Panasonic DP-UB9000
FOR Immensely detailed and sharp picture; rich colour balance; solid, powerful sound; build quality AGAINST No SACD or Dvd-audio support; menu options can be confusing
The convenience of streaming and on-demand content might have diminished the lure of physical formats, but we’re glad 4K Blu-ray players such as the Panasonic DP-UB9000 still exist.
This player's build quality can best be described as bomb-proof. It feels as if no expense has been spared on the design, whether it’s the chunky aluminium body or the components inside (eg a dedicated power supply for the audio circuit). It all makes the Cambridge Audio look and feel a little budget in comparison.
At the heart of the DP-UB9000 is its second-generation HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience) picture-processing engine. Part of this package is the new HDR Optimiser, which Panasonic claims can improve tone-mapping in an HDR picture with static metadata. It takes into account the brightness limitations of your display and tweaks the image to extract the most detail.
If you are watching content that already contains dynamic metadata, such as a movie encoded in Dolby Vision, the player recognises this and bypasses the HDR Optimiser.
All the right connections
The DP-UB9000 comes equipped with a pair of HDMI outputs, so you can send the audio to your home cinema amplifier while the picture goes directly to your display. The 7.1 multi-channel analogue output will satisfy owners of legacy AV receivers, while you can take your pick from either balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA connections for stereo playback.
In addition to all that video-processing prowess, the UB9000 also ticks the boxes of all the main audio formats, including WAV, FLAC, AIFF, and AAC. It uses a high-grade 32-bit/768khz DAC to help with all the data conversion. There's no Dvd-audio or SACD support though, so Panasonic’s flagship 4K deck doesn’t double as a universal disc player.
Streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iplayer come pre-installed. This is handy if you’re connecting the UB9000 to a projector, but if your TV has them built in, keep the video chain as short as possible and use those instead.
The remote control is styled in the usual Panasonic fashion, with chunky, responsive buttons and a backlight for use in a darkened room.
As with any high-end video source, it pays to spend a bit of time getting acquainted with menus and settings. You should set the target luminance for the player, which helps the HDR Optimiser do its job better. We wish the menus were easier to understand, though. Quite a few on the Panasonic are overcomplicated and just confuse matters.
We feed the DP-UB9000 a selection of 4K Blu-rays, starting with the remake of Jumanji, and the picture we get on our LG OLED TV completely blows us away.
Rich and beautiful
As our four intrepid explorers are dropped off at the start of their hunt for the Jaguar’s Eye, the jungle backdrop looks breathtaking. Clouds, blue skies and lush foliage combine to create a picture rich with information and beautifully shaded colours.
The level of detail on display is stunning. From the definition on The Rock’s tattoos and bulging biceps to the frayed badges on Kevin Hart’s gilet, the potent combination of detail and clarity keeps you fixed to the screen.
As the group attempts to outrun a marauding biker gang by weaving in and out of cover, the player handles the motion and shift from shadow to light with skill and finesse. And, when they reach a ridge above a waterfall, the overhead camera pan is almost enough to trigger a bout of vertigo.
We switch to the 4K Blu-ray of Baby Driver and the Panasonic DP-UB9000 produces a similarly inviting picture. During the opening chapter, as the getaway car arrives on the scene, the Subaru’s glossy red paintwork and black alloy wheels look exquisite. The motion from every handbrake turn and powerslide is handled with confidence. You get the impression it will take a lot to rattle this 4K Blu-ray player.
Flick the HDR Optimiser on and off and the player subtly firms up the brightest elements of the picture, particularly the flaring around headlights as the crew leave the car park after splitting the cash from their first bank job.
The UB9000 also excels when handed the job of upscaling a 1080p Blu-ray. The Times Square battle between Spidey and Max in The Amazing Spiderman 2 is a great test scene, with plenty of dark details and punchy neon colours, and the reds, blues and finer details of Spiderman’s suit are impressively rendered. It’s these upscaling skills that set the Panasonic apart from the Cambridge CXUHD. The picture is clearer, sharper and more insightful. It makes the extra £149 seem well worth paying.
Panasonic has set the bar high when it comes to picture quality – albeit not quite as high as the Pioneer UDP-LX500 – and that’s mirrored by a similarly robust sonic performance. Dialogue between Max and Spidey is crystal clear, the electrified rasp to Max’s voice giving his lines a menacing feel, and there's subtlety and detail in the orchestral score darting around in the background.
Switch to U2’s U2360 At The Rose Bowl Blu-ray and the Panasonic’s qualities of clarity, space and detail are all there in abundance. The bassline to With Or Without You sits at the front of the track as the Edge’s riffs float hauntingly in open space, and there’s plenty of fine detail in Bono’s voice. Both the Cambridge and the Pioneer time better and deliver the rhythm more accurately here, but the Cambridge loses ground on the Panasonic when it comes to resolution, power and solidity of sound.
This is a focused, high-performance machine – and a home cinema powerhouse. If you own a surround system that can make the most of the Panasonic DP-UB9000’S many talents, you won’t be disappointed.