klinemj
Emo VIPs 
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,101
|
Post by klinemj on Nov 25, 2020 20:13:04 GMT -5
Now that I decided to pull the plug on an XMC-2 and a 4K TV, I started thinking about a 4K BluRay player.
I'm not urgent about getting one given my old Oppo 105 works fine (knock on wood) and we mostly do streaming with a Roku Ultra for movies. I also don't own many 4K Blu Rays at all. Seems we rarely buy discs any more.
Net - I am not in a hurry and don't want to spend a lot, but I would like to have a 4K-capable BluRay player.
My needs are simple: able to play a 4K BluRay disc to my new LG 86UN8570puc TV via the XMC-2, but I don't need it to be wifi-capable (I have hard-wired ability there), don't need 3D, and audio will be handled by the XMC-2 (via the HDMI input to the XMC-2). Even for 2-channel, I don't care about audio...I am solely streaming for that and never play CD's any more. I don't care about SACD or DSD either.
Options to consider?
FYI - I do prefer to avoid Sony. I have had bad luck with firmware on their players for years.
Mark
|
|
cawgijoe
Emo VIPs
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,035
|
Post by cawgijoe on Nov 25, 2020 20:24:59 GMT -5
Take a look at the Panasonics.
|
|
klinemj
Emo VIPs
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,101
|
Post by klinemj on Nov 25, 2020 20:53:11 GMT -5
Take a look at the Panasonics. I do like Panasonics...have had a few of their disk players over the years. I see a huge range of prices for them though...hard to tell what I gain with more $. Any thoughts? Mark |
|
klinemj
Emo VIPs
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,101
|
Post by klinemj on Nov 25, 2020 21:00:35 GMT -5
I did find this on Panasonic's site. The main difference seems to be that the $350 option adds the ability to "provide 4 tone-mapping options to..." Would that be any advantage over what the LG 86UN8570puc TV would do to an HDMI video sign run through the XMC-2?  Thanks, Mark |
|
|
|
Post by doc1963 on Nov 25, 2020 21:14:38 GMT -5
At the current sale price of $350, the Panasonic DP-UB820 Is a steal and would definitely be my choice for your new LG TV. I wouldn’t consider the UB420 because it has no support for Dolby Vision.
Spend the money on the 820, you won’t regret it. Just don’t expect the same build quality of an Oppo or the same sheet metal of the old Panasonic units. You’d have to step up to the UB9000 for “tank-like” build quality, but with no difference in performance (which is really what matters).
|
|
ttocs
Global Moderator 
I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I'm with. (Elwood P Dowd)
Posts: 8,171
Member is Online
|
Post by ttocs on Nov 25, 2020 21:26:17 GMT -5
^^^^^^ +1 What he said. A buddy of mine who doesn't buy what's not needed bought an 820 a couple months ago and loves it. And I have to do homebrew engineering to keep my Sony X700 from overheating itself by putting shims under its feet which are only 1/8". Raising it reduces the trapped heat from its poor design. When it plays a long DV movie it only gets to around two hours and then the picture freezes if it gets heated, not hot, just heated up enough that its brain fails. I was hoping to wait a bit but with this sale that just started this week I'll probably have to get one myself. Here's an old link but tells a bit about Tone Mapping. www.soundandvision.com/content/panasonic-dp-ub820-ultra-hd-blu-ray-player-review |
|
klinemj
Emo VIPs
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,101
|
Post by klinemj on Nov 25, 2020 21:36:29 GMT -5
At the current sale price of $350, the Panasonic DP-UB820 Is a steal and would definitely be my choice for your new LG TV. I wouldn’t consider the UB420 because it has no support for Dolby Vision. Spend the money on the 820, you won’t regret it. Just don’t expect the same build quality of an Oppo or the same sheet metal of the old Panasonic units. You’d have to step up to the UB9000 for “tank-like” build quality, but with no difference in performance (which is really what matters). I have a hard time sorting out these differences...where do you find that about the DV? I didn't even see that on the Panasonic site! Mark |
|
klinemj
Emo VIPs
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,101
|
Post by klinemj on Nov 25, 2020 22:18:55 GMT -5
Looks like there are some LG's with DV for <$200. What would a Panasonic give me an LG won't? And, what might a cheap LG not have that a Panasonic would have?
I swear - it's so confusing.
Mark
|
|
LCSeminole
Global Moderator
Res firma mitescere nescit.
Posts: 20,865
|
Post by LCSeminole on Nov 25, 2020 22:42:31 GMT -5
I did find this on Panasonic's site. The main difference seems to be that the $350 option adds the ability to "provide 4 tone-mapping options to..." Would that be any advantage over what the LG 86UN8570puc TV would do to an HDMI video sign run through the XMC-2? View AttachmentThanks, Mark If you want Dolby Vision processing, then you'll want the DP-UB820(which the $349 is the lowest I've seen it go for). If you don't need Dolby Vision, then the DP-UB420 does HDR10 quite well. The Panasonics also haven't had a firmware update since July 2019, and there are a few UHD bluray movie discs that have stutters/freezes during playback. I actually loaded the March 2020 firmware(version 1.66 for the DP-UB9000 China Region) on my DP-UB820 which supposedly fixed a few disc compatibility issues, but I've not yet figured what discs. Anyhow, I say this just so you know it's been awhile since Panasonic has released a new firmware for their current UHD bluray players. |
|
|
|
Post by doc1963 on Nov 25, 2020 22:46:27 GMT -5
At the current sale price of $350, the Panasonic DP-UB820 Is a steal and would definitely be my choice for your new LG TV. I wouldn’t consider the UB420 because it has no support for Dolby Vision. Spend the money on the 820, you won’t regret it. Just don’t expect the same build quality of an Oppo or the same sheet metal of the old Panasonic units. You’d have to step up to the UB9000 for “tank-like” build quality, but with no difference in performance (which is really what matters). I have a hard time sorting out these differences...where do you find that about the DV? I didn't even see that on the Panasonic site! Mark Panasonic doesn’t have a large presence here in the USA anymore, but for those of us who own (or have followed) their 4K UHD Blu-ray players can advise you that the 420 (being their lowest cost “entry level” player) shaved off support for Dolby Vision. It does support HDR-10+, which is irrelevant for you because LG doesn’t (and never will). Support for all three disc based HDR formats are found only on the UB820 and UB9000. HERE is a link to the UB420 on the “Panasonic Australia” website. Click the “Specs” tab and you’ll notice that only HDR-10 and HDR-10+ are listed. No Dolby Vision. |
|
|
|
Post by doc1963 on Nov 25, 2020 23:02:38 GMT -5
Looks like there are some LG's with DV for <$200. What would a Panasonic give me an LG won't? And, what might a cheap LG not have that a Panasonic would have? I swear - it's so confusing. Mark A cheaper LG player won’t have Panasonic’s vastly superior HCX video processor and HDR Optimizer. Truthfully, I could play a disc in my UB9000 that contains both HDR-10 (which all 4K UHD Blu-rays do per UHD spec) and a Dolby Vision layer and when directly comparing DV to HDR-10 while using the HDR Optimizer’s tone mapping, I’m hard pressed to tell the difference. It’s that good. For the video processing features alone, the Panasonic (especially the UB820) is worth the money. |
|
ttocs
Global Moderator
I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I'm with. (Elwood P Dowd)
Posts: 8,171
Member is Online
|
Post by ttocs on Nov 25, 2020 23:16:35 GMT -5
I believe the Panasonic UB820 is the newest of the Panasonic/LG bunch, is it not? The LG models are from 2018.
|
|
cawgijoe
Emo VIPs
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,035
|
Post by cawgijoe on Nov 26, 2020 7:09:26 GMT -5
There are fewer companies making these players.
LG
Panasonic
Sony
For value I would go for the Panasonic 420.
For audiophile build quality, the Panasonic 9000.
Keep in mind that if you are interested in SACD, the Panasonic’s don’t have it.
The Sony that I would recommend would be the ES version.
|
|
|
|
Post by doc1963 on Nov 26, 2020 8:10:20 GMT -5
I believe the Panasonic UB820 is the newest of the Panasonic/LG bunch, is it not? The LG models are from 2018. Actually, the UB420 is the newest offering from Panasonic. It was released some time after the UB820 and UB9000 if for nothing more than to hit a particular price point. I do concur that it’s rather disheartening to see that there’s been no new players introduced over the last few years. Until technology advances, what’s available to us now is likely all we’ll see for some time to come. My more realistic side has already accepted the fact that the superiority of the “shiny disc” won’t overcome the convenience of streaming. So if one wants a top notch player based solely upon its video performance (and don’t want to lay out the exuberant amount of cash for a used Oppo BDP-203), then the Panasonic DP-UB820 should be be at the top of the list. To take it a step further, if you’re display supports Dolby Vision, it’s the only one that I would consider. At the current sale price of $350, it really is a slam dunk... 😉 |
|
|
|
Post by doc1963 on Nov 26, 2020 8:15:02 GMT -5
There are fewer companies making these players. LG Panasonic Sony For value I would go for the Panasonic 420. For audiophile build quality, the Panasonic 9000. Keep in mind that if you are interested in SACD, the Panasonic’s don’t have it. The Sony that I would recommend would be the ES version. I’ll add one for you... For value, with full Dolby Vision support (which his display also supports), I would go for the Panasonic 820.... 😊 |
|
cawgijoe
Emo VIPs
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,035
|
Post by cawgijoe on Nov 26, 2020 9:45:58 GMT -5
There are fewer companies making these players. LG Panasonic Sony For value I would go for the Panasonic 420. For audiophile build quality, the Panasonic 9000. Keep in mind that if you are interested in SACD, the Panasonic’s don’t have it. The Sony that I would recommend would be the ES version. I’ll add one for you... For value, with full Dolby Vision support (which his display also supports), I would go for the Panasonic 820.... 😊 Agree! |
|
|
|
Post by rbk123 on Nov 26, 2020 10:06:14 GMT -5
|
|
klinemj
Emo VIPs
Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,101
|
Post by klinemj on Nov 26, 2020 13:11:56 GMT -5
Thanks all for the advice. I do have a very dumb question...so if a TV is Dolby Vision capable, the source has to be able to "send" it. Correct? I assume that based on one of Doc1963's comments, but I want to confirm. It's not like the TV can just apply it or whatever. Or, am I thinking of this wrong? It just seems odd that the TV and the source each have processing capability, but the TV would need the player to do certain things. Frankly, it's tough to think of shelling out a lot of $ (more than $200) for a device I will likely rarely use. We use streaming so often vs. discs. Also, people keep making comments about certain ones being a 2018 model vs. newer. 2nd dumb question...if it's got the basic features I want - why should I care about the year? It doesn't sound like anyone is really making leaps and bounds changes in players anyway. And as LCSeminole points out - some makers are not even updating firmware for a long time. Thanks, Mark |
|
|
|
Post by geebo on Nov 26, 2020 13:42:19 GMT -5
Reading this thread and checking reviews convinced me to take advantage of the sale price and together with $50 in Best Buy points I just ordered the 820 for $299.98.
|
|
LCSeminole
Global Moderator
Res firma mitescere nescit.
Posts: 20,865
|
Post by LCSeminole on Nov 26, 2020 14:24:23 GMT -5
Reading this thread and checking reviews convinced me to take advantage of the sale price and together with $50 in Best Buy points I just ordered the 820 for $299.98. If I didn't already have a DP-UB820, I'd be ordering one as well. Great deal at $349 and even sweeter with the extra $50 Best Buy points.  |
|
