Panasonic DMP-UB700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Review & Comments

Thanks for the great review Steve.

As an Xbox One S owner I am curious - is there any quality advantage at all with a stand alone players? (Given that Dolby Atmos is now on the way for the Xbox One S.)

Ergonomically, the Xbox One S is excellent. It seems to be pretty quick and is quiet. I really like the motion activated illumination on its media control.
 
As the player is energy efficient unlike latest Panasonic high end TV why does the player require a fan.
 
@Steve Withers: press Options on the remote when watching a disc and the Playback Information screen should be available on the list of stuff that appears, it's not a one-touch solution but it's how it's always worked on previous Panasonics that have had this feature. Heck, I did the same thing on my UB900 when I stopped using the backlit remote and reverted to my older Panny remote which is much like the one supplied with the UB700.

And what a surprise: the player is all but identical to the UB900 in performance terms, it's just missing the analogue outs, fancier remote control, isolated feet and a THX tag. Whoop-de-do.
 
but under Sharpness Adjustment there is a control called Edge Correction that we would recommend setting to +1 because at zero there is slight ringing around fine details.

Should this read -1?
Seems odd that adding more Edge Correction (+1) gets rid of the ringing
 
Thanks for the great review Steve.

As an Xbox One S owner I am curious - is there any quality advantage at all with a stand alone players? (Given that Dolby Atmos is now on the way for the Xbox One S.)

Ergonomically, the Xbox One S is excellent. It seems to be pretty quick and is quiet. I really like the motion activated illumination on its media control.
Theoretically there shouldn't be but any difference but some people might just prefer a UHD BD player without all the rest.
 
but under Sharpness Adjustment there is a control called Edge Correction that we would recommend setting to +1 because at zero there is slight ringing around fine details.

Should this read -1?
Seems odd that adding more Edge Correction (+1) gets rid of the ringing
No it's +1, that is the 'no edge correction' setting for some reason.
 
@Steve Withers: press Options on the remote when watching a disc and the Playback Information screen should be available on the list of stuff that appears, it's not a one-touch solution but it's how it's always worked on previous Panasonics that have had this feature. Heck, I did the same thing on my UB900 when I stopped using the backlit remote and reverted to my older Panny remote which is much like the one supplied with the UB700.
Thanks Geoff, I'll add that to the review.
 
Steve did you notice if the UB700 fan is thermostatically controlled or always on?
 
Steve did you notice if the UB700 fan is thermostatically controlled or always on?
Well when you turn the player on the fan spins for a second and then stops and since I haven't actually heard it in action I think it's thermostatically controlled. Which suggests both the UB700 and UB900 run fairly cool and the fan is just there in case. The K8500's fan comes on as soon as you turn the player on and it stays on.
 
Well when you turn the player on the fan spins for a second and then stops and since I haven't actually heard it in action I think it's thermostatically controlled. Which suggests both the UB700 and UB900 run fairly cool and the fan is just there in case. The K8500's fan comes on as soon as you turn the player on and it stays on.
Agreed, I never heard the fan on my UB900 apart from a brief spin at start-up, but when running UHD discs it got hot as hell after an hour or two (ejected discs were hot to the touch, not just warm but proper hot like) and yet the fan never seemed to want to start up. I don't think it was a fault as I recall the same thing happening on another brand of player which had a fan (though I forget the brand), it's like the fan will only kick in when the thing actually catches alight! :D
 
Great review, thanks.
A much more realistic price from panasonic, this seems like the one to go for.
 
This should boost panasonic sales for christmas. :smashin:
 
Heck, I did the same thing on my UB900 when I stopped using the backlit remote and reverted to my older Panny remote which is much like the one supplied with the UB700.
Why did you stop using the UB900 remote Geoff, I love that remote.
 
Why did you stop using the UB900 remote Geoff, I love that remote.
I guess I've just gotten used to the cheapy Panny remotes, having owned many of their players over the years. And there are many buttons on the UB900 remote that I never used so it seemed pointless to keep wielding it, I prefer a remote where I can reach every button with my thumb without having to juggle it in my hand, if that makes sense.

For all my waffle about waiting for the OPPO, if I could get the UB700 for less than £300 (and therefore half the price of the OPPO) then I'd be sorely tempted.
 
This makes me feel a bit better about the UB900 as I much prefer the better remote including the backlight, the skip back 10secs / forward 1 min buttons etc (and my previous player was a Panny as well)

Not sure it's worth the extra £100 I paid for the UB900 right enough as I will never use the analogue outputs, but I did get 2 'free' movies which also softens the blow.

Good review and good to see cheaper players on the market though!!!
 
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For all my waffle about waiting for the OPPO, if I could get the UB700 for less than £300 (and therefore half the price of the OPPO) then I'd be sorely tempted.
You missed the Amazon £313 price? While not less than £300, almost at your price point.
Perhaps this was a Black Friday deal started on the wrong date, so might return (and pigs do fly!).

I'm guessing it might get down to £300 eventually (going by the BDT500 and BDT700 price drops from RRP) but perhaps not for 12-18 months.
 
I'm guessing it might get down to £300 eventually (going by the BDT500 and BDT700 price drops from RRP) but perhaps not for 12-18 months.
In another 12-18 months it will be obsolete and superseded by another model.
 
Great review Steve, this is probably the player I will go for to mate with my 65" Panny CR852 tv. Do you think there would be any banding as my tv is an older (last years) model and you said there is a possibility of banding on older 4k hdr tv's.

It's the UB700 at hopefully around £350 street or the Oppo 203 but that is probably £599 which is a lot more money for what will get fairly low use till I upgrade my JVC X35 to a new 4k pj which won't be for 2 yrs at least.
 
Great review Steve, this is probably the player I will go for to mate with my 65" Panny CR852 tv. Do you think there would be any banding as my tv is an older (last years) model and you said there is a possibility of banding on older 4k hdr tv's.
I honestly don't know Keith, I'd suggest checking the UB900 and CR852 threads to see if anyone mentions any issues.
 
I guess I've just gotten used to the cheapy Panny remotes, having owned many of their players over the years. And there are many buttons on the UB900 remote that I never used so it seemed pointless to keep wielding it, I prefer a remote where I can reach every button with my thumb without having to juggle it in my hand, if that makes sense.

For all my waffle about waiting for the OPPO, if I could get the UB700 for less than £300 (and therefore half the price of the OPPO) then I'd be sorely tempted.

Fair comment but if oppo is Dolby vision ready, this is a major point for people with Dolby vision tv capable
Price seems good indeed but what is the point if you can't use that capability?
Future will tell if Dolby vision will pick up but early signs are encouraging
 

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