Panasonic DP-UB820EB
The Panasonic DP-UB820EB player borrows much of the picture processing technology found in the company’s flagship 4K Blu-ray machine, the DP-UB9000, but costs less than half the price.
The DP-UB820EB is a chunky rectangle of a deck, both wider and taller than many budget Blu-ray players. The bevel cut finish around its edges looks attractive enough, as does the brushed effect on the top panel. But up close, the player feels a little cheap and plasticky.
The matching remote fits nicely in the palm of your hand. It’s textbook Panasonic – the buttons are a good size and spread out and it’s easy for your thumb to find its way around the wand, even if it doesn’t have a backlight.
Minimalistic design
The main unit is minimalist in terms of design, with just two buttons on the top panel for power and opening/closing the drawer. The front panel drops down as the drawer extends out, revealing the display and one of the DP-UB820’S two USB inputs. This one allows you to play content from a portable hard drive.
There aren’t many surprises on the back of the Panasonic, but it does tick all of the boxes you’d expect at this price. There’s ethernet for a wired internet connection while twin HDMI outputs give added flexibility for owners who prefer to split the picture and sound for their display and amp.
The provision of a set of 7.1-channel analogue outputs isn’t vital given the specifications of modern AV receivers, but it’s nice to have the added flexibility. The DP-UB820 handles the full gamut of surround sound codecs found on modern 4K Blu-rays and streaming services, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. It also covers all bases where HDR formats are concerned, which can’t be said for all rival manufacturers’ players.
The DP-UB820 is powered by Panasonic’s clever, second-generation HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience) picture processing engine. This means it can call upon the chip’s HDR Optimiser, which takes into account the brightness limitations of your display and tweaks the image to extract the most detail, particularly in whites and bright scenes.
If you are watching content in Dolby Vision, which already uses dynamic metadata, the deck recognises this and will bypass the Optimiser completely. The player can downconvert HDR to SDR, which is useful if you’re running a 4K projector that doesn’t support HDR.
All the key catch-up and on-demand video streaming services are at your disposal, including BBC iplayer, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Not exactly a big deal if your 4K TV already has them, but handy to have if you’re plugging the Panasonic straight into a projector.
Sharply drawn landscape
We fire up the player with Blue Planet II in 4K and HDR10 and are greeted with a detailed and sharply drawn volcanic landscape of the Galapagos Islands. The picture is as vibrant above sea level as it is below. As marine iguanas nibble away at vegetation on the sea floor, the Panasonic picks up an impressive level of detail on their skin, claws and faces. They convene on a sun-kissed clifftop, where the DP-UB820 paints an eyecatching and immersive picture.
The DP-UB820 is a decent upscaler too. The original Transformers movie on Blu-ray is a stern test – there’s plenty of noise and the colour balance has a warmish tint – but the Panasonic does a good job of working the picture into something watchable.
The DP-UB820 complements its exciting picture with a sound to match, delivering a weighty and powerful performance that’s capable of producing explosions with plenty of gusto, but also in a controlled manner. It’s a more muscular and grown up sound than many budget players.
We spin the Dolby Atmos soundtrack to Spiderman Homecoming on 4K Blu-ray and head to the scene where our hero meets the Vulture on the Staten Island Ferry. As the Vulture’s high-tech weapon rips through the ship, the laser pulses with weight and purpose as it tears through the metal structure. The Panasonic delivers each slicing blow with plenty of force. It’s an exciting performer that doesn’t struggle to hold your attention, though it could be a bit more communicative with subtle low-level shifts and swings in dynamics.
If you’ve bought into the 4K Blu-ray format and have a suitable home cinema set-up, you need a player that can deliver on multiple fronts. The Panasonic DP-UB820 is just that, delivering a hugely immersive and impactful picture, backed by a strong audio performance. At this price, it’s a great buy.
“The Panasonic DP-UB820 delivers a hugely immersive and impactful picture”