Samsung 4K UHD Blu-ray Player UBD-K8500

[vincentric]

Got it delivered today -

[Show spoiler]

I'll try sharing some quick impressions of it but not until later tonight. Dinner and a movie with the family first.

Edit:

Originally Posted by Cliff

Alright... quick first thoughts.

Again, I can't mention the specific titles as they're not out yet, but this player is a winner. At my normal viewing distance (About 11' away from a Samsung 78"), it's difficult to spot immediate differences, but they're there. Fine film grain is so much more clearly resolved and very fine detail along with it. Things that look slightly filtered (especially close up) on the BD are really sharp and natural looking in UHD. My television doesn't have HDR, but color saturation and contrast is slightly improved as well even in SDR. MORE surprisingly, when compared to my Oppo 103, the 8500 even does a slightly better job upconverting 1080p to UHD. When I compared the BD (on the Oppo) and the UHD (on the Samsung) the differences were noticeable (especially up close). There was a shot that contained writing in the background and the BD (on the Oppo) wasn't really legible while the UHD was. The BD viewed on the Samsung was somewhere in between.

The player is also surprisingly fast. I often use the original Spider-Man 2 BD because the JAVA used to choke players (old Pioneers and Sonys took nearly 2 minutes to load it). On the Oppo 103 (one of the fastest players around) it loaded from tray closed to Sony splash screen in 23 seconds. The Samsung did it in 17 seconds. Not a huge difference, but faster is faster.

The UI is also pretty smooth. Navigating through YouTube or Netflix was pretty comparable to my Roku 4, which is saying something for a disc player. Usually those streaming interfaces are clunky and slow. I do agree that the remote is terrible. Too small and easy to hit enter when you think you're hitting up. I added it to my Harmony (as the 7500) and it helped immensely.

Also, the player has adjustment settings when you're playing a disc so that you can adjust color, contrast, brightness, sharpness, tint, audio sync, etc. You won't need these often, but they're sometimes nice to have when discs are less than perfect. There's also no display and just two simple (unobtrusive) lights. It's a good player that doesn't distract on the rack.

This is a far cry from the horrible players Samsung released when Blu-ray launched in 2006. I've been eager for the Panasonic and the Oppo and almost sat out the Samsung based on their history. I'm glad I didn't and this player will make the wait for other players so much easier.

Sounds good. Does it display the bitrate amount for the audio and video?

[katiehlvr2]

Originally Posted by Cliff

Alright... quick first thoughts.

Again, I can't mention the specific titles as they're not out yet, but this player is a winner. At my normal viewing distance (About 11' away from a Samsung 78"), it's difficult to spot immediate differences, but they're there. Fine film grain is so much more clearly resolved and very fine detail along with it. Things that look slightly filtered (especially close up) on the BD are really sharp and natural looking in UHD. My television doesn't have HDR, but color saturation and contrast is slightly improved as well even in SDR. MORE surprisingly, when compared to my Oppo 103, the 8500 even does a slightly better job upconverting 1080p to UHD. When I compared the BD (on the Oppo) and the UHD (on the Samsung) the differences were noticeable (especially up close). There was a shot that contained writing in the background and the BD (on the Oppo) wasn't really legible while the UHD was. The BD viewed on the Samsung was somewhere in between.

The player is also surprisingly fast. I often use the original Spider-Man 2 BD because the JAVA used to choke players (old Pioneers and Sonys took nearly 2 minutes to load it). On the Oppo 103 (one of the fastest players around) it loaded from tray closed to Sony splash screen in 23 seconds. The Samsung did it in 17 seconds. Not a huge difference, but faster is faster.

The UI is also pretty smooth. Navigating through YouTube or Netflix was pretty comparable to my Roku 4, which is saying something for a disc player. Usually those streaming interfaces are clunky and slow. I do agree that the remote is terrible. Too small and easy to hit enter when you think you're hitting up. I added it to my Harmony (as the 7500) and it helped immensely.

Also, the player has adjustment settings when you're playing a disc so that you can adjust color, contrast, brightness, sharpness, tint, audio sync, etc. You won't need these often, but they're sometimes nice to have when discs are less than perfect. There's also no display and just two simple (unobtrusive) lights. It's a good player that doesn't distract on the rack.

This is a far cry from the horrible players Samsung released when Blu-ray launched in 2006. I've been eager for the Panasonic and the Oppo and almost sat out the Samsung based on their history. I'm glad I didn't and this player will make the wait for other players so much easier.

Do you think the difference on a non hdr is worth the 400 dollars?

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by Cliff

Alright... quick first thoughts.

Again, I can't mention the specific titles as they're not out yet, but this player is a winner. At my normal viewing distance (About 11' away from a Samsung 78"), it's difficult to spot immediate differences, but they're there. Fine film grain is so much more clearly resolved and very fine detail along with it. Things that look slightly filtered (especially close up) on the BD are really sharp and natural looking in UHD. My television doesn't have HDR, but color saturation and contrast is slightly improved as well even in SDR. MORE surprisingly, when compared to my Oppo 103, the 8500 even does a slightly better job upconverting 1080p to UHD. When I compared the BD (on the Oppo) and the UHD (on the Samsung) the differences were noticeable (especially up close). There was a shot that contained writing in the background and the BD (on the Oppo) wasn't really legible while the UHD was. The BD viewed on the Samsung was somewhere in between.

The player is also surprisingly fast. I often use the original Spider-Man 2 BD because the JAVA used to choke players (old Pioneers and Sonys took nearly 2 minutes to load it). On the Oppo 103 (one of the fastest players around) it loaded from tray closed to Sony splash screen in 23 seconds. The Samsung did it in 17 seconds. Not a huge difference, but faster is faster.

The UI is also pretty smooth. Navigating through YouTube or Netflix was pretty comparable to my Roku 4, which is saying something for a disc player. Usually those streaming interfaces are clunky and slow. I do agree that the remote is terrible. Too small and easy to hit enter when you think you're hitting up. I added it to my Harmony (as the 7500) and it helped immensely.

Also, the player has adjustment settings when you're playing a disc so that you can adjust color, contrast, brightness, sharpness, tint, audio sync, etc. You won't need these often, but they're sometimes nice to have when discs are less than perfect. There's also no display and just two simple (unobtrusive) lights. It's a good player that doesn't distract on the rack.

This is a far cry from the horrible players Samsung released when Blu-ray launched in 2006. I've been eager for the Panasonic and the Oppo and almost sat out the Samsung based on their history. I'm glad I didn't and this player will make the wait for other players so much easier.

Do the covers mention what type of disc the studio used? BD-66, BD-100?

I know that on Fox's regular Blu-rays they would mention the average video bitrate and the size of disc. If the disc layers are numbered and designated like regular Blu-ray's, you might be able to see that info on the inner hub.

I've read that the Samsung seems kind of plasticy and flimsy compared to the $400 asking price. What's your opinion on the build quality?

Is it correct that this player does not support Dolby Vision HDR?

I assume that none of the discs have AACS 2.0a online authentication included... at least for now. Is that a correct assumption? That's a HUGE sticking point for most potential UHD Blu-ray buyers.

Thanks!

[mahyar1]

Originally Posted by katiehlvr2

Do you think the difference on a non hdr is worth the 400 dollars?

That's the $400 question^. I ordered mine from Crutchfield and it will be delivered on Friday. We have 60 days to return for a full refund. I will buy a 4k movie and test it out. If i don't see much of an upgrade/difference, I will return it and wait for the price drop. Because at this moment 4k movies are expensive and my tv streams 4k through Amazon app

[XJF]

Originally Posted by vincentric

Edit: Sounds good. Does it display the bitrate amount for the audio and video?

This was the first thing I checked for on mine as I love the feature on my PS3. Doesn't seem to, unless it's buried somewhere.

[NoUse4AName68]

Anyone else with this player have any audio impressions? I feel like it sounds worse to me, and everything I have is upgraded. Was running via PS4 through my Pioneer VSX-1123 with a slower HDMI. Now I have UBP-8500 through the same receiver with 18.0GBps HDMI. Same speakers. Everything just sounds hollow Maybe a setting I'm missing?

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by NoUse4AName68

Anyone else with this player have any audio impressions? I feel like it sounds worse to me, and everything I have is upgraded. Was running via PS4 through my Pioneer VSX-1123 with a slower HDMI. Now I have UBP-8500 through the same receiver with 18.0GBps HDMI. Same speakers. Everything just sounds hollow Maybe a setting I'm missing?

Strange. If it's set to bitstream, there should be ZERO difference as the player is just sending raw data via HDMI.

Is the player set to bitstream with secondary audio/dynamic range settings turned off?

[katiehlvr2]

Originally Posted by mahyar1

That's the $400 question^. I ordered mine from Crutchfield and it will be delivered on Friday. We have 60 days to return for a full refund. I will buy a 4k movie and test it out. If i don't see much of an upgrade/difference, I will return it and wait for the price drop. Because at this moment 4k movies are expensive and my tv streams 4k through Amazon app

Yep, I am right there with you. I received mine today and I am happy with the build and the response of the player. I did need a blu ray player upgrade though for my 4k tv.
I am hoping to get my hands on a movie by Sunday if they surface at Best Buy.

[XJF]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

Strange. If it's set to bitstream, there should be ZERO difference.

Is the player set to bitstream with secondary audio turned off?

This, for the first 30 mins I was using the stock PCM setting and felt like something was off.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by katiehlvr2

Yep, I am right there with you. I received mine today and I am happy with the build and the response of the player. I did need a blu ray player upgrade though for my 4k tv.
I am hoping to get my hands on a movie by Sunday if they surface at Best Buy.

So, you believe the player is more solid than the standard BD players in the wild currently that would blow away if you breathed heavily on them?

[ray0414]

Originally Posted by mahyar1

That's the $400 question^. I ordered mine from Crutchfield and it will be delivered on Friday. We have 60 days to return for a full refund. I will buy a 4k movie and test it out. If i don't see much of an upgrade/difference, I will return it and wait for the price drop. Because at this moment 4k movies are expensive and my tv streams 4k through Amazon app

make sure you compare it to the 1080P version that comes along with it.

What tv do you have?


Ultimately, i think even a regular 4k tv will benifit because of the higher bitrate, better compression, and just overall better quality of the file on the disc. these movies have undergone "cleaning" to make them look better so I think itll be worth it, especially going into the future with new movies that use better cameras.

[katiehlvr2]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

So, you believe the player is more solid than the standard BD players in the wild currently that would blow away if you breathed heavily on them?

Definately. Its a solid player. I too agree with the upscaling as the previous poster mention.
I put in garbage pail kids as it was in my shelf. The standard blu ray seemed much better. More colorful. I was impressed. I do like the mgo option as well.
I run a bose cinemate in my family room so I cant give any feedback on the audio. My audio sounds the same.
My main concern is the appearance of the uhd discs. Hopefully I can find one tomorrow.
I can tell you that I am blown away with some of 4k content on amazon. If I get anything close to that. Im keeping and will begin searching for a new 2016 hdr set in the next 12 months.

[ray0414]

Originally Posted by katiehlvr2

Definately. Its a solid player. I too agree with the upscaling as the previous poster mention.
I put in garbage pail kids as it was in my shelf. The standard blu ray seemed much better. More colorful. I was impressed. I do like the mgo option as well.
I run a bose conemate in my family room so I cant give any feedback on the audio. My audio sounds the same.
My main concern is the appwarance of the uhd discs. Hopefully I can find one tomorrow.

do you have the upscaling set to auto or 4k or?

[mahyar1]

Originally Posted by ray0414

make sure you compare it to the 1080P version that comes along with it.

What tv do you have?


Ultimately, i think even a regular 4k tv will benifit because of the higher bitrate, better compression, and just overall better quality of the file on the disc. these movies have undergone "cleaning" to make them look better so I think itll be worth it, especially going into the future with new movies that use better cameras.

Yeah that's the plan. I have the LG 55EF9500 and I just want to see how this thing looks on an OLED TV

[katiehlvr2]

Originally Posted by ray0414

do you have the upscaling set to auto or 4k or?

I went in and set it to 2160p

[docmike]

I guess I am alone so far with not being overly impressed with the player. I am not crazy impressed based on my first experience with 78" Samsung JS9500 with the player and a regular BD (used transformers age of extinction). I did not see a crazy diff between my PS4 bluray player and the k8500. It looks great, but so did the ps4 and i am having a hard time seeing glaring differences. I will post again tmrw because my fox connect exodus says it will be here then as per usps tracking... the player is fairly light IMO. not built with heavy metal.

I will reassess with a 4k bluray. I am a big fan of watching 3d blurays on my 78js9500 at 10 feet away.. feel like I'm sitting at my personal imax theatre... so the 4k discs would have to be a noticeable difference for me to keep the player. Maybe my TV upscales so well already that the player does not make a difference for me? in summary, the tv is amazing, but the player isn't making a large difference in the picture. player doesn't add anything new besides an easier way to control with my harmony remote than having to use the ps4 controller which is a pain in the ass... as said before, this was with watching a regular blurry. As far as song, i have a sony HTST9 sound bar which does hd and it simulates 7.1 surround quite nicely but i don't think i can get dolby atmos on it. i tried switching to bitstream and it wasn't listed in the audio options (TrueHD was though like with my ps4)... if i keep the player it might be time to upgrade to a real surround system...

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by ray0414

You don't have a sek3500 upgrade box?

Did the UHD movies you watch have 2k DI' or 4k DI's? im curious if it was 2k, was it 4k looking despite being upscaled? and if it was a 4k DI, were you execting it to be sharper/more detailed?

Also how do they compare to the online streaming 4k stuff?

Is internet connection required for playback?

One is a 4K DI and one is a 2K DI. It was the 2K DI that I saw the subtle improvements in. Need more time with the other.

[ray0414]

Originally Posted by docmike

I guess I am alone so far with not being overly impressed with the player. I am not crazy impressed based on my first experience with 78" Samsung JS9500 with the player and a regular BD (used transformers age of extinction). I did not see a crazy diff between my PS4 bluray player and the k8500. It looks great, but so did the ps4 and i am having a hard time seeing glaring differences. I will post again tmrw because my fox connect exodus says it will be here then as per usps tracking... the player is fairly light IMO. not built with heavy metal.

I will reassess with a 4k bluray. I am a big fan of watching 3d blurays on my 78js9500 at 10 feet away.. feel like I'm sitting at my personal imax theatre... so the 4k discs would have to be a noticeable difference for me to keep the player. Maybe my TV upscales so well already that the player does not make a difference for me? in summary, the tv is amazing, but the player isn't making a large difference in the picture. player doesn't add anything new besides an easier way to control with my harmony remote than having to use the ps4 controller which is a pain in the ass... as said before, this was with watching a regular blurry. As far as song, i have a sony HTST9 sound bar which does hd and it simulates 7.1 surround quite nicely but i don't think i can get dolby atmos on it. i tried switching to bitstream and it wasn't listed in the audio options (TrueHD was though like with my ps4)... if i keep the player it might be time to upgrade to a real surround system...

what is your resolution set at for the player?

make sure with HDR material, you set dynamic contrast to medium or high.

heres an HDR video to watch, great quality. download and put on a USB.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7w...k5dkstNkE/view

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by docmike

I guess I am alone so far with not being overly impressed with the player. I am not crazy impressed based on my first experience with 78" Samsung JS9500 with the player and a regular BD (used transformers age of extinction). I did not see a crazy diff between my PS4 bluray player and the k8500. It looks great, but so did the ps4 and i am having a hard time seeing glaring differences. I will post again tmrw because my fox connect exodus says it will be here then as per usps tracking... the player is fairly light IMO. not built with heavy metal.

I will reassess with a 4k bluray. I am a big fan of watching 3d blurays on my 78js9500 at 10 feet away.. feel like I'm sitting at my personal imax theatre... so the 4k discs would have to be a noticeable difference for me to keep the player. Maybe my TV upscales so well already that the player does not make a difference for me? in summary, the tv is amazing, but the player isn't making a large difference in the picture. player doesn't add anything new besides an easier way to control with my harmony remote than having to use the ps4 controller which is a pain in the ass... as said before, this was with watching a regular blurry. As far as song, i have a sony HTST9 sound bar which does hd and it simulates 7.1 surround quite nicely but i don't think i can get dolby atmos on it. i tried switching to bitstream and it wasn't listed in the audio options (TrueHD was though like with my ps4)... if i keep the player it might be time to upgrade to a real surround system...

The Samsung 8500 (which I have) and 9500 TV's already have very good 4k upscalers built-in, so you're not going to see a difference in the Samsung player that probably has the same scaling quality as their TV's. UHD Blu-ray's will give you a better idea of the quality.

You really ought to look into a Dolby Atmos theater system with real overhead speakers (not the enabled modules). Fantastic!! Wow!! Transformative!!

[ray0414]

Originally Posted by Cliff

One is a 4K DI and one is a 2K DI. It was the 2K DI that I saw the subtle improvements in. Need more time with the other.

So its a thumbs up on the 2K DI movie still showing more detail and having a cleaner picture?