Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by Filmfan73

Component is terrible compared to S-Video. Sure, it really boosts the color spectrum, but that is about it. SCART RGB is great but not practical for U.S. consumers. But I suppose if you are watching content on CRT this late in the game, then you should seek it out.

VGA is great but relegated pretty much to PC.

You have it completely wrong. Component is and always has been a major step up from S-video (sharper with better color separation).

The order of worst to best picture quality cables on analog formats:

RF < Composite < S-Video < Component < RGB Scart

Component and RGB Scart are generally indistinguishable on older CRT TV's mind you, but the leap from S-Video to Component is substantial, about as much a leap as going from Composite to S-Video.

[Member-425016]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

You have it completely wrong. Component is and always has been a major step up from S-video (sharper with better color separation).

The order of worst to best picture quality cables on analog formats:

RF < Composite < S-Video < Component < RGB Scart

Component and RGB Scart are generally indistinguishable on older CRT TV's mind you, but the leap from S-Video to Component is substantial, about as much a leap as going from Composite to S-Video.

Yikes, that is crazy talk
From the beginning I have been talking about 480i SD content on DVD which is perfect for S-Video
The proof is in the pudding--- this video is the closest I could find to accurate representations of the three formats. Why does S-Video look the best?
There ya go.

Playstation 2 - Composite / S-video / Component - YouTube

Originally Posted by MisterXDTV

Component is the format actually stored on DVDs and beyond: how can it be terrible?? LOL

Are you confusing component with composite???

S-Video is inferior in every possible way compared to component

Sigh..see above video please. Component is good for early HD CRT sources such as progressive scan 480P, 720P, and 1080i...but again that is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about DVD which inherently is 480i!

[rickardl]

Originally Posted by senseabove

Could it be that I can't "side"-grade from US 1.69 to Chinese 1.69? I see no indication of the firmware version other than 1.69, so despite the upgrade appearing to be successful according to the front display, I don't know how to confirm it took... The Panasonic guide does say it can take up to 5 minutes, and this only took ~30 seconds.

I think they are all the same now.

Originally Posted by rickardl

As a side note, I downloaded all updates and they all had the same byte size.
(The China one had a different filename)
184241187 Sep 29 20:14 CH UPDATE_UB9000_V169.zip
184241187 Sep 29 18:54 OC UPDATE_UB420_UB820_UB9000_V169.zip
184241187 Sep 29 18:14 CA UPDATE_UB420_UB820_UB9000_V169.zip
184241187 Sep 29 17:21 EU UPDATE_UB420_UB820_UB9000_V169.zip
184241187 Sep 29 15:24 US UPDATE_UB420_UB820_UB9000_V169.zip

And they all had this file PANAEUSB.FRM which was 184184880 bytes and even the CRC-32 checksum was identical for the firmwares which was a bit(!) surprising.
US 86FE5D6F
EU 86FE5D6F
CA 86FE5D6F
OC 86FE5D6F
CH 86FE5D6F

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by Filmfan73

Yikes, that is crazy talk
From the beginning I have been talking about 480i SD content on DVD which is perfect for S-Video
The proof is in the pudding--- this video is the closest I could find to accurate representations of the three formats. Why does S-Video look the best?
There ya go.

[Show spoiler]Playstation 2 - Composite / S-video / Component - YouTube

Sigh..see above video please. Component is good for early HD CRT sources such as progressive scan 480P, 720P, and 1080i...but again that is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about DVD which inherently is 480i!

S-Video doesn't look better in that video. You're the one talking crazy.

[Member-425016]

Originally Posted by Naiera

S-Video doesn't look better in that video. You're the one talking crazy.

Yes, the difference between S-Video, and Component is earth shattering night/day comparison, right?

Especially if you like the overcooked non-progressive color array of the Component setup vs. the much more natural color, and sharper S-Video images.

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by Filmfan73

Yikes, that is crazy talk
From the beginning I have been talking about 480i SD content on DVD which is perfect for S-Video
The proof is in the pudding--- this video is the closest I could find to accurate representations of the three formats. Why does S-Video look the best?
There ya go.
Playstation 2 - Composite / S-video / Component - YouTube



Sigh..see above video please. Component is good for early HD CRT sources such as progressive scan 480P, 720P, and 1080i...but again that is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about DVD which inherently is 480i!

That's a very subjective comparison. The user did not share what cables he used, those can drastically alter the results. Especially for the PS2 where cheaply built component cables abound. The difference in how the capturing equipment is handling the interlaced signal can affect the results too.

If we're talking about CRT usage, then having tried both I can attest to the fact that as expected on a PS2 hooked up to a high end non-HD Sony Trinitron CRT running a 480i game using the official Sony S-video cables I get a less sharp picture than using the official Sony Component cables. Mind you 480i never looks great on CRT's either way. The only reason anyone should be using S-video is this day and age is if their CRT doesn't have a component input.

For use on modern display panels, it might just depend on the capturing equipment being used or on the individual monitor's handling of the two connections, but in principle just on a technical level, there's no way S-Video would come out on top over Component.

[JurassicBD]

Originally Posted by Filmfan73

Yikes, that is crazy talk
From the beginning I have been talking about 480i SD content on DVD which is perfect for S-Video
The proof is in the pudding--- this video is the closest I could find to accurate representations of the three formats. Why does S-Video look the best?
There ya go.

I can't imagine how a thread about UHD playback transitioned into a discussion about such decades old, low fidelity transmission as S-video from a PS2, so forgive if my response is irrelevant to your discussion, as I didn't find much in the way of context in the last several pages of this thread. If someone is wanting to use a UHD player with an analog device, copy protection should prevent it from working optimally, or even working at all, unless the BDA has relaxed their standards over the years, or you're using a device to bypass HDCP/AACS.

Regardless, S-video is definitely not superior to component. If it looks as such in a given system, there must be something about the system that's a biasing factor (translation: not handling component signals equally/optimally - possibly color decoding or the DACs), as the tech is unquestionably in favor of component. SDI can't even transmit beyond 480i, where component can send HD (just not copy protected HD, like Blu-ray). Both are analog though, and thus can be unequally affected by the quality of DACs, internal video processing, interconnects, and shielding in longer cable runs, though interference from lack of shielding should be very obvious, and the difference between gold plated terminations and the like would offer only subtle improvements on rather large displays.

That said for 480i dvd content, optimal transmission would far and away still be HDMI, which doesn't require the deleterious process of digital to analog conversion of the video when output to a digital display. If HDMI is not an option at the display end, it's possible an outboard processor with high quality DACs might be in order. I'll forgo bringing up SDI and DVI, which were without question the best way to go before HDMI became commonplace, in terms of fidelity, but such wasn't cheap or broadly accessible even back when every electronics company in the world wanted a piece of physical media.

[JurassicBD]

Originally Posted by Filmfan73

The Double edged sword of upscaling (forget players, the TV is the heart of the elephant)is that if you want the best upsclaing available on a current TV...you have to go Samsung. Which most around here tend to turn their nose up at.
For some reason unknown to most, Samsung still care about SD content on their display.
Maybe it's because most of their customers are still stuck on DVD, Who knows?

It has always been considered optimal to do all video processing in the player, seconded by an outboard processor fed digitally. The difference isn't as significant in an all-digital system, where you don't have extraneous DA/AD conversions, but pre-4k, I know you were still most likely to find superior deinterlacing/scaling in a higher quality player (usually boutique) or mid-high quality AVR than in most displays. Maybe that's changed in recent years. I know Sony likes to taut their video enhancements in their Bravia line. So far I haven't found much use for them though. DVD still looks pretty respectable deinterlaced and scaled via our Oppo 103D. So far, I don't find Darbee as beneficial as I did when we used a projector though.

[jello_02]

Does anyone else's UB820 have issues with audio? Every so often when i pause a movie and start it again the audio does not come back at all. It is happening more frequently to the point where instead of pausing when i need to i just leave the movie running and rewind it instead. When the audio does cut off, i need to turn off the machine and turn it back on.

Does anyone know of a fix for this?

Thanks

[JurassicBD]

Originally Posted by jello_02

Does anyone else's UB820 have issues with audio? Every so often when i pause a movie and start it again the audio does not come back at all. It is happening more frequently to the point where instead of pausing when i need to i just leave the movie running and rewind it instead. When the audio does cut off, i need to turn off the machine and turn it back on.

Does anyone know of a fix for this?

Thanks

I haven't experienced this yet (knock on wood). I run audio and video via separate HDMI cables, one to the TV, one to the AVR, partially because the AVR doesn't support HDR, partially because running video through an AVR or soundbar prior to going to the tv is notorious for HDCP hiccups, like video pausing at the layer change or audio dropouts, sometimes momentary, sometimes requiring cycling power to the source component, even when the fault is with the AVR or TV. I used to get them all the time even with BD, before switching from a PS3 to an Oppo with dual HDMI output.

HDMI control also plays havoc on the connection, often even when all devices are from the same brand. Sometimes ensuring HDMI control is enabled in every device in the chain or adjusted to only allow certain controls fixes the issue. But, usually it's the other way around: disabling all HDMI control. HDMI isn't nearly as smart as it needs to be. Of course, if ARC or eARC is involved, that's a whole other boat, often related to cable speed, which it seems most reliable cable brands these days have dropped producing digital interconnects, where over-building isn't as beneficial, so they can't compete with the influx of Chinese products. You can pay more for Monster, but they're outsourced too. Even if you have high-speed rated cables, each cable isn't tested before leaving the factory, so it's a bit of a crapshoot with the lack of quality control we see today from foreign brands, which are about all you can find anymore, for digital interconnects.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Filmfan73

Yes, the difference between S-Video, and Component is earth shattering night/day comparison, right?

Especially if you like the overcooked non-progressive color array of the Component setup vs. the much more natural color, and sharper S-Video images.

They're sharper to a fault, as in overly sharp. If that's what you like then more power to ya but I can clearly see the haloing and general 'edginess' of the s-video there, the component is by far the most pleasing one to my eye as it's still got way more detail than composite but isn't aggressively sharpened like the s-video.

There are so many hot takes on this forum at the moment it's a wonder it doesn't burn up

[biggquis]

Originally Posted by jello_02

Does anyone else's UB820 have issues with audio? Every so often when i pause a movie and start it again the audio does not come back at all. It is happening more frequently to the point where instead of pausing when i need to i just leave the movie running and rewind it instead. When the audio does cut off, i need to turn off the machine and turn it back on.

Does anyone know of a fix for this?

Thanks

I've experienced that, but it only lasts a few seconds. I usually pause/play again and it comes back. I run an HDMI to a soundbar and then to the TV. What's your setup?

[jello_02]

Originally Posted by biggquis

I've experienced that, but it only lasts a few seconds. I usually pause/play again and it comes back. I run an HDMI to a soundbar and then to the TV. What's your setup?

Hmm...my audio wont come back until i restart it. Before i could just hit stop and then play again and the audio would come back, now i have to turn off the player and back on.

I have my player going to my receiver and then to my tv.

I guess my player is just breaking down a bit. It skips more than before and the audio issues werent there in the beginning.

[rroeder]

Mine does this occasionally too, when I pause or rewind a few times, I did a factory reset and bought a new cable to AVR(I use the dual HDMI setup) and it still does it, thankfully not very often. I just eject the disc and reload and it fixes it, I think we need a new firmware update

[Member-425016]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

They're sharper to a fault, as in overly sharp. If that's what you like then more power to ya but I can clearly see the haloing and general 'edginess' of the s-video there, the component is by far the most pleasing one to my eye as it's still got way more detail than composite but isn't aggressively sharpened like the s-video.

There are so many hot takes on this forum at the moment it's a wonder it doesn't burn up

Hot takes..like the over saturated unnatural color array of the Component video you all seem to prefer?

Probably have your TV's color level set to high, or beyond too. Nothing like cooking the hell out of an SD signal that wasn't designed for it (bleeding welcome). But hey you do you, and continue to. Even though you are dead wrong, and so far off this ship you are drowning at sea.

One more time for those not paying attention S-Video is best for 480i!!

Component best for 480P, 720P, 1080i.

[martinstraka8282]

Originally Posted by senseabove

And you did this using the Chinese 1.69 firmware on a player from the US/UK?

I'm on the regionfreedom 1.69 firmware, but from my understanding the process for external subs is the same.

[samuelkhan999]

Originally Posted by martinstraka8282

I'm on the regionfreedom 1.69 firmware, but from my understanding the process for external subs is the same.

I got a regionfree firmware. Bought it for 250 second hand with 2 years warranty. If someone could make a YouTube video how to make this work, that would be gr8.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by samuelkhan999

I got a regionfree firmware. Bought it for 250 second hand with 2 years warranty. If someone could make a YouTube video how to make this work, that would be gr8.

It's pretty straightforward, pop the file named sub.srt in folder SUB on a USB stick (I think FAT32 is fine). Once your disc is playing press the SUBTITLE button (or OPTION button if you have a 820 remote), if the EXTERNAL SUBTITLES option isn't listed (I think it's at the bottom of the screen) then, unfortunately, you're out of luck and the option isn't supported.

[samuelkhan999]

Originally Posted by chip75

It's pretty straightforward, pop the file named sub.srt in folder SUB on a USB stick (I think FAT32 is fine). Once your disc is playing press the SUBTITLE button (or OPTION button if you have a 820 remote), if the EXTERNAL SUBTITLES option isn't listed (I think it's at the bottom of the screen) then, unfortunately, you're out of luck and the option isn't supported.

Do we need the USB stick to be completely empty and have the sub folder or will it work with other media and files present in the USB stick ?

[chip75]

Originally Posted by samuelkhan999

Do we need the USB stick to be completely empty and have the sub folder or will it work with other media and files present in the USB stick ?

As long as the folder isn't in another folder I don't think it matters.