Exactly! Streaming services have to do so much compression on the media to stop their servers getting overloaded that Blu-ray always ends up being way better quality. Even with non 4K discs. I recently bought Star Trek Next Gen on Blu-ray and it is sooooo much better than the Netflix version. The colours are more vibrant, there is a huge increase in detail and the motion is much better e.g. when the ship is moving you can see all the windows in perfect detail unlike on Netflix where they are blurred. Hopefully physical media stays around for a while longer :)
happy to see you can rent 4K blueray disc,just trying find best outfit. Hate steaming no matter your wifi even it's hard wire ethernet,you'll get buffering sooner or later,Agggggg!
Yeah my girlfriend can't tell the difference in PQ between standard Bluray and 4k both look the same to her 🙄 Older I get the less I care about PQ too really, only be buying the best real 4k movies not 4k fake junk.
You have 12 different releases of the same movie!? Even as a dedicated movie addict myself, who lives to watch great movies on disc, to me, the fact that your collection includes 12 different versions of Star Wars: A New Hope, seems quite excessive! And I say that even as someone who, for example, has watched Apocalypse Now at least 20 times in total, between my viewing of it in a movie theater, multiple times on VHS, then on DVD, followed, of course, by viewing that great film on 1080p Blu-ray, and finally, having watched it about three times on UHD 4K Blue-ray, over the last year and a half. And I've had 1 VHS version of Apocalypse Now, 2 of its DVD releases, 2 of its Blu-ray versions, and naturally, now have the UHD 4K Blu-ray of the movie. So that means that my favorite film has had 6 versions of it which were part of our movie collection here, at one time or another. But honestly, I just can't imagine ever increasing the total # of versions of that movie that we've acquired to possibly reach the level of a dozen different releases! And in 2 cases I only acquired new versions of that movie in order to have features & documentaries about the film, that had not been available before.
Great review. My only complaint about this unit is the remote. It's just crap, especially the button placement. I've hit the stupid netflix key so many times trying to navigate the dvd menues, and when this happen, you have to start all over again , it won't take you back to where you were.
You really can't beat the quality of Discs. Make sure we back the media. Problem I have is even if the consumers love a product like DVD and Blu-ray (that took ages to establish) they kind of change things by force even if we are happy with what we got. One way they did things before to get people to buy the tech is to genuinely strive to improve quality. The convenience age of streaming is to compromised for my liking. And it's so cool to have a disc in your hand and that. Makes you want to watch them when you end up flicking through your own discs.
SACD and DVD-Audio are niche formats, that never became mainstream. Personally, I don't even own a SACD nor a DVD-Audio disc. Considering the Panasonic 820 incompatibilities of playing SACD and DVD-Audio, it wouldn't matter to me because I don't have any of those music formats and were never interested in SACD's and DVD-Audio anyway.
Awesome review I agree with your ratings to me it’s the best player around I can live without the sacd or dvd audio so to me it’s a 5/5 all around Panasonic really hit it out of the park with this one
Love the player but whoever put that damn Netflix button on the remote should be fired immediately. It's position is horrible and I constantly hit it by accident.
@@truhunk1 I bought it and I like it a lot! I think it loads a little slowly but, I'm impatient. It is flexible and feature packed! I think the one I most appreciate is the ability to have DTS soundtracks convert to PCM automatically. I know that sounds backwards but, that's the only way those soundtracks will play through my Sonos Arc. I would, and may, buy another UB820. I am still building my physical 4K movie library. My tv is a Sony X900H. This is a monster setup for me that has a few compromises, but overall is extremely satisfying!
@@mvhlsc7 That's good to know. One question please. The ub820 does upscale regular blu-ray discs, do the 4k discs actually look better than the upscaled blu-rays ? Thanks.
@@truhunk1 Most times yes but, it really depends on the source material (some Blu-rays are hard to improve opon) and how thoroughly the transfer is performed. I am an audiophile so, having movies with lossless soundtracks is important to me, which is why I choose 4K when I can, but not at any cost. I frequent sites like 'Blu-Ray. Com', 'Films at Home' and 'MovieGuy365' for reviews of the video transfer and soundtrack quality, of movies I'm interested in, to help me decide if I should upgrade or keep what I have already.
Recently bought a 820 for $347.99(now $397.99) from World Wide Stereo fulfilled by Amazon. It's a great player that's replacing a Sony x800. It looks amazing playing through my 65" Sony x960h!
Great review. Just subscribed. I’m moving back to physical media and this machine is on my list. To be honest I have a couple of streaming services and have been really disappointed with the quality of some of their ‘4K’ content. My standard Blu-ray player is better quality in some cases.
Panasonic should just remove the streaming options from this player. They are useless and slow. Oppo was right when they excluded streaming apps in the 203/205.
Yea they are slow but from a marketing standpoint (at the very least) Panasonic can say they have the feature. There is a chance that Oppo lost a sale or two since they didn’t have it.
Just wondered if anyone has found a way of disabling all video processing. I want to pass the calibration tests from my trusty Spears & Munsil Blu-Ray disk to my TV without any changes being introduced by the player. I can stop it upscaling by setting the output format 1080p instead of Automatic, but is that enough to completely stop the rest of processing? Looking for a bypass mode if one exists. Thanks in advance.
Another fine review. And I totally agree with your assessment about buying media... It's definitely the way to go for the absolute best video and sound quality. Glad you mentioned the Sony UBP-X700... But is the Panasonic worth the extra cost over the Sony?
Thank you! If you are planning to purchase a player I'd go for the Panasonic because it does offer HDR10+ which the Sony does not offer. Also many people have mentioned issues with their Sony freezing during 4K playback, I haven't experience this on my player but I've heard it a lot. While I've only heard from 1 person who said the Panasonic froze during 4K playback. As far as upgrading.......... I would only upgrade if your Sony player is freezing a lot and you have a Samsung TV that supports HDR10+.
I bought the Sony last year... And I still haven't had any freezing issues using any discs. My Samsung TV does support HDR10+, but I don't see myself upgrading my player just for that one feature.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Yes, the exact reason I've bought 2 UB-820s (the 1st in March 2021, and the 2nd in early Sept. 2022) is due to this Panasonic model being known for not freezing up, like some Sony UHD 4K players do when trying to deal with the 3rd data layer of some 4K Blu-rays. But only a 4K disc that has a movie on it that's quite long, such as being at least 2 hrs 45 or 2 hrs 50 min in length, or longer, needs to use a 3rd data layer for an UHD 4K movie to be able to fit on a SINGLE UHD 4K disc. However, I've long been a big fan of Sony, with us still using 3 Sony 1080p Blu-ray players in 3 rooms of our house. BUT, since Panasonic's UB-820 unit has never frozen up when playing any of the 48 movies we have on UHD 4K Blu-ray (nor with any of the 1,082 movies of our regular Blu-ray collection), I simply have to 2nd the opinion of those saying that the UB-820 should be the choice of serious home theater fans who want to view movies in the highest PQ possible, while having the least amount of trouble possible.
How do you have this wired to your Receiver? Just one hdmi cord? I have heard the sound is not the best Can you let the receiver decode all of the Audio? Will receiver downgrade the video?
Yes, hdmi is the best way. A modern receiver will pass the video signal on to the tv without manipulation. Then process the audio automatically or based on the setting that the user determines.
And over a year later still no replacement for the 820 (nor Sony 800 Mk2) - think that its a bit like LD - few players, slowly updated - then format ended. Don't get me wrong I LOVE 4K UHD and have some more discs on order (as well having NF / D+ / AP) I still want my 'own' copy .....still have an extensive LD collection which I never watch but have no plans to clear. Thank you for your review.
I own this player a few years ago. It was very nice. And just to advise you and a community. Though it does not play SACDs. It will play DSD. I played Diana krall on it. And it sounded awesome in DSD. . Great video by the way. Thank you for the detailed info. It's good to see that you take pride in your gear
Can anyone confirm if the Netflix app through this player outputs sound in Dolby Atmos? To my knowledge there is no way to get Atmos sound from Netflix without a TV with eARC or Atmos processing.
alright I need to buy a 4K stand alone player, have no need to "ANY" streaming junk my 4K TV only supports HDR10 what is the 4K Blue Ray player for me? Under 1K, Oh my receiver is the Denon 4K AVR-X4400H
If you want something a little less expensive than this player check out the Panasonic UB420 (amzn.to/2WWfA4C, affiliate link). I haven't reviewed it but I've enjoyed the 820. I've also reviewed the Sony X-700. I like it but some comments have mention issues with the player freezing and having to restart. I haven't had this issue. ua-cam.com/video/S9BaTd9D_Gg/v-deo.html
Ok. Your review convinced me. I have not so small collection of DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray3D and Blu-ray 4K. New consoles play most of them but not all. And picture quality is not great sometimes. I want a simple player. Put the disc in, push play on remote, watch the film in the best picture and audio quality I can afford. I think these are the last years we can buy such a device. In a year or two, only high end 4K disc players or used market will be your options. After that, you will own nothing you paid for. Sad times 😔
I've been using this player for the past six months. The dual hdmi out is the best feature in my opinion, the interface could be faster, but overall I like it a lot
Hi, do you experience the streaming app is slow response in the player? Like the Amazon prime app, whenever you go down, up, left, right in the app, it takes 3-5 seconds to click on the next...
The remote is pretty trash. Fine? It feels okayish in the hand. But it's far too cluttered, no backlighting as you said and the Netflix button has the most awful and frustrating placement. The design is just ugly as well. It's one of the most premium blu--ray players out there and the remote just looks & feels very cheap, on top of the design issues it already has. For the player itself I only have 1 complaint. And that's not being able to change the size of subtitles.
Will not buy this, ppl said it looked cheap so i got the ub 9000, now i want a multi region this was not even in contentionm i managed to find a Reavon UBR X100 for £650 arrivingg soon, beats me why so many rate this 4k player?
Thanks for another great review. I ordered the 820 on Thursday, it should be here Monday. I've wanted it since it first debuted mostly for the HDR optimizer. I've had the LG UBK90 for about two years and it's a great player but I think the 820 will definitely bea upgrade in both picture and sound quality. Now that I have a receiver and speakers it's going to help upgrade my entire system. I can't wait!
@@danemoreno88 thanks. I've enjoyed the LG UBK90 very much and it's worked great, no skips or hiccups or freezes of any kind. I just know that the 820 will be much better.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist and Christmas is coming early! And often! 😂😂 finally got a receiver, that's been two years in the making. Then Denon announced their new lineup and I was like damn you Denon!! 11 channels of processing for $1200 is crazy. I've got the Onkyo TX-NR686 and it's a great starter. I have two pairs of the Micca OoO speakers and they're surprisingly great for no bigger than they are and fill my room with sound. Already had the neighbor pounding on the wall and that's without a subwoofer. I've got another pair on the way for Atmos channels and I will be ordering a sub probably this week. And you'll appreciate this, I found old speaker up in the attic here at my apartment and currently using it as a center. It's better than nothing, and it still works. It's from a stereo system from JC Penny from around 1977!!! Having a center though was a game changer for being able to turn up the dialogue and still keep explosions and stuff lower. Still though, even though everything is new, I've already got upgradeitis. Haha. I'm thinking how much nicer would different speakers sound up front? How would everything look on an OLED? I've gone down the rabbit hole and there's no going back now.
Good review as always,bought an HSU vtf3 mk5 sub upon seeing u review the mk2 & let me admit it's a monster for such a reasonable price,how come most prominent channels don't tlk about these subs is beyond me
jon blaze Hsu is a sleeper brand for sure. I think marketing department isn’t a big corporate type, more of a family business. I have their VTF-3 MK5 also. I was going to get two but their sales guy talked me out of it and he was right, it is indeed a monster!
Thank you for watching and I'm glad you're enjoying the HSU! Yea I'm sure the VTF3 is a monster! The VTF2 is still my main sub and I'm loving it! I'm not sure why they aren't more videos / reviews out there, I'm guessing it's marketing just like @supperconductor said.
Can you do me a favour? I'm from Brazil and I would like to know if this device can read .srt subtitles from the usb while playing a disc before importing
Thanks for the great review. I have a couple 4k movies in my Vudu library, so finding out this player doesnt have Vudu was very helpful. Still might get it though.Thanks again.
Sony 700 has a vudu app ,i got both the panosonic and sony,hooked to an lg c9 0led,with a nakamichi shockwafe sb ,if one 4k player acts up i use the other
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist I have quite a few blu rays that won't play. The Accountant, Batman Beyond, the Friday the 13th films and Justice League War are just some of them. Do you have this problem?
Streaming is not good because you lose so much metadata, nearly 80 percent of streaming data is lost, using my Panasonic 820 and I have a Sony player, I am getting lossless viewing, People should not be getting rid of the blue ray players , again its the best way to watch movies
Hello! I just bought this as an upgrade to my previous 4K player. I installed it the same way my last one was. HDMI Video/Audio Out plugged directly into my TV. Unfortunately on many of my movies the video is now slightly lagging the audio. This never happened with my previous player. Any idea what’s causing this, or how to fix it? Thanks!
Just arrived cause my Sony 800M2 froze mid way right out of the box with any disk. Does this have any issues like that? Also, is Dolby Vision automatic? Really like it has an optimizer. You don't get 4K on streams they really reduce quality and sound. I always liked that get true audio/video and I own disks, plus you get digital codes these days so it's a no brainer.
I saw on another review yesterday that this player does automatically switch, whereas the much cheaper Sony 700 makes you do it before every film. That’s worth the upgrade alone.
@@mattcarpenter318 I ended up getting this player. No complaints or issues and has lots of features to get best audio and image quality of disk beyond your 4k good tv. Worth it ive tested 3 months now all my top 4K movies and a lot of blue rays. Im really satisfied.
I just bought the UB820 for $350 pre Black Friday which makes it a even better deal and I already have the UB420 that doesn't have DV but still a great little player
Thanks for the video. I have the Panasonic Blu-ray BTT-490. By mid-October, 2023, Netflix will no longer support this player. I've been looking at the UB820 as a replacement, but not being knowledgeable about these things, I'm a little confused. The BTT-490 I have now came with passive 3 ohm speakers for the 5.1 surround sound built into the player. Since the UB820 doesn't include speakers, does it even support passive speakers plugged in to the RCA audio jacks on the back, assuming I get some with the correct impedance match... or will I need powered speakers... or some type of receiver/speakers setup? And if powered speakers will work, what ohm speakers does the UB820 support?
Hi this is Scooter Steve I have the UB 9000 I just got it three days ago I got used on eBay but I’m watching things on UA-cam. A lot of people are saying it does not play the 4K videos I don’t have a 4K video I just have regular Blu-ray ditched and I was worrying about that and then on your website you talk about HDRHDR of conteck switch And where to go when I push the button like you’re showing it doesn’t show anything like that so I don’t know why it doesn’t do anything but I’m just putting a regular Blu-ray disc in it and I don’t see anything like what you’re showing built into the box please let me know why scooter is Steve I appreciate it. Thank you.
@@jasonleetaiwan they degrade over time. You can extend their longevity by keeping them out of UV light, cool temperatures, etc. But it is inevitable they will degrade.
Great review. This is exactly what I needed, to the point and covered all my questions. I used your links for the player and the HDMI cable to help you out. I will use this Panasonic for movies only as I have a Sony UBP-X1000ES now and it sometimes gets stuck when playing a Blu-ray disc. I will use the Sony just for SACD and DVD-Audio playing. Thanks!
I have quite a few blu rays that won't play. The Accountant, Batman Beyond, the Friday the 13th films and Justice League War are just some of them. Does anybody else have this problem?
Just got one after getting really fed up on the noise the XSX makes when playing discs I love 4k UHDs and buy them whenever I really care about a movie. It makes a racket when it first starts spinning the disc as the fan goes wild but after a short amount of time it goes entirely silent and it's bliss not having that constant hum in the background the XBOX made you don't realise how it's affecting your experience until you no longer have it. The other plus is how much faster it powers up and is ready to play a disc makes me more inclined to watch a movie then before. I was also impressed with the picture quality difference it's not night and day but there is a clear difference between this player and the Xbox overall I'm happy with the player but I do find it sad that this is (based on my research) still the best 4k blu ray player on the market in 2023 (in this price bracket)
Would I see a massive improvement over my current sony ubpx700? And what do you mean by not playing DVD audio. Does that mean I wouldn't be able to play my DVD's with it?
It’s not a huge difference between the Panasonic and Sony. I wouldn’t recommend an upgrade unless you need hdr 10+ for some reason. It will play standard DVDs just fine. DVD Audio is a special disc format that was created for higher quality audio playback (higher than cd quality)
Do you know how to enable DolbyVision or hdr playback on files saved to my usb? I recorded to hdr content on my phone and saved it to a usb but it doesn't play through this device on hdr
I just ordered this, coming Tuesday with a bunch of 4k blu ray discs. I have an older 4k TV, a TCL Roku, but the next step will be the Vizio 65" P series Quantum X. Unfortunately, as of today, only place I can find the TV is Costco, a full list price. I'm hoping it comes into stock at other retailers leading up to the holidays and some discounting occurs.
@@bingo67lum hey man i totally get what your saying ,its a lot of cake. I would keep in mind black friday is not far off,and there may be some great deals on all brands of tvs,happy watching
I don't like the trend for the front of players to have a spring-loaded drop down flap which is pushed open by the flimsy plastic disc tray! About 10 years ago I bought a Samsung Blu-ray Player with such a loading flap, and the spring failed shortly after purchase, leaving the flap permanently down! What's wrong with the old-fashioned loading drawer that slides in and out? It's much more reliable! Modern players are so plasticky and cheap!
I use a Panasonic UB-820 for 4K disc playback with a UB-9000 remote which you can find on Ebay. I kept my Oppo BDP-93 for SACD, DVD-Audio and HDCD discs. I also prefer ordinary Blu-Rays played on the Oppo. The Panasonic is a poor media player. The 11 year old Oppo plays files the Panasonic can't. The UB-820 great 4K UHD Blu-Ray player but kind of average in other departments.
I just picked up this player and have been pretty happy with it so far. Sadly I bought it at nearly full price so I missed out on the sale Amazon is doing right now though!
Hi! I'm not sure if it has Dolby Vision HDR support so that would be a drawback for me but if you're not worried about it then it should work fine. Also I did review it's brother the X700 here: ua-cam.com/video/S9BaTd9D_Gg/v-deo.html Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the review, sir! Have you ever had the opportunity to use or test either the Oppo UDP-203 or 205? If so, did this compare favorably? Also, is the Xbox Series X on your radar for a potential review as a UHD player? Most are anticipating the Xbox Series X to come it at around $500 and so it will be interesting to see how it compares to models like the Panasonic DP-UB820 while offering considerably more options.
Thank you, no I haven't had a chance to test either Oppo 😕. I haven't thought about the Xbox or PS5 for that matter because I'm not much of a gamer but that could be a good test. Let me think about it. 🙂
I've compared my Xbox 1 to my Sony x700 and the colors are more vibrant on the stand alone 4k player. The xbox 1 can get the job done but it's focus is on video games vs a standalone since it has more options to tune for your tv.
Yes, it's still "ok" to buy. I haven't heard of a new one launching. If Dolby Vision isn't a big deal then stick with what you have unless the HDR optimizer is something you desire.
Recently purchased this unit going to pair it with a Samsung QN900B which does not support dolby vision, should i turn off dolby vision on the 4k bluray player or leave it on. Any help would be great ? Thanks.. Phil
old school way go never get buffering, my bp goes skyrocket when that happens, anyone knows where you can rent by snail mail 4K blueray. Is worth double price go for 9000 model? When i buy something Hi end crying once is enough
Do you know if the HDMI out audio port can be used with an adapter that works for USB 2.0? I'm just wondering because I'm using a DAC and a pair of headphones, and it only supports USB 2.0 Audio.
I have tried countless times to get the ub820 hdr optimizer to work and nothing. I was told it could be because my sony a80j tv has superior tone mapping.
If I understand your setup correctly, it sounds like your TV has upward firing speakers. If this is the case, you're sitting in the right place for the sound to reflect down to you, and your ceiling is
can you answer my question. If playing a music CD and you want to FF the track to the middle , can you hear it skimming through. So get a tiny glimpse as it skims
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Oh Man. That little thing of being able to hear the track is essential to me. A CD with hidden track at the very end after a 20 minute of nothing. You need to hear the disc being scanned to know when the track starts. ..That sort of thing.. Do you know of any that are region free that will scan a disc.
I have an lg c2 77 inch oled with klipsch fives hooked to e arc hdmi and an rsl speedwoofer 10S mkii subwoofer. Can I just plug in the video hdmi in and leave tbe fives hooked 2 the arc port? Would this work properly for movie watching?? I just bought the UB820 from best buy for 399.00!
AWESOME! And for ppl who ask why physical media - there is no way the streaming 4k can even remotely match the quality of physical.
Exactly! Streaming services have to do so much compression on the media to stop their servers getting overloaded that Blu-ray always ends up being way better quality. Even with non 4K discs. I recently bought Star Trek Next Gen on Blu-ray and it is sooooo much better than the Netflix version. The colours are more vibrant, there is a huge increase in detail and the motion is much better e.g. when the ship is moving you can see all the windows in perfect detail unlike on Netflix where they are blurred. Hopefully physical media stays around for a while longer :)
I keep telling ppl the same
Yes physical media always outbeat streaming
happy to see you can rent 4K blueray disc,just trying find best outfit. Hate steaming no matter your wifi even it's hard wire ethernet,you'll get buffering sooner or later,Agggggg!
Yes the buffering is one of the main reasons I buy disc.
- "Why don't you stream?" The most frequently question asked by half blind and tone deaf movie "enthusiasts" 😂
I used to work at a very large tech company and would get asked that question. I was disgusted that they were even hired there.
@@Survivor-ng4te some ppl just don’t care. That’s fine.
Yeah my girlfriend can't tell the difference in PQ between standard Bluray and 4k both look the same to her 🙄
Older I get the less I care about PQ too really, only be buying the best real 4k movies not 4k fake junk.
Yeah 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭😭😭😭
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣true
Ill always buy a movie in disc if i can especially if its one that i like. I own 12 different versions of star wars a new hope
Thanks for doing your part to keep disc alive!
You have 12 different releases of the same movie!? Even as a dedicated movie addict myself, who lives to watch great movies on disc, to me, the fact that your collection includes 12 different versions of Star Wars: A New Hope, seems quite excessive! And I say that even as someone who, for example, has watched Apocalypse Now at least 20 times in total, between my viewing of it in a movie theater, multiple times on VHS, then on DVD, followed, of course, by viewing that great film on 1080p Blu-ray, and finally, having watched it about three times on UHD 4K Blue-ray, over the last year and a half. And I've had 1 VHS version of Apocalypse Now, 2 of its DVD releases, 2 of its Blu-ray versions, and naturally, now have the UHD 4K Blu-ray of the movie. So that means that my favorite film has had 6 versions of it which were part of our movie collection here, at one time or another. But honestly, I just can't imagine ever increasing the total # of versions of that movie that we've acquired to possibly reach the level of a dozen different releases! And in 2 cases I only acquired new versions of that movie in order to have features & documentaries about the film, that had not been available before.
Great review. My only complaint about this unit is the remote. It's just crap, especially the button placement. I've hit the stupid netflix key so many times trying to navigate the dvd menues, and when this happen, you have to start all over again , it won't take you back to where you were.
Yes, this remote is from many of their players and I too have thst issue.
You really can't beat the quality of Discs. Make sure we back the media. Problem I have is even if the consumers love a product like DVD and Blu-ray (that took ages to establish) they kind of change things by force even if we are happy with what we got. One way they did things before to get people to buy the tech is to genuinely strive to improve quality. The convenience age of streaming is to compromised for my liking. And it's so cool to have a disc in your hand and that. Makes you want to watch them when you end up flicking through your own discs.
I’ve had this player 2 years now and it still blows me away to this day
Awesome!
Does it still work ? Do you use Dolby vision ?
@@latinochico of course it still works, why wouldn’t it? Nah I don’t use Dolby vision
Have you tried to use it as a cd player into a stereo system ? If so, how did you find the sound quality? Thanks.
@@paulglitcher2033 I haven’t no, I’ve got a dedicated CD player a marantz
SACD and DVD-Audio are niche formats, that never became mainstream. Personally, I don't even own a SACD nor a DVD-Audio disc. Considering the Panasonic 820 incompatibilities of playing SACD and DVD-Audio, it wouldn't matter to me because I don't have any of those music formats and were never interested in SACD's and DVD-Audio anyway.
I use this player together with an Lg CX 65". Match made in Heaven.
Yea I'm loving it too!
did you know Reavon x100 was around 2 years ago? oh well you sound happy.
Awesome review I agree with your ratings to me it’s the best player around I can live without the sacd or dvd audio so to me it’s a 5/5 all around Panasonic really hit it out of the park with this one
Yea, I'm in the small position as you, I don't own any DVD Audio or SA CD so this works perfectly!
DVD audio plays through the PS4 so no worries there for me.
Love the player but whoever put that damn Netflix button on the remote should be fired immediately. It's position is horrible and I constantly hit it by accident.
I keep doing the same thing! My only real complaint!
Absolutely god-damned right! Have also had the f'ing Netflix button be a pain in arse!
can the upscaling be turned off for DVD and Blu-ray ?
Outstanding review! I will have mine today or tomorrow, for all the reasons you mentioned. I feel validated 😃
Awesome! Let me know how you like it!
So, did you buy the Panasonic ub820 ? Do you like it, love it, or naaaaah ?
@@truhunk1 I bought it and I like it a lot! I think it loads a little slowly but, I'm impatient. It is flexible and feature packed! I think the one I most appreciate is the ability to have DTS soundtracks convert to PCM automatically. I know that sounds backwards but, that's the only way those soundtracks will play through my Sonos Arc. I would, and may, buy another UB820. I am still building my physical 4K movie library. My tv is a Sony X900H. This is a monster setup for me that has a few compromises, but overall is extremely satisfying!
@@mvhlsc7 That's good to know. One question please. The ub820 does upscale regular blu-ray discs, do the 4k discs actually look better than the upscaled blu-rays ? Thanks.
@@truhunk1 Most times yes but, it really depends on the source material (some Blu-rays are hard to improve opon) and how thoroughly the transfer is performed. I am an audiophile so, having movies with lossless soundtracks is important to me, which is why I choose 4K when I can, but not at any cost. I frequent sites like 'Blu-Ray. Com', 'Films at Home' and 'MovieGuy365' for reviews of the video transfer and soundtrack quality, of movies I'm interested in, to help me decide if I should upgrade or keep what I have already.
Nice review, and I really love your calm voice throughout! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Recently bought a 820 for $347.99(now $397.99) from World Wide Stereo fulfilled by Amazon. It's a great player that's replacing a Sony x800. It looks amazing playing through my 65" Sony x960h!
Awesome!
Well done calling out no SACD or DVD-Audio.
Great review. Just subscribed. I’m moving back to physical media and this machine is on my list. To be honest I have a couple of streaming services and have been really disappointed with the quality of some of their ‘4K’ content. My standard Blu-ray player is better quality in some cases.
Yea, I watched a streamed movie earlier and the bit rate dropped so I had plug in the Ethernet cable 😀. I was thinking, “I wish I had the disc” 🤣🤣
Panasonic should just remove the streaming options from this player. They are useless and slow. Oppo was right when they excluded streaming apps in the 203/205.
Yea they are slow but from a marketing standpoint (at the very least) Panasonic can say they have the feature. There is a chance that Oppo lost a sale or two since they didn’t have it.
Just wondered if anyone has found a way of disabling all video processing. I want to pass the calibration tests from my trusty Spears & Munsil Blu-Ray disk to my TV without any changes being introduced by the player. I can stop it upscaling by setting the output format 1080p instead of Automatic, but is that enough to completely stop the rest of processing?
Looking for a bypass mode if one exists. Thanks in advance.
I want this player for my oled Panasonic.
It is now available in the UK for £295.
Another fine review. And I totally agree with your assessment about buying media... It's definitely the way to go for the absolute best video and sound quality. Glad you mentioned the Sony UBP-X700... But is the Panasonic worth the extra cost over the Sony?
Thank you! If you are planning to purchase a player I'd go for the Panasonic because it does offer HDR10+ which the Sony does not offer. Also many people have mentioned issues with their Sony freezing during 4K playback, I haven't experience this on my player but I've heard it a lot. While I've only heard from 1 person who said the Panasonic froze during 4K playback.
As far as upgrading.......... I would only upgrade if your Sony player is freezing a lot and you have a Samsung TV that supports HDR10+.
I bought the Sony last year... And I still haven't had any freezing issues using any discs. My Samsung TV does support HDR10+, but I don't see myself upgrading my player just for that one feature.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Yes, the exact reason I've bought 2 UB-820s (the 1st in March 2021, and the 2nd in early Sept. 2022) is due to this Panasonic model being known for not freezing up, like some Sony UHD 4K players do when trying to deal with the 3rd data layer of some 4K Blu-rays. But only a 4K disc that has a movie on it that's quite long, such as being at least 2 hrs 45 or 2 hrs 50 min in length, or longer, needs to use a 3rd data layer for an UHD 4K movie to be able to fit on a SINGLE UHD 4K disc. However, I've long been a big fan of Sony, with us still using 3 Sony 1080p Blu-ray players in 3 rooms of our house. BUT, since Panasonic's UB-820 unit has never frozen up when playing any of the 48 movies we have on UHD 4K Blu-ray (nor with any of the 1,082 movies of our regular Blu-ray collection), I simply have to 2nd the opinion of those saying that the UB-820 should be the choice of serious home theater fans who want to view movies in the highest PQ possible, while having the least amount of trouble possible.
Just bought this. The picture is insane.
😁 glad you like it!
I just picked mine up for 350 at Best Buy sale. Thanks for the great reviews
Good choice!
crutchfield $349,walmart$347
Nice easy to watch and follow presentation
Thanks a lot!
How do you have this wired to your Receiver? Just one hdmi cord?
I have heard the sound is not the best
Can you let the receiver decode all of the Audio?
Will receiver downgrade the video?
Yes, hdmi is the best way. A modern receiver will pass the video signal on to the tv without manipulation. Then process the audio automatically or based on the setting that the user determines.
And over a year later still no replacement for the 820 (nor Sony 800 Mk2) - think that its a bit like LD - few players, slowly updated - then format ended. Don't get me wrong I LOVE 4K UHD and have some more discs on order (as well having NF / D+ / AP) I still want my 'own' copy .....still have an extensive LD collection which I never watch but have no plans to clear. Thank you for your review.
Thanks for watching!
I own this player a few years ago. It was very nice. And just to advise you and a community. Though it does not play SACDs. It will play DSD. I played Diana krall on it. And it sounded awesome in DSD. . Great video by the way. Thank you for the detailed info. It's good to see that you take pride in your gear
Thanks 🙏🏾
Can anyone confirm if the Netflix app through this player outputs sound in Dolby Atmos? To my knowledge there is no way to get Atmos sound from Netflix without a TV with eARC or Atmos processing.
Very informative review. Nicely done. Thanks.
Great video . Covered everything I needed to know..Thanks
Got this on sale this weekend for $349.99 can’t wait to see how it looks on the Z9F and A8H
Ordered mine today.. can't wait to pair it with my A8H..
👍🏾😁
From where did you purchase it from?
@@MarkZeds I'm from Croatia, so I'm guessing that won't help you much
@@juniorwalter9083 LOL ... it will never get her until after Xmas. I'll try local. Happy Holidays from Canada.
Can you do a video on the best settings for the p 820 please and not so fast like other instructions out there !!!
alright I need to buy a 4K stand alone player, have no need to "ANY" streaming junk my 4K TV only supports HDR10 what is the 4K Blue Ray player for me? Under 1K, Oh my receiver is the Denon 4K AVR-X4400H
If you want something a little less expensive than this player check out the Panasonic UB420 (amzn.to/2WWfA4C, affiliate link). I haven't reviewed it but I've enjoyed the 820.
I've also reviewed the Sony X-700. I like it but some comments have mention issues with the player freezing and having to restart. I haven't had this issue. ua-cam.com/video/S9BaTd9D_Gg/v-deo.html
Should be backlight on remote... on all remotes... and i dislike the d@mn ntflix button... otherwise i freakin love the player..
Ok. Your review convinced me. I have not so small collection of DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray3D and Blu-ray 4K. New consoles play most of them but not all. And picture quality is not great sometimes. I want a simple player. Put the disc in, push play on remote, watch the film in the best picture and audio quality I can afford. I think these are the last years we can buy such a device. In a year or two, only high end 4K disc players or used market will be your options. After that, you will own nothing you paid for. Sad times 😔
I've been using this player for the past six months. The dual hdmi out is the best feature in my opinion, the interface could be faster, but overall I like it a lot
Awesome!
Hi, do you experience the streaming app is slow response in the player? Like the Amazon prime app, whenever you go down, up, left, right in the app, it takes 3-5 seconds to click on the next...
The remote is pretty trash. Fine? It feels okayish in the hand. But it's far too cluttered, no backlighting as you said and the Netflix button has the most awful and frustrating placement. The design is just ugly as well. It's one of the most premium blu--ray players out there and the remote just looks & feels very cheap, on top of the design issues it already has.
For the player itself I only have 1 complaint. And that's not being able to change the size of subtitles.
Excellent review. Looks like I made the right decision to purchase it yesterday. Best Buy is currently selling at $399.
Excellent price!
Will not buy this, ppl said it looked cheap so i got the ub 9000, now i want a multi region this was not even in contentionm i managed to find a Reavon UBR X100 for £650 arrivingg soon, beats me why so many rate this 4k player?
Thanks for another great review. I ordered the 820 on Thursday, it should be here Monday. I've wanted it since it first debuted mostly for the HDR optimizer. I've had the LG UBK90 for about two years and it's a great player but I think the 820 will definitely bea upgrade in both picture and sound quality. Now that I have a receiver and speakers it's going to help upgrade my entire system. I can't wait!
I had that player for about 3 days before I got the 820 4k discs look way better it’s a night and day difference congrats on your new player
@@danemoreno88 thanks. I've enjoyed the LG UBK90 very much and it's worked great, no skips or hiccups or freezes of any kind. I just know that the 820 will be much better.
That's awesome!!! It's so fun getting new gear in 😂😂. It's Christmas 😂😂😂
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist and Christmas is coming early! And often! 😂😂 finally got a receiver, that's been two years in the making. Then Denon announced their new lineup and I was like damn you Denon!! 11 channels of processing for $1200 is crazy. I've got the Onkyo TX-NR686 and it's a great starter. I have two pairs of the Micca OoO speakers and they're surprisingly great for no bigger than they are and fill my room with sound. Already had the neighbor pounding on the wall and that's without a subwoofer. I've got another pair on the way for Atmos channels and I will be ordering a sub probably this week. And you'll appreciate this, I found old speaker up in the attic here at my apartment and currently using it as a center. It's better than nothing, and it still works. It's from a stereo system from JC Penny from around 1977!!! Having a center though was a game changer for being able to turn up the dialogue and still keep explosions and stuff lower. Still though, even though everything is new, I've already got upgradeitis. Haha. I'm thinking how much nicer would different speakers sound up front? How would everything look on an OLED? I've gone down the rabbit hole and there's no going back now.
Good review as always,bought an HSU vtf3 mk5 sub upon seeing u review the mk2 & let me admit it's a monster for such a reasonable price,how come most prominent channels don't tlk about these subs is beyond me
jon blaze Hsu is a sleeper brand for sure. I think marketing department isn’t a big corporate type, more of a family business. I have their VTF-3 MK5 also. I was going to get two but their sales guy talked me out of it and he was right, it is indeed a monster!
Thank you for watching and I'm glad you're enjoying the HSU! Yea I'm sure the VTF3 is a monster! The VTF2 is still my main sub and I'm loving it! I'm not sure why they aren't more videos / reviews out there, I'm guessing it's marketing just like @supperconductor said.
Can you do me a favour? I'm from Brazil and I would like to know if this device can read .srt subtitles from the usb while playing a disc before importing
Sorry, but I don’t have any files with format.
So bad player, don’t work with 4K files via USB ports! Blu Ray discs upscale very bad! Great disappointment! 👎
reason why im looking for good blu-ray cause streaming site keep remove shows/movie/anime from there catalog
Is it worth upgrading from UB420 and why? thanks
Well this new one supports Dolby Vision.
Thanks for the great review. I have a couple 4k movies in my Vudu library, so finding out this player doesnt have Vudu was very helpful. Still might get it though.Thanks again.
Happy to help.
Sony 700 has a vudu app ,i got both the panosonic and sony,hooked to an lg c9 0led,with a nakamichi shockwafe sb ,if one 4k player acts up i use the other
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist I have quite a few blu rays that won't play. The Accountant, Batman Beyond, the Friday the 13th films and Justice League War are just some of them. Do you have this problem?
Streaming is not good because you lose so much metadata, nearly 80 percent of streaming data is lost, using my Panasonic 820 and I have a Sony player, I am getting lossless viewing, People should not be getting rid of the blue ray players , again its the best way to watch movies
Hello! I just bought this as an upgrade to my previous 4K player. I installed it the same way my last one was. HDMI Video/Audio Out plugged directly into my TV. Unfortunately on many of my movies the video is now slightly lagging the audio. This never happened with my previous player. Any idea what’s causing this, or how to fix it? Thanks!
Had this problem too- Ordered a 8k Monster Cobalt HDMI high speed cable - A bit pricy- but works fine now
Streaming sucks.
And want to watch a favorite movie more than once? Then oay $$$ each time.
Or buy the physical media and pay only once.
Just arrived cause my Sony 800M2 froze mid way right out of the box with any disk. Does this have any issues like that? Also, is Dolby Vision automatic? Really like it has an optimizer. You don't get 4K on streams they really reduce quality and sound. I always liked that get true audio/video and I own disks, plus you get digital codes these days so it's a no brainer.
I saw on another review yesterday that this player does automatically switch, whereas the much cheaper Sony 700 makes you do it before every film. That’s worth the upgrade alone.
@@mattcarpenter318 I ended up getting this player. No complaints or issues and has lots of features to get best audio and image quality of disk beyond your 4k good tv. Worth it ive tested 3 months now all my top 4K movies and a lot of blue rays. Im really satisfied.
Nice player but I hate the remote button layout
Excellent Review. I Learnt💡Heaps 🤓 🧠! Thank You
I just bought the UB820 for $350 pre Black Friday which makes it a even better deal and I already have the UB420 that doesn't have DV but still a great little player
That’s a great deal 😁😁
Thanks for the video. I have the Panasonic Blu-ray BTT-490. By mid-October, 2023, Netflix will no longer support this player. I've been looking at the UB820 as a replacement, but not being knowledgeable about these things, I'm a little confused. The BTT-490 I have now came with passive 3 ohm speakers for the 5.1 surround sound built into the player. Since the UB820 doesn't include speakers, does it even support passive speakers plugged in to the RCA audio jacks on the back, assuming I get some with the correct impedance match... or will I need powered speakers... or some type of receiver/speakers setup? And if powered speakers will work, what ohm speakers does the UB820 support?
Does anyone know, what if we have an Eshift upscaling projector, will this 4k player upscale regular blurays better than a projectors upscaling ?
I own this player I love it but recently the audio constantly out over and over for split seconds it’s soooo aggravating can anyone please help me
Hi this is Scooter Steve I have the UB 9000 I just got it three days ago I got used on eBay but I’m watching things on UA-cam. A lot of people are saying it does not play the 4K videos I don’t have a 4K video I just have regular Blu-ray ditched and I was worrying about that and then on your website you talk about HDRHDR of conteck switch And where to go when I push the button like you’re showing it doesn’t show anything like that so I don’t know why it doesn’t do anything but I’m just putting a regular Blu-ray disc in it and I don’t see anything like what you’re showing built into the box please let me know why scooter is Steve I appreciate it. Thank you.
Physical media is still relevant you have something to watch if there is no internet or data services in your area due to weather or accidents
Agreed!
The main reason is simple...it just looks better. No compression at all.
Problem is these discs won’t last 25 years.
@@niemoikein4330 Blu ray disc's only last 25 years or so?
@@jasonleetaiwan they degrade over time. You can extend their longevity by keeping them out of UV light, cool temperatures, etc. But it is inevitable they will degrade.
Does this play Dolby Atmos? Thanks
Yes it will decode Atmos.
Excellent review!
I can’t connect mine to my router, it keeps saying fail on gateway and internet connection, anyone know a fix?
Great review. This is exactly what I needed, to the point and covered all my questions. I used your links for the player and the HDMI cable to help you out. I will use this Panasonic for movies only as I have a Sony UBP-X1000ES now and it sometimes gets stuck when playing a Blu-ray disc. I will use the Sony just for SACD and DVD-Audio playing. Thanks!
Thanks for watching and using the links! That is super helpful!!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾
Oh and by the way Vudu and Movies anywhere streams movies almost lossless data
Found one on Marketplace for $75 going to pick up today.
$349.99 at Best Buy right now
Awesome deal!
I have quite a few blu rays that won't play. The Accountant, Batman Beyond, the Friday the 13th films and Justice League War are just some of them. Does anybody else have this problem?
Just got one after getting really fed up on the noise the XSX makes when playing discs I love 4k UHDs and buy them whenever I really care about a movie. It makes a racket when it first starts spinning the disc as the fan goes wild but after a short amount of time it goes entirely silent and it's bliss not having that constant hum in the background the XBOX made you don't realise how it's affecting your experience until you no longer have it.
The other plus is how much faster it powers up and is ready to play a disc makes me more inclined to watch a movie then before. I was also impressed with the picture quality difference it's not night and day but there is a clear difference between this player and the Xbox overall I'm happy with the player but I do find it sad that this is (based on my research) still the best 4k blu ray player on the market in 2023 (in this price bracket)
Great video. Sold.
Would I see a massive improvement over my current sony ubpx700? And what do you mean by not playing DVD audio. Does that mean I wouldn't be able to play my DVD's with it?
It’s not a huge difference between the Panasonic and Sony. I wouldn’t recommend an upgrade unless you need hdr 10+ for some reason. It will play standard DVDs just fine. DVD Audio is a special disc format that was created for higher quality audio playback (higher than cd quality)
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist thank you sir, I appreciate the reply. Very helpful!
Do you know how to enable DolbyVision or hdr playback on files saved to my usb? I recorded to hdr content on my phone and saved it to a usb but it doesn't play through this device on hdr
I don’t know, sorry.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist hopefully someone will. They used to play on my Sony
I like National Panasonic
You can't change aspect ratio on this which is unacceptable. And why can't it remember where it left off on DVD's?
It depends on the disc, it remembers when I left off with most of my 4k disc, even when it’s been months since I played the disc.
I just ordered this, coming Tuesday with a bunch of 4k blu ray discs. I have an older 4k TV, a TCL Roku, but the next step will be the Vizio 65" P series Quantum X. Unfortunately, as of today, only place I can find the TV is Costco, a full list price. I'm hoping it comes into stock at other retailers leading up to the holidays and some discounting occurs.
Check out the lg cx ,i got a c9 in January 2099 in best buy,best tv ive ever owned ,and ive had 3 vizios n 3 sonys
I'm sure its a great TV. THE 65" Vizio is $1500, the LG over $2k. I'm sure its worth it, just way more than I want to spend. Thanks.
@@bingo67lum hey man i totally get what your saying ,its a lot of cake. I would keep in mind black friday is not far off,and there may be some great deals on all brands of tvs,happy watching
I don't like the trend for the front of players to have a spring-loaded drop down flap which is pushed open by the flimsy plastic disc tray! About 10 years ago I bought a Samsung Blu-ray Player with such a loading flap, and the spring failed shortly after purchase, leaving the flap permanently down! What's wrong with the old-fashioned loading drawer that slides in and out? It's much more reliable! Modern players are so plasticky and cheap!
Is Dolby vision and the audio options the only difference between this and the 420?
I’m not sure I haven’t done any research on the 420.
Why is no mention on the box about dolby atmos?Is the dolby atmos lossy?Or lossless?
i returning, no Dolby Atmos,
@Home Theater Hobbyist great job & did you get us a discount code? ;-)
Not quite but it is on sale so that's a definite plus!! 🤣
Home Theater Hobbyist thanks anyway & keep up the great job! 😎👍🏻
Streaming is useless in 4k.
Wrong. This player, is the cheapest Blu-Ray player to support all of the modern Blu-Ray video and audio formats.
Phillips BDP-7502/7302
I use a Panasonic UB-820 for 4K disc playback with a UB-9000 remote which you can find on Ebay. I kept my Oppo BDP-93 for SACD, DVD-Audio and HDCD discs. I also prefer ordinary Blu-Rays played on the Oppo. The Panasonic is a poor media player. The 11 year old Oppo plays files the Panasonic can't. The UB-820 great 4K UHD Blu-Ray player but kind of average in other departments.
I have the same one it's the best only one problem since I updated don't play blu-ray DVD you have any idea?
I just picked up this player and have been pretty happy with it so far. Sadly I bought it at nearly full price so I missed out on the sale Amazon is doing right now though!
Absolutely awesome review. Does the upscaling feature works on network content ?
Yes as far as I know, I don’t actually use the built in apps.
Long live physical media🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Hello do you think Sony ubp x800m2 will be good to buy
Hi! I'm not sure if it has Dolby Vision HDR support so that would be a drawback for me but if you're not worried about it then it should work fine. Also I did review it's brother the X700 here: ua-cam.com/video/S9BaTd9D_Gg/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the review, sir! Have you ever had the opportunity to use or test either the Oppo UDP-203 or 205? If so, did this compare favorably? Also, is the Xbox Series X on your radar for a potential review as a UHD player? Most are anticipating the Xbox Series X to come it at around $500 and so it will be interesting to see how it compares to models like the Panasonic DP-UB820 while offering considerably more options.
Thank you, no I haven't had a chance to test either Oppo 😕. I haven't thought about the Xbox or PS5 for that matter because I'm not much of a gamer but that could be a good test. Let me think about it. 🙂
I've compared my Xbox 1 to my Sony x700 and the colors are more vibrant on the stand alone 4k player. The xbox 1 can get the job done but it's focus is on video games vs a standalone since it has more options to tune for your tv.
Is this still OK to buy in 2023? I've got a Samsung AU9000 which uses HDR 10+ so Dolby Vision isn't a big deal for me?
Yes, it's still "ok" to buy. I haven't heard of a new one launching. If Dolby Vision isn't a big deal then stick with what you have unless the HDR optimizer is something you desire.
Recently purchased this unit going to pair it with a Samsung QN900B which does not support dolby vision, should i turn off dolby vision on the 4k bluray player or leave it on. Any help would be great ? Thanks.. Phil
Off the top of my head, I think you should turn it off.
Dvd got better audio surround sound with soundbar better than streaming
Is this a 4K player or does it upscale it. Thanks.
It’s a true 4k player.
Good review, appreciated!
Thanks!
old school way go never get buffering, my bp goes skyrocket when that happens, anyone knows where you can rent by snail mail 4K blueray. Is worth double price go for 9000 model? When i buy something Hi end crying once is enough
9000 is more for audiophiles. Not worth three times or double the price imo. But if you dig that go for it.
Do you know if the HDMI out audio port can be used with an adapter that works for USB 2.0? I'm just wondering because I'm using a DAC and a pair of headphones, and it only supports USB 2.0 Audio.
I don’t know, sorry.
Great detailed review!
I have tried countless times to get the ub820 hdr optimizer to work and nothing. I was told it could be because my sony a80j tv has superior tone mapping.
Interesting, I don’t have a A80j or a Sony tv to try so I can’t confirm nor deny.
Question: I have a tv with integrated dobly atmos speakers. Would I have to buy a separate av receiver to get Atmos?
If I understand your setup correctly, it sounds like your TV has upward firing speakers. If this is the case, you're sitting in the right place for the sound to reflect down to you, and your ceiling is
My .02 is never use the word "fabulous" in your reviews.
In realtà su recensioni di Amazon dicono che sia possibile leggere anche i CD AUDIO. Vi risulta?
can you answer my question. If playing a music CD and you want to FF the track to the middle , can you hear it skimming through. So get a tiny glimpse as it skims
I havent heard that.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Oh Man. That little thing of being able to hear the track is essential to me. A CD with hidden track at the very end after a 20 minute of nothing. You need to hear the disc being scanned to know when the track starts. ..That sort of thing..
Do you know of any that are region free that will scan a disc.
No, I’m not aware, sorry.
I have an lg c2 77 inch oled with klipsch fives hooked to e arc hdmi and an rsl speedwoofer 10S mkii subwoofer. Can I just plug in the video hdmi in and leave tbe fives hooked 2 the arc port? Would this work properly for movie watching?? I just bought the UB820 from best buy for 399.00!
Yes, that will work. 😁 Just make sure the audio output is set for hdmi out.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Sure is. Thanks@!@!