Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[LordoftheRings]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

You keep getting the $1299 205 mixed up with the $549 203 when comparing a CXUHD to a UB820. The 205 was well beyond your budget. Its designed to be interfaced with a high quality analog setup, not the typical HDMI connected home theater setup.

The Panasonic UB820 costs $50 less. You not going to find a Oppo-like build quality since you don't have UHD BD player vendors selling factory direct any more. You have to live with what is available now in store and select retailers like value electronics, and paying twice as much ($999) if you want more of a audiophile player.

The Oppo 203 is starting to come down in price on eBay.
I guess the Panasonic 820 and Sony X800 too are putting some good pressure.

But this one keeps going up:
• https://www.ebay.ca/itm/OPPO-DIGITAL...UAAOSwhvFZApW5

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by DJR662

Kris,

Have you used the optimizer with your 885ES and if so, did you happen to do a comparison between outputting HDR as opposed to SDR2020?

Forgive my ignorance but for some reason I still seem to prefer using HDR rather than SDR2020 with my 385ES (and also with my previous 285ES). For starters I couldn't notice any noticable difference which would make the picture less good when using HDR instead of SDR2020. The menu also states that when putting out SDR2020, the optimizer does not function. I also prefer using the HDR brightness slider instead of the "regular" brightness slider when outputting SDR2020. Perhaps it's just the placebo effect?

If I'm not mistaken I think you mentioned earlier in this thread that having the player do the tone mapping on top of the projector's is not a good idea?

I'm not doubting your expertise here, not at all! It's just that I would like to know which things would be better looking when doing SDR2020 instead of HDR.

Thanks.

Not a fan of running HDR out with the optimizer on with a projector and trying to figure out how to layer two tone maps on top of each other. I'm really not a fan of Sony's tone mapping in their projectors, it isn't horrible but it is a far cry from what can be achieved with something like the 820 or the Radiance Pro. Just make sure you are setting up the Sony correctly for SDR2020 playback.

The Optimizer works fine with SDR2020, just hit option and go to the menu and you can turn it on or off (which tells it whether or not to use the metadata). The slider is simply telling the Panasonic how bright the display is for the tone map. I would start with the default position and then adjust to taste. On the Sony make sure you are using high lamp, 2.4 gamma and BT2020 for color (HDR has to be set to AUTO). Contrast control should be near max or one to two clicks down and brightness should be set to default or just one click down (at least if its anything like the 885 I am using now).

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

You keep getting the $1299 205 mixed up with the $549 203 when comparing a CXUHD to a UB820. The 205 was well beyond your budget. Its designed to be interfaced with a high quality analog setup, not the typical HDMI connected home theater setup.

No, I don't "keep getting it mixed up" -- in THIS particular instance I semi-confused the two, but I realized that; my point was that both Oppos boasted build quality along the lines of the Cambridge (or vice-versa). I don't CONTINUOUSLY mix these players up, as you're alluding to.

And, I know the 205 was beyond my budget -- much like the successors of the BDP-83, the player was designed to be used with high-quality audiophile downstream gear...I get that.

The Panasonic UB820 costs $50 less. You not going to find a Oppo-like build quality since you don't have UHD BD player vendors selling factory direct any more. You have to live with what is available now in store and select retailers like value electronics, and paying twice as much ($999) if you want more of a audiophile player.

So it goes, apparently...

[danny24]

If you don't care about DV see if you can find a cheap used UB900 from Panasonic. The remote is really nice and it's a great disc player with excellent DVD upscaling and amazing Blu-ray/UHD video. The remote is also nicer than the 820 model.

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by danny24

If you don't care about DV see if you can find a cheap used UB900 from Panasonic. The remote is really nice and it's a great disc player with excellent DVD upscaling and amazing Blu-ray/UHD video. The remote is also nicer than the 820 model.

It's not that I "don't care" about DV, it's that my Samsung doesn't support it.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by thetman

excellent thank you for the info. Guess I have a lot of reading to do on this thread. I have the Sony UPBx-800 now. I am assuming I can expect an improvement on picture quality? Hopefully it won't freeze up as much either.

It should be a lot better with the 820. What were you using for HDR on your JVC? (projector HDR setting, Arve curves, etc.)

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

Not a fan of running HDR out with the optimizer on with a projector and trying to figure out how to layer two tone maps on top of each other. I'm really not a fan of Sony's tone mapping in their projectors, it isn't horrible but it is a far cry from what can be achieved with something like the 820 or the Radiance Pro. Just make sure you are setting up the Sony correctly for SDR2020 playback.

The Optimizer works fine with SDR2020, just hit option and go to the menu and you can turn it on or off (which tells it whether or not to use the metadata). The slider is simply telling the Panasonic how bright the display is for the tone map. I would start with the default position and then adjust to taste. On the Sony make sure you are using high lamp, 2.4 gamma and BT2020 for color (HDR has to be set to AUTO). Contrast control should be near max or one to two clicks down and brightness should be set to default or just one click down (at least if its anything like the 885 I am using now).

Thanks.

I'll try again when I have the time and see if I can get it more to my liking.

I must say though I am content with using low lamp for both HDR and 3D for now, might start using high after so many hours. Besides it's quite loud in high mode IMO.

Btw should be interesting to see how the HDR reference mode on the new Sony 4K projectors (as well as the Auto Tone Mapping function on the new JVCs) will hold up against Panasonic's optimizer.

[danny24]

Originally Posted by IntelliVolume

It's not that I "don't care" about DV, it's that my Samsung doesn't support it.

I see but it's probably better to get a 4K UHD/BD/DVD player with Dolby Vision just to be future proof.

[thetman]

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

All Kris' posts (50) in this thread, from the latest to the oldest:
• https://forum.blu-ray.com/search.php?searchid=46954945
_____

Or, click on the number of posts Kris have in this thread (position #8):
• https://forum.blu-ray.com/misc.php?d...osted&t=305030

thank you, much appreciated

[IntelliVolume]

Originally Posted by danny24

I see but it's probably better to get a 4K UHD/BD/DVD player with Dolby Vision just to be future proof.

You mean in case Samsung adds support for it via an update in the future?

I don't think that's going to happen, being that the company is heavily invested in a royalty-free HDR10-only scheme and, as a response to DV, the HDR10+ algorithm; as it stands, they have made no hint that they're even looking to go down the DV route.

But don't most players have DV on board anyway nowadays?

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by DJR662

Thanks.

I'll try again when I have the time and see if I can get it more to my liking.

I must say though I am content with using low lamp for both HDR and 3D for now, might start using high after so many hours. Besides it's quite loud in high mode IMO.

Btw should be interesting to see how the HDR reference mode on the new Sony 4K projectors (as well as the Auto Tone Mapping function on the new JVCs) will hold up against Panasonic's optimizer.

The reference mode is just a mode that is based on a 1000 nit source. I'm not sure how you would tell the projector how bright your image is though, which is an important piece of the puzzle. But the new mode does take the guess work out of what the tone map is optimized for.

JVC's new mode will be interesting to test. I'm especially curious how it will perform against the 820's excellent tone map.

For your setup, if you're interested in some help from me shoot me a PM and we can discuss some options.

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

The reference mode is just a mode that is based on a 1000 nit source. I'm not sure how you would tell the projector how bright your image is though, which is an important piece of the puzzle. But the new mode does take the guess work out of what the tone map is optimized for.

JVC's new mode will be interesting to test. I'm especially curious how it will perform against the 820's excellent tone map.

For your setup, if you're interested in some help from me shoot me a PM and we can discuss some options.

Thanks, appreciate that.

Winter is just around the corner, so now I will be able to spend more time with my projector since I hardly use it during the summer.

[LordoftheRings]

Preview (9000/9004): http://www.areadvd.de/tests/preview-...lu-ray-player/

[85thday]

Sorry, I can't make a new thread for some reason, but this was my Q

Hi guys, I want to get a UHD player, Bare in mind I have an Xbox one, a PS4 pro and gaming pc, so the 4K gaming will only happen on exclusives I guess. so do I go the Xbox route or is the Panasonic UB820EBK , I've got a non-Dolby vision TV for now (but am going to get another TV which I can obviously get that service in). I'm UK based.

[rech750452]

Originally Posted by 85thday

Sorry, I can't make a new thread for some reason, but this was my Q

Hi guys, I want to get a UHD player, Bare in mind I have an Xbox one, a PS4 pro and gaming pc, so the 4K gaming will only happen on exclusives I guess. so do I go the Xbox route or is the Panasonic UB820EBK , I've got a non-Dolby vision TV for now (but am going to get another TV which I can obviously get that service in). I'm UK based.

I have a similar configuration and would recommend getting a dedicated UHD player.

[85thday]

So how's the UB820EBK vs a one s?

[Alan Lindsay]

Originally Posted by 85thday

So how's the UB820EBK vs a one s?

That’s what I’d like to know too. I’ve got a one X and after all the updates it delivers a great 4K image on my 930e. Besides DV, image quality wise, I’d like to know if anyone has seen a disernable difference between the two.

[sa5150]

I sure hope the 9000 makes it to the USA , I all ready missed out on the Oppo 205 .

[hgwy407]

I have a 2017 LG OLED and the UB820. Does anyone have an opinion on whether or not I should disable the LG’s version of tone mapping when using the tone mapping feature of the 820? I have only seen one other post about this and was wondering if there were other opinions? As always, thank you.

[AKORIS]

jeez... I was ready to upgrade to this player after doing some research but after skimming through this thread.....

it all sounds so confusing with so many options for settings and adjustments... It would seems like I'd have to spend a week testing every little option to make my 4k discs look best... and then would the same settings look good on a conventional blu ray?

and then of course I'd have to match up my TV settings as well to make PQ differences.

Am I reading too much into this or do I have to be a certified electronics specialist to understand all this stuff? (nits? really? I used to sell electronics back in the mid 90's but all the changes that have happened the past decades have truly made me a novice)