The Panasonic DP-UB9000 reference-class UHD Blu-ray player
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 is a UHD Blu-ray player that retails for $1099.00. What is a consumer electronic product introduced in 2018 that is the same unit being sold today except for an audio component swap and some firmware updates? Other than headphones and speakers, most people in the industry would call it a dinosaur. Panasonic calls it a flagship, and most physical media-loving videophiles would agree. Here’s why I do too.
After almost five years on the market, one supply chain-oriented hardware swap, and multiple firmware updates, the DP-UB9000 is still considered the 4K Blu-ray player to beat and the best disc-based videophile solution for 4K and now 8K displays and projectors.
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 Supports HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision encoded content
The DP-UB9000 reference-class UHD Blu-ray player utilizes Panasonic in-house color and HDR processing technologies to reproduce 4K UHD pictures with cinema-level quality in the home. The DP-UB9000 plays almost every modern disc-based, CD-sized video format.
The DP-UB9000 also supports every current iteration of HDR technology, including HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision, combined with what Panasonic says is the best possible audio quality to complement the best disc-based media picture quality. Users can get all of this for an average retail selling price of $1,099.
Panasonic DP-UB9000
Price
$1099.00
Technology
4K UHD Blu-ray
Displayed Resolution
3,840 x 2,160
Disc Support
CD, DVD, HD Blu-ray, UHD Blu-ray
HDR Formats
HDR, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG
HDR Optimizer
Yes
3D Support
Yes
DVD Audio /SACD Support
No
Video Apps
Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube
Dimensions
16.9" x 3.1" x 11.8"
Weight
17.2 lb (7.8kg)
Warranty
One (1) Year
OVERVIEW
The DP-UB90OO delivers outstanding picture quality that matches its exceptional build quality
From a design perspective, let’s talk about what sets this player apart from other Panasonic players and a lot of their competition. That’s build quality. Panasonic engineers combined premium materials such as thick, rigid aluminum panels which limit vibration with an elegant design to create this flagship player.
Panasonic’s unique Hollywood Cinema Experience (HCX) Processor houses different technologies, including Panasonic’s 4K color processor and an HDR Optimizer. The 4K color processor makes images look true-to-life with sharp contrast and smooth motion. The HDR Optimizer enhances various content, even HDR images from ordinary HDR10 and TV footage which may not support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The HDR Optimizer and premium construction alone may justify including this device in a premium home theater system.
The DP-UB90OO delivers outstanding picture quality that matches its exceptional build quality
While the DP-UB9000 is a universal disc player capable of playing everything from music CDs to UHD Blu-rays, it is also a smart device with wired and wireless network connectivity, Google and Amazon Alexa support, and onboard streaming applications.
Regarding audio components, Panasonic has created a video player that focuses primarily on getting the highest quality audio performance for the video content which it is designed to play. The UB-9000’s two dedicated power supplies for 2-channel and 7.1-channel analog signals are a great example of this quality. These use dedicated circuits, guaranteeing that each signal can output the optimum voltage with as little noise as possible. This is only one example of how the DP-UB9000 uses premium components to achieve the best possible audio performance.
Panasonic uses a High-grade ESS Sabre D2A converter for playing high-resolution audio file codecs. The DP-UB9000 creates a spatial sound experience with support for surround formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS-X.
The DP-UB9000 is one of four 4K UHD Blu-ray players currently offered for sale on Panasonic’s product website. Out of the line-up, the DP-UB9000 is the only player to feature premium build materials and a huge range of features and adjustments to boot, placing it at the top of the four Panasonic players and an ever-shrinking range of competitive devices in features, design, and price.
Panasonic UHD Disc Player Comparison
Model
DP-UB150K
DP-UB420K
DP-UB820K
DP-UB9000
Price
$199
$499
$899
$1099
HDR Formats
HDR10+
HDR10, HDR10+
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
Construction
Plastic Chassis
Plastic Chassis
Plastic Chassis
Aluminum Chassis
Voice Control
No
Google & Alexa
Google & Alexa
Google & Alexa
Wi-Fi
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
XLR Outputs
No
No
No
Yes
While streaming content has increased dramatically, there are still home theater enthusiasts that prefer physical discs. Many movie lovers have hundreds of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays in our collections. The Panasonic DP-UB9000 is designed to maximize the picture and sound quality of those discs. While the DP-UB9000 can't play SACD or DVD-Audio discs, it is also a high-quality CD player.
With a current retail price of $1099, the DP-UB9000 is one of the most expensive UHD players on the market but its picture and sound quality easily justifies its premium price.
HIGHLIGHTS
Blu-ray support includes Ultra HD Blu-ray, HD Blu-ray, and 3D Blu-ray discs.
Supports legacy media including DVD, and CD as well as rewriteable discs (DVD and CD)
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG compatibility
HDR OPTIMIZER adjusts HDR screen brightness for your display device
HDR to SDR convertor provides optimized SDR content for non-HDR 4K displays
Hollywood Cinema Experience (HCX) processor for HDR and color processing
THX-Certified sound and video
On-device apps for Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Video
Miracast support for Miracast-enabled devices
AAC, AIFF, ALAC, DSD, FLAC, MP3, WMA, and WAV file support
Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, and DTS-HD Master Audio supported
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X passthrough in BITSTREAM mode
High-grade ESS Sabre D2A converter (MK2/2021 Version forward)
Up to 32-bit/384kHz high resolution (PCM) supported
Aluminum front and side panels reduce vibration for superior sound quality
7.1-channel analog RCA audio output
Balanced XLR stereo analog audio outputs
Two USB ports (USB 2.0 front and USB 3.0 rear)
User-selectable video resolutions up to 3840 x 2160
HARDWARE
CHASSIS
The chassis of the DP-UB9000 may look like a simple Blu-ray player, but it is anything but. The player's thick aluminum sides and front panels are treated with alumite. This high-density aluminum helps reduce vibration and significantly contributes to the UB9000’s ability to support high-quality sound.
This attention to material quality is only found in reference-class products, of which the DP-DP-UB9000 is undoubtedly one. The player's finish looks and feels every bit as premium on the outside as this flagship product is on the inside. On the downside, the front panel of the UB9000 is a fingerprint magnet.
Alumite treatment is one of the surface treatments for aluminum alloy, and it provides an oxide layer (Al2O3) on the surface by anodizing. The oxide layer is called “alumite” in the Japanese electronics industry. This method has been widely used for aluminum alloys because alumite possesses high hardness, prevents wear, and offers electrical resistance.
A newly developed drive base and a thick steel plate hold the disk drive to the center of the 2 layer chassis. The Disc mechanism is center mounted to increase stability. Unwanted vibration and noise are reduced while precision is increased. When the tray opens and closes, it is smooth and silent. Load speeds were faster than I expected. Heavy steel plates lower the center of gravity.
The front OLED display can be set to dim automatically or manually adjusted from a dedicated button on the remote control to create the ideal home cinema environment. The display is visible without being too bright to become distracting when the lights are down.
My only criticism of this display is the very basic nature of the data it shows. This means the user must go into the menu system to get information that could, and on some competitor's units, does get shown on the front panel screen.
At first glance, the remote that comes with the Panasonic DP-UB9000 can appear to be intimidating, but unlike many televisions that offer such heavily featured remote controls, the DP-UB9000’s remote control offers users access to useful and often convenient features.
The build quality of the remote is very good. It’s plastic with rubberized buttons, but it feels solid in hand, and the buttons are not too hard to press or have a mushy feeling.
I don’t want to go into massive detail because this remote control allows users to access almost every feature the DP-UB9000 player offers. For me, the key features are:
The remote control is backlit, and the lighting is at a level that it does not blind the user when it is activated in a dark room; it stays lit long enough to find a specific function button and then quickly shuts off.
Access to key and commonly used playback features.
Control and quick access to streaming applications.
CONNECTIONS
This player comes with an impressive range of connections and inputs including stereo XLR outputs
I won’t go into a detailed description of each of the connections on this player. Instead, I will insert a photo with a connection breakout above. However, I do want to point out one of the features Panasonic has provided. Many owners will also use the DP-UB9000 to playback music CDs so Panasonic has included a pair of balanced XLR output connections.
These types of connections are commonly used in professional audio and high-end Hi-FI systems because they provide a balanced signal. A balanced signal means the audio is transmitted on two conductors with an equal but opposite polarity, which helps cancel out electromagnetic interference and noise.
My professional background includes all aspects of the consumer and professional product industries. Still, as we focus on projectors, I rarely enjoy playing with my professional audio equipment for work. In this case, I got the opportunity to dust off a pair of my studio monitors and test them with this player.
Philip also took the opportunity to connect the DP-UB9000 via XLR to his Marantz system to test the unit's audio quality when playing back music. All I can say is, “Wow.” If you have the equipment to do this, you should. The listening experience is excellent.
VIDEO PROCESSING
HCX PROCESSOR- Made possible by years of knowledge from the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratories
Panasonic is dedicated to displaying content the way the filmmaker intended. The picture-enhancing technology packed into the HCX processor comes from years of hands-on experience at Panasonic’s Hollywood Laboratory. Panasonic's accumulated expertise comes from the company's many years of practical experience gained at their Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory. This expertise is one of the key reasons the DP-UB9000 can display true-to-life pictures that offer dynamic contrast and smooth motion.
Some of the key components of the HCX processor include the company's color processing which uses a multi-tap chroma process to ensure 4K images radiate with natural textures and depth.
The HDR Optimizer, also made possible by years of knowledge from the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, ensures the DP-UB9000 is compatible with the latest standards of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, while for conventional HDR10 content, HDR Optimizer will bring the best quality to your footage.
Tone mapping is a technology typically provided by the display. The problem with doing this is that consumers are left at the manufacturer's mercy, getting whatever tone mapping solution they provide. Panasonic has left nothing to chance, providing users with a top-notch tone mapping solution built into the DP-UB9000. Tone mapping is used to adjust the brightness level of the content. And even HDR images from ordinary
HDR10 and TV footage, which do not support special new formats like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, provide optimal playback. Even SDR displays can look better when displaying content from the DP-UB9000.
AUDIO PROCESSING
High-grade ESS Sabre D2A converters
At the top of this section, I talked a lot about the physical chassis and the stability this provides, but there are other types of stability on this player. Panasonic provides multiple power supplies for both the 2-channel analog and 7.1 analog outputs and dedicated digital amplification.
The primary benefit of separate amplification is that each output delivers a high-quality, stable audio signal with an incredibly small amount of noise. If Panasonic did not take this extra step, the noise would likely be generated and passed on with the player's audio signal.
High-quality components are used all throughout the player. The DP-DP-UB9000 utilizes a high-grade ESS Sabre D2A converter. This premium DAC creates a precise, rich sound from the latest high-resolution digital signals with an exceptional signal-to-noise ratio.
NETWORKING
While the main reason why someone would purchase a DP-UB9000 is to play back disc, the player does include wired and wireless network connectivity and smart features. The player supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa-enabled network devices. The player can receive "casted" content via mirroring with compatible smartphones or tablets.
The DP-UB9000 can play content from a USB or external hard disc drive (HDD) and it also offers network drive access. Panasonic has even included a suite of popular streaming applications like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.
MENU
Compared to the user interface found on a 4K television, the player's menu design is pretty basic, but I don’t think this is bad. It allows you to quickly access the DP-UB9000 and the menus found on DVD and Blu-ray discs. However, since DP-UB9000 includes features like HDR Optimizer, the menu system is more elaborate than most Video disc players.
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 has a ton of functionality, so there are dedicated HDR, Video, and Audio submenus that allow you to tweak and adjust the video and sound based on your personal taste.
Some users want a simple plug-and-play solution while hardcore enthusiasts want to ability to adjust everything. I think Panasonic nailed the need of both customers with the DP-UB9000 menu system.
PERFORMANCE
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 is designed to reproduce colors and rich, detailed images as filmmakers intended. The DP-UB9000 offers a surround experience to complement and enhance displayed video content. This one-of-a-kind 4K UHD Blu-ray player gives users a premium cinema-grade entertainment experience at home.
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 is not a universal player or media server. The DP-UB9000 does not play DVD Audio or SACD. The Panasonic DP-UB9000 is the best-made 4K Ultra-HD displaying the highest image and sound quality currently available in a disc-based player.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 supports every popular HDR (High Dynamic Range) format, including HDR, HLG, HDR10+and Dolby Vision. Most Blu-ray players do not support all four formats, so Philip Jones utilizes a DP-UB9000 as his reference UHD disc player.
As the price of internet bandwidth drops and 4K HDR content is available from almost every streaming service, I can understand how the everyday person could look at the picture they get from Netflix, Apple TV+, or HBO Max and think they never need to buy a 4K UHD Blu-ray player. They are just wrong. It is a matter of the degrees of difference between physical media content and streaming content. This difference between the two is night and day, and this player’s picture quality is all the proof I needed to see this.
Getting the best HDR picture quality is why 4K Blu-ray and streamed 4K content look so lifelike in HDR. HDR-encoded content can provide more contrast and colors than plain HD content.
No projector can reproduce all the brightness information found in consumer HDR content mastered at 1000 to 4000nits, so the content must be tone mapped. Many projectors and flat panels struggle to properly tone map HDR material resulting in blown-out highlights or a dim-looking picture.
If you don’t like to look of HDR content on your display, the Panasonic DP-UB9000 gives you the ability to adjust the tone mapping of the HDR disc playing. The UB9000 includes an HDR Optimizer feature that allows users to choose between several display-specific HDR tone mapping options. Selecting the appropriate setting for your OLED, LCD, or projector should provide better-looking HDR picture quality with more visible fine detail in bright and dark areas of the screen.
HDR Setting options are Standard, Natural Environment, Light Environment and Bright Environment
In addition to the preset HDR Optimizer, you have the ability to fine-tune the HDR look even further. If you press and hold the HDR SETTING button on the remote control to access the HDR Optimizer advanced menu options.
The UB9000’s HDR Optimizer works with a range of 4K HDR content, like streaming and some encoded USB files. The only way to get the best out of this feature is to use 4K Blu-ray content, and man, does it make a difference most noticeably in the clarity and detail of bright highlights. Users should also see a boost in color and contrast directly related to the player's superior tone mapping.
Press and hold the HDR SETTING button for 2 seconds to access the HDR Optimizer advanced settings
JVC’s current lineup of 4K D-ILA projectors offers a preset picture mode design to work harmoniously with the UB9000. When this picture mode is engaged, the projector’s internal tone mapping is disabled so the player can handle those duties.
The UB9000 includes two different tone map curves called High Luminance Projector mode or Basic Luminance Projector mode. High Luminance mode is designed to maximize brightness and highlight detail in HDR material, while Basic Luminance is designed to deliver the widest color gamut reproduction (with the projector's P3 color filter engaged) at the expense of some on-screen brightness.
Since we had a JVC projector, we experimented with letting the DP-UB9000 do the HDR tone mapping versus the JVC Dynamic HDR tone mapping. While both did an excellent job with the projector and UB9000 in the default settings, we preferred the projector's internal tone mapping.
In addition to the player's HDR Optimizer feature, Panasonic allows users to adjust the HDR intensity of the UB9000. This feature is very handy if the room you watch movies in is a room that does not have full control of ambient lighting. The HDR setting mode can be accessed via the 4K UHD player's extensive remote control.
For those users who own a projector that does not support HDR, the DP-UB9000 can down-convert HDR-encoded content to 1080P SDR, all while preserving the wide color gamut of 4K UHDs.
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 supports a variety of HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+
Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are not available on projectors but in the past year or so, we are starting to see models that support these formats. For example, Hisense introduced Dolby Vision support in their latest Laser TVs, and Samsung UST projector as well as JVC's newer 4K DILA projectors now support HDR10+. I would love the opportunity to compare the same content mastered in HDR10+ versus Dolby Vision but very few displays (and no projectors) support both formats.
I am using a Hisense L9G as my display, which supports Dolby Vision but it is not compatible with HDR10+ content. In a future review, I intend to use a Samsung projector with HDR10+ and give my impressions of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. I suspect that the differences I see will have less to do with HDR encoding in these two very competitive formats and more with how Samsung and Hisense each approach overall image processing and tone mapping.
HD UPSCALING
Most projectors that will be paired with the DP-UB9000 do a great job upscaling HD content to 4K. However, the DP-UB9000 does offer very good built-in upscaling capability. Viewing both real-world material and test content from the Spears & Munsil evaluation disc, confirmed that this player does an excellent job of handling HD upscaling. You can see in the gallery above the testing graph that this Panasonic player does an excellent job upscaling.
When it comes to upscaling a standard-definition disc, the DP-UB9000 can produce a sharp image with just a little bit of distortion around its edges. This issue is not noticeable outside the test patterns, but this being a Panasonic flagship, they expect users to have a premium experience. In this case, they have provided an edge correction tool designed to significantly reduce or even eliminate this type of edge distortion.
SUMMARY
The DP-UB9000 is one of the most advanced 4K UHD Blu-ray players available
Do I need a 4K UHD Blu-ray player in 2023? It is an incredibly fair question to ask. Let me start by answering the media question, and then I will get onto this player specifically. With the advent of HEVC compression, the 4K Blu-ray format provides better compression than HD Blu-ray and streaming. 4K Blu-ray is still the most advanced and readily available physical media solution for today’s consumer. Regarding available titles, 4K UHD Blu-ray’s existing, affordable, and growing library of titles makes it the clear choice for physical media buyers who want the best quality.
4K UHD Blu-ray discs high video bit rate combined with HDR encoding provides users sharp visuals, rich colors, and a more lifelike viewing experience compared to any other consumer solution available to date, especially when viewing content displayed from a projector onto larger screen sizes that can realistically reach 150 inches diagonally and beyond.
Is the Panasonic DP-UB9000 4K UHD Blu-ray player the one you should buy in 2023? That depends on your priorities.
For me, the fact that this 4K UHD Blu-ray player delivers big time on the promise of format-improved picture quality is more than enough reason for me to make a purchase. The DP-UB9000 provides me with all the visual benefits of the 4K UHD media format and adds amazing image processing and enhancement technologies like the Panasonic HDR Optimizer. In addition, the HDR setting modes let users turn up or down the overall HDR effect providing the ability to display more detail in the darker and brighter areas of the image by tweaking the DP-UB9000’s tone mapping.
A 4K UHD Blu-ray player that improves the look of most content
Another big benefit of the DP-UB9000 is its ability to display 4000-nit content on a projector that is only capable of reproducing 1000 nits, and likely even less.
The DP-UB9000 enables users to adjust HDR performance even more, allowing users to adjust displayed the 4K Blu-ray players brightness based on the light level in the room. Whether you're watching a UHD Blu-ray disc or 4K streamed content, these picture adjustments work using the player's built-in apps.
Panasonic has ensured that the DP-UB9000 supports most audio encoding formats. Panasonic’s onboard processing, most importantly, supports most of the variations of Dolby and DTS surround sound. The player even supports high-end three-dimensional formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X to a compatible receiver via HDMI.
The DP-UB9000 delivered great sound quality from video discs and music CDs
The player features a set of RCA outputs for 7.1-channel surround sound, even if the audio receiver does not have HDMI connectivity. The player's DAC and analog output circuit have their own dedicated power sources, which reduces processing and drive noise. The DP-DP-UB9000 generates gorgeous sound for traditional compact disc playback and a high-end DAC for high-resolution music files like DSD and PCM formats.
It’s clear to me that this 4K UHD Blu-ray player was designed and built to be the best Panasonic could create. This attention to detail allows the player to produce audiophile-level sound quality when paired with high-end amplifiers and speakers and exceptional video quality with a high-performance projector or television.
The Panasonic DP-UB9000 is, despite its maturity, still one of the best 4K UHD Blu-ray players you can buy today. The company has developed a feature-rich and incredibly easy-to-use high-end device. The DP-UB9000 offers a range of menu controls that allow users to easily improve the look of HDR-enhanced content on your 4K and even 8K projector or TV.
This 4K UHD Blu-ray player is the best-looking and sounding 4K player I have used. Since the demand for DVDs and Blu-rays has shrunk dramatically, manufacturers are not motivated to launch new UHD disc players. The reality is that the DP-DP-UB9000 is likely the last of its kind to come from Panasonic or any other mainstream manufacturer, so get one while you can.
PROS
Premium construction reduces the impact of outside sources on the player's performance
One of the highest-quality universal disc players available today
Supports HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision-encoded content
Built-in adjustable HDR Tone Mapping
The player audio output sounds amazing
Compatible with multiple audio formats, including WAV, FLAC and DSD
Built-in adjustable tone mapping
Wide range of audio outputs, including stereo XLRs
