouka]

$500 for the oppo isn't the first choice, to see any other options. I'm guessing new players will come out.

There were two things that pushed me over the edge to getting the Oppo. The first is that they made some refurbished units available to purchase, and they were a bit cheaper at around $430. Obviously, that still isn't that cheap, but it is a decent discount over the normal units. Also, the refurbished units have the exact same warranty as the original. Another reason that I went with it is that I saw people talk about Oppo players holding their value really well. It's kind of like when you buy an iPhone, and yeah... it seems expensive, but it also holds its value a bit better than most other phones.

I can definitely understand a bit of hesitation in paying a lot of money for one... especially with HDMI 2.1 being formally announced. Although, I don't see HDMI 2.1 being too disruptive for stand-alone UHD players.

The Xbox One X also sounds like a tornado when playing UHD discs. It's much quieter when gaming. The disc drive makes up the majority of the system noise.

That's a bummer to hear. I was really hoping that Microsoft would address that problem in their fancy console, but I'm wondering if they didn't want to create a hulking monstrosity like some of the stand-alone players are. I've mentioned it in other threads, but the Oppo player is nearly 10 pounds, and that might be a bit surprising if you see just how little is in the shell.

 

[Craig234]

There were two things that pushed me over the edge to getting the Oppo. The first is that they made some refurbished units available to purchase, and they were a bit cheaper at around $430. Obviously, that still isn't that cheap, but it is a decent discount over the normal units. Also, the refurbished units have the exact same warranty as the original. Another reason that I went with it is that I saw people talk about Oppo players holding their value really well. It's kind of like when you buy an iPhone, and yeah... it seems expensive, but it also holds its value a bit better than most other phones.

I can definitely understand a bit of hesitation in paying a lot of money for one... especially with HDMI 2.1 being formally announced. Although, I don't see HDMI 2.1 being too disruptive for stand-alone UHD players.

Ya, especially without the discs to play, and hundreds of dvds and blu-rays I have to play (and streaming etc.), it can wait.

I hate hearing about HDMI 2.1 because I'm getting the high end tv just before it comes out and I was concerned whether I should wait to get it.

 

[Aikouka]

Ya, especially without the discs to play, and hundreds of dvds and blu-rays I have to play (and streaming etc.), it can wait.

Not that it helps at this point, but Black Friday was a great time to buy UHD movies. There were a few very recent releases for $10 each and others for $15. I also got in on a few boxed sets that were a good deal. You might still be able to find some deals floating around on them.

Although, just like you had to do in the early day of Blu-ray and HD-DVD, I highly recommend looking up movies prior to buying them. Websites like Blu-ray.com, Hi-Def Digest and AVS Forums review discs for video quality (4K and 1080p) as well as audio quality (object-based and lossless). What you may end up finding are complaints that a movie originates from a "2K DI" (digital intermediate). 2K DIs are typically what studios use for creating 1080p content, so that means is the studio upscaled the image to create their 4K copy. I looked up pretty much every movie that I bought, and a good number of them were believed to be upscaled.

 

[sdifox]

Not that it helps at this point, but Black Friday was a great time to buy UHD movies. There were a few very recent releases for $10 each and others for $15. I also got in on a few boxed sets that were a good deal. You might still be able to find some deals floating around on them.

Although, just like you had to do in the early day of Blu-ray and HD-DVD, I highly recommend looking up movies prior to buying them. Websites like Blu-ray.com, Hi-Def Digest and AVS Forums review discs for video quality (4K and 1080p) as well as audio quality (object-based and lossless). What you may end up finding are complaints that a movie originates from a "2K DI" (digital intermediate). 2K DIs are typically what studios use for creating 1080p content, so that means is the studio upscaled the image to create their 4K copy. I looked up pretty much every movie that I bought, and a good number of them were believed to be upscaled.

Unless they were shot in 4k or film and rescanned, it will be upscaled.

 

[facetman]

If most of the movies you buy/rent are all upscaled from 2k/1080P masters. Cant you then just buy/rent the regular 1080P Blue Ray movie disc with a good Blue Ray player and then use a good AVR that upscales to make it 4k movie? That same AVR will also probably have Dolby vision, DTX, etc. on it as well.