@@JeffRauseo i appreciate the 2 replies. I went to buy it, got the code to log in with browser and Amazon said it's suspicious and temp closed my account. I could get off the app but I wanna give u whatever u get off the link. I'll try to figure it out
Just a quick FYI - my UB450 currently has firmware version 1.10. It appears that version 1.08 (December 13, 2023) is the latest version from Panasonic's website as of now.
UB450 has been my loyal 4K companion for a few years now here in Europe. It has its flaws and limitations, but the final image quality (even on 1080p blu-rays) makes it totally worth it. I highly recommend it!
No you need to see his face. Just like all the movie channels they show you themselves not the actual product they are supposed to be showing. It’s weird man 😂
If you correct the settings on your Sony UBP 700 it will not skip on 100gb disc. Set the players resolution to 4K and turn off auto upscaling and it will work perfectly for you. Mine hasn’t skipped in three years. All of the people claiming they skip, have no idea how to go into their settings and just fix the resolution.
@ make sure your player is updated, if you’ve set the resolution to 4K on your player and turned off auto upscaling it should work What causes the skipping on 100 gig disc (and it’s only 100 gig disc) is when the player is switching between layer one and layer two, since 100 gig disc is giving more data. The player doesn’t need to add anything and that’s what causes it to freeze up. So either your player is broken which I’m sorry to hear that or you did not set it correctly.
Of course I just bought a UB-420 - but I have no complaints. I have what is very much a budget setup. I just started buying 4k discs, but do not plan on replicating my blu-ray collection. Considering the prices, I am going to be very selective. I do not care about steelbooks and slip covers - the film is the thing I am concerned about. The video and audio quality is what I looking for. Peace.
No need to regret your decision the ub420 is still the better player despite not having dolby vision. has better processor and better HDR enhancement features. look it up is called HCX tech giving you the cinema experience to 4K high-precision chroma processing for natural textures and depth, maximizing color, clarity, and detail. ub450 does not have that.
I have the Sony UBP-X700M. It has HDR 10, Dolby Vision. My 4k's look great and I haven't had any issues. No freezing nothing like that. The Dolby Vision really makes a difference paired with DV on my TV along with my JBL 1000 bar. Movie quality picture and room shaking BASS. When Atmos kicks in, it's definitely on another level. Good shit.
@JeffRauseo true, but big thing is its new, thus more updated and inside im sure they made micro improvements we wont know but will over time make it better
@@JeffRauseo i got a 65" oled LG C1 tv, only thing i need now is a good but budget friendly sound system for this new ub450 player, what do you recommend bro ?
I actually have both the 420 and the 450. 420 has better upscaling for DVD, but regular Blu rays basically the same and 4K identical. One thing I think Sony players have is ability to output original source resolution automatically and let your display do the scaling (because it may be better than the player), but Panasonic always upscale to 4K unless you manually change the output resolution, requiring quite a lot of clicks. The 420 has the HDR Optimizer function that makes it good for older/cheaper LED LCD TVs with limited HDR performance or for a projector. The 450 of course has Dolby Vision and is better for an OLED where HDR tone mapping is less important. The 420 feels better quality, the 450 is very lightweight and has a smaller, worse feeling remote. The 420 has the power supply inside and uses a regular figure 8 cable, while the 450 needs a wall brick (advantage I guess, if it ever needs to be replaced). Drive noise is about the same - the 420 has a front cover which seems to make it slightly quieter, but the 450 is fine. Neither has a display, need the 820 for that. All Panasonic players can be made region free for DVD with certain Harmony remote codes or a hack remote. They are also all region free for some blu-rays using the “top menu” trick - load a disk, wait for region warning, press Stop then Top Menu. Doesn’t work on all disks though in which case a mod chip is required. 4Ks of course are basically all region free.
Hate to break it to you, but OLEDs can also have issues tone mapping content, hence the OLED option in the Panasonic HDR Optimizer. Newer OLEDs can get bright, but LEDs can get a lot more brighter which allows higher graded HDR Content to be displayed correctly whereas OLEDs can blow out high light detail thanks to its lower peak brightness.
@@PUsokrJosh305 Sure but native contrast and ability to get much closer to the typical 1000nit master means a modern OLED needs a lot less help with tone mapping and the internal processing likely does it better than even the Panasonic 820 - hence "less important". If you have an older/cheaper/dimmer OLED, then the HDR Optimizer might still be useful, but if your TV supports DV, then the dynamic tone mapping is still the better feature to have - if you have to choose.
Ordered this player from Amazon to pair with our new LG C3. Ordered a few 4K physical movies this cyber Monday and can’t wait to test it out. It’s our 1st OLED 4K setup 😃
That tv slaps! I never want to go back to non oled 4k tvs again, that's how much I love my lg c3. Also video games look very crisp if your rocking a current gem system.
@@daviddr115111 have a 4k lcd/led and was not impressed at all but I am coming from also having a well calibrated Pionner Kuro Plasma that still looks amazing specially to this old retro gamer guy 😆
I've been using the Panasonic UB 4K player range for the last 4 years or so and have been very happy with them. I even bought players for my family so we can all play 4K discs as required. They are all going strong with no issues.
I’m glad that Panasonic is still making Blu ray players especially 4K players, since I have a standalone Samsung player that have long since discontinued and I mostly use it in living room since the Xbox Series X and PS5 are mostly used for gaming by my family or my in laws. Standalone blu ray players have better playback features with Dolby Vision and playing older DVDs which lot of them don’t work on modern game consoles.
This might seem like a silly reason to buy the more expensive UB820, but in addition to other things, it also has a display on the front of the machine, so you can see what the machine is doing, or where you are on the disc, without having to look on'-screen to see that info. That's important to me.
I've got a Panasonic ub-450 and a ub820. The ub450 overall is a really great player, the dolby vision works flawlessly just like my 820, the one killer feature of the ub820 is the HDR optimiser which does make a subtle difference on HDR 10 films. Being in the UK, I didn't realise that the ub450 wasn't available in the US until very recently, I fully agree that it's pretty much the best budget option, I've had mine for over 2 years and it's working like a champ.
Damn, I just bought the 820 yesterday since it was on sale for $350 at BB for Cyber Monday. Wish you posted this a couple days earlier! But I might keep the 820 since upscalling regular DVDs on my 4K TV is important to me.
I had the 420 and sold it earlier this year. Used the funds towards an 820 player. The 450 sounds like a great option for a 2nd 4K disc player in the house. But for a main player, I'm totally happy with my 820. So I'd totally recommend 820 esp if its your main disc player
Bought mine last year in January for 194€ on Amazon, it really works well, I don't have complaints except maybe the fact it's not region free ( which is an issue only for BD and DVD import). The picture quality tho is top notch, the UB820 is really overkill for most of the users and the increased price will be hard to justify, but if you like to tweak the picture for HDR, if you really want total control about it, then go for the 820. Also doesn't matter which one, I recommend to buy another remote, I bought a cheap one on amazon compatible with all Panasonic br player, it has back light and all, way better
I have still got quite an old Panasonic Blu-ray player, and it's incredibly good, especially when paired with a decent hd tv, but I've heard Panasonic has been extremely good in general, even as far back as their dvd players.
I just got a 420 because I have a TV without Dolby Vision due to the fact that I wanted a 3D TV, and I'm glad that I got the TV I did, because I find 3D to be a feature that adds far more entertainment value to things than 4K does.
I felt pressured into ordering the ub820 during back Friday based on what all the reviewers say. I’m not a big time gamer, but for the price of a gaming console, this player better leave my jaw on the floor.
Don't worry, it will. The 820 is essentially the 9004 minus the better enclosure, the more silent drive and 500 nit profile for projectors (altough the last one can be unlocked using modified firmware). And of course minus almost 700 bucks.
It's a whole lot better than the one that he's talking about in this video, which is basically the Panasonic ub154, their cheapest player, that they just slapped dolby vision in.
Good machine. Have had one over in the UK for a couple of years. Only minor gripe is that it came with a tiny, cheap remote control which I replaced with one off Amazon
Will this player work with one of the panasonic usb wifi hubs for their previous players? I have two older Panasonic players that had external USB wifi hubs that once you plug them in to the back, the unit has wifi just like any other brand today. Not sure why Panasonic did this rather than just build them in (cost maybe?). But Panasonic is well known for this.
First up, brilliant review. Covered everything actually important, esp showing that it does have the second hdmi port for audio, and doesnt have wifi. On various forums, I have heard a couple of anecdotes of the UB450 having freezing issues. Not nearly as prevalent as with the sony players, but there were still some.. so I ended up opting for the 820 still, because I haven't heard any complaints about that. Just something for people to be aware of. I had a sony x700 and got the freezing issues all the time (seemed to be a 100GB disc + Dolby Vision thing). Haven't had any issues with my 820. Never owned a 450. The player design is definitely a contributing factor. I think the extra heat, extra processing (of DV), combined with the extra sensitivity of the 100GB discs all overload these players, ESP ones like the x700 where DV support was added after the design phase. One thing the 820 has (appart from a general design and selection of components that are clearly a step up from all these other players) is a *fan*. I'd definitely go the 450 over any of the other players in the price range, and *any* sony player.. But I'd still suggest an 820 to anyone who's not turned off by the price and can't be bothered with a returns process. But If the 820's price was prohibitive, I def would have tried my luck with the 450, the issues definitely seem less likely than with the Sonys
I bought one last week got an even better deal, its small its not a full size unit and i like that. So far so good, got a few 4kUHD films & i'll add more films that deserve 4k.
Got this player for less than 35 dollars second hand, they thought it was labeled as a cd player apparently. Based in Sweden, didn't know that US didn't have this model until now.
I find that UHD discs need to be free of smudges and scratches to play properly more so then HD Blu ray and DVD's so be sure to check discs before assuming the player has an issue.
I have this and a 820 both second hand brought has not working but just doing some maintainince with some silicone grease on the lense and cleaning the lense and they both work tremendously well.
I'm going to buy it. Just to have a Spare 4K. I think next year may be the year they discontinue and I want a couple of 4K Players in storage. Just in case.
@@vanstraelend yes. I think within 2 - 3 yrs they'll stop. And I don't want another Oppo thing. are there any manufacturers besides Panni still making Players?
Omg this might be my new player. I need that auto switch feature because that to me on the sony players is a hassle especially with their laggy ass software.
I've had this exact model since June of '24 and I can confirm that it is an excellent budget player. I think I paid $199 for it at the time. Have not found a disc yet that it won't handle. As Jeff mentioned, the internet hookup is only via ethernet cable. But since BD-Live is long gone you'll likely never miss it not being wireless. The only thing I don't like is the power on/off cycles seem quite slow from the time you hit a button on the remote to the time it's finished. In reality it's only about 6-7 seconds but to me it feels like it could be faster.
I missed out on the 820 sale last year. I caught it this year. Two days later, Jeff posts this video. LOL I’m good for now. Does it do the region switch hack?
Thanks for the heads up on this player, Jeff. I just redid my office and bought a 42" LG C4 TV to start using as a desktop monitor and for playing console games. Was also considering getting a 4K player for the times I didn't feel like going into our basement to watch on our 77" LG CX. Wasn't sure I wanted to purchase another Panasonic UB 820 as it was a bit more than I wanted to spend on something I would just use occasionally and without the best setup (only have a small soundbar in the office). This seems to fit the bill perfectly and won't break the bank.
I have this in Western Australia been available here for about 1 year has all the bells and wishes also has great upscaling for dvd and bluray and the sound quality is excellent get yourself one
My 4k player is about 4 years old I know that I only gave 170 dollars for it then and it’s identical to that player I mean spot on only it’s a lg never had a problem with it lookes as good if not the same as a ps5
I have a UB820. Great 4k player BUT, make sure it works with your TV. Some LG and Sony TVs have handshaking issues with it. For example my A80J it worked fine, but my A95L wouldn't play Dolby Vision. Then when I plugged it back in to the A80J and a new soundbar (previously it was hooked to my surround sound) it wouldn't play audio. Hooked up a X700 and X800 with zero issues.
Good to know, I've still got my original Sony x800 which plays great despite lacking Dolby vision. It does occasionally freeze up but I kept it. I bought a Reavon x200 a few years ago at a good price ( noisy drive) got it fixed and had it massively upgraded by fidelity audio it plays stunning but I was really lucky to get a Cambridge Audio CXUHD brand new when C/A found a batch and put them up on eBay.
The 450 I bought when I went 4K was super buggy, so I went with a used 420. It and the 424 I have now have worked way better than the 450 did 🤷🏼♂️ That being said, I don't have DV on any of my TVs or projector.
I use my Xbox OneX for 4K player. Watching with my fav over ear headsets is a great experience. May check this player out tho....never had that audio sync issue btw.. plays perfect on my X1X
Hey Jeff! I heard you mention freezing of the sony players. I have the 500 and experience this on some 4k discs (latest was Dune). I thought this was a fault in the disc even though the disc looks perfectly fine, so this really could be a bluray player issue? How does that play out? Is it always on the same moment or should that be random? I didn’t know, might have to start looking into a new player for testing in that case…
Getting this in the UK region unlocked as our main player. I’ve heard the upscaling is not as good as the 420, but I’ll just let the TV do the upscaling.
Just got one in the UK last week. The Ethernet connection is a pain as my network is totally wi-fi due to where the modem is located. I solved the issue by buying on Amazon a cheapish Ethernet/wi-fi bridge adaptor that allows me to connect to my wi-fi and works a treat. The blu-ray player has great sound and vision and upscales normal Blu-ray Disc really well. I have even found some old discs of mine that came with Dolby Atmos sound such as Fantastic Beasts, Hacksaw Ridge and A Star is Born. I wonder how many older blu-rays came with Dolby Atmos?
Is there any appreciable difference/improvement of Dolby Vision over HDR10, when the HDR10 either fits within your TV's capabilties, or has been mapped using the Panasonic HDR optimiser? I recently bought a UB820 (need the analog audio outs for my niche PC audio use) and the only DV disc I have is Dune 2. The HDR10 colours looks a bit deeper and more saturated (same TV settings on both modes, and I took pictures with my phone's camera locked to the same ISO/Exposure/Colour settings to make sure I wasn't imagining it), DV looks a little desaturated in comparison. The disc says the peak nits is only about 750 which is within the specs of my Hisense U7K TV so I would have thought everything should look the same between HDR10 and DV... Unless there is some miscommunication or the specs it's toned to aren't accurate? If there's some DV disc that goes well beyond 1000 nits it would be fascinating to see the difference between HDR optimiser and DV, because the former does nothing on the Dune 2 disc, since it's under 1000 nits which I have it set to.
I've had one since 2021 in the UK and whilst the build is a bit cheap (including a really nasty remote control) and the user interface very basic it's never suffered from a frozen or skipping disk. The HDR is very good and the audio output is excellent with superb Atmos performance. The only drawback is if you are trying to play UHD MKV files (via an external HDD), it does lock when fast forwarding too quickly.
Don’t tempt me Jeff hahaha. My Sony 4k player is doing well. My dog did chew up my remote a while ago that I had to replace, but I’ll keep this in mind in the next few years.
Thank you so much for this video. Currently have a Sony UBP X700 and hate the early 2000's menu and even though it has dolby vision and HDR10 its so wonky that when you hit the display button it sometimes says DB Vision is on and sometimes it just says HDR so I never know what I am truly getting. Ordering this Panasonic player now. Thanks again!
Yes most don’t skip (people don’t go into their settings and set the resolution and turn off auto upscaling) if you have a Sony player go into your settings, set the resolution to 4K and turn off auto upscaling. It will never skip again.
So glad I waited! One question though. Are these Panasonic players the ones that don’t have disc resume upon startup if you stop and go into standby? I don’t always finish an extended cut or episodic disc in one sitting and it’s useful to turn on the player and pick right back up where I left off.
Bought one a month ago to replace my old 820 that was having playback issues. The 450 couldn’t even play the first disc I put in. Got another 820 again instead.
Thanks this is awesome. I'm so over my Sony that keeps on stalling / skipping, simply wont play. Particularly when I have friends over to show off my system... I've purchased a external usb panasonic to rip my 4KBR to have a reliable playback. Now I should play my disks again. Just gotta get over the overspending this month :o
I got insanely lucky a couple years ago. I was in a thrift store that I used to go to all the time and among the usual blu ray players I saw one with the UHD 4k marking on it. I picked it up and to me it looked like a 4K player and it was priced at 14.99. The case was a bit scuffed . WEll I took it home and tried it out and it played perfectly. At the time I just had a phillips non DV player which i bought for just over 100 dollars at best buy. So I looked up this player I just got for 14.99 and it was a panasonic UB820 and once i looked it up I realized how good of a score I just got.
This is fantastic! I've been using my PS5 for 4K BR playback. Does a great job but again just like with the Series X, no Dolby Vision. For $200 I'm jumping on this sucker ASAP.
Buy Panasonic UB450: amzn.to/3ZjhivR
DudeI'm down to buy it if it has atmos. Can you please verify?
@@rogerbussiii As long as the player does bitstream output, which this and others do, then they will support Dolby Atmos.
@@JeffRauseo i appreciate the 2 replies. I went to buy it, got the code to log in with browser and Amazon said it's suspicious and temp closed my account. I could get off the app but I wanna give u whatever u get off the link. I'll try to figure it out
Just watch out I have it in U.K but wont play Twister brings main menu up, but wont play movie Panasonic are aware
Just a quick FYI - my UB450 currently has firmware version 1.10. It appears that version 1.08 (December 13, 2023) is the latest version from Panasonic's website as of now.
UB450 has been my loyal 4K companion for a few years now here in Europe. It has its flaws and limitations, but the final image quality (even on 1080p blu-rays) makes it totally worth it. I highly recommend it!
What are the top 3 flaws & limitations in your experience so far? Curious to know.
I've had this player for a while, now and I have to say, it's excellent for 4K. Not only that but it's capable of playing any disc from any region.
Was it modified, or do you use a hack for your import discs?
Oh, really? Blu-rays? I'm about to move to France so I was worried about my collection not playing.
@@charlescontreras4135 It may have been modified although I'd have to check the box for the player.
Hello, did you buy it in the US? I saw some of these being sold on eBay and they're modified to play other regions BDs and DVDs.
@@Prof_Cristiano_Leal I bought in on Amazon in the UK, it may be different in the US.
Dude, SHOW THE PLAYER.
No you need to see his face. Just like all the movie channels they show you themselves not the actual product they are supposed to be showing. It’s weird man 😂
@@Bluehawks206it’s almost like there are rules and regulations around it all 🙄🙄🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Lol he's a UA-camr. They're self absorbed. Plus a Millennial so it's compounded. The product they talk about every day comes second.
If you correct the settings on your Sony UBP 700 it will not skip on 100gb disc. Set the players resolution to 4K and turn off auto upscaling and it will work perfectly for you. Mine hasn’t skipped in three years. All of the people claiming they skip, have no idea how to go into their settings and just fix the resolution.
I already did that and is still freezing and skipping
@ make sure your player is updated, if you’ve set the resolution to 4K on your player and turned off auto upscaling it should work What causes the skipping on 100 gig disc (and it’s only 100 gig disc) is when the player is switching between layer one and layer two, since 100 gig disc is giving more data. The player doesn’t need to add anything and that’s what causes it to freeze up. So either your player is broken which I’m sorry to hear that or you did not set it correctly.
I always thought Dolby Vision was a gimmick, till I watched a film in Dolby Vision. It's beautiful.
Of course I just bought a UB-420 - but I have no complaints. I have what is very much a budget setup. I just started buying 4k discs, but do not plan on replicating my blu-ray collection. Considering the prices, I am going to be very selective. I do not care about steelbooks and slip covers - the film is the thing I am concerned about. The video and audio quality is what I looking for. Peace.
No need to regret your decision the ub420 is still the better player despite not having dolby vision. has better processor and better HDR enhancement features. look it up is called HCX tech giving you the cinema experience
to 4K high-precision chroma processing for natural textures and depth, maximizing color, clarity, and detail. ub450 does not have that.
I have the Sony UBP-X700M. It has HDR 10, Dolby Vision. My 4k's look great and I haven't had any issues. No freezing nothing like that. The Dolby Vision really makes a difference paired with DV on my TV along with my JBL 1000 bar. Movie quality picture and room shaking BASS. When Atmos kicks in, it's definitely on another level. Good shit.
Yes! I've had this exact model for a year now. I live in norway. Awesome player! I highly recommend this model.
Wow man thanks, i just bought the 420 at amazon but didnt open box, so im returning it for the 450, perfect timing video
420 is nice and has its uses. But this does offer Dolby vision
@JeffRauseo true, but big thing is its new, thus more updated and inside im sure they made micro improvements we wont know but will over time make it better
@@JeffRauseo i got a 65" oled LG C1 tv, only thing i need now is a good but budget friendly sound system for this new ub450 player, what do you recommend bro ?
@@JeffRauseo also what you recommend for a good or best hdmi cord for connections ? Thanks again
@@raydalton1110 the ub420 is still the better player, that is why is 20 bucks more expensive. better processor and better HDR enhancement features
THANK YOU. I've had mine since June and I love it, finally someone big in the space is talking about it.
I actually have both the 420 and the 450. 420 has better upscaling for DVD, but regular Blu rays basically the same and 4K identical. One thing I think Sony players have is ability to output original source resolution automatically and let your display do the scaling (because it may be better than the player), but Panasonic always upscale to 4K unless you manually change the output resolution, requiring quite a lot of clicks.
The 420 has the HDR Optimizer function that makes it good for older/cheaper LED LCD TVs with limited HDR performance or for a projector. The 450 of course has Dolby Vision and is better for an OLED where HDR tone mapping is less important. The 420 feels better quality, the 450 is very lightweight and has a smaller, worse feeling remote. The 420 has the power supply inside and uses a regular figure 8 cable, while the 450 needs a wall brick (advantage I guess, if it ever needs to be replaced). Drive noise is about the same - the 420 has a front cover which seems to make it slightly quieter, but the 450 is fine. Neither has a display, need the 820 for that.
All Panasonic players can be made region free for DVD with certain Harmony remote codes or a hack remote. They are also all region free for some blu-rays using the “top menu” trick - load a disk, wait for region warning, press Stop then Top Menu. Doesn’t work on all disks though in which case a mod chip is required. 4Ks of course are basically all region free.
Hate to break it to you, but OLEDs can also have issues tone mapping content, hence the OLED option in the Panasonic HDR Optimizer.
Newer OLEDs can get bright, but LEDs can get a lot more brighter which allows higher graded HDR Content to be displayed correctly whereas OLEDs can blow out high light detail thanks to its lower peak brightness.
@@PUsokrJosh305 Sure but native contrast and ability to get much closer to the typical 1000nit master means a modern OLED needs a lot less help with tone mapping and the internal processing likely does it better than even the Panasonic 820 - hence "less important". If you have an older/cheaper/dimmer OLED, then the HDR Optimizer might still be useful, but if your TV supports DV, then the dynamic tone mapping is still the better feature to have - if you have to choose.
Ordered this player from Amazon to pair with our new LG C3. Ordered a few 4K physical movies this cyber Monday and can’t wait to test it out. It’s our 1st OLED 4K setup 😃
That tv slaps! I never want to go back to non oled 4k tvs again, that's how much I love my lg c3. Also video games look very crisp if your rocking a current gem system.
I need to start saving up for an OLED myself, always wanted one. Congrats!
@@daviddr115111 have a 4k lcd/led and was not impressed at all but I am coming from also having a well calibrated Pionner Kuro Plasma that still looks amazing specially to this old retro gamer guy 😆
@@Zodarus thanks, they really are great.
I've been using the Panasonic UB 4K player range for the last 4 years or so and have been very happy with them. I even bought players for my family so we can all play 4K discs as required. They are all going strong with no issues.
I love my 420 and wish the 450 would have been available years ago when I bought it. Awesome that Panasonic brought DV to a budget player!
Bought mine in 2022 (from UK) very happy with it.
Very cool that this is a thing now for everybody! I have the 820 and love it!
Same same.
I’m glad that Panasonic is still making Blu ray players especially 4K players, since I have a standalone Samsung player that have long since discontinued and I mostly use it in living room since the Xbox Series X and PS5 are mostly used for gaming by my family or my in laws. Standalone blu ray players have better playback features with Dolby Vision and playing older DVDs which lot of them don’t work on modern game consoles.
This might seem like a silly reason to buy the more expensive UB820, but in addition to other things, it also has a display on the front of the machine, so you can see what the machine is doing, or where you are on the disc, without having to look on'-screen to see that info. That's important to me.
I've got a Panasonic ub-450 and a ub820. The ub450 overall is a really great player, the dolby vision works flawlessly just like my 820, the one killer feature of the ub820 is the HDR optimiser which does make a subtle difference on HDR 10 films.
Being in the UK, I didn't realise that the ub450 wasn't available in the US until very recently, I fully agree that it's pretty much the best budget option, I've had mine for over 2 years and it's working like a champ.
Hey Jeff just a heads up, your address is visible on the box at the start of the video.
I've been happy with the Panasonic UB820.
Damn, I just bought the 820 yesterday since it was on sale for $350 at BB for Cyber Monday. Wish you posted this a couple days earlier! But I might keep the 820 since upscalling regular DVDs on my 4K TV is important to me.
the 820 has tone mapping allowing your tv to get the best out of hdr esp if you have a mid range tv with low luminance
Yeah samething here. Debating if I should return the 820 or keep it. What are you planning?
I had the 420 and sold it earlier this year. Used the funds towards an 820 player. The 450 sounds like a great option for a 2nd 4K disc player in the house. But for a main player, I'm totally happy with my 820. So I'd totally recommend 820 esp if its your main disc player
Whenever I get back to being able to put together a proper 4K movie setup, I'm definitely going to grab this player. This sounds amazing.
Bought mine last year in January for 194€ on Amazon, it really works well, I don't have complaints except maybe the fact it's not region free ( which is an issue only for BD and DVD import). The picture quality tho is top notch, the UB820 is really overkill for most of the users and the increased price will be hard to justify, but if you like to tweak the picture for HDR, if you really want total control about it, then go for the 820. Also doesn't matter which one, I recommend to buy another remote, I bought a cheap one on amazon compatible with all Panasonic br player, it has back light and all, way better
I have still got quite an old Panasonic Blu-ray player, and it's incredibly good, especially when paired with a decent hd tv, but I've heard Panasonic has been extremely good in general, even as far back as their dvd players.
I have the 420. Honestly I don’t get the hype over Dolby Vision. Looks like it just makes the picture brighter to me.
My Oppo UDP-203 is still going strong! It's interesting to hear your thoughts on this new budget player though
I've had a region free modded version of this for the last 2 years in Europe and it's been great!
Did you do that with a remote trick or an add-on?
you just press 1,2 or 3 for A,B,C in the main screen. Works well and have allowed my criterion collection to grow waaay too big!
I just got a 420 because I have a TV without Dolby Vision due to the fact that I wanted a 3D TV, and I'm glad that I got the TV I did, because I find 3D to be a feature that adds far more entertainment value to things than 4K does.
Where did you get a 3d tv? Did you buy an old one?
@@MisterDavidWeinstein Yeah, an open box 2016 or 2017 model.
I almost went for the 450, but when I realised it didn't have the upscaler, I picked the 820 instead...
I felt pressured into ordering the ub820 during back Friday based on what all the reviewers say. I’m not a big time gamer, but for the price of a gaming console, this player better leave my jaw on the floor.
Don't worry, it will. The 820 is essentially the 9004 minus the better enclosure, the more silent drive and 500 nit profile for projectors (altough the last one can be unlocked using modified firmware). And of course minus almost 700 bucks.
It's a whole lot better than the one that he's talking about in this video, which is basically the Panasonic ub154, their cheapest player, that they just slapped dolby vision in.
I have had a sony x700 and x900 and i have never updated the firmware and mine work great still.
Good machine. Have had one over in the UK for a couple of years. Only minor gripe is that it came with a tiny, cheap remote control which I replaced with one off Amazon
Will this player work with one of the panasonic usb wifi hubs for their previous players?
I have two older Panasonic players that had external USB wifi hubs that once you plug them in to the back, the unit has wifi just like any other brand today.
Not sure why Panasonic did this rather than just build them in (cost maybe?). But Panasonic is well known for this.
Thank you Jeff. That video was extremely informative.
Bought one from Amazon at the beginning of the year here in the UK and it's great no probs with it at all. Well worth the money
First up, brilliant review. Covered everything actually important, esp showing that it does have the second hdmi port for audio, and doesnt have wifi.
On various forums, I have heard a couple of anecdotes of the UB450 having freezing issues. Not nearly as prevalent as with the sony players, but there were still some.. so I ended up opting for the 820 still, because I haven't heard any complaints about that. Just something for people to be aware of. I had a sony x700 and got the freezing issues all the time (seemed to be a 100GB disc + Dolby Vision thing). Haven't had any issues with my 820. Never owned a 450. The player design is definitely a contributing factor. I think the extra heat, extra processing (of DV), combined with the extra sensitivity of the 100GB discs all overload these players, ESP ones like the x700 where DV support was added after the design phase. One thing the 820 has (appart from a general design and selection of components that are clearly a step up from all these other players) is a *fan*.
I'd definitely go the 450 over any of the other players in the price range, and *any* sony player.. But I'd still suggest an 820 to anyone who's not turned off by the price and can't be bothered with a returns process. But If the 820's price was prohibitive, I def would have tried my luck with the 450, the issues definitely seem less likely than with the Sonys
I bought one last week got an even better deal, its small its not a full size unit and i like that. So far so good, got a few 4kUHD films & i'll add more films that deserve 4k.
Got this player for less than 35 dollars second hand, they thought it was labeled as a cd player apparently.
Based in Sweden, didn't know that US didn't have this model until now.
Great review, Jeff. I picked this up last week and love it. I also have the Sony X700 that you also reviewed in the past. Good choices!
I find that UHD discs need to be free of smudges and scratches to play properly more so then HD Blu ray and DVD's so be sure to check discs before assuming the player has an issue.
Had mine for long time in the UK. Also 3d. So good for old movies on a projector. With dlp glasses.
So it does play 3d🤔
Thank you Jeff! I really appreciate this recommendation!
I have this and a 820 both second hand brought has not working but just doing some maintainince with some silicone grease on the lense and cleaning the lense and they both work tremendously well.
Your link took me to it on Walmart. Same price as Amazon. Thanks for telling me this. I'm in the market for a back up to my 820.
Thanks, I went for the 820 but I might buy a second player, will definitely go for this one
Thanks Jeff I just ordered this 4k player
This + the latest Apple TV is a dangerous combo. Can't wait to get this, thanks man.
I bought the 420 back in September. I like it. I'm also enjoying the WiFi it has.
I'm going to buy it. Just to have a Spare 4K. I think next year may be the year they discontinue and I want a couple of 4K Players in storage. Just in case.
You mean stop making 4k players all together?
@@vanstraelend yes. I think within 2 - 3 yrs they'll stop. And I don't want another Oppo thing. are there any manufacturers besides Panni still making Players?
had the x 700 got rid of it freezing up brought this player from jb no problem love it
Omg this might be my new player. I need that auto switch feature because that to me on the sony players is a hassle especially with their laggy ass software.
Glad you’ve just dropped this! We have this in Europe, been eyeing it up for some time
I've had this exact model since June of '24 and I can confirm that it is an excellent budget player. I think I paid $199 for it at the time. Have not found a disc yet that it won't handle. As Jeff mentioned, the internet hookup is only via ethernet cable. But since BD-Live is long gone you'll likely never miss it not being wireless. The only thing I don't like is the power on/off cycles seem quite slow from the time you hit a button on the remote to the time it's finished. In reality it's only about 6-7 seconds but to me it feels like it could be faster.
I missed out on the 820 sale last year. I caught it this year. Two days later, Jeff posts this video. LOL I’m good for now. Does it do the region switch hack?
I’m not sure on region free yet. But the 820 is still great
820 is still on sale
Thanks for the heads up on this player, Jeff. I just redid my office and bought a 42" LG C4 TV to start using as a desktop monitor and for playing console games. Was also considering getting a 4K player for the times I didn't feel like going into our basement to watch on our 77" LG CX. Wasn't sure I wanted to purchase another Panasonic UB 820 as it was a bit more than I wanted to spend on something I would just use occasionally and without the best setup (only have a small soundbar in the office). This seems to fit the bill perfectly and won't break the bank.
Thanks jeff, i was about to buy the 820 because of dolby visión, but now im gonna buy the 450.
Thanks Jeff! I was not aware and decided to add one just now for a secondary viewing area.
I have this in Western Australia been available here for about 1 year has all the bells and wishes also has great upscaling for dvd and bluray and the sound quality is excellent get yourself one
My 4k player is about 4 years old I know that I only gave 170 dollars for it then and it’s identical to that player I mean spot on only it’s a lg never had a problem with it lookes as good if not the same as a ps5
Hey Jeff! Thanks for sharing this! I currently use my PS5 for my 4K movies. Would the UB450 be an upgrade?
This is great news! Thanks!
So what is the difference between the 820 and the 450? What makes the 820 more expensive and I would assume better?
Thank you for the recommendation and review. Was just window shopping for my first 4k player.
Happen to know if this player can go region free?
Grabbed the 450 back in August, love it.
I have a UB820. Great 4k player BUT, make sure it works with your TV. Some LG and Sony TVs have handshaking issues with it. For example my A80J it worked fine, but my A95L wouldn't play Dolby Vision. Then when I plugged it back in to the A80J and a new soundbar (previously it was hooked to my surround sound) it wouldn't play audio. Hooked up a X700 and X800 with zero issues.
Very helpful!! Thank you. I have the Sony 700, but may upgrade to this
I have the 420 and still solid for 3 years now and is solid, and 3D. No need for Dolby Vision since I have a JVC projector
Good to know, I've still got my original Sony x800 which plays great despite lacking Dolby vision.
It does occasionally freeze up but I kept it.
I bought a Reavon x200 a few years ago at a good price ( noisy drive) got it fixed and had it massively upgraded by fidelity audio it plays stunning but I was really lucky to get a Cambridge Audio CXUHD brand new when C/A found a batch and put them up on eBay.
Panasonic are definitely one of the best. I use two UB820’s and a UB900.
The 450 I bought when I went 4K was super buggy, so I went with a used 420. It and the 424 I have now have worked way better than the 450 did 🤷🏼♂️ That being said, I don't have DV on any of my TVs or projector.
I use my Xbox OneX for 4K player. Watching with my fav over ear headsets is a great experience. May check this player out tho....never had that audio sync issue btw.. plays perfect on my X1X
Hey Jeff! I heard you mention freezing of the sony players. I have the 500 and experience this on some 4k discs (latest was Dune). I thought this was a fault in the disc even though the disc looks perfectly fine, so this really could be a bluray player issue? How does that play out? Is it always on the same moment or should that be random?
I didn’t know, might have to start looking into a new player for testing in that case…
I have an older LG that could use the upgrade too
Also got this in the sale...seems decent! Didn't want to spend the extra for the next model up and hoping I don't regret that...but so far, so good!!
Getting this in the UK region unlocked as our main player. I’ve heard the upscaling is not as good as the 420, but I’ll just let the TV do the upscaling.
Great deal. Pair that with a region-B player for B-locked BDs and presto! I just went with a single region-locked player.
I have a Sony that freezes 😡. Will keep my eye on this one. Thanks!
Go to your settings on your player set the resolution from auto to 4K and turn off auto upscaling (it will never skip again)
Thank you for this. I just got a new tv and found out my series x doesnt do hdr10 and dolby for physical media but does for streaming. Bonkers
Just got one in the UK last week. The Ethernet connection is a pain as my network is totally wi-fi due to where the modem is located. I solved the issue by buying on Amazon a cheapish Ethernet/wi-fi bridge adaptor that allows me to connect to my wi-fi and works a treat.
The blu-ray player has great sound and vision and upscales normal Blu-ray Disc really well. I have even found some old discs of mine that came with Dolby Atmos sound such as Fantastic Beasts, Hacksaw Ridge and A Star is Born.
I wonder how many older blu-rays came with Dolby Atmos?
Can you trick it to play region B discs like the 820?
Is there any appreciable difference/improvement of Dolby Vision over HDR10, when the HDR10 either fits within your TV's capabilties, or has been mapped using the Panasonic HDR optimiser?
I recently bought a UB820 (need the analog audio outs for my niche PC audio use) and the only DV disc I have is Dune 2.
The HDR10 colours looks a bit deeper and more saturated (same TV settings on both modes, and I took pictures with my phone's camera locked to the same ISO/Exposure/Colour settings to make sure I wasn't imagining it), DV looks a little desaturated in comparison.
The disc says the peak nits is only about 750 which is within the specs of my Hisense U7K TV so I would have thought everything should look the same between HDR10 and DV... Unless there is some miscommunication or the specs it's toned to aren't accurate? If there's some DV disc that goes well beyond 1000 nits it would be fascinating to see the difference between HDR optimiser and DV, because the former does nothing on the Dune 2 disc, since it's under 1000 nits which I have it set to.
Region free capable? I know some Panasonic players there is a ‘hack’ where you can play region b discs on it.
You would need to hack it. But I know it’s been done on the UK version. I’m not seeing much on the US version yet.
I've had one since 2021 in the UK and whilst the build is a bit cheap (including a really nasty remote control) and the user interface very basic it's never suffered from a frozen or skipping disk. The HDR is very good and the audio output is excellent with superb Atmos performance. The only drawback is if you are trying to play UHD MKV files (via an external HDD), it does lock when fast forwarding too quickly.
Don’t tempt me Jeff hahaha. My Sony 4k player is doing well. My dog did chew up my remote a while ago that I had to replace, but I’ll keep this in mind in the next few years.
Thank you so much for this video. Currently have a Sony UBP X700 and hate the early 2000's menu and even though it has dolby vision and HDR10 its so wonky that when you hit the display button it sometimes says DB Vision is on and sometimes it just says HDR so I never know what I am truly getting. Ordering this Panasonic player now. Thanks again!
Any 4K player that won’t have the discs skipping?
Yes most don’t skip (people don’t go into their settings and set the resolution and turn off auto upscaling) if you have a Sony player go into your settings, set the resolution to 4K and turn off auto upscaling. It will never skip again.
So glad I waited! One question though. Are these Panasonic players the ones that don’t have disc resume upon startup if you stop and go into standby? I don’t always finish an extended cut or episodic disc in one sitting and it’s useful to turn on the player and pick right back up where I left off.
I've been using a used UB420 I got for $100. My TV doesn't support Dolby Vision so I've been loving it. This sounds great though
Bought one a month ago to replace my old 820 that was having playback issues.
The 450 couldn’t even play the first disc I put in. Got another 820 again instead.
Thanks for the tip. I was getting close to buying a Sony....
Thanks this is awesome. I'm so over my Sony that keeps on stalling / skipping, simply wont play. Particularly when I have friends over to show off my system... I've purchased a external usb panasonic to rip my 4KBR to have a reliable playback. Now I should play my disks again. Just gotta get over the overspending this month :o
I got insanely lucky a couple years ago. I was in a thrift store that I used to go to all the time and among the usual blu ray players I saw one with the UHD 4k marking on it. I picked it up and to me it looked like a 4K player and it was priced at 14.99. The case was a bit scuffed . WEll I took it home and tried it out and it played perfectly. At the time I just had a phillips non DV player which i bought for just over 100 dollars at best buy. So I looked up this player I just got for 14.99 and it was a panasonic UB820 and once i looked it up I realized how good of a score I just got.
Oh It didnt have a remote, but i was able to buy a replacement remote.
This sounds fantastic! Can it play imports as well?
Great review 👍
This is fantastic! I've been using my PS5 for 4K BR playback. Does a great job but again just like with the Series X, no Dolby Vision. For $200 I'm jumping on this sucker ASAP.
Thanks for the heads up. Might pick one up soon to use instead of my PS5 for 4K watching.
Might just pick one up as a holiday present for someone special. In my HT, running the DP-UB9000, built like a tank.
This would have been perfect for me because I have my 820 on a wired connection to the network. But I've had it for a few years