My Experience with the Panasonic UB820-K 4k Blu-ray Player
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
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Here is my review and expierece with the Panasonic UB820-K 4k Blu-ray Player. Like this video if you appreciated the information and subscribe here: / @homevideohangouts to see more videos about collecting physical media.
You can Purchase the Panasonic UB820 here with my amazon affiliate link which helps support me and the channel: amzn.to/3Q5JcHH
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Totally agree. I used to own a Sony 700, which sometimes skipped, but since recently getting a Panny 820, Everything is better by far. All I'm missing now is an Oled TV. lol
Yes! The LG OLED's are great if you decide to pick one up.
Mate, I finally got an Oled to go with my 820, bout a year ago or so now... when you get the OLED, you're in for some good movie watching!!!!
So glad I bought the Oppo UDP-203 when it was originally released. I've had ZERO issues and HIGH quality video and audio.
Thats great! Those are great players!
I bought mine the day came out and its been perfect. But its getting on in years and I get really nervous. 550$ won't buy another one.
very well thought out video! nicely explained differences between your options as well.
Thank you very much for the kind comment. Im so happy to finally have a UB820 without issues. I hope Panasonic has improved their quality control on these now.
I have had my 820 for 8 months and no problems so far though with either 4K or Blu-Rays fingers crossed 🤞 that continues.
Agreed the remote is a bit rubbish but you can buy alternatives which will do the job.With my OLED I love the improved quality and will cry 😭 if it starts failing .Excellent video thank you 🙏
I bought one earlier this year on special as a backup player and also because it cane play different regions wit a couple of remote key presses which came in handy for the columbia noir # 6 box set I bought from Amazon UK which is locked to region 2 and I'm in Australia
Nice!
Nice video , just setting up my new home cinema in my new built house
Awesome! Have fun!
I have this player and I've had the freezing issue on one 4K disc, Ronin (1998). Bought the disc from Amazon, and I thought I received a bad disc ,so I returned it for a refund. Then I picked up the disc at a local store and the same problem occurred. The owners of the store have the same Panasonic player also, and they experienced the same issue. It's a shame because that movie looks great on 4K. Thanks for your video.
You’re very welcome, and im sorry to hear about your issue. It seems like some discs have manufacturing issues but thats odd to have an issue with 2 different discs.
As a bonus it’s also an amazing CD transport/player. Makes CDs sound crystal clear.
Thats true! I have played cds on mine as well.
I own one and can absolutely attest to it being hyper-sensitive to not playing or having issues playing 4K UHDs that aren't spotlessly clean. For example, I took a brand new disc from out of its case to play for the very first time whereby an error message appeared on screen to inform me that the disc wasn't compatible. So I ejected the disc, inspected its playing surface whereby I noticed the tiniest of smudges on the outer edge from my finger having touched it when removing it from the case. That was sufficient to stop it playing and display the aforementioned error message! So I carefully wiped off the tiny smudge mark and then the movie played without issue.
Also, I should add that it's a replacement brand new player. The first one was faulty and after a whole month of being messed around by Panasonic's woeful customer service operations I finally got a replacement. I might have taken the offer of a refund if it wasn't for the fact that so very few UHD players of a similar quality exist at the same price point. It essentially boils to this player or Sony's equivalent which reportedly has issues with movies freezing. So in practical terms it's the only choice available in its market segment.
Thanks for sharing
Is there a big difference between the basic PS4 and PS5 upscaling of a standard DVD for playback on a 4k tv? Good overview in this video too. I learned a lot.
Interesting video and thanks for sharing your experience. I've had this Panasonic for more than 3 years without too many issues that weren't easily fixed without a short reboot through unplugging. I have had one Bluray that wouldn't play on this player and that movie I bought at the Dollar store so maybe that's why. I have had a few others that pixellate but a thorough wipedown of the disc fixed that. On my television the HDR optimizer made a big difference on picture quality.
Ya even a working player will be sensitive to dirty or damaged discs and sometimes discs have manufacturing defects. I am going to be posting a video soon that discuses how to access the HDR optimizer menu.
Also had the same issue pixelation/freezing issue with my first UB820. Exchanged it and the second one has been great. Only issue I’ve had with the second one is once in a while the circular control menu in the corner can’t be cleared without disconnecting the player from power
Ya another issue I had with my earlier players is I would have to unplug and restart the player in order for it to read some 1080p Blu-Ray discs. My current player still hasn't had a single issue luckily. Now I'm always hesitant to even move it or anything though since I'm so worried about it being fragile and something else going wrong haha.
I've bought two of them. And both had pixelation and freezing issues. I then bought a Sony X-800M2 and cero issues.
I've had mine since October and in the last week it's developed a cannot read disc error, but only on startup. This is fixed by opening and closing the drawer, but it's likely the start of a larger issue. My own personal view is that this may have been caused by a build up of residue on the lens.
I've tried resetting the player by pressing ok, blue and green and ret8 at stand by, but unfortunately this doesn't rectify the problem.
I'll be returning this and getting a new one. When the new player arrives I'll be wiping down EVERY disc religiously. I have 600 4k discs in my collection, so I need it to be reliable.
One thing you might try is getting a lens cleaning disc. I have heard of that fixing peoples issues in some cases. I have one just in case I develop issues again.
Thank you for your honest, thoughtful, and thorough review.
I subscribed. 👍
Thanks for the sub! Im glad you found it helpful! Im planning to post another video soon about the UB820’s HDR optimizer menu.
@@HomeVideoHangouts thank you for your continued in depth coverage of this player.
Just a suggestion: When the unit starts to malfunction and stops working please cover it. I’d like to get a rough estimate of when it could begin to have issues when it’s not a somewhat defective unit.
Thanks for your time.
Im hoping my current player doesn't start having issues but if it does I will definitely make an update on here. Dealing with a Panasonic warranty claim could make for a good video.
Good video, but one correction: the Sony UBP X-700 supports HDR10 but not HDR10+. I've had one for years, though, and never had any problem with freezing or skipping. Maybe just lucky!
Very thorough and well presented video. I appreciate your knowledge. Please consider creating a video sharing your thoughts on recommended Blu-ray Discs which feature excellent 4K/HDR and or Dolby Atmos.
Thank you and I have already started doing so!
I have a Samsung QN90B 85" Neo QLED TV that only supports HDR10+. I have the Panasonic UB150-K and the picture quality is amazing - should I pickup a UB820-K on black friday and see if there is really a difference? I am on the fence...
I think there would be a difference but it probably wouldn’t be drastic. I think the addition of dolby vision would be the biggest benefit.
Most 4k disc problems are from smudges. All disc boxes have a chemical residue on the inside from manufacturing. When the replicated disc is put in the box from a robot the disc gets pushed into the residue that will be on a brand newly opened disc. When taking your movie out of the box by pushing the release button you're pushing the disc into the chemical residue also. Do a vertical wipe with a microfiber cloth before playing. If your movie is a single disc, when putting it back in the box insert it backwards with the art to the box wall to keep the residue off the laser read side of the disc.
Yes the residue in the boxes is unfortunate
Thanks for your reviews on DVD player good to know what you say about this matter
No problem!
Ordered one yesterday. Hoping it will pair well with my C3 and Q990C
I know I know not a real "hometheater" - I'm no cinephile. Wanted to try physical because the Lord of the Rings Extended versions weren't available streaming.
Nice that should be a good setup!
I got the UB820 and to be honest this should retail at $299 max. $4-500 is a lot and the player operates like my 2002 DVD player. Pretty bare bones, and the apps are awfully slow.
I agree. It has always seemed overpriced. Luckily there are at least sales on it occasionally.
Thank you, very informative. I am looking to purchase a blue-ray player mainly for playing audio with Dolby Atmos. When looking at various Blue-ray players on the market, it is not always clear which support Dolby Atmos. I am not that interested in the video side of things since my TV is an aging 4K HDR , no Dolby Vision. Any thoughts about a low (ish) end unit that plays Dolby Atmos ?
Check out my video on the best 4k blu-ray players for every budget. One of the Sony players may be a good fit for what your looking for.
ua-cam.com/video/ZZkumy5ZSWg/v-deo.html
I own a 9000 and 820 panasonic and touch wood never had any probs with either tbh. There both on the latest updates. I did have the 820 sent away to be chipped to watch any region blu ray. And also learned that it will also play region locked USA 4k discs (People Under The Staires scream factory release) which i wasent aware it would do. So best money ever spent. The 820 is 3 years old or there abouts and the 9000 1.5 years old
4k dvds aren't region coded, only blu ray and dvd are
Hit the stop button once and the top menu button 5 to 7 times and it will unlock the player to region free! It worked for me!
did you put dvd in that to see the upscaling? How good is in movies and cartoons?
The player is great at upscaling DVDs and blu-rays to 4k. That is one of the highlights of this player.
Thank for your good review, i also had one with defekt reading on discs, Got i New one,with no problems. Also got an oppo 205. Because iam from Denmark, the panasonic dp-ub820 is not region free, for blu ray movies bought in the us.
Im glad you were able to get one without issues as well.
Unfortunately they do freeze on video files and some video files the picture is good but the audio doesn't match the picture pixels
I have the Sony 800 M2. Just bought a week ago. Doesn't play 3D movies though. Have to buy another player just for that. I didn't know you can actually play poor k movies on the p s five, i'm gonna try that
Ya the PS5 isn't a bad option.
Have you had any issues with the audio dropping for a second during Dolby atmos 4K Blu-ray? I have a C1 as well, running through earc.
Sometimes when resuming a paused 4K disc there is a delay before the audio resumes. That doesn’t happen 100% of the time though
I have never had any problems with Samsung DVD player the DVD player plays video files witch DVD player cannot play to day today
Thats good
Disappointed with mine, refuses most blurays and comes up with a compatibility message, ok with 4K movies though. Sending it back. Probably going with the Sony now.
Sorry to hear that. Some people have good experiences with the Sony players though.
I can have atmos(5.1.2) with the analog outputs with just an amplifier?
Not sure I completely understand your question but my setup is Atmos 5.1.2 I have the Blu-Ray player running into a Atmos compatible Denon receiver with the appropriate audio channels for my setup.
The Panasonic ub820 it has 7.1 analog outputs (not the HDMI), those outputs could be used as 5.1.2
you can use a 9000 remote with an 820, better quality and it has a backlit function, that is what I use with my 820.
Good point! I'll have to consider that.
How is it now I am about to buy one at £300 uk is it still worth it
I still think its one of the best players for the money. I see its currently discounted on amazon but I'm not sure if the UK one is on sale as well. amzn.to/3WuYw4c
I bought the Sony X800M2. Surprised you didn’t mention it. Got it for $279.
Was eying the Panasonic but figured I’d give the Sony a shot since it was significantly cheaper.
So far my Sony hasn’t had any disc playback issues like some say.
The UI is embarrassing and Sony should be ashamed.
Nobody beats the Samsung Player UI. But they don’t support Dolby Vision so that player got demoted to my bedroom.
Im glad to hear the Sony is working well for you.
Do you think it is a really big difference in terms of image and audio from this Panasonic 820 to a Sony 800M2? I have a LG -not oled- that reads Dolby vision and a Sonod arc with a subwoof.
Picture and sound probably aren't drastically different. I would say with the Panasonic upscaling of lower formats may be somewhat better and I would say the Panasonic is less likely to have an issue reading 4K discs. I have heard a lot more situations of the Sony player freezing and skipping with 4K discs. I know I mentioned in my video I had to return multiple Panasonic players but now that I have a good one I haven't had a single issue.
Also the game players don't have HDR optimizer.
Yes the Panasonic players are much better for HDR
From what I've read and seen, you don't need to use the HDR optimizer feature if you have an OLED. I've tried it and see no difference with it on or off so.....
I think, that Sony x700 has only hdr10, not hdr10+
I'm sure Panasonic does make good quality DVD player but you have to spend a lot of money for it the three D function is just a load a bull crap
Yes 3d players can be expensive
I have a sony x700 and a panasonic ub820 k
Both are excellent had no problems
good to hear!
The 9000 is the #1 player.
In my opinion I think the Magnetar is the top tier player but I know the 9000 has great build quality. I had a 9000 briefly but didn't see any benefit for my setup over the UB820. In my opinion the UB820 offers the best overall value, its just a matter of finding one that doesn't have problems.
All 4k players are sensitive to disc quality, off gassing residue, and packing oil on the disc (yes this is normal) right out of the box.
Unfortunately. I have found my PS5 to be much less sensitive to all of those things oddly enough though.
I bought this player 3-4 years and it doesn't read my 4k disks anymore I clean my disks before I play them. This is very disappointing and very frustrating to pay $500. And hardly ever play it as well think very carefully before buying this machine!!
Sorry to hear that
@@HomeVideoHangouts Thank you 👍🏾
No problem. Thanks for commenting.
The biggest problem with 4ks is they are so much darker then requalr blu and dvds
There are a lot of settings you can adjust that will help with this. Oled tvs usually have the most issues with getting very dark but with a few adjustments geared toward your specific tv you can usually get a good balanced image.
They are darker, but blu rays and dvds are too bright. Don't forget that these mo ies were designed to be watched in a dark room (I.e. A cinema screen) so the natural look is meant to be more toned down compared to blu ray and dvd, which compensated for their lack of definition through over bright picture.
Yes the lighting of the room your watching in makes a big difference. Especially with an OLED tv.
Interesting...
I have the Sony UBP X700 and I love it but I had some freezing and skipping issues with some discs. I was hoping this Panasonic to do a better job in that aspect, so it's kinda disappointing to hear that.
PS: I also tested my discs on my PS5 and the result were the same, my player even doing a better job. So maybe it could be a software issue?
Thanks for sharing. I have heard skipping and freezing issues are common with triple layer 4k discs on the UBP x700 and its a less stable player overall, but if your PS5 is having the same issues I would think its a disc issue. Sometimes discs are manufactured with defects or sometimes especially with 4k discs there will be a residue in their plastic cases that gets on the discs and causes problems. I always clean my discs before playing even if they look clean. I hope you find a solution though. It ridiculous how many problems all these players can have considering how much they cost.
I bought the same 4k bluray as you, and I haven't had any discs it wouldn't play so far. I'm pretty sure my Sony UBP X700m is able to automatically switch to Dolby Vision.
I've only had it about 4 months and I watch a lot of movies off my computer but the software can only play HDR10, not DV.
Before I got that standalone player, I did have a 4k disc that wouldn't back up using an internal BDR/RW in my computer. I believe it was Jurassic Park III. It kept having read errors until I thoroughly cleaned it. It took an alcohol wipe to get the film off of it. I normally just use microfiber cloth. 4k discs have so much information that sometimes any smudge or defect will make it not play, so always try cleaning it, if you have any issues.
Are you able to play 3D disk? On yet 700