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My terrific 4K Blu-ray player is 22% off during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale
Movie theaters: Who needs ’em? If you’ve already got even a decent TV in your house, you may be looking to augment your home theater setup with a 4K Blu-ray player, which will unlock a markedly better viewing experience than streaming movies from Netflix. In that case, look no further than the Panasonic DP-UB820, which […]
Movie theaters: Who needs ’em? If you’ve already got even a decent TV in your house, you may be looking to augment your home theater setup with a 4K Blu-ray player, which will unlock a markedly better viewing experience than streaming movies from Netflix. In that case, look no further than the Panasonic DP-UB820, which is once again on sale at Amazon as part of the company’s Big Spring Sale. It’s down to $387.35, representing a discount of 22% (or more than $100) off the near-$500 regular price.
The price has actually been hovering around this level for most of March, and this has become a semi-regular deal on what I consider to be the best option for physical media playback. Now, you don’t have to spend $400-$500 on a dedicated 4K Blu-ray player; cheaper ones are available, and you could also use a multipurpose device that happens to support 4K discs, like a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. But this higher-end model is one of the few disc players that’s compatible with all of the HDR formats you could possibly want: Dolby Vision and HDR10+ (neither of which is supported by game consoles for disc playback) as well as HDR10 and hybrid log-gamma.
That’s the main benefit of the UB820 over lower-tier 4K Blu-ray players like Panasonic’s own UB420, but it’s a big one. Even if your current TV isn’t compatible with Dolby Vision — Samsung doesn’t support the format at all, for instance — you might want to get this player so you’ll be set when you upgrade at some point in the future. Plus, it has Wi-Fi built in (unlike cheaper Ethernet-only models), and in the event you’re not using a soundbar or a home theater receiver paired with speakers, it sports analog outputs for 7.1-channel audio. I’ve owned a UB820 for a number of years, and I love the thing: On top of delivering a top-tier playback experience, the device is built to last, whereas most lower-end players on the market feel flimsy. If you’re serious about making the most of your 4K Blu-ray collection, this is the way to go.
