Panasonic UB820

The Panasonic UB820 is a highly recommended Blu-ray player for its exceptional picture quality. It has excellent upscaling capabilities for non-4K content, producing clear and sharp images with superb deinterlacing and scaling features. The player's HCX processor incorporates Panasonic’s HD Optimizer, taking HDR picture quality to a new level, and provides 4K Direct Chroma Up-scaling that converts Full HD to 4K resolution, making standard Blu-rays look beautifully crisp.

The HDR support of the player is also impressive, with support for every version of high dynamic range (HDR) available, including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG). The HDR Optimizer adjusts the image to extract the most detail, particularly in whites and bright scenes, taking into account the brightness limitations of your display.

The 4:4:4 color sampling that Panasonic uses results in precision and depth that makes colors stand out but without being too overbearing. When playing 4K content, the player delivers reference quality video and easily rivals and even beats the performance of Blu-ray players costing substantially more.

While there is no specific information on how the player handles motion and fast-paced scenes, the pictures are crisp and detailed with well-defined edges and refined dynamic range, suggesting that the player is capable of handling fast-paced scenes with clarity and smoothness.

The Panasonic UB820 supports a wide range of high-resolution audio formats and has the ability to output multi-channel audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. It is equipped with a built-in 192-kHz/32-bit 4-DAC and can handle virtually any audio codec, including 5.1 and 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD.

However, while the player delivers excellent video and audio performance, it may not produce audiophile sound quality due to its design lacking beefed-up audio circuitry for high-end analog music listening. Overall, the Panasonic UB820 is a great option for those looking for a high-quality Blu-ray player with good audio capabilities, but for those seeking audiophile sound quality, the flagship DP-UB9000 may be a better choice.

The Panasonic UB820 offers a variety of connectivity options, including an Ethernet port for a wired internet connection, dual-band Wi-Fi up to 802.11ac standards, and an optical audio output for transmitting digital PCM and bitstream audio. Experts recommend using the Ethernet connection for a more stable internet connection when streaming via the player's built-in apps.

However, the player does not support Bluetooth connectivity. Overall, the Panasonic UB820 is a great option for those looking for a reliable and versatile media player with a range of connectivity options.

The user interface of the Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player has received mixed reviews from experts. While some reviewers have found it to be user-friendly for basic operations such as playing discs or streaming video, others have criticized it for being unintuitive and difficult to navigate.

However, the menu structure and home screen of the UB820 are the same as the highly-rated Panasonic DMP-UB900, which suggests that the user interface may be suitable for more advanced users who want to tweak various audio and visual settings.

The Panasonic UB820 is a premium 4K Ultra HD Blu Ray Player that supports a range of disc formats including standard Blu-rays, HD Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs, as well as 3D movies. While there is no specific mention of how well the player handles scratched or damaged discs, it is possible that it has some level of error correction to handle minor scratches.

Additionally, the UB820 is a region-free Blu-ray player, meaning it can play Blu-ray discs from any region. Overall, the Panasonic UB820 is a great choice for those looking for a high-quality Blu-ray player that can handle a variety of disc formats.

The Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player is a versatile device that offers a range of additional features. It supports popular streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube, as well as other services like Berliner Philharmoniker, BBC News and Sports, Euronews, Arte, and Tunein.

The player can also play media files from a USB drive, including MKV, MP4 (H.264/HEVC), TS (MPEG-2/H.264/HEVC), MPEG-2, AVCHD, and AVCHD 3D. However, it is important to note that external storage needs to be formatted in either FAT32 or NTFS formats to be recognized, and it may not be able to play as many combinations of formats as a dedicated media player would.

Additionally, the player has voice control capabilities through either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, allowing users to control the player by voice. This feature can be particularly useful for those who want to control the player hands-free while watching a movie or listening to music.

Overall, the Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player is a great choice for those who want a device that can play both physical media and streaming content, as well as offer additional features like voice control.