Panasonic UB820/UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player

[Hydra Spectre]

Does the UB9000 support Sony's SBMV or do only Sony players support it?
Panasonic does support xvYCC from the Mastered in 4K Sony releases.
I know there have been non-Sony releases with it such as Anne of Green Gables: The Movie (Disney/Studio Ghibli) and the Evangelion Blu-rays (khara/King Records).
That said, Sony did the encoding for these releases.

And sorry if this may be a bit off-topic, but what Sony players support SBMV? Do the PlayStations support it? Specifically the PS3?

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Hydra Spectre

Does the UB9000 support Sony's SBMV or do only Sony players support it?
Panasonic does support xvYCC from the Mastered in 4K Sony releases.
I know there have been non-Sony releases with it such as Anne of Green Gables: The Movie (Disney/Studio Ghibli) and the Evangelion Blu-rays (khara/King Records).
That said, Sony did the encoding for these releases.

And sorry if this may be a bit off-topic, but what Sony players support SBMV? Do the PlayStations support it? Specifically the PS3?

SBMV is a mastering process, not a disc-led processing system. Some older Sony players have an SBM setting, true, but that is the player equivalent of the Smooth Gradation feature on Sony TVs, it's there to smooth out gradients on whatever content you're playing and does not require specific software.

[kristoffer]

Saw this on Twitter:
"I discuss the differences in Dolby Vision vs HDR10, and how different 4K players affect HDR10. This really shows the importance of using a Player like the Panasonic UB9000/820 because the picture processing is unmatched. I tested SDR and how some players incorrectly display this in 8-bit, and Dolby Vision at 60 frames per second is also incorrectly displaying on some players apart from the Panasonic 4K Players. I hope you enjoy it."

Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark Disc (2023) - Dolby Vision vs HDR10 - YouTube

I am a little sceptical of his “method “ of taking pictures of the screen with a phone.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

Saw this on Twitter:
"I discuss the differences in Dolby Vision vs HDR10, and how different 4K players affect HDR10. This really shows the importance of using a Player like the Panasonic UB9000/820 because the picture processing is unmatched. I tested SDR and how some players incorrectly display this in 8-bit, and Dolby Vision at 60 frames per second is also incorrectly displaying on some players apart from the Panasonic 4K Players. I hope you enjoy it."

Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark Disc (2023) - Dolby Vision vs HDR10 - YouTube

I am a little sceptical of his “method “ of taking pictures of the screen with a phone.

That’s the dingbat who thinks the UHD of Casino is an upscale, so it’s best not to pay any attention to them.

[dcx4610]

Welp, I pulled the trigger on a region free UB9000 and I'm happy with it.

I guess I'm going to sell my trusty UB820. Near mint, zero problems and upgraded remote. $300 shipped if anyone is interested.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

Welp, I pulled the trigger on a region free UB9000 and I'm happy with it.

I guess I'm going to sell my trusty UB820. Near mint, zero problems and upgraded remote. $300 shipped if anyone is interested.

I wouldn't sell it. You will need a backup player at some point and you will kick yourself for not keeping hold of it.

[dcx4610]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

I wouldn't sell it. You will need a backup player at some point and you will kick yourself for not keeping hold of it.

Yeah...I've debated it. Part of me says keep it but part of me doesn't want it to just gather dust when someone else could use one or wants to get into 4K.

I have a PS5 and both PS5/Xbox will probably be our backup solution if players die one day. Maybe not ideal but at least they'll be available in abundance.

[Matthew.H]

I sold my 820 after upgrading to the 9000. Got £210 back which helped with the cost of upgrading. If you needed a player quick as the main one went wrong you can get an Xbox One S for less than £100 these days.

[danny24]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

Yeah...I've debated it. Part of me says keep it but part of me doesn't want it to just gather dust when someone else could use one or wants to get into 4K.

I have a PS5 and both PS5/Xbox will probably be our backup solution if players die one day. Maybe not ideal but at least they'll be available in abundance.

It's your call. I would also say hold onto it as well but if you feel like you really don't need or want it anymore at least you would be getting some of your money spent back on it. As well as someone else will be using it. Let us know what you decide and how you like the UB9000.

[camskittles18]

Has anyone had success burning a UHD BD and playing it back successfully with this player? And if so, what software would you recommend for creating custom UHD discs to play on this?

[dcx4610]

I'm very curious what mod "region*free*dvd" is using on eBay. On the receipt, it says "yellow mod".

I reached out and they said it was a custom mod and that the firmware can be updated without affecting the mod. I tested it on several discs and it works flawlessly.

I don't know how well it will hold up in the future but for now, I give it a perfect score. They also virtually shipped overnight and the player was new in box outside of the mod. Highly recommended if you want a region free player and don't want to do the work yourself.

[mx77]

Originally Posted by camskittles18

Has anyone had success burning a UHD BD and playing it back successfully with this player? And if so, what software would you recommend for creating custom UHD discs to play on this?

Yes. Like I mentioned a few pages back, I have burned around 50 movies adding finnish subtitles on them. I use DVDFab for this and it has been pretty much flawless. A couple of time it has re-encoded with too low bitrate leaving some empty space on discs. Out of the ~50 discs I've burned only one didn't play. I have the 450 model though, but I guess that the outcome should be the same on 820 or 9000. I guess that an extrnal drive with a dolby vision capable media player might be an easier way to go, but I trust the discs more. It's not exactly free to get that player and extrnal drives either.

I really hope that there will be a player (or a firmware update to one of the existing players) that would allow storing subtitles internally or extrnally and select them without having to use usb media. Even the price tag of Magnetar wouldn't be too high for me if that feature would be available.

[camskittles18]

Originally Posted by mx77

Yes. Like I mentioned a few pages back, I have burned around 50 movies adding finnish subtitles on them. I use DVDFab for this and it has been pretty much flawless. A couple of time it has re-encoded with too low bitrate leaving some empty space on discs. Out of the ~50 discs I've burned only one didn't play. I have the 450 model though, but I guess that the outcome should be the same on 820 or 9000. I guess that an extrnal drive with a dolby vision capable media player might be an easier way to go, but I trust the discs more. It's not exactly free to get that player and extrnal drives either.

I really hope that there will be a player (or a firmware update to one of the existing players) that would allow storing subtitles internally or extrnally and select them without having to use usb media. Even the price tag of Magnetar wouldn't be too high for me if that feature would be available.

Thanks for that info! I wasn't sure if you were referring to BDs or UHD BDs, since there's no "official" support for authoring UHD BDs yet. The main reason I am wanting to author UHD BDs is for 1) having all of my movies on physical, even the digital exclusive titles and digital exclusive fan restorations & 4K scans and 2) being able to utilize the HDR optimizer which is an absolute GODSEND for use with my projector. I'm guessing you use DVDFab UHD Creator? And if so, do you know if they ever added menu support?

[camskittles18]

Also, may I ask what BD disc type you are using? It sounds like there are a lot of players that are unable to play BD-XLs (100GB) properly. May have to use BD-50s if that's the case.

[mx77]

Originally Posted by camskittles18

Also, may I ask what BD disc type you are using? It sounds like there are a lot of players that are unable to play BD-XLs (100GB) properly. May have to use BD-50s if that's the case.

I'm using Verbatim 50gb discs. Haven't tested BD-XL discs and while I wouldn't want to re-encode the movies, like I said, maybe one day we have a player that has a more user friendly subtitle support and I can get rid of my BD-R discs.

[Braktastic]

I some questions about my Panasonic DP-UB820-K.

For a while, it has made loud noises with certain discs or in certain sections of discs during playback. Does anyone else's do this?

A new issue I've noticed is where the picture pixelates after it has been paused for a while. Reversing and playing through the scene again always plays fine. I'm wondering if this is also a player issue? Maybe some kind of buffering issue?

Essentially, I'm wondering if my player is 'dying'?

I plan to buy a new one and continue testing. So my last question is there a place you'd recommend sending the original one to be repaired? I'd like to have a backup player at some point anyway aside from my irreplaceable Oppo UDP-203.

Thanks a lot!

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Braktastic

I some questions about my Panasonic DP-UB820-K.

For a while, it has made loud noises with certain discs or in certain sections of discs during playback. Does anyone else's do this?

A new issue I've noticed is where the picture pixelates after it has been paused for a while. Reversing and playing through the scene again always plays fine. I'm wondering if this is also a player issue? Maybe some kind of buffering issue?

It might be a buffering issue, but how long are you pausing for? are they UHDs?

[Naiera]

That definitely doesn’t sound right.

[Braktastic]

Originally Posted by chip75

It might be a buffering issue, but how long are you pausing for? are they UHDs?

Not too long. No longer than 3-5 minutes. I pretty much only play UHD in that player. It definitely didn't use to do this with this frequency. I've unplugged it a couple times, most recently for almost day, in the hopes of a 'reset'.

While it didn't do it while watching Picnic at Hanging Rock, it started making that damn disc noise during it. That's when I threw my hands up and ordered a new one to compare.

Originally Posted by Naiera

That definitely doesn’t sound right.

I know, right!?

[dcx4610]

Originally Posted by Braktastic

I some questions about my Panasonic DP-UB820-K.

For a while, it has made loud noises with certain discs or in certain sections of discs during playback. Does anyone else's do this?

A new issue I've noticed is where the picture pixelates after it has been paused for a while. Reversing and playing through the scene again always plays fine. I'm wondering if this is also a player issue? Maybe some kind of buffering issue?

Essentially, I'm wondering if my player is 'dying'?

I plan to buy a new one and continue testing. So my last question is there a place you'd recommend sending the original one to be repaired? I'd like to have a backup player at some point anyway aside from my irreplaceable Oppo UDP-203.

Thanks a lot!

If it's making loud noises, it's buffering and/or the laser is having trouble reading the disc. I'd check your discs to make sure there aren't any scratches. With the amount of data being read by the laser, even the slightest of scratches can cause buffering and ultimately, pixelation if the scratch is big enough.

I've never had a problem with pixelation where I didn't find a scratch. It's usually Disney double stacked discs. Make sure to hold it up to the light to look.

If everything looks fine, the laser might be going out.