Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[nachoju95]

Originally Posted by Cinematt

https://www.avforums.com/threads/let...eedom.2441584/

A member over on the AV forums has reverse engineered the regionfreedom mod (as that guy disappeared into thin air) and is planning on releasing it for free. He has it working on an 820, and is trying to figure out what other models he can get it working with, and someone has volunteered to be the guinea pig for testing a mod on a 9000. Sounds like the regionfreedom method of requiring the MAC address was a way to restrict the mod to your unit rather than anything essential to its functioning so that can be worked around to make it a mod anyone can install.
Still questions about whether it can be applied to new updates as they're released but it sounds like everyone can get up to the newest* current firmware, which is great for me as I'm stuck a few revisions back.

*apparently there is a new 1.70 firmware that's coming on newly purchased units but isn't available to download so he's speculating there's a new chip in production models

It's amazing that they're doing that. Reading in that forum, the person in charge of creating the softmod said that the firmware will have these features:

• Multi-Region playback for DVD and Blu-ray.
• DVD UOP (User Operation Prohibition) deactivation.
• Blu-ray PUO (Prohibited User Operation) deactivation.
• Automatic power-off deactivation.
• PAL support.
• External SRT subtitle (for now doesn't work on UB420, I'm looking into it).
• Playing full ISOs rips with menus off front and rear USB.
• Basic (350 nits) / High (500 nits) Luminance Projector HDR Display Types.
• HDR10 Metadata Information.
• System Gamma Control.
• Kernel driver fix that makes the player run smoother and consume less power. (I found a huge bug in two drivers that were always consuming 50% out of the total cpu power and I fixed it).
• Disabling Netflix and Youtube from being launched when the player boots up. (One can launch them through the menu just disables on boot).

(Everything that the regionfreedom firmware does minus Cinavia deactivation)

Also the idea that the firmware works for EEUU players. Does anyone have a Panasonic UB820 player from EEUU? Because he's looking for people who have it, to Nand dump of the player and send it to him (It is completely safe and nothing gets written onto the player. All you need is a computer Linux or Windows connected to the same network as the player and one random USB stick that can be emptied).

[Sango]

Originally Posted by Sango

Sounds like something I can consider to purchase.

I have the US model of the 9000 control since I bought the player in US, but may consider the Canadian version if need.

This seems to be genuine out of all the ebay listings I seen. Also found their actual store site as well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/28436473767...UAAOSwk09eQvbn

[Hydra Spectre]

Originally Posted by nachoju95

It's amazing that they're doing that. Reading in that forum, the person in charge of creating the softmod said that the firmware will have these features:

• Multi-Region playback for DVD and Blu-ray.
• DVD UOP (User Operation Prohibition) deactivation.
• Blu-ray PUO (Prohibited User Operation) deactivation.
• Automatic power-off deactivation.
• PAL support.
• External SRT subtitle (for now doesn't work on UB420, I'm looking into it).
• Playing full ISOs rips with menus off front and rear USB.
• Basic (350 nits) / High (500 nits) Luminance Projector HDR Display Types.
• HDR10 Metadata Information.
• System Gamma Control.
• Kernel driver fix that makes the player run smoother and consume less power. (I found a huge bug in two drivers that were always consuming 50% out of the total cpu power and I fixed it).
• Disabling Netflix and Youtube from being launched when the player boots up. (One can launch them through the menu just disables on boot).

(Everything that the regionfreedom firmware does minus Cinavia deactivation)

Also the idea that the firmware works for EEUU players. Does anyone have a Panasonic UB820 player from EEUU? Because he's looking for people who have it, to Nand dump of the player and send it to him (It is completely safe and nothing gets written onto the player. All you need is a computer Linux or Windows connected to the same network as the player and one random USB stick that can be emptied).

I wonder if this works for the Japan Limited version. I want to get that specifically just for MGVC.
I also hope they can reverse engineer a Japan Limited version so we can have MGVC on non-Japanese Panasonic UHDs, and so I don't have to buy a used Japanese player just for MGVC.

[samuelkhan999]

Originally Posted by Hydra Spectre

I wonder if this works for the Japan Limited version. I want to get that specifically just for MGVC.
I also hope they can reverse engineer a Japan Limited version so we can have MGVC on non-Japanese Panasonic UHDs, and so I don't have to buy a used Japanese player just for MGVC.

A MGVC UB9000 is pretty expensive. Something tells me you want it for the Miyazaki/Takahata/Studio Ghibli discs.

It would be a miracle getting MGVC on a non Japanese player.

[Naiera]

They’re already on to a closed beta test over at AVF, for that jailbreak firmware.

[Muyfa666]

Originally Posted by nachoju95

It's amazing that they're doing that. Reading in that forum, the person in charge of creating the softmod said that the firmware will have these features:

• Multi-Region playback for DVD and Blu-ray.
• DVD UOP (User Operation Prohibition) deactivation.
• Blu-ray PUO (Prohibited User Operation) deactivation.
• Automatic power-off deactivation.
• PAL support.
• External SRT subtitle (for now doesn't work on UB420, I'm looking into it).
• Playing full ISOs rips with menus off front and rear USB.
• Basic (350 nits) / High (500 nits) Luminance Projector HDR Display Types.
• HDR10 Metadata Information.
• System Gamma Control.
• Kernel driver fix that makes the player run smoother and consume less power. (I found a huge bug in two drivers that were always consuming 50% out of the total cpu power and I fixed it).
• Disabling Netflix and Youtube from being launched when the player boots up. (One can launch them through the menu just disables on boot).

(Everything that the regionfreedom firmware does minus Cinavia deactivation)

Also the idea that the firmware works for EEUU players. Does anyone have a Panasonic UB820 player from EEUU? Because he's looking for people who have it, to Nand dump of the player and send it to him (It is completely safe and nothing gets written onto the player. All you need is a computer Linux or Windows connected to the same network as the player and one random USB stick that can be emptied).

There seem to be some features in this mod that are not available with hardware mods.

Would it theoretically be possible to install this even thou I'm hard modded?

[ronand]

There shouldn't be any problem installing it on your player. You can even revert to factory firmware if you so wish

[Muyfa666]

Originally Posted by ronand

There shouldn't be any problem installing it on your player. You can even revert to factory firmware if you so wish

Thank you for the answer. May get the best of both worlds then. :-)

[Jay Mammoth]

Best Buy has the 820 for $100 off for 24 hours.

[nothingtogein]

I Just started looking at possibly upgrading my Sony 700 I bought in 2020 to one of these Panasonic 820s....and now it's on sale for the day. Should I take that as a sign?

I'd love to research this ad nauseam but this is a hell of a long thread... I always assumed my tv was more critical to my 4k display than my actual player. Obviously I'm not too tech savvy about all this stuff. Though I have had some of the Sony issues with freezing up, taking too long to load and/or not loading, etc. Never even knew I had to manually switch dolby vision on so apparently I've been missing out lol.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by nothingtogein

I Just started looking at possibly upgrading my Sony 700 I bought in 2020 to one of these Panasonic 820s....and now it's on sale for the day. Should I take that as a sign?

I'd love to research this ad nauseam but this is a hell of a long thread... I always assumed my tv was more critical to my 4k display than my actual player. Obviously I'm not too tech savvy about all this stuff. Though I have had some of the Sony issues with freezing up, taking too long to load and/or not loading, etc. Never even knew I had to manually switch dolby vision on so apparently I've been missing out lol.

The 820 is one of the better players, if your display doesn't have a high peak brightness you'll benefit from the HDR Optimizer.

As with any UHD player playback can be a crapshoot, some folks never have issues and some get the odd glitchy experience.

The SONY will probably be better for DVDs.

[Sango]

If looking for mainly DVD playback, then it would be better to get a dedicated player for this purppse such as the Oppo 83 for example which has the VRS Anchor Bay VP.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Sango

If looking for mainly DVD playback, then it would be better to get a dedicated player for this purppse such as the Oppo 83 for example which has the VRS Anchor Bay VP.

The OPPO is a great player, but depending on your needs you might have value with a SONY Blu-ray player, but if I remember one of them had issues with noise reduction with one of the resolutions.

[Hydra Spectre]

Originally Posted by samuelkhan999

A MGVC UB9000 is pretty expensive. Something tells me you want it for the Miyazaki/Takahata/Studio Ghibli discs.

It would be a miracle getting MGVC on a non Japanese player.

The Ghibli discs are the major reason, but I heard there are also many other MGVC discs in Japan.
Also, I am very disappointed that the newer Ghibli box set didn't update From Up on Poppy Hill and Tales from Earthsea to MGVC.
But they managed to update Arrietty, while the newer film Earwig and the Witch is in MGVC.

If I finally have my plans right, I should also get a Sony UHD player for playing SACDs and DVD-Audio.

[Sango]

Originally Posted by chip75

The OPPO is a great player, but depending on your needs you might have value with a SONY Blu-ray player, but if I remember one of them had issues with noise reduction with one of the resolutions.

I never had a Sony player so I am not familiar of how they perform.

Are you referring about the Oppo in terms of noise reduction; that would be the Oppo 93 which made DVD look awful.

For my own setup, I already own the Oppo 83 even thou I do not really use it now unless it is strictly for DVD content, and everything else goes to the the Panasonic 9000.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Sango

I never had a Sony player so I am not familiar of how they perform.

Are you referring about the Oppo in terms of noise reduction; that would be the Oppo 93 which made DVD look awful.

For my own setup, I already had the Oppo 83 even thou I do not really use it now unless it is strictly for DVD content, and everything else goes to the the Panasonic 9000.

From what I recall it was SONY's 4K upscalers that had the issue if you output in less than 4K there was some funky stuff going on in the darker areas of the image. But this was a few years back.

[Muyfa666]

Originally Posted by nothingtogein

I Just started looking at possibly upgrading my Sony 700 I bought in 2020 to one of these Panasonic 820s....and now it's on sale for the day. Should I take that as a sign?

I'd love to research this ad nauseam but this is a hell of a long thread... I always assumed my tv was more critical to my 4k display than my actual player. Obviously I'm not too tech savvy about all this stuff. Though I have had some of the Sony issues with freezing up, taking too long to load and/or not loading, etc. Never even knew I had to manually switch dolby vision on so apparently I've been missing out lol.

Get it. Such a good player. :-)

[samuelkhan999]

Originally Posted by Hydra Spectre

The Ghibli discs are the major reason, but I heard there are also many other MGVC discs in Japan.
Also, I am very disappointed that the newer Ghibli box set didn't update From Up on Poppy Hill and Tales from Earthsea to MGVC.
But they managed to update Arrietty, while the newer film Earwig and the Witch is in MGVC.

If I finally have my plans right, I should also get a Sony UHD player for playing SACDs and DVD-Audio.

I commented on your comment on reddit. I've got 2 MGVC titles (The Wind Rises and Spirited Away). It just feels we might or might not get a 4k release of the Miyazaki /Takahata library. Till the MGVC gives a chance to appreciate the colour grading Panasonic lab did for Studio Ghibli.

Did you message the AV forums guy?

[Hydra Spectre]

Originally Posted by samuelkhan999

I commented on your comment on reddit. I've got 2 MGVC titles (The Wind Rises and Spirited Away). It just feels we might or might not get a 4k release of the Miyazaki /Takahata library. Till the MGVC gives a chance to appreciate the colour grading Panasonic lab did for Studio Ghibli.

Did you message the AV forums guy?

AV forums didn't accept my account. They thought I was a spammer.
However, there is a chance Ghibli will make 4K discs after How Do You Live?'s release.
Earwig and the Witch was going to be Ghibli's first 4K, especially since it had a Dolby Cinema release with both an Atmos mix and Dolby Vision. But it's utter box office bomb status in Japan convinced Ghibli it won't be a wise idea to make it their first 4K release.

Weird considering My Neighbors the Yamadas was their first DVD release, and it's one of Ghibli's only box office bombs.
Tales from Earthsea did pretty well but still performed well below expectations, which is why it was only released on VHS and DVD even though Ghibli already did Iblard Time as their first Blu-ray release. They waited until Ponyo to do Blu-ray releases, as that film was a massive blockbuster.

There are some non-Ghibli MGVC releases like La La Land, John Wick, and Lone Survivor.
And there are MGVC demo discs from Studio Ghibli. One showed the first six minutes or so of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, one was made up of clips from Arrietty (which is why the full film was upgraded to MGVC on the 2021 box set), and one was the 1995 music video On Your Mark.

[nothingtogein]

Originally Posted by Muyfa666

Get it. Such a good player. :-)

I did! Will be here tomorrow....now to do a deep dive and actually attempt to properly configure my television/player to optimize the PQ.