The new Sony UHP-H1 plays everything - Blu-ray, SACD, CD, even DVD-Audio

Looks like the price on the UHP-H1 is going up a bit on Amazon but Best Buy still has it for $199.98 . It's an awesome deal for anyone looking to get into playing SACDs, DVD-As and Blu-ray Audio discs!

Sony - UHP-H1 - Streaming 4K Upscaling Wi-Fi Built-in Hi-Res Audio Blu-ray Player - Black

 

This player can output true DSD via HDMI (assuming the other end accepts the handshake), correct?

I read the owners manual online and wasn't 100% sure

 

The manual states:

[DSD Output Mode]
[Auto]: Outputs DSD signals from the HDMI OUT jack when playing a Super Audio CD and DSD format file. Outputs LPCM signals instead if the HDMI connected device does not support DSD.

If your processor supports DSD then it will transmit DSD via HDMI. If your processor does not support DSD then it will transmit LPCM. Not really a handshake issue but more related to if your processor supports DSD.

 

Thanks Bill.

That seems pretty clear, must have missed that section when reading the manual.
Wonder if there is any point in getting their ES player if using as a transport only.

 

My pleasure. I'd just go with the UHP-H1 if you'll just be using HDMI.

 

And the processor tells the player if it does via the handshake.

 

I know the Bryston DAC I covet supports DSD via HDMI so everything should be fine

 

I saw the new 4K Sony unit at Worst Buy today. No analog output, but incredibly heavy - seems solid as a tank and quite a departure from the cheap plastic junk Sony had been turning out most of the past decade. The cosmetics weren't all that great though - what plastics were on the exterior seemed kinda cheap - but still, nice to see them headed in the right direction. Like the UHP-H1 it has a separate HDMI output for audio-only use, which is a nice touch.

If I bother to get a 4K TV this year maybe I'll buy one...

 

Ok, mine just crapped out on a power cycling.. had to unplug and replug in several times, looks like it is working again.

Im going to use this a lot over the next week and see if it happens again.

Annoying.

Ddidnt realize you cannot mirror an iPad, also annoying

App store doesn't have hbo go, annoying.

On the plus, the upscaling and sound have been awesome, I want to like this player, but it's a short leash if this power issue pops up again soon.

 

I forget - did you upgrade to the latest firmware (or did it come with it?).

 

And when the same thing happened to mine yesterday, I couldn't understand what was up.

 

Yeah its the latest...

 

Oh boy...

 

Now my display stopped working correct.

I'm sending this back. The search goes on...

 

It's odd that both of us had new units that would not turn on. The control for HDMI in the System Settings menu should be set to OFF. Mine was ON.
Also, check that your HDMI cable connections are good. The Sony and the TV have to "handshake" through the cable. I discovered a bad socket on my TV.
Good luck.

 

I just got one of these, and it was an open box from Best Buy ($160!!!), so it's been used. I plugged it in, did one firmware update, and off I went. No problems with it at all. I run it through my Marantz receiver before it goes to my TV, and it actually took control of my receiver in a cool way! With my old Sony Blu-Ray, I had to switch the receiver over to BD, but this player switches the receiver to that input automatically when you turn on the player! I've never had a modern component do that! At the price I paid for it, this thing does a lot of stuff!

 

Do you have CEC turned on, or does the player just do it on its own?

 

I didn't change anything. It did it right out of the box. if I turn the player on, my Marantz receiver immediately switches to the BD input channel.

 

It is on by default, but can be disabled in the settings. I've chosen to keep it enabled since I like that I can turn on the Blu Ray player and it will turn on the TV, the receiver and switch to the appropriate input automatically.

Below are more details from the manual.

x[HDMI Settings]


By connecting Sony components that are

compatible with HDMI functions with a

High Speed HDMI Cable, operation is

simplified.

[Control for HDMI]

[On]: The following BRAVIA Sync

features are available:

–One-Touch Play

– System Power-Off

– Language Follow

[Off]: Turns off the function.

z

For details, refer to the instruction manual

supplied with the TV or components. To

enable the BRAVIA Sync features, connect

your TV via the HDMI OUT 1 jack.

 

Stopped in at Crutchfield today to try my iPod Classic on the Sony. The only one they had on display was the new 4k version for $100 more and it very briefly showed "USB fault" when connecting the iPod. But since they couldn't find the remote for the Sony, it wasn't a real test. I assume it won't be recognized. It worked even less on an OPPO which simply ignored the USB plug-in. I'll just stick with my TEAC CD player which accepts the iPod in its front-panel USB jack and even controls the iPid with the TEAC remote. Guess I'm saving myself a lot of money by not needing to purchase a SACD library!

 

I think I said it before, but my Marantz receiver has a USB port that recognizes my iPod Classic, so I use that for playing music off said iPod. I purchased this new Sony, and the only thing I don't like about it is that when you play an mkv file, it doesn't recognize the chapters. Other than that, I'm really happy with it!

 

I've only had the UHP-H1 for a couple of weeks, and so far I'm happy with the sound quality.

There has been a lot of talk about the audio resolution via SPDIF output being limited to 24/48. Why, then, is this listed in the manual under Audio Settings?

"[48kHz/96kHz/192kHz PCM]

[48kHz]/[96kHz]/[192kHz]: Sets the sampling frequency for the PCM signals output from the DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL/COAXIAL) jack.

- Some device does not support [96kHz] and [192kHz] sampling frequency."

So, what does this really mean? Something is being supported at 96 and 192 over SPDIF output. Is it just for high resolution files being played through the USB front input?

I am using this as an audio player into a stereo amplifier, and my Bifrost DAC has no sample rate indicators, so I have no way to measure the actual sampling frequency of the SPDIF output. Can someone with the appropriate equipment set this parameter to 192kHz and run some tests with SACD, DVD/A, and Blu-Ray Audio, just to see if anything better than 24/48 comes out of SPDIF?

 

"There has been a lot of talk about the audio resolution via SPDIF output being limited to 24/48"

I don't think so, there is no problem outputting 24/192 through coax.

 

The S/PDIF outputs on the UHP-H1 are capable of outputting 196 kHz but there two limitations which have nothing to do with the UHP itself:

1. The copyright protections on disc formats esp. SACD which forbid the output of very high res via the S/PDIF outputs.

2. Specifically in the case of the OPTICAL output, some devices and many cheaper optical cables are only capable of 96 kHz so if you hook one of those up to the UHP optical output, you will only get 96 kHz, obviously.

 

How many people are running this "headless" (no monitor)?
I'm thinking about grabbing an open box unit to use in a 2 channel analog setup.