Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Jack Priest

What does this actually do to the image? I've noticed it a few times on Arrow discs, but didn't think anything of it. Surely if there's no HDR, it doesn't do anything?

It forces the image *into* HDR which can have strange effects on SDR, like blowing out the highlights. Old bonus material can look quite nasty with this effect.

[rroeder]

So I've had my player for a year now and haven't had any playback issues, aside from a scratched disc, till this wkd was watching LOTR extended editions and on the last disc had some freezing and picture breakup for a couple minutes at the beginning during the spider scene. The disc was fine even tried cleaning it and reloading but same issue. These discs all played fine last year when I got the player, wondering if it's a player issue or these discs. I've had 2 sets of these and now playback issues on 2 diff players but the only other playback issue I've had with this player has been on a scratched disc as mentioned above.

[senseabove]

A very particular question on behalf of a friend: can anyone in the UK confirm whether playing PAL content from a BD works?

I have a stock US 820 and a friend has a region-modded US 820 (from 220 or Bombay, I don't recall which). His will play PAL DVDs fine, and mine won't, as expected. However, neither of ours will play PAL content on BDs: both play audio, but no video.

For testing, two UK BDs with PAL content are the new release of The Draughtsman's Contract from BFI and the New Wave Films release of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

If anyone with a UK 820, whether stock or modded, could test whether the PAL extras play correctly, I'd appreciate it. TIA!

[Tok]

Originally Posted by senseabove

A very particular question on behalf of a friend: can anyone in the UK confirm whether playing PAL content from a BD works?

I have a stock US 820 and a friend has a region-modded US 820 (from 220 or Bombay, I don't recall which). His will play PAL DVDs fine, and mine won't, as expected. However, neither of ours will play PAL content on BDs: both play audio, but no video.

For testing, two UK BDs with PAL content are the new release of The Draughtsman's Contract from BFI and the New Wave Films release of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

If anyone with a UK 820, whether stock or modded, could test whether the PAL extras play correctly, I'd appreciate it. TIA!

Your US 820 is most likely a region coding issue since it’s the BD format where region codes are still technically enforced. Your friends regionfree 820 may be a setting he did not change but I’m unfamiliar with some ways the region free players are modded. I’ve only dealt with region-free firmware mods for the Panasonics.

I know with the enhanced firmware one still has to manually enter a code to change regions. Also it’s a separate setting for DVD and BD regions which may explain why his PAL DVDs are useable.

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by Tok

Your US 820 is most likely a region coding issue since it’s the BD format where region codes are still technically enforced. Your friends regionfree 820 may be a setting he did not change but I’m unfamiliar with some ways the region free players are modded. I’ve only dealt with region-free firmware mods for the Panasonics.

I know with the enhanced firmware one still has to manually enter a code to change regions. Also it’s a separate setting for DVD and BD regions which may explain why his PAL DVDs are useable.

I wasn't expecting my attempt to be successful, just using it to confirm that my stock US player (which cannot play PAL DVDs) is behaving the same for PAL BD content (on a region-free BD whose feature and non-PAL extras play fine) as his modded US player (which does play PAL DVDs).

I'm reasonably certain he's switching his player to Region B, so, if it's strictly the BD Region setting, it should, presumably, be able to play PAL content from a Region B BD when set to BD Region B. But it is not playing video, only audio.

Are you saying that you have successfully played PAL content from a BD on a stock UK or region-modded US 820?

[Tok]

Originally Posted by senseabove

I wasn't expecting my attempt to be successful, just using it to confirm that my stock US player (which cannot play PAL DVDs) is behaving the same for PAL BD content (on a region-free BD whose feature and non-PAL extras play fine) as his modded US player (which does play PAL DVDs).

I'm reasonably certain he's switching his player to Region B, so, if it's strictly the BD Region setting, it should, presumably, be able to play PAL content from a Region B BD when set to BD Region B. But it is not playing video, only audio.

Are you saying that you have successfully played PAL content from a BD on a stock UK or region-modded US 820?

No I have an older BDT-A110. I don’t have many region coded BDs but I’m uncertain if any are encoded in PAL framerates. I do remember though when I signed up to get access to the firmware it did specifically ask if PAL playback was needed.

I haven’t modded my UB9000 or 820 since I really don’t import much and many titles are no longer region locked (well at least titles I’m interested in).

[ronand]

PAL playback on region modded units may need to be enabled depending on the region free firmware used. Without knowing what firmware/mod you have it's difficult to tell. All European UB820/824 players will play PAL content natively.

[senseabove]

Thanks, folks. I know UK 820s should play PAL content natively, and presumably more people would have raised a hullabaloo if the UB820 didn't in some cases. But right now, I'd just like clear confirmation that they actually do in the specific situation of playing PAL content from a BD.

So let's keep it simple:

Do you have a stock UK UB820? If yes, have you played PAL/576i content from a blu-ray? (If yes, which discs/extras have you successfully played?)

Do you have a region-modded US UB820? If yes, have you played PAL/576i content from a blu-ray? If yes, what region mod do you have (and which discs/extras have you successfully played)?

Examples of UK BDs with PAL extras:
• Witchfinder General from Odeon
• The Draughtsman's Contract from BFI
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives from New Wave

[chip75]

Have a UK 820, I don't think I've had any issues with 50Hz SD from Blu-rays☆ (I don't think the content is technically PAL or NTSC).

I think a few folks have had issues with their US players, but you never know if it's the display causing the issue.

☆I will double-check tomorrow.

[ronand]

It sounds like it is a TV problem as there is picture but no sound. Some region-free firmwares can force 60Hz output from 50Hz content on US players to get around the limitations of some US TV sets. Using the rattlebyte mod 60Hz output can be toggled by pressing RED,BLUE,2,3,4 while in standby. This will not work on a stock player...

Just to be clear there is no problem playing 50Hz content from a bluray disc on a stock UK/European player - thats what they are designed to do.

However I have seen a note on the rattlebyte firmware

Enables PAL playback at 60Hz, so that PAL DVDs can be played on US television sets (except certain BD extra content encoded at 720/576/50i).

So this may be the problem

[ronand]

I've just done a test with "Smiley's People" on my Rattlebyte modded UB820

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Smile...lu-ray/279633/

I enabled 60Hz output

The actual episodes play fine at 60Hz - these are 1080i 50Hz content

One of the special features (an interview with John le Carré) gives a black screen with audio at 60Hz - this is 576i 50Hz content

The other extra is a restoration feature which plays fine as expected as it is 1080i 50Hz


Try pressing the PLAYBACK INFO button when playing back PAL content to see what resolution it is in and what the player is trying to output. If nothing comes up on the screen then most likely the TV cant handle the 50Hz output

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by Tok

I know with the enhanced firmware one still has to manually enter a code to change regions.

All modded Blu-ray players are like this.

[idlebrain]

I was watching movies from Jack Ryan 4K UHD set . Panny 9000 reporting the disc as BT 2020 & SDR to the projector. Same discs in Oppo 203 report correctly as HDR. Other UHD discs playing correctly on panny, so its definitely not player settings. Does anyone seen this kind of issue?

[deatheats]

Originally Posted by idlebrain

I was watching movies from Jack Ryan 4K UHD set . Panny 9000 reporting the disc as BT 2020 & SDR to the projector. Same discs in Oppo 203 report correctly as HDR. Other UHD discs playing correctly on panny, so its definitely not player settings. Does anyone seen this kind of issue?

Yep, every once in a while I’ve seen my 820 refuse to recognize HDR or Dolby Vision. The couple of times it’s happened I’ve pulled the power cable on the 820, waited a few seconds and plugged it back in. HDR/DV played normally after that.

[Tok]

Originally Posted by ronand

I've just done a test with "Smiley's People" on my Rattlebyte modded UB820

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Smile...lu-ray/279633/

I enabled 60Hz output

The actual episodes play fine at 60Hz - these are 1080i 50Hz content

One of the special features (an interview with John le Carré) gives a black screen with audio at 60Hz - this is 576i 50Hz content

The other extra is a restoration feature which plays fine as expected as it is 1080i 50Hz


Try pressing the PLAYBACK INFO button when playing back PAL content to see what resolution it is in and what the player is trying to output. If nothing comes up on the screen then most likely the TV cant handle the 50Hz output

It’s the resolution and scanrate that’s the issue. Many NA displays and content devices don’t support 576i. I use to have a DLP with a Matterhorn chip that was native 576. Unless the player and source were designed to support legacy PAL features you’re probably out of luck.

[ronand]

Originally Posted by Tok

It’s the resolution and scanrate that’s the issue. Many NA displays and content devices don’t support 576i. I use to have a DLP with a Matterhorn chip that was native 576. Unless the player and source were designed to support legacy PAL features you’re probably out of luck.

Most likely its a TV limitation with 50Hz content. Some region free mods get around this by forcing 60Hz output as I mentioned but even that is not foolproof. Without knowing exactly the hardware the poster is using (as well as the disc) we are only guessing.

[senseabove]

I'm limited since I'm asking as a proxy for the friend with the Bombay-modded 820 and it's a bit moot using a stock US player myself, but fwiw, with the 576i director interview on the Uncle Boonmee disc:
• Oppo BDP-83 (region-free mod) -> Denon AVR -> Sony A80J: Plays 576i video and audio. Oppo says "BDMV PAL" source but does not specifically list scanrate. Denon AVR reports 1080/60 -> 1080/60.
• Panasonic UB820 (US Stock) -> Denon AVR -> Sony A80J: Plays 576i audio, no video. Panasonic says "720x576/50i" for source and "4k/60p" for HDMI Video ouput. Denon AVR reports 4k/60 -> 4k/60.

Looks like the Panasonic is telling the receiver it's exporting 60 but not actually converting 50 to 60, which is odd but not surprising given that's a stock US player that also can't play PAL DVDs, unlike my friend's Bombay-modded US 820.


Would still appreciate definite confirmation that someone actually has played 576i/50 content from a BD on a stock UK 820, however obvious it seems that it would.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by senseabove

Would still appreciate definite confirmation that someone actually has played 576i/50 content from a BD on a stock UK 820, however obvious it seems that it would.

I don't think I've had any issues.

My discs are spread about a bit at the moment, but I'll try and find a UK release with that content. I think some of the Doctor Who discs should have some.

[ronand]

I've already posted this - 576i content cannot output at 60Hz on the UB820. It plays back fine at 50Hz on a UK player. Making a player region free will not automatically make it play 50Hz PAL content on a crippled US TV.

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by ronand

I've already posted this - 576i content cannot output at 60Hz on the UB820. It plays back fine at 50Hz on a UK player. Making a player region free will not automatically make it play 50Hz PAL content on a crippled US TV.

Except the Bombay-modded player handles a PAL DVD on a US TV just fine. Isn't that converting 576i/50 to 60?

One of the things that brought this whole kerfluffle up is all the extras on the Draughtsman's Contract DVD playing fine on the modded 820, and those same extras on the new BD playing audio only. It is strictly an issue with 576i content on a BD, which presumably could be fixed with firmware.