Best 4K Blu-ray Player: Discs are better than streaming

The DP-UB9000 flagship 4K Blu-ray player is Panasonic’s most ambitious player, and for AV enthusiasts, investing in this 4K player is a no-brainer.

The DP-UB9000 delivers an excellent UHD video performance courtesy of its image processing tech, and HDR support that covers HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. The images it produces feature astonishing detail and supreme smoothness thanks to its second generation HCX, and we found the player performed a capable job of upscaling HD Blu-ray discs too.

Our reviewer tested the player with a mid-range TV and found the results convincing, so pairing with a premium TV should elicit even better performance from the Panasonic player.

This Pana player also boasts a level of construction that exceeds its price; disc-loading speeds are decent while loading is smooth and quiet. Connectivity covers dual HDMI outputs (one audio only), two USBs (one is the faster v3.0), and optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, as well as a full 7.1 analogue channel output. There’s also balanced Neutrik XLR stereo connectors and Ethernet on hand to support the internal Wi-Fi.

When it comes to audio it sounds good – not quite audiophile in quality as the Magnetar UDP900, but it impresses nonetheless. If you’re looking for DVD-Audio and SACD support, you should consider the Magnetar UDP800.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB9000

There aren’t many new 4K Blu-ray players these days but a recent burst from Reavon and Magnetar has added new models. The UDP900 from Magnetar is expensive, but we find it to be an exceptional player too.

It is built like a tank but also sports an elegant design. It’s a player to make space for and you’ll certainly want to a solid surface to plant it on as it weighs 15.5kg. On the rear are dual HDMI outputs, as well multi-channel analogue outputs for those who want to connect a sound system to the player. The remote control is backlit so it can be used in the dark.

It’s a universal disc spinner, so whatever physical media you have it can play it, and with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision playback, it supports all the HDR formats too. Strangely, there’s no wireless connectivity, but it seems Magentar wants to keep the focus on physical media rather than streaming. We’re not going to complain about that.

Its very simple to set-up and operate, and playback is incredibly quiet during operation. We could hardly hear the disc spinning.

The actual video performance offers impressive upscaling to 4K, bringing out the best in Blu-rays. Our reviewer felt he was watching a picture equivalent to HDR thanks to the MediaTek chipset’s processing. The look of 4K discs will depend on your TV of choice, but we found the performance to be superb.

Its audio performance is also very impressive, delivering a clean, detailed delivery with precise stereo imaging with analogue music. This is a high-end 4K player at a huge cost, but it’s worth it in our opinion. For a less expensive but still premium 4K player, have a look at Magnetar’s own UDP800.

Reviewer: Steve Withers
Full Review: Magnetar UDP900

For home cinema enthusiasts the Magnetar UDP800 is one of the best players available, and it’ll be able to handle all your physical media too.

You could go for the even more expensive UDP900, but the only advantage is that you’ll get analogue 7.1 audio support. Otherwise the UBP800 will do fine.

It’s an elegant and well built player, weighing half as much as the UDP800 at 8kg. The remote control is backlit, helpful if you’re watching in a dark room, although we’re not fond of the button sizes which makes it tricky to use.

As it’s a universal disc spinner it can play any disc you have, whether that’s CD, DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and UHD Blu-ray. In terms of HDR it supports HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision playback. With audio tracks it is compatible with DSD64/128, multichannel DSD64, and 192kHz/24-bit PCM formats, and also supports media formats such as MKV, AVI, MP4, WAV, FLAC, and APE.

Boot up and loading times were very quick, and we found the Magnetar a simple and easy player to operate. Picture quality depends on your TV’s capabilities, but we found the UDP800 relays exactly what’s on the disc with excellent fidelity. Conversion of Blu-ray and DVD discs is practically flawless, and while there are controls for altering the performance, we’d advise against them.

In terms of audio, it’s an excellent performer too. It handled all the various discs our reviewer threw at it with no issues. The analogue audio performance is exceptional, offering clean, detailed delivery with precise stereo imaging.

Reviewer: Steve Withers
Full Review: Magnetar UDP800

If you own a TV that supports either Dolby Vision, HDR10+ or both, but don’t have the budget for a high-end player, then a 4K player below £500 / $500 such as the Panasonic DP-UB820 warrants closer investigation over its less expensive DP-UB450 sibling.

It has the same second generation HCR processor that’s included in the flagship model, which helps to produce a superb performance with UHD discs, as well as making standard Blu-ray discs look beautifully crisp. Colours are more precise and detailed than they are on rival disc spinners, and with Panasonic’s Optimiser feature, brightness and contrast can be boosted without washing out the image. Our reviewer found that feature made viewing HDR content in a bright room more satisfying to watch.

Picture quality is complemented by a decent selection of streaming apps, though the user interface is not the best. It’s also a classy frontman for a Dolby Atmos home cinema. When playing CDs we found it was worth experimenting with the Digital Tube up-sampler. It features a number of filters that mimic the warmth of tube amplification and it made our reviewer’s CD collection sound more homely.

Build quality is fine, and more in-keeping with Panasonic’s entry-level players, missing out on the premium metal finish the flagship UB9000 sports. We found the player looked presentable enough for the asking price. A remote is provided but if gets lost in the couch then there are manual buttons for power and disc loading on the player itself.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB820

Despite its less expensive build quality, the UBP-X700 retains many of the features in the discontinued UBP-X800 but actually includes support for Dolby Vision HDR this time. We believe it’s a great choice for anyone who wants an Ultra HD Blu-ray player that can deliver excellent video and audio.

We found picture performance to be terrific. UHD discs were flawlessly reproduced in minute detail, with the wider colour gamut and high dynamic range (HDR) of 4K discs all perfectly rendered by the Sony. Images are sharp and detailed with natural looking colours and no apparent artefacts. Our reviewer found the spinner even performed brilliantly with SDR content, getting the maximum out of every pixel.

The UBP-X700 is a digital transport (no analogue outputs), which means there is no DAC inside, just a digital signal being delivered either via HDMI or the coaxial digital output. Choose HDMI and there’s the benefit of lossless audio and immersive Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. While the X700 is not the audiophile’s choice, we found it was more than capable of delivering a quality experience whether with CDs, SACDs or streaming.

The drawback at this price compared to more premium players is that the X700’s construction feels flimsy compared to the UBP-X800M2. It’s a largely plastic player, but this is unlikely to be a concern if you’re not putting the player out in the open.

Reviewer: Steve Withers
Full reviews: Sony UBP-X700

The DP-UB450 is the cheapest player that features HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, making it a consumer-friendly player for anyone on the hunt for an affordable 4K Blu-ray player.

Our reviewer didn’t find the build quality to be great. It’s light, and the metal chassis feels thin, and it looks rather anonymous. Like the UB820, there are a pair of power and disc loading buttons if the remote gets lost.

Connectivity is not as extensive as the spinners above, with just twin HDMI connections for separate video and audio signals, Ethernet LAN and a coaxial digital output. There’s no array of 7.1-channel analogue line-outs for home cinema speaker set-ups, nor are there any streaming apps in the UB450’s sparse menu interface.

The drop in price means that the UB820’s HCX Processor is no longer among the features, but our reviewer still found picture quality to be good for the money, although it lacks the sharpness and precision of the step-up Panasonic player. Its HDR10 performance isn’t quite as good as the Sony UBP-X700, but its implementation of Dolby Vision is much more friendlier.

Our reviewer felt that audio was well served, delivered in a crisp and clean manner, handling Dolby Atmos soundtracks without issue. And with audio files, the UB450 does well enough, delivering good levels of clarity and detail.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB450

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Like the rest of Panasonic’s affordable 4K spinners, we found the UB150‘s build quality to be fine. It’s a tidy, compact and anonymous looking unit that’s acceptable for the price but is distinctly utilitarian in appearance. The disc drive can be noisy during playback and the remote is a small and chunky affair that won’t favour those with big hands.

It’s not packed with connectivity options with only one HDMI port on its rear and ethernet LAN in place of any Wi-Fi support. Like the UB450, there are no streaming apps included but 3D and Hi-Res audio are supported.

There’s no Dolby Vision but there is HDR10+, so to get the most from this player, consider pairing it with a Samsung, Panasonic or Philips TV that supports HDR10+. Watching Alita: Battle Angel on a Samsung QLED, our reviewer found the UB150 spun rich, saturated and vibrant colours for a cinematic look, though like the UB450 it’s isn’t the most refined or subtle of pictures compared to more expensive efforts. Upscaling is good with a decent colour performance.

The Dolby Atmos performance sounds big, though it is not as nuanced as the rival Sony X700. CD playback is fine too, showcasing good amounts of detail and clarity.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB150