A:AnswerRuss, there are now 3 major disc formats: DVD (480P), Standard Blu-Ray (1080P HD), and 4K Blu-Ray (2160P Ultra HD). What you have in this player is a DVD and standard Blu-Ray player. It does NOT play 4K Blu-Ray discs. What is does do is "upconverts" the resolution of standard Blu-Ray discs (1080P) to mimic 4k (2160P) output. It takes a Blu-Ray's 1080P image and uses an algorithm to "guess" what the extra pixels would look like, then outputs a 4K image. I believe most 4K players also have this ability for the original DVD and Blu-Ray formats.
For those who are unfamiliar with the terminology 480P, 1080P, and 2160P, these designations refer to horizontal lines of resolution. Obviously, the more lines of resolution you have, the more detailed the picture will be. The "P" refers to a format called Progressive scan. These days, the "P" can largely be ignored since all new formats use Progressive scan.
The following is for those who want a better understanding of Progressive scan but might be too much information for non-techies:
During the initial roll out of HD, networks were still broadcasting analog rather than digital signals and used a format called interlacing (480i and 1080i) to squeeze more broadcast into limited bandwidth. In an Interlaced signal, only half the image was displayed on your TV screen at any given time. Your TV would show the odd lines of resolution then, a split second later (1/60 of a second to be exact) it would flash the even lines of resolution. Your mind would naturally piece the two half images together into a single picture although, occasionally, with an noticeable flicker.
Once digital signals replaced analog, bandwidth skyrocketed over the same network infrastructure and providers became less concerned about the amount of information contained in a single signal. Now, essentially all broadcasts and recordings (Blu-Ray discs) are in the Progressive format where the entire high definition image is flashed on the screen together at 30 frames/second. The result is a crystal clear, razor sharp, and flicker free high definition image.
A:AnswerHi Velo, based on the specifications of this unit, this is a smart Blu-ray player that you can stream from 300+ entertainment services, play PlayStation Now games and upscale your content to near-4K quality13. Even connect wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones, wireless speakers, game controllers and more. No, you don't need a newer smart TV to connect this unit. As long as there's an HDMI input port on your TV, this player should work. Dave
A:AnswerYou do not need a 4K tv to use this player. You would need a 3D tv to watch and play 3D blue ray, 3D Dvds and 3D movies. You do not need a 4K 3D tv to use this player overall unless you want to upgrade. The standard tv should work and keep in mind the DVD player does play regular DVDs and Blue rays as well has built in wi fi with choices of streaming. It does require download upgrades from time to time. I have an older not smart tv and it seems to be working fine.
A:AnswerI lost You Tube on 2 other older Sony Blue Ray players because Sony was no longer compatible with You Tube. I bought the S6700 and it plays You tube but several important apps will not load and Sony has been zero assistance. The S6700 comes with a Playstation app which Sony is scheduled to discontinue. I am very unhappy with lack of reliability.
A:AnswerAbsolutely. The TV will need to accept HDMI input. My old Sony TV is a 720P and things work perfectly. A higher resolution TV will deliver better images with higher resolution sources. I can play 4K source material from a computer to my TV via Ethernet cable and it looks great, but not as good as it would with a 4K TV.
A:AnswerThe "300 apps" is an advertising scheme, it comes with about 40 pre-installed apps selected for your region, there is no way to add apps. It has amazon, hulu, netflix, youtube, fox news, and some popular music streaming apps, the rest are things most people never heard of.
A:AnswerDoes not come with an HDMI Cable. The Store assistant told me that once connected to a 4K tv, player automatically upgrades to 4K. I plan to get a 4K , but don't have one yet. Don't think you need a cable for that connection.
