Sony BDV-N990W

Great all in one home theatre package – This is a really good all in one home theatre package to match with a large HDTV. I waited a while to buy one, my main criteria was a unit which took 5.1 LPCM input over HDMI. Previous Sony and current Samsung units only advertise 2.0 LPCM input. But I confirmed via manual that this one had 5.1 input and I can confirm it works perfectly. What does this mean?

Big screen PC gaming in 5.1 surround requiring only the HDMI cable from your modern video card. It even passes my 360 5.1 DD via the TV ARC to the receiver which is cool (as there are only 2 inputs on the unit). Like any "Smart" appliance though it is not without its quirks.

Hopefully some of these will be addressed with firmware updates. For example, it's a lengthy process turn on or off Dolby Pro-Logic for old Dolby Stereo recordings. Media support is good but not brilliant (NTFS is supported, exFAT is not which is odd as the Bravia TV is the reverse), plays back .mkv but some crash unit, error recovery is poor (usually require lengthy turning it on and off).

Does not play back 24 FPS .mkv in 24 Hz though. Would love to see DVD/BluRay ISO/folder support (but I guess they don't really want to make it too easy for pirates, at the expense of legitimate ripping of your own content). Would also like it to play files over network (not the DLNA rubbish) but no such luck.

HDMI control takes some getting used to (TV/BR Player "talking" to each other and using each other's remotes) but it's very handy (like the auto-switching when you watch a TV show). Great sound and input options. Just wish NVIDIA 3DTV Play recognised it! It's a huge, long unit with an awkward side slotted disc loading system, which could make for difficult placement in some entertainment units. Shiny LCD / control panel scratched very easily first time I cleaned it.

Great picture, amazing sound – We bought this as a upgrade. It's excellent. It's good looking and works so well. Was easy to put together. The wireless rear speakers are a must have! Less wires around our house. Easy to use touch screen On the DVD player. "Make watching movies pretty awesome" as said by my husband. The look, speakers