Sony SMP-N200 Network Media Player Front View from Top
The Sony Streaming Media Player SMP-N200 makes a simple TV into a smart one, and we review it here. Further, it down-converts internet content into standard definition format. But it also provides HDMI and optical digital outputs as well.
This streaming media box revs up these older TVs, making them smart, and internet enabled.
We owned this set top player for roughly five years. Indeed, we found it a simple way to play internet content on our older, SD TVs.
Setup of the SMP-N200 takes five to ten minutes. This involves connecting the cables and to a home WiFi network. You also register this device with Netflix, if you wish. But you need high speed internet for Netflix.
This streaming media player can access many popular internet video and audio content providers. These include…
The SMP-N200 has a built-in web browser. This gives you basic web browsing ability. It supports JavaScript, cookies, and SSL. Plus, you can have many windows open at the same time and toggle between them. Further, you can bookmark pages for later (and much easier call-up). You can also set the start page (home page), cancel loading of a slow page, and refresh a page. A zoom function lets you enlarge page sections for easier viewing.
It comes with an NTSC video / audio cable, but also provides HDMI, optical, and component video outputs. However, you must provide your own cables for these options.
It connects to the Internet via either Ethernet or WiFi, utilizing your home broadband network.
The SMP-N200 features the following media technologies.
The SMP-N200 also plays content from a USB storage device. So, it has a USB port on the side. This is for thumb drives, disk drives, memory card readers, et al.
The Sony SMP-N200 streamer supports a wide array of video, picture, and audio file formats. These include…
The player also comes with a remote control (the RMT-D302). Use this during setup and to play content after setup.
This player has low broadband speed needs. Indeed, it plays well at 2.5 Mbps for standard definition, and 10 Mbps for HD streaming video.
The Sony SMP-N200 lets you stream programs from the internet to most any TV. The single caveat is that the TV must accept either HDMI, component video, or composite video input.
Further, you can control this player with WiFi-enabled smart phones and iPod Touch. These can function as full-featured remotes for the SMP-N200.
You can also play 3D content if you have a 3D TV, and the eyeglasses.
They provide a quick-start guide as well as thoroughly-detailed user’s guides.
Call 1-800-222-SONY (7669). By following this guide, I was able to begin watching Internet on my old television in less than ten minutes.
But you likely will not need phone support. Why? Because the setup process is straight-forward and pretty easy. Indeed we hit no unexpected problems.
The picture and sound quality are as good as content from DVD players; particularly when you use the component video outputs.
Registering the product is easy. But doing so requires a computer connected to the Internet. Point your browser at http://www.sony.com/productregistration to register. You’ll need the product serial number shown on the n200’s carton as well as on the unit itself.
Other compatible devices can “listen in” on what this device is playing via the party streaming feature. But you must connect these “guest” devices to the same network as the SMP-N200. Further, they also mist support this feature.
The smp-n200 detects and alerts the user to new software updates. Indeed, such an alert occurred as we ran through the setup procedure. The updating was quick and painless. The unit powered off automatically after the new software downloaded and installed.
Further, the stereo audio outputs connect to an AV receiver / amplifier, for better sound.
The 12-volt, 1.4-amp AC switching power supply adapter powers the SMP-N200. This supply is a bit over-rated (a good thing). How? Because the media box itself only draws 0.85 amps. So you have a bit of headroom between available power, and what the player actually draws.
Once you finish setup, you come to the main menu. This is a simple list of apps. So you access these with the UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, and ENTER keys in the remote’s ring control. How to work each app is clear once you enter the app.
Plus, you can adjust screen formats (16:9, 4:3, and HD modes).
These prevent viewing of adult content by a child’s eyes.
The SMP-N200 has two modes of “standby.” The one is more OFF than the other, and consumes less power thus. However, upon start-up, the unit requires more boot time than the faster-startup standby mode. The drawback of this near instant-ON mode, is that the unit uses more standby power. It’s nice though, that Sony gives the buyer this power management option.
Video and audio quality are very good; particularly when playing through an HDMI television or monitor.
You can access most SMP-N200 features via the RMT-D302 remote control. But this can become a problem should the battery in the remote die, or the remote breaks. The media player itself has no control buttons on it unfortunately. So the remote is the only way to control it.
This means that you must turn your TV and the player on with two separate remotes, to see N200 content. Instead, a switched AC outlet would be nice here. This would allow a single button to turn on and off both the SMP-N200 and the TV.
The battery in the RMT-D302 is a CR2032 button battery. But we often cannot find this at all stores that sell other batteries. Furthermore, you need a sharp object to open up the battery holder. We find that this door does not pry open easily however.
This WiFi media box will not play copy-protected content.
The unit comes with a chintzy 90-day limited warranty. But they did offer to upgrade this to one year at the store. We declined though.
After a software update, the SMP-N200 powers itself off but does not come back on. You must manually power it up again with the remote.
To use the SMP-N200, you must set up a Sony Style account at their website. But the manual details this process well. See the SMPN200 Operating Instructions for details.
Entering URLs into the built-in web browser (via what Sony calls, “the software keyboard”) is a bit cumbersome. Nor does the browser support all state-of-the-art web browser technologies according to the manual. This means that some websites will not work well through the SMP-N200.
Particularly when viewing on standard definition televisions, it’s hard to make out the details of the icons. This can make learning how to use this player tough. But, once we learned the shapes and colors of these icons, finding our preferred content got much easier. Nonetheless, they could improve the visuals, for sure.
The Netflix app takes a well over twenty seconds to begin playing a show. Indeed, it is slow like this on a 75 mbps down / 5 mbps up internet service. This seems too long, and they could shorten it a bit. How? By better optimizing the streaming speed tests. These happen EVERY time you start watching a move. These test themselves take a fair amount of time to complete.
The 12-volt power supply failed on us after less than three years.
Apparently, the SNP-N200 has reached EOL.
But we found this a highly useful device for breathing new life into our classic TVs. Further, its cheaper price, software updating, and much program content ensure that it will work for years to come. So hopefully, it will outlast the SDTV upstairs. Thus we rate this home media streamer at 94 out of 100.
At last, we bought our SMP-N200 streamer at Walmart. But you could buy this device once at Best Buy, and on Amazon, eBay, and others. While you can still buy it used, and as new old stock, major stores no longer carry the N200.
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