Sunday, November 11, 2012

Best Reviews Of Sony STRDN1030 Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver

Sony STRDN1030 Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver

Sony STRDN1030 Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver

Code : B008BDBPT8
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Rating :
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Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #414 in Receiver or Amplifier
  • Brand: Sony
  • Model: STRDN1030
  • Platform: Windows
  • Format: CD-ROM
  • Dimensions: 9.00" h x
    14.00" w x
    21.00" l,
    24.00 pounds

Features

  • 7.2 Channel 1015W A/V Receiver
  • Built-in WiFi; Built-in Bluetooth for music streaming from your smart phone or tablet; Built-in AirPlay for streaming music from your iPhone/iPad, iTunes, or compatible Apps
  • High Definition Digital Cinema Sound for a theater-like auditory experience
  • 7 HD Inputs for versatile HD connection options
  • 3D Pass-through for compatibility with 3D content





Sony STRDN1030 Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver







   



Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

150 of 154 people found the following review helpful.
5Best receiver I've owned so far - it is packed with features
By Juniorverse1
This is the best A/V receiver that I've owned so far. I've owned an Onkyo TX-SR606 and a Sony STRDH520 in the past. This receiver pumps out better sound and has ten times the number of features.I'll skip going in to too much detail about things like the 5 HDMI inputs, the wattage, and the other bullet points that are clearly listed in the extensive product description here on Amazon. Instead, I'll focus on some of the other questions that I'd be left with as a potential buyer.== BLUETOOTH ==This A/V receiver allows for audio streaming over Bluetooth, so you can play music directly from your phone for example. I tested this feature using my Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). This replaces my previous method of streaming audio from my phone, the Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter for Bluetooth Audio Devices that I had connected to my older Sony STR-DH520. This receiver can remember pairing information for 9 Bluetooth devices.== WI-FI / NETWORK ==There is an antenna on the back of the receiver for connecting via Wi-Fi. The range was fine in my living room. There is also an Ethernet port for a wired connection (my preference).Before you customize the receiver's settings too much, be sure to download the latest update using the settings menu. The download was fast on my internet connection, but the update itself took about 30 minutes to be installed. After restarting, some of my speaker settings were lost and needed to be reset.Using the network connection, you are able to play music on network DLNA servers, which I was able to do using mp3 files stored on my Windows 7 computer in another part of the house. (The receiver cannot play DRM-protected files.) There are also a number of services available using the "SONY Entertainment Network (SEN)". Many of the services, like Pandora and Slacker music streaming, are free and require minimal setup. For example, I linked to my Pandora account after logging in to SONY's special website (listed on the screen) and entering the receiver's code, so all of my Pandora stations and presets show up. I was also able to connect to Slacker's example stations without having to connect to any account. There are some other services available, including vTuner and a pay service called "Music Unlimited".Another available feature is "Party Streaming", which requires Party Streaming-compliant devices. 20 of these devices can be saved to the list at a time. You may also play music from your compatible iOS devices using AirPlay.There is an iOS/Android app called "SONY Media Remote" that allows you to control many aspects of this receiver from your smartphone via Wi-Fi. I installed on on my Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.1 and it works surprisingly well. Response time is just as fast as the regular remote. Personally, I probably won't use it all that much only because I prefer tactile buttons instead of a touchscreen when using a remote, but it will still be a cool thing to show off to visitors. :)== AUDIO AND VIDEO ==Yes, the audio and video is great, especially after using the included auto-calibration microphone. I am using this receiver with a Dish Network receiver, a PS3, a Logitech Revue with Google TV, a three year old 46-inch Samsung LCD TV, and an Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater Speaker set. HDMI handshaking (the amount of time it takes for audio/video to connect when changing inputs) does not take too long, a few seconds at most. The speaker connections on the back allow for twisting the speaker wires and clamping them in, or you can use banana-plugs as I do.== GUI MODE ==Most of the advanced features of this receiver are best used in GUI mode, which is a crude-looking, text only screen representation of the menus and information like the currently playing Pandora song. This feature is slightly obnoxious and could have been so much better because all of the text displays only a few characters at a time and then scrolls the rest at a very slow pace, even though there is plenty of room on the screen to display more characters at a time. It would be great if they would fix this in a future downloadable update.== ONE MONTH LATER ==I am a huge fan of sci-fi/action movies that have incredible special effects and sound... sometimes at the expense of storylines. Movies like "2012" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" come to mind. Well, I just watched "Battleship" on BluRay with this receiver and my Energy speakers. I turned the volume up louder than I have ever done with my other receivers. My ears are almost bleeding. I can't even critique the movie all that much because the visuals and the audio were so amazing with this setup.== SUMMARY ==This is a great receiver, and I am very happy with it. There are many features that I haven't delved into because I do not have compatible devices (an iOS device, Party Streaming devices, etc). But the features I have used above are great and are ones that I have never had on a receiver before.Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any specific questions about this product and I will try and answer them as best as I can!

62 of 64 people found the following review helpful.
5Fantastic New Receiver
By C. Hesman
SONY STRDN-1030 RECEIVERSo, I finally exchanged my Sony STRDH830 for the NEW SONY STRDN-1030 on Sunday.One Word - "AWESOME"The STRDH830 was and is a fantastic receiver and only had it for a few days until I heard the STRDN1030 was due to be released.I swapped it out and man am I Really impressed. Right out the box worked like a charm. Did a few setup steps for Decoding Master Audio and TrueHD. Then I setup the Built in Wireless Network (yes, I said Built in Wireless) and did a firmware update. All worked just flawlessly.The next day I setup SONY REMOTE APP on my Android HTC inspire, did a few tweaks and finally was able to, not only control the receiver, but also stream my music on my phone to the receiver. All functions of my Music Player app controlled my song list. networked my Laptop to the receiver wirelessly and was able to stream my music on it to the receiver and control my song list from the Laptop.My previous Sony STRDH830 did not have these bells and whistles and I honestly thought I would never really use it. Well, I was wrong. I just love it. Audio Decode on Movies beautiful. HDMI handshaking and In/Out just works. Picture Quality Transfer to HD33 from HDMI out is excellent.The only cons to the STR-DH830 as well as the STRDN1030, or any Sony receiver right now is it has a terrible GUI interface displayed on the screen. This really doesn't bother me, because once setup, i just use my remote or phone to make any changes and totally control the receiver without the onscreen GUI. Also, the remote is way to cluttered. Very hard to navigate. Too many buttons.This can be a good thing bcause there is all the functions u need on the darn thing Would be nice if it was backlit but many competitives don't offer it anyway.I recently returned 4 receivers within a 3 week period and settled on the STRDN1030. CNET just did a recent review of the STRDN1030, Onkyo RXX 616 and the Yamaha XXX 573 and compared the Sony sound quality as equal to Denon 1912. At this price range and features, and since it has a wireless antenna, Cant beat the value and build quality.I highly recommend it.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful.
4STR-DN1030 Review
By C. Chenevert
I purchased the str-dn1030 Sony A/V receiver to replace an old school Panasonic Receiver I've owned for over a decade. I have a TiVo HD and PS3 Slim input into the str-dn1030 via HDMI. The str-dn1030 outputs to a wall hung 42" Panasonic Plasma via HDMI. I have internet connected to it via Ethernet. I operate my A/V system with a Harmony 900 (fully RF).The str-dn1030 connected to a 5.1 system and the automatic speaker calibration feature (via the included mic) was very smooth and easy. I really enjoy the sound quality of this unit. The music and sound effects from the opening bank robbery sequence in The Dark Knight (on Bluray) were simply lovely.Video is beautiful.The GUI on the str-dn1030 is almost laughably bad looking and unintuitive, but is perfectly functional with the assistance of the user manual. I am truly perplexed at how bad the GUI is given how Sony can clearly deliver a better product. Perhaps this will be improved in a future firmware update. All this being said, I find the str-dn1030's bad GUI is better than the no GUI on my old Panasonic Receiver.The delay in getting an image from the PS3 or TiVo to my Panny 42" display upon initially powering on the unit, or when switching inputs, was initially jarring for me. It isn't ridiculously long, but definitely noticeable compared to the near instantaneous sound and signal transmission I had enjoyed with my video outputs going directly to the display (via HDMI) and my audio outputs going directly to my old receiver (via Optical).FYI, an inactivity power off feature appeared to have been enabled by default at the factory with my unit. I thought I was initially going crazy when watching Netflix Instant streaming when the str-dn1030 "spontaneously" powered off on my several times in a row. Sure enough the unit was set to power off automatically after a period of inactivity (10 minutes if I recall correctly).I love the str-dn1030's bluetooth audio streaming function. Especially where the str-dn1030 fires up instantly from standby as soon as you "connect" a paired device via bluetooth. I discovered another tricky spot with the user manual. The glossary refers you to page 101 for Bluetooth Pairing...don't fall for it! Go to page 82 instead.I think the build quality of the unit is very good and overall I'm very pleased with the daily functioning of this device.

See all 99 customer reviews...



Sony STRDN1030 Wi-Fi Network A/V Receiver. Reviewed by Jake B. Rating: 4.8

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