Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player - Page 94 - Blu-ray Forum

IntelliVolume · 10-22-2018, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

It would be real swell to buy a 4K disc player and you just enter your TV's brand/model make and year of manufacturing (or front projector's serial #) inside its menu and the player automatically set all the parameters for optimal picture quality.*
...And the same for audio (TV speakers, soundbar brand and model number, SSP, AV receiver, speakers and subwoofers) for best delivered sound performance.

That'll be the day.

That's not really my point.

LordoftheRings · 10-22-2018, 11:45 PM

No I know but I was just saying additionally nonetheless.

I've read all the posts and I just happened to quote one of yours, as an overall view of what was a possibility of a great feature, that is all.

JohnAV · 10-23-2018, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronboster

I think everyone would agree, the manual does have important information in it....and it obvious we wouldn't be on this site (or any other HT hobbyist site) if we didn't see the benefits, which are discussions like this.

Not to put words in JohnAV's mouth, but I think he's saying to read the manual and get a basic understanding of many of the important functions. When trying to learn about something new (we don't know, what we don't), so it's important to cast a wider net....which the manual would help in that process.

Especially, someone who finds the settings unduly complicated, which is how IntelliVolume described himself/situation. That's not a "slam" but reflecting what IntelliVolume said. With any new product/technology, we are starting from that position.

Yes Thank You.
I suggested IntelliVolume read the UB820 user manual after he posted

Quote:

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

How does that help me grasp how the settings and controls work in the display and player?

Hands on is still the best way to learn. Hopefully in the coming Black Friday month!

sapiendut · 10-23-2018, 02:32 AM

Or you can PM me if you get stuck.

Animatic33 · 10-23-2018, 11:06 AM

I've had the UB820 for over a month now and it has to be the best disc media player I've ever owned or used. I missed the boat on the Oppo 203s, so this UHD player is my first and hopefully only one I'll need. I'm using it on a pro-calibrated SDR Sony X900F. I really enjoy what this player does for all of my media.

I was nervous that my TV DVD collection will collect dust next to my new UHD setup, but damn - does this thing do a fantastic job with up-scaling well-authored DVDs. An example would be the Beverly Hillbillies sets from Paramount look amazing, and Batman Beyond is way better than I had expected.

For blu-rays, this thing is beyond fantastic in every regard, tweaks to image (if needed) are quick and easy, and while I don't understand what the image mode does, switching from Normal to Fine to Retro cinema seems to offer minor brightness stability improvements for certain titles.

As for UHDs, I only own 4 - but as others here have remarked, the HDR Optimizer adjustments seem daunting, but I've only once tweaked the black curve a couple points on Blade Runner, just to pull a touch more detail out of the shadows and left everything else alone.

If there was one thing about it I think could have been improved is the design. Not a fan of the front panel that pulls down, and the disc tray should have had it's own door - as I can see dust might be an issue there. I've also taped a small piece of paper to the front panel, so during playback I don't need to see the time, not sure why an option to disable it completely was left out.

Hopefully a more comprehensive manual is written so the non-video pros can understand all the jargon and what exactly everything does - as it does seem like the 820 offers a lot under the hood, but for what it does out of the box, is extremely pleasing.

cjake · 10-23-2018, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobe1969

Just to be perfectly clear, I'm not 100% clear on which items you mention are projector settings and which are player settings. Eg when you say "DO NOT USE standard HDR out. Just use SDR2020", given you say " HDR out", do you mean a setting on the player output? I don't see anything in the Panasonic manual for a sdr2020.

Currently I just have the old ub900, and On my projector I have it set to SDR2020, running a custom gamma curve. So I'm guessing I leave it on the projector sdr2020, and on the projector from custom gamma curves to gamma 2.4, and then on the player, I'm then unclear what I do there.

Projector in a SDR BT.2020 mode with a 2.4 gamma.

In the UB820:

Setup...Player Settings...HDMI...Advanced Settings...HDR/Color Gamut Output. Change HDR/BT.2020 (Auto) to SDR/BT.2020 (Auto).

Start playback of a UHD HDR disc.

While the movie is playing, click the Option button on the remote. The Operation Menu will be displayed.

Navigate to Video Settings...Optimum HDR Adjustment. Change it to On to enable the HDR Optimizer.

You can leave the Dynamic Range Conversion Adj. at its default. You can change it later based upon your picture preference; move to the right to get a brighter picture or to the left to get more contrast.

Exit the menus and enjoy.

vjo81 · 10-23-2018, 07:07 PM

Like many, I also wish that the UB820 had a better selection of streaming apps but I don't necessarily agree that movies on discs will be obsolete in the near future. If Net Neutrality holds up legally and kicks in by 2020, your ISP may dictate what streaming services you get and how much you'll pay for them. The amount of bandwidth allowed by an ISP may also be a limiting factor. I can see the comm companies offering multiple service tiers and, depending on your usage, monthly bills could get pretty pricey. There's so much uncertainty about the future of 4k and beyond online service that I suspect that those little silver discs will be with us for quite some time. At least in that arena the UB820 (and the Oppo-203) excels.

IntelliVolume · 10-23-2018, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Animatic33

I've had the UB820 for over a month now and it has to be the best disc media player I've ever owned or used. I missed the boat on the Oppo 203s, so this UHD player is my first and hopefully only one I'll need. I'm using it on a pro-calibrated SDR Sony X900F. I really enjoy what this player does for all of my media.

I was nervous that my TV DVD collection will collect dust next to my new UHD setup, but damn - does this thing do a fantastic job with up-scaling well-authored DVDs. An example would be the Beverly Hillbillies sets from Paramount look amazing, and Batman Beyond is way better than I had expected.

For blu-rays, this thing is beyond fantastic in every regard, tweaks to image (if needed) are quick and easy, and while I don't understand what the image mode does, switching from Normal to Fine to Retro cinema seems to offer minor brightness stability improvements for certain titles.

As for UHDs, I only own 4 - but as others here have remarked, the HDR Optimizer adjustments seem daunting, but I've only once tweaked the black curve a couple points on Blade Runner, just to pull a touch more detail out of the shadows and left everything else alone.

If there was one thing about it I think could have been improved is the design. Not a fan of the front panel that pulls down, and the disc tray should have had it's own door - as I can see dust might be an issue there. I've also taped a small piece of paper to the front panel, so during playback I don't need to see the time, not sure why an option to disable it completely was left out.

Hopefully a more comprehensive manual is written so the non-video pros can understand all the jargon and what exactly everything does - as it does seem like the 820 offers a lot under the hood, but for what it does out of the box, is extremely pleasing.

How far do you sit from your 49" Sony, and is it your primary display?

I ask because you mentioned Blu-rays looking phenomenal when they're upscaled by the 820; was just wondering if this had to do with screen size and seating distance...

Animatic33 · 10-23-2018, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

How far do you sit from your 49" Sony, and is it your primary display?

I ask because you mentioned Blu-rays looking phenomenal when they're upscaled by the 820; was just wondering if this had to do with screen size and seating distance...

I probably sit a little too far for field of view standards, roughly 6.5 feet. But It feels comfortable at that distance.

IntelliVolume · 10-23-2018, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Animatic33

I probably sit a little too far for field of view standards, roughly 6.5 feet. But It feels comfortable at that distance.

I do, as well; I was 12 feet from a 50" prior to getting our new 65" UHD panel, which I now sit the same 12 feet from...

These factors are important when talking about how DVD and Blu-ray looks upconverted on a UHD display; indeed, prior to getting our new 65" set, most DVDs looked spectacular on the 50" Sony SXRD rear projection television. Now, I can see a ton of imperfections that I didn't see before on the larger screen, given the same discs...

Still, my point is that with a smaller screen size, like your 49", and at the seating distance you provided, most DVDs and Blu's are going to look fine upconverted to 2160; I don't know how they'd look on my 65" (though I do have the seating distance thing plaguing me too)...

vjo81 · 10-24-2018, 03:54 PM

The 820's Net Service apps can get a bit wonky at times but last night the Netflix app wouldn't bring up any programs. They would all die at 24% when a message with the usual "we are having difficulty, blah, blah" would come up. It did have an error code in the bottom right hand corner. Powering the player on and off did nothing and my WiFi connection was more than adequate. I called Netflix support and give the rep the error code. She had me:
1. Unplug the 820 for one minute
2. While waiting, point the remote directly at the unit and hold the power button down for five seconds.
3. Plug it back in, turn it on, wait 30 seconds and try Netflix again
It worked and the Netflix app was loading programs almost instantly. Keep this in mind if the app chokes on you. I've been curious about how well the 820 handles Netflix content when it outputs everything in Dolby Vision (if it's turned on in the player's settings). My briefly owned LG UBK90 was also locked in DV on Netflix and a lot of its SDR content looked terrible. I'm pleased to say that this is not the case with the UB820. I looked at a number of HD-SDR movies and TV shows and, even up-scaled to 4K DV, they all looked very good. There was a slight touch of smoothing on some of them but it really wasn't a problem. In addition, Atmos audio tracks were properly identified when they were present. Given this, I see no reason to turn DV off to watch Netflix. The Amazon Prime app does let the player auto-sense the content so it won't output anything in DV that's not encoded that way. I continue to be impressed with the 820's video and audio abilities.

REPLAY · 10-24-2018, 04:21 PM

God I wish that Panasonic 9000 blu-ray player would hit the USA soon.

hgwy407 · 10-24-2018, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by panasonicst60

Yes diable the TV's tone mapping. The player does a better (more accurate) tone mapping when compared to lg's. The tone mapping on the LG tends to boost image brightness too much. With the Panasonic you can also customize it to your own liking. For example you can boost the shadow details while preserving everything else. As I find hdr10 tends to be on the darker side when compared to Dolby vision.

I really appreciate the advice. Evan had also posted similar advice. I appreciate both your help. Thank you both.

gkolb · 10-24-2018, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REPLAY

God I wish that Panasonic 9000 blu-ray player would hit the USA soon.

Robert Zohn mentioned that his shipment is delayed, and it’s possible this player will not be available in North America.

Robert Zohn · 10-24-2018, 05:02 PM