Reliable 4K UHD Bluray Players?

[cwmcobra]

I have a Sony UBP-X80 Blu-ray player. I bought it for the 4K capability and for SACD playback. It works fine for the most part, except when playing 4K UHD discs in BD-100 format. With virtually every one the disc plays fine until encountering the change to the third layer on the disc and then locks up. it's really annoying and takes you out of the movie. And you lose seeing part of the movie at the layer change.

I'm thinking about buying a second player specifically for playing 4K UHD discs if I can find one that reliably plays BD-100 discs. Any experience or recommendations? From the research I've done on the internet it seems that all the major brands available today have at least some reports of problems playing BD-100 discs. Even the Panasonics. It appears other than Sony, the only brand that offers a "universal" player is Reavon and I can't find much in the way of reviews, specifically related to BD-100 performance.

I hate to pay for a high-end unit with premium DACS when I already have that in the XMC-2.

Thanks!

Chuck

[LCSeminole]

Hey Chuck, I’ve not experienced any lock ups with any 4K UHD-bluray movies with either of my 4K players. To be honest I’m not sure if I have any BD-100 discs, what movies inparticular is this happening with? I’ll be glad to try some of those discs that are locking up your Sony when I get home tomorrow.

[ttocs]

I stopped using my Sony X700 because it had a difficult time getting through an entire BD UHD movie. I found that it was overheating after about 1-1/2 hours, so I raised it up from the shelf by adding another 1/4" of space and that fixed the problem. But since I found this heat issue problematic, I got a Panasonic UB820, which has been flawless.

Like LCSeminole, I don't know which movies would be BD-100, so would like to know.

[geebo]

I also have an 820 and could try some BD-100 movies if I have them. Which ones give you trouble?

[garbulky]

I have the UBP X-800 which apepars to be a version of what you have and have not encountered anything but flawless playback. Which movies gave you issues? I have most of the popular ones and I can check

[LuisV]

Here's a list of BD-100 disks... 

forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=294596

Which ones give you an issue?  I previously watched these with the 820, but didn't have any issues playing them:

13 Hours
1917
Angel Has Fallen
Aquaman
Batman vs Superman
Deepwater Horizon
Fury
Godzilla King of the Monsters
Hacksaw Ridge
Hobbit Trilogy
Justice League
Midway
Matrix
Mission Impossible Fall Out
Saving Private Ryan
Transformers - All of them
Wonder Woman 1984

I'll queue these up as I haven't watched them through my 820 yet:

Braveheart
Game of Thrones (Can't remember if I watched all of them, so this gives me a good excuse to rewatch)
Gladiator
Hunter Killer
Interstellar
Pacific Rim
Ready Player One
Wonder Woman

[doc1963]

I believe both of the new Avatar 4K UHD releases are also BD-100 discs.

[geebo]

Jun 29, 2023 20:36:31 GMT -5 doc1963 said:

I believe both of the new Avatar 4K UHD releases are also BD-100 discs.

If that's the case we just watched Way of the Water on the Panasonic 820 and there were no pauses that I detected and it played all the way through with no issues of any kind.

[cwmcobra]

The last BD-100 disc I watched was Edge of Tomorrow and it froze after about 1 1/2 hours. Tonight I watched Operation Fortune, a BD-66 disc and it froze at about the same spot. This is the first BD-66 disc that's locked up on me. I think I previously had the problem with Top Gun Maverick also.

I'll try raising the player a bit to see if that helps. And I'll report titles that freeze as I go forward.

I have read on the various forums that the Panasonic players had the same problem. It's good to hear that you have better luck with them. I'll keep them on my short list.

Thanks,

Chuck

[geebo]

Jun 29, 2023 21:09:34 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

The last BD-100 disc I watched was Edge of Tomorrow and it froze after about 1 1/2 hours. Tonight I watched Operation Fortune, a BD-66 disc and it froze at about the same spot. This is the first BD-66 disc that's locked up on me. I think I previously had the problem with Top Gun Maverick also.

I'll try raising the player a bit to see if that helps. And I'll report titles that freeze as I go forward.

I have read on the various forums that the Panasonic players had the same problem. It's good to hear that you have better luck with them. I'll keep them on my short list.

Thanks,

Chuck

If I might ask how do you know when a layer change occurs? Are you able to restart and pick up from where the problem occurred?

[LCSeminole]

Jun 29, 2023 21:09:34 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

The last BD-100 disc I watched was Edge of Tomorrow and it froze after about 1 1/2 hours. Tonight I watched Operation Fortune, a BD-66 disc and it froze at about the same spot. This is the first BD-66 disc that's locked up on me. I think I previously had the problem with Top Gun Maverick also.

I'll try raising the player a bit to see if that helps. And I'll report titles that freeze as I go forward.

I have read on the various forums that the Panasonic players had the same problem. It's good to hear that you have better luck with them. I'll keep them on my short list.

Thanks,

Chuck

I've watched any number of those BD-100 movies that Luis posted a link to and haven't had one lockup with any of them, which includes "Edge of Tomorrow" and "Top Gun: Maverick". The Panasonic DP-UB820 has been a work horse in my home theater and has yet to give me any problems, as well as my Oppo UDP-203. I think it's a safe bet that the Panasonic would be a solid performer for you as well.

[cwmcobra]

Jun 29, 2023 21:18:44 GMT -5 geebo said:

Jun 29, 2023 21:09:34 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

The last BD-100 disc I watched was Edge of Tomorrow and it froze after about 1 1/2 hours. Tonight I watched Operation Fortune, a BD-66 disc and it froze at about the same spot. This is the first BD-66 disc that's locked up on me. I think I previously had the problem with Top Gun Maverick also.

I'll try raising the player a bit to see if that helps. And I'll report titles that freeze as I go forward.

I have read on the various forums that the Panasonic players had the same problem. It's good to hear that you have better luck with them. I'll keep them on my short list.

Thanks,

Chuck

If I might ask how do you know when a layer change occurs? Are you able to restart and pick up from where the problem occurred?

I don't know for sure. Just reacting to what I've read on the internet about the third layer change on the BD-100 discs. So it's an assumption on my part that has been dispelled by experiencing the freeze on the BD-66 disc. I just raised the Sony player about 1/2 inch. I inserted the Operation Fortune disc that wigged out on me earlier and moved to the scene where it froze. And it played just fine. I don't consider that a viable test. I'll play more of my 4K discs in the coming days and see if I continue to experience the freeze. If so, probably time to get a Panasonic player and keep the Sony for playing SACDs.

Is the Panny 820 strongly preferred over the 420 model? Note that I have a JVC projector with built in tone mapping that is widely considered superior to that of the Panasonic 820. Is tone mapping the only or most compelling reason to choose the 820?

[LCSeminole]

Jun 29, 2023 21:47:59 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

Jun 29, 2023 21:18:44 GMT -5 geebo said:

If I might ask how do you know when a layer change occurs? Are you able to restart and pick up from where the problem occurred?

I don't know for sure. Just reacting to what I've read on the internet about the third layer change on the BD-100 discs. So it's an assumption on my part that has been dispelled by experiencing the freeze on the BD-66 disc. I just raised the Sony player about 1/2 inch. I inserted the Operation Fortune disc that wigged out on me earlier and moved to the scene where it froze. And it played just fine. I don't consider that a viable test. I'll play more of my 4K discs in the coming days and see if I continue to experience the freeze. If so, probably time to get a Panasonic player and keep the Sony for playing SACDs.

Is the Panny 820 strongly preferred over the 420 model?

The main difference is the 820 processes Dolby Vision discs and the 420 does not.

[cwmcobra]

Jun 29, 2023 21:50:33 GMT -5 LCSeminole said:

Jun 29, 2023 21:47:59 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

I don't know for sure. Just reacting to what I've read on the internet about the third layer change on the BD-100 discs. So it's an assumption on my part that has been dispelled by experiencing the freeze on the BD-66 disc. I just raised the Sony player about 1/2 inch. I inserted the Operation Fortune disc that wigged out on me earlier and moved to the scene where it froze. And it played just fine. I don't consider that a viable test. I'll play more of my 4K discs in the coming days and see if I continue to experience the freeze. If so, probably time to get a Panasonic player and keep the Sony for playing SACDs.

Is the Panny 820 strongly preferred over the 420 model?

The main difference is the 820 processes Dolby Vision discs and the 420 does not.

Since my projector does not support Dolby Vision, maybe that's not a selling point in my case. I have research to do!

[geebo]

Jun 29, 2023 21:47:59 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

Jun 29, 2023 21:18:44 GMT -5 geebo said:

If I might ask how do you know when a layer change occurs? Are you able to restart and pick up from where the problem occurred?

I don't know for sure. Just reacting to what I've read on the internet about the third layer change on the BD-100 discs. So it's an assumption on my part that has been dispelled by experiencing the freeze on the BD-66 disc. I just raised the Sony player about 1/2 inch. I inserted the Operation Fortune disc that wigged out on me earlier and moved to the scene where it froze. And it played just fine. I don't consider that a viable test. I'll play more of my 4K discs in the coming days and see if I continue to experience the freeze. If so, probably time to get a Panasonic player and keep the Sony for playing SACDs.

Is the Panny 820 strongly preferred over the 420 model? Note that I have a JVC projector with built in tone mapping that is widely considered superior to that of the Panasonic 820. Is tone mapping the only or most compelling reason to choose the 820?

The 820 does Dolby Vision, has a front panel display and 7.1 analog outputs. If you need or want any of those then the 820 is the only choice.

[cwmcobra]

Jun 29, 2023 21:18:44 GMT -5 geebo said:

Jun 29, 2023 21:09:34 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

The last BD-100 disc I watched was Edge of Tomorrow and it froze after about 1 1/2 hours. Tonight I watched Operation Fortune, a BD-66 disc and it froze at about the same spot. This is the first BD-66 disc that's locked up on me. I think I previously had the problem with Top Gun Maverick also.

I'll try raising the player a bit to see if that helps. And I'll report titles that freeze as I go forward.

I have read on the various forums that the Panasonic players had the same problem. It's good to hear that you have better luck with them. I'll keep them on my short list.

Thanks,

Chuck

If I might ask how do you know when a layer change occurs? Are you able to restart and pick up from where the problem occurred?

A little more info on the characteristics of the freeze. Prior to last night, it has only occurred with BD-100 4K discs. Never with a Blu-ray and never before with a BD-66 disc. As ttocs related, it occurs at about an hour and a half into the movie. It's never been at a chapter break. It starts to studder, then totally freezes, both video and audio. It won't fast forward or go backwards. Sometimes I can skip to the next chapter and go backwards, but when that works it still freezes at the same point. And it acts like it's in slow motion. Most of the time I have to eject the disc, get to the start menu, select the chapter beyond where the freeze occurred, go back as close to the freeze point as possible staying beyond it, and hit play. As I said, it really takes you out of the movie to go through this process.

I've also experienced occasional times when I get a black screen at startup and have to unplug the player for a bit and restart to make it work. So, I'm not averse to getting a new one. Panasonic it will be. With my theater equipment, I don't need a premium DAC in the player, since audio is running through the DACs in the XMC-2. I can't use Dolby Vision since my JVC projector doesn't support it. And I don't use the 7.1 analog outs available on the 820. So, it seems a no brainer to go for the 420. At close to a $300 saving over the 820, it seems like the way to go. Am I missing anything in my analysis?

Thanks again for all the help!

Chuck

[geebo]

Jun 30, 2023 6:37:17 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

Jun 29, 2023 21:18:44 GMT -5 geebo said:

If I might ask how do you know when a layer change occurs? Are you able to restart and pick up from where the problem occurred?

A little more info on the characteristics of the freeze. Prior to last night, it has only occurred with BD-100 4K discs. Never with a Blu-ray and never before with a BD-66 disc. As ttocs related, it occurs at about an hour and a half into the movie. It's never been at a chapter break. It starts to studder, then totally freezes, both video and audio. It won't fast forward or go backwards. Sometimes I can skip to the next chapter and go backwards, but when that works it still freezes at the same point. And it acts like it's in slow motion. Most of the time I have to eject the disc, get to the start menu, select the chapter beyond where the freeze occurred, go back as close to the freeze point as possible staying beyond it, and hit play. As I said, it really takes you out of the movie to go through this process.

I've also experienced occasional times when I get a black screen at startup and have to unplug the player for a bit and restart to make it work. So, I'm not averse to getting a new one. Panasonic it will be. With my theater equipment, I don't need a premium DAC in the player, since audio is running through the DACs in the XMC-2. I can't use Dolby Vision since my JVC projector doesn't support it. And I don't use the 7.1 analog outs available on the 820. So, it seems a no brainer to go for the 420. At close to a $300 saving over the 820, it seems like the way to go. Am I missing anything in my analysis?

Thanks again for all the help!

Chuck

If you don't need the extras that the 820 offers then the 420 should work fine for you.

[ttocs]

Jun 30, 2023 6:37:17 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

. . .  it occurs at about an hour and a half into the movie. It's never been at a chapter break. It starts to studder, then totally freezes, both video and audio. It won't fast forward or go backwards. Sometimes I can skip to the next chapter and go backwards, but when that works it still freezes at the same point. And it acts like it's in slow motion. Most of the time I have to eject the disc, get to the start menu, select the chapter beyond where the freeze occurred, go back as close to the freeze point as possible staying beyond it, and hit play.

This is exactly how mine would act up.

Getting through a 3 hour movie on Movie Night! was really disruptive.

Just so others understand about the "overheating", it's not like the player got hot to the touch, although the disc was almost hot! The top of the unit would be rather warm but I suspect that the internals around the laser were very warm to hot. My X700 has really tiny rubber pads on the bottom that are only 1/8" tall, so the unit sits very close to whatever it's on, so the shelf mine was on would heat up along with the player exasperating the problem. Once it was raised up higher above the shelf so the shelf wasn't as active in trapping heat the problem all but went away, meaning, the player would stop playing only on the really long movies that were much longer than 2 hours.

Bottom line, the X700 case is just too small to dissipate the heat.

[cwmcobra]

Just ordered the 420 from Amazon. It will arrive tomorrow so I can get familiar with it over the weekend!

Thanks again for the advice!

Chuck

[KeithL]

I would also keep in mind that 4k discs, and especially three-layer discs, are EXTREMELY fussy about fingerprints, and scratches, and dust.
(Unfortunately, every time you increase the data density on a disc, you decrease the size of a scratch or dust particle that will interfere with it.)

Jun 29, 2023 21:50:33 GMT -5 LCSeminole said:

Jun 29, 2023 21:47:59 GMT -5 cwmcobra said:

I don't know for sure. Just reacting to what I've read on the internet about the third layer change on the BD-100 discs. So it's an assumption on my part that has been dispelled by experiencing the freeze on the BD-66 disc. I just raised the Sony player about 1/2 inch. I inserted the Operation Fortune disc that wigged out on me earlier and moved to the scene where it froze. And it played just fine. I don't consider that a viable test. I'll play more of my 4K discs in the coming days and see if I continue to experience the freeze. If so, probably time to get a Panasonic player and keep the Sony for playing SACDs.

Is the Panny 820 strongly preferred over the 420 model?

The main difference is the 820 processes Dolby Vision discs and the 420 does not.