Conclusion
Just as in the early days of movies on “normal” Blu-ray in 2006, there are only a handful of players to choose from for the UHD format. At the time of writing, your choice is between Samsung and Panasonic, and we conclude that Panasonic has slightly edged out its rival in this first round, largely thanks to its better usability: the DMP-UB900 has an easier-to-use remote and its on screen messaging makes it more apparent exactly what kind of video is being sent to the display, which is a real advantage as early adopters deal with HDR teething troubles. Its processing isn’t perfect and is tripped up by some of the more obscure NTSC video transfer cadences, but these are almost irrelevant on a format which is predominantly used for 24fps movies. (On the other hand, Samsung’s UBD-K8500 is cheaper and is available in more countries right now). Where it counts, the UB900 has no significant performance issues that we could detect. The fact that it’s tastefully designed and is easy on the eyes doesn’t change the picture and sound you experience, but it adds to the DMPUB900’s appeal all the same.
The only spectre looming over both of the currently available players is the Dolby Vision HDR system, which is an optional feature in the UHD BD spec, and is not to be found on these early units. However, these early players will still play Dolby Vision UHD discs once they appear, although only Dolby Vision compatible players will be able to access the additional enhancement layer in the video bitstream to present the full experience from them. At the time of writing, we have no way of knowing whether or not this will make a significant difference, but we imagine in the next few years it will become a standard feature on Ultra HD Blu-ray players, just as DTS-HD Master Audio (an optional feature for BD player designers) did.
Ultimately, the Panasonic DMP-UB900 is a well designed Ultra HD Blu-ray player with predictably excellent output quality and novel video processing features. We feel it’s the top choice in its currently not-too-crowded product category.
