Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[pbz06]

Originally Posted by TravisTylerBlack

Hey guys, I just watched that Sony DV comparison video (from Vincent Teoh) that was recently shared/spammed across multiple threads.

In light of Vincent's conclusions, and as a Sony TV owner, I would sincerely appreciate some clarification on how the UB20 delivers the image depending on the various settings.

As I understand it HDR tone-mapping is done via the player itself only when the optimizer is utilized. Conversely, when the optimizer is switched off, tone-mapping on all HDR10 material is performed entirely by the TV/display, correct?

However, when it comes to Dolby Vision, is the mapping on the 820 exclusively player-led or can this be adjusted? AFAIK my X900F only supports Low Latency/player-led DV. Even so, I don't see an option in my player's settings that would even allow me to switch the profile to TV-led like on the OPPO in Vincent's video.

Either way it's good to have a better grasp as to why DV in general looks so disparate on my display depending on which device is delivering the signal. Internal streaming apps (blah) unfortunately looking the most robust with the Panny coming in at a very close second depending on the source material.

Just to add to Geoff's post, for clarification:

- HDR Optimizer is only applicable to HDR10 content (not DV) and is a static tonemapper which intelligently reads the data on the disc and tonemaps it to the target you select for your display (i.e. 4000 --> 1000 nits). It sends this tonemapped info to your TV to do what it pleases, but it's a more digestible set of information.

- As we've discussed a few times already previous pages, this is useful for TV's that aren't necessarily sophisticated and freak out when they see a "4000 nit mastering display" or "10000 max nits" etc. This can be problematic because the majority of the movie can hover around 100-200 nits (being generous) and only have a split second of a tiny little detail reach 4000 nits...but the TV would compress the entire range down seeing the 4000, so your 100-200 nit range might all of a sudden be compressed down to 50 nits. I'm oversimplifying it, but you get the point.

- Seems to be more beneficial to OLED, projectors, and older 4K UHD TV's that didn't have the kinks worked out or have lower luminance or struggle with tonemapping.


Sony A9G owner here...personally at the moment I have DV disabled as well (and HDR Optimizer enabled), and sort of prefer it like this from the testing I've done and compared. My TV has a built in dynamic tonemapper which seems to maintain correct APL anyway, so I'm happy. I initially stopped worrying about DV when I had a bad streak of like 4 movies in a row (freezes with Knives Out and Midway, lit up bars with It Chapter 2, and black crush/posterization with a couple random movies. The HDR10 picture seems more pleasant and consistent to me so far.

[jonathananM]

Longtime lurker here, registered just to post about my ub820 woes and ask a few questions.

I bought my ub820 four months ago, along with an Epson 5050ub projector, my entryway to 4k after 13 years with 1080p Panasonic projectors. I spent the first two months marvelling at the PQ, skipping from scene to scene, but never watching more than a few minutes of any one film.

But ever since I started watching discs from beginning to end, I have yet to make it through a single film without the player stuttering, the image breaking up, sometimes freezing, sometimes jumping to the next chapter.

At first I thought the problem was with the discs, even though they're all brand new UHD titles. I cleaned each disc, returned and replaced some of them, yet the problem persists. I've accepted that this isn't normal and that my player needs repair.

So tomorrow I'll box it up and send it back to Panasonic, hoping for a painless resolution. I worry, because a quick internet search finds that some of you have had problems with multiple 820s. I realize that every player has the occasional glitch, but if I have to go through multiple units I'll need to seriously increase my anti-anxiety meds. (Guess I picked a bad week to quit huffing paint)

Should I call panny's customer service or just fill out the online return form? How long do these things usually take? I'm hoping they'll take my word that there's a real problem, hoping they won't charge an arm and a leg for labor now that my warranty's expired.

Anyway, here's a photo of my screen and "2001," probably the reason I went to 4k in the first place. Am I wrong, or can you see wires and circuitry in the area where the picture's breaking up? I'd like to know how to describe this to the customer service rep. The word "pixilation" springs to mind, but I know that's the wrong word. So what am I looking at here?

[wxman2003]

Originally Posted by jonathananM

Longtime lurker here, registered just to post about my ub820 woes and ask a few questions.

I bought my ub820 four months ago, along with an Epson 5050ub projector, my entryway to 4k after 13 years with 1080p Panasonic projectors. I spent the first two months marvelling at the PQ, skipping from scene to scene, but never watching more than a few minutes of any one film.

But ever since I started watching discs from beginning to end, I have yet to make it through a single film without the player stuttering, the image breaking up, sometimes freezing, sometimes jumping to the next chapter.

At first I thought the problem was with the discs, even though they're all brand new UHD titles. I cleaned each disc, returned and replaced some of them, yet the problem persists. I've accepted that this isn't normal and that my player needs repair.

So tomorrow I'll box it up and send it back to Panasonic, hoping for a painless resolution. I worry, because a quick internet search finds that some of you have had problems with multiple 820s. I realize that every player has the occasional glitch, but if I have to go through multiple units I'll need to seriously increase my anti-anxiety meds. (Guess I picked a bad week to quit huffing paint)

Should I call panny's customer service or just fill out the online return form? How long do these things usually take? I'm hoping they'll take my word that there's a real problem, hoping they won't charge an arm and a leg for labor now that my warranty's expired.

Anyway, here's a photo of my screen and "2001," probably the reason I went to 4k in the first place. Am I wrong, or can you see wires and circuitry in the area where the picture's breaking up? I'd like to know how to describe this to the customer service rep. The word "pixilation" springs to mind, but I know that's the wrong word. So what am I looking at here?

Have you tried a different HDMI cable? A premium certified HDMI cable works best.

[jonathananM]

I'm using a brand new 30 ft. Cable Creation, 4k @60hz HDR, fiber optical, 18 gbps, hdcp2.2... i'm willing to change it, but could this really be just a cable issue?

[dcforsyth]

I had the same problems with my first player see photos/link below. I exchanged the player for a new one and haven't had any problems so far, fingers crossed.

Not sure what the warranty is but if it hasn't expired I'd just exchange it. Good luck.


https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...2#post18393712

[Zen_Amako]

My UB820 player still works fine, but I decided to order a UB420 while it’s on sale to keep as a backup. I have around 100 UHD titles now, and I’m a little worried I might not be able to find another player comparable to the Panasonic models in the future if the UB820 breaks down. I bought the UB820 because I currently have a Sony 900E TV, which doesn’t support DV, and I was hoping the HDR Optimizer would help make up for the lack of DV somewhat. I watched Mulan (2020) recently on UHD utilizing the HDR Optimizer, and I was pretty impressed with the picture quality even on the 900E. The main thing I don’t like about the TV is the blooming (which I mostly notice during credits when there is white text on a black screen).

Another reason I picked up the UB820 (and just ordered a UB420 as well) is that these players play the majority of my region B discs via the “Top Menu” button. Occasionally, I do get a disc that doesn’t work, but I’ve had more discs work than not work. I guess I could just buy a region-free player, but I'd hate to lose that.

[wxman2003]

Originally Posted by jonathananM

I'm using a brand new 30 ft. Cable Creation, 4k @60hz HDR, fiber optical, 18 gbps, hdcp2.2... i'm willing to change it, but could this really be just a cable issue?

That should work fine, but to rule out a bad cable, before sending the player back, try a different cable.

[DOULG1VEN]

Originally Posted by jonathananM

Longtime lurker here, registered just to post about my ub820 woes and ask a few questions.

I bought my ub820 four months ago, along with an Epson 5050ub projector, my entryway to 4k after 13 years with 1080p Panasonic projectors. I spent the first two months marvelling at the PQ, skipping from scene to scene, but never watching more than a few minutes of any one film.

But ever since I started watching discs from beginning to end, I have yet to make it through a single film without the player stuttering, the image breaking up, sometimes freezing, sometimes jumping to the next chapter.

At first I thought the problem was with the discs, even though they're all brand new UHD titles. I cleaned each disc, returned and replaced some of them, yet the problem persists. I've accepted that this isn't normal and that my player needs repair.

So tomorrow I'll box it up and send it back to Panasonic, hoping for a painless resolution. I worry, because a quick internet search finds that some of you have had problems with multiple 820s. I realize that every player has the occasional glitch, but if I have to go through multiple units I'll need to seriously increase my anti-anxiety meds. (Guess I picked a bad week to quit huffing paint)

Should I call panny's customer service or just fill out the online return form? How long do these things usually take? I'm hoping they'll take my word that there's a real problem, hoping they won't charge an arm and a leg for labor now that my warranty's expired.

Anyway, here's a photo of my screen and "2001," probably the reason I went to 4k in the first place. Am I wrong, or can you see wires and circuitry in the area where the picture's breaking up? I'd like to know how to describe this to the customer service rep. The word "pixilation" springs to mind, but I know that's the wrong word. So what am I looking at here?

Same thing happened to mine, I bought it one month ago. Luckily, I just returned it since I was within the return period. Crazy that this issue is spread among every single UHD player on the market. Just want to watch a movie without worrying It will freeze

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by jonathananM

I'm using a brand new 30 ft. Cable Creation, 4k @60hz HDR, fiber optical, 18 gbps, hdcp2.2... i'm willing to change it, but could this really be just a cable issue?

Cables do not cause physical issues with playing the disc. Never have, never will. The player's disc drive is most likely fooked so yes, return it ASAP.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by TravisTylerBlack

This is what I generally do. However DV has proven itself on multiple occasions when it comes to "fixing" flaws in poorly compressed HDR10 base layers.

Total Recall is a prime recent example. Saving Private Ryan being another.
Generally I'll favor a slightly darker image over a brighter one with noticeable artifacts. There are also ways to compensate for this in my TVs settings.

I'll always default to DV if available. If a TV has a decent in-house dynamic tone mapping algorithm (like the more recent Sonys) then I can see why that aspect of DV is now less appealing, but for the FEL rebuild as well as 12-bit output then DV is invaluable to me. How people put up with the sort of junk HDR10 encodes that StudioCanal specialise in is beyond my reckoning, but it goes to show that not everyone is as sensitive to such things, nor are they to the subtle banding that the Optimiser can induce. (Though if people are running any kind of Smooth Gradation feature then that will counteract it.)

Optimiser for me is the last line of defence, the thing I'll use when there's no DV and when the content is mastered so stupidly bright that even the ZD9 chokes on it, e.g. most Sony catalogue titles. Even then, if the content is what I call 'fake HDR' - SDR range but imbued with thousands of nits of brightness - the Optimiser can't handle that either because its mapping is designed to compress range as well as brightness, so when it gets brightness with no added range it actually clips information rather than revealing it, e.g. The Meg or Gobshite of Fire.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I'm still totally and completely confused. The player's output is 16:9, but it will only ever present 4:3 SD content in 4:3 with black bars baked in at the sides.

You're thinking about just 4:3 series. The problem I have is consistent across any aspect ratio.

Originally Posted by sapiendut

I set mine strictly to 4K to avoid unwanted handshake like that.

Interestingly if you plug in a HDMI cable that supports 4K picture the player should automatically set itself to the 4K option. That's what happened to me anyway.

Anyway for those that don't understand what I'm going on about:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...=334172&page=4

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by pferreira

You're thinking about just 4:3 series. The problem I have is consistent across any aspect ratio.

Interestingly if you plug in a HDMI cable that supports 4K picture the player should automatically set itself to the 4K option. That's what happened to me anyway.

Anyway for those that don't understand what I'm going on about:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...=334172&page=4

I tested both 4K certified Cables I have and it still did the handshake issue. But setting it to just 4K worked out great. It doesn't have that issue anymore.

[morris_schaffer]

My 820 has arrived! . Any basics I should be aware of as per its settings? One other thing I have been meaning to ask. The settings of the player are meant to overrule the settings of the tv? Or are they supposed to work in unison? So if it has a sharpness setting, and the tv obviously does too, should I keep the tv at zero and up the sharpness on the player instead? Maybe this question is irrelevant. Got an LG OLED e series from 2016 by the way.

Edit: Netflix won't start when I click the app on the player. Dolby Vision pops up top right but screen is black, nothing happens. YouTube plays allright. Any ideas?

Edit 2: never mind the app Starts when I select video format automatic. With 4k Selected it doesn't. Strange.

Other question how do I access the HDR optimizer? I can't see it in the settings.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by morris_schaffer

My 820 has arrived! . Any basics I should be aware of as per its settings? One other thing I have been meaning to ask. The settings of the player are meant to overrule the settings of the tv? Or are they supposed to work in unison? So if it has a sharpness setting, and the tv obviously does too, should I keep the tv at zero and up the sharpness on the player instead? Maybe this question is irrelevant. Got an LG OLED e series from 2016 by the way.

You could always reduce the sharpness on both. I reduced the sharpness to some extent on my TV however I noticed the smoother the menu options became the more blurry it got for my eyes. It requires some fine tuning.

[DOULG1VEN]

Originally Posted by morris_schaffer

My 820 has arrived! . Any basics I should be aware of as per its settings? One other thing I have been meaning to ask. The settings of the player are meant to overrule the settings of the tv? Or are they supposed to work in unison? So if it has a sharpness setting, and the tv obviously does too, should I keep the tv at zero and up the sharpness on the player instead? Maybe this question is irrelevant. Got an LG OLED e series from 2016 by the way.

Shouldn't touch any of those settings IMO.

Turn on HDR optimizer, and select 'OLED' for display type and you're good to go.

[morris_schaffer]

Thanks guys but I swear I can't Find the HDR optimizer in the settings. Does it kick in when I play a movie or watch via Netflix?

[pbz06]

Originally Posted by morris_schaffer

Thanks guys but I swear I can't Find the HDR optimizer in the settings. Does it kick in when I play a movie or watch via Netflix?

It's a little tricky. From the home screen and setup/settings you can only select the target type (i.e. OLED or Mid/High Luminance etc.).

To enable HDR Optimizer, you have to play a movie that's HDR10. On the remote there should be a toggle for it (I have universal remote that automatically added it, so pretty sure). If not, press the Options button and scroll down to the video settings (the movie will be playing in the background). It will look like window tabs, click in, and then go to Custom Set 1 or Set 2. These are settings containers if you want to have different settings saved. You'll see the HDR Optimizer in there.

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by pbz06

It's a little tricky. From the home screen and setup/settings you can only select the target type (i.e. OLED or Mid/High Luminance etc.).

To enable HDR Optimizer, you have to play a movie that's HDR10. On the remote there should be a toggle for it (I have universal remote that automatically added it, so pretty sure). If not, press the Options button and scroll down to the video settings (the movie will be playing in the background). It will look like window tabs, click in, and then go to Custom Set 1 or Set 2. These are settings containers if you want to have different settings saved. You'll see the HDR Optimizer in there.

To add, you have to hold down the button for the HDR Optimizer and then select the option for turning it "On" and "Off" and just select it to be on.

As to your target display type, since your TV is an older OLED, you need to select either the OLED setting or the Basic Luminance Setting. Play around with those 2 and see what you like and there you go!

[waxHead]

Originally Posted by DOULG1VEN

Shouldn't touch any of those settings IMO.

Turn on HDR optimizer, and select 'OLED' for display type and you're good to go.

I bought an 820 just before Black Friday. From the many hours I've spent searching this forum and others regarding it's settings, there are at least few which should be changed from their defaults, particularly the "Secondary Audio" setting to "Off".

It would be great if the OP could be updated with some of the settings that new owners may want to update (such as "Resolution" to "4K" instead of "Auto" to avoid unnecessary HDMI handshakes, turning off "VIERA Link" to prevent the player turning off/on due to HDMI chain power changes, etc), with explanations of their exact function and when to know to change them. It's a real PITA to look some of these up, I haven't found a good resource which explains most of them in detail. I don't find the explanations in the advanced user manual all that useful.

[morris_schaffer]

Originally Posted by waxHead

I bought an 820 just before Black Friday. From the many hours I've spent searching this forum and others regarding it's settings, there are at least few which should be changed from their defaults, particularly the "Secondary Audio" setting to "Off".

It would be great if the OP could be updated with some of the settings that new owners may want to update (such as "Resolution" to "4K" instead of "Auto" to avoid unnecessary HDMI handshakes, turning off "VIERA Link" to prevent the player turning off/on due to HDMI chain power changes, etc), with explanations of their exact function and when to know to change them. It's a real PITA to look some of these up, I haven't found a good resource which explains most of them in detail. I don't find the explanations in the advanced user manual all that useful.

Setting resolution to 4k instead of auto prevented my Netflix app on the player to load. Just got a black screen, Dolby Vision popped up briefly top right corner, but it was clear Netflix didn't work. When I switched back to auto the app started correctly. Perhaps this isn't as clear cut?

I would like to ask something Else. It seems my 820 reverts to Dolby Vision as standard for Netflix so even a show like Better call Saul, which to my knowledge does not support DV, is shown in DV. Does this mean I need to disable DV in the settings each time I know I'm gonna watch something that doesn't support DV and then enable when I watch something that does? Or can I leave as is since DV enabled is always the best option even for content that doesn't support it?

EDIT: in addition, Dolby Vision shows to have 3 presets, dark, bright and vivid I believe. I assume dark is the one to pick here, but I was surprised that the oled light was at 50 when I was watching Netflix Star Trek Discovery. Since I assumed that dolby vision, a type of HDR needs to have both contrast and oled light at maximum (100) to ensure maximum yield for such content. So why would oled light be at 50% instead? and sure, I can change it to 100, but should I? since there's got to be a reason for the oled light to start at 50 for DV-enabled TV shows.

Thanks.