The Sony DAV-S400 is not multi-regional, but can be hacked with "engineers remote control".
Dry Solder connections on inside of speaker connections break, resulting in unit automatically switching to "headphones" sound mode only. Circuit on inside of panel needs resoldering - THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY UNITS (read other forums) - MY UNIT WAS NOT OVER USED!! I have had it repaired, normal cost £40 ish. You can buy an unknown make that can easily be made multi-regional with a normal code hack, rather than needing the "engineers remote" - which some charge £40-£80 pounds. Quality is good, but can be matched by cheaper lesser known makes - think about it, the good makes only come into their own field when the volume is cinema loud - will you ever play it at this high volume and your neighbours not complain??

I've had the davs400 for 4 years and not had 1 problem until last month ,when headphone theatre kept coming onto the screen everytime i turned it on, this is obviously a common problem with these after reading the reviews on the inetrnet. I have not checked the insides yet, so cannot verify if soldering will work,i wish i had found out sooner about the problem because i have just ordered a sony dav-z260 to replace it. Not to worry though, if soldering it works i can connect it up in another room.

As with other reviewers, my surround would not work & display read HP initially intermittently then permanently. This happened after about 2 years of use. After searching the web, I found that dry joints were a common problem, so looked on the audio board and found the large capacitor had one pin completely detached and the other nearly the same. A quick whizz round with the soldering iron did the job though and system now works fine again. If you have this problem and are up to a little soldering, try it out - it could save you a hefty repair bill! Remember to isolate the unit from supply and other units!

Good sound system which as been easy to use and the sound is great but the recent problem has developed after very little use and is very disappointing from such a well known brand,

After 2 years of use sound started going off and LED display said HP Theatre in use. Have to twiddle plug and get sound back on. Sony won't believe this is their problem. This happens to lots of DAVS400. Please leave feedback. Now all cables channelled into wall not able to just change system. Haven't had ours repaired yet just keep twiddliing but now even that isn't working

Dry joints abound. Don't be surprised if the Sony DAV-S400 stops working after the years warranty is out! My one has been repaired outside warranty and all because of dry joints or joints with NO solder on the connections at all. Having said that, it does appear to be ok now and I am generally satisfied. But I did buy it at half price and feel it was only just worth that. As with my Sony TV, I will never buy Sony again

I have got this Sont DAV-S400 in a small room and the sound is amazing with a good choice of room selections. sound has good bass and speakers and sub of of good quality...ariel is a little sad though for fm sound quality....just a bit miffed on the mp3 situation,,,,,,,

I purchased this along with the Sony KD28DX40(S)and Sony SLVSE720. First impression was the stunning look of the speakers and subwoofer, beautifully designed and easy to set up. Everything is colour coded and easy as pie. I have read several reviews talking about strange speaker sounds - I'm pleased to say I have not had any problems at all with the sound. Once I had set all the speakers up in the correct places, I sat to enjoy DVD after DVD of incredible cinema sound. (Not sure if the neighbours appreciated it though!) My girlfriend isn't sure if it is completely necessary for me to watch EastEnders cinema style, but I am convinced it is! I am blissfully happy with my purchase, although I think I have spoilt myself with the Digital 28" widescreen, flatscreen beauty... *sigh* Girlfriend? What girlfriend!!

I am 100 percent happy with this Sony DAV-S400 DVD home cinema system, but question whether I should have paid a bit more for the superior s500. This is a great player that I would recommend if you're on a budget.

After I installed my Sony DAV-S400 DVD player (was very easy), I realized a pretty disturbing noise in the speakers. I checked the cables, other electronics close to the system - no chance. At least the noise keeps about the same level even at max volume. A pity I have a small room and a good ear. At least the DAV-S500 performs about the same in this respect (checked at the shop).
Second experience I made: the sound was completely missing the expected brilliance. Later I realized that the speakers should be more or less directed towards the listening position. But again, this makes the noise easier to notice especially in silent scenes.
For bigger rooms, the system should bring good value for money (679Euro).
Up to now I have not have any troubles even if I played a few DVD's and audio CD's and CD-R's.