Best region-free 4K player with Dolby Vision? - Blu-ray Forum

rainkins · 01-16-2022, 06:41 PM

I'm trying to decide on a reasonably priced 4K player with region-free Blu-ray functionality. I have a Sony X90J TV and a Denon AVR-S640H receiver with a 2.1 speaker setup. I also have a PS5 that plays 4K discs, but it doesn't have Dolby Vision. For DV discs and RF discs, I have been trying out a friend's Sony UBP-X700 from 220 Electronics. I initially planned to get another X700 for myself, but having to manually toggle DV is annoying, as is the inability to disable the 20-minute auto-shutoff.

I've seen a lot of recommendations for the LG UBK90, but some people have mentioned playback issues, so I'm not sure how common that is. On a minor note, some have also mentioned that the menu screen is white which is very bright in a dark room. Between the two, would you switch to the LG or stick with the Sony?

At a higher price point, I've also seen recommendations for the Panasonic UB820, which has higher-end features like tone mapping. Is this something I need? That is, even with all my TV's advanced video options, will discs still look better with a player that has these features than one without them? And is the difference enough to justify the higher price?

Two other things I've heard about the Panasonic are that the remote doesn't have a subtitle button (I watch everything with subtitles so that's an issue) and that it might work as a region-free player out of the box (without being modded by 220 or a similar company) using the top menu trick. Does this work on all discs? If so, is there any reason to pay the premium for a modded version vs. just getting the retail version?

Finally, I've seen some people recommend to get two players -- a region-free Blu-ray player for BDs from other regions and a dedicated 4K player (which in my case would have to be in addition to the PS5 if I want Dolby Vision on 4Ks). I'd rather not have that many devices taking up space if I don't have to, though!

Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts/advice you can offer for my situation!

01-16-2022, 06:41 PM	#1
rainkins Junior Member Member since:Jul 2015 Blu-ray collection:525 DVD collection:1262	Best region-free 4K player with Dolby Vision? I'm trying to decide on a reasonably priced 4K player with region-free Blu-ray functionality. I have a Sony X90J TV and a Denon AVR-S640H receiver with a 2.1 speaker setup. I also have a PS5 that plays 4K discs, but it doesn't have Dolby Vision. For DV discs and RF discs, I have been trying out a friend's Sony UBP-X700 from 220 Electronics. I initially planned to get another X700 for myself, but having to manually toggle DV is annoying, as is the inability to disable the 20-minute auto-shutoff. I've seen a lot of recommendations for the LG UBK90, but some people have mentioned playback issues, so I'm not sure how common that is. On a minor note, some have also mentioned that the menu screen is white which is very bright in a dark room. Between the two, would you switch to the LG or stick with the Sony? At a higher price point, I've also seen recommendations for the Panasonic UB820, which has higher-end features like tone mapping. Is this something I need? That is, even with all my TV's advanced video options, will discs still look better with a player that has these features than one without them? And is the difference enough to justify the higher price? Two other things I've heard about the Panasonic are that the remote doesn't have a subtitle button (I watch everything with subtitles so that's an issue) and that it might work as a region-free player out of the box (without being modded by 220 or a similar company) using the top menu trick. Does this work on all discs? If so, is there any reason to pay the premium for a modded version vs. just getting the retail version? Finally, I've seen some people recommend to get two players -- a region-free Blu-ray player for BDs from other regions and a dedicated 4K player (which in my case would have to be in addition to the PS5 if I want Dolby Vision on 4Ks). I'd rather not have that many devices taking up space if I don't have to, though! Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts/advice you can offer for my situation!

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