Sony ES BDV-IT1000ES 5.1 Channel Home Theater System
From Sony
Enjoy the magic of Hollywood from the comfort of home with the BDV-IT1000ES 5.1-channel Blu-ray Disc player home theater system. It epitomizes performance and style with Full HD 1080p resolution for amazing pictures and beautiful sound with exclusive, incredibly thin speaker technology. With two HDMI inputs and infrared (IR) in/out, you can connect and control additional compatible HD sources. Make the most of your Blu-ray Disc entertainment and download available bonus materials and games with BD-Live and an Ethernet connection. This system also has S-AIR digital wireless technology that supports the included wireless surround speakers. For added convenience, Digital Cinema Auto Calibration optimizes sound settings for your room with the push of a button.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #40848 in Consumer Electronics
- Color: Black
- Brand: Sony
- Model: BDVIT1000ES
- Dimensions: 23.70" h x 20.83" w x 26.57" l, 119.70 pounds
Wireless problems solved.
I had the same problem with the wireless rear speakers on my system that others are describing; not pairing or working at all. After hours of troubleshooting and fruitless phone calls to Sony I found the problem. The HDMI output jack on the main unit is right next to wireless transceiver. A poorly shielded HDMI cable will cause wireless interference; especially with the output resolution set to 1080i/p. You can test this by unplugging all HDMI cables and connecting it to your TV with the composite video cable that came with the unit. I purchased one of Sony's pricey triple-shielded DLCHD30G HDMI cables and haven't had any problems since. Sony is truly clueless that this is the real cause of the problem and had wanted me to send the entire system back to them for repair. The EZW-EC10 pairing wire may be helping some but I think HDMI cable interference is the root problem. Except for this issue I have really been enjoying this system.
Incredible sound from such small speakers
I rent my home, so I'm hesitant to go with a full blown home theater component system tailed to my viewing room, so I stick with HTIBs. The blu-ray HITB market is relatively sparse at the moment, so I shelled out more than I expected on this system. Luckily, it was well worth the money.
These tiny speaker "bars" (I don't know what else you could really call them) are incredible. They are smaller than I expected from the photos and descriptions, but once set up and configured for the room (set up is a bit bothersome, but configuring once all the equipment is in place is quick and easy) I was blown away. You just have to hear them to believe all that sound comes out of those funky, fragile looking wafer speakers. The sub, though passive, pounds out the deep tones.
The system comes with wall mounting brackets, and are small and light enough that I'll probalby mount them up this weekend. It only comes with desktop stands - if you want to mount the speakers on the floors, you'll have to purchase a set of extenders to raise the speakers up to the appropriate level. Given the small height and footprint of the stand-mounted speakers, I was able to place the front speakers on the same stand as the TV, and the rear speakers on small tables next to my couch.
I was unsure about having wireless speakers, but the included S-Air system works nicely. The S-Air unit plugs in to an electic outlet and connects wirelessly to the receiver, and the rear speakers plug into the S-Air unit rather than the receiver, so there is no worry about batteries. The surround sound through the unit was flawless.
The only drawback to these speakers is placing the wires into the speaker connectors. Sony has a pretty good idea on doing so, but it's just not up to snuff yet. The wires terminate into nice sized gold plated points that get inserted into the bottom of the speakers, and they should lock into place, but the small size of the enclosure and the flimsiness of the speaker cable just above these connectors (where you tend to push from) make it a bit challenging to do correctly. I'm not quite sure all of the wires are in correctly, or the locking mechanism isn't up to par, as you are supposed to be able to "gently tug" on the wires without them pulling out - but they all seemed to come out quite easily with minimal force. Once I gave up trying and figured it would be good enough, the rest of the installation was simple, and the speakers are working just fine.
Also watch out for the tape on the front of the system that holds the drive door closed. On mine it was quite easy to miss, until I pressed the open button on the remote and realized something was wrong.
I still think 2,000 is a bit on the expensive side, but I certainly do not regret purchasing this system, as I'd rather have spent too much and be sastified than to have spent much less and be underwhelmed.
Special note of appreciation to Sony for a pretty detailed manual and the extra explantions on the on-screen menus to help guide setup/configuration. In a time when most companies give you very little printed info aside from a single, poorly documented fold out sheet, this was a treat.
Pros:
Great looking system
small, light speaker bars
outstanding sound
easy setup of system configuration
easily upgraded via a direction network connection
plenty of in/out options (2 optical audio in especially)
S-Air unit functionality
upgradability to 7.1 system
Cons:
Wire connectors on speaker bar
price
no floor stand extenders included in box
Stylish system with surprisingly good sound
This system was beautifully packed and came with clear step by step instructions. Several hours of work later, everything was up and running perfectly. The auto-calibration microphone was amazing - within a minute it the surround sound was balanced, and I was popping in CDs to check out the sound. I was surprised that you could really hear the difference in quality of the recordings. The sound itself is very good, sometimes excellent. It has no problem reading music CDs I burned on my computer. Once in awhile I notice a bit of weakness in the mid-tones, but it handles low tones and high notes with ease. It's truly remarkable considering the tiny size of the speakers. It also has a nice radio setup.
You understand just what this setup was created to handle when you listen to a blu-ray disc. The sound is amazing--every bit as good as a theatre. It also does an excellent job of upscaling DVDs, so you don't have to spend a fortune upgrading your movie collection.
There are only 2 things I wish were different. One is that it is equally slow to load and play any disc. A CD takes as long to be recognized and available to play as does a Blu-ray disc. This is annoying, especially as you have to hit the play button twice to get the CD to actually play. The other problem is that you can't setup your system without turning on a monitor that it's hooked up to. The minimalistic controls look great, but are in some ways not as practical as having more buttons you can use--you have to scroll laboriously through menus to get the function you want. However, at least it remembers whatever you were last using (like CD, radio, or TV) and starts there again.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this sound system. It does a good to excellent job of playing music and a superb job with movies. Furthermore, it was a snap to upgrade the firmware, and I haven't had a DVD yet that it couldn't play, and play well. I'd recommend it for anyone with a Sony TV, especially if you don't want to string wires across the room (the rear speakers use a wireless transmitter).
The only extra you might want is to have more S-air units. This 5.1 system can be converted to 7.1 with an extra S-air pair of speakers, and it can even handle a third S-air unit in another room.
