I've digitised my entire blu-ray collection, which is being stored on two 12TB HDDs, with one of them acting as a backup in case the first one fails. I now watch all of my films on my home theater PC, via the MPV video player. I have no complaints and it just works.
I’ve had a Reavon UBR-X110 for a little over 2 years now, and it’s never given me any serious trouble. (I think I’ve managed to lock it up maybe twice, and had to power-cycle it to reset, but it’s been very stable overall.) DVD can be set to multi-region, and Blu-ray region can be changed anytime. Very happy with the build quality, and with the picture and sound performance.
My first UB820 had some glitchy freezing issues the first day I had it. Took it back to Best Buy that same afternoon and exchanged it for another and it’s been great
Here's from someone crazy enough to buy two 4K players because I just had to know. I've got the 820 and also the Sony x700, which a lot of people had been s**tting on for a long time. I owned the Sony one first, before getting the 820 after a few years. This happened because my Batman 1989 4K disc couldn't even get past the menu screen, and I did everything that was suggested, wiping, and powering down and what not, and I was like, that's it, I'm getting the 820, screw the Sony. Finally the 820 arrived at my doorstep, and I put the disc into the 820 that could do no wrong, and guess what? It couldn't get past the menu screen. Time and time again, despite trying every "home remedy" that has been shared by helpful people on the internet, the only solution that works every single time, was to return the dang disc and get a new one. And the new disc ALWAYS F***ING WORKED, both on the Sony and the Pana. Moral of the story: just return and replace the disc. It is very likely a problem with the disc. Just my experience. Thanks for reading this far.
@@bigmoviefreak I considered it may be a disc problem, except two that didn’t work in my Panasonic did work in my much cheaper Sony. So which player do you prefer?
I have a Panasonic UHD Player model DMP UB900. I've encountered a few discs here and there where they get trapped, trouble reading, but by far most of my discs do not, they load right away, any don't have any issues throughout the whole movie. It's usually your discs. Hopefully you have movies where you can easily obtain a replacement disc. I buy a lot of limited editions or rare and hard to find oop movies in which case if there is an issue, I'm out of luck. It was a sad day for me when I had to get rid of my 'True Story of Hugh Heffner Documentary' DVD because it was made so long ago it's incompatible with modern players. I really wish someone would reissue that documentary, it deserves a new life. I know when a blu-ray player dies. I am still bummed out when it happened because I had a North American SEIKI all natural multi-region blu-ray player. I could change through regions A, B, and C infinitely with the push of 1 button. Every disc started making a high pitched whistling sound. The laser reader was worn out most likely. I was never able to find another one just like it. I still hold on to my region B and region 2 PAL DVD's because they are of some of the rarest obscure horror and exploitation movies ever made. I did have some Japanese pink movies I now regret parting with.
@ I have encountered issues with region free players myself, and my workaround to that is simple: I just import a region B Bluray player from the UK. Here’s how I worked it out: My 4K player is able to run any 4K disc from any country, right? So what I really need is a player that can run regular region B Blu-ray Discs. So I just need a B player. Do I really need to run a region C disc? No. I don’t even own a single region C disc. All I need to solve is the power conversion since the UK uses a different type of socket, but that’s just getting an adapter like you would if you’re traveling to a foreign country. I’ve tried explaining this to many people but no one seems to be buying this idea for some reason!
@ The 820 seems to have a bit more bells and whistles. It displays the bit rate and some other info that the x700 does not. Either that or I didn’t find that button on the x700. And this is an observation that I can’t back with any evidence but it does seem like the PQ looks slightly better on the 820 for some reason.
I have an Oppo 203 and Oppo 205. Then at my parents' house I have a Sony XM-800M2. All work great! For the Sony I found a good TH-cam video for settings to prevent freezing. The Sony you have to change a setting if it is Dolby Vision or not. The TV is hooked up to doesn't have Dolby Vision so I always have it the Dolby Vision turned off.
Love the Dan playing in the intro, my Panasonic ub9000 recently has completely stopped reading 4k discs, the internal main board eventually fails apparently on all of them after running a lot of 4k discs. I reverted back to my Sony udpx700, I miss the hdr optimizing feature but it at least works and it’s allowed me to begin getting back in sacds (since the player supports all discs formats) and I’ve learned how great dsd audio is compared to pcm
Interesting, I've never heard anything before about a consistent main board problem on the ub9000? I will look it up on the Internet. My ub9000 is 4 years old next April and has never (fingers crossed) had a problem with playing any disc or freezing.
Got the cheapest Panasonic 4K but it is not a bluray region free player (obviously 4K region free) but also got a backup Sony also. Also not totally sold on 4K, they are fine but 98% of my disks are bluray / DVD (less). I have had the occasional frozen 4K, getting halfway through the 4K and glitching (though still plays later but always after using another disk in between). Most of the problems I have had with it have been with 4K, blurays (even rubbishy charity shop scratched ones) seem to be fine though
I have the Panny UB-9000 in my main room. I have a Oppo 103D player in my bedroom and it is a great player, but the Panny hasn’t given me one spot of trouble! I ordered the UB-820 and the disc wouldn’t play. I sent it back and picked up another Panny UN-9000 for my bedroom! It is great! My grest buddy bought over his reminded Oppo-205 and my Panny best it I. Every way So he is gonna sell his Oppo and buy 2 Pannys! The Panny is the best thing out there for physical media! I can’t wait to try it with XLR cables for 2-ch! Thx! 6:31
When I got into 4k, I started with LG. It was okay, but not quite perfect in performance, as certain discs didn't play well. Then I picked up a Panasonic 420, and it's played everything perfectly. It's not region free, but I liked it so much that I bought another one for my second setup. I do miss having a Pioneer player, I was a fan of them since the laserdisc days, but so far I'm comfortable with Panasonic.
I use the LG UBK90. I haven’t had many problems with it. It is also Region free. The biggest down side, depending on what TV you have is it doesn’t support HDR10+. So if you have a Samsung TV, you won’t get the best possible HDR experience. It only supports Dolby Vision & Standard HDR10
I got the 820 in March and it’s been a real workhorse for me. I haven’t run into any issues, especially not Criterion since that’s makes up a bulk of my viewing experiences. The Dolby vision along with it being region free make it hard for me to get something else. The picture and sound are also so much better compared to my PS5 player and Xbox Series X player.
The one thing I can NOT live without now that I've had it is the Panasonic HDR Optimizer. I actually turn off Dolby Vision or HDR-10+ on some movies so I can utilize the HDR Optimizer. It's one of the best things with these Pani players. I couldn't live without it.
I have the UB9000 that I purchase din 2021, and only after six months I had problems ejecting the disc (I have a video of it on my channel). Not to mention a good chunk of my collection of discs where the pictures freeze, break-up, or stop working altogether. At first I thought was discs with manufacturer defects or disc rot, but when I tried them on a standard Blu-ray player they work fine. Lifelong Panasonic customer who has become greatly disappointed with the quality of their products.
I use a Tascam 4K player. It's not region free but most 4K disc are region free. I understand it may be a concern if you have regular blu-ray that are region locked. I picked this player because it is rack mountable. Although the ears weren't included in the box. Since the ears weren't included Amazon gave me a sizable discount to not return it and just keep it. I paid $599 before the discount. It will do HDR10+ and Dolby Vision but it doesn't say it anywhere on the box or manual. I've had the least trouble out of this player than any other player I've owned. The last player I had was an LG UBK80.
What I did was buy a standard 4k player, the same model you have, but not region free. Then I have a separate cheapo Sony Bluray and DVD player that is region free for DVD and Bluray, but doesn't play 4k. The thing you should know is that 4k discs are all region free. That's part of their specifications. Absolutely region free in 4k. So my Panasonic 4k player isn't modified by some hole-in-the-wall company to be region free on those lesser discs. Buy the nice Panasonic unmodified, then get you something cheap, something throwaway that has been modified for your foreign 1080p Blurays and DVDs.
The same thing happened to me with UB9000. The company - probably was the same - gave me a replacement at a decent rate. So far, so good with the replacement.
The undisputed King of 4K Players is the Magnetar UDP 900. Trying to find a dealer is the problem - I had to import it from France as it is not officially imported into the UK as far as I could ascertain.
Unfortunately you bought a damaged unit . Probably best get a new one . I recommend the UB9000 from Panasonic and had it modified to play all regions . The other UB9000 I have has lasted 3 years and no issues yet
That's a real shame. I'm honestly surprised they gave you the option of a repair considering this disposable society we live in nowadays. I almost went with a Panasonic, but I bought the Sony UHD-X700, rated by several tech websites as the "best affordable player". I've had it for almost two months and so far so good. It quickly loads and syncs nicely with some of my TV's functions.
@@cinematicrandomness I was surprised too, and figured they’d just replace it. But like I said, maybe it’s better to have a player that a technician just worked on.
I have an UB820. While I like the player a lot but I feel that I can't recommend it to most people for it's price if you have a modern 4k TV. A UB420 or even an entry level player (with dolby vision support if you need it) would suffice for 4k playback with a region free bluray player of your choice. They are best for projectors or older HDR TVs that don't have proper dynamic tone mapping, which static tone mapping from the player is better than nothing, but the ub420 is honestly pretty close in performance for most people. I also find that multi region 4k players not worth it for their price since Ultra HD bluray as a format is region free unless if you need certain features from that player itself, such as subtitle placement for scope screens, or for the quality of it's upscaler. I acutally got a region free LG UBK90 4k player for 3d bluray playback because it was cheaper paired with my ub820 than getting a region free UB820 with no manufacturer warranty even if the scaler isn't quite in league with the UB820 since I largely watch region A films ultimately.
Sorry to hear about your player Jerry. I have two Sony players. One plays Dolby vision and the other does not, but I have had very little problems with either one. They do freeze every once in a great while but I've been very happy with them and both are being used. I do have a Panasonic 4k player backup but I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. Non of my players are region free. I have a separate region free Blu-ray player. I hope everything works out Great!
I have a Cambridge audio CXN universal disc player. It doesn't do 4K but plays everything else. I have never had a problem with it. If it ever dies I will probably look at the Magnatar unit. I have too many discs that won't be on streaming services.
Part of the reason why I chose to go with a Panasonic 9000 was due to its HDR optimizer. I can turn off dynamic tone mapping on my LG GX OLED TV and enable the optimizer on my Panasonic 9000, which then gives one a better noticeable visual result! Plus, in my particular case knowing the Panasonic is going into the arcam AVR, which also happens to have a very similar sabre DAC as the magnetar, I've never felt the need to ever have to go into the Panasonic network settings. After spending a shitload on shielded cables so I'm able to experience an exceptionally quiet room (RF/EMI), I wasn't prepared to take the risk of being of being distracted by the 820s, apparently slightly noisier disc player.
I’ve had the UB420 for years. It’s excellent. Panasonic is the best simply based on image quality. You got a dud. Sucks. But happens. If you wanna know what the competition is doing try a Sony X800 (which I also have). You’ll be running not walking back to your Panasonic.
@@RobertPage1968 I do not. I know there's software out there you can use for compression, Handbrake I believe, but I want the highest quality possible.
I loved my Panasonic, but when I updated my TV from an A90J to a A95L it wouldn't display Dolby vision. There is a handshaking issue between the new Sony and the player. Hooked up my old 4k player (x700) and Dolby vision worked just fine. Panasonic is known for having issues playing nice with other equipment. When I hooked up a soundbar it wouldn't play any audio with Dolby Vision on. Had to go in TV settings and have the TV output PCM audio for it to work. (yet worked just fine for my 5.1 surround sound). I ended up buying an X800M2.
@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 Working great so far, just hate manually switching to Dolby Vision. Still suprising the Panasonic 4k player and A95L would just not get along. It would be a black screen and when I checked options it would show the TV in Dolby Vision Dark. I tricked it a few times to play on the TV by turning on my PS5 in advance set up or cycling through display modes such as full, auto wide ect. No such issues with the 700m and 800m2.
Got a Sony S6700 that served me wel yet consider the X700 or Panasonic DMP BDT 384 since not much else is at proximity with the desired outs. The issues I read about the X700 I think may be settings related. Not understanding set-up or overlooking something. Yet somebody commented on a disc not running on both a Sony and Panasonic pointing to a bad disc. It would be interesting to figure if there was bad pressing (complete batch of a release) and the player got the blame... I once had a compact disc with a different artist on than on cover and print on disc 😅
I have the "highly regarded" Panasonic UB9000 and I had the same issues after only 5 months. Sent it in for service, fine at first but still glitchy. The irony is that it has the best image quality I have ever seen for 4K both HDR and Dolby Vision. I have the Oppo 203 and the Magnetar UHD800 for redundancy.
I wouldnt get too mad at the Panasonic, defects can occur with the nicest of products. I haven't had a single issue with my 820, had it for 2 years now, and I always buy extended warranty just in case.
Chose the UB9000 over the UB820 as i wanted the more substantial build and audio performance. It's been a solid performer and i still have an Oppo 203 in good condition at my disposal so no worries.
Can't give you any advice because I haven't bought a dedicated 4k player yet only an Xbox Series X. I would say though that the 4k blu rays do clearly look higher resolution with better colors than the blu rays most of the time. Of course you might no tnotice it as much with a small tv sitting further away. In my opinion some 4k's do look too dark. The main issue with 4k is that higher resolution 4k movies "can" show more imperfections. Since they are at higher resolution which you didn't see on 1080p tvs. As well the people who are remastering the movies can sometimes obviously make bad choices when remastering.
I still have an Oppo UDP-203 and had to have the power supply replaced once. Although I rip all my discs to my NASes to play via Nvidia ShieldTVs, I still love to use the disc player in case I have issues playing the ISO files.
I brought the same player about a month ago because my LG 4K was crashing in the middle of a video. If I hit the play button then it would start again with no problem. Anyway, I am very pleased with the upscaling of the Panasonic player Plus, I didn’t have to have my converted play station 3 to watch other regions. unfortunately, my new Panasonic played about two days and then went defective wouldn’t play any 4K videos 😮 I went back to my store and they gave me a second brand new player this time I brought the five year warranty, so if there’s any problems in the future, at least I know I am good for five years. The second one has been working perfectly.
Historically Panasonic has had a problem with infant mortality in their laser pickups. They usually get the bugs worked out after the 2nd year of a transport run. I have always been impressed by Panasonic's picture and features of their laser based media players. I have recently acquired a Panasonic LX-1000 Laserdisc player. After some simple maintenance it is knocking my socks off by its ability to flawless play some discs that were not playable in most Pioneer players. I'm sure if they replace the pickup in your unit it will perform well for years to come.
He’s not directly stating it, but I’m pretty sure he bought a player that was modified to be region free. If I had to guess I would, that’s part of his problem stems from what modifications they had to make to the player, I know that player can be used normally as region free with a work round via software hacks, I’ve never heard of anybody having problems with that player that bought a untouched one from Amazon or Bestbuy. With that being said, I currently have the Sony X 700 4K player . I guess it hasn’t crashed on me, but I’ve definitely had some issues with freezing since I purchased it about five years ago. It’s also very loud, so I personally would not recommend it, I know there are brands out there that are remaking the old Oppo players. Under a new brand, and they seem to be well-made, but they are twice the money as the Panasonic. With all that being said, I will be upgrading to the Panasonic, Ub 820. But I will always add a protection plan that way I’m covered for at least four or five years.
@@leeheverly I’ve read about pressing a series of buttons on the remote to get regular players to play any region…but also read it doesn’t always work, and I don’t need that aggravation. I’m no techie, but I assume my player hardware was modified to make it multi region.
I bought a Sony UBP X700m 4k player 2 years ago from Amazon. It's not region free but I haven't had any issues playing discs and mine is very quiet. I watched a couple of video reviews for it. I followed the advice from one of them to disable the upscaling. That seems to be what causes it's erratic behavior. No issues for me yet at all but I don't use it heavily.
I had issues with my 820 a year after owning it. It did everything this gentleman said..but I was advised to do a factory reset. And you know what??? It worked!! I was afraid of doing firmware updates after that. But I ended up doing it..because was curious. The firm update worked after doing the factory reset!. This happened to me about 3 years ago….since the factory reset I’ve had absolutely no issues since.
If you have a region free 820 I think they are the hacked ones with the mid chip and custom bios. Were the criterion blu rays released after the device manufacture date or purchase date? I have brought a second hand 820 that was reported as skipping and freezing and after giving it a good servicing it now runs almost new. Here some things I did. I used a blu ray lense cleaner 7 to 8 time with cleaning the lens with isopropanol alchol every fee times I cleaned out the blur player. Removed the drive and reinstled it. And i made a micro adjustment to the blu ray pentameter on the lense its self after I used silicon grease on the track and worked the lense back and forth a few times. Took about an hour. And since then no issues. I honestly think it's more of a build and calibration issue than hard ware.
@@peterholtz6729 Yes, the Criterion discs were released after I purchased the player. I appreciate your advice, but I’m not going to take the player apart. I did feel like smashing it with a hammer though 😏
I glad you didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater and get rid of your physical media as I'm sure you'll regret it in the future! 😁 As for recommendations, I have two Panasonics including the 820 for years and they work without problems so I think it's just pot luck sorry! 👍😎
Hi I have same issues with new Panasonic's players the ubp820, then purchase the ubp9000, returned both within a couple of weeks. I purchase that e Magnetar ub800 and never looked back. It's pricey, but with a large library of videos it's well worth it.
Back in the day I had a top of range Denon DVD with multi region chip and also a Panasonic BluRay multi region chip. Both of these after a while started playing up and having done some investigation it seems some after market chips just don't like to talk with the players. So when I got into 4k Bought standard UK Oppo 203 as 4k are region free. For my DVD's region 1 we can watch them on our caravan tv with built in multi region player. Only have a couple of US BluRay's so these just gathering dust. Keep the vid's coming.
I hate disc noise so I rip my Blurays and play them via USB 😅 That way I can also watch reagion locked Blurays. However I only use Blu rays, not 4k. But I have a 4k player. Panasonic 154
I’d just get the same player. I came to the UB820 from the Sony X700, (both are multi region modded versions) which was terrible and froze all the time regardless of settings (especially on 100 gig discs) whereas I read that some people have trouble free Sony players. This leads me to believe it’s just a QC issue and I wouldn’t allow this experience to tarnish your opinion that another UB820 will do the same.
If the construction of the machine is faulty it's of course no use getting it repaired or replaced. Remember the infamous C:13:00 error code with Sony SACD players, that would prevent the disc from being played for protection so the player wouldn't be damaged. People got their drives replaced, only to find the new ones were as weakly built with parts not suited for their task. People were talking about class actions and things, but the industry didn't care, they just made new gear. Similar problems with $5,000 Marantz players, and the like. Price is not a construction or build quality indicator, it only indicates how the machine appears on the shelf.
@@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 I'm sorry I don't, and actually most of my units have and have had operational issues, (probably software-based), and none of them is at par with today's state of the art. My top player (a Sony) actually won't even play the few 4K discs I own, which made me try a rather cheap BD/4K ROM reader/recorder for computer use (The "German" Techpulse top model) with the manufacturer's recommended software. This cheap ROM player seems to play the 4K discs just fine, but the recommended (plus two more tried) PC software does not. I contacted the software manufacturer. After three weeks, after having provided them with all the required technical information and the disc codes of the movies I have tried to play, they got back to me with an apology: "We are sorry to inform you that our software cannot play your discs", after which I decided to stop trying until I come up with a better idea. Sorry for not being able to help you in deciding for a good product.
I have the same Panasonic, no major problems. Had to unplug it once in the year I've had it for a strange frozen menu...issue never returned. I have 2 backup players xbox/x, and Sony x800 region free. The issue you had with criterion, Ive never had, I occasional, meaning in couple movies Ive had glitching with the crow 4k, but write that up as a known disc issue. Your fortunate its still under warranty.
If its not able to be fixed I would look to get either a 450 for the dolby vision or a 150 I think with the 820ek upscaling. As the 150 and 450 have a 12volt barrel jack you could get panasonic 4k from regions A B and C so you would he covered for all regions with out having to use a mod or custom bios.
I had a Sony X700M and it skipped and froze all the time. I tried quite a few things with no luck. I tried 4 different movies and 3 of them had issues. It was very disappointing. The one that worked was a doubled layer disc but It just couldn't deal with the tripple layered discs. I took it back and got a Panasonic DP-UB450P-K and everything has run much smoother. The only downer is the 450 doesn't have an upscaler but my TV does well in that department.
Sadly, it would appear we are moving towards the end of disc spinners. We are down to basically 2 companies building players now, and they have not dropped new models in quite some time now. at least in the entry & mid level market. . I’ve had both, neither has lasted past the 2 year mark. My Oppo is still spinning disc, 7 years in. Reavon & Magentar players are probably outstanding players I’m sure, that said, they might be priced above where most will want to go. Just a thought.
Hello, I have both players you have. Both region-free. As yet I've not had a problem, it's been about a year I think. At first I could not get the Panasonic to work right. I returned it to the company and they immediately sent a new one. Same issue with that one, it would hang on the Welcome screen...Finally did a proper factory reset (I"d tried that with the first player, but apparently I did something wrong). This time it worked: I realized it had never fully set itself up with the TV...that made all the difference. Since then it's been working really well. I use the Panasonic for color films, and the Sony for most b&w ones and TV shows...I think the Sony has great picture quality, but it's a cheap player i don't expect to last very long. Based on the reputation I expect the Panasonic to last longer. Sorry you've had bad player. I'd suggest trying another one if the company offers it, or purchase the 9000 model which has the more solid build. There are other high-end players others can recommend...I just can''t bring myself to spend that much for them.
@@kyler6212 I’m no techie, so I really don’t know. As for if it affects the lifespan of the player-that’s something I’m currently wondering about. Wish I could be more helpful; hopefully someone else can answer this.
Sorry you're having those problems with your UB820. I've had mine for about 4 years and have had no problems with it. Once in a while you will get a bad unit, no matter the brand or model, that's why they have warranties. I hope that you will have better luck with the repair/replacement or which ever option you go with. BTW, I definitely think that 4k and HDR are worth it, especially with older films.
@@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 I don’t know about that. It will play 4K discs from all regions, but Blu-rays and DVDs can be region locked as far as I know.
Didn’t know that the Panasonic 820 was a region free player I have it or I think I have it but it’s playing great so far but if I put in a different region it will not play it !! So is mines region free ??how can I tell ?
You would have to deliberately buy that model that has been modified to be multi region. But with the player you have, there’s apparently a workaround using your remote to enable that player to play region B discs. You can find TH-cam videos demonstrating that.
@@babymaker13th no, it's not region free if it's straight from Panasonic...except for the fact that all 4k discs are region free. You only have to worry about regions on DVD and standard 1080p Bluray. Some units are modified by another company (not Panasonic) to be region free on those lesser discs, but I think that's where the most problems come in. Some other company has modified the original unit in order to make it able to play foreign DVDs and Blurays. I don't trust that. I would stick with your unmodified 4k player, and if you decide you need a region free player for the 3 or 4 discs you can't get in America, buy some cheap modified player for those. But keep your main player unmodified for better reliability. That's what I did anyway.
Weird. I bought my region free Panasonic 820 from 220 Electronics back in March 2024 and had no issues at all; I own many Criterion BDs and 4K BDs and they worked fine. Did you buy it from 220 Electronics, by any chance?
It sounds like a faulty laser unit. I've purchased my UB820 for about 3 or 4 years now (used) and had no problems whatsoever. Just some minor problems with freezing on some discs but mainly because of the discs. Also, some minor problems with very few 4k discs, when reaching their third layer. But this is a common issue with 4k players, not every time the tracking/reading works perfectly. Other than that, problem free, even after each firmware update. It's all a lottery nowadays with these machines.
I'm confused. My apologies for getting off the central subject. You stated that you had the player plugged into the wall instead of a power strip. I have my equipment plugged into a surge guard powerstrip. So far, I've had no problems with that. But, I've heard that some have been having problems. Is there something that I need to be aware of?
I have a panasonic ub9000, it is horrible, I have most of the same problems as you. It's actually my second because the first one did the same thing crutchfield gave me a second one. Now the second one is the same. Panasonic has terrible customer service. If you have advise on how to get ahold of them, I would very much appreciate it.
I've digitised my entire blu-ray collection, which is being stored on two 12TB HDDs, with one of them acting as a backup in case the first one fails. I now watch all of my films on my home theater PC, via the MPV video player. I have no complaints and it just works.
I’ve had a Reavon UBR-X110 for a little over 2 years now, and it’s never given me any serious trouble. (I think I’ve managed to lock it up maybe twice, and had to power-cycle it to reset, but it’s been very stable overall.)
DVD can be set to multi-region, and Blu-ray region can be changed anytime. Very happy with the build quality, and with the picture and sound performance.
My first UB820 had some glitchy freezing issues the first day I had it. Took it back to Best Buy that same afternoon and exchanged it for another and it’s been great
My 6 year old Samsung still works. My OPPO 203 still works. ❤
Here's from someone crazy enough to buy two 4K players because I just had to know. I've got the 820 and also the Sony x700, which a lot of people had been s**tting on for a long time. I owned the Sony one first, before getting the 820 after a few years. This happened because my Batman 1989 4K disc couldn't even get past the menu screen, and I did everything that was suggested, wiping, and powering down and what not, and I was like, that's it, I'm getting the 820, screw the Sony. Finally the 820 arrived at my doorstep, and I put the disc into the 820 that could do no wrong, and guess what? It couldn't get past the menu screen. Time and time again, despite trying every "home remedy" that has been shared by helpful people on the internet, the only solution that works every single time, was to return the dang disc and get a new one. And the new disc ALWAYS F***ING WORKED, both on the Sony and the Pana. Moral of the story: just return and replace the disc. It is very likely a problem with the disc. Just my experience. Thanks for reading this far.
@@bigmoviefreak I considered it may be a disc problem, except two that didn’t work in my Panasonic did work in my much cheaper Sony. So which player do you prefer?
I have a Panasonic UHD Player model DMP UB900. I've encountered a few discs here and there where they get trapped, trouble reading, but by far most of my discs do not, they load right away, any don't have any issues throughout the whole movie. It's usually your discs. Hopefully you have movies where you can easily obtain a replacement disc. I buy a lot of limited editions or rare and hard to find oop movies in which case if there is an issue, I'm out of luck. It was a sad day for me when I had to get rid of my 'True Story of Hugh Heffner Documentary' DVD because it was made so long ago it's incompatible with modern players. I really wish someone would reissue that documentary, it deserves a new life. I know when a blu-ray player dies. I am still bummed out when it happened because I had a North American SEIKI all natural multi-region blu-ray player. I could change through regions A, B, and C infinitely with the push of 1 button. Every disc started making a high pitched whistling sound. The laser reader was worn out most likely. I was never able to find another one just like it. I still hold on to my region B and region 2 PAL DVD's because they are of some of the rarest obscure horror and exploitation movies ever made. I did have some Japanese pink movies I now regret parting with.
Some people claim you can change the blu-ray region coding on model DMPUB900 but it doesn't work for me. I think they lied.
@ I have encountered issues with region free players myself, and my workaround to that is simple: I just import a region B Bluray player from the UK. Here’s how I worked it out: My 4K player is able to run any 4K disc from any country, right? So what I really need is a player that can run regular region B Blu-ray Discs. So I just need a B player. Do I really need to run a region C disc? No. I don’t even own a single region C disc. All I need to solve is the power conversion since the UK uses a different type of socket, but that’s just getting an adapter like you would if you’re traveling to a foreign country. I’ve tried explaining this to many people but no one seems to be buying this idea for some reason!
@ The 820 seems to have a bit more bells and whistles. It displays the bit rate and some other info that the x700 does not. Either that or I didn’t find that button on the x700. And this is an observation that I can’t back with any evidence but it does seem like the PQ looks slightly better on the 820 for some reason.
I have an Oppo 203 and Oppo 205. Then at my parents' house I have a Sony XM-800M2. All work great!
For the Sony I found a good TH-cam video for settings to prevent freezing. The Sony you have to change a setting if it is Dolby Vision or not. The TV is hooked up to doesn't have Dolby Vision so I always have it the Dolby Vision turned off.
Love the Dan playing in the intro, my Panasonic ub9000 recently has completely stopped reading 4k discs, the internal main board eventually fails apparently on all of them after running a lot of 4k discs. I reverted back to my Sony udpx700, I miss the hdr optimizing feature but it at least works and it’s allowed me to begin getting back in sacds (since the player supports all discs formats) and I’ve learned how great dsd audio is compared to pcm
Interesting, I've never heard anything before about a consistent main board problem on the ub9000? I will look it up on the Internet. My ub9000 is 4 years old next April and has never (fingers crossed) had a problem with playing any disc or freezing.
Got the cheapest Panasonic 4K but it is not a bluray region free player (obviously 4K region free) but also got a backup Sony also. Also not totally sold on 4K, they are fine but 98% of my disks are bluray / DVD (less). I have had the occasional frozen 4K, getting halfway through the 4K and glitching (though still plays later but always after using another disk in between). Most of the problems I have had with it have been with 4K, blurays (even rubbishy charity shop scratched ones) seem to be fine though
I have the Panny UB-9000 in my main room.
I have a Oppo 103D player in my bedroom and it is a great player, but the Panny hasn’t given me one spot of trouble! I ordered the UB-820 and the disc wouldn’t play. I sent it back and picked up another Panny UN-9000 for my bedroom! It is great!
My grest buddy bought over his reminded Oppo-205 and my Panny best it I. Every way
So he is gonna sell his Oppo and buy 2 Pannys!
The Panny is the best thing out there for physical media!
I can’t wait to try it with XLR cables for 2-ch! Thx! 6:31
@@willgatlin8229 Is your Panny 9000 a region free player?
When I got into 4k, I started with LG. It was okay, but not quite perfect in performance, as certain discs didn't play well. Then I picked up a Panasonic 420, and it's played everything perfectly. It's not region free, but I liked it so much that I bought another one for my second setup. I do miss having a Pioneer player, I was a fan of them since the laserdisc days, but so far I'm comfortable with Panasonic.
as a 53 year old i have a panasonic ub420 for about a year not one problem but thats me hope this helps anyone good video sir
I have a Panasonic UB450 4K UHD player and plays all discs no problems, had it few years now
@@Music.Movies.67 Interesting. Is it a multi region player?
I use the LG UBK90. I haven’t had many problems with it. It is also Region free. The biggest down side, depending on what TV you have is it doesn’t support HDR10+. So if you have a Samsung TV, you won’t get the best possible HDR experience. It only supports Dolby Vision & Standard HDR10
Thank you for sharing the information! Very helpful !
I got the 820 in March and it’s been a real workhorse for me. I haven’t run into any issues, especially not Criterion since that’s makes up a bulk of my viewing experiences. The Dolby vision along with it being region free make it hard for me to get something else. The picture and sound are also so much better compared to my PS5 player and Xbox Series X player.
@@UpAndAboveEnt Is your 820 region free?
The 820 is a known problematic player. Panasonics tend to have the best picture, though.
@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt I agree. My 820 just returned from being serviced, and I’ll be posting an update today.
The one thing I can NOT live without now that I've had it is the Panasonic HDR Optimizer. I actually turn off Dolby Vision or HDR-10+ on some movies so I can utilize the HDR Optimizer. It's one of the best things with these Pani players. I couldn't live without it.
@@sethm.woodiwiss786 That’s very interesting. I’ve been thinking about trying that. I assume you prefer that picture.
@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013
Yes, with some movies, it actually looks better, especially with some of the films that are really dark.
That’s ridiculous that you use that over Dolby vision 😂
I have the UB9000 that I purchase din 2021, and only after six months I had problems ejecting the disc (I have a video of it on my channel). Not to mention a good chunk of my collection of discs where the pictures freeze, break-up, or stop working altogether. At first I thought was discs with manufacturer defects or disc rot, but when I tried them on a standard Blu-ray player they work fine. Lifelong Panasonic customer who has become greatly disappointed with the quality of their products.
I use a Tascam 4K player. It's not region free but most 4K disc are region free. I understand it may be a concern if you have regular blu-ray that are region locked. I picked this player because it is rack mountable. Although the ears weren't included in the box. Since the ears weren't included Amazon gave me a sizable discount to not return it and just keep it. I paid $599 before the discount. It will do HDR10+ and Dolby Vision but it doesn't say it anywhere on the box or manual. I've had the least trouble out of this player than any other player I've owned. The last player I had was an LG UBK80.
What I did was buy a standard 4k player, the same model you have, but not region free. Then I have a separate cheapo Sony Bluray and DVD player that is region free for DVD and Bluray, but doesn't play 4k. The thing you should know is that 4k discs are all region free. That's part of their specifications. Absolutely region free in 4k. So my Panasonic 4k player isn't modified by some hole-in-the-wall company to be region free on those lesser discs. Buy the nice Panasonic unmodified, then get you something cheap, something throwaway that has been modified for your foreign 1080p Blurays and DVDs.
@@brianmoore581 I was actually thinking of doing this exact same thing. My Panasonic is on the way back and I’ll be posting an updated episode soon.
I never liked Panasonic, it’s expensive but not better.
I prefer Sony. Almost all 4K discs are region free
Isn’t all 4K disc region free?
@@dvdbluraydude3038 99% of the time
Almost always but there have been a few that weren’t
I have ub900 from 2017 it works fine. Panasonic is very good. Oppo are best i have bdp 93 from old days and oppo bdp 203 3k player
Small issue for very few users, but 3D Blu-ray playback got virtually unusable with one of the recent updates. Incredibly frustrating!
No update for me, then!
The same thing happened to me with UB9000. The company - probably was the same - gave me a replacement at a decent rate. So far, so good with the replacement.
The undisputed King of 4K Players is the Magnetar UDP 900. Trying to find a dealer is the problem - I had to import it from France as it is not officially imported into the UK as far as I could ascertain.
Magnatar, like Reavon, are just clones/copies of the real king of 4k players: Oppo 203/205
@ Really? Have you seen the Audio components in the Magnetar UDP 900?
Unfortunately you bought a damaged unit . Probably best get a new one . I recommend the UB9000 from Panasonic and had it modified to play all regions . The other UB9000 I have has lasted 3 years and no issues yet
How to modify the player?
That's a real shame. I'm honestly surprised they gave you the option of a repair considering this disposable society we live in nowadays. I almost went with a Panasonic, but I bought the Sony UHD-X700, rated by several tech websites as the "best affordable player". I've had it for almost two months and so far so good. It quickly loads and syncs nicely with some of my TV's functions.
@@cinematicrandomness I was surprised too, and figured they’d just replace it. But like I said, maybe it’s better to have a player that a technician just worked on.
People get caught up on “disposable society”, but it’s simply economics.
I have an UB820. While I like the player a lot but I feel that I can't recommend it to most people for it's price if you have a modern 4k TV. A UB420 or even an entry level player (with dolby vision support if you need it) would suffice for 4k playback with a region free bluray player of your choice. They are best for projectors or older HDR TVs that don't have proper dynamic tone mapping, which static tone mapping from the player is better than nothing, but the ub420 is honestly pretty close in performance for most people.
I also find that multi region 4k players not worth it for their price since Ultra HD bluray as a format is region free unless if you need certain features from that player itself, such as subtitle placement for scope screens, or for the quality of it's upscaler. I acutally got a region free LG UBK90 4k player for 3d bluray playback because it was cheaper paired with my ub820 than getting a region free UB820 with no manufacturer warranty even if the scaler isn't quite in league with the UB820 since I largely watch region A films ultimately.
Sorry to hear about your player Jerry. I have two Sony players. One plays Dolby vision and the other does not, but I have had very little problems with either one. They do freeze every once in a great while but I've been very happy with them and both are being used. I do have a Panasonic 4k player backup but I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. Non of my players are region free. I have a separate region free Blu-ray player. I hope everything works out Great!
I have a Cambridge audio CXN universal disc player. It doesn't do 4K but plays everything else. I have never had a problem with it. If it ever dies I will probably look at the Magnatar unit. I have too many discs that won't be on streaming services.
Part of the reason why I chose to go with a Panasonic 9000 was due to its HDR optimizer. I can turn off dynamic tone mapping on my LG GX OLED TV and enable the optimizer on my Panasonic 9000, which then gives one a better noticeable visual result! Plus, in my particular case knowing the Panasonic is going into the arcam AVR, which also happens to have a very similar sabre DAC as the magnetar, I've never felt the need to ever have to go into the Panasonic network settings.
After spending a shitload on shielded cables so I'm able to experience an exceptionally quiet room (RF/EMI), I wasn't prepared to take the risk of being of being distracted by the 820s, apparently slightly noisier disc player.
I’m definitely going to try this. Is your 9000 region free?
@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 Yes, the Panasonic 9000 is indeed region free
I’ve had the UB420 for years. It’s excellent. Panasonic is the best simply based on image quality. You got a dud. Sucks. But happens. If you wanna know what the competition is doing try a Sony X800 (which I also have). You’ll be running not walking back to your Panasonic.
@@sage11x Interesting, because several people here recommended the Sony 🤷🏻♂️
I started ripping my movies and TV shows to hard drives and using Plex and Zidoo devices to watch them. I'll never go back.
Do you use any compression?
@@RobertPage1968 I do not. I know there's software out there you can use for compression, Handbrake I believe, but I want the highest quality possible.
I loved my Panasonic, but when I updated my TV from an A90J to a A95L it wouldn't display Dolby vision. There is a handshaking issue between the new Sony and the player. Hooked up my old 4k player (x700) and Dolby vision worked just fine. Panasonic is known for having issues playing nice with other equipment. When I hooked up a soundbar it wouldn't play any audio with Dolby Vision on. Had to go in TV settings and have the TV output PCM audio for it to work. (yet worked just fine for my 5.1 surround sound). I ended up buying an X800M2.
That’s interesting. How is the X800 working out?
@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 Working great so far, just hate manually switching to Dolby Vision. Still suprising the Panasonic 4k player and A95L would just not get along. It would be a black screen and when I checked options it would show the TV in Dolby Vision Dark. I tricked it a few times to play on the TV by turning on my PS5 in advance set up or cycling through display modes such as full, auto wide ect. No such issues with the 700m and 800m2.
Try to find a used Oppo. I have one Oppo BDP-95 and one Oppo UDP-205 and both works perfectly. My Oppo BDP-95 is over 10 years now. Perhaps 12 or 13.
Got a Sony S6700 that served me wel yet consider the X700 or Panasonic DMP BDT 384 since not much else is at proximity with the desired outs.
The issues I read about the X700 I think may be settings related. Not understanding set-up or overlooking something.
Yet somebody commented on a disc not running on both a Sony and Panasonic pointing to a bad disc.
It would be interesting to figure if there was bad pressing (complete batch of a release) and the player got the blame...
I once had a compact disc with a different artist on than on cover and print on disc 😅
I have the "highly regarded" Panasonic UB9000 and I had the same issues after only 5 months. Sent it in for service, fine at first but still glitchy. The irony is that it has the best image quality I have ever seen for 4K both HDR and Dolby Vision. I have the Oppo 203 and the Magnetar UHD800 for redundancy.
@@kellywilliamson2187 Wow, and that’s a step up from mine.
Had my 9000 since it first hit the market..no issues.
@@larryhazelwood5491- no issues with my nearly 4 year old ub9000
I wouldnt get too mad at the Panasonic, defects can occur with the nicest of products. I haven't had a single issue with my 820, had it for 2 years now, and I always buy extended warranty just in case.
@@Gamerboots Is your 820 a region free player?
Chose the UB9000 over the UB820 as i wanted the more substantial build and audio performance. It's been a solid performer and i still have an Oppo 203 in good condition at my disposal so no worries.
@@scruffy8861 Is your 9000 region free?
@@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 Wasn't listed as region free, an Amazon purchase Model DP-UB9000PIK.
Can't give you any advice because I haven't bought a dedicated 4k player yet only an Xbox Series X. I would say though that the 4k blu rays do clearly look higher resolution with better colors than the blu rays most of the time. Of course you might no tnotice it as much with a small tv sitting further away. In my opinion some 4k's do look too dark. The main issue with 4k is that higher resolution 4k movies "can" show more imperfections. Since they are at higher resolution which you didn't see on 1080p tvs. As well the people who are remastering the movies can sometimes obviously make bad choices when remastering.
Thankfully my now 8 year old blu ray player still going strong 💪
Which brand?
Is it ub820
I still have an Oppo UDP-203 and had to have the power supply replaced once. Although I rip all my discs to my NASes to play via Nvidia ShieldTVs, I still love to use the disc player in case I have issues playing the ISO files.
I brought the same player about a month ago because my LG 4K was crashing in the middle of a video. If I hit the play button then it would start again with no problem. Anyway, I am very pleased with the upscaling of the Panasonic player Plus, I didn’t have to have my converted play station 3 to watch other regions. unfortunately, my new Panasonic played about two days and then went defective wouldn’t play any 4K videos 😮 I went back to my store and they gave me a second brand new player this time I brought the five year warranty, so if there’s any problems in the future, at least I know I am good for five years. The second one has been working perfectly.
Historically Panasonic has had a problem with infant mortality in their laser pickups. They usually get the bugs worked out after the 2nd year of a transport run. I have always been impressed by Panasonic's picture and features of their laser based media players. I have recently acquired a Panasonic LX-1000 Laserdisc player. After some simple maintenance it is knocking my socks off by its ability to flawless play some discs that were not playable in most Pioneer players. I'm sure if they replace the pickup in your unit it will perform well for years to come.
I will be posting an update in December 😉
Mine has lasted for years without issues. If I remember correctly, mine is not region free.
Does anybody have tips for the DMP-BDT 384? Much appreciated 👍
He’s not directly stating it, but I’m pretty sure he bought a player that was modified to be region free. If I had to guess I would, that’s part of his problem stems from what modifications they had to make to the player, I know that player can be used normally as region free with a work round via software hacks, I’ve never heard of anybody having problems with that player that bought a untouched one from Amazon or Bestbuy.
With that being said, I currently have the Sony X 700 4K player . I guess it hasn’t crashed on me, but I’ve definitely had some issues with freezing since I purchased it about five years ago. It’s also very loud, so I personally would not recommend it, I know there are brands out there that are remaking the old Oppo players. Under a new brand, and they seem to be well-made, but they are twice the money as the Panasonic. With all that being said, I will be upgrading to the Panasonic, Ub 820. But I will always add a protection plan that way I’m covered for at least four or five years.
@@leeheverly I’ve read about pressing a series of buttons on the remote to get regular players to play any region…but also read it doesn’t always work, and I don’t need that aggravation. I’m no techie, but I assume my player hardware was modified to make it multi region.
I bought a Sony UBP X700m 4k player 2 years ago from Amazon. It's not region free but I haven't had any issues playing discs and mine is very quiet. I watched a couple of video reviews for it. I followed the advice from one of them to disable the upscaling. That seems to be what causes it's erratic behavior. No issues for me yet at all but I don't use it heavily.
Purchased mine in summer 2020. Never had an issue. It is not a universal player though. Maybe that modification has made the player less reliable.
@@djs9281 Some folks have mentioned that so 🤷🏻♂️
I had issues with my 820 a year after owning it. It did everything this gentleman said..but I was advised to do a factory reset. And you know what??? It worked!! I was afraid of doing firmware updates after that. But I ended up doing it..because was curious. The firm update worked after doing the factory reset!. This happened to me about 3 years ago….since the factory reset I’ve had absolutely no issues since.
820 for just 5 months and so far no problems aside from smudges/scratched on disc causing stutters. Fingers crossed I have a decent unit.
@@slate49 That’s really good to know. Thank you!
If you have a region free 820 I think they are the hacked ones with the mid chip and custom bios. Were the criterion blu rays released after the device manufacture date or purchase date?
I have brought a second hand 820 that was reported as skipping and freezing and after giving it a good servicing it now runs almost new. Here some things I did. I used a blu ray lense cleaner 7 to 8 time with cleaning the lens with isopropanol alchol every fee times I cleaned out the blur player. Removed the drive and reinstled it. And i made a micro adjustment to the blu ray pentameter on the lense its self after I used silicon grease on the track and worked the lense back and forth a few times. Took about an hour. And since then no issues. I honestly think it's more of a build and calibration issue than hard ware.
@@peterholtz6729 Yes, the Criterion discs were released after I purchased the player. I appreciate your advice, but I’m not going to take the player apart. I did feel like smashing it with a hammer though 😏
The 9000 has a lot better build quality.Worth the extra money.
I glad you didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater and get rid of your physical media as I'm sure you'll regret it in the future! 😁 As for recommendations, I have two Panasonics including the 820 for years and they work without problems so I think it's just pot luck sorry! 👍😎
@@snowymatrix Are your Panasonic players multi region?
If you want the very best, you should buy the UDP 900, it will cost you $4,100 Canadian
Hi
I have same issues with new Panasonic's players the ubp820, then purchase the ubp9000, returned both within a couple of weeks. I purchase that e Magnetar ub800 and never looked back. It's pricey, but with a large library of videos it's well worth it.
I have the same Model, and my still running like a champ. I bought 3 year ago.
I have a UB820 along with my Oppo 203 4K
sorry to hear! My works fine a year later now. My previous was a sony player that crashed after about 4 years.
My 820 is 4.75 yr old & recently have problems reading 4K, clean them & sometimes reads. Put same disc in my Oppo 203 & reads right away
When the best "hacked" 4k player crashes..
Back in the day I had a top of range Denon DVD with multi region chip and also a Panasonic BluRay multi region chip. Both of these after a while started playing up and having done some investigation it seems some after market chips just don't like to talk with the players. So when I got into 4k Bought standard UK Oppo 203 as 4k are region free. For my DVD's region 1 we can watch them on our caravan tv with built in multi region player. Only have a couple of US BluRay's so these just gathering dust. Keep the vid's coming.
@@kevin60uk Thank you! Is your multi region player holding up?
@@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 on the tv still going strong thanks
I hate disc noise so I rip my Blurays and play them via USB 😅 That way I can also watch reagion locked Blurays. However I only use Blu rays, not 4k. But I have a 4k player. Panasonic 154
I’d just get the same player. I came to the UB820 from the Sony X700, (both are multi region modded versions) which was terrible and froze all the time regardless of settings (especially on 100 gig discs) whereas I read that some people have trouble free Sony players. This leads me to believe it’s just a QC issue and I wouldn’t allow this experience to tarnish your opinion that another UB820 will do the same.
If the construction of the machine is faulty it's of course no use getting it repaired or replaced. Remember the infamous C:13:00 error code with Sony SACD players, that would prevent the disc from being played for protection so the player wouldn't be damaged. People got their drives replaced, only to find the new ones were as weakly built with parts not suited for their task. People were talking about class actions and things, but the industry didn't care, they just made new gear. Similar problems with $5,000 Marantz players, and the like. Price is not a construction or build quality indicator, it only indicates how the machine appears on the shelf.
@@Fredrik-iz4ou Interesting. Do you have a player you would recommend?
@@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 I'm sorry I don't, and actually most of my units have and have had operational issues, (probably software-based), and none of them is at par with today's state of the art. My top player (a Sony) actually won't even play the few 4K discs I own, which made me try a rather cheap BD/4K ROM reader/recorder for computer use (The "German" Techpulse top model) with the manufacturer's recommended software. This cheap ROM player seems to play the 4K discs just fine, but the recommended (plus two more tried) PC software does not. I contacted the software manufacturer. After three weeks, after having provided them with all the required technical information and the disc codes of the movies I have tried to play, they got back to me with an apology: "We are sorry to inform you that our software cannot play your discs", after which I decided to stop trying until I come up with a better idea. Sorry for not being able to help you in deciding for a good product.
I have the same Panasonic, no major problems. Had to unplug it once in the year I've had it for a strange frozen menu...issue never returned. I have 2 backup players xbox/x, and Sony x800 region free. The issue you had with criterion, Ive never had, I occasional, meaning in couple movies Ive had glitching with the crow 4k, but write that up as a known disc issue. Your fortunate its still under warranty.
If its not able to be fixed I would look to get either a 450 for the dolby vision or a 150 I think with the 820ek upscaling. As the 150 and 450 have a 12volt barrel jack you could get panasonic 4k from regions A B and C so you would he covered for all regions with out having to use a mod or custom bios.
It could be the multi-region thing that is killing it. Happened to my Panasonic DVD player that I had modified to play all regions.
Hi there Jerry,
Don't worry was not a waste of time, mine is Reavon X100, will not play us Blu-Ray, but 4Ks are fine, Watching the Witch.
It does play any region
I can give you the code if you need it
I had a Sony X700M and it skipped and froze all the time. I tried quite a few things with no luck. I tried 4 different movies and 3 of them had issues. It was very disappointing. The one that worked was a doubled layer disc but It just couldn't deal with the tripple layered discs. I took it back and got a Panasonic DP-UB450P-K and everything has run much smoother. The only downer is the 450 doesn't have an upscaler but my TV does well in that department.
@@andrewbrown3070 Good to know-Thanks
Sony or LG are my favorite 4K player. Probably 1 out of 4 players I’ll have issues with. Possibly could be your HMDI cable not jiving with your tv
@@dvdbluraydude3038 I considered the cable issue but a friend has the same setup with no issues. It’s a 8K cable.
I’ve had a Sony x800 for 5yrs and the Panasonic u820 more than 2yrs and no problems with them.
Sadly, it would appear we are moving towards the end of disc spinners. We are down to basically 2 companies building players now, and they have not dropped new models in quite some time now. at least in the entry & mid level market. . I’ve had both, neither has lasted past the 2 year mark. My Oppo is still spinning disc, 7 years in. Reavon & Magentar players are probably outstanding players I’m sure, that said, they might be priced above where most will want to go. Just a thought.
That is sad. I hope all these discs don’t become useless. People seem to love the Oppo players, so you lucked out!
Hello, I have both players you have. Both region-free. As yet I've not had a problem, it's been about a year I think. At first I could not get the Panasonic to work right. I returned it to the company and they immediately sent a new one. Same issue with that one, it would hang on the Welcome screen...Finally did a proper factory reset (I"d tried that with the first player, but apparently I did something wrong). This time it worked: I realized it had never fully set itself up with the TV...that made all the difference. Since then it's been working really well. I use the Panasonic for color films, and the Sony for most b&w ones and TV shows...I think the Sony has great picture quality, but it's a cheap player i don't expect to last very long. Based on the reputation I expect the Panasonic to last longer. Sorry you've had bad player. I'd suggest trying another one if the company offers it, or purchase the 9000 model which has the more solid build. There are other high-end players others can recommend...I just can''t bring myself to spend that much for them.
How can somebody mod they’re player to do all regions? Does it shorten the lifespan of the player?
@@kyler6212 I’m no techie, so I really don’t know. As for if it affects the lifespan of the player-that’s something I’m currently wondering about. Wish I could be more helpful; hopefully someone else can answer this.
Sorry you're having those problems with your UB820. I've had mine for about 4 years and have had no problems with it. Once in a while you will get a bad unit, no matter the brand or model, that's why they have warranties. I hope that you will have better luck with the repair/replacement or which ever option you go with. BTW, I definitely think that 4k and HDR are worth it, especially with older films.
@@rickhopkins3863 Is your 820 region free?
@@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 I don’t know about that. It will play 4K discs from all regions, but Blu-rays and DVDs can be region locked as far as I know.
Was this modified to be region free?
probably yes!
@@assistantdogconsult Yes. But aren’t all region free players modified?
I know this sounds like a broken record in here, but yeah, my OPPO UDP-203 still works like a champ. Amazing machine
I have had a different problem with the same unit the door gets stuck and I can't eject the disc
Yes, that happened to me as well.
Panasonic bdp 9000 I would recommend . I have Panasonic 900 player from 2017 still works great.
My best 4k player is any device I have VLC installed.😁
All I’ve owned are Sony and oppo. The Sony send to be holding up well for me so far.
@@Prometheus1979 Which model is your Sony?
UBP-X700. Think it’s around 2 years old.
Best i know of is still the oppo 205, mine is a tank!. They even still repair and support them!
People seem unanimous in loving the Oppo. Wish they still made them!
Didn’t know that the Panasonic 820 was a region free player I have it or I think I have it but it’s playing great so far but if I put in a different region it will not play it !! So is mines region free ??how can I tell ?
You would have to deliberately buy that model that has been modified to be multi region. But with the player you have, there’s apparently a workaround using your remote to enable that player to play region B discs. You can find TH-cam videos demonstrating that.
@@babymaker13th no, it's not region free if it's straight from Panasonic...except for the fact that all 4k discs are region free. You only have to worry about regions on DVD and standard 1080p Bluray. Some units are modified by another company (not Panasonic) to be region free on those lesser discs, but I think that's where the most problems come in. Some other company has modified the original unit in order to make it able to play foreign DVDs and Blurays. I don't trust that. I would stick with your unmodified 4k player, and if you decide you need a region free player for the 3 or 4 discs you can't get in America, buy some cheap modified player for those. But keep your main player unmodified for better reliability. That's what I did anyway.
Weird. I bought my region free Panasonic 820 from 220 Electronics back in March 2024 and had no issues at all; I own many Criterion BDs and 4K BDs and they worked fine. Did you buy it from 220 Electronics, by any chance?
I did indeed.
Had mine since launch, no problems at all. Touch wood. 🤓
It sounds like a faulty laser unit. I've purchased my UB820 for about 3 or 4 years now (used) and had no problems whatsoever. Just some minor problems with freezing on some discs but mainly because of the discs. Also, some minor problems with very few 4k discs, when reaching their third layer. But this is a common issue with 4k players, not every time the tracking/reading works perfectly. Other than that, problem free, even after each firmware update. It's all a lottery nowadays with these machines.
Is yours a region free player?
@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 , nope, just region B
Not the Panasonic UB-9000 , matey !
get the 9000.I have'nt heard any bad reports on it.
@@larryhazelwood5491 There’s been at least one negative comment about that model in this post, unfortunately.
I ordered a new Oppo 205 the day it came out . Not quite 600 dollars.
Best picture and sound. And doesnt know when to quit
@@musicman8270 People here seem to love that brand. I wish they still made them.
I have an entry level blu ray player Sony BDP-S1700 ,you can have problems with all player,but when it's a cheap one just replace it .
@@vanstraelend Good point!
I'm confused. My apologies for getting off the central subject. You stated that you had the player plugged into the wall instead of a power strip. I have my equipment plugged into a surge guard powerstrip. So far, I've had no problems with that. But, I've heard that some have been having problems. Is there something that I need to be aware of?
I’ve just heard before that if there is a problem with certain electronics, sometimes plugging them into the wall might fix it.
@ Oh.Ok.
Pioneer machines were fantastic, alas they are no longer in the game.
@@GregMoore-g2o I had a Pioneer laserdisc player. Never had a problem with it.
I have the UB820 for 2 1/2 years it has never had a problem not even one.
@@budball2 Is it region free?
Panasonic always was my First choice, nowadays i hate their products, because of the decrease in longevity. It's the same with Philips.
My oppo-203 running strong. 7 years
Next time try a factory reset before you send it in for service. Did you try that?
@@scottcraig5394 Thanks. I was going to, but then read comments that it didn’t work on this same player.
@@thekazdoyclosetwithjerryka1013 I would try it next time. Any player can be factory reset.
@@scottcraig5394 I meant that I read the factory reset didn’t fix the problem, but I’ll try it next time…and hopefully there won’t be a next time.
I have a panasonic ub9000, it is horrible, I have most of the same problems as you. It's actually my second because the first one did the same thing crutchfield gave me a second one. Now the second one is the same. Panasonic has terrible customer service. If you have advise on how to get ahold of them, I would very much appreciate it.
These Panasonics are great when they work, but man, are they buggy.
Think when 8k arrives gonna have same issues.
Never gonna happen....
Mines been running for over 5 years no problems ever
@@danemoreno88 Good to know! Is yours region free?
@ not sure it’s a us model so probably not
Magnetar UDP900 [Multi-Region & Multi-Zone]
Get the $3000 top of the line 4k player. I haven't heard anything bad about it.
And, which one would that be?
for $4000 kaleidescape is better!!!
@@kellywilliamson2187 I believe it's Magnetar.
I've hear of one major issue. It's quite expensive.