Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Naiera

The problem is that I have no idea what he's trying to say half the time.

The other chap's guide is very good. I haven't used Linux for years and found it reasonable to go through.

When it comes to editing the firmware, I think that's beyond me, but if there's major improvements and you can patch the current mod, it should be hopefully straightforward.

If you have any questions shoot me a PM.

[senseabove]

You know, an entirely reasonable option would have been to follow the step-by-step instructions that another English-speaking user wrote and revised with feedback from multiple people who have used them successfully, be thankful that prodarek did the work of finishing and releasing custom firmware for free after years of it being locked behind paywalls, and not make three completely unnecessary, snide posts about someone writing in a second language.

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by bl4ck

DreckSoft, he released software with patches, prodarek created a virtual machine for Windows/VirtualBox and patch for SRT subtitles.

Okay, I mixed up the which user did what. Point still stands: someone is being useful and another person is rudely and repeatedly whingeing about them using imperfect English while doing so.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by senseabove

Okay, I mixed up the which user did what. Point still stands: someone is being useful and another person is rudely and repeatedly whingeing about them using imperfect English while doing so.

Perhaps it's the technical language that's the issue?

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by senseabove

Okay, I mixed up the which user did what. Point still stands: someone is being useful and another person is rudely and repeatedly whingeing about them using imperfect English while doing so.

Repeatedly?!

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by chip75

Perhaps it's the technical language that's the issue?

That certainly doesn't help.

I've never used Linux before, but I'll be getting my late father's computer tomorrow, and I plan on trying something with that one. I do have to keep Windows on there though, in case my 2009 MacBook Pro should croak and I need another laptop for Calman calibration software.

[JurassicBD]

Our Panny 820 suddenly won't send a 4K signal to our Sony Bravia 4K LED. I put in Star Trek Strange New Worlds tonight and noticed that instead of showing Dolby Vision, it says HDR conversion output or something like that. I hit HDR settings, and a message appears indicating the video has to be HDR to be adjusted. The picture looks great, but the info shows 4K DV content (top), output at 2K (bottom). The Sony display confirms it's receiving a 2K signal from the Panny even after setting the Panny to 4K output instead of auto. I also confirmed the Sony's input was still set to enhanced (Dolby Vision). Just last night we watched the third episode of Star Trek from the same disc as well as Universals Invisible Man remake, both showed Dolby Vision output. Now both show 2K HDR conversion. In addition, bringing up the home screen is painfully slow: the screen goes black for what seems like a minute. Loading a disc the screen is also black for a long time, before an image appears. Reset the TV and player. Not hard resets, I didn't kill the power, just cycled them off for a few minutes. This one has me stumped. Though, if it wasn't for the signal info saying it's 2K, I swear you wouldn't know it, just by looking at the picture, from memory of the night before. I might have to try out the Panny's actual 1080 playback after this.

I'm going to start switching cables and inputs next on the assumption that something has gone bad suddenly and without explanation (no electrical storms, updates, etc). None of the HDMI cables are loose, but I'm thinking maybe the cable isn't sending the data fast enough for 4K all of a sudden. Though it's a fairly well regarded monoprice 8k rated ultra high speed cable that we just bought a few months ago, and it's only 2 meters. If it's not the cable, I dread to think something may be wrong with the players motherboard.

[chip75]

I'd assume it's a settings issue (if the cable is fine) as the player is receiving a Dolby Vision signal, reset the player's settings and switch everything to Auto. The cycle through the different output settings, like 4:4:4, 4:2:0, and so on.

Also check you're not trying to force video through both HDMI outputs on the 820, as well as you're using the HDMI 1 Output to your SONY and not the lower bandwidth HDMI 2.

Also the HDR button works with HDR, you can't adjust DoVi signals if you manage to get it outputting. Also check you're not prioritising HDR10.

[JurassicBD]

Thanks. It appears it wasn't the player. It appears to be the Sony Bravia TV input. Hard resetting the Panny and swapping cables didn't help, but swapping inputs did. In fact, the more options I tried the worse it got, to the point that the image would blank just confirming 4:4:4. Then, it would pass the players home screen in 4K, but as soon as the disc started playing, it would blank screen for about a minute. When the image finally returned it would be 1080p. Later even the home screen was 1080, because the player kept reading the tv as 2k and wouldn't send anything else. Swapping inputs, everything seems to be normal, except I need to transfer my calibration settings.

[JurassicBD]

I did a hard reset on the TV and that seems to have fixed it. That was a troubleshooting tip for inputs not working at all. This input was still working, just not with HDR at first and later not with 4K. I still haven't really tested it by watching anything for more than a few minutes though. Fingers crossed, that it won't act up again for at least another year or so, give me time to raise the money for an AVR that supports 4K and HDR.

[chip75]

It sounds like a handshake issue, I've had similar things with my old plasma, where it wouldn't recognise any inputs, you had to unplug all the leads and wait a bit, turn the TV back on without anything plugged in and off again and reintroduce things one by one!

I still use that plasma and it's had some weird quirks.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by chip75

I've gone back and forth with my usual player after marking the screen and the Panasonic does have more pillar boxing.

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I can't recall exactly what the 4K ones do but my BDT310 crops the image slightly. Can double check the 4K later with some test patterns from ye olde DVE DVD.

Originally Posted by chip75

I took a couple of camera pictures, but I might not have got the exact frame.

I looked at my pictures again, for some reason I was checking the vertical information assuming the image was zoomed in, but there's a bit of information on the sides that's cropped.

I'll see if there's anything the boffins can find in the firmware that can be altered to remove it.

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by kevers7290

Yeah, tell me about it. They discontinued the harmony line in 2021 and unfortunately no one has really picked up the slack (at least not from any company of repute). I hate to blame everything on streaming, but the truth is that the high-end A/V enthusiast market is so minuscule in 2023 that finding products like that is getting harder and harder. Most people are content with just a smart TV nothing else, so they have no need for a remote that controls a room full of equipment.

I like having 20 remotes around me. 10 to the left of me and 10 to the right of me.

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by kevers7290

I'm in the United States. Unfortunately, the same thing here is $130 USD (£105).

https://panasonic.encompass.com/item.../N2QAYA000175/

That one does not have the -10 second button on it. It seems to be missing at least one or two other buttons too.

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by Hedrox

Search "N2QAYA000130" on Amazon, they usually go for $10-12.

That one does have the -10 second button, but it doesn't say Panasonic on it. I'm not saying it doesn't work, I'm just pointing out the differences.

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by Bill Crosby

Bought an UB820 earlier this year but new to rattlebytes firmware

I'm less interested in any region-free functionality, but am I understanding this chart correctly when it indicates you can enable 350 nit HDR tonemapping on the UB820?

Is this true? And does it actually "work" ?

In other words, is the difference in tonemapping capabilities (500 nit minimum for the 820 and 350 nit minimum for the 9000) purely just a software thing? Or does the ub9000 have some sort of better image processing chip that makes it more capable

Thanks in advance

The update is suppose to add that function to the 820.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by chip75

I looked at my pictures again, for some reason I was checking the vertical information assuming the image was zoomed in, but there's a bit of information on the sides that's cropped.

I'll see if there's anything the boffins can find in the firmware that can be altered to remove it.

There you go, that’s another reason why I avoid playing DVDs on these if at all possible.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

There you go, that’s another reason why I avoid playing DVDs on these if at all possible.

I put two markers on my TV to see if there was any difference, then watched a few episodes on my other player and the pillars moved around a bit on the content I watched. I'm going to check them on my PC to see what's what, but with those markers it was driving me potty. Ironically the Panasonic would remain consistent as it would lose the slightly wider image.

[Hedrox]

Originally Posted by thebarnman

That one does have the -10 second button, but it doesn't say Panasonic on it. I'm not saying it doesn't work, I'm just pointing out the differences.

Yeah, because it's a third party replacement, not an official one. If you want to spend $50-100 on an original one it's up to you, but at the end of the day it's just a remote and all it needs to do is function when I press the buttons, so whatever.

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

There you go, that’s another reason why I avoid playing DVDs on these if at all possible.

I just avoid playing DVDs entirely