Customer Ratings & Reviews

I haven’t had this player long enough to try all the features. It’s my first 4K player and I don’t have any 4K discs yet, but it does a very good job upscaling my existing Blu-ray Discs. So far my legacy DVDs and CDs also look and sound very good. I might change a few things about the interface for playing CDs (haven’t figured out how to play a CD without having the TV on). Overall happy with what I have tried, but need more time to use more features. 4 stars for my limited experience with it.

The DP-UB820 is one of the more expensive 4K Blu-Ray players, and it is worth every penny. It delivers wonderful results on 4K discs, HD Blu-Ray, and even DVDs. The image processor is stellar and does a wonderful job of upscaling. Construction is solid and the look is clean. It is VERY quiet during playback. The UI is simple and adjusting settings is straightforward. The remote has an underwhelming appearance, but it does the job. HDMI-CEC works with other manufacturers' televisions, so I control everything (except the occasional adjustment to settings) with my television remote. This is one of very few HD Blu-Ray players that auto-detects HDR10, HDR10+, and DolbyVision. While that may sound innocuous, the lack thereof in other players is a major PITA. I expect to get many (many) years of use from the DP-UB820, making its price a non-issue. It is an absolute winner!

This is an absolutely amazing Blu-ray players and one I can't recommend enough. The 4K HDR video looks incredible and puts lower end video to shame. The surround sound is equally impressive. The unit is silent and I can't even hear it running when my ear is up close to it. It also makes regular Blu-ray and DVD discs look great. I love the display on the front. It is limited as to what it shows but most importantly how much time has elapsed on the movie you are watching. This can be a lifesaver when you are watching a bad movie with the wife and can't ask her how much time is left. This is one of the very few players with such a display. There are a few things to know. It does not come with an HDMI cable so if you don't have one around, you will have to buy one. The interface for everything is nice except for the network features which is seriously outdated. I kept the video setting at their default which gave me great results but had to change the sound settings to get the surround sound to sound right. I can't recommend this player enough. I have one in the man cave and will be getting another one for the living room.

I bought this solely for the Dolby Vision compatibility, and based on the fact that the player will AUTOMATICALLY recognize DV and switch to that output format. The Sony models that "have Dolby Vision" make you manually switch it to DV every time you want to watch a DV disc. No thanks. I had an LG model previously and it was passable, but I wanted something a little higher end. I have a 65E7 with a Marantz pre-amp, 2 power amps and 7 Martin Logan speakers. I figured if the entire system I use ran several thousand, I shouldn't use a $150 4K player. I'm not sure if this is a huge improvement or not, but sometimes a placebo effect is worth a bit of added cost. The user interface is clunky and something I try to just ignore mainly. I wish the remote had bluetooth connectivity to the player, because I have trouble getting the IR signal into my Salamander console. It works well enough, but sometimes I have to move my arm around until the IR line of sight connects. As a player, it's great. I would NEVER use this thing for streaming. But it's quiet, and it loads the discs quickly and without issue. I wish the 420 had Dolby Vision, because it's quite a price hike to jump from that model to this one. I managed to get this open box in Magnolia for a bit of a discount, so I grabbed Geek Squad protection 4-year plan in case anything happens. At least if it breaks, I'll be able to get another expensive player for free. Overall, since there are very few DV-compatible disc players remaining on the market, I would recommend this one.

This would be a great player for those who just want to sit and watch a movie straight through. The picture is definitely all they claim; if you've read the glowing reviews, the hype is true. We have an Oled t.v. and so we're used to having a great picture, but this player brings it to another level of gorgeousness, on most decent quality source material, and even makes streamed video look way better than on my other favorite deck. This could have been among the best players ever if they had gotten together with Oppo's designers who have stopped producing their superb players. It's not so great for those of us who like to back up, catch what you missed in the way of dialogue, scenery, etc. No subtitle button means that you'll have to dig through menus each time you want to figure out what someone said if it's a muddled soundtrack. If you only like Netflix, you're in luck because it's the only shortcut button on the remote. There is no "favorite" or user selectable button to use for Prime, etc. so you'll have to go to a selection screen and hear some loud beeps when choosing something other than a disc or Netflix. Also, the remote controls are not very user friendly, since none of the most often used buttons come under the thumb when it is held normally in the hand. You'll have to keep looking at it to make sure you don't hit a wrong button. Also, there are several buttons that can knock you clear out of what ever it is you're watching if you reach about 2 mm too far and hit the wrong one. There are some rudimentary disc spinning controls... pause of course, slow or fast scan in either direction, but no frame-by-frame and no zoom (not that any player these days has zoom I guess). Reaction time is sluggish (probably to ensure the best picture possible at all times). Streaming is slow to access. Again this is probably due to the advanced picture processing ensuring the best picture I guess. As I mentioned, Netflix is the only one that has its own button, and other than that, you can go to a screen that looks like a bunch of child's blocks to play with, and choose from amazon or flix or another square which has several other choices of content to choose from in it. Each click of the "wheel" buttons results in a very loud piniging sound, which seems to not have any means by which to shut it off other than to mute your amp. All of this really makes me wonder about the manner in which they went about designing this unit, and the other two in this series: best ever picture but very clumsy on almost every other aspect. I do like Panasonic as a company and I do look forward with hope that they will come up with a real winner in another year or so.

This is a superb 4K Blu Ray player. There are many options to dial the picture quality for the best possible viewing experience when paired with the correct TV and cables. It’s been a thrill to watch movie favorites and never-before-seen details that offers greater world/scene immersion. My only critique is an option box sometimes appears on screen that is impossible to remove without initiating a forced restart. This is not completely at fault of the player, because my setup and desire to control the player through the TV remote is the culprit. Since this is a known annoyance though, I wish Panasonic would release an update to patch the issue (if it is possible), but in the mean time, I found I simply need to turn on the player and then my TV and there is no issue. Highly recommend this player.

Was in the market for a UHD disc player, and it came down to this one or one of the Sonys (if Oppo still made their player, that would've been the obvious choice, but such is life...). Advantage of the Sony was it plays SACD (which this does not), which I don't do a *lot* but do have some and listen to them on occasion. Decision came down to (1) reading a lot of reviews of problems/returns/breakdowns of the Sony line, and (2) extremely positive reviews of the tone mapping capabilities of this unit. Has performed exactly as advertised, no complaints. It is a little pricy relative to some of the competition, and I'm ultimately not sure whether its proprietary tone mapping is worth the difference, since I haven't owned other UHD players to compare to it. However I can say its onboard mapping performed better than letting my TV (LG OLED) do the mapping entirely itself, and the player has worked seamlessly since purchase. So perfectly satisfied with the product, just not sure about the value. That said, give the fairly small universe of players in the market still seems like a decent value to get something that performs well and is reliable - and I still have a functional old Pioneer SACD player for those occasions I need it! UHD HDR discs look AMAZING, and even my HD blurays look better than they did being upscaled by the TV instead of processed in here first. I will say the menus and setup are not the most straightforward, especially since the labelings are confusing, and I found certain settings seem to only be available in certain scenarios (like some things you need to set with no disc in, some only with a UHD disc in, some with a non-UHD disc, etc.). Would highly recommend downloading a copy of the manual to refer to during setup just to explain what some of the menu options mean. (once everything's set up it works fine. Remote seems okay; used it during setup then have just relied on a universal remote since.) (I have *not* used any of the streaming features so cannot comment on those, this is a review strictly based on its disc-playing capabilities).

Works perfect with everything I've thrown at it. Biggest reason I bought this instead of using my PS5 was Dolby Vision support. DV works great with my LG C2. Never had any issues with movies skipping or refusing to play, which I've heard complaints on with other players (and I've experienced before on my Series X). Works with every format I've thrown at it, DV and HDR10 4K discs, standard HD Blu-Rays, and I'm pretty sure I've played a regular DVD on it. Also supports all the audio formats like Dolby TrueHD/Atmos, DTS: X and MA HD, etc. If you have an older AV Reciever that doesn't support 4K or HDR, the second HDMI output that you can use for just the audio could save you from needing to upgrade your AVR (though my AVR is newer and I don't need that). Also you don't have to go in the settings to change between Dolby Vision and HDR10, it automatically chooses the correct one based on the movie. I've heard the Sony players have that issue for some reason. If you want a player that "just works", buy this one. Yes it's more expensive than other ones, but I'm expecting it to last me a long time so I can't complain.

Great buy, picture and sound it puts out give you the movie experience at home. Upscale all ur disc to make the picture and sound look and feel awesome.

I've had this 4k bluray player for over a year now and I could not help but still gush over its performance..upscaling, compatibility with all major formats, especially Dolby Vision and HDR10+..what else could you want? And for the price below 500.00 it's the player to beat in its price range and dare, I say it...more. If you're a film aficionado, there's no better player that could play your DVD, Blurays and 4kBlurays with aplomb. Dolby Vision? Superb. Non DV HDR10+ discs only? Why settle for a player that could only default to bland HDR10 when you can have HDR10+? None, I reapeat, NONE in market can equal this player in price and performance.

This 4k UHD Blu-ray player is fine except for the layout of the remote control. It absolutely defies one-handed operation. The layout places the most common keys back over the middle of your hand and the thumb can not bend in that direction. The solution is to hold the remote so close to the butt end that it is uncomfortable and easy to drop. Or use two hands. To heck with that! This seems like a petty complaint, but this is flat out the most uncomfortable remote I can remember ever using. It's bad enough that I am focusing my review on it. I imagine I will get used to holding this remote but, right now, it makes me upset.

Never could I have realized just how much effort and sophistication can go into a Blu-Ray Player until I bought this beauty. Before this player, I had always used whatever was convenient to play my physical media. My first 4K UHD player was a Sony which got the job done, but lacked Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and would just flat out not play certain movies/shows I have. Then I began using my PS5 to play movies once the Sony player would begin to freeze up and require being unplugged just to turn itself off. The PS5 ultimately proved better quality, but still lacked Dolby Vision capabilities, the user interface was more complicated than it needed to be, and the overall sound quality seemed to lack the fidelity of the Sony player. After researching this Panasonic and wanting a “flagship” player so I could fully enjoy my LG G1 TV, I decided to splurge on this and it was absolutely worth it. The picture and sound is unmistakably maxed out, the movies I owned that would either freeze up with no signs of scratches or any damage play without skipping a beat, and the amount of customization this unassuming players is pretty mind blowing. It can set change the picture settings based on the type of screen you have for optimal viewing experience, upplay or downplay audio mixes to either match the amount of speakers you have or listen to something as it was originally intended, and most of these settings can be tweaked while watching your content without going to the main menu. Highly, highly, highly recommend this player for anyone who wants an authentic home theater.

Wonderful 4k player. Easy to use, Blu-ray upscale looks great. . amazing picture quality on a C1. OLED. Sound is earth shattering on a 5.1 setup

Very happy to finally own this. Been saving for a while. Movies I have on 4k look amazing. Even my bluerays look even better now. Only issue is that it didn't come with a HDMI wire. Maybe that's why it was like new condition. Definitely worth the buy

The Panasonic UB820 is a fantastic upgrade to the Sony UBPX700 (which I also own). It is single handedly the best blu ray upconverter on the market and the best 4K picture for Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HDR10+. 4K UHDs look ridiculously impressive and sound louder than the Sony player. I paired this player with my Sony STR-DN1080 receiver and WOW! A copy of Days of Thunder felt and sound like you were really in the Daytona 500....this is the experience youre looking for with home theater. I do have a couple of minor complaints though. This player is HUGE. Think the size of one of those Motorola digital cable/DVR boxes from the late 2000's. If you have a rack or decent sized entertainment console, I'll fit fine but it's a boat. My second complaint is that this player does not have a resume blu ray function. Most blu ray players (or even standard DVD players) have a function that when you turn off a movie at a certain stop point that when you turn the player back on, it resumes where you left off. This does not have this standard function. It does not have built-in memory to store your your stopping point. However, if you plug in a USB flash drive into the back of it (a 1GB will do fine), the resume function works. A $500 blu ray player (thats as big as a cable box) should have memory built in but it doesn't which is incredibly stupid.

Took advantage of the purchasing it when it was on sale to replace my Sony X800M2, which recently stopped working after only a few years of very light use (of course outside of warranty). Did a lot of research before buying the Sony and it seemed like the right balance of cost and performance, but I was actually somewhat annoyed and disappointed with several aspects of it, even before it bricked for no apparent reason. The menu was bare bones and ugly, the whole user experience felt cheap, and the lack of automatic Dolby Vision detection was super annoying (having to check to see if the disc you’re playing has dolby vision, then going through the menu on the player to manually turn it on or off for every movie you want to watch). The UB820 is a far better experience on all fronts. When first hooking it up and powering on, it runs an initial easy setup that detects your TV and properly optimizes everything (something the Sony doesn’t do). The menu is clean and looks a lot nicer. And hallelujah - automatic HDR modes. It’s just painless and works like you would expect a blu ray player at this price point to work. Of course the picture and sound quality are fantastic. Time will tell how it holds up, but based upon initial impressions I would highly recommend this anyday!

I love what this player is capable of putting on my TV screen. When I first bought my Sony a80j two years ago, I didn't have any way to view 4k content other than streaming. Coming from a 2014 model Samsung that was only 1080p and no HDR, the new Sony looked downright incredible. Then I started becoming more interested in physical media again, and decided to add on to my existing bluray collection with some 4k uhd blurays. I decided on this player instead of using my ps5 because I can't fit my ps5 into my media console, so the lights on it are distracting while watching films. Also for dolby vision and a better processor for upscaling old blurays and dvds. What a good decision I feel like that was. While streaming looks okay, watching 4k uhd blurays is like putting a fresh coat of wax on a clean car. It adds that extra layer of depth and clarity, and details are precise and don't skip a beat. Not to mention how much better the audio quality is, which is truly a game changer. If you have the display and audio gear to really maximize what this player is capable of, it is totally worth the cost. If dolby vision isn't necessary, the up420 model would be just fine for you. Unfortunately, didn't hear too many good things about the comparable sony models (freezing, etc) so IMHO the panasonic is the way to go in 2024, even though it's a several year old model.

The clarity on dolby vision disc is amazing which is an understatement. The sound coming from soundbar system sounds much weightier than my former sony player, giving new life to the movies previously watched numerous times. It is the player’s processor that allows these features. Very impressed.

A 4K player makes a world of difference in clarity and dolby atmos. Highly recommend if you are a film aficionado

I'm really enjoying this blu ray player. Everything looks fantastic, from my DVDs to my 4ks. The upscaling is nice and seems natural. I did get it on sale so I'm pretty happy with it.