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Panasonic UB820

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Picture quality
Audio quality
Connectivity
User interface
Disc compatibility
Additional features
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13 Verified Hands-On Reviews

To combat fake reviews we only accept video reviews from verified channels. Each review must show the product and the face of the reviewer.

Expert reviews [13]

93
Total expert reviews: 13
  • with a score: 10
  • without a score: 3
Highest score by What Hi-Fi
100
Average score based on 13 reviews
93
Lowest score by 7Review
80

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20
100
The Panasonic DP-UB820EB is a high-quality 4K Blu-ray player that offers impressive picture processing technology at a lower price point than its flagship counterpart. It delivers a hugely immersive and impactful picture, backed up by a strong audio performance, making it a great buy for those with a 4K Blu-ray format and a suitable home cinema set-up.
+ pros
  • Impressive picture processing technology at a lower price point than its flagship counterpart, the DP-UB9000.
  • Supports all major HDR formats and surround sound codecs found on modern 4K Blu-rays and streaming services.
  • Powered by Panasonic's second-generation HCX picture processing engine, which includes an HDR Optimiser that improves tone-mapping in an HDR picture with static metadata.
  • Has all the necessary catch-up and on-demand video streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.
  • Delivers a hugely immersive and impactful picture, backed up by a strong audio performance.
- cons
  • None mentioned.
92
The Panasonic DP-UB820 is a premium 4K UHD Blu-ray player with exceptional build quality and a wide range of connectivity options. It offers top-notch audio/visual performance and supports HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG, making it the best 4K Blu-ray player for most movie watchers.
+ pros
  • Supports HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG
  • Excellent audio/visual performance
  • Great build quality
  • Lots of settings
  • Dual HDMI outputs
- cons
  • Lacks some high-end features such as balanced XLR outputs
  • No SACD or DVD-Audio support
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ReviewFinder: authentic product reviews summarized by a powerful AI engine.

Expert consensus

The Panasonic UB820 is a highly recommended Blu-ray player with exceptional picture quality, good audio capabilities, a variety of connectivity options, and additional features like streaming services and voice control.

The Panasonic UB820 is a highly recommended Blu-ray player for its exceptional picture quality, with excellent upscaling capabilities for non-4K content and support for every version of high dynamic range (HDR) available. It also offers good audio capabilities, supporting a wide range of high-resolution audio formats and outputting multi-channel audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

The player has a variety of connectivity options, including Ethernet and dual-band Wi-Fi, as well as an optical audio output for connecting to an audio system. It is a great choice for those looking for a reliable and versatile media player with a range of connectivity options. The user interface may be best suited for more advanced users who want to tweak various audio and visual settings.

The player can handle a variety of disc formats, including 3D movies, and is region-free. It also offers additional features such as streaming services, media file playback from a USB drive, and voice control capabilities through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Overall, the Panasonic UB820 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.

Picture quality

The Panasonic UB820 is a top-rated Blu-ray player with exceptional upscaling capabilities, HDR support, and 4:4:4 color sampling, delivering reference quality video and the best picture quality for its price range.

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. Overall, the Panasonic UB820 is an excellent choice for those who want the best picture quality from their Blu-ray player.

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Audio quality

The Panasonic UB820 is a great Blu-ray player with good audio capabilities, but lacks beefed-up audio circuitry for high-end analog music listening, making it not ideal for audiophile sound quality.

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.

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Connectivity

The Panasonic UB820 offers a range of connectivity options, including Ethernet and dual-band Wi-Fi, but does not support Bluetooth.

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.

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User interface

The user interface of the Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player has received mixed reviews, with some finding it user-friendly for basic operations while others criticize it for being unintuitive and difficult to navigate.

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. Overall, the user interface of the Panasonic UB820 may be best suited for users who prioritize performance and customization options over ease of use.

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Disc compatibility

The Panasonic UB820 is a premium 4K Ultra HD Blu Ray Player that supports a range of disc formats and is region-free, making it a great choice for those looking for a high-quality player.

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.

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Additional features

The Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player is a versatile device that supports popular streaming services, can play media files from a USB drive, and has voice control capabilities through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

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.

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Position in ranking

We maintain a monthly ranking that sums up expert recommendations for all blu-ray players.

Rank Change Price Blu-ray Player
TechRadar
Fix the Photo
Wirecutter
The Master Switch
What Hi-Fi
IndieWire
CNET
Digital Trends
The Techlounge
Crutchfield
1
- $398
Panasonic UB820
The Panasonic UB820 is a highly recommended Blu-ray player with exceptional picture quality, good audio capabilities, a variety of connectivity options, and additional features like streaming services and voice control.
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1
12
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3
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3
7
1
2
- $228
Sony UBP-X800M2
The Sony UBP-X800M2 is a high-quality Blu-ray player that delivers exceptional picture and audio quality, with excellent HDR support, multi-channel audio output, and versatile connectivity options.
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2
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7
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4
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2
1
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3
+1 $158
Sony UBP-X700
The Sony UBP-X700 is a highly rated and versatile 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player that offers excellent upscaling, HDR support, multi-format disc playback, and a range of connectivity options and streaming services.
2
7
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6
3
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1
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4
-1 Check price
XBox Series X
The Xbox Series X is a top-notch gaming console with excellent picture and audio quality, smooth gameplay, and a comprehensive range of connectivity options, making it a great choice for gamers and entertainment enthusiasts.
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3
5
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3
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The best 4K HDR player
26 Apr 2024 (7 months ago)
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23 Mar 2024 (8 months ago)
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A Great Value For The Money
7 Jan 2023 (1 year ago)
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Best high-end 4K Blu-ray player
20 Nov 2023 (1 year ago)
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Highest recommended blu-ray players this month

ReviewFinder ranks based on a combination of customer reviews, expert reviews / mentions and popularity. Expert recommendations carry the highest weight in the ranking. We do not rank based on price, our commission or brand. blu-ray players below are at the top of our ranking this November.

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Panasonic UB820 (this item) Sony UBP-X800M2 Sony UBP-X700 XBox Series X
Reviews
In comparison:
Panasonic UB820 rank #1 out of 52. Very high levels of customer satisfaction.
Go to rankings
8.7
Great
Reviews
In comparison:
Sony UBP-X800M2 rank #2 out of 52. Very high levels of customer satisfaction.
Go to rankings
8.7
Great
Reviews
In comparison:
Sony UBP-X700 rank #3 out of 52. Very high levels of customer satisfaction.
Go to rankings
8.4
Great
Reviews
We don't yet have enough review information for XBox Series X
Price
Price
Price
The Panasonic UB820 is a highly recommended Blu-ray player with exceptional picture quality, good audio capabilities, a variety of connectivity options, and additional features like streaming services and voice control. The Sony UBP-X800M2 is a high-quality Blu-ray player that delivers exceptional picture and audio quality, with excellent HDR support, multi-channel audio output, and versatile connectivity options. The Sony UBP-X700 is a highly rated and versatile 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player that offers excellent upscaling, HDR support, multi-format disc playback, and a range of connectivity options and streaming services. The Xbox Series X is a top-notch gaming console with excellent picture and audio quality, smooth gameplay, and a comprehensive range of connectivity options, making it a great choice for gamers and entertainment enthusiasts.
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