Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[Braktastic]

Originally Posted by Naiera

I'm putting together a list of grievances. I'll see about making the sound issues more of a general thing, rather than just for downmixing.

[moparbob]

Has anybody’s player giving them read errors after putting in a disc? After it errors out saying can’t read disc I open and close the tray and it plays. Also taking its time to load.

What do you guys recommend to clean the lens? Tried to blow in it lightly.

[Snikt]

Originally Posted by moparbob

Has anybody’s player giving them read errors after putting in a disc? After it errors out saying can’t read disc I open and close the tray and it plays. Also taking its time to load.

What do you guys recommend to clean the lens? Tried to blow in it lightly.

Try the hard reset. It’s been listed on here. But it involves holding down the yellow, blue and enter button etc., etc.

It worked for me

[moparbob]

Originally Posted by Snikt

Try the hard reset. It’s been listed on here. But it involves holding down the yellow, blue and enter button etc., etc.

It worked for me

Thanks have to try that but looks like my optical drive is going bad. Not sure of I want to replace the drive or a new unit.

Anybody know of another updated high end player out there?

[sapiendut]

I reviewed the Magnetar UDP800. As for playing video, the Pana is still better.

[moparbob]

Silly question, my player was manufactured in August 2018, bought it August 2020. So if I buy a brand new one will there be any updated parts or any better than a 2018 one?

Updated when I bought it: August 2020

[sapiendut]

No

[kristoffer]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

I reviewed the Magnetar UDP800. As for playing video, the Pana is still better.

Could you be a little more specific? Chroma upsampling or other things?

[sapiendut]

Chroma upsampling is visibly better on the Pana and upscaling from 1080p to 4K there are circular upscaling error.

[mdhaus]

Originally Posted by moparbob

Silly question, my player was manufactured in August 2018, bought it August 2020. So if I buy a brand new one will there be any updated parts or any better than a 2018 one?

Updated when I bought it: August 2020

Panasonic released a "K" model of the player since its original release, which includes one or a few different audio hardware pieces. But the performance is the same.

[samuelkhan999]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Chroma upsampling is visibly better on the Pana and upscaling from 1080p to 4K there are circular upscaling error.

Hi. Does the THX certification bring a picture setting/sound setting on the UB9000 which makes it stand out against the UB820?

[Tok]

Originally Posted by samuelkhan999

Hi. Does the THX certification bring a picture setting/sound setting on the UB9000 which makes it stand out against the UB820?

THX doesn’t share the specs to meet the certification criteria. So one doesn’t really know what needs to be evaluated. Having both but I’ve never done a side by side I would say the only reason to buy a 9000 is only if you want a high-end build. The 820 is great if you don’t care about the external plastic aesthetic.

[trespoochies]

FYI - I’m so glad the 820 plays Region B discs! Only one so far that doesn’t play - Mesrine.

[Hhal]

The 820 player is $399.99 on Amazon for Prime Day fwiw. Last time I was on this thread I was told to not risk buying it used but get it new with a warranty. I am considering getting it instead of a soundbar or receiver.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by Hhal

The 820 player is $399.99 on Amazon for Prime Day fwiw. Last time I was on this thread I was told to not risk buying it used but get it new with a warranty. I am considering getting it instead of a soundbar or receiver.

Don't get a sound bar. Save up for a normal home theater system. You can never have too many backup players in case discs become more of a rarity.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by samuelkhan999

Hi. Does the THX certification bring a picture setting/sound setting on the UB9000 which makes it stand out against the UB820?

Same chipset on both, so no

[King Crimson]

Hello, my original 820 I bought back in 2018 randomly started giving me disc read errors only after turning it off completely rebooting with disc in and pressing play do I get it to work, Ive seen this hard reset mentioned. Will this remove my custom firmware from region free?

[By_His_Strypes]

The 820 is a great player! I couldn't be happier with it.

[deeppurpleman]

Originally Posted by Hhal

The 820 player is $399.99 on Amazon for Prime Day fwiw. Last time I was on this thread I was told to not risk buying it used but get it new with a warranty. I am considering getting it instead of a soundbar or receiver.

I bought one for my second TV.

[AudioMaverick]

Originally Posted by moparbob

Has anybody’s player giving them read errors after putting in a disc? After it errors out saying can’t read disc I open and close the tray and it plays. Also taking its time to load.

What do you guys recommend to clean the lens? Tried to blow in it lightly.

I sent my 'UB820' in for playability issues of both 2K & 4K media. I emailed Panasonic support asking if this was a function of the 4K laser or a problem with the unit, and got the reply to send it in for examination. I included a 2K disc that has a discoloration that causes the 'UB820' to freeze up and fail to recover. That disc has no issue in a 2K player.

Two things of note:
- 1: I bought a $100 Sony BDP-S6700 to be able to watch my 2K media while the unit is away. 2K Blu-Ray discs that would hang, digitize and just fail to recover without ejecting the disc play flawlessly on the 'S6700'.
- 2: I go a 'not-so-great' response response from a support tech... something about how 4K is more susceptible to scratches because of bandwidth. I replied asking to talk to someone. I can't find a number to call. Something tells me that the unit is coming back as is.

I guess I will be scouring reviews & forums a replacement unit. In the meantime, I have a 2K player for 2K, and I suppose I will have the 4K for 4K discs.

Status Update: I just got off the phone with Panasonic. It turns out that the disc plays the same on thier reference unit. So, I will be using a 2K player for all my non-4K media and the UB820 for the 4K media.