Sony DVPCX995V 400-Disc DVD Mega Changer/Player (2009 Model)
Disappointed to be Sure
I sold my Pioneer DV-F727 so that I could replace it with the Sony CX995, as we had recently bought a 50\\" plasma display and I wanted to be able to upconvert, which the Pioneer couldn't do. Also, the additional 100 (99 actually) disc capability would accommodate my ever-expanding library of DVDs and CDs. <br /> <br />Similar to the other reviews, I can't stand the kludgy interface. It is SLOWWWWWW and cumbersome, especially when entering text for your discs. And speaking of which, it is VERY POOR at reading the text information from the discs. I know they state that it is dependant upon the information on the discs, but I know better... my Pioneer read at least the title information on MOST of my DVDs and CDs, while the Sony read FEW of the DVDs and NONE of the CDs (out of nearly 100 production DVDs and 200 production audio CDs)!!! This is PATHETIC! <br /> <br />So I hook up my keyboard, as I did with the Pioneer (ONCE) long ago, and started typing in the disc information - what a pain! As I stated previously, the interface is very slow and kludgy to navigate, as I can easily outpace its ability to keep up with my typing entry, and it takes 2 enters, text input, escape and enter just to enter the first information (title of DVD or CD). Instead of automatically moving down to the next field, you have to arrow down and then repeat the sequence for the actors/artist. Again, once you have entered that information and escape out of the entry field it returns you to the first field so you can arrow down twice to get to the genre field. This is a selection area with fixed categories to select from and requires you to navigate using the arrow keys (or the remote control) to select one of the fixed categories. The DVD categories are on top (even when entering data for audio CDs), and they didn't allow the interface to accept the first letter as a jump key - selecting \\"Rock\\", for instance (as I have done nearly 200 times now!) requires you to press the right arrow key twice,the down arrow key 4 times, then enter to select and set the category. As far as the categories go, there are the major genres listed, along with a catch-all \\"Other\\". There is no provision to enter your own custom categories, which is a major shortcoming for me as I had been able to do so on the Pioneer and then play random mixes based on the categories (i.e. 70's rock, hard rock, soft rock, Christmas, easy listening, etc.). <br /> <br />Now, a word about the stated response regarding autoplay... baloney! The Pioneer never did that, and neither should the Sony!!! For some reason the player automatically loads the disc in the selected slot whenever you power on, close the cover, etc., and this causes it to begin playing. There is NO REASON for it to do so and this is just plain bad design. When I first turn it on, the last thing I am usually going to want to do is watch or listen to the last disc I had loaded. If I did, I could just push play and (presuming that I had not finished it) the nice resume feature would begin where I left off. However, we usually finish movies and I would be much more inclined to move to a different slot for watching or listening, and I'd much prefer to make the selection myself without having to wait to stop it (even with the tip of pushing the Folder button). <br /> <br />Moving through the discs is cumbersome, as stated, especially with the remote, and even with the jump feature it is still a poor design. It does not allow for entering the disc number(s) on the numeric keypad to jump directly to a specific disc, and when paging through discs you can't pause too long because it will then try to load the disc and get into the autoplay loop. One of the best features of the Pioneer that is missing with the Sony was the 'x01' slot... the first slot was dedicated to one-time watching/listening (perhaps a rental DVD or borrowed CD) - there were separate access and play keys for the slot which would move the carousel to the first slot's load position, allow you to insert the disc, then play the disc from that slot. This would not disrupt your indexing/titling and was VERY convenient. The lack of this ability and the cumbersome manner in which the same scenario works on the Sony are huge shortcomings. <br /> <br />All in all, I'm VERY DISAPPOINTED in this and can hardly believe it is really a Sony product... I've had Sony gear in the past and have found their products to be very well designed. I've only had the unit a week and already I regret making the purchase... heck, I haven't even had a chance to really put it through its paces yet. I'm being generous giving it 2 stars, as my inclination is to rate it 1 star. I'll give it some time, but I'll also be looking to Pioneer to update their design and produce a progressive player with upconvert capabilities, then I believe I'll be selling the Sony and getting the Pioneer.