Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by rikraq

My main question really is, setting aside 4k discs for the moment, will a 4k player improve my blu-ray discs pq and audio any more than my 4k tv does?

When it comes to video, it depends on what has the better upscaler...the TV or the player?

As far as audio there's not enough information to really answer your question. If your a fully analog guy then a disc player with really high end analog outs might be better depending on the rest of your gear.

If you set the player to output bitstream to the receiver the audio might be better only if the decoder is better in the receiver than it is on the player.

If all your doing is going bitstream audio to your TV or soundbar, it's not going to make much of a difference.

[danny24]

Originally Posted by backwater

Good points. I do have a cheap Seiki Blu-ray player, which is my dedicated region free one, and a PS5, so I was thinking I'm probably covered. But you never know what will happen in the future.

Yeah keep it, it's not like the X700 is going to take up a lot of space. Throw it in the closet or what not.

[wormraper]

got the UB820 today as I need an upgrade from my near 7 year old X800 which is freezing more and more often (it would freeze every once in a while, but no it's happening to every 1 out of 3 4K discs that I put in, otherwise this player has been a BEAST. plays any blu-ray without qualm, and just chugs along outside of the freezing on 4K discs which has been escalating).

anywhoo, the UB820 is quite impressive in many ways. the DV is flawlessly integrated, the HDR optimization is kick ass, and my upscaled Blu-rays look better.

HOWEVER, it's so much more finnicky than my old X800 with loading discs. I've already ran into a handful that won't load the disc, it will just say "reading", then "hi whatever audio ON" and then kick it back to the menu. Only way to make it play is reboot the system with it in or use my other player. I thought the 820 was supposed to be the cream of the crop for anything other than the Oppo or the UB9000, but this is a finnicky SOB. Super Mario Bros is like this. both the Blu-ray and the 4K refuse to load unless you reboot the player, or else play another disc (load it at least) and then put the SMB movie back in and it will suddenly work.

other than being finnicky with more discs I've tested in one night it's a great player, but gawd DAMN, this sort of stuff should have been ironed out YEARS ago. we're 7 years into the format and still re-using the same glitchy Gen 1 or gen 1.5 players ...

[rikraq]

Do they not make any new 4k players? All the Panasonic and Sony ones seem to have come out 4-5 years ago. Do they just update them? And why do all the reviews talk about freezing discs?

I hate trying to buy new electronics. The reviews are so varied.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by wormraper

other than being finnicky with more discs I've tested in one night it's a great player, but gawd DAMN, this sort of stuff should have been ironed out YEARS ago. we're 7 years into the format and still re-using the same glitchy Gen 1 or gen 1.5 players ...

I think in Panasonic's case they're just lumping on patches to the original firmware. There's still code for the recording software in the firmware as well as other redundant stuff that takes up CPU juice.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by chip75

I think in Panasonic's case they're just lumping on patches to the original firmware. There's still code for the recording software in the firmware as well as other redundant stuff that takes up CPU juice.

yeah, but still we don't have gen 2,3,4 lasers, better dacs, faster processors...it's like they said "meh, we don't care. we'll just ride this out till the format dies, no need to invent better stuff".

also, my big "gripe' (it's not the end of the world so far, but I've only had it one day) is that this beotch is FINNICKY about discs loading. As I said, I found more discs that wouldn't load, or needed rebooting to load the disc, or a cleaning, in one night of my collection than I've exprienced in 7 years of owning the X800......although the X800 freezes like a mother effer and is dying on me .

It seems that it's a "give and take" with ANY 4K player. the X800 and X800m2 are known to be freezing machines, while the Panny's are great players with MUCH less freezing, but they're disc drive is FINNICKY AF. *sigh

I wish we could get a player that has the reliablity of the PS5, but with the features and VQ of the panny

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by rikraq

Do they not make any new 4k players? All the Panasonic and Sony ones seem to have come out 4-5 years ago. Do they just update them? And why do all the reviews talk about freezing discs?

I hate trying to buy new electronics. The reviews are so varied.

pretty much no. the majors except for Panny and Sony all left the market, and the ones left are literally only supporting their gen 1 and 1.5 players that they released 5-7 years ago and are riding it out till the format dies. Basically the market is small enough that they simply are waiting for it to die and don't want to invest time and money into inventing new players, so we have to make do with what we have

the end result is that we've been stuck in the "early adopter phase" because

a. The studios put all their eggs in the streaming basket expecting it to be their big money maker and "who cares" about 4K

or

b. they don't think the market share is big enough so they don't want to spend money investing in new tech or updating models, so they simply slap on a firmware patch and update the player with new software and let us flounder in the early adopter tech for 7 years.

[Tastypho]

I also got a new UB820 from the recent sale on Amazon and so far I've tested about 10 discs. Half of those (brand new) discs had freezing/pixelation issues. A couple worked fine after I wiped it with a microfiber cloth but the others glitched out no matter what I tried. I got Amazon to ship out a replacement so I'll have to do some further testing to see if it's the discs or if I got a lemon. Any troubleshooting tips I should give a try? I'm running it through a very simple setup - HDMI 2.1 directly to my LG C3, no receiver in the chain. Firmware is up to date, it was the first thing I did after I hooked it up.... perhaps I'll skip the firmware update for the replacement and see how that goes.

Edit: Also want to note that the manufacturing date on the unit I got is August 2023 so it's fairly new and up to date.

[Telemachus]

Perhaps you got a lemon. I have played 7 discs now flawlessly that would freeze on my Sony. Are your discs clean? Check for fingerprints? Do you not return scratched discs or check them for scratches? I have seen plenty of people here say they don't even look at the bottom if it plays (Lol bro). Dumb questions to ask, but also wiping down a UHD each time is ideal because of case gunk that frosts discs after awhile which will split the laser. The Sony may not get hung up on these things as much so maybe you never noticed.

Also UHD players were built on the back of Blu ray tech, these are already 5th gen players imo there really isn't anything left to improve except firmware or cooling the disc tech has been maxed as well it seems like since you can make a 10/10 disc using a 66gb UHD.

[wormraper]

it could simply be a lemon. there are SEVERAL posts on AVS the last week with some random people getting 820's that won't play half their discs, or won't play 4K discs at ALL. One guy returned and got 3 different 820s, and each one had major issues getting discs to play.

could just be a couple people, or could be a bad rash of players out there

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Perhaps you got a lemon. I have played 7 discs now flawlessly that would freeze on my Sony. Are your discs clean? Check for fingerprints? Do you not return scratched discs or check them for scratches? I have seen plenty of people here say they don't even look at the bottom if it plays (Lol bro). Dumb questions to ask, but also wiping down a UHD each time is ideal because of case gunk that frosts discs after awhile which will split the laser. The Sony may not get hung up on these things as much so maybe you never noticed.

Also UHD players were built on the back of Blu ray tech, these are already 5th gen players imo there really isn't anything left to improve except firmware or cooling the disc tech has been maxed as well it seems like since you can make a 10/10 disc using a 66gb UHD.

+1. Inspecting discs= priority #1 these days. I’ve had my player over a week and probably watched over a dozen films and no issue(s) on my end. Broke out some older Shout releases from my BD tower and was surprised at how much off gassing gunk I had on the discs. A good microfiber once offer should clear things up nicely.

All these reports of player issues, I’m willing to bet some are related to read back errors. Check your discs but be in good light and view at multiple angles.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by wormraper

got the UB820 today as I need an upgrade from my near 7 year old X800 which is freezing more and more often (it would freeze every once in a while, but no it's happening to every 1 out of 3 4K discs that I put in, otherwise this player has been a BEAST. plays any blu-ray without qualm, and just chugs along outside of the freezing on 4K discs which has been escalating).

anywhoo, the UB820 is quite impressive in many ways. the DV is flawlessly integrated, the HDR optimization is kick ass, and my upscaled Blu-rays look better.

HOWEVER, it's so much more finnicky than my old X800 with loading discs. I've already ran into a handful that won't load the disc, it will just say "reading", then "hi whatever audio ON" and then kick it back to the menu. Only way to make it play is reboot the system with it in or use my other player. I thought the 820 was supposed to be the cream of the crop for anything other than the Oppo or the UB9000, but this is a finnicky SOB. Super Mario Bros is like this. both the Blu-ray and the 4K refuse to load unless you reboot the player, or else play another disc (load it at least) and then put the SMB movie back in and it will suddenly work.

other than being finnicky with more discs I've tested in one night it's a great player, but gawd DAMN, this sort of stuff should have been ironed out YEARS ago. we're 7 years into the format and still re-using the same glitchy Gen 1 or gen 1.5 players ...

I have the 9000 and it won't play Criterion BDs and is very finicky with BDs in general. However it plays UHDs and DVDs just fine so I just use the Oppo for BDs.

I am in the minority, but I find that DVDs look better on the 9000 than any player I have tried. So much so, that they are now watchable again. And this viewing a 75" display from 8 feet away.

[Telemachus]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

+1. Inspecting discs= priority #1 these days. I’ve had my player over a week and probably watched over a dozen films and no issue(s) on my end. Broke out some older Shout releases from my BD tower and was surprised at how much off gassing gunk I had on the discs. A good microfiber once offer should clear things up nicely.

All these reports of player issues, I’m willing to bet some are related to read back errors. Check your discs but be in good light and view at multiple angles.

Shout cases seem to be the worst, gunk will come back on the disc after days if I don't wipe down the entire case clean. And best believe that will eff the laser up and cause problems on UHD, inpsecting or wiping the disc each time is a must. Heck even Blu rays will have it all over if I haven't watched one in years.

[bl4ck]

Originally Posted by bruceames

I am in the minority, but I find that DVDs look better on the 9000 than any player I have tried. So much so, that they are now watchable again. And this viewing a 75" display from 8 feet away.

It's true, because pana has default enabled four additional image functions for dvd to reduce noise and microblocks. If you want check raw picture you need reduce all four additional image functions to zero.

[Telemachus]

Originally Posted by wormraper

it could simply be a lemon. there are SEVERAL posts on AVS the last week with some random people getting 820's that won't play half their discs, or won't play 4K discs at ALL.

Some people on AVS get hysterical and want instant answers and don't even know what they're doing most of the time. I think a lot of this is just mucked up discs that people aren't checking. Sending a player back that fast or multiple players just seems outragious to me, they probably have dirty movies (not those kind!!).

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by telemachus

shout cases seem to be the worst, gunk will come back on the disc after days if i don't wipe down the entire case clean. And best believe that will eff the laser up and cause problems on uhd, inpsecting or wiping the disc each time is a must.

this

Originally Posted by telemachus

heck even blu rays will have it all over if i haven't watched one in years.

When I broke out some older Blu-rays to watch over Halloweeen, I encountered many with off gassing gunk. Sure, wiping the disc off will help but you’ve got to neutralize the crap on the case, otherwise you’ll end up with gunk back on your disc.

I use these wipes on the case(s). They have just enough alcohol to lift off the gunk without causing a mess.

[Tastypho]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Some people on AVS get hysterical and want instant answers and don't even know what they're doing most of the time. I think a lot of this is just mucked up discs that people aren't checking. Sending a player back that fast or multiple players just seems outragious to me, they probably have dirty movies (not those kind!!).

Care to share your magical cleaning technique with us? I’m open to anything at this point. I can assure you that the discs that are giving me problems have been wiped very clean and are indeed unmucked.

[Telemachus]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

When I broke out some older Blu-rays to watch over Halloweeen, I encountered many with off gassing gunk. Sure, wiping the disc off will help but you’ve got to neutralize the crap on the case, otherwise you’ll end up with gunk back on your disc.

A lot of my red HD DVD cases are the same, they even have those suction cup circles in them, aliens!! Sometimes I open a movie after 10 years and the case is just prehistoric inside, wiping them all down is a chore, have to use my CD rags one per case then hand wash them all, rinse repeat again. Paper towels don't work really and you don't want lint all over your cases.

Originally Posted by Tastypho

Care to share your magical cleaning technique with us? I’m open to anything at this point. I can assure you that the discs that are giving me problems have been wiped very clean and are indeed unmucked.

Okay lets say you crack open brand new discs, check for fingerprints and microscratches in good lighting. If the disc is flawless things are looking good, then wipe that disc down with a lint free CD cloth from center to edge, if the case looks musty also wipe it down inside with the same type of cloth. If the disc doesn't play after this then it's pretty much out of your hands, exchange it. After this point I still personally wipe a disc down each time I play it in the same way.

If you are dealing with old discs or used discs you bought off ebay, in times of need I give them a bath in warm running water, dry and wipe them with the same type of cloths. If things are actually sticking to the surface of the disc like adhesive or some other muck that you're just smearing around, you need to use a CD cloth and dab it with isopropyl alcohol and clean the disc from center to edge on the bottom only, then immediately put it under warm running water and let it rinse, dry with CD cloth. Alcohol can bleed some disc ink screenprints on top so just be careful not to rub the top (I've only done it once a long time ago).

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Also UHD players were built on the back of Blu ray tech, these are already 5th gen players imo there really isn't anything left to improve except firmware or cooling the disc tech has been maxed as well it seems like since you can make a 10/10 disc using a 66gb UHD.

Interesting point except for the fact a UHD Blu-ray disc's information is stored in a much smaller, much tighter area and there may not be enough error correction built into these players to deal with what ever imperfections there are on the new 4K discs.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by thebarnman

Interesting point except for the fact a UHD Blu-ray disc's information is stored in a much smaller, much tighter area and there may not be enough error correction built into these players to deal with what ever imperfections there are on the new 4K discs.

That's one reason I have been more recently transferring my discs to digital storage for viewing. Pioneer computer drives are quite good at powering through disc imperfections that screw up most table top players, and I end up with a glitch free mkv. They must have the error correction that SHOULD have been used by Sony, Panasonic, Oppo, etc.