Sony BDV-E780W Blu-Ray Disc Player Home Entertainment System (Black)
Review by Chanfrancisco : COULDN'T CONNECT TO INTERNET/WIRELESS SPEAKERS WOULDN'T WORK

One reason I bought this system was so I could stream NetFlix movies, but I could never get it to work. I read reviews at CNET and other places, and I see now that this unit was tested by people who didn't have to set up an internet connection with it. I think that the professional critics were charmed by all of the features and the sound quality, but never had to unpack the carton and connect the thing to an actual TV. I thought I had learned, long ago, about listening to professional critics. So listen to me, you non-professional, reasonably intelligent dorks and geezers.

I appreciate the review entered by Swarup who had the same problem. I'm entering a separate review to get this glitch out into the public eye. I wish I had read Swarup's review earlier, so I would have known that there was a known issue.

I contacted Sony and went through a "chat" trouble shoot. They never let on that the problem was a known issue. After unplugging, replugging, turn it on/turn it off and swinging a dead cat over my head, the Sony tech suggested I reset my DSL modem, which I did. This completely made my internet access end, so I had another problem to fix, this time with AT&T. Oh happy day.

The wireless rear speakers wouldn't work either. The sound from the remaining speakers in the unit was great although the speakers only weigh a few ounces each. I couldn't get past their lightness. Without some heft, the speakers felt like they were from a cheap system. I'm old fashioned that way, but I eventually got past my snobbery and started to dig the sound quality.

I had gone through all of the troubleshooting I found in the owners manual and online, and I just decided to return the thing. I bought the Samsung Electronics HT-D6500W Home Theater System, and I hope that works. Watch for my review.

Don't forget to always save the original packaging until the return time is up. I was glad I did. Amazon.com was really great about taking the thing back.

Sony BDV-E780W Blu-Ray Disc Player Home Entertainment System (Black)
Review by Swarup : Wi-Fi connection Issues

This product works great.The only issue is if you have a wifi network at your home which you don't broadcast, this device is not going to connect to it. You need to broadcast your network SSID to connect internet to this Home Theater system. I spent hours trying to connect to my wi-fi network(i don't broadacast my network for security reasons) and it just failed to connect. Contacted Sony Support and they said it's a known issue with the device and they are working on a firmware upgrade. But no ETA when it will be released..

Sony BDV-E780W Blu-Ray Disc Player Home Entertainment System (Black)
Review by Kodos43 : Sleek looking easy set up.

This surround sound system is one of the highest rated systems on Cnet.com and many others. Its' sleek design, built in wifi, wireless rear speakers and the 2 HDMI inputs on the back, make for an impressive home theater system in a box. 1000 watts is plenty of power for my 20x20 family room. The center channel is strong enough to really bring the verbal audio through clearly without the other speakers overpowering it. The sub woofer is strong, but not overpowering either. I have the volume turned half way up, and neither the person on the floor below or above have a problem with it. Sounds great! In my opinion, one of the best features has to be the ease of set up. The wires are all color labeled. The surround sound set up is aided by an included microphone that is placed in the seating area during surround sound testing. Very easy. Also, using the Sony interface is a convenience. Hooking the cables from the DirecTv was also very simple, as was setting up the wifi connection. Netflix, Amazon Direct and Vudu are ready to go when connected. Again, the Sony interface is easy to navigate.
I'm very pleased with this system and recommend it. The T.V. is a 73 inch DLP. And, the surround sound works great with it!

The comment following this post is correct, that at this time there isn't a review of this model. Cnet.com reviewed this model's predecessor, the bdv-e770w. Cnet gave the e770w 4 stars, with the complaint that there were no HDMI inputs on the back and that the wifi required an enclosed USB dongle. Both of those complaints were fixed in the new bdv-e780w.

Also, I found mine on Technoweb.com for $460 delivered. And delivery was very fast! Enjoy!