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At this low price I didn't expect much. The BDP-S1200 might offers a slightly confused multi-level approach to apps within a rather old user interface but remains a great value deck.
We liked
The 265x43x199 mm BDP-S1200 is very compact and lightweight, so much so that it could sit beside a set-top box on your AV rack. A Quick Start Mode – which takes about 10 seconds to get a disc playing from cold, or almost 30 seconds otherwise – is a nice option. But it's the provision of both Amazon Instant Video and Netflix apps that are more important.
Images from Blu-ray are smooth and easy on the eye, with plenty of detail and clean, comfortable lines. DVD is upscaled well while digital files in almost any format are played back with skill. The Sony BDP-S1200 has it where it counts.
We disliked
There's a lot of clutter on the BDP-S1200, with two separate app platforms – Sony's SEN and Opera apps – that overlap in terms of both content and accessibility.
The BDP-S1200 itself has a slight pyramid design, which rules-out putting anything on top of it, while the mirrored panel is adept at gathering fingerprints.
The BDP-S1200 doesn't have everything; there's no web browser, no 3D support, and no Wi-Fi, so it will have to be placed close to a router if apps are required.
Talking of apps, the UK model I tested was missing some crucial catch up services including Now TV and 4OD. That's an issue that affects all Sony home entertainment products, though the BDP-S1200's reliance on an ageing user interface is exclusively an issue for the company's Blu-ray players.
Verdict
The BDP-S1200 is that classic compromise between features and flexibility; it gives you most of the apps you need, but not all, and it lacks Wi-Fi. Its smart stuff could therefore be quite useless unless your router is near your TV. Apps for the BBC iPlayer, Demand Five, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video are welcome, but some UK services were missing.
Sony's SEN platform is cluttered and lacks some essential apps, while the provision of another layer of apps from Opera just adds confusion.
The lack of a 3D mode might annoy those who have 3DTVs, too, but what Sony hasn't skimped on is Blu-ray quality and digital file playback, both of which the BDP-S1200 excels at.
