So for the people asking for comparison, from a someone who has compared a few of these players including Xbox.
What separates all players is how they process tone mapping and upscaling.
Since there is no set standard on how to do it they all have their own processing.
Panasonic's 820&420 is hands down better than the rest at this.
The only real difference between them is 420 lacks DV and 820's versatility with audio disc and PQ adjustments.
People don't use those audio disc much anymore and the PQ adjustment has a high learning curve, 99% of us wouldn't even use it anyways.
Most of the players I owned and switched because issues like freezes,glitches and wouldn't play.
I've had both the 820(theater room) and 420(living room) since at least the beginning of the year and have not had any issues with either.
Both rooms have OLED tv's and the upscaling is so good on the 420 I have no issues giving up DV for the very few times I may be playing a disc with DV on it.
Keep in mind the transfer of the movie plays a role here also.
Many times the transfer isn't reference anyways so the difference may be minimal with it.
If you want the best PQ out of your display, the 420 for $150 is a no brainer, none of the other can touch it.
Xbox users it comes down to how important games are and do you want another component to hook up for the (however many times) you watch a disc for the added PQ quality.
DV is irrelevant since Xbox only has it for Netflix app.
PS4 pro does not have 4k blu ray drive. You can only stream 4k content on it.
From my understanding, none of the gaming consoles support Dolby Vision BR playback. Still on the fence to get an actual 4k UHD BR player or hopelessly wait for the Xbox Series X to support Dolby Vision BR playback...
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Would like to know too. I immidiately notice the lack of fan in the back. I know lots of Sony owners are complaining of freezes and IMHO and based on previous experiences with BD, it is probably because they or the disk it self oveheats.
I'm solidly on the fence between the Panasonic UB420 and this X800M2. Dolby vision would be nice and I'm not worried about manually switching it on and off. I don't have a tv that supports HDR10+. But I also don't have a ton of DV disks and reviews online seem to really highlight the Panasonic's video quality and HDR tone mapping (though in fairness they say the Sony is awesome too). Since both are on sale, anyone who has tried both have any recommendations? Much appreciated and TIA.
I'm solidly on the fence between the Panasonic UB420 and this X800M2. Dolby vision would be nice and I'm not worried about manually switching it on and off. I don't have a tv that supports HDR10+. But I also don't have a ton of DV disks and reviews online seem to really highlight the Panasonic's video quality and HDR tone mapping (though in fairness they say the Sony is awesome too). Since both are on sale, anyone who has tried both have any recommendations? Much appreciated and TIA.
I tried the UB420 and it was sooooo hot after 5 min of playing 4k. You could cook an egg on it. It played regular blu ray fine though. I was worried so much heat would reduce its useful left so I returned it.
I tried the UB420 and it was sooooo hot after 5 min of playing 4k. You could cook an egg on it. It played regular blu ray fine though. I was worried so much heat would reduce its useful left so I returned it.
Thanks! How was the PQ? Have you tried the Sony? It's interesting that the panny got so hot, I thought it was a louder player because it has a fan and the Sony doesn't.
116 Comments
Your comment cannot be blank.
Featured Comments
What separates all players is how they process tone mapping and upscaling.
Since there is no set standard on how to do it they all have their own processing.
Panasonic's 820&420 is hands down better than the rest at this.
The only real difference between them is 420 lacks DV and 820's versatility with audio disc and PQ adjustments.
People don't use those audio disc much anymore and the PQ adjustment has a high learning curve, 99% of us wouldn't even use it anyways.
Most of the players I owned and switched because issues like freezes,glitches and wouldn't play.
I've had both the 820(theater room) and 420(living room) since at least the beginning of the year and have not had any issues with either.
Both rooms have OLED tv's and the upscaling is so good on the 420 I have no issues giving up DV for the very few times I may be playing a disc with DV on it.
Keep in mind the transfer of the movie plays a role here also.
Many times the transfer isn't reference anyways so the difference may be minimal with it.
If you want the best PQ out of your display, the 420 for $150 is a no brainer, none of the other can touch it.
Xbox users it comes down to how important games are and do you want another component to hook up for the (however many times) you watch a disc for the added PQ quality.
DV is irrelevant since Xbox only has it for Netflix app.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Are we sure?
Are we sure?
XSX doesn't have Dolby Vision for movies...yet. Hopefully there's a firmware update upcoming.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I tried the UB420 and it was sooooo hot after 5 min of playing 4k. You could cook an egg on it. It played regular blu ray fine though. I was worried so much heat would reduce its useful left so I returned it.
Thanks! How was the PQ? Have you tried the Sony? It's interesting that the panny got so hot, I thought it was a louder player because it has a fan and the Sony doesn't.
Is a standalone and dedicated 4K player better? What are the pros and cons?
Please help.
Thanks!
Buy the 820 for 150 more,,no comparison.