Question Which (UHD) BluRay Player for Budget TV?

lasthope

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Greetings everyone,

I recently got a Samsung TU 8509 in 43" and therefore I am looking around for a (UHD) BluRay player. I know that the TV is an entry-level model, but I made a conscious decision because I prefer a cheap one with inconvenience I can live with as an expensive one with same issues.

In principle I would like to play mostly BluRays, but also have the option of playing a UHD BluRay. Given the size of the TV, it is certainly not absolutely necessary, but it would be formalized as a feature. A quiet drive noise would be desirable.

Can "good" UHD BluRay players improve / get something out of SDR on TV? Do player-internal apps bring advantages over those of the TV (e.g. Netflix)?

First had the Panasonic DP-UB424 in mind because of the HDR Optimizer, but it only works with HDR material. Originally thought it could adjust the tone mapping a little with SDR.

Can you give a recommendation for less than 200 € or is every player equally good or bad in terms of the requirements because any image enhancers/tone mapping would not work on the TV?

Thanks in advance
lasthope
 
Greetings everyone,

I recently got a Samsung TU 8509 in 43" and therefore I am looking around for a (UHD) BluRay player. I know that the TV is an entry-level model, but I made a conscious decision because I prefer a cheap one with inconvenience I can live with as an expensive one with same issues.

In principle I would like to play mostly BluRays, but also have the option of playing a UHD BluRay. Given the size of the TV, it is certainly not absolutely necessary, but it would be formalized as a feature. A quiet drive noise would be desirable.

Can "good" UHD BluRay players improve / get something out of SDR on TV? Do player-internal apps bring advantages over those of the TV (e.g. Netflix)?

First had the Panasonic DP-UB424 in mind because of the HDR Optimizer, but it only works with HDR material. Originally thought it could adjust the tone mapping a little with SDR.

Can you give a recommendation for less than 200 € or is every player equally good or bad in terms of the requirements because any image enhancers/tone mapping would not work on the TV?

Thanks in advance
lasthope
Firstly with a 43 inch TV (unless you are watching from a really close distance) you won't get much benefit from 4K UHDs. Your TV can do HDR10+ so it may be better to get a player which can do that although there aren't that many UHDs which use it.

Cheapest players with ability to play HDR10+ UHDs: Panasonic UB150 (UB154)
or without HDR10+ playback: Sony X500.

AFAIK neither have streaming apps like Netflix. I haven't used either player but I'd guess both are as good (or as bad) as each other.

One thing to note is that both players only have one HDMI output so cannot do the more expensive player feature of sending the video via one HDMI and the audio via another. But that is only needed if you are using a receiver or soundbar which can't passthrough 4K UHD (and/or HDR10+).
 
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But is there a benefit of any player for blurays? Kind of HDR like feature to improve the picture? If not, would any bluray player do the job as good as all the others?
 
You may as well get a cheap 4K player as they are just as good as playing blu rays and DVDs as just a plain blu ray player. At least you will have the ability to play 4K if you so wish. The player won't make that much of a difference with a cheap TV to be honest. It's the TV's panel that is going to have the final say in picture quality.
 
But is there a benefit of any player for blurays? Kind of HDR like feature to improve the picture? If not, would any bluray player do the job as good as all the others?
There is, but unfortunately not with your TV. Some of the Sony UHD players can force Dolby Vision on blu-rays (make them HDR) but to take advantage of that you'd need a TV with Dolby Vision playback capability. Your TV may have an HDR Effect viewing mode which can do similar (albeit not as good).
 
Ok, I see. This TV is a transition from CRT to a future premium TV with mini led or maybe dual layer led. Had my hands an several tvs, but their weaknesses made me wait. Would you recommend a future proof player with dolby vision or would you say that for my current needs there is no reason for these more expensive features?
Sony X700 would fit in that, Pana 154 but without dolby vision. Cheaper players can do 4k upscaling but not playing uhd discs right?
 
Cheaper players can do 4k upscaling but not playing uhd discs right?
I wouldn't worry about a player's ability to upscale, the TV will upscale any image that is sent to it. As I said prior the TV itself will have the final say on how good an image is going to be yet at 43 inches you will hardly notice the difference between an upscaled 1080 or a native 4K image, HDR aside.
 
Thanks for your feedback. Think I will try to get a bluray player thats is suitable for my situation. Maybe Panasonic DMP-BDT185.
 

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