Blu-ray goes Ultra HD
Ultra-high definition UHD (or 4K) televisions have been around for a few years now, and while they clearly produce a superior picture, that image is only maximised with the use of UHD content. Getting that content into your home has been difficult, especially for those of us who live in Australia with many online services restricted to North America and Europe. This all changed this year as the first UHD Blu-ray players have hit the market… with more models promising to arrive very soon, including OPPO’s much anticipated UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player.
Panasonic’s 4K Blu-ray player
The best of the players which have reached us already is the Panasonic DMPUB900GNK. In our last newsletter we ran over the basics of HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, and this player combines HDR information with making the most of the LED dimming features of the latest TVs. This ensures you get the best colour reproduction available, with the ability to ensure clarity within the brightly coloured sections of the image while maintaining the details in dark areas.
We had the opportunity to check out Panasonic’s UB900 against the other 4K player currently on the market in a side-by-side comparison in the store a couple of months ago when the unit was first released. The differences were significant. As one of the few players to have THX certification, the Panasonic’s ability to transmit crisper images was clear, and when coupled with its superior ability to display colour with HDR, the results were amazing.
On top of all this, Panasonic were committed to making this unit their highest quality audio player. With a commitment to build quality and technology to handle even DSD and ALAC music files, the UB900 will slot nicely into your system without the need for an additional CD player.
So many of our regular customers jumped on board at our recommendation that Panasonic quickly ran out of stock within Australia; even our display model didn’t last long, with customers chomping at the bit to get one. Fortunately, Panasonic assures us that stock levels will start to meet demand in the coming month and you can be assured we will do our best to have one for you to make your television or home cinema look better than ever before.
OPPO’s 4K Blu-ray player
We have yet to receive this player from OPPO, and I know it is not wise to cover a product which has not arrived as yet, but the release of OPPO’s 4K player has been long anticipated by videophiles worldwide. Due for release before Christmas, the UDP-203 (pictured below) took a few people – us included – by surprise. Most thought that OPPO would release a new 4K player priced above the existing BDP105D. Instead OPPO have upgraded their two basic players, the BDP-103AU and BDP-103D, with a single 4K version.
With the obvious exception of the new native 4K disc playback and HDR compatibility, OPPO customers will find many similarities from the BDP series to the UDP model. DVD-A and SACD disc support, multi-channel analogue outputs, and 2-channel DSD256 rounds out a concise audio offering. Twin HDMI outputs are included (2.0 for 4K video, and a 1.4 audio-only – to enable backwards compatibility with older AV receivers). The Darbee processor from the 103D is not included, as Darbee have yet to develop a 4K version. Unlike the earlier versions, the UDP-203 has built-in Wi-Fi, a gigabit Ethernet port and USB 3.0. At the time of writing, pricing was still to be confirmed.