Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[Cherokee Jack]

So apparently the UB820 is notorious for being sensitive to small scratches and mine is no exception. I've had multiple discs, both 4K and BD, that regularly break up with pixel noise on the player that would then play without issue on a Sony UPB-X800 or PS5. Initially I thought there was a serious flaw unique to my player but close inspections of the discs under a flashlight revealed very tiny scratches that weren't easily visible in regular light.

Has anyone had success making their UB820 less finicky in reading discs with light scratches? Any tips would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

Quick question, I have a UB820 connected to a Sony A9S. I popped in a disc after I got it all set up and there's snow on the right side...

https://i.imgur.com/p1L3T1L.jpg

Is this the player or the cable? I don't think it did this before, so maybe the cable?

I've had snow with complete picture drop before and it was solved by replacing the HDMI cable.

Originally Posted by grahams76

Any particular model?

Search "UB9000 remote" on Ebay to bring up options. There are cheap knockoffs with no Panasonic logo and more expensive options with the logo included that are supposedly authentic.

[sapiendut]

Originally Posted by ronand

I have a feeling that it may be an urban myth that you can get external subs with Chinese fimware - many have tried and failed. It does work with regionfreedom (if you can get it) or rattlebyte firmware (I've tested that).

Definitely not urban myth because all my China-based clients can use .srt after upgrading their 9000 to 1.66 (now 1.69).

[arcky]

Originally Posted by ronand

I have a feeling that it may be an urban myth that you can get external subs with Chinese fimware - many have tried and failed. It does work with regionfreedom (if you can get it) or rattlebyte firmware (I've tested that).

Thanks! You make it sound like regionfreedom might be hard to get? Any more details on that?

And Rattlebyte seems more straight forward but I would literally need to purchase electronics from them and solder it myself? Not too keen on that option....

[chip75]

Originally Posted by arcky

Thanks! You make it sound like regionfreedom might be hard to get? Any more details on that?

Depends on how your patience extends.

The Rattlebyte mod is one plug and two solder points.

[ronand]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Definitely not urban myth because all my China-based clients can use .srt after upgrading their 9000 to 1.66 (now 1.69).

On the 9000 but not the 820 AFAIK

[ronand]

Originally Posted by chip75

Depends on how your patience extends.

The Rattlebyte mod is one plug and two solder points.

On the old models it is. On newer models all 6 wires must be soldered. Its not rocket science but I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner

[TheShape31]

Originally Posted by grahams76

Any particular model?

Panasonic N2QAYA000131

Make sure it’s OEM and not a cheap knockoff. I got mine here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265518449370

Edit:
One seller now has it cheaper:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PANASONIC-N...edirect=mobile

[ronand]

Originally Posted by arcky

Thanks! You make it sound like regionfreedom might be hard to get? Any more details on that?

And Rattlebyte seems more straight forward but I would literally need to purchase electronics from them and solder it myself? Not too keen on that option....

Regionfreedom is a lottery - just try your luck. Seems to be run by a weirdo who is not really interested in making money from it so there is a high refusal rate and he/she/it does not answer emails either.

Yes the rattlebyte module needs to be soldered in - 6 wires need to be connected but at least its available to purchase.

[MarkGubarenko]

Originally Posted by TheShape31

Panasonic N2QAYA000131

Make sure it’s OEM and not a cheap knockoff. I got mine here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265518449370

Edit:
One seller now has it cheaper:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PANASONIC-N...edirect=mobile

yeah, but those are not UB9000 remote, they don't have HDR Settings.
And really - why not cheap knockoff? it's a remote, it's not like it's going to affect screening experience

[ronand]

Most of the knock-offs seem ok but there is one thing they don't seem to be able to do - change remote code. I have a UB450 and UB820 and the 450 is fixed to code 1 so I can't use a knock-off control on the 820 if I want to use codes 2-7 to avoid operating both devices. If you only have one player then it wont matter

edit: N2QAYA000172 is the remote with the HDR settings

[mikesncc1701]

Man...I've been debating on getting the UB820 for a week now. I had it in my hand last Friday at Best Buy but put it back. $400 just seems a bit much for a player but I am sick and tired of UHD 100 freeze ups and considering my TV does all three HDR formats, I'd finally be able to playback discs with HDR10+ that don't have Dolby Vision. Is the playback on this thing really that good? Like, if I used the same exact settings on my TV would there really be a noticeable difference in quality?

[sapiendut]

Sorry, but $400 is not much for a player. During my entire years of hobby, the good quality players have always been in the $1,000 be it a VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, MiniDisc, Cassette Players, CD player etc. In fact only in the past 3-4 years you can get an amazing player for $500. So getting it for $400 is objectively not much at all.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by ronand

On the old models it is. On newer models all 6 wires must be soldered. Its not rocket science but I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner

It says 820 and 824, it's something I've wondered about, they don't have the connector on the motherboard? I was going to check my player.

[TheShape31]

Originally Posted by MarkGubarenko

yeah, but those are not UB9000 remote, they don't have HDR Settings.

I didn’t even realize the HDR Settings button wasn’t there, and otherwise it looks identical. It’s probably not something that I’ll ever need to use again, and if for whatever reason I do then the original UB820 remote is there. On top of that, the UB9000 replacement costs around twice as much.

Originally Posted by MarkGubarenko

why not cheap knockoff? it's a remote, it's not like it's going to affect screening experience

The look can be replicated, but never the quality. Though the non-OEM remotes are much cheaper, so it’s up to you which is more important.

Originally Posted by ronand

N2QAYA000172 is the remote with the HDR settings

Thanks for the heads up on the correct model number!

[shinobipopcorn]

I found my receipt for my first TV that I bought on my own in 08, an Insignia 24 inch LCD TV/DVD combo. 400 smackeroos. So yeah, I agree.

[ronand]

Originally Posted by chip75

It says 820 and 824, it's something I've wondered about, they don't have the connector on the motherboard? I was going to check my player.

There was a motherboard change at some change which removed the connector - opening the unit up is the only way to find out if you have it or not.

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by mikesncc1701

Man...I've been debating on getting the UB820 for a week now. I had it in my hand last Friday at Best Buy but put it back. $400 just seems a bit much for a player but I am sick and tired of UHD 100 freeze ups and considering my TV does all three HDR formats, I'd finally be able to playback discs with HDR10+ that don't have Dolby Vision. Is the playback on this thing really that good? Like, if I used the same exact settings on my TV would there really be a noticeable difference in quality?

The Panasonic tone mapping really is that good. How much you need that tone mapping depends on the quality of your set and whether it's calibrated. I personally can't imagine regularly watching HDR10 content on my Sony 950H without it. I'd probably have to finally bite the bullet and get it calibrated.

And it's definitely nice to no longer have to worry about discs regularly freezing and having to unplug the player to reset it like I had to with the Sony UBP-X800. But as I said a few posts ago, the UB820 isn't without playback issues of it's own. They can be very sensitive to reading discs with scratches that other players handle without issue. That issue is generally avoidable however whereas the X800's is not.

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Sorry, but $400 is not much for a player. During my entire years of hobby, the good quality players have always been in the $1,000 be it a VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, MiniDisc, Cassette Players, CD player etc. In fact only in the past 3-4 years you can get an amazing player for $500. So getting it for $400 is objectively not much at all.

It's all relative. I grew up pretty satisfied with DVD playback on my PS2 and then BD playback on my PS3 (still a great region-free choice with an excellent official media remote) & various midrange players so the need to really spend on a dedicated player to get the most out of 4K came as a bit of a shock.

[sapiendut]

Well, if you are satisfied with DVD on a PS2 then you should really compare it to Sony X700 or the entry level LG 4K players at $200 as in global performance wise, that’s the approx same level. A good DVD player at the time was about $700.

Panasonic UB820, performance wise in terms of bluray and 4K disc playback) is better than Pioneer LX800, Oppo 205, Reavon 200, that are far beyond $1K MSRP in price.

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Well, if you are satisfied with DVD on a PS2 then you should really compare it to Sony X700 or the entry level LG 4K players at $200 as in global performance wise, that’s the approx same level. A good DVD player at the time was about $700.

Panasonic UB820, performance wise in terms of bluray and 4K disc playback) is better than Pioneer LX800, Oppo 205, Reavon 200, that are far beyond $1K MSRP in price.

I don't recall my PS2 routinely failing to get through films the way Sony's X700 and X800 series do. The DVD and BD eras also didn't need the equivalent of Dolby Vision or an HDR optimizer to make many discs look right on the uncalibrated entry-to-midrange televisions most consumers watch on. I'm sure benefits could be had by spending more on a dedicated player during the last few formats but I rather doubt it was a night and day difference like it is today. I say this having struggled through a few years trying to watch stuff like Westworld S1 on a Samsung MU8000 with a X800 (this was before the availability of the DV-compatible X700, not that it would have mattered on my Samsung).

And you'll find no argument for me regarding the value of the UB820. The only unit I'm tempted to replace mine with is the UB9000 and that's largely down to build quality.

[Jay Mammoth]

Caved and bought the 820. Just want a backup in case my Oppo dies after they stop repairing them.