Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[Wendell R. Breland]

It will be interesting to see if the HDR Optimizer gets locked out for Dolby Vision titles.

[Robert Zohn]

The only HDR projectors we have on demo are Sony's VW5000ES, VW885ES VZ1000ES and LG's HU80KA. I've also tested the HDR to SDR on Sony's VW65ES.

All performed beautifully.

I've Friday, July 27th we're building a theater with Epson's 5040UB and I plan on testing the UB820.

[Sir Dagonet]

Originally Posted by Robert Zohn

I can tell you with 100% confidence that Panasonic's HDR Optimizer works beautifully with all types of TVs and projectors to maintain the full tonal range of HDR10 content. It gently rolls off the peak luminance maintaining the full color volume and details across the HDR tonal range.

I know this because I have personally tested the UB820 and UB9000 with all of the 2018 premium TVs and several projectors.

In full disclosure, my company was selected as Panasonic's exclusive launch partner for the USA on the UB820 and UB9000.

I've tested it on LG and Sony OLED TVs, several Sony, LG and Samsung LCD TVs and a few projectors with excellent results every time. No other BD player was able to perform as well with HDR10 content on every TV. One example is seeing the gradual smooth transition of the bright sky with all of the detail that the sky looks like in real life.

Robert,

I have a JVC RS520 PJ... have you tested the 820 on that unit, or do you have other information where someone else has?

And, BTW, it's an impressive designation to be selected as Panasonic's exclusive launch partner in the US. Very confidence inspiring for us consumers, and speaks volumes about you as a technically knowledgeable and highly efficient retailer.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

It will be interesting to see if the HDR Optimizer gets locked out for Dolby Vision titles.

It does if you read back in some posts.

[Robert Zohn]

@Sir Dagonet, thank you for the kind words! This category is my lifetime passion and career. Prior to starting Value Electronics 22 years ago I was a TV Broadcast Systems Engineer specializing in advanced technologies.

I created our annual TV Shootout 15 years ago and it caught the attention of the media, the public and all of the TV manufacturers.

I have not had the opportunity to test the HDR Optimizer on any of JVC's projectors. I expect it will be an excellent match.

[PuppetMasterBlu]

Originally Posted by Robert Zohn

The only HDR projectors we have on demo are Sony's VW5000ES, VW885ES VZ1000ES and LG's HU80KA. I've also tested the HDR to SDR on Sony's VW65ES.

All performed beautifully.

I've Friday, July 27th we're building a theater with Epson's 5040UB and I plan on testing the UB820.

Im so happy to hear the HDR to SDR conversion was great. It's pretty much the reason im buying the 820.

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by Robert Zohn

Actually the UB820 and UB9000's HDR Optimizer is most effective on LG and Sony OLED TVs, most projectors and some of the lower priced LCD TVs.

It was less impressive, but did moderately improve HDR on Sony's Z9D and Samsung's Q9FN. In regard to all Samsung TVs Panasonic's new BD players support HDR10+ so these owners will enjoy the benefits of seeing HDR10 and HDR10+ content.

surprised that well designed (and expensive) TVs such as the Sony and LG OLED TVs do not have similar circuitry built into the TV.

[roccog94]

Just ordered a UB820 from Value Electronics, paid via PayPal. I got a standard PayPal receipt, but nothing from the store itself. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something and my order went through properly, excited to get my hands on this player!

[Robert Zohn]

@roccog94, you are all set. Thx!

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by Robert Zohn

The only HDR projectors we have on demo are Sony's VW5000ES, VW885ES VZ1000ES and LG's HU80KA. I've also tested the HDR to SDR on Sony's VW65ES.

All performed beautifully.

I've Friday, July 27th we're building a theater with Epson's 5040UB and I plan on testing the UB820.

Nice. So you just run it on the lowest nit optimizer setting for projectors? Or more tweaking than that required?

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

surprised that well designed (and expensive) TVs such as the Sony and LG OLED TVs do not have similar circuitry built into the TV.

They do, usually referred to as Active HDR.

Per Robert

LG and Sony are doing "active HDR" with the current base standard HDR10 on all of the 2017 X1 Extreme processor TVs, like the A1E OLED, Z9D, X940E and X930E, and LG employs a very similar active HDR10 processing with their SJ9500, C7, E7, G7 and W7 OLED TVs.

From what I am told "active" HDR10 works very much like the proposed HDR10+.

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

They do, usually referred to as Active HDR.

Per Robert

So how does UB820 or UB9000 substantially improve the HDR picture on sets that have Active HDR?

[LordoftheRings]

Originally Posted by Sir Dagonet

Robert,

I have a JVC RS520 PJ... have you tested the 820 on that unit, or do you have other information where someone else has?

And, BTW, it's an impressive designation to be selected as Panasonic's exclusive launch partner in the US. Very confidence inspiring for us consumers, and speaks volumes about you as a technically knowledgeable and highly efficient retailer.

And Panasonic is big in Hollywood, so yes indeed.

[Geoff D]

Sony's HDR doesn't do anything "active" at all IMO, it just ignores brightness metadata and clips the content according to where you've got your settings at. On a high-nit display like the 65ZD9 it gives you a good dollop of everything you need in HDR when calibrated to follow the PQ curve: sufficient brightness not just for HDR peaks but the correct APL (crucial in ensuring that discs with low SDR-like APL don't look too dim), and preservation of specular highlights into the 2000-nit range (I also use custom settings that stretch detail retention out to 4000 nits at the expense of about a third of brightness).

Buuuuuuuuut...when this same philosophy is applied to a Sony OLED it immediately hits a snag because of the relative lack of peak brightness, the clipping of highlight detail is more aggressive in order to maintain APL on a set that hits maybe 600 or 700 nits peak. That said, Dolby Vision on those same OLEDs must be a joy to behold, and dat Panny HDR Optimiser will have a lot of positive uses also.

[flipsyde2000]

Robert,

I hope to get the 820 but will not have the funds until Monday or so, do you guys still have unassigned players from your allotment.

[cjake]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

So how does UB820 or UB9000 substantially improve the HDR picture on sets that have Active HDR?

By targeting the bright highlights for tone mapping that today's HDR TVs are not capable of displaying and leaving the rest mostly untouched.

Tone mapping in today's HDR TVs for the most part will either:
- Clip the very bright highlights which results in loss of detail in very bright scenes.
- Compress everything so that the bright highlights are are displayable on the TV. This results in a darker overall picture because average brightness scenes are compressed along with the bright scenes.

So if you have the Panasonic player configured for a 1000 nit TV, HDR Optimizer will compress the highlights that exceed 1000 nits so the TV can display them without clipping, but leave the major portion of the content that is far less bright than 1000 nits alone. No other UHD Player or HDR TV has this type of tone mapping.

I have a 2017 LG OLED that does a poor job of tone mapping with titles such as the US version of Blade Runner 2049 that was mastered using a 10000 nit monitor. The LG tone mapping considers the 10000 nit value in its tone mapping algorithm even though the MaxCLL (brightest sub-pixel in a frame) value in the HDR metadata is only 181 Nits. Because of this, the content below 181 nits is also compressed down to lesser brightness when it need not be.

I have the UK version of 2049 as well that is mastered at 4000 Nits; not 10000. My LG displays an overall brighter picture with this version.

I was also able to get a brighter overall picture from the US disc by using an HDfury Vertex device to replace the 10000 Nit value in the HDR Metadata with 1000 Nits instead.

I believe (hope) that the HDR Optimizer, besides performing its tone mapping magic, will also modify the original value of the HDR Metadata field, Maximum Mastering Monitor Color Volume, from 10000 Nits to 1000 Nits or whatever the target Nits value is for the HDR TV type selected. This way my LG will not see 2049 as a 10000 Nit title but a 1000 Nit title and the LG tone mapping will be much improved.

I would like to wait for the 9000 to be released in the US, but I will likely get an 820 instead.

[Robert Zohn]

@flipsyde2000, yes we still have UB820s available from the first allocation so your order will ship when they arrive, which is now expected Friday, July 27.

@PaulGo, cjake answer this very well. Thanks cjake.

Panasonic's HDR Optimized has a set-up menu where you can select your TV or projectors peak luminance ability. Once you properly set the HDR Optimizer it will follow the PQ curve as far as possible to your display's peak lumens and gently roll off the brightest image areas without clipping.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

It does if you read back in some posts.

Was under the impression that DV would come to this player at a later date therefore thought we would have to wait and see how it handles DV disc.

[Clark Burk]

Robert, have you been given any info on when the Dolby Vision update might take place?

[wesslan]

Originally Posted by Robert Zohn

Panasonic's HDR Optimized has a set-up menu where you can select your TV or projectors peak luminance ability.

Really? I was under the impression after those menu pics you don't get to assign nits which would be more correct since for example a 2016 oled isn't on the same level as 2018 but the menu only offer you a "OLED" setting if I'm not mistaken where panasonic chose 1000 nits?