But Panasonic is basically saying it thinks the quality of the UB820’s tone mapping can better that of your TV. Panasonic's HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience) processor maximizes color, clarity and detail in … The interface the Panasonic UB820 is using for its smart features, though, is starting to look and feel seriously dated. The UB820 also does an excellent job of upscaling HD Blu-rays to 4K, delivering more sharpness but also significantly less noise than many other upscaling decks I’ve seen - including the otherwise mighty Oppo 203. The prowess of the Panasonic UB820’s pictures is especially apparent on relatively affordable rather than ultra high-end TVs. There are now two so-called dynamic HDR formats to worry about: HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Slightly richer and more defined than the norm - but crucially not to an extent that starts to make them look unnatural. At least when compared to high-end players such as the, Just when I’d almost convinced myself there was nothing not to like about the Panasonic UB820’s 4K Blu-ray picture performance, though, I spotted something a bit strange. Review Panasonic … † Price shown is the suggested retail price applicable to ALL PROVINCES EXCEPT FOR QUEBEC. Simply connect to your home audio LUMIX GH5s C4K Mirrorless ILC Camera Body with 10.2 Megapixel High Sensitivity MOS Sensor, C4K 60p & 4:2:2 10-bit Internal, & WiFi + Bluetooth - DC-GH5S DC-GH5S Current price: $2,099.99 PANASONIC … There’s no support for SACD and DVD Audio, but while this feels like an unfortunate omission on Panasonic’s UB9000 flagship player, it feels fair enough on a $449/£299 deck. * HCX stands for Hollywood Cinema Experience. Join Club Panasonic to receive exclusive discounts and additional membership benefits. The more I studied this, the more convinced I became that for the most part this was down to the Panasonic’s accuracy actually bringing out more of the noise present in the source, rather than it adding noise of its own. Typically, TVs and 4K Blu-ray players only support one or other of the HDR10+ or Dolby Vision formats. The Panasonic UB820 can output Dolby Atmos from compatible streaming services, and carries an interesting feature that can convert (usually live event) HDR streams delivered in the HLG format - such as those provided by the BBC iPlayer in the UK - into HDR10. Especially with relatively affordable TVs. Aside from the Dolby Vision clipping niggle, the Panasonic UB820’s only area of weakness is its smart features. The entire line of Panasonic … This admirably neutral approach to … There’s a subtle brushed metal effect under the top edge’s sheen too, and its size is big enough to  suggest it means business but small enough to comfortably fit on a TV stand shelf. Compatible with a wide range of formats, including AIFF (up to 32 bit/384kHz 2 channel), WAV (up to 32 bit/384kHz), FLAC (up to 24 bit/192kHz) and DSD (up to 11.2MHz in 2 channel), the … Network functions also enable … Other helpful and unusual picture set up features include manual tweaks for dynamic range, brightness, black and white tone curves, and a System Gamma option added by a recent firmware update. As we’ve come to expect from Panasonic 4K Blu-ray players, general detail and clarity with 4K Blu-rays is excellent. Our website uses cookies and similar tools to improve its performance and enhance your user experience. Toggling Dolby Vision on and off in the UB820 with this shot revealed that in Dolby Vision mode the player was causing the image’s brightest parts to clip (lose subtle shading details). The UB820’s audio is decent too - certainly a cut above entry-level decks. There’s no overcooking of tones, or forcing of color detail. But has the push for convenience and flexibility caused a drop in Panasonic’s traditionally excellent 4K Blu-ray standards? Its top and front edges boast a gleaming reflective finish, while a drop down flap keeps the front as minimalistic as possible by hiding away the disc tray and a USB media port. To find out more about the cookies we use or how to change your settings, please see our cookies policy. For the vast majority of the time the UB820 is a superb performer. You may even not really notice it, especially if you’ve never had any previous experience of a Dolby Vision system. Certainly I’d recommend that people with budget and even some mid-range TVs experiment with the UB820’s upscaler to see if they don’t prefer the results to the upscaling their TVs provide. master sound quality. The Panasonic UB820 is a mid-range 4K Blu-ray player with a killer feature: it plays both the HDR10+ and Dolby Vision premium HDR 4K Blu-ray formats. Also Info on updating Panasonic UB420/UB820/UB9000 to firmware 1.66, Tips for updating Panasonic UB420 firmware, Panasonic Blu-ray Region Bypass Trick for playing Region B discs on Region A player (or vice-versa), Pros and Cons using the Panasonic … Panasonic, Philips (Europe) and TCL have come out of the blocks first with format-neutral TVs - and the UB820 would make a great partner for any of those sets. Tone mapping But up close, the player looks and feels a little cheap and plasticky. Of course, the UB820’s format neutrality doesn’t mean much unless you also have a TV that supports both formats. The precise colours and HDR … Panasonic's DP-UB820 is definitely a contender. system to enjoy music sources equivalent to studio The first of these features is potentially useful for owners of 4K projectors and relatively affordable 4K TVs, which tend to lack the brightness to handle HDR convincingly. Technologies from Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, the base The Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-ray player’s general build quality is pretty good. These include Netflix and Amazon apps capable of playing shows in 4K and HDR. Find solutions to popular support inquiries. 99 $499.99 $499.99 achieved with Panasonic's original high-quality image A sluggish smart system, juddery streaming apps and some strange Dolby Vision clipping perhaps remind us that the Panasonic UB820 is, after all, a sub-$450/£300 player. Dolby Vision generally improves 4K Blu-ray playback. Crucially, Panasonic has recognised that the HDR wars are still far from decided and the main upgrade to the DP-UB450EB is … reproduction. It is nonetheless a shame, though, to see what should be the pinnacle of the deck’s performance looking even slightly compromised. This appears to be a Netflix issue rather than a Panasonic one, though - after all, the same situation occurs with Netflix’s Xbox One and PS4 apps. Panasonic's original image processing technologies be reproduced. Get up close to the UB820, though, and some aspects of its build quality start to look pretty plasticky. So handle with care. experience that you've never had before. Also great to find are options to convert HDR to SDR, and set the color output to 12 bit or 10 bit. Also very promising is its HCX processor. OK even HDR images from ordinary HDR10 and TV footage, The operating system runs consistently slowly, whether you’re navigating the deck’s own menus or menus within specific apps. As I alluded to above, the X1100ES has some serious competition from Panasonic, specifically from their DP-UB820. It is, however, still good value for a deck that’s bristling with features that are as useful as they are innovative (including the all-important dual HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compatibility) and which, for the vast majority of the time at least, is a seriously accomplished performer. The Panasonic UB820 looks decent from a distance. with original imaging technologies for stunning picture quality. I see no reason to not have Dolby Vision on the UB420. In addition to the conventional I am currently a regular contributor to Trustedreviews.com, Techradar.com, Home Cinema Choice magazine, Wired, Pocket-Lint.com and, of course, Forbes.