Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As a precursor: I'm the owner and lead installer for a custom home theater company, so I've used almost every dvd / blu-ray player out there. This unit is no different from any blu-ray player sony has manufactured for the past several years. It does have a new look and feel to the GUI (menus) but it's no more functional than the previous version. Like all blu-ray players, it plays blu-ray and dvd discs just fine, but is not any faster at loading than last years model. The bottom line: for most consumers this player will suit your needs just fine. For the gadget lovers that are buying due to the touted smart features you will be disappointed as usual... Sony has slapped some new marketing on old technology once again... The two features I WAS excited about were as follows: FAIL #1: TV SIDEVIEW APP: I was hopeful this new model would bring new life to the mobile to TV interface and control possibilities. It didn't! The keyboard feature of the app does NOT work. With all the smart streaming services out there, a keyboard on your phone or tablet would be great to type the movie title or episode name into search on you favorite streaming service wouldn't it? Nope, the keyboard in the Sideview app gives an error message that there is not a text window open. FAIL #2 SCREEN MIRRORING So like alot of others out there, I use apps on my phone for things like music, movies, videos, photos and more that don't have an app on a device that connects to a TV. So I love to use screen mirroring to send my content to my TV. I have several devices in my home that do it. The New Sony BDPS5500 blu-ray player is NOT one of them. I have a Samsung Note 3, Note 4, 8" tablet and 10" tablet and none of them will connect to this player. Every device I have tried receive a "CONNECTION FAILED" message every time. Bottom Line: This is a decent blu-ray player... Sony has made a "decent" player for years. But it's no different than the 5100 or 5200 models before it other than prettier icons on the menu. One device that does all the thing I discussed above and does it well is the Roku 3. My advice is go for a cheaper blu-ray player for discs and a Roku 3 for all the smart feature. Just my 2 cents... hope it helps..