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Sony streaming media player SMP-N100
Article by Iram
I've been searching some time for a device that will stream media on my television from my wireless network. The Sony SMP-N100 Network Media Player recently caught my eye as a serious contender. Given the awesome features promised, combined with the recent price drop, I simply couldn't resist purchasing this device.
I purchased the Sony streaming player from the Sony Store Online, store.sony.com, whilst waiting in line to purchase one on Black Friday. I was actually able to purchase it for the same price as all the big box stores were offering it over the holiday weekend.
The concept of this device is simply cool; there's no other word for it. I've got a Raid 0 DLNA media server in my safe, complete with wireless access to stream all my photos, videos, and music across my home network. This was the icing on the cake for the SMP-N100, as it had claimed to be DLNA certified.
I hooked the device up via HDMI cable, and I was running the "easy setup" in no time flat. Technology is great. Entered the wireless access code, which comes standard in every nerd's immediate memory, and I was looking at my server, properly named "secretstorage," right there on my tv. Have I mentioned that technology is fantastic?
This was a step up from my Western Digital WDTV, as I no longer needed to copy my media to a flash drive to view it on my TV. Sure, I've hacked the firmware in the past to allow a USB wireless network adapter to access my media through a standard linux OS on the WDTV, but that was complicated, and didn't work well 100% of the time. I need something solid, something like the SMP-N100.
So I select a test video, video_10880.mpg, on the Sony SMP-N100 streaming media player. Unfortunately, I receive the message, "the file is corrupt or unsupported." That's fine. I'm still feeling good. Perhaps the file is actually corrupted. So I try the next file in the series… No dice.
So I've got a little buyers remorse. It's a shame in this day when you can't expect what you pay for. But perhaps it's me; maybe I've missed a setting. I actually found that media play over the DLNA server on the Sony Streaming Player is shaky at best. Sometimes it will play your media, most of the time it will tell you that it is corrupted. After many searches, I found I'm not the only one with this problem, as I found numerous complains about the compatibility with DLNA servers. This is a problem that has not been addressed by Sony.
I initially thought it may be a network error or perhaps my server that was malfunctioning, but the DLNA player on Windows 7 and the playstation 3 worked just fine. It's late, and I've had enough tinkering for the day. I decided I'm going to relax in front of the TV and fall asleep.
But then the device is compatible with Hulu plus, YouTube, Pandora, Netflix, etc,… So let's get this baby going with my Netflix account. Simple enough, right? The SMP-N100 gave me a registration code that I needed to enter at internet.sony.tv/netflix. And that's o.k with me; I can do that.
I go to the site and find that I need a Sony "essentials" account to access these features. Man, I'm a little bummed at this point, but I have to continue. After-all, I've gone this far already. I click "create account," and proceed to enter my e-mail address and password. It's a new password for a new account, meaning I have to enter it twice. This is standard protocol for any online account. Only, I get error messages. Not the "your password needs to be x amount of characters" message, but rather the generic "there were errors with the form but we can't give you specifics."
I tried numerous times before receiving the error message that I had exceeded the maximum number of login attempts, and my account has been suspended. But what account? I was trying to sign up, not sign in. It's o.k. though; I'm a patient, understanding person. I do realize that technology isn't always what it should be, and I can live with that.
I was given a number to call with the error message. Keep in mind now that all I'm trying to do is access Netflix. I call the number, speak with an operator, telling her the reason for my call. After waiting for 10 minutes, I was connected with someone who did not speak my language well. This is also standard protocol for companies to offer you drones who barely speak your language to help you with your technical problems. I'm an American; I'm used to being treated like this. I understand that my cheap products result in cheap support.
I was transferred to 5 different departments with a total wait time of nearly an hour before hanging up in disgust. I'm just trying to access Netflix. I'm not loving technology right now. I think it's time for a little lesson in free marketing; this product is going back, and I will not be making any more Sony purchases.
I go to the Sony store to login and get a RMA number. It's a Return Merchandise Authorization number that allows you to return junk to its maker. "You entered an invalid email address or password. Please try again. If you continue to experience difficulties with your account, please contact us at 1-877-731-7669 or by email at sonystyle@custhelp.com for assistance."
I'm an avid computer user, programming since the age of 13, designing websites for nearly 10 years, and fixing computers since, well, the 80′s. I don't misplace passwords or make errors on online forms. I reset my password 8 times, even trying to reset and login on different browsers to overcome a possible Google Chrome error. (If you haven't tried Google Chrome, please download it at http://www.google.com/chrome)
So my last resort is to call the number to tell Sony that I can't login to my account to get an RMA for a device that I'm returning because I can't access netflix because I can't sign up for an "essentials" account. Unbelievable.
An hour after calling, I'm still waiting. While I'm waiting, I decide to get on my second line and call the same number. Only this time I press "1″ for sales instead of "4″ for returns. Within 1 minute, and I kid you not, I had a rep on the line to assist me. She couldn't help me because I was calling the wrong department, but it was amusing to see the difference in customer support from the sales department to the return and support department.
Her name was Sarah, and she spoke English and lived in the country that she was offering support to. Not unlike Lisa (known better as Badriha in her native country) who doesn't truly understand what I'm saying but "can help me with that" for every problem I face.
About an hour and 10 minutes in, I get a rep, get an RMA, and get informed that I must pay to ship this device back to Sony.
I love my WDTV, and I'm ready to purchase a WDTV Live. I'm ashamed that I strayed from Western Digital, but I'm hoping my experiences with the WDTV Live are as good as my experiences with the WDTV. As for Sony, I'm completely done with its products, and I would suggest the same to all who read this.
Orignal From: Relaxation & Meditation Reviews
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