Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX285 5.1-Channel Theater System (Black)

I've own previous Sony HTIB systems and decided to upgrade to this system to increase quality and sound. You'd think the newer the model the better the upgrades, but I didn't see any improvements to the last model. See the reviews for the hdx275, both systems are basically identical. The only thing Sony decided to do was give this line of product an aesthetic make-over, a tried and true marketing gimmick. Anyway, I just wanted to be the first to say that after a week of use, the receiver all of a sudden loss power in the middle of normal DVD play. It's been sitting at one of Sony's "certified" service centers for over 3 weeks while they're still trying to figure out what went wrong. Pretty frustrating especially after having to pay postage out of pocket to send it there! I'm rating this system 3 stars because when it was working, it produced great sound and picture for the price you pay; budget system for a budget price. My only other complaint is that the sound level needs to be set pretty high for normal volume. On my older models of the same line, the sould level never needed to be set as high for the same amount of volume.

I bought this product but am not using it for any kind of video display so I can't speak to it for that. I'm using it as a sound system for my ipod and computer and it hasn't let me down. The sound really packs a punch and is really nice if you use the right equalizer to get the proper balance in sound. The only drawback is that it doesn't put out any sound when using these functions through the center speaker so really its just like having a 4.1 system unless you use it as a surround system for a tv. It goes pretty loud considering i haven't really gone above 22 volume even though it goes up to 34. The balance is really good, although I tend to like a little more bass in my music, which it offers plenty of. Great system that isn't too pricey. Would recommend to anyone who wants an easy way to get out of having to use a 2.1 system on a laptop.

I recently purchased the Sony Bravia HDX285 home theater. I was looking for quality sound and a reliable product. The sound quality is very good. My living room is smaller and the Bass is impressive. I have not played with all the features yet but the system was easy to set up and the features I have used DVD, Ipod and Surround sound for my satellite TV all work great. I research multiple home theaters before I chose this one and I am glad I pick this system. I would recommend this system to my friends.

It seems like a great product - sounds good, looks good - but I can't stop it from muting itself. Watching a movie the "muting on" will randomly pop up every 30 seconds to 2 minutes. I can hit the "mute" button on the remote to un-mute it - but it will mute itself again within the next minute or two.

I have found out that if there is no HDMI cable connected it does not happen. I can listen to my TV through the Sony HDX285 using an audio cable - but if I connect an HDMI cable it will mute itself within 10 seconds. (I've tried 2 different HDMI cables to make sure it wasn't defective).

What could be causing this to happen? I can't use this product if I can't use an HDMI cable to connect it to my TV.

UPDATE: I think I've fixed it. I found this information from the Sony support site which seems to have fixed the problem:
[...]

I would up the star rating if I could, to 4 stars, but it doesn't allow a change to the star rating...

Great Sound
Great Value
WARNING, the sterio receive is quite large (deep), measure where you plan to install it to make sure it fits. This unit is 16" deep where a standard VCR/DVD player is only about 10"