Sony UBP-X700 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[tobz]

Originally Posted by MWF6425

I bought mine summer of last year, and changed those settings within a month of various frustrations (my first player was a different brand which behaved even worse).

I just wanted to say thanks. The player seems to be working well since I changed those settings. I’ve watched a few 100GB discs this week, including Scarface last night, and haven’t had any freezing so far.

[Uncle Bud]

Originally Posted by MWF6425

It's all under the Screen Settings sub-menu, located in the primary Setup. First, always keep the built-in upscaler turned off, for two reasons. Sony's builds in that department tend to suck, and the software easily gets confused, adding information to a disc that's already 4K. So it's best all-around, to let your TV handle that.

Next up is the player's Cinema Conversion Mode - keep it set to the "video" option. It was designed to analyze both film-based and video-based content, switching conversions for better playback. Sony uses the "auto" setting by default, and from what I've heard, not many trust its reliability.

Lastly, some people report occasional problems with triple-layer 100 GB BD-1 discs, but on the whole it seems to be rare; I haven't had any problems with that.

Nice! I tried these settings with my X800M2. DVDs have a noticeably cleaner and crisper look. Have not seen any effect, positive or negative, on BDs or 4Ks. Thanks for the tip.

[sherlockjr]

Originally Posted by Old Bones

So many complaints , what is the best choice 4K player that is all region playback for blu and dvd ?

No 4K or BluRay player comes from the manufacturer region free for BDs or DVDs. They all need to be modified, either by third party services or hacking them yourself. So what you want is your top choice 4K player.

Assuming you're in the US, the consensus is that the best vendor for region free modded players is 220 Electronics. They have many choices in models that they've modified. Be sure to check in their Specials section for a 10% off coupon.

https://www.220-electronics.com/

If you don't want to pay four figures--and there's really no need to, the more expensive players are mostly more expensive for superior analog audio, not digital video or digital audio--get the Panasonic UBP820. The Panasonic 820 can also play a lot, but not all, region coded disks using the "Top Menu Trick" even without being modified.

If your TV is a Samsung so it doesn't support Dolby Vision, the Panasonic 420 is cheaper and the video quality should be comparable to the 820. The 420 also works with the Top Menu trick.

So personally I have an unmodified Panasonic 820 for my 4K's, BDs, and most Region locked BDs. Then I have a cheap Sony S1700 for playing those few region locked BDs that won't play on the Panasonic.