I had a hard time justifying playing UHD on a dedicated player, and just used my Xbox one x. The ub820 went on sale for $350 and I picked one up. It’s a huge difference in audio and video quality. It was very clear right away how bad the Xbox uhd playback is. Playing all this on an LG G2 83, Klipsch rf7-iii, rc64-iii LCR through NAD T778 in 5.2.2.
Im curious what kind of difference did you see in picture or hear in the sound? Could you go into it in more details? I use my PlayStation and trying to figure out if it’s actually worth it
@@ishkapiska4516 It's worth it. The audio is a lot more balanced and correct. On my Xbox I fought overly "Bass'ey" scenes in the wrong frequencies. I don't get that at all, the bass is correct, the "mix" is correct. Visuals are noticeably more accurate, more contrast. I could be wrong in my explanation but as soon as I played the pod race scene back to back on both devices, it's not even a contest. Best $350 I spent for the HT.
@@ishkapiska4516if you’re using a PlayStation console you’re fine. Xbox is just a horrible, horrible blu ray player. Even the ps3 is much better than my Xbox Series X for DVD and BR. Problem is Xbox uses a separate app and that can actually crash as well, PlayStation is Sony’s own internal. My ps3 is very quick, ps4 is great and ps5 is in the same vein. Ps5 also recently updated for Dolby Atmos.
As for the question about different quality when it comes to standalone UHD disc players... I think they hit the nail on the head really. The biggest differences will come down to processing. The 'decoding' will have minor differences as mentioned but the processing might actually be a reason to get one over the other. Some of the processing can be toggled on and off and some is just always on. Some of it goes hand in hand with the decoding. For example, the accuracy level of the decoding can higher or lower depending on the player and that by itself might not be an easy thing to distinguish (as Caleb was saying). But to make up the difference, one might employ processing like dithering or filters that may make the picture look better or worse (maybe both depending on the characteristics of the scene). Other processing could be optional that you might actually pick one player over the other for. Like the 'HDR Optimizer' found on the Panasonic UB820 & UB9000 models. It helps HDR10 content behave more like (not completely like) Dolby Vision or HDR10+ in that it shifts the range of highlights downwards so that it's more likely to stay within your TV's capability and keep the details and not be clipped. Another feature might be chroma upsampling. Which may help clarity of some edges (usually text) and maybe some gradients. This is also found on those same Panasonic models (I think also on the UB420 - unsure). And this may not fit perfectly with the question, but as an aside, I'll mention that you might choose one player over the other for the convenience of these features. For example the Sony players don't automatically select Dolby Vision for Dolby Vision content. You have to manually change every time. And I'm not sure if it's all models, but the LG player I got my folks, you have to select a screen mode (24hz or 60hz) and stick with it for each title. Not a huge deal since the number of 60fps discs you could probably count on 1 hand but it's also something I never have to worry about on my UB820 as it just matches whatever the content is. And both of those can affect viewing quality if set wrong.
The best “ investment “ I ever made regarding media players was to buy my Panasonic UB9000.. very pricy but you really get what you pay for… use the video game consoles for.. video games. You are better off with a dedicated player.
The run for the most nits is getting weird. Close are the days when manufacturers are providing sun glasses for eye protection due to the sun on the TV matching the brightness of the actual sun.
QD-OLED TVs jump to 77 inches. Update/correction to my above listed comment: I think all OLED as well as QD-OLED TVs may jump to the 77 inch size instead of 75 inches. I am not even sure anymore what point I was trying to make lol!
Love my 77B2 - it was a huge upgrade from the old Vizio. Life can be a lot simpler if you neither game or need more inputs / functionality than it offers, and using an AppleTV4K for streaming it delivers a better picture than the same apps on the TV or cable provider’s set top player (Arris Xi6) - which even though it’s specced to support HDR, definitely the punch of the Apple. But of course for those 27,000 Hallmark Christmas movies I’m stuck with the Arris. We sure have come a long way from those old Motorola and Pace players with internal PVR drives - I even had one that supported and external SATA drive for extra storage. Maybe in the new year, Rogers will decide it’s time to sunset the set-top boxes that are coming up on 8 years old.
@@fonkenful I also am using an AppleTV 4K and love it! And I recently switched from DIRECTV Satellite to UA-cam TV and am saving about $100/per month and the quality and features are better than directv
@@LeezahB Not at all a fanboy, but I’ve been happy with all my Apple branded product for the past 15yrs, and am probably not alone in the opinion that the ATV 4K box is quite possibly the best value product they’ve made this century. I’m in Canada, and was a very long time customer of Shaw. After their recent corporate merger with Rogers, our total monthly TV/ Internet and mobile budget is close to $300; add Apple TV+ and Netflix premium to that and it’s almost $350. Also got a 24month extended free trial of Disney+ and am a “guest” user of a family member’s Prime; even for a retired old fart, there isn’t enough time to filter through and try to consume the decent content that does exist, so it’s coming up time to look at cost saving strategies.
Re the difference in image quality between Blu-Ray players, i still have a large collection of them mostly from people that dropped them off for repair and rejected my quotes leaving me stuck with them. So i paid for the parts and realigned them, these are older models but the same holds true for 4K players, comparing the Pioneer BDP-LX91 with the LX71 and Oppo BDP 105 and 103 there was little if any difference that even my test gear couldn't find. The same holds true for 4K Players, the Panasonic 9000 vs the 820, but the only detectable difference is in the sound quality. Without doing modifications to the power supply the Oppo's audio is inferior to the Pioneers So that just leaves as Caleb has said better build quality and quieter drives. I just wish Panasonic would release a player based on the 820 but in a metal case at an affordable price, the 9000 is expensive and the 820 uses the same video circuitry, only been let down by it's cheap looking cabinet.
My PS5 no longer recognizes Dolby Atmos through my DENON 8K AVR since Sony gave us the straight up Dolby Atmos option in the Sound settings and Bitstream option is no longer there so instead of getting HDMI 2.1 support from my PS5 for 4k UHD blu-ray playback I need to use my PANASONIC UB820K.
I have for 4K discs: Panasonic UB9000 (multiregion modded for DVD and Blu-ray) Panasonic UB820 PS5 Series X One X The stand alone players just blow away any console, but it is nice to have them as back up I originally bought the UB820 for the HDR to SDR conversion because I still only had a 1080p TV despite the fact i'd already started collecting 4K blu-rays but ended up getting a 4K TV about 3-4 months later anyway
I have XSX and XB1X for my console BR player. I picked up Sony X800 M2 back in the summer. The Sony player looks better than my XB consoles, but my Xbox consoles sound better and do a better job upconverting 480P content. I tried PCM, and bitstream, Dolby Atomos does not have the same kind of kick found on my XB consoles or even the TV apps coming through my Denon 3500 AVR. The only issue with my Xbox and the main reason why I got a dedicated player this year was disc compatibility. Some movies, not all won't play in 4K on my Xbox consoles. I have to manually lower the resolution to 1440P and turn off HDR. Spiderman No Way Home, along with Top Gun, does this, and I had issues with the Last Terminator movie on my XSX (played find on my XB1X) requiring 1440P with no HDR. Both consoles are on two different sets of OLEDS, C8 and G1. Let me clarify, the movies would play at 4K with HDR, but the screen will go black while sound continues to play on my Xbox consoles. Restart the movie, plays fine for 3 minutes, goes black. Turn off HDR and set the resolutions to 1440P and it plays through the entire movie. Older movies, no issue, but newer titles my XSX struggles with HDR and 4K.
Im happy with my ps5 being able to play 4k, Blu-ray , and dvd on my LG b1 OLED. Don’t really find a reason for me to buy different players just to watch specific discs. As long as it works and looks good I’m happy with the ps5
The 70" TV question is a good one. I have an old entertainment center and the largest size that would fit in it is 70" - so I was wondering the same thing since it seems like all the 70" models are older / lower end stuff.
Yeah, I waz tempted to get a 70 in. For 499 on black Friday 2022 but it was very basic as far as features and picture quality. No local dimming, lower nits than many cheaper TVs, 60hz, and bad reviews from a quarter of the people who bought it. The only reason I see in getting one is to surprise friends and family with that number 70 . In all honesty I don't think they'll be able to notice a size difference if you were to get a 65 inch instead.😊 It really does remind me when I was a kid and my family would take me to visit friends from the church. Many of these people had big heavy TVs in their house but they all seemed much dimmer and washed out than the small 19" living room TV at my house 😂
Just a quick point. I have the Sony DH-790. I can confirm it does support Earc via a firmware update. Dolby True HD and DTS Master is displayed on the panel, when selected on my blu-ray player. The TV itself only passes through DD plus Atmos etc. Sorry if this has already been pointed out. Obviously no 4K 120. Just a fix for lossless surround sound.
Not sure if i heard you right Caleb, but the LG C1 77” OLED has 4 2.1 HDMI, one of which is the eARC. I thought I heard you say TV’s have 2 high bandwidth ports
I had a 70 inch TV a few years back. While that is now considered average size. its plenty big for me. I really dont need anything bigger than 70 inches. The only reason im buying the 75 inch X90L is because they dont sell it in 70 inch size.
In regards to processing, how are we supposed to determine which specific device in our av chain is supposed to do which job? A LG oled is supposed to have great picture processing, but an Apple TV 4K is supposed to have that as well. How do you choose between the two, and what options do you have to select to enact the choice? Also, in regards to audio, the same question pops up. Should the Apple TV 4K, or a receiver decode the audio?
Great episode! Thanks. Quick question about your last comment about oled being is bright as it can get. What about pholed? heard it's coming out in smaller screens in the next few years, and then eventually/ possibly in the TVs. Wouldn't that make them brighter?
Why would we need anything brighter than what we currently have in our TV and smartphone?? I believe we’ve hit a plateau in some areas of our technological advancement (TV) and some that did not get a chance to fully develop (4K BD player).
@@omargonzales3high APL scenes on OLED are pretty dim and smartphones are pushing rightness on OLED MUCH MUCH further than TVs because of sunlight legibility benefits
Question, I know 120fps is used for slow motion, But I would like to see the world in 4k120fps NOT slow motion, and not slow motion sped up (like people suggesting in the gear icon of youtube and choose 2x speed). Is there a video somewhere we could download and play at 120fps just as an experiment. I'm using a gaming laptop connected to my lg c2 oled at 120fps (working for games already), I'm just curious.
Can I leave the hdmi earc from my Bose soundbar ultra to earc tv input plugged in or do I need to plug it into the dvd player for audio. Like how you do for consoles
PS4 also doesn’t read media discs, such as photos burned onto a disc. I got a copy from our photographer after an event, wanted to display on TV for everyone to see and PS4 wouldn’t read it… had to dust off the PS3 for it.. got to view everything just fine
Last episode you surprise me with your flugelhorn chops. This episode you show Sinatra Live at the Sands from 1966 with Count Basie conducted by Quincy Jones (greatest live album ever IMHO). I’m ready for your jazz channel to drop.
I live in Trinidad i have an 55inch Haier tv wanted to upgrade i like the hisence brand was thinking about the u7k 65inch or u6k 75inch can you help me
I think to clarify the question about a 70in tv. I don't think he had space to fit a 75in, that's why he asked if better to get a 65in or a perfect fit 70in... In this case the description of a 70in tv panel is correct and would be considered lower end. In this case, I would go with a better quality 65in tv in my space over something that fits perfectly. But it really boils down to preference of quality over size or size over quality.
Lets talk next gen TVs. Should I just skip oled al together ? Am on a low res cheap but bright samsung plasma. Is oleds inherant limitations just to mutch? I want bright RGB and great motion handling. Pulse display or good broght BFI
Amoled displays for phones do benefit from MLA so most likely QD OLED can also benefit from an MLA layer even if it the difference isn't as massive as in the case of WOLED.
With my TCL QM8 I couldn’t use the PS5 as a blue ray player as the tv does not see it as a movie player . I had to use an actual blue ray player for the tv to read it as a movie player. As when it reads the connection to set the proper settings for the equipment. I can use PS5 to play movies but the settings will be all off and wrong because the hdmi input does not see the game console as a movie console
You've talked a lot about 4k Blu Ray players, thank you. Could you comment on quality different forplaying a UHD rip from Plex vs a dedicated 4k player or Series X? You also mention a good TV does the processing better if you have a good TV. One of your highly recommended TVs is the Hisense U75k. Is that TV good enough to process 4k disc signal well? Particularly from a Series X or Plex stream?
Your information about the type if panel used on a TV by maker and model and size is interesting but - when looking for this information pre-purchase - it seems not to be provided by TV manufacturers in any of the features and specs highlighted in their sales info. Where or how can a prospective buyer find this information? Where or how can a prospective purchase get clear information outlining the real world pros and cons of each type of panel?
PS5 does not play CDs at all. Xbox does. And getting surround sound and they'll be atmos. Working on the Xbox is way simpler than the ps5. It's a simple on or off mode in the settings. PS5 is way more convoluted and confusing. I can't ever get it to work maybe that's just me though 🤷
Shouldn’t the decoding be deterministic/ the same? I would think that as long as the decoding can “keep up” that decoding wouldn’t affect the bits the come out. What am I missing?
Hi.. I have a somewhat complicated question and I can’t find a decent answer online anywhere. I have a SONY PlayStation 5 which feeds into my SONY HT-A9000 Sound Bar which feeds into the eARC HDMI port on my SONY XR-65A84K TV. My question is: If I play a 4K Ultra HD Blu Ray Disc on my PlayStation 5, will I be watching said Blu Ray in Dolby Vision or HDR10? Thanks for any info on the matter!
My biggest problem with using my Xbox Series X as a Blu-ray Player, is the constant and random black screens and it's refusal to sometimes play 4K discs.
Is anyone else having sparatic issues with 4k movies? My brand new mig-high tier Sony 4k player seems to have random issues of freezing during playback. And rare menu glitches. Never had these problems before. And they seem to only be with 4k. Yes the player is updated.
Caleb, you mentioned how IPS panels don't have as good of contrast as VA panels. However, you do get a much wider viewing angle with an IPS panel. It's a trade off.
Hello Mr Denison, I was wondering if you could answer my Question. I Currently use the Samsung Qn90b and a Samsung HW-Q995GC Soundbar with an Xbox Series X and a PlayStation 5. My Question is the following, When I put my Game Consoles to output Dolby Atmos, the supported Games play Atmos with no Problems. The Games with no Atmos support are Showing Multichannel PCM, but in some Games it seems and sounds like there should be 2 more channels like in 7.1 which the Soundbar doesn't have. For Example, you play a Game and turn the in Game Camera away from a Sound Source, and it just disappears. If you turn it back to the side or face the Audio Source, it's back to normal. What is the Problem here? It's like the Soundbar, TV or the Xbox thinks there are 2 more Rear Speakers for an unknown reason. And if I set the TV to Auto instead of pass through all games show Dolby Atmos ? I hope my Question here is understandable, and sorry for my Bad English, keep up the Amazing Work and Greetings from Germany.
Also i saw a video where it shows frame skipping in XBox series x with 4k UHD Blu-ray, technically those movies are quicker in XBox, they last some seconds less in XBox due to frame skipping
Hi Caleb, re Blu rayer players and their advantages how about adjustable hdr tone mapping and being able to set it / adjust it for the nits of your display and on the fly for individual titles? I would consider that a pretty big advantage with Panasonic and it's HDR slider considered one of the best there is extending right down the models to the UB 420..
It's also worth noting that the Xbox disc buffer fills up with the higher capacity 4k Blu-ray discs, and if you're watching one of those, the movie player will take a dump in the middle of the movie. Several of my 4k titles i have to watch the regular Blu-ray disc instead because of this.
Great stuff as always....soooooo....I'm eying a TCL 4k wide gamut, HDR10, 240 MOTION RATE (COSTCO CANADA) model and they range 43, 50, 65, 70, and 85"...S470G-CA series...direct backlight but is listed as IPS. So the panel type isn't as good as say a Hisense A6/8 orU6/8? I'm wondering if I should go with mini led 65" Hisense A6 instead....it will be running off of an Xbox series X
@@theonewhoisbetterthanyou3570that's my dream tv but don't know if I can justify the cost. The lesser model I'm considering is a 70" 4k backlit IPS pannel for $649 CAD so the trade off is pretty worth it. It's this year's model just not the best from TCL. I have a 50" 4k TCL 4 series I think in our upstairs living space, it looks great and is going on 5 years old.
70 inch is too big for my living room, it might fit over the mantle but then id have to extend all the wires,and i also like having a picture over my mantle. My chimney is capped so i don't put a fire in it so the tv wouldn't get too hot. I like having my players/gaming consoles and tv in one corner. I also don't have a fancy OLED/players, just the cheaper option.
Was it my TV (X95L) or was this video having some quality issues in how it was processed (the face looked photoshopped with over smoothening and making it way too over bright to lose the skin tone and details). Kind of throws me off to see bad quality video source on an expensive top tier panel.
I agree with the 70 inch tv reasoning. Really excellent televisions cost more, but compared to a house or car they are very inexpensive. I spent $2000 on premium television and the picture is like having 3D. The picture quality is that realistic.
Pro Tip: if you are a true gamer and want the lowest input lag possible, you should avoid passing the console through an AV receiver. Instead, the shortest path being directly to the TV (assuming the TV already has very low input lag, under 10ms, with all extra processing tuned off) and you should be at the very minimum. P.S. also connect the console to the Internet via Ethernet cable only and directly to the router.
Im sorry, did you say getting dolby atmos out of the xbox was hard? If you realy meen that, i wil have a hard time taking you serious... The app, is Just for atmos for hedphones. To get atmos on the xbox. Simply conect it to an atmos enabled reciver, and select atmos for home teater i the audio options.....
I’m 90% sure my PS5 and XSX support Dolby Vision playback on 4k blu rays. Also, on Xbox the atmos app is only required for headphones and it’s incredibly easy to setup. Atmos on the PS5 was very recently added if I’m not mistaken. I was excited for its addition and got across the spider verse, popped it into my PS5 and then had to troubleshoot for 20 minutes to figure out how to get atmos working lol
HI Caleb, your reviews are the best and I'm using your reviews to help build my ultimate home theatre set up in my living room. Considering it's not a dedicated media room, I do not want to use floor standing tower speakers since I don't have the room for that. I know you've mentioned in past reviews that the Nakamichi Dragon sounds so good that you would need a Klipsch Cinema with 7 speakers and a good receiver to come close or beat it as far as sound quality. I don't intend to listen to music but predominantly game and watch movies. My main want from this setup is the best surround sound possible so I assume you want a good atmos / dts-x speakers for this. So my requirement would be that the speakers output good atmos sound. So what sound setup would you go with? Which would sound better? A high end sound bar like a Nakamichi Dragon/ Sonos 300 setup or a good a/v receiver with atmos bookshelf speakers on stands preferably as a 5.1 setup without cutting holes in the ceiling to add downfiriing speakers.
Always enjoy your videos. I keep seeing your UDP900 but you have yet to come back to us with a deep dive performance evaluation. Especially compared to the benchmark, OPPO UDP-205. Please do a follow up video on this.
Caleb u should know better xbox series has better use of Dolby atmos and vision u need to pay for dolby vision and atmos for headphones, atmos for speakers is free and they had that option for many years, on Ps5 u got dolby atmos last year and it is not a real dolby atmos but it uses a ps5 3d sound to deliver the atmos output!
Don't know how well known this is but Xbox does support Dolby Vision now. I think movies look good but some games suffer from banding with it turned on.
Just the speed of your network and quality of your RIP. It’s a great convenience tool. I’ve ripped to my laptop and only use one TV for my large TV viewing but sometimes I’ll transfer to my tablet so I don’t use my network and watch outside.
Thanks for that lesson on MLA vs QD-OLED! Was very interesting.
I just bought myself a Panasonic blu ray player. It is awesome. 😊
These videos are so great because they can be referenced in the future. They aren't just topical. Thank you Caleb!
point proved here looking for answers about 4k bluray players lol
The problem with streaming is that you never know if you will get HDR 4K or even Dolby Digital but for the convenience few will care.
I had a hard time justifying playing UHD on a dedicated player, and just used my Xbox one x. The ub820 went on sale for $350 and I picked one up. It’s a huge difference in audio and video quality. It was very clear right away how bad the Xbox uhd playback is.
Playing all this on an LG G2 83, Klipsch rf7-iii, rc64-iii LCR through NAD T778 in 5.2.2.
Im curious what kind of difference did you see in picture or hear in the sound? Could you go into it in more details? I use my PlayStation and trying to figure out if it’s actually worth it
@@ishkapiska4516 It's worth it. The audio is a lot more balanced and correct. On my Xbox I fought overly "Bass'ey" scenes in the wrong frequencies. I don't get that at all, the bass is correct, the "mix" is correct. Visuals are noticeably more accurate, more contrast. I could be wrong in my explanation but as soon as I played the pod race scene back to back on both devices, it's not even a contest. Best $350 I spent for the HT.
@@splix85 but if you use audio passthrough on the xbox, all the audio prossecing is done on the av or am i wrong ?
@@ishkapiska4516if you’re using a PlayStation console you’re fine. Xbox is just a horrible, horrible blu ray player. Even the ps3 is much better than my Xbox Series X for DVD and BR.
Problem is Xbox uses a separate app and that can actually crash as well, PlayStation is Sony’s own internal. My ps3 is very quick, ps4 is great and ps5 is in the same vein. Ps5 also recently updated for Dolby Atmos.
@@systematicallyshocked ohh ok good good im happy to hear that haha
As for the question about different quality when it comes to standalone UHD disc players... I think they hit the nail on the head really. The biggest differences will come down to processing. The 'decoding' will have minor differences as mentioned but the processing might actually be a reason to get one over the other. Some of the processing can be toggled on and off and some is just always on. Some of it goes hand in hand with the decoding. For example, the accuracy level of the decoding can higher or lower depending on the player and that by itself might not be an easy thing to distinguish (as Caleb was saying). But to make up the difference, one might employ processing like dithering or filters that may make the picture look better or worse (maybe both depending on the characteristics of the scene). Other processing could be optional that you might actually pick one player over the other for. Like the 'HDR Optimizer' found on the Panasonic UB820 & UB9000 models. It helps HDR10 content behave more like (not completely like) Dolby Vision or HDR10+ in that it shifts the range of highlights downwards so that it's more likely to stay within your TV's capability and keep the details and not be clipped. Another feature might be chroma upsampling. Which may help clarity of some edges (usually text) and maybe some gradients. This is also found on those same Panasonic models (I think also on the UB420 - unsure).
And this may not fit perfectly with the question, but as an aside, I'll mention that you might choose one player over the other for the convenience of these features. For example the Sony players don't automatically select Dolby Vision for Dolby Vision content. You have to manually change every time. And I'm not sure if it's all models, but the LG player I got my folks, you have to select a screen mode (24hz or 60hz) and stick with it for each title. Not a huge deal since the number of 60fps discs you could probably count on 1 hand but it's also something I never have to worry about on my UB820 as it just matches whatever the content is. And both of those can affect viewing quality if set wrong.
You’re videos have really gotten good this year! Been watching your channel for yours
When are they gonna update the xbox bluray player app
The best “ investment “ I ever made regarding media players was to buy my Panasonic UB9000.. very pricy but you really get what you pay for… use the video game consoles for.. video games. You are better off with a dedicated player.
Use Panasonic 820 & Oppo with 4k JVC projector and 120” screen
The run for the most nits is getting weird. Close are the days when manufacturers are providing sun glasses for eye protection due to the sun on the TV matching the brightness of the actual sun.
QD-OLED TVs jump to 77 inches.
Update/correction to my above listed comment: I think all OLED as well as QD-OLED TVs may jump to the 77 inch size instead of 75 inches. I am not even sure anymore what point I was trying to make lol!
Hello my girl Leezah
@@michaelwyckoff7593 oh hi Michael!!!🥰
Love my 77B2 - it was a huge upgrade from the old Vizio. Life can be a lot simpler if you neither game or need more inputs / functionality than it offers, and using an AppleTV4K for streaming it delivers a better picture than the same apps on the TV or cable provider’s set top player (Arris Xi6) - which even though it’s specced to support HDR, definitely the punch of the Apple. But of course for those 27,000 Hallmark Christmas movies I’m stuck with the Arris.
We sure have come a long way from those old Motorola and Pace players with internal PVR drives - I even had one that supported and external SATA drive for extra storage.
Maybe in the new year, Rogers will decide it’s time to sunset the set-top boxes that are coming up on 8 years old.
@@fonkenful I also am using an AppleTV 4K and love it! And I recently switched from DIRECTV Satellite to UA-cam TV and am saving about $100/per month and the quality and features are better than directv
@@LeezahB Not at all a fanboy, but I’ve been happy with all my Apple branded product for the past 15yrs, and am probably not alone in the opinion that the ATV 4K box is quite possibly the best value product they’ve made this century. I’m in Canada, and was a very long time customer of Shaw. After their recent corporate merger with Rogers, our total monthly TV/ Internet and mobile budget is close to $300; add Apple TV+ and Netflix premium to that and it’s almost $350. Also got a 24month extended free trial of Disney+ and am a “guest” user of a family member’s Prime; even for a retired old fart, there isn’t enough time to filter through and try to consume the decent content that does exist, so it’s coming up time to look at cost saving strategies.
Re the difference in image quality between Blu-Ray players,
i still have a large collection of them mostly from people that dropped them off for repair
and rejected my quotes leaving me stuck with them.
So i paid for the parts and realigned them, these are older models but the same holds true
for 4K players, comparing the Pioneer BDP-LX91 with the LX71 and Oppo BDP 105 and 103
there was little if any difference that even my test gear couldn't find.
The same holds true for 4K Players, the Panasonic 9000 vs the 820, but the only detectable
difference is in the sound quality.
Without doing modifications to the power supply the Oppo's audio is inferior to the Pioneers
So that just leaves as Caleb has said better build quality and quieter drives.
I just wish Panasonic would release a player based on the 820 but in a metal case at an affordable
price, the 9000 is expensive and the 820 uses the same video circuitry, only been let down by it's
cheap looking cabinet.
My PS5 no longer recognizes Dolby Atmos through my DENON 8K AVR since Sony gave us the straight up Dolby Atmos option in the Sound settings and Bitstream option is no longer there so instead of getting HDMI 2.1 support from my PS5 for 4k UHD blu-ray playback I need to use my PANASONIC UB820K.
I have for 4K discs:
Panasonic UB9000 (multiregion modded for DVD and Blu-ray)
Panasonic UB820
PS5
Series X
One X
The stand alone players just blow away any console, but it is nice to have them as back up
I originally bought the UB820 for the HDR to SDR conversion because I still only had a 1080p TV despite the fact i'd already started collecting 4K blu-rays but ended up getting a 4K TV about 3-4 months later anyway
I love the Q&A episodes!! Do you ever run out of questions? 🥰🤣
I have XSX and XB1X for my console BR player. I picked up Sony X800 M2 back in the summer. The Sony player looks better than my XB consoles, but my Xbox consoles sound better and do a better job upconverting 480P content. I tried PCM, and bitstream, Dolby Atomos does not have the same kind of kick found on my XB consoles or even the TV apps coming through my Denon 3500 AVR. The only issue with my Xbox and the main reason why I got a dedicated player this year was disc compatibility. Some movies, not all won't play in 4K on my Xbox consoles. I have to manually lower the resolution to 1440P and turn off HDR. Spiderman No Way Home, along with Top Gun, does this, and I had issues with the Last Terminator movie on my XSX (played find on my XB1X) requiring 1440P with no HDR. Both consoles are on two different sets of OLEDS, C8 and G1. Let me clarify, the movies would play at 4K with HDR, but the screen will go black while sound continues to play on my Xbox consoles. Restart the movie, plays fine for 3 minutes, goes black. Turn off HDR and set the resolutions to 1440P and it plays through the entire movie. Older movies, no issue, but newer titles my XSX struggles with HDR and 4K.
I can play all those movies whitout issue on my series x... 🤔 Just saying 😋
@kafarske123 OK, I'm glad those titles play on your XSX.
@@kafarske123My series has struggled to play a few 4K discs, the interface is woeful and has a loss of sound bug. MS should be ashamed. Jus sayin 👎
This series is the best.
Nice review. For 70”, we are very happy with the 70” Samsung Cu7000. ❤❤❤❤
The UB820 is absolutely worth it. The processing is just awesome and everything looks amazing on it.
Im happy with my ps5 being able to play 4k, Blu-ray , and dvd on my LG b1 OLED. Don’t really find a reason for me to buy different players just to watch specific discs. As long as it works and looks good I’m happy with the ps5
awesome videos these videos are so helpful
The 70" TV question is a good one. I have an old entertainment center and the largest size that would fit in it is 70" - so I was wondering the same thing since it seems like all the 70" models are older / lower end stuff.
I wish someone made a good 70". I have the space for one but went with a 65" as I wanted quality.
Yeah, I waz tempted to get a 70 in. For 499 on black Friday 2022 but it was very basic as far as features and picture quality. No local dimming, lower nits than many cheaper TVs, 60hz, and bad reviews from a quarter of the people who bought it.
The only reason I see in getting one is to surprise friends and family with that number 70 . In all honesty I don't think they'll be able to notice a size difference if you were to get a 65 inch instead.😊
It really does remind me when I was a kid and my family would take me to visit friends from the church. Many of these people had big heavy TVs in their house but they all seemed much dimmer and washed out than the small 19" living room TV at my house 😂
Just a quick point. I have the Sony DH-790. I can confirm it does support Earc via a firmware update.
Dolby True HD and DTS Master is displayed on the panel, when selected on my blu-ray player. The TV itself only passes through DD plus Atmos etc.
Sorry if this has already been pointed out.
Obviously no 4K 120. Just a fix for lossless surround sound.
Not sure if i heard you right Caleb, but the LG C1 77” OLED has 4 2.1 HDMI, one of which is the eARC. I thought I heard you say TV’s have 2 high bandwidth ports
I've been very happy with my Sony UBP-X800 Mark II
Great episode, Caleb. Thanks and you should do more of these..
I have a 77 inch LG C1 OLED TV and it is AMAZING! I'll go for a 100 inch if I could afford it..
Why you not doing A95k vs A95k ?
I had a 70 inch TV a few years back. While that is now considered average size. its plenty big for me. I really dont need anything bigger than 70 inches. The only reason im buying the 75 inch X90L is because they dont sell it in 70 inch size.
In regards to processing, how are we supposed to determine which specific device in our av chain is supposed to do which job? A LG oled is supposed to have great picture processing, but an Apple TV 4K is supposed to have that as well. How do you choose between the two, and what options do you have to select to enact the choice?
Also, in regards to audio, the same question pops up. Should the Apple TV 4K, or a receiver decode the audio?
Another good video, keep up the good work
Great episode! Thanks. Quick question about your last comment about oled being is bright as it can get. What about pholed? heard it's coming out in smaller screens in the next few years, and then eventually/ possibly in the TVs. Wouldn't that make them brighter?
Why would we need anything brighter than what we currently have in our TV and smartphone??
I believe we’ve hit a plateau in some areas of our technological advancement (TV) and some that did not get a chance to fully develop (4K BD player).
@@omargonzales3high APL scenes on OLED are pretty dim
and smartphones are pushing rightness on OLED MUCH MUCH further than TVs because of sunlight legibility benefits
Question, I know 120fps is used for slow motion, But I would like to see the world in 4k120fps NOT slow motion, and not slow motion sped up (like people suggesting in the gear icon of youtube and choose 2x speed). Is there a video somewhere we could download and play at 120fps just as an experiment. I'm using a gaming laptop connected to my lg c2 oled at 120fps (working for games already), I'm just curious.
Can I leave the hdmi earc from my Bose soundbar ultra to earc tv input plugged in or do I need to plug it into the dvd player for audio. Like how you do for consoles
Good questions and really interesting info, thanks team.
PS5 doesn’t play CD’s that’s actually one of the only reasons I kept my Series X after getting the PlayStation 😂
PS4 also doesn’t read media discs, such as photos burned onto a disc. I got a copy from our photographer after an event, wanted to display on TV for everyone to see and PS4 wouldn’t read it… had to dust off the PS3 for it.. got to view everything just fine
that was another great video Caleb, you gave me a lot of good info I wasn't aware of and I will refer back to the video when necessary, thank you 👍
Great questions and answers!
Such a shame that OPPO no longer makes 4K BluRay players! Glad I bought a BDP-205 from the last batch!
Last episode you surprise me with your flugelhorn chops. This episode you show Sinatra Live at the Sands from 1966 with Count Basie conducted by Quincy Jones (greatest live album ever IMHO). I’m ready for your jazz channel to drop.
I started with a PS5 on my LG OLED and it was great but when i bought a panasonic player the quality was so much better!
On Hisense TVs which panels do they use Samsungs or LG panels or they make their own?
I live in Trinidad i have an 55inch Haier tv wanted to upgrade i like the hisence brand was thinking about the u7k 65inch or u6k 75inch can you help me
I'm wondering if there's a decent PC disc drive for 4k bluray??
Why are you not decoupling your loudspeakers from the TV board? Sound quality and all that stuff..
Excellent video. I was just researching LG OLED panel sizes just yesterday - this answered my dilemma.
I think to clarify the question about a 70in tv. I don't think he had space to fit a 75in, that's why he asked if better to get a 65in or a perfect fit 70in... In this case the description of a 70in tv panel is correct and would be considered lower end. In this case, I would go with a better quality 65in tv in my space over something that fits perfectly. But it really boils down to preference of quality over size or size over quality.
Lets talk next gen TVs. Should I just skip oled al together ? Am on a low res cheap but bright samsung plasma. Is oleds inherant limitations just to mutch? I want bright RGB and great motion handling. Pulse display or good broght BFI
Amoled displays for phones do benefit from MLA so most likely QD OLED can also benefit from an MLA layer even if it the difference isn't as massive as in the case of WOLED.
With my TCL QM8 I couldn’t use the PS5 as a blue ray player as the tv does not see it as a movie player . I had to use an actual blue ray player for the tv to read it as a movie player. As when it reads the connection to set the proper settings for the equipment. I can use PS5 to play movies but the settings will be all off and wrong because the hdmi input does not see the game console as a movie console
You've talked a lot about 4k Blu Ray players, thank you. Could you comment on quality different forplaying a UHD rip from Plex vs a dedicated 4k player or Series X?
You also mention a good TV does the processing better if you have a good TV. One of your highly recommended TVs is the Hisense U75k. Is that TV good enough to process 4k disc signal well? Particularly from a Series X or Plex stream?
I just picked up a 27” Zenith flat screen CRT with VHS and front facing aux support…jealous??
Your information about the type if panel used on a TV by maker and model and size is interesting but - when looking for this information pre-purchase - it seems not to be provided by TV manufacturers in any of the features and specs highlighted in their sales info. Where or how can a prospective buyer find this information? Where or how can a prospective purchase get clear information outlining the real world pros and cons of each type of panel?
Why LG Oled 4k tv don't support 3d ?
3d it's only 2 x FHD frames in succession?
PS5 does not play CDs at all. Xbox does. And getting surround sound and they'll be atmos. Working on the Xbox is way simpler than the ps5. It's a simple on or off mode in the settings. PS5 is way more convoluted and confusing. I can't ever get it to work maybe that's just me though 🤷
Shouldn’t the decoding be deterministic/ the same? I would think that as long as the decoding can “keep up” that decoding wouldn’t affect the bits the come out.
What am I missing?
Excellent video thank you sir!!!
Why would atmos be compressed over eARC?
Hi.. I have a somewhat complicated question and I can’t find a decent answer online anywhere.
I have a SONY PlayStation 5 which feeds into my SONY HT-A9000 Sound Bar which feeds into the eARC HDMI port on my SONY XR-65A84K TV.
My question is: If I play a 4K Ultra HD Blu Ray Disc on my PlayStation 5, will I be watching said Blu Ray in Dolby Vision or HDR10?
Thanks for any info on the matter!
My biggest problem with using my Xbox Series X as a Blu-ray Player, is the constant and random black screens and it's refusal to sometimes play 4K discs.
Yeah MS should be ashamed.
i live in europe and have bought a TCL C805 do you know if this is the same as the us c755? i got for a nice deal on black friday
Is anyone else having sparatic issues with 4k movies?
My brand new mig-high tier Sony 4k player seems to have random issues of freezing during playback. And rare menu glitches.
Never had these problems before. And they seem to only be with 4k. Yes the player is updated.
Caleb, you mentioned how IPS panels don't have as good of contrast as VA panels. However, you do get a much wider viewing angle with an IPS panel. It's a trade off.
Hello Mr Denison,
I was wondering if you could answer my Question.
I Currently use the Samsung Qn90b and a Samsung HW-Q995GC Soundbar with an Xbox Series X and a PlayStation 5.
My Question is the following, When I put my Game Consoles to output Dolby Atmos, the supported Games play Atmos with no Problems.
The Games with no Atmos support are Showing Multichannel PCM, but in some Games it seems and sounds like there should be 2 more channels like in 7.1 which the Soundbar doesn't have. For Example, you play a Game and turn the in Game Camera away from a Sound Source, and it just disappears. If you turn it back to the side or face the Audio Source, it's back to normal. What is the Problem here? It's like the Soundbar, TV or the Xbox thinks there are 2 more Rear Speakers for an unknown reason.
And if I set the TV to Auto instead of pass through all games show Dolby Atmos ?
I hope my Question here is understandable, and sorry for my Bad English, keep up the Amazing Work and Greetings from Germany.
Also i saw a video where it shows frame skipping in XBox series x with 4k UHD Blu-ray, technically those movies are quicker in XBox, they last some seconds less in XBox due to frame skipping
Hi Caleb, re Blu rayer players and their advantages how about adjustable hdr tone mapping and being able to set it / adjust it for the nits of your display and on the fly for individual titles? I would consider that a pretty big advantage with Panasonic and it's HDR slider considered one of the best there is extending right down the models to the UB 420..
It's also worth noting that the Xbox disc buffer fills up with the higher capacity 4k Blu-ray discs, and if you're watching one of those, the movie player will take a dump in the middle of the movie. Several of my 4k titles i have to watch the regular Blu-ray disc instead because of this.
Would any of these new tv technology benefits from old technology like plasma tv .
amazing topcs! thank you!
Can we get a review of the Hisense AX5120G 5.1 sound bar???
This is baller!!! Need the plans for sure.
But the xbox series x has both dolby vision and atmos support. I always use them on my lg oled b1 paired with samsung q990b.
Can you grab a Sony Bravia X900H and test it out with the current latest firmware update for any performance changes?
Great stuff as always....soooooo....I'm eying a TCL 4k wide gamut, HDR10, 240 MOTION RATE (COSTCO CANADA) model and they range 43, 50, 65, 70, and 85"...S470G-CA series...direct backlight but is listed as IPS.
So the panel type isn't as good as say a Hisense A6/8 orU6/8? I'm wondering if I should go with mini led 65" Hisense A6 instead....it will be running off of an Xbox series X
I have the TCL QM8 no complaints with it.
@@theonewhoisbetterthanyou3570that's my dream tv but don't know if I can justify the cost. The lesser model I'm considering is a 70" 4k backlit IPS pannel for $649 CAD so the trade off is pretty worth it. It's this year's model just not the best from TCL. I have a 50" 4k TCL 4 series I think in our upstairs living space, it looks great and is going on 5 years old.
What do you think of the Sony a7000 sound bar, rear wireless battery speakers, and there sub sa-sw5 set up???
There sub?
Where sub?
Usually the sub goes in a corner of the room for better response, if that's what you're asking.
Xbox does support Atmos... and Dolby Vision.
You have to pay for Atmos audio but Dolby vision is in the Xbox video settings
I can passthrough Atmos to my avr from my Xbox one S, works fine. 🤔 No need for any plugin on the Xbox 🤔
Just to clarify on this, the Xbox supports Dolby Vision for gaming only, not for 4K discs/films.
@@mcarr416ix it does support dolby vision on streaming services movies and TV shows
thank you for the video🙌
It maybe out of focus but there's a reason why Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is called one of the most recognizable album cover of all time.
Pour one out for Oppo. My Oppo DVD player is still a gem. Also, best manual/guide every.
I’ve been asking myself the first question for a very long time, thanks OP
70 inch is too big for my living room, it might fit over the mantle but then id have to extend all the wires,and i also like having a picture over my mantle. My chimney is capped so i don't put a fire in it so the tv wouldn't get too hot. I like having my players/gaming consoles and tv in one corner. I also don't have a fancy OLED/players, just the cheaper option.
Was it my TV (X95L) or was this video having some quality issues in how it was processed (the face looked photoshopped with over smoothening and making it way too over bright to lose the skin tone and details). Kind of throws me off to see bad quality video source on an expensive top tier panel.
I agree with the 70 inch tv reasoning. Really excellent televisions cost more, but compared to a house or car they are very inexpensive. I spent $2000 on premium television and the picture is like having 3D. The picture quality is that realistic.
The fact that you said like having 3D made me ignore the rest of your comment.
3D content really is forgotten at this points its wild.
Pro Tip: if you are a true gamer and want the lowest input lag possible, you should avoid passing the console through an AV receiver. Instead, the shortest path being directly to the TV (assuming the TV already has very low input lag, under 10ms, with all extra processing tuned off) and you should be at the very minimum.
P.S. also connect the console to the Internet via Ethernet cable only and directly to the router.
Im sorry, did you say getting dolby atmos out of the xbox was hard?
If you realy meen that, i wil have a hard time taking you serious...
The app, is Just for atmos for hedphones.
To get atmos on the xbox.
Simply conect it to an atmos enabled reciver, and select atmos for home teater i the audio options.....
I’m 90% sure my PS5 and XSX support Dolby Vision playback on 4k blu rays. Also, on Xbox the atmos app is only required for headphones and it’s incredibly easy to setup.
Atmos on the PS5 was very recently added if I’m not mistaken. I was excited for its addition and got across the spider verse, popped it into my PS5 and then had to troubleshoot for 20 minutes to figure out how to get atmos working lol
😂 PS5 does not support Dolby Vision on 4k blu rays.
@@janderson0719 you’re right. The PS5 only has Dolby vision for games from a recent update. Still no support for 4k blu rays. My mistake!
HI Caleb, your reviews are the best and I'm using your reviews to help build my ultimate home theatre set up in my living room. Considering it's not a dedicated media room, I do not want to use floor standing tower speakers since I don't have the room for that. I know you've mentioned in past reviews that the Nakamichi Dragon sounds so good that you would need a Klipsch Cinema with 7 speakers and a good receiver to come close or beat it as far as sound quality. I don't intend to listen to music but predominantly game and watch movies. My main want from this setup is the best surround sound possible so I assume you want a good atmos / dts-x speakers for this. So my requirement would be that the speakers output good atmos sound. So what sound setup would you go with? Which would sound better? A high end sound bar like a Nakamichi Dragon/ Sonos 300 setup or a good a/v receiver with atmos bookshelf speakers on stands preferably as a 5.1 setup without cutting holes in the ceiling to add downfiriing speakers.
I have a ps5 and as a bluray player it sucks!!! Its extreme loud playing 4K discs it’s ridiculous !!! Now I want to buy a Panasonic 820/824
Yeah get a 4k player, worth it 100% if u watch movies
Hey a question what's a good blu ray that's better than the ps5
Xbox series x has dolby vision setting in the video settings it works for tv, movies and games
❤ Great podcast
So, if the ps5 hasn’t got Dolby V and your tv does, does that mean you’ll watch with DV on??
Don't think so, both have to support it. Then u will see DV at the start of the movie, which is higher contrast colors basically. Worth it? Yes it is
Always enjoy your videos. I keep seeing your UDP900 but you have yet to come back to us with a deep dive performance evaluation. Especially compared to the benchmark, OPPO UDP-205. Please do a follow up video on this.
Caleb u should know better xbox series has better use of Dolby atmos and vision u need to pay for dolby vision and atmos for headphones, atmos for speakers is free and they had that option for many years, on Ps5 u got dolby atmos last year and it is not a real dolby atmos but it uses a ps5 3d sound to deliver the atmos output!
Don't know how well known this is but Xbox does support Dolby Vision now. I think movies look good but some games suffer from banding with it turned on.
70 inch is odd number nowadays and are pretty much budget TV’s. OLED’s are cut in 77 inch and higher end LCDS are 75inch
I'm really hoping to see 48 inch qd oled tv.
Is there a difference in programs like (MKV) that record (rip) 4k disks to a home server?
Just the speed of your network and quality of your RIP. It’s a great convenience tool. I’ve ripped to my laptop and only use one TV for my large TV viewing but sometimes I’ll transfer to my tablet so I don’t use my network and watch outside.
A dedicated player is the way to go if you don't want to be lazy ;)
Nice video.
Thanks.