Customer Ratings & Reviews

Excellent DVD player, also works perfectly with my online TV (Netflix, Amazon, etc.).

I bought this 4K ultra HD Blu-ray player about a month ago, and this thing is awesome. I can't find anything negative to say about it. Picture quality is excellent when watching ultra HD Blu-rays and when watching regular Blu-ray movies the upscaling is excellent as well. I have it hooked up to my home theater receiver and it sounds great. I think in my opinion it makes a difference when you have dedicated HDMI's for picture and audio. Overall this is an excellent 4K UHD player and if I had to nitpick about something it would just be the remote, it's a little small and it would've been nice if it was backlit.

Thanks Samsung for making a great product if this came with the last witch hunter this format would be a big hit it comes down to the movies and how there made the picture and sound will blow u away I have hdmi set to auto HDMI color to auto and up conversion 2160p if u have a Samsung tv turn off bd wise on tv and blu Ray for it makes the picture to dark input3 is for 4K our mhl input now injoy. The remote is but slow for me and buttons are too close I use the old one j7500 it is fast and bottons are better placed and I can fast forward and rewind with this remote I am very happy with this unit another great Samsung product should have came with a movie also if have mgo vidity hard drive will not work the app does not support it it was uploaded from the tv app and not made ubd k 8500 yet but was told firmware is on the way there is no movie theater that can compare to the sound this puts out just make sure u turn on Dts because it comes pcm as standard setting I set mine to bitstream for best sound results some with 2014 tv u my need 3500k evolution kit this kit does do wonders it makes direct look like blu Ray if u have the money go for it has better sound to hd sound setting didn't have it before love Samsung they are the new king of the block coming from Sony xbr guy

I have LG 70 inch 4k with HDR (2016) television and with regular blu ray, it looks great, but with 4k blu ray (see photo attached), it simply is like being at a theater! It upscales regular DVD nicely, too. The remote leaves a lot to be desire. Way too small. I was able to pick up a regular Samsung remote (from e-bay) for less than 10 bucks.

It looks great with true 4K movies. Literally mind blowing picture and engulfs you. It also does a great upscale and gets me to watch 3D movies with the family now that the glasses are cheap but work really well. But until they start actually making 4K movies you can just get an upscaling player much cheaper. But since the upscaling players won't play the true 4K movies, I think it's worth the initial investment to get this player and play both. Otherwise you'll just upgrade twice, because you'll end up with this player. Samsung does the Tv's and 4K/3D players better than the others out there. Just get it now, and use the money I saved you to get a few 4K movies...which are cheaper than blurays ironically....not much demand yet, so get this and them before everyone else catches up with you and what you just learned.

The pros-good, but not great 4k picture. Very easy to use. Cons-average upscaling, actually my Panasonic upscaling blu ray player picture had far better picture. God awful remote, lots of Samsung apps but few worth downloading, cheap plastic construction, player's video settings only work on discs, can't modify picture settings on video streaming or on streaming 4k videos. Far superior products only a few months from initial sales. I'm an early adopter who's a perfect target for products like the k8500. However; after almost 30 years at a Senior management position managing a major CE brand, I should have known better. I have only myself to blame for this purchase. What you and I should have done-wait for other players. For instance, the Panasonic UB900. It isn't available yet but it's less than a few months away. Why wait-the UB900 has already received better reviews and comparisons against the Samsung K8500. It not only is compatible with the 2.2 decoder needed to play true 4k discs. It also contains the V9 decoder which is a far superior method of upscaling blu ray discs. It also will run every current audio option available today. My review should not be considered a "pitch" for the Panasonic UB900. It should be viewed as an educated suggestion to wait before you buy a true 4k blu ray player. There are many far better units only months away.

https://youtu.be/ptOzB58MSLI First of all, this 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player is really fast. It is without question the fastest disc player I have ever used. Disc load almost instantly. If you have a Samsung curved 4K television, the curved design of the UBD K8500 matches perfectly. The UBD K8500 has two HDMI jacks; one for audio only and the other for video. There is a digital audio jack and an ethernet connection. The audio jack supports Dolby Digital 7.1 audio. And there is one USB 3 port on the front of the device. The remote is lightweight, but feels well made. As a streaming device it provides the major options that most of care about. Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Vudu and Amazon Prime are all here. The 4K Streaming from Netflix and Amazon Prime looks good and performed well. Finally, 4k Blu-ray disc look amazing on this device. The color and detail are noticeably better. I watched the 4K Blu-ray of the movie The Martian and was very impressed. Overall, if you can part with $400, this is a solid device that will exceed expectation.

I have been anxiously waiting for a 4K Blu Ray player since I have a 4K HDTV. I am very pleased with this player with some reservations. The 4K picture and sound are awesome from this player. However, the remote control is too small and is not the easiest to use. Also, when playing a 4K MP4 video I created (via iMovie) through this player the sound is distorted but the video plays fine. Hopefully Samsung with fix this in a future firmware upgrade. There are limited 4K Blu Rays out there right now and hopefully more will be released in the future. And hopefully more 4K Blu Rays released from 4K source material (some 4K Blu Rays are unconverted from 2K digital intermediate sources).

Excellent picture quality,easy to use nice design but a bit big.Netflix,Hulu,Internet use is very good fastThe only downside to me is that most 4K disc you can not fast forward,just jump from scene to scene,I give it an 8 out of 10.

Lets face it. If you are looking for a real 4K bluray player right now (Nov/ Dec, 2016) you are not going to have many options. It's either the Samsung 8500, or the Xbox One S. As I'm not a gamer and I have no need for a game system, the Samsung was the only real choice. When I saw the price drop from $350 to $200, I figured this was the time to buy it.... I"m glad I did.... For those not in the know. A 4K TV will upscale standard 2K blurays and other media up to 4K but leaves artifacts and is not going to be any where near as sharp or as clear or sharp as a native 4K disk. So don't fool yourself into thinking a 4K TV is all you need or an up-scaling bluray player is going to be the same thing, they are not... The Samsung 8500 is extremely easy to use and comes with a nice assortment of applications that sync well with my homes wifi. I haven't had any issues with the unit yet. The only thing that prevents me from giving this a 5 star review is the remote is very small and I would have liked to have seen some type of information display on the front of the unit, or at least have the buttons back lit so you could see them when you walk up to the unit in a dark room. The remote is small and has become misplaced in the cushions of our couch a time or two. However the remote uses a small wafer battery that was included. This is a nice touch and I expect the battery should last for years. Also the unboxing process was quite nice. The unit wasn't just packed in cardboard and plastic like so many other products. The accessories and instructions were nicely displayed and easily accessible when I opened the box. BTW... I'm using this with a 65 inch LG 4K / 3D TV with passive 3D. I've watched several 3D movies with this player and I can say the images are as sharp and as clear as any other 2D, standard blueray disk.

I know a lot of people who own high end equipment think they can't use a $400 Blu-Ray on a $6k TV. Your missing an opportunity to see uncompressed 4K video with top level audio as well. The picture is amazing, and I know these are 2K/4K movies that were then mastered in 2K, and brought back up to 4K (Scorch Trials being the exception). Doesn't matter, the picture is amazing and if your set supports HDR, it will be triggered by the meta data, and you'll love it. Turn Deep Color off - a set that can play 4K HDR will handle the deep color itself. Some sets are having trouble recognizing 4K output - Samsung TVs - get 1443 software release. If you have a Sony make sure to get the latest software update and set the HDMI port to 'Enhanced' to get allow YCbCr color space - set the k8500 to this as well. Note - the Amazon app doesn't support UHD yet, but when it does I expect you'll get better audio than the app on the TV. It has an HDMI audio out, which is a blessing if your AV can't pass the 4K signal to your TV. I understand people wanting to wait for the Oppo, but this is a bargain.

Upscales DVD & Bluray satisfied, you may want to explore all the options before playing your video source to compare. Examples Auto, 2160p, BD Wise, 1080p etc. This was a gift for my son's birthday, he was adamant about that as a gift. The UHD BD Player is way overpriced at $400, it should have provided 2 UHD Bluray disc as a promotion. Or the player priced at $300-$350.00 While we are fine with the product, it's too pricey with only HEVC, not VP9. Hence, as it okay, I woundnt recomend this. Wait for the Phillips UHD Bluray comming soon with both HEVC and VP9 for streaming.

Excellent picture from blu-ray, 3D blu-ray, and UHD 4k discs. Good selection of online services like Vudu, Netflix, Amazon video. Supports FLAC files. Fast startup. Works with Logitech Harmony Hub remote. Successfully passes Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD Master Audio, and Dolby Atmos. Remote is small and a bit cumbersome. GUI for browsing and playing media files is difficult to navigate. Will not play Dolby TrueHD/Atmos in MKV files. Overall, an excellent Blu-ray/UHD 4K player.

Plenty of stuff written about tech specs, what you probably want to know is will this work well and play well with my Samsung 4K TV? In a word, yes. Load times are fine, menu system is decent. Picture is excellent. Build quality was a little better than I expected. Yes, it's lighter than the Sony but, it doesn't come off as cheap like the demo unit I saw in the store. The curve is dumb but, aesthetically a non-issue on the shelf since it's mercifully black. The remote is adequate but, too small, however, since you are putting it together with Samsung products your backlit TV remote will operate it pretty well. So, what recommends this? Price is now low $. I didn't need to pay more for Sony nor the lame movies they are offering, so, at the time this was the best price period. Picture is superb. I bought John Wick (again low $) to compare a 4K source and running through my picture set ups, my natural setting rocked the flesh tones, gray scale and blues and greens. Beautiful. I adjusted nothing from my Blu Ray set ups. Next disc for me was Buena Vista Social Club from Criterion and everything sucked (unsurprising with the way the film was shot on handicam) and when I put it on Dynamic, it was a revelation. Couldn't have been more blown away. So, you need all your personally adjusted presets to jump around for different movies. Upscaling was every bit as good as the 4K except for the tiniest differences. In fact, so much so that I don't feel the need to upgrade ANY Blu Ray discs, unless it's something very special. So, if you're getting in for that reason you will not be disappointed. There is a slight trick to pairing it with your Samsung to get actually 4K and I forget what I did (sorry) but, one issue is my Samsung 55 only has one 4K/UHD slot and thus that knocks the cable box back down but, I don't notice much difference there. Other than that it works flawlessly with a Samsung set up of TV, Sound Bar and this player. Again, my backlit TV remote binds it altogether pretty much flawlessly. So, if you are looking to put a low $ player together with your Samsung TV and Samsung Soundbar with minimum fuss so, that you can get into 4K for some serious upscaling of your collection, this is your unit.

Outstanding performance and picture quality. Critical to have a 2.2 TV connection. We are using a Samsung 65 inch 2014 uhd TV. To max the advantage of the picture quality, you will need 2.0 or higher HDMI cable and a Samsung SEK3500 connect box or a 2015 or Super ultra Hd TV. This maximizes the HDR application. The remote is too small for me. Does not overly impact net product rating.

I used the Samsung UBD-K8500 on my LG TV which does not have HDR but the Picture was still spectacular,deep rich color and Blacks,,rich with details and sharp as a Tack.. I was very impressed also with the up-conversion of standard Blu-rays,as well as DVD's. I'm very Happy with the Samsung UBD-K8500 a Great Player to experience 4K UHD.

Easy to use ... recognizes 3D ... Recognizes 4K ... no hoops to jump through ... great picture, compact but usable remote. It being the 1st on the market for 4K is a bit pricey ... worth it? Just might be.

I'm glad I can now take full advantage of my TV. It does everything I could have asked for an more. Great price for a first generation player compared to prior technology. I just wish there media was a bit cheaper, but that is not the fault of the player. Glad I jumped on this while it was in stock!

K8500 is a mid-sized disc player -- not quite as chunky as those first gen Blu-ray players, but not nearly as svelte as modern players. I'd compare it to second or third gen Blu-ray players. It features a curved design, mirroring the look of Samsung's 2015 and 2016 flagship displays. dual HDMI outputs. The main HDMI port is for use with 4K-capable gear (HDCP 2.2) -- connect either to an AV Receiver or a pre-pro or to a display. The other HDMI port is marked AUDIO and is for sending uncompressed and lossless audio codecs to older non-4K-compliant audio gear. So, good news, if you get this UHD BD Player and don't really care about Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, you don't have to run out to get a new AVR at the same time. It's pretty much a machine any home theatre enthusiast can use

If you have a 4K TV ,and especially if it is HDR / WGC capable, the only way you can see what it really can do is to get a 4K player. Streaming 4K may or may not be discernably different from Blu-Ray upscaled. But as soon as you play a good 4K title the visual positive impression as compared to Blu Ray becomes apparent. ( Sharper / Depth / True Color representation ). Also the 4K player will expose your TVs true black representation in a dark room. ( Yikes ! ). The player is easy to setup . The only techie type challenge is how to setup the data format and picture. I recommend setting to 4K ( not auto ) YCbCr 4.4.4 ( not auto ) , Deep Color off, and while playing a disk set Picture to standard or user with all settings at "0". Try using the HDMI cables you already own. There really is not a 4K / special high speed cable. If you have good cables they should work fine. In fact when the player goes through its setup process it starts at 4K 60p which is the highest data rate. Take care to make sure your TV is also set up correctly. The remote is at best interesting. Hopefully you have a universal remote so this wont be an issue. The remote is too small lacks numbers and backlighting. And it uses a small but not commonly used battery. The player started up right away. It has a Video/Voice and Voice only HDMI ports that allow you to use an older Surround Sound Processor. If you have a newer 4K capable surround sound system you will not need the audio only port. It was not noisy during operation. It does not have an LED Front panel message system but you wont miss it. At the moment there are really only a few good movies that are available in the 4K format. There is a rental service but it costs 8 dollars a rental ( Yikes ). So when you buy this it is more for bragging rights vs day to day utility. Meaning that a cheaper 2K blu ray will suffice for most. But if you really want to see what you new shinny HDTV can do ( or not do )...... this player will easily show you. It gets my recommendation. I purchased this at the Black Friday price and also got a 10 gift card which most will use on buying their first 4K disk. The price was the key in getting me to purchase it along with the other reviews I read.