Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[Maggot]

Wondering if anybody has had door issues. Sadly, my 9000 door wouldn't open anymore. Tried the all options I found on the net, but it wouldn't open. Fortunately with no disc inside. That being said, I had a good experience taking it back to Best Buy. Had the 4 year warranty on it plus it had not even been a year since I bought it, so even the straight Panasonic warranty was in place. They took it and shipped me a brand new model in like 3 days. Interestingly, this particular unit seems to run cooler, as the discs coming out of it are noticeably cooler than my first unit.

i still have my 820 as a back up, but even now.......I'm considering having another 9000 as a backup. I know....insane..

[PuppetMasterBlu]

So....if you couldn't have a panasonic player, which 4K player would you choose?

[PuppetMasterBlu]

Originally Posted by captainsolo

As a new 820 owner two things I've noticed:
-There's no easy way to see the runtime of what you're watching without pressing a button twice.
-Not being able to fast forward or rewind after you pause is bizarre. It says "operation not allowed". I can only fast forward or rewind in motion.

I didn't notice any difference between it and my Blu-ray players for upscaling DVDs. All DVDs and lesser BDs look like utter crap on my OLED.

Yes.
For DVD and Blu-ray upscaling I use my Oppo BDP-103.

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by Jack Priest

LG CX OLED & a Samsung Q950T soundbar. I may try it again soon with Dolby Vision turned off, because the soundbar seems to have issues with Dolby Vision pass through sometimes.

My guess remains that it's the soundbar that doesn't support 2160p at 50Hz. That's more than twice as much info as 2160p24, after all.

Try connecting the player directly to your TV.

[JurassicBD]

Originally Posted by Maggot

Wondering if anybody has had door issues. Sadly, my 9000 door wouldn't open anymore. Tried the all options I found on the net, but it wouldn't open. Fortunately with no disc inside. That being said, I had a good experience taking it back to Best Buy. Had the 4 year warranty on it plus it had not even been a year since I bought it, so even the straight Panasonic warranty was in place. They took it and shipped me a brand new model in like 3 days. Interestingly, this particular unit seems to run cooler, as the discs coming out of it are noticeably cooler than my first unit.

i still have my 820 as a back up, but even now.......I'm considering having another 9000 as a backup. I know....insane..

Did Panasonic change their warranties? I didn't actually look at the warranty card from our 820, but it's always been only 90 days for labor, which is at least 2/3 the cost of the repair in most cases. Only parts are warranted for a full year.

I think replication is extremely hit or miss these days. Some people report playback issues with their unit that others don't have. I've noticed this with Sony players as well, as if they're not doing a very consistent job with laser alignment from the factory.

Originally Posted by PuppetMasterBlu

So....if you couldn't have a panasonic player, which 4K player would you choose?

It seems Sony may be the best alternative still in production at present. I've debated picking up a Sony, just to have an option for discs that may be problematic with the Panasonic until they've gotten around to sending a firmware update. I've heard little good about LG players. And while we have a PS5, it doesn't support dual HDMI out, so it's useless with legacy AVRs, unless you're content with lossy DD/DTS sound from your tv's optical output or ARC, which we're fine with for games, but not for movies.

[mdhaus]

Originally Posted by JurassicBD

Did Panasonic change their warranties? I didn't actually look at the warranty card from our 820, but it's always been only 90 days for labor, which is at least 2/3 the cost of the repair in most cases. Only parts are warranted for a full year.

I think replication is extremely hit or miss these days. Some people report playback issues with their unit that others don't have. I've noticed this with Sony players as well, as if they're not doing a very consistent job with laser alignment from the factory.



It seems Sony may be the best alternative still in production at present. I've debated picking up a Sony, just to have an option for discs that may be problematic with the Panasonic until they've gotten around to sending a firmware update. I've heard little good about LG players. And while we have a PS5, it doesn't support dual HDMI out, so it's useless with legacy AVRs, unless you're content with lossy DD/DTS sound from your tv's optical output or ARC, which we're fine with for games, but not for movies.

I don't know about Sony being a decent alternative...I see a TON of complaints from people on this site and others who are complaining about big-time problems with Sony's players - lock-ups during playback, glitching, hardware issues, software issues...you name it.

[ij72]

Originally Posted by mdhaus

lock-ups during playback, glitching, hardware issues, software issues...you name it.

I think you actually pretty much described the whole physical 4k media player market at present, sadly. It's very much a "pick your poison" situation.

[captainsolo]

The 820 seems to be applying Dolby Vision to all content on a DV disc no matter what I do. It was weird seeing Dolby Vision pop up on all the extras of a UHD yet the status clearly says 1080p sdr. Is there a way to force the extras to be left as-is? Some of the things I was looking at were vintage 4:3 standard def materials.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by captainsolo

The 820 seems to be applying Dolby Vision to all content on a DV disc no matter what I do. It was weird seeing Dolby Vision pop up on all the extras of a UHD yet the status clearly says 1080p sdr. Is there a way to force the extras to be left as-is? Some of the things I was looking at were vintage 4:3 standard def materials.

Yes, it's a "feature" of the Pannysonic DV players. Turn off DV in the player settings and that stuff will be left as is.

[ronand]

For anyone thinking of getting the rattlebyte region free mod the price is rising to €59 (from €49) on the 1st January

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

Geoff is right. The HDR Optimizer helps with tone mapping HDR content that your TV cannot handle as well. It's mainly used to help older HDR TVs. Newer TVs though seem to handle HDR content better.

Now since I have a C9, I feel as though most LG TVs tone map pretty well. That's why I have it set to Super High Luminance to help with some of the HDR content that exceeds 1,500 nits. Now since you have a C1, it's possible you don't need the HDR Optimizer. You will just have to experiment to find out.

I also use LG's Dynamic Tone Mapping with the Optimizer. The DTM function will give you more of that "pop" that you are looking for. The downside is that it does overcook the picture.

This leads to my new experiment/test I'm working on. As I said, the DTM on LG TVs can overcook the picture. I recently started messing with the HDR Optimizer's Dynamic Range Adjustment in the HDR Optimizer Menu. And what I found is that as I decrease the slider, the picture isn't overcooked and looks normal. Now, the movies I've tested this on so far are Harry Potters 1,2, 4, and 5 as well as the 1st Avengers movie. I feel like I got them very close to what they all should look like (based on their Dolby Vision Streaming Versions). At the same moment, I'm not sure if I'm using the Dynamic Range Adjustment correctly and I'm ruining my picture. Has anyone with an LG OLED TV messed with the Dynamic Range Adjustment by chance??

Going back to this, has anyone actually used the Dynamic Range Adjustment Slider? And if so, what does it do? I just want to know to be sure I'm using it right. Sorry if I'm sounding like a broken record, but I just want to know if I'm doing the right thing here.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

Going back to this, has anyone actually used the Dynamic Range Adjustment Slider? And if so, what does it do? I just want to know to be sure I'm using it right. Sorry if I'm sounding like a broken record, but I just want to know if I'm doing the right thing here.

Basically it affects the overall APL. So, going brighter can/will clip highlights depending on the extent it's used where as the reverse can happen lowering it. Like the Optimizer, I doubt there is a use for it with most decent newer displays. It was probably better served for projectors actually, but I see no use for it on my set-up. I keep it at default.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by PuppetMasterBlu

So....if you couldn't have a panasonic player, which 4K player would you choose?

The options are thin for sure.

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Basically it affects the overall APL. So, going brighter can/will clip highlights depending on the extent it's used where as the reverse can happen lowering it. Like the Optimizer, I doubt there is a use for it with most decent newer displays. It was probably better served for projectors actually, but I see no use for it on my set-up. I keep it at default.

The key reason why I am looking at using it is that I use the Dynamic Tone Mapping function on my LG C9. The reason why I use it is that I would like to have a more dynamic picture (very similar to Dolby Vision) for my HDR10 only discs. The problem is, as most people have said, the DTM function can be too bright at times.

What I have noticed is that by lowering the Dynamic Range Adjustment, the overcooked picture is gone and looks normal. The reason why I know that is that I have compared a few HDR10 only discs to their Dolby Vision digital versions and they seem about the same.

What I'm concerned about is that although I am seeing a normal looking picture, am I creating more problems or is this actually fixing the DTM issues? That's what I like to know.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

The key reason why I am looking at using it is that I use the Dynamic Tone Mapping function on my LG C9. The reason why I use it is that I would like to have a more dynamic picture (very similar to Dolby Vision) for my HDR10 only discs. The problem is, as most people have said, the DTM function can be too bright at times.

What I have noticed is that by lowering the Dynamic Range Adjustment, the overcooked picture is gone and looks normal. The reason why I know that is that I have compared a few HDR10 only discs to their Dolby Vision digital versions and they seem about the same.

What I'm concerned about is that although I am seeing a normal looking picture, am I creating more problems or is this actually fixing the DTM issues? That's what I like to know.

There might be some HDR test patterns to look at/deep dive into to see what is happening more clearly. However, there is nothing uglier than an obvious clipped or overly hot highlight that you know is not part of the content. If I were not seeing any other downfalls, I would be tempted to use the slider in that case. How many clicks did you reduce the slider by? My guess is reducing the slider is going to probably be less potentially problematic versus raising it (generally speaking).

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

There might be some HDR test patterns to look at/deep dive into to see what is happening more clearly. However, there is nothing uglier than an obvious clipped or overly hot highlight that you know is not part of the content. If I were not seeing any other downfalls, I would be tempted to use the slider in that case. How many clicks did you reduce the slider by? My guess is reducing the slider is going to probably be less potentially problematic versus raising it (generally speaking).

I've been going back and forth between 6-7 clicks. I do know people complain about how LG's DTM screws with the midtones of the picture, but I don't think the HDR Menu can do anything about that, so I may have slightly higher midtones but otherwise, the picture looks pretty good.

I'm just eyeballing here though. Would be interesting to see actual numbers from a color meter. I'm surprised other people haven't experimented with this. Yes, it's a little complex using LG's DTM, Panny's HDR Optimizer and Slider all at once, but if it makes the picture better, why not?

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

I've been going back and forth between 6-7 clicks. I do know people complain about how LG's DTM screws with the midtones of the picture, but I don't think the HDR Menu can do anything about that, so I may have slightly higher midtones but otherwise, the picture looks pretty good.

I'm just eyeballing here though. Would be interesting to see actual numbers from a color meter. I'm surprised other people haven't experimented with this. Yes, it's a little complex using LG's DTM, Panny's HDR Optimizer and Slider all at once, but if it makes the picture better, why not?

Interesting.

The only control I use once in a great while on the 820 is the Tone Curve White (or whatever it's called - exact name always slips me). I have been very impressed with it. The last time I used with was with Men in Black (HDR10). There are some very bright speculars especially in the opening scene, but that control tames and restores highlights for me. It also doesn't affect the overall APL, but more the higher end. I only needed it at +3. I do suggest using the minimal amount necessary for any of this as it probably reduces contrast and reduces chances of other problems, but the benefit far outweighs on that at least for MiB. If you do try this, keep the other Panasonic settings at default (at least for now). There is also the Tone Curve Black, but I see zero purpose for that one.

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

Interesting.

The only control I use once in a great while on the 820 is the Tone Curve White (or whatever it's called - exact name always slips me). I have been very impressed with it. The last time I used with was with Men in Black (HDR10). There are some very bright speculars especially in the opening scene, but that control tames and restores highlights for me. It also doesn't affect the overall APL, but more the higher end. I only needed it at +3. I do suggest using the minimal amount necessary for any of this as it probably reduces contrast and reduces chances of other problems, but the benefit far outweighs on that at least for MiB. If you do try this, keep the other Panasonic settings at default (at least for now). There is also the Tone Curve Black, but I see zero purpose for that one.

That's the plan. Just leave everything else alone but the Dynamic Range Adjustment Slider.

Thanks for your feedback and advice. I really appreciate it!

[Ghisy]

Got the N2QAYA000172 remote for my 820 yesterday: it's much nicer than the stock one for sure!

For 44 euros straight from Panasonic's website, it wasn't a bad deal

[PuppetMasterBlu]

Originally Posted by mdhaus

Usually, it's just the letters that go black. But I've had a few instances where there was more than that. LOL...A couple weeks ago, I booted up "Run Lola Run" and only the photo was visible on the main menu - the entire menu section on the bottom was a huge black bar, as was the area along the right that you needed to be able to see in order to select audio and subtitle settings. I ended up having to start the movie, then adjust the audio track and subtitle features on the remote after it had begun.

I really don't think it's a problem with the player...I think it's a glitch with TCL's Dolby Vision software on the TV.

I'm not having any problems with the screen going black.

I wonder if I bumped up to the 75 inch if it would still have the problem. So far I have been through 2 65 inch sets that do the same. Im exhausted. I can't really find any other sets with the same black levels and brightness even when I bump up to the 2000 range.