Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[IlCorvo]

Originally Posted by Papylon

Isn't it easier to write to them and ask that question? You will have 100% certainty whether their mod works with firmware 1.70.

I did so a couple of months ago. They said it should not be any problem. But that was before anybody knew that the new firmware is essential for the new DAC. Well , I askd them again and I wait for the answer.

[SS-3]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I have limited experience with geek squad repairs but I hope you get a new player as I certainly don't believe they are qualified to repair it. Maybe they will send it to another repair shop like US Radio and they have the qualifications. This of course will take some time.

I regret buying my UB9000 from BB because Crutchfield would have double boxed it for the same price.

pls let us know how you do and how it goes with the BB repairs.

I have a few experiences with the Geek Squad and other types of gear and it wouldn't be where I take it unless it was warranty.

Quick update. Best Buy Geek Squad did send it to company called TAYO or something like that in NY. They said it was sent to them because they are a Panasonic authorized service center. Hopefully, they fix my player correctly. I am almost positive it's the drive.

[B.inthe6]

Originally Posted by Papylon

I found a comprehensive guide for the Panasonic UB820 on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deS5...=HDMOVIESOURCE

I discovered this channel awhile ago also & like his stuff.
He's not easily impressed with what is normally acceptable so I'm inclined to pay attention.

[IlCorvo]

Originally Posted by Papylon

Isn't it easier to write to them and ask that question? You will have 100% certainty whether their mod works with firmware 1.70.

Their answer:

I am sorry but I do not have any more specific information about this aspect of the V1.70 firmware. I suggest you ask that user on the avforums or contact Panasonic directly with this inquiry. All I can say is that so far none of our customers have complained about a non functional analog audio output after updating to V1.69 from whichever firmware version they'd had on their player.

[Papylon]

If I were to run such a company and sell such a product, I would clearly indicate that it is compatible with firmware 1.69, period. They should, in my opinion, of course, test it with firmware 1.70; they would have certainty, satisfied and new customers.

This is a risk you would have to take, not only to solder this mod but also something might happen when you install their firmware, and it turns out your Panasonic will be a brick on the shelf, incapable of anything.

This is my humble opinion as an electronics engineer with over 30 years of experience.

[ronand]

Originally Posted by Papylon

If I were to run such a company and sell such a product, I would clearly indicate that it is compatible with firmware 1.69, period. They should, in my opinion, of course, test it with firmware 1.70; they would have certainty, satisfied and new customers.

This is a risk you would have to take, not only to solder this mod but also something might happen when you install their firmware, and it turns out your Panasonic will be a brick on the shelf, incapable of anything.

This is my humble opinion as an electronics engineer with over 30 years of experience.

They can't modify 1.70 when it is not available for download. They have modified 1.69 for region free and that is tested and working and that is what they supply. They have not claimed that a box with 1.70 on it can be downgraded to 1.69 and work properly. It is possible to downgrade the firmware but please dont pester me for the details (if you cant figure it out yourself then you shouldnt be attempting it).

Panasonic is the main problem here - no-one knows if existing boxes can use the new 1.70 firmware if it ever gets a public release or what the actual firmware changes are.

[Jonathan McLeod]

Originally Posted by ronand

Panasonic is the main problem here - no-one knows if existing boxes can use the new 1.70 firmware if it ever gets a public release or what the actual firmware changes are.

Discussing installing a questionable, if not illegal, third-party mod, and somehow it's Panasonic's fault?

[Papylon]

Originally Posted by ronand

They can't modify 1.70 when it is not available for download. They have modified 1.69 for region free and that is tested and working and that is what they supply. They have not claimed that a box with 1.70 on it can be downgraded to 1.69 and work properly. It is possible to downgrade the firmware but please dont pester me for the details (if you cant figure it out yourself then you shouldnt be attempting it).

Panasonic is the main problem here - no-one knows if existing boxes can use the new 1.70 firmware if it ever gets a public release or what the actual firmware changes are.

If there's firmware, there's always a way to extract it from the hardware. There are, of course, security methods to prevent this, but at this level of electronic knowledge, it's possible. I'm writing here about firmware 1.70, which is installed on new devices and cannot be downloaded from the internet, e.g., Panasonic's website.
Once you have firmware v 1.70, this company can experiment with it freely, just as they have done before. Of course, it takes time, and we know that time is money, and they've probably calculated that it's not worth it for them since there isn't a significant demand, for example, for their mod for new players with v 1.70.

These are just my casual thoughts.

[ronand]

Its probably not worth their while buying a new unit to extract the firmware from, and then testing the finished result on the older boxes to check for unknown compatibility problems. At the moment no-one really knows what hardware differences (if any) are in the newer boxes with 1.70 firmware.

[IlCorvo]

The problem is the f****** region locking.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by Papylon

For now, I have the UB820 connected to the AVR, and from the AVR to the TV using an HDMI eARC cable, but I want to try connecting the UB820 directly to the TV to see if there's any difference.
Thank you very much for your suggestions.

If your AVR passes thru all video supported by both your LG & UB820 (generally up to 4K60 4:4:4 12-bit, probably with DV but not HDR10+) you probably should leave it there, especially if your AVR has multiple HDMI inputs (nearly all do -- that's usually a soundbar issue). Even with eARC, many TVs still have problems passing thru all audio signals, especially multichannel (5.1/7.1) LPCM; some LGs may even block DTS bitstreams. Going thru the AVR first generally avoids sound issues.

[Papylon]

I also plan to keep the connection from Panasonic to the Yamaha 2080 just for audio, and connect the video signal from Panasonic to my OLED LG.
I believe this is the optimal solution.

[Jonathan McLeod]

Originally Posted by Papylon

I also plan to keep the connection from Panasonic to the Yamaha 2080 just for audio, and connect the video signal from Panasonic to my OLED LG.
I believe this is the optimal solution.

More likely to run into sync issues however.

[MarkGubarenko]

Originally Posted by Jonathan McLeod

More likely to run into sync issues however.

had little but very annoying for me sync issues with my Marantz 7011 and LG C1, so after couple of months decided to insert just to Marantz.

[Papylon]

Originally Posted by Jonathan McLeod

More likely to run into sync issues however.

There's always a risk that something might go wrong, but it's worth trying.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Papylon

There's always a risk that something might go wrong, but it's worth trying.

Thankfully I've avoided them with my Denon, I have player sending just audio and directly connected and they're okay.

My older Yamaha was a bit of a nightmare.

[Papylon]

Originally Posted by chip75

Thankfully I've avoided them with my Denon, I have player sending just audio and directly connected and they're okay.

My older Yamaha was a bit of a nightmare.

What Yamaha AVR did you had?

[jmpage2]

Originally Posted by MarkGubarenko

had little but very annoying for me sync issues with my Marantz 7011 and LG C1, so after couple of months decided to insert just to Marantz.

You also could have run it to the TV then used EARC to the AVR. That’s what I’m doing.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Papylon

What Yamaha AVR did you had?

It was a much older model, pre-HDMI.

[SS-3]

Panasonic UB9000 Best Buy Geek Squad Repair UPDATE - Not impressed with them at all. I just called for a status and was told the their repair center did a factory reset. I told the store agent when I dropped it off that I did a factory reset, it's even noted in the ticket which they printed out for me. Which means this clown at their repair center didn't bother reading the ticket. Well, they're going to get and earful from me when I pick it up. This will 100% not resolve the issue, since I did it a month ago, and it still has the same issues. Totally disappointed with their repair center thus far.