My Experience with the Panasonic UB820-K 4k Blu-ray Player 

So glad I bought the Oppo UDP-203 when it was originally released. I've had ZERO issues and HIGH quality video and audio.

Totally agree. I used to own a Sony 700, which sometimes skipped, but since recently getting a Panny 820, Everything is better by far. All I'm missing now is an Oled TV. lol

Thank you for everything.

I own one and can absolutely attest to it being hyper-sensitive to not playing or having issues playing 4K UHDs that aren't spotlessly clean. For example, I took a brand new disc from out of its case to play for the very first time whereby an error message appeared on screen to inform me that the disc wasn't compatible. So I ejected the disc, inspected its playing surface whereby I noticed the tiniest of smudges on the outer edge from my finger having touched it when removing it from the case. That was sufficient to stop it playing and display the aforementioned error message! So I carefully wiped off the tiny smudge mark and then the movie played without issue. Also, I should add that it's a replacement brand new player. The first one was faulty and after a whole month of being messed around by Panasonic's woeful customer service operations I finally got a replacement. I might have taken the offer of a refund if it wasn't for the fact that so very few UHD players of a similar quality exist at the same price point. It essentially boils to this player or Sony's equivalent which reportedly has issues with movies freezing. So in practical terms it's the only choice available in its market segment.

Nice video , just setting up my new home cinema in my new built house

very well thought out video! nicely explained differences between your options as well.

I have had my 820 for 8 months and no problems so far though with either 4K or Blu-Rays fingers crossed 🤞 that continues. Agreed the remote is a bit rubbish but you can buy alternatives which will do the job.With my OLED I love the improved quality and will cry 😭 if it starts failing .Excellent video thank you 🙏

As a bonus it’s also an amazing CD transport/player. Makes CDs sound crystal clear.

Interesting video and thanks for sharing your experience. I've had this Panasonic for more than 3 years without too many issues that weren't easily fixed without a short reboot through unplugging. I have had one Bluray that wouldn't play on this player and that movie I bought at the Dollar store so maybe that's why. I have had a few others that pixellate but a thorough wipedown of the disc fixed that. On my television the HDR optimizer made a big difference on picture quality.

Thank you for your honest, thoughtful, and thorough review. I subscribed. 👍

Every time an Update is available for my Panasonic 4K $400 cost player, I go "hmmmmm, should I ?" . But it's been all Great So Far. " Cinematic Experience" is Excellent ! This Player is connected to OLED 77 inch Q90s (?) - Great TV ! Thanks for your video.

I bought one earlier this year on special as a backup player and also because it cane play different regions wit a couple of remote key presses which came in handy for the columbia noir # 6 box set I bought from Amazon UK which is locked to region 2 and I'm in Australia

I have this player and I've had the freezing issue on one 4K disc, Ronin (1998). Bought the disc from Amazon, and I thought I received a bad disc ,so I returned it for a refund. Then I picked up the disc at a local store and the same problem occurred. The owners of the store have the same Panasonic player also, and they experienced the same issue. It's a shame because that movie looks great on 4K. Thanks for your video.

Thanks for your reviews on DVD player good to know what you say about this matter

I've had mine since October and in the last week it's developed a cannot read disc error, but only on startup. This is fixed by opening and closing the drawer, but it's likely the start of a larger issue. My own personal view is that this may have been caused by a build up of residue on the lens. I've tried resetting the player by pressing ok, blue and green and ret8 at stand by, but unfortunately this doesn't rectify the problem. I'll be returning this and getting a new one. When the new player arrives I'll be wiping down EVERY disc religiously. I have 600 4k discs in my collection, so I need it to be reliable.

Also had the same issue pixelation/freezing issue with my first UB820. Exchanged it and the second one has been great. Only issue I’ve had with the second one is once in a while the circular control menu in the corner can’t be cleared without disconnecting the player from power

Is there a big difference between the basic PS4 and PS5 upscaling of a standard DVD for playback on a 4k tv? Good overview in this video too. I learned a lot.

Most 4k disc problems are from smudges. All disc boxes have a chemical residue on the inside from manufacturing. When the replicated disc is put in the box from a robot the disc gets pushed into the residue that will be on a brand newly opened disc. When taking your movie out of the box by pushing the release button you're pushing the disc into the chemical residue also. Do a vertical wipe with a microfiber cloth before playing. If your movie is a single disc, when putting it back in the box insert it backwards with the art to the box wall to keep the residue off the laser read side of the disc.

Very thorough and well presented video. I appreciate your knowledge. Please consider creating a video sharing your thoughts on recommended Blu-ray Discs which feature excellent 4K/HDR and or Dolby Atmos.

Good video, but one correction: the Sony UBP X-700 supports HDR10 but not HDR10+. I've had one for years, though, and never had any problem with freezing or skipping. Maybe just lucky!

I got the UB820 and to be honest this should retail at $299 max. $4-500 is a lot and the player operates like my 2002 DVD player. Pretty bare bones, and the apps are awfully slow.

Ordered one yesterday. Hoping it will pair well with my C3 and Q990C I know I know not a real "hometheater" - I'm no cinephile. Wanted to try physical because the Lord of the Rings Extended versions weren't available streaming.

Great video! Did you mean a bluray firmware update to the UB820 player?

Thank you, very informative. I am looking to purchase a blue-ray player mainly for playing audio with Dolby Atmos. When looking at various Blue-ray players on the market, it is not always clear which support Dolby Atmos. I am not that interested in the video side of things since my TV is an aging 4K HDR , no Dolby Vision. Any thoughts about a low (ish) end unit that plays Dolby Atmos ?

Do you think the up scaling on this model is noticeably better than the ub-420 or other lower priced units from Sony? I'm mainly buying to watch DVDs. My TV doesn't support Dolby Vision anyway so that is not an issue for me. Thanks for the great reviews.

I own a 9000 and 820 panasonic and touch wood never had any probs with either tbh. There both on the latest updates. I did have the 820 sent away to be chipped to watch any region blu ray. And also learned that it will also play region locked USA 4k discs (People Under The Staires scream factory release) which i wasent aware it would do. So best money ever spent. The 820 is 3 years old or there abouts and the 9000 1.5 years old

Thank for your good review, i also had one with defekt reading on discs, Got i New one,with no problems. Also got an oppo 205. Because iam from Denmark, the panasonic dp-ub820 is not region free, for blu ray movies bought in the us.

did you put dvd in that to see the upscaling? How good is in movies and cartoons?

you can use a 9000 remote with an 820, better quality and it has a backlit function, that is what I use with my 820.

I bought the Sony X800M2. Surprised you didn’t mention it. Got it for $279. Was eying the Panasonic but figured I’d give the Sony a shot since it was significantly cheaper. So far my Sony hasn’t had any disc playback issues like some say. The UI is embarrassing and Sony should be ashamed. Nobody beats the Samsung Player UI. But they don’t support Dolby Vision so that player got demoted to my bedroom.

Unfortunately they do freeze on video files and some video files the picture is good but the audio doesn't match the picture pixels

Also the game players don't have HDR optimizer.

I have never had any problems with Samsung DVD player the DVD player plays video files witch DVD player cannot play to day today

Thats crazy the 1st 4k player i bought was a Sony 700 ...it had issues mine wud only play some 4k movies...Sony quality suks....then i got my Panasonic 820 so far no isuues plays all movies.....the only thing the 9000 has Thx certified not worth 500 for that

I have the Sony 800 M2. Just bought a week ago. Doesn't play 3D movies though. Have to buy another player just for that. I didn't know you can actually play poor k movies on the p s five, i'm gonna try that

Disappointed with mine, refuses most blurays and comes up with a compatibility message, ok with 4K movies though. Sending it back. Probably going with the Sony now.

Le panasonic 820 est largement au dessus des autres lecteurs du marché, mais oui c’est difficile d’en trouver un bon du premier coup. Je viens d’en échanger deux, mais non après un essai sur le Sony 800m2 je vais reprendre le pana 820. Le traitement vidéo est largement au dessus. Croisons les doigts pour que le 3 eme soit le bon ! (Installé avec un lg 77g3 👌👍) quelle image magnifique

Have you had any issues with the audio dropping for a second during Dolby atmos 4K Blu-ray? I have a C1 as well, running through earc.

How is it now I am about to buy one at £300 uk is it still worth it

I cant wait to grab this player,stupid me rushed out to buy a series x cause i bought the oled c3 65 inch.

I want to buy a panasonic streaming 4k blu ray player with dolby vision and hdr10+ ultra hd premium video playback, hi-res audio, voice assist - dp-ub820-k (black) now the question is. I have some DVD-R AND DVD+R that have mp4 movies burned on to them disc and that's why I'm asking if this unit will play them?

I can have atmos(5.1.2) with the analog outputs with just an amplifier?

I think, that Sony x700 has only hdr10, not hdr10+

Awful remote -- it is the same design as cheaper , entry level Panasonics. Awful. Plastic. Worse of all , the layout is non intuitive -- the location of the "Netflix" button is hit all the time accidentally -- this remote can not be operated without lights on in the viewing room (forget bedroom use) or user (if they require) putting on their glasses. Such a shame, for the "flag-ship -- its just poor and really sucks as the remote is how the machine is operated -- it is the users interface and eveythime you pick it up or press a button you feel cheap and cheated.

Do you think it is a really big difference in terms of image and audio from this Panasonic 820 to a Sony 800M2? I have a LG -not oled- that reads Dolby vision and a Sonod arc with a subwoof.

The 9000 is the #1 player.

All 4k players are sensitive to disc quality, off gassing residue, and packing oil on the disc (yes this is normal) right out of the box.

I have a sony x700 and a panasonic ub820 k

Also the xbox series X is apparently better than the PS5

I bought this player 3-4 years and it doesn't read my 4k disks anymore I clean my disks before I play them. This is very disappointing and very frustrating to pay $500. And hardly ever play it as well think very carefully before buying this machine!!

I'm sure Panasonic does make good quality DVD player but you have to spend a lot of money for it the three D function is just a load a bull crap

The biggest problem with 4ks is they are so much darker then requalr blu and dvds

Interesting... I have the Sony UBP X700 and I love it but I had some freezing and skipping issues with some discs. I was hoping this Panasonic to do a better job in that aspect, so it's kinda disappointing to hear that. PS: I also tested my discs on my PS5 and the result were the same, my player even doing a better job. So maybe it could be a software issue?