KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
As noted, the Sony UHD Blu-ray player reviewed here not only worked fine with other brands of equipment, it proved compatible with their HDMI CEC abilities (where one remote can control other equipment through HDMI). However there are definite complementarities to the way Sony has built its ranges, and when we reviewed Sony’s STRDH790 receiver last issue, we realised that many of the things omitted from the receiver in order to hit its $849 price are provided here in the X700 UHD Blu-ray player — so the Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking, and online services like Spotify Connect, YouTube, MUBI (subscription, curated movies), Netflix, catch-up TV and so forth. By pairing the two units, you get all this without needless duplication.
You can read our full review of the receiver by using the QR code or the URL shown left; in a nutshell Sony has made the DH790 a sensibly- equipped receiver suitable for someone seeking to get into home theatre at low cost (although as with its predecessor the DH770, not as low cost as in some markets). It offers four 4K HDMI inputs, a quoted 7 x 90W (into six ohms, two channels driven, 0.09% THD), with proper speaker terminals for front left and right, spring-clip connectors for the rest.