Panasonic DP-UB820 Review (4K UHD Player)

The Panasonic DP-UB820 looks acceptable from a space. Its front and top edges boast a shiny reflective end, even though a dropped valve retains the front as glossy as possible by hiding off the disk tray along with a USB networking interface.

There is a subtle brushed metal effect beneath the upper border’s sheen also, and its size is large enough to indicate it means small but small enough to easily fit onto a TV stand shelf. The professionally mounted LED screen (that you can read throughout the smoked front flap) is also an appealing and useful design characteristic.

Design of Panasonic DP-UB820

Get up near the UB820, however, and some elements of its build excellent begin to seem fairly plasticky Panasonic DP-UB820 4K remote is not very glamorous, but it will get the work done. It is modest but comfortable to hold, and while it is a bit crowded, the vital playback buttons are given sufficient room to make them simple to locate even in a darkened room.

These two formats deliver more scene-by-scene picture data to assist TVs present HDR images more efficiently. The business standard HDR10 format, in contrast, only supplies one set of picture parameters to get a TV to use across the complete working time of a movie. The Panasonic Panasonic DP-UB820, however, supports. That I believe is a fairly major thing. After all, why should obtaining the best picture performance from any disk you purchase be determined by which superior HDR format your AV gear affirms?

Therefore, in case you’ve got a TV from among those brands, then I guess that the Panasonic DP-UB820 killer program may not matter for you. Though at precisely the exact same time, does not it seem sensible to future proof to almost any TV you could purchase down the line?

Audio Quality of Panasonic DP-UB820

Also great to locate are choices to convert HDR into SDR and place the color output to 12 bit or 10 bit. The latter attribute is there for individuals whose screen devices suffer from excess HDR color banding while using the default option 12-bit output.

The Panasonic DP-UB820 is quite a bit more thoughtful than many 4K Blu-ray decks, also, in regards to letting you personalize its HDR output. But Panasonic DP-UB820 is essentially saying it believes that the caliber of the UB820’s tone mapping may better than your TV. And in the instances of several mid-century and funding TVs, at least, it is likely perfect.

Notice, however, that the participant can’t be made to induce most of 4K Blu-ray playback into Dolby Vision. Some Sony decks allow this – however, they do not also enable automatic switching between DV and HDR10 if you would rather (since I guess many AV buffs would) what was shipped for your TV in its own native format.

The Panasonic DP-UB820 also includes an HDR Placing button on its remote that will correct the deck’s HDR demonstration dependent on the light levels in your room. Again, this is a thoughtful signature given that the manner HDR can really often look too dim in a bright area atmosphere. Just make sure you return the setting to Standard for if you settle for an authentic darkroom home theater experience, however.

Installation

Other useful and unusual picture setup features consist of manual tweaks for dynamic selection, brightness, white and black tone curves, plus a System Gamma alternative included with a recent firmware upgrade. Though the Panasonic DP-UB820 array of features is extremely lengthy, it will result in a rather complicated suite of image menus, where it is not always immediately evident where creating one alteration may have a knock-on impact with a different one.

Panasonic DP-UB820 supplies a fairly fulsome package of smart attributes on the UB820. The interface that the Panasonic DP-UB820 is using because of its smart attributes, however, is beginning to look and texture badly outdated.

Oddly the Netflix program in the Panasonic DP-UB820 insists on enjoying out everything in HDR – even indicates that are not manufactured in HDR – should you’ve got the SDR/HDR Navigation option triggered on the participant. However in the event that you flip SDR/HDR Conversion off, then everything plays SDR. To put it differently, there is no automated HDR/SDR switching inside the Netflix program; you need to head into the Advanced Setup menus each time that you wish to change Netflix between SDR and HDR content.

Input / Ports of Panasonic DP-UB820

It is all very odd – and more than just a bit annoying. Particularly when the Amazon Prime Video program does not have any difficulty in mechanically switching its output between SDR, HDR, and Dolby Vision as needed to coincide with the mastering of this show you are watching, regardless of what SDR/HDR Conversion setting you are using around the Panasonic DP-UB820. This is apparently a Netflix problem as opposed to a Panasonic DP-UB820 one, however – after all, exactly the identical situation happens with Netflix’s Xbox One and PS4 programs.

The Panasonic DP-UB820 can lead Dolby Atmos from appropriate streaming solutions and includes an intriguing feature that may convert (normally live occasion ) HDR flows delivered from the HLG format – like the ones supplied by the BBC iPlayer from the UK – to HDR10. This is a superb solution for those that own comparatively old HDR-capable TVs which don’t take HLG support.

The Panasonic DP-UB820 music support is much more high-end compared to all 4K Blu-ray gamers. Its relations, for example, comprise analog 7.1-channel audio presses along with the typical HDMI and optical-electronic choices.

Other links include two HDMI outputs (one for sound, one for sound and video); an Ethernet interface (although Wi-Fi is also available); along another, rear-mounted USB HDD interface to go for the one on the front panel. For the great bulk of the time that the Panasonic DP-UB820 is a great performer. The effects of the resolution are fostered, also, by slightly more soda and pixel-level comparison control than you often get with routine 4K Blu-ray gamers.

OS/ Apps / Features

The colors look gorgeous also. Somewhat richer and more defined than the standard – but not to a degree which begins to make them seem unnatural. There is precious little digital sound to hinder this feeling of intense sharpness.

A number of those 4K Blu-rays I attempted looked a bit noisier in certain frames or localized pieces of several shots than I have seen on several 4K toaster decks. The more I researched this, the more confident I became for the most part that was down to the Panasonic DP-UB820 precision really bringing out more of the sound present in the origin, instead of it incorporating the sound of its own.

Motion is natural and realistic, and the feeling of exceptional depth and refinement in great excellent 4K graphics is real. The art of these Panasonic DP-UB820 images is particularly evident on comparatively affordable instead of ultra-luxurious TVs. To put it differently, the UB820’s tone mapping prior to output clearly trumped exactly what the Hisense managed to perform with its processing of raw HDR10 pictures.

The Panasonic DP-UB820 mechanically recognized Dolby Vision and HDR10+ disks just fine after both choices were triggered in its own menus. And unlike the strange Dolby Vision execution on Sony’s 4K Blu-ray gamers, it does not output everything in Dolby Vision after the Dolby Vision choice is chosen.

The deck provides the benefits you’d expect of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision resources: Much more dynamic and exact-looking HDR pictures. Especially with comparatively inexpensive TVs And this exceptionally bright center of the picture simply didn’t seem quite right; a little too competitive and flared.

Performance of Panasonic DP-UB820

Toggling Dolby Vision off and on at the Panasonic DP-UB820 with this shooter showed that at Dolby Vision manner the participant was causing the picture’s brightest components to clip (shed subtle shading details). Playing the identical order in Dolby Vision mode on precisely the exact same TV working with an Oppo 205 showed no such clipping problems, therefore it is not a previously undetected issue using all the material, and it is no problem with the TV.

The exact same clipping occurred when utilizing the UB820 using another new Dolby Vision TV also, and may also be viewed in summit bright regions (normally direct shots of sunlight ) along with other Dolby Vision titles. My original thought was that perhaps this unexpected issue has been caused by at least one of those UB820’s many HDR output alterations.

the manner in which you need to pick the kind of screen you are using, for example, or even the HDR Optimizer attribute. It turns out, however, when Dolby Vision is playing with these kinds of attributes are locked out – as you would expect, really, awarded Dolby Vision’s focus on giving a more controlled, more as-the-director-intended encounter than you can get together with normal HDR10.

I must stress at this stage that the issue isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker when you think about just how much overall image quality and the number of fantastic features – like the all-important HDR10+ and Dolby Vision service – that the Panasonic DP-UB820 is providing you for $449. You might even not really detect that, particularly in the event that you’ve never had some prior experience of a Dolby Vision system.

It’s nevertheless a shame, however, to find out what ought to be the pinnacle of this deck’s performance appearing even marginally compromised. Additionally, it is pretty odd, since the procedures involved in obtaining Dolby Vision service on a 4K Blu-ray deck must preclude these kinds of problems from occurring.

Feature 

Considering that the granular level of management the UB820 clearly has over its images, I wonder whether Panasonic/Dolby may have the ability to correct this tiny DV problem using a future firmware upgrade. At this time, however, it is the only niggle in an otherwise outstanding 4K Blu-ray film performance.

The UB820 does a superb job of upscaling HD Blu-rays into 4K, bringing more sharpness but also less sound than several other upscaling decks I have seen – like the differently powerful Oppo 203. Surely I would recommend that individuals with the budget as well as a few mid-range TVs experiment together with the UB820’s upscaled to find out whether they do not prefer the outcomes into this upscaling their TVs supply.

Additionally delivering amazingly good results is your Panasonic DP-UB820 method for converting HDR into SDR. However, the results are complete lots impressive enough to produce the UB820 an excellent companion for a projector or low-brightness budget or midsize TV that fights to get HDR right.

The UB820’s sound is adequate too – surely a cut over entry-level decks. Though the analog outputs do not benefit from precisely the exact same amount of audiophile componentry you receive together with the 1000 Panasonic DP-UB820, they provide a hot, rich, clean sound – though the expertise of preceding Panasonic flagship disk players would direct me to anticipate that the UB9000 (that I have not analyzed ) to provide exceptional dynamics and dynamics.

Highlights of Panasonic DP-UB820

The UB820’s high-res format service proves effective also, leaving as my sole complaint a somewhat clinical sense to CD playback. Though if you are open to the notion of introducing tiny sound processing to the event, the deck’s Digital Tube Sound alternative is really great at incorporating a more conventional, warm taste to CD playback.

The operating system operates continuously gradually, whether you are browsing the deck of the very own menus or menus inside particular programs. Worse, streamed video playback appeared always quite glitchy, across Netflix and Amazon Prime particularly, with much more stuttering and juddering appearing on precisely the exact same broadband link than I experienced while viewing the identical content on the programs built-in my TV.

It is, nevertheless, still excellent value to get a deck that is bristling with features which are as easy as they are advanced (such as the all-important dual HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compatibility) and, for the huge bulk of the period at least, is now a badly accomplished performer.

AMPLIFIER OUTPUT DETAILS

The Panasonic DP-UB820 is a superior ultra HD Blu-ray participant, which adventure starts on the exterior. Build quality is just spectacular. Its polished black exterior, which comprises a brushed metal shirt, looks glossy in any entertainment center. A front panel screen adorns the surface of the DP-UB820, also there is a flip-down portion that enables entry into the disk drive tray along with a front-facing USB port.

Moving round to the trunk, the Panasonic DP-UB820 comes exceptionally well endowed. It is equipped with dual HDMI ports, one for audio and video, another audio-only. There is a 5V 900mA USB interface for hooking up an external hard disk. Along with Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, the UB820 stones a LAN interface for Ethernet hookups.

An optical sound output transmits digital PCM and bitstream sound. Contrary to Panasonic DP-UB820 flagship DP-UB9000, you won’t locate balanced XLR and committed phono sound outputs. However, the DP-UB820 packs a complete record of 7.1-channel analog stereo outputs.

The remote is quite basic, with controllers for normal configurations like general playback, menu shortcuts, along with a directional pad for browsing its user interface. Additionally, there is a committed Netflix button along with an HDR configuration hotkey for switching between HDR presets on the fly.

A well-specced 4K UHD participant, the Panasonic DP-UB820 boasts compatibility with each edition of large dynamic range (HDR) accessible. Therefore, it is pretty nicely future-proofed. Regardless of what panel you match the DP-UB820 with, it is equipped to output in HDR. As soon as it’s uncommon to observe televisions provide support for many variations of HDR, panels like the Panasonic GZ2000 have started to emerge with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ onboard.

CONNECTIONS

The principal software interface is user-friendly for basic operation for example playing disks or streaming video. But, digging into sub-menus provides ample chance to tweak different visual and audio preferences. Sad to say, the UB820 does not encourage DVD-Audio or SACD, given those formats are not terribly common. Navigating into sub-menus, you are able to select a variety of settings like the HDR TV type. Power users will enjoy the capability to tweak a lot of settings, while beginners may leave them unaffected.

There’s network connectivity which allows you to flow from a few programs. Ironically, program choice is really paltry with just entry to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. That should not be an issue for most users because most televisions include programs built-in, and normally a Blu-ray participant complements the streaming apparatus.

The Netflix program supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, but it also exhibits all content as HDR10 or even Dolby Vision. There is no automated shifting. Besides streaming solutions, media capabilities allow entry to DLNA-enabled apparatus such as servers.

Final Thought

I was able to get and flow out of my own Plex server. If it comes to functionality, the Panasonic DP-UB820 really excels. Operation is quiet, discs load fast, and the application interface is responsive to get a smooth encounter. Automatic switching between Dolby Vision and HDR10 to get 4K UHD Blu-rays was easy in my Hisense H8F 4K TV.

Dolby Vision truly breathes new life to the 4K move, with colors popping up with no overpowering. I have a tendency to favor Dolby Vision into HDR10, though equally seems amazing when compared to non-HDR content. Build quality is excellent, the program interface is fast, and there are lots of I/O to get a variety of connections.

Its next HDMI out enables for piping sound into heritage soundbars or recipients that lack support for 4K passthrough so you keep the ideal sound and visuals potential. 4K HDR functionality is the highlight and also support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, also HLG creates the UB820 a remarkably well-specced 4K UHD player.

Likewise, Panasonic DP-UB820 supplies compatibility with nearly every significant sound format such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Small touches like its own brushed metal front and top panel screen lend a vibe that is superior. App choice is somewhat sparse, although most users need to have a wise TV or committed streaming device. There is no support for DVD-Audio or SACD, however as pretty rare formats, it is not a significant shortcoming. The remote lacks backlighting that would have been a nice addition, however, you can always use a universal remote rather