Check out the full unboxings and reviews of each player below ⬇ • UB820 - th-cam.com/video/kzbtGQWWOHs/w-d-xo.html • UB9000 - th-cam.com/video/vNLbqXAw-Yc/w-d-xo.html
I'm all about having my room as quiet as possible. In fact, after changing all of my cables multiple times on my high-performance Dolby Atmos setup, when I press mute or pause there are occasions I'm actually unable to differentiate whether the system is on or off. The room is really that quiet. Hence, I went for the 9000
I HAD to upgrade from the 820 to the 9000 when I replaced my media cabinet and moved the 820 from a suspended metal tray where it used to sit on the old one, to a sturdy wooden shelf on the new one. This new placement was amplifying the 820 vibration when playing discs, producing a clearly udible hum during most playing time. After trying, without success, all sorts of insulation pads I ended up buying the 9000 on Amazon (to have the chance to return it if it'd had the same problem) and it immediately resulted dead silent (and looking a lot better and premium). Is it worth the huge price difference? If you don't have a specific problem like I had with the 820 (and I didn't for the many years I used it in the old media cabinet) and, like most, are not gonna use the more advanced internal audio decoding, definitely not: playback quality is completely the same (very good) on both models.
I can definitely understand your need to upgrade! But like you said in the end, it's not for most people. I'm glad it's working out well for you! I would have loved to have kept it.
The Video portion is the same on both decks. The 9000 has analog audio outs and an aluminum case so it can be held up with screws in a rack. Same interface and guts for video for both the 820 and 9000. When you connect the HDMI cable the analog audio is disabled. If you don't put it in a rack or use analog audio outs get the 820 and save some money for 4k movies like I did.
I have both the 820 and the 9000. For BD/4K playback it is exactly the same for both video/audio. For CD playback, via analogue, the 9000’s sound quality is really top notch. It is very noticeable on how much more dynamic the sound is. It is now currently out of warranty, but I have problems with the disc door on the 9000. It often gets stuck and I have to stick a pin underneath to slide the door open to get a disc out. It seems to only be an issue with BD/4K discs for whatever reason.
That's what I've read when it comes to the UB9000! I wish I would have had the opportunity to really crank it up, but I certainly believe it. You may be able to find a fix for it somewhere within Reddit or here on TH-cam. Things tend to mess up after the warranty is expired, of course!
I too appreciate the features in my 820, and was worth spending a little more for, than the 420, but I too don't justify the $500 gap for the 9000 model. The only caveat with the 820 is the non back-lit remote.
I personally bought the Panasonic DP-UB420. I got the player with features I needed, not wanted. As I wasn’t going to pay double the price for Dolby Vision HDR. That’s like buying a PS5 for a single game that ultimately will make its way to PC. I’m especially impressed with the upscaling quality. It makes one of my favorite series, 1985’s North and South with Patrick Swayze look crisp and clean. Makes it look like it’s a Blu-ray instead of a DVD.
I'm glad you're enjoying the UB420! I love upgrading movies to 4K, so I use Dolby Vision quite often and the lack of a screen steered me away from it personally. I agree that it does a good job of upscaling older formats!
Switched from the Sony to the Panasonic 820. Big red flag was the Sony had no fan to remove heat from the enclosure. Sony wouldn't switch to Dolby Vision automatically either which is crazy. The 9000 is just way too expensive for what's provided.
I have two Sony UBP-X800M2. One works well, the other freezes sometimes during UHD playback. I've been thinking of picking up a Panasonic to replace it. As someone who wants to minimize the sound of anything spinning, I'll probably have to save up my pennies for the 9000.
Another great video, man. I’m 61 and have been into high end audio and electronics for years. I bought one of the very last Cambridge CXUHD 4K players and love it, although I’ve only used it once and it’s boxed back up. (That’s another story). Any chance you might be reviewing any of the Magnetar universal disc players? They have a sister brand/company as well, but I can’t think of the name at the moment. Thanks and great job. You’re a natural at this.
Thank you, kind sir! It's funny you mention Magnetar because I was just chatting with them via email the day before, haha. I plan on reviewing it sometime in the near future, but it would probably be a two to three months out.
The Magnetars appear to be the logical successors to the Oppo-203 and 205. Their user interfaces even look similar to the Oppo's (I read somewhere that some of Oppo's engineers migrated to Magnetars after Oppo pulled the plug on physical disc players). They get great reviews as disc spinners and it appears, like the Oppos that they can play almost any combination of video and audio encoding in MKV and MP4 files via their USB inputs or over a network via DLNA. That is the one weakness of the Panny 820b and 9000. They can play video files but are limited, especially when it comes to audio encodes. They can't play lossless audio (Atmos , DolbyTrue, DTS-HD or DTS-X) or even E-AC3 in a video file. I have both a Panny 9000 and my trusty old Oppo-203. The 9000 is my primary disc player while the 203 is used for discs and everything else. If my Oppo were to go toes up I would replace it with a Magetar UDP-800 without thinking twice.
@@MrNorcal81 This is very good information to know and I thank you! I’m thinking of Magnetar’s “heavyweight” player for a possible second one. If I understand correctly, my Cambridge CXUHD is simply an OPPO 205 without any internal DAC(s). I really want a universal player with I2S outputs in order to use my own DAC. It sounds like even with the 9000 minor shortcomings, that you are still quite happy with it. I gather the same from B-ice as well. He has done a very good video on these Panasonic players. Cheers!
I bought an 820 before I realised only the 9000 has the now-nit projector hdr output setting... I didn't read or hear anything about that in so many comparisons I looked up.
I went with the 9000 simply for the better build quality. I wanted a player that would last me a while. Plus I got a really good deal on it too so that helped
I don't own, so I don't know for fact, but I have read in several places that despite MKV and MP4 support, neither player allows pass through of newer audio formats such as DTSX and Atmos. True? Need for such suupport comes from wanting to show off your setup with demo clips or riped discs to save wear and tear od the disc drive for repeated view movies. Think of your kids favorite movie that gets played weekly if not daily.
I'm not completely sure on that one. I only watch my movies via disc, so I had mentioned in my UB9000 review that I would refer to forums and other online research, so I don't say incorrectly.
@@wxman2003 jjchmiel78 is correct. You can't pass DTS-X Dolby Atmos, or any other HD audio from a .mkv file on this player. Only standard audio formats from a .mkv file. It will show a message saying this audio is not supported if you try to play a file with DTS-X or Dolby Atmos. I've tried several files with DTS-X and Dolby Atmos. There is no sound!
The 9000 is basically a clone of the OPPO 203, including the work of art disc drive. There are several OPPO clones out there but people are still buying the real thing online for bookus amout of money and for good reason
It is pretty similar, but there is more to the Panasonic in terms of UI than the Oppo. I sold mine because they were no longer supporting them, and it's only a matter of time before they all bite the dust.
@@b-icemedia Thats true but I'm going to hang with it till it dies. To me there's no more importanr feature than reliability. Not to mention the features. Best addition I ever made and for 550 bucks
I don't know if my ub824 is faulty, but it's pretty loud, especially during the first couple of scenes during playback, in movie menu is like jet taking off.
Hmm, that definitely seems strange! I'd make sure it's not too dusty, and it's in a well ventilated area to avoid overheating. That's what it sounds like to me.
@@b-icemedia it's brand new, it's not the fan making noise, it's the drive, it's spins much faster in menu and first 20-30 min of a movie, after that it gets quiter. Other than that, it works fine, no skipping or anything.
They are same player for blu ray playback same chip the only difference is the build quality and UB9000 4K has some audio CD format playback the UB820 does not.
I bought this player 3-4 years ago and it stop reading my discs. Very disappointed paid $500 for this machine I would never buy this model again. I have the Panasonic ub420 and it works flawlessly!!
Thank you for the info and demo 👏🏼👍🏼 I have the DP - UB820 👍🏼 User interface and streaming can be poor when streaming at times it won’t connect and just goes blank they’ve got a switch it off again and start again And also what you do select either only them two main options TH-cam on Netflix it can also freeze again so you’ve got to go back through and switch it off again sometimes you have to do a factory reset which helps the stream inside of it for awhile But as if 4K player brilliant and for the sound reproduction, brilliant car vault 👏🏼👍🏼👊🏼🏴🇬🇧
Thanks for watching! They both have poor streaming capabilities, but I suppose it really only matters with disc based playback, which is the main thing!
@@b-icemedia All 820s are region locked with blu rays and dvds, only 4K discs are region free. A hardware mod can be added to the 820/9000 though, and there is also some software hacks with certain button presses that can get some region coded blu rays to play.
All 820s are region locked with blu rays and dvds, only 4K discs are region free. A hardware mod can be added to the 820/9000 though, and there is also some software hacks with certain button presses that can get some region coded blu rays to play.
Me and one of my best buddies have had had the 820 for almost 4 yrs him 3, and we never ever had a problem with it.. works amazing and image quality is suberb
Check out the full unboxings and reviews of each player below ⬇
• UB820 - th-cam.com/video/kzbtGQWWOHs/w-d-xo.html
• UB9000 - th-cam.com/video/vNLbqXAw-Yc/w-d-xo.html
I'm all about having my room as quiet as possible. In fact, after changing all of my cables multiple times on my high-performance Dolby Atmos setup, when I press mute or pause there are occasions I'm actually unable to differentiate whether the system is on or off. The room is really that quiet.
Hence, I went for the 9000
I can understand that! Humming noises or loud fans bug me during playback. I'm glad you're enjoying the UB9000!
I HAD to upgrade from the 820 to the 9000 when I replaced my media cabinet and moved the 820 from a suspended metal tray where it used to sit on the old one, to a sturdy wooden shelf on the new one. This new placement was amplifying the 820 vibration when playing discs, producing a clearly udible hum during most playing time. After trying, without success, all sorts of insulation pads I ended up buying the 9000 on Amazon (to have the chance to return it if it'd had the same problem) and it immediately resulted dead silent (and looking a lot better and premium).
Is it worth the huge price difference? If you don't have a specific problem like I had with the 820 (and I didn't for the many years I used it in the old media cabinet) and, like most, are not gonna use the more advanced internal audio decoding, definitely not: playback quality is completely the same (very good) on both models.
I can definitely understand your need to upgrade! But like you said in the end, it's not for most people. I'm glad it's working out well for you! I would have loved to have kept it.
The Video portion is the same on both decks. The 9000 has analog audio outs and an aluminum case so it can be held up with screws in a rack. Same interface and guts for video for both the 820 and 9000. When you connect the HDMI cable the analog audio is disabled. If you don't put it in a rack or use analog audio outs get the 820 and save some money for 4k movies like I did.
The differences are definitely minimal for the price difference! That's why the UB820 was the go to for me.
I have both the 820 and the 9000. For BD/4K playback it is exactly the same for both video/audio. For CD playback, via analogue, the 9000’s sound quality is really top notch. It is very noticeable on how much more dynamic the sound is. It is now currently out of warranty, but I have problems with the disc door on the 9000. It often gets stuck and I have to stick a pin underneath to slide the door open to get a disc out. It seems to only be an issue with BD/4K discs for whatever reason.
That's what I've read when it comes to the UB9000! I wish I would have had the opportunity to really crank it up, but I certainly believe it. You may be able to find a fix for it somewhere within Reddit or here on TH-cam. Things tend to mess up after the warranty is expired, of course!
The ub 9000 is built like a brick not a plastic toy, I love mine
I remember thinking the same thing when I first got my UB820, haha.
I have the 820 and love it. I watch blu ray on it and it looks very well on my Sony OLeD. it made my TV looks just like it does in the store
I too appreciate the features in my 820, and was worth spending a little more for, than the 420, but I too don't justify the $500 gap for the 9000 model. The only caveat with the 820 is the non back-lit remote.
I'm glad you're enjoying it! I have yet to test a Sony OLED...it's on my to-do list for this year!
I personally bought the Panasonic DP-UB420. I got the player with features I needed, not wanted. As I wasn’t going to pay double the price for Dolby Vision HDR. That’s like buying a PS5 for a single game that ultimately will make its way to PC. I’m especially impressed with the upscaling quality. It makes one of my favorite series, 1985’s North and South with Patrick Swayze look crisp and clean. Makes it look like it’s a Blu-ray instead of a DVD.
I'm glad you're enjoying the UB420! I love upgrading movies to 4K, so I use Dolby Vision quite often and the lack of a screen steered me away from it personally. I agree that it does a good job of upscaling older formats!
Switched from the Sony to the Panasonic 820. Big red flag was the Sony had no fan to remove heat from the enclosure. Sony wouldn't switch to Dolby Vision automatically either which is crazy.
The 9000 is just way too expensive for what's provided.
I have two Sony UBP-X800M2. One works well, the other freezes sometimes during UHD playback. I've been thinking of picking up a Panasonic to replace it. As someone who wants to minimize the sound of anything spinning, I'll probably have to save up my pennies for the 9000.
Yeah, I tested the X800M2 last year, and I did not like the HDR setup at all on it. I'm glad the UB820 is working out for you though! 👍🏻
thanks a lot for this clear comparison
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching.
Another great video, man. I’m 61 and have been into high end audio and electronics for years. I bought one of the very last Cambridge CXUHD 4K players and love it, although I’ve only used it once and it’s boxed back up. (That’s another story).
Any chance you might be reviewing any of the Magnetar universal disc players? They have a sister brand/company as well, but I can’t think of the name at the moment.
Thanks and great job. You’re a natural at this.
Thank you, kind sir! It's funny you mention Magnetar because I was just chatting with them via email the day before, haha. I plan on reviewing it sometime in the near future, but it would probably be a two to three months out.
The Magnetars appear to be the logical successors to the Oppo-203 and 205. Their user interfaces even look similar to the Oppo's (I read somewhere that some of Oppo's engineers migrated to Magnetars after Oppo pulled the plug on physical disc players). They get great reviews as disc spinners and it appears, like the Oppos that they can play almost any combination of video and audio encoding in MKV and MP4 files via their USB inputs or over a network via DLNA. That is the one weakness of the Panny 820b and 9000. They can play video files but are limited, especially when it comes to audio encodes. They can't play lossless audio (Atmos , DolbyTrue, DTS-HD or DTS-X) or even E-AC3 in a video file. I have both a Panny 9000 and my trusty old Oppo-203. The 9000 is my primary disc player while the 203 is used for discs and everything else. If my Oppo were to go toes up I would replace it with a Magetar UDP-800 without thinking twice.
@@MrNorcal81
This is very good information to know and I thank you!
I’m thinking of Magnetar’s “heavyweight” player for a possible second one. If I understand correctly, my Cambridge CXUHD is simply an OPPO 205 without any internal DAC(s).
I really want a universal player with I2S outputs in order to use my own DAC. It sounds like even with the 9000 minor shortcomings, that you are still quite happy with it. I gather the same from B-ice as well. He has done a very good video on these Panasonic players.
Cheers!
I have the CXUHD also - and, like you, it's boxed up right now for a problem it developed when playing DVDs.
@@MikeMargolis-j8f
Sorry to hear that. About how many hours do you have on it and how did you determine that DVD’s caused the problem?
Nice video bro I'm a big fan of blu-rays and DVDs
Thanks, man! I'm a huge collector, so a great player is a must-have for me.
@@b-icemedia yeah I’m trying to get a hold of a Blu-ray player since I have a lot of Blu-ray’s and I’m planning to upgrade my DVDs to them
I bought an 820 before I realised only the 9000 has the now-nit projector hdr output setting... I didn't read or hear anything about that in so many comparisons I looked up.
Yes, I didn't realize that either until after I posted this video! It's definitely not talked about a lot.
I went with the 9000 simply for the better build quality. I wanted a player that would last me a while.
Plus I got a really good deal on it too so that helped
Can't beat the build quality + a good deal! Congrats on it.
I don't own, so I don't know for fact, but I have read in several places that despite MKV and MP4 support, neither player allows pass through of newer audio formats such as DTSX and Atmos. True? Need for such suupport comes from wanting to show off your setup with demo clips or riped discs to save wear and tear od the disc drive for repeated view movies. Think of your kids favorite movie that gets played weekly if not daily.
I'm not completely sure on that one. I only watch my movies via disc, so I had mentioned in my UB9000 review that I would refer to forums and other online research, so I don't say incorrectly.
That's incorrect.
@@wxman2003 jjchmiel78 is correct. You can't pass DTS-X Dolby Atmos, or any other HD audio from a .mkv file on this player. Only standard audio formats from a .mkv file. It will show a message saying this audio is not supported if you try to play a file with DTS-X or Dolby Atmos. I've tried several files with DTS-X and Dolby Atmos. There is no sound!
The 9000 is basically a clone of the OPPO 203, including the work of art disc drive.
There are several OPPO clones out there but people are still buying the real thing online for bookus amout of money and for good reason
It is pretty similar, but there is more to the Panasonic in terms of UI than the Oppo. I sold mine because they were no longer supporting them, and it's only a matter of time before they all bite the dust.
@@b-icemedia Thats true but I'm going to hang with it till it dies.
To me there's no more importanr feature than reliability. Not to mention the features.
Best addition I ever made and for 550 bucks
Will they play 3D movies? such as the old Panasonic 3D Blu-ray players specifically designed for 3D play back.
Yes, it will playback 3D Blu-Rays.
Will the ub9000 remote work with the ub820?
It sure will! I have a video about here that you can check out: th-cam.com/video/LweAohTY4gw/w-d-xo.html
I don't know if my ub824 is faulty, but it's pretty loud, especially during the first couple of scenes during playback, in movie menu is like jet taking off.
Hmm, that definitely seems strange! I'd make sure it's not too dusty, and it's in a well ventilated area to avoid overheating. That's what it sounds like to me.
@@b-icemedia it's brand new, it's not the fan making noise, it's the drive, it's spins much faster in menu and first 20-30 min of a movie, after that it gets quiter. Other than that, it works fine, no skipping or anything.
They are same player for blu ray playback same chip the only difference is the build quality and UB9000 4K has some audio CD format playback the UB820 does not.
Yes, it is for the most part. The THX certification does supposedly ensure a boost in picture quality, but it looked the same to me.
Have you compared the UBK90 vs UB820?
No, I have not. I think the LG UBK90 is discontinued.
I bought this player 3-4 years ago and it stop reading my discs. Very disappointed paid $500 for this machine I would never buy this model again. I have the Panasonic ub420 and it works flawlessly!!
I'm sorry to hear that! The UB420 is a great player too and significantly cheaper than these two.
Thank you for the info and demo 👏🏼👍🏼
I have the DP - UB820 👍🏼
User interface and streaming can be poor when streaming at times it won’t connect and just goes blank they’ve got a switch it off again and start again
And also what you do select either only them two main options TH-cam on Netflix it can also freeze again so you’ve got to go back through and switch it off again sometimes you have to do a factory reset which helps the stream inside of it for awhile
But as if 4K player brilliant and for the sound reproduction, brilliant car vault 👏🏼👍🏼👊🏼🏴🇬🇧
Thanks for watching! They both have poor streaming capabilities, but I suppose it really only matters with disc based playback, which is the main thing!
@@b-icemedia You’re welcome 🏴🇬🇧
Does either player do region-free discs either in Blu-ray or 4k?
Yes! Region-free discs should play in any player.
@@b-icemedia All 820s are region locked with blu rays and dvds, only 4K discs are region free. A hardware mod can be added to the 820/9000 though, and there is also some software hacks with certain button presses that can get some region coded blu rays to play.
All 820s are region locked with blu rays and dvds, only 4K discs are region free. A hardware mod can be added to the 820/9000 though, and there is also some software hacks with certain button presses that can get some region coded blu rays to play.
They will plat region free discs but won't play discs from any region.
HD DVD VARDIA RD-1A ???🎉
No, it doesn't support HD DVD. That is considered a dead format as blu-ray defeated it long ago!
I have the 820. It skips. These are not great players. A lot of owners complain. I’m making a video. I’m so mad
I'm sorry to hear that's been your experience! May just be a lemon out of the bunch.
Me and one of my best buddies have had had the 820 for almost 4 yrs him 3, and we never ever had a problem with it.. works amazing and image quality is suberb
My 820 has been working great!🤷🏻♂️