Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[Geoff D]

From what seller? That code only applies to specific ones.

[DVD Josh]

Originally Posted by lgans316

Heads up for the UK members:

The UB820 is now £231.20 ($303) on eBay UK by applying 20% discount code PLENTY20.

Its a no-brainer guys at this price point.

Wish I could find one in the USA for that price.

[veyron]

Originally Posted by lgans316

Heads up for the UK members:

The UB820 is now £231.20 ($303) on eBay UK by applying 20% discount code PLENTY20.

Its a no-brainer guys at this price point.

Can you provide a link, perhaps? ;-)

[lgans316]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

From what seller? That code only applies to specific ones.

Link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic...k/401616225035

Subtotal (1 item) 289.00
Postage Free
Voucher codes -£57.80 (PLENTY20)
Order total £231.20

[ray0414]

asking for a friend, can you adjust the luminance and other subtitle settings for Netflix or are those options only available for disc? neither of us can find the settings when watching Netflix.

[sapiendut]

You can’t and it’s annoying

[Bigbro]

Originally Posted by ray0414

asking for a friend, can you adjust the luminance and other subtitle settings for Netflix or are those options only available for disc? neither of us can find the settings when watching Netflix.

Only thing you can do is adjust your settings within your Netflix account.

[PissedOffPeoN]

If you have the hdr optimization on you can increase the brightness with the hdr setting on remote. Watching our planet now .

[sapiendut]

He’s asking about subtitle brightness (lowering the subtitle brightness) not the overall picture

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by samlop10

For a projector, yes, I would recommend using the SDR2020 option since projectors have considerably less light output than regular TVs. Ideally, with SDR2020 you'll get a brighter picture with minimal compromise (i.e. clipping) in darker and brighter areas.

I don't have a projector to test it with, but it is likely the explosion looks brighter since the projector is doing all of the tone mapping, but this also means that you'll probably get clipping in bright objects and crushed blacks since the projector's tone mapping is subpar compared to Panasonic's.

But yes, unless you have a light cannon of a projector, I've read from various users (here and in AVForums) that SDR2020 is usually the best mode for projectors. You'll get wide color gamut, 4K, and probably the best HDR tone mapping available for consumer projectors right now.

Does anyone have an explanation on why this is? I agree it does give the best for a projector (a Sony 675ES, set to BT2020, Gamma 2.4), but I don't understand why.

The thing that is the most confusing with SDR2020 is the metadata screen shows input and output levels as identical, so maybe that screen is just broken. Eg if 4000 nit on the left, it is 4000 nit on the right. And I have checked quite a few places, like that 9000 nit scenes in Mad Max Fury Road when they hit the sandstorm and there are the explosions, and I'm not seeing clipping, and the picture looks great. If that metadata information screen was purely broken in SDR2020 mode, that would make a lot of sense.

The other thing that is confusing is that when I do have the player output HDR2020, basic luminance projector, the picture looks washed out with the optimizer, and on my projector it then looks better when I switch from gamma 2.4 to a custom curve.

It would also be great to have some sort of proper glossary from Panasonic on what each optimizer setting was and what the effect is. And on the SDR2020 HDR2020

[Geoff D]

He literally said why in the first line of the post you quoted: projectors simply don't have the light output to 'do' HDR as it's presented on 99% of discs, so when the image is mapped into an SDR2020 output with maybe 100 or 200 nits peak brightness (the HDR image having been converted and tone mapped to best fit, taking into account the distinct HDR EOTF curve and how to present it within the gamma EOTF) then all that tone mapping shiznit is taken away from the projector.

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

He literally said why in the first line of the post you quoted: projectors simply don't have the light output to 'do' HDR as it's presented on 99% of discs, so when the image is mapped into an SDR2020 output with maybe 100 or 200 nits peak brightness (the HDR image having been converted and tone mapped to best fit, taking into account the distinct HDR EOTF curve and how to present it within the gamma EOTF) then all that tone mapping shiznit is taken away from the projector.

I am aware projectors have less light output, and that was in no way what I was asking about, as I am perfectly aware that "projectors simply don't have the light output to 'do' HDR". I have absolutely no idea WHAT the Panasonic is outputting when in SDR2020 mode, the metadata information page is broken. So for example with Mad Max, it shows 4000 nit output. It appear broken. If it said "200 nits" then I wouldn't be asking this. It'd make sense.

And I also don't get when I have it set to HDR2020, basic luminance projector, which then does show 350nit output, the image looks faded with the optimizer, and better with the projector curve.

[sapiendut]

Which projector are you using? I find using Sony projector, using high luminance projector will yield a more pleasing to look at images.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Mobe1969

I am aware projectors have less light output, and that was in no way what I was asking about, as I am perfectly aware that "projectors simply don't have the light output to 'do' HDR". I have absolutely no idea WHAT the Panasonic is outputting when in SDR2020 mode, the metadata information page is broken. So for example with Mad Max, it shows 4000 nit output. It appear broken. If it said "200 nits" then I wouldn't be asking this. It'd make sense.

And I also don't get when I have it set to HDR2020, basic luminance projector, which then does show 350nit output, the image looks faded with the optimizer, and better with the projector curve.

Oh I see. The simplest answer would be that because the unit is no longer outputting an HDR signal, being in SDR2020 mode, it's no longer outputting altered HDR metadata either, so it just spits up what's on the disc and it has no relation to what you're seeing. It's not "broken" in the strictest sense, it's just not doing what you think it should be doing.

The second part of your post directly relates to this: you've turned HDR back ON which is why the metadata is now showing in its altered state. And as for why tone-mapped HDR no longer looky as good...see my post above.

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Oh I see. The simplest answer would be that because the unit is no longer outputting an HDR signal, being in SDR2020 mode, it's no longer outputting altered HDR metadata either, so it just spits up what's on the disc and it has no relation to what you're seeing. It's not "broken" in the strictest sense, it's just not doing what you think it should be doing.

The second part of your post directly relates to this: you've turned HDR back ON which is why the metadata is now showing in its altered state. And as for why tone-mapped HDR no longer looky as good...see my post above.

It would be nice to have an actual definition of what it is doing though, either in the manual, or better yet on the metadata screen. Eg if it was saying 250 nits on output rather than 4000!

Originally Posted by sapiendut

Which projector are you using? I find using Sony projector, using high luminance projector will yield a more pleasing to look at images.

A Sony 550es/675ES. To be honest I've no idea how many nits that does. 115" 1.1 gain screen, 12ft throw. The replacement model of mine, the 570es, has the same lamp, and I read on a review that it does 300 nits full frame, 385 peak, so I'm guessing I'm in that area. The review didn't specify screen and throw though, and I thought that determined it.

I must have something setup wrong on the Panasonic when I try the HDR2020 mode. It would be nice if I could actually switch those setting on the panasonic during playback, not having to stop and start. I guess I should put a test 4k video on a USB stick so I can start it quicker, as opposed to going through a slow disc load!!!!

The replacement model of mine, the 570es, has the same lamp, and I read on a review that it does 300 nits full frame, 385 peak, so I'm guessing I'm in that area.

To be honest I'm not after an ultrabright picture, and when I'm watching in pitch black, it is plenty bright for me, even low lamp mode, 75% iris. So that 200 nit output (or whatever it is using for SDR2020) is probably perfect for me.

[DJR662]

^^^ Your projector is similar to mine (I think the biggest difference is you have more light to spare). What settings are you using when in actual HDR mode? I'm not getting a washed out picture at all.


In all honesty (and perhaps even against better judgement), I am still using the HDR mode on the Panasonic instead of SDR2020.

It was a bit of a hassle to do, but when I compared the two (HDR - SDR2020) I did not find a noticable difference except that the highlights appeared to be a tad brighter in HDR mode. I also found the brightness setting with SDR2020 to be extremely sensitive, resulting in getting a washed out picture real quick.

Though I must say I'm thinking of giving SDR2020 yet another try because I keep reading about it.

[sapiendut]

I would go with HDR preset on the Sony, HL Projector on Panasonic 9000 (or projector on UB820).

[cjake]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Oh I see. The simplest answer would be that because the unit is no longer outputting an HDR signal, being in SDR2020 mode, it's no longer outputting altered HDR metadata either, so it just spits up what's on the disc and it has no relation to what you're seeing. It's not "broken" in the strictest sense, it's just not doing what you think it should be doing.

The second part of your post directly relates to this: you've turned HDR back ON which is why the metadata is now showing in its altered state. And as for why tone-mapped HDR no longer looky as good...see my post above.

I would agree that the content metadata is just duplicated on the output information screen. There should in fact be no HDR metadata for a strict SDR/BT2020 output.

But the output has an EOTF value of 1 that seems to allow the presence of metadata. EOTF2 is PQ HDR (HDR10) and EOTF3 is HLG. But I have no idea how EOTF1 is meant to be utilized or why Panasonic is using it this way. If you have a HDfury device you can see the EOTF1 indicator in the metadata string and the original content HDR metadata values included in the output.

If you connect the UB820 to a non-HDR display, then the output is strict SDR BT.2020 and not flagged as EOTF1 and there is no metadata output.

[Geoff D]

Sure. As I said, it's not outputting any altered metadata in SDR2020 mode, but as it's still not triggering the HDR EOTF in the display anyway - so the metadata has zero practical use and/or effect - then it just seems to be some kind of bug when connected to an HDR-capable display as you say.

[Bladerunner5375]

I realize this is a question that was probably addressed earlier in the thread, but i can't find it: can this player automatically read dolby vision, or is it like the Sony x700, where you must turn Dolby Vision "on" and it forces every disc into dolby vision? thx.

one more question for you guys in the UK: is it possible to buy this player from a UK seller and use it in the USA? I'm assuming one would need some sort of voltage adapter?

Please excuse my ignorance and thanks in advance!!