Panasonic DMP-UB300 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Review & Comments

"Panasonic have publicly stated that all their Ultra HD Blu-rays players use the same chipset and processing which means that, despite what you might read elsewhere, they deliver exactly the same image"

Funny as :)
 
"Panasonic have publicly stated that all their Ultra HD Blu-rays players use the same chipset and processing which means that, despite what you might read elsewhere, they deliver exactly the same image"

Funny as :)

But... but... but... What Hi-Fi swore there was a difference in picture quality between the UB900 and the UB700! :laugh:
 
It's frustrating that we seem further away than ever from a player that could potentially deliver Netflix in all its glory, with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and correct source rate.
 
Great review. So does this mean that the UB300 and UB700 produce identical results when upscaling regular Blu-Rays and DVDs?
 
Great review and quite happy I picked it up today
IMG_20170629_150952.jpg
 
I'm keen to see how this compares to the Xbox One S as a 4K UHD player. I'm thinking of selling my Xbox (because I don't use it for games, I have a PS4) - but the only reason I keep it is it's my only 4K UHD BD player.

If this Panasonic player is definitely proven to provide a better image, I'll bite, and sell my Xbox.
 
Great review. So does this mean that the UB300 and UB700 produce identical results when upscaling regular Blu-Rays and DVDs?

Identical chipset, so identical results :)
 
Great review. So does this mean that the UB300 and UB700 produce identical results when upscaling regular Blu-Rays and DVDs?
Aside from Panasonic's own comments about all the players using the same chipset, there's no absolutely no difference as far as I can tell. The menus and setup are identical and their performance was exactly the same in testing.
 
How does the player's Dynamic Range Adjust mode compare to that of a TV's Dynamic Contrast? For example, I've noticed that my Samsung KS7000 does very well to brighten the image during the day when Dynamic Contrast is set to Low.
 
Fair play to Panasonic for putting out a relatively straightforward range at reasonable prices (or at least reasonable now the 900 has dropped to something vaguely sensible). Think if I was looking for a home deck I'd probably go with the 400 for the improved aesthetics and second HDMI port but there's not really a bad option in the range. Plus they've been pretty good about bundling decent titles, think the current offer is Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Not a brilliant film but as demo material it ticks the boxes quite nicely. I'd also hope that using the same tech from the high end in the low means we'll see firmware updates for a bit longer than normal as well.

The only slightly odd model in the range now is the 700 which... maybe I'm missing something but what does it offer over the 400? A slightly worse remote and bigger chassis with slightly better build quality? Not sure that's worth the extra £30 to be honest.
 
How does the player's Dynamic Range Adjust mode compare to that of a TV's Dynamic Contrast? For example, I've noticed that my Samsung KS7000 does very well to brighten the image during the day when Dynamic Contrast is set to Low.
The Dynamic Contrast control on the TV isn't specifically designed to be used with HDR, whereas the Dynamic Range Adjust is intended for HDR and uses a more sophisticated non-linear algorithm, so it's much more effective at brightening the image without clipping the highlights.
 
What can you connect to the USB port? I've tried connecting external (bus powered) hdds to it's bigger brothers' usb port and it doesn't recognise them.
 
£250 for Xbox Nah. Frequent deals are running at 199.99 to 219.99 if you want games. They can be picked up for less without on the 2nd hand market. Not only that Netflix have just announced that Dolby Atmos support via streaming is coming to Xbox only for the foreseeable. Possible LG OLEDs after that.

They have the price point all wrong for 4k. Too many options available these days to capitalise like they did when Blu first came out. They just need to jump in or this format will end up in laser disc heaven
 
What can you connect to the USB port? I've tried connecting external (bus powered) hdds to it's bigger brothers' usb port and it doesn't recognise them.
When you say bigger brother, which model do you mean?
 
£250 for Xbox Nah. Frequent deals are running at 199.99 to 219.99 if you want games. They can be picked up for less without on the 2nd hand market. Not only that Netflix have just announced that Dolby Atmos support via streaming is coming to Xbox only for the foreseeable.
Yes I was looking at the 1TB models, the 500GB are £200 but second hand is irrelevant from the perspective of a review. The Netflix Dolby Atmos news is very interesting.
 
The Netflix Dolby Atmos news is very interesting.
It is, but without Dolby Vision, it's half a job especially with 60Hz. Currently, there's no way to get Netflix in all its glory (Dolby Vision/Atmos/right frame rate) through an AV system, unless you are aware of one?
 
I bought the 400 for the second hdmi (audio) out to my non 4k amp and am absolutely delighted with both 4k and bd disc playback. Cracking player:thumbsup:
 
Identical chipset, so identical results :)

Aside from Panasonic's own comments about all the players using the same chipset, there's no absolutely no difference as far as I can tell. The menus and setup are identical and their performance was exactly the same in testing.

Fantastic, thank you! Looks like I'll be picking one of these up :)
 
It is, but without Dolby Vision, it's half a job especially with 60Hz. Currently, there's no way to get Netflix in all its glory (Dolby Vision/Atmos/right frame rate) through an AV system, unless you are aware of one?
That's true but the LG TVs will get an update soon, so they will support both Atmos and Vision.
 
That's true but the LG TVs will get an update soon, so they will support both Atmos and Vision.
Thanks. Presumably the Sony A1 OLED (and the other X1 Extreme TVs) will follow at some point, as they already support Dolby Atmos via ARC (with DD+) for the VUDU service in the USA. Dolby Vision will appear at some point. It looks like everyone is going to have to rely on inbuilt TV apps rather than an external player or streamer, which is a shame. If only Oppo provided apps on its Ultra HD blu ray player.
 
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Thanks. Presumably the Sony A1 OLED (and the other X1 Extreme TVs) will follow at some point, as they already support Dolby Atmos via ARC (with DD+) for the VUDU service in the USA. Dolby Vision will appear at some point. It looks like everyone is going to have to rely on inbuilt TV apps rather than an external player or streamer, which is a shame. If only Oppo provided apps on its Ultra HD blu ray player.
I'm sure Oppo will at some point.
 

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