Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[bl4ck]

Exactly the same drives, have different serial numbers because they have different mountings. Optic inside and all other things are exactly the same.

[brainofj72]

I recently got this player and while I’m liking it very much overall, I’m really surprised and disappointed that there’s no way to have it automatically output a disc’s native resolution. Auto just upscales everything since my display is 4K, and I don’t want to have to manually switch the resolution every time I watch a BD or DVD. I have a Sony X95L on the way which is going to handle upscaling waaaaay better than this player, so I think I’m just gonna use this for 4K discs and my Sony X700M for older media.

First world problems, I know, but considering all the advanced options and settings available on this player, I’m a bit stunned that Panasonic overlooked this issue.

[Det. Bullock]

I'm getting a "30 minutes playback" notice every half hour of disc playback on the upper right corner of the screen, how can I disable it?

[Telemachus]

Originally Posted by brainofj72

I’m really surprised and disappointed that there’s no way to have it automatically output a disc’s native resolution.

Hey it's better than having to toggle Dolby Vision on the Sony

Someone else in this thread said the UB820 has better chroma sampling for 1080p discs than a TV would have. Just for me it looks better going 4k from player than going to my 2022 LG in 1080p. I do still use a PS3 and HD DVD player for normal DVDs though.

[brainofj72]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Hey it's better than having to toggle Dolby Vision on the Sony

It certainly is, which is the main reason I bought this after already recently buying the Sony! Just frustrating neither one can be fully automatic.

[Det. Bullock]

I misremembered: the message that appears is "playing time: 30 minutes"
Does anyone have any idea why it displays?

EDIT

Nevermind, it was the TV, not the player.

I really wonder why so many stupid settings are active by default, the display is excellent from what I can tell but other than the obvious frame interpolation (which I expected) it also had an overscan setting that was on by default.
Just... why?

[Cortiz]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Hey it's better than having to toggle Dolby Vision on the Sony

Someone else in this thread said the UB820 has better chroma sampling for 1080p discs than a TV would have. Just for me it looks better going 4k from player than going to my 2022 LG in 1080p. I do still use a PS3 and HD DVD player for normal DVDs though.

With the TV he's getting, he doesn't really need DV. I have the predecessor model A95K and the HDR10 performance and tone mapping on these display are phenomenal. I wouldn't bother trying to turn DV on/off.

[brainofj72]

Originally Posted by Cortiz

With the TV he's getting, he doesn't really need DV. I have the predecessor model A95K and the HDR10 performance and tone mapping on these display are phenomenal. I wouldn't bother trying to turn DV on/off.

I don’t care about Dolby Vision for any performance or tone mapping issues, but to avoid all the shitty HDR10 base layer encodes that have been plaguing UHD discs the last few years.

[ClownyChris99]

Just picked this up during the BF sale as I've been eyeing it for a couple years now. I have a Denon AVR X-1300 (yes I know, old but still kicking butt all these years later!)

My question would be, essentially setting it up w/ this receiver. Any tips/tricks, things I need to know immediately before even beginning set up? Perhaps video recommendations w/ pertinent info? I ask this mainly because there is SO much out there, that I want it focused more on an audiophile level.

[Sango]

Originally Posted by ATHM50x

Hi all - I've just discovered the region-free trick with this player and given I have a large collection of Criterion's in a region B country, does the trick work with every Criterion disc or should I keep my region free blu-ray player?

Originally Posted by panasonicst60

Keep the region free Blu-ray player. This will not work for all titles. Besides that, they can always release a new firmware and disable it.

I only have one region B release, which is from Dynit. It works even with the latest update. Hopefully Panasonic does not change anything! The reason why I purchased it is because it is the best quality out of all the other regional releases.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=314842

[klingsor]

Keeping a backup player is a wise move, if you can afford it. I just bought the Panasonic UB820 because of positive reviews about picture quality and physical build. I already have the Sony X700 and will keep it as a backup (hoping not to have to do that, but my experience going back to CD, DVD and Bluray player is that they don't last more than a few years with frequent use.

[Tim n Tempe]

Are discs just dirtier than they used to be?

I'd say 75% of the new 4K discs I purchase need to be cleaned before they will play in any of my 4K players. Never used to be that way!

[jess1581]

Originally Posted by Tim n Tempe

Are discs just dirtier than they used to be?

I'd say 75% of the new 4K discs I purchase need to be cleaned before they will play in any of my 4K players. Never used to be that way!

More sensitive to any smudge or light scratch than just dirty.

[Matthew.H]

Originally Posted by klingsor

Keeping a backup player is a wise move, if you can afford it. I just bought the Panasonic UB820 because of positive reviews about picture quality and physical build. I already have the Sony X700 and will keep it as a backup (hoping not to have to do that, but my experience going back to CD, DVD and Bluray player is that they don't last more than a few years with frequent use.

I have a backup Panny UB700 I got for £25 used locally. Played Hacksaw Ridge 4K fine when I tested it. Previously had a Panny UB150 that I got for £7 off a car boot sale but sold that one on.
Funny people trashing on the UB820 remote. I used to own one and the remote was poor, the Netflix button was just in the right place for you to press it by accident.
The remote with the UB150 is truly abysmal for a £160 player, it's the sort of remote you'd expect to get with a £15 store brand DVD player.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by brainofj72

I don’t care about Dolby Vision for any performance or tone mapping issues, but to avoid all the shitty HDR10 base layer encodes that have been plaguing UHD discs the last few years.

Took the words right outta my mouth (tho I do like DV for the tone mapping help and the 12-bit depth too).

[Telemachus]

I have the Panny 9000 remote coming, counting the days

[Fiffy]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

I have the Panny 9000 remote coming, counting the days

The remote I ordered from China via eBay 10 days ago for my second UB820 has already arrived (much faster than originally scheduled). It looks identical to the first one I bought a couple of years ago (i.e. like the original remote without the logo) and works fine. Under $10 shipped.

[BijouMan]

Originally Posted by danny24

Panasonic's and Sony's are not friendly for playing some media files. They play some but Oppo, Reavon, Magentar all the expensive players play them fine no problem. The Pioneer LX500 plays them fine no problem as well. One of those players would be like a dream come true for you. If you play stuff like that the Panasonic won't play everything for sure.

Looking on eBay, people have recently been able to snag OPPO UDP-203s in auctions for much less than $1,000.

[sa5150]

I have over $200 in gift cards from best buy , Wanted to get the Panny 820 but unavailable . Am I SOL ?

[Telemachus]

Originally Posted by sa5150

I have over $200 in gift cards from best buy , Wanted to get the Panny 820 but unavailable . Am I SOL ?

Crutchfield is backordered but you can still get one in for $350 that will ship in January. Crutchfield does have the 9000 and 420 which will be in stock sooner. Amazon doesn't even have it listed now. Seems like everyone is dry atm, I'd either wait or grab it from Crutchfield if you want a guarantee on price. That price was too sweet it seems like everyone bought one. Would be funny if they announce new players in February after blowing out the older models.