Panasonic UB9000 Flag ship uhd player with XLR output

[betty boop]

Wow I knew when they released a ub820  that there would be a more upmarket player to replace the ub900 currently.

 

well looks like pana is very serious about things with this new ub9000 flagship. And it looks fully featured.

 

what I like is that it looks like a conventional player as well, with look and controls as expect in a standalone dedicated player

 

 

 

 

 

“At Panacon, Panasonic's annual product launch event, the company announced that its 2018 flagship player will be the DP-UB9000 (not to be confused with the DMP-UB900 – the brand's first 4K player, launched in 2016).

Like the DP-UB820, the DP-UB9000 supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision HDR, Alexa and Google Assistant voice control (via a future software update), and 7.1 channel audio.

The emphasis will be on audio performance, with the DP-UB9000 having a dedicated audio power supply, a 'high-performance' DAC and an XLR balanced output.

Housed in new vibration-reducing casework, a thick steel plate fixes the optical disc drive to the chassis to reduce noise during disc rotation.

It also features the latest HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience) processor and 4K upscaling and HDR optimisation technology that form part of the 2018 range.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, and the DP-UB9000 is not expected to go on sale in the UK until the second half of 2018.”

Read more at https://www.whathifi.com/news/panasonic-unveils-flagship-dp-ub9000-4k-blu-ray-player-plus-two-soundbars#y8V5ZqjeIvHDIpUp.99

 

[Addicted to music]

Be interesting how this will compete with the OPPO 205 with XLR support and curious on the dac chip used!   Hopefully it supports s/pdif out! 

[betty boop]

2 minutes ago, Addicted to music said:

Be interesting how this will compete with the OPPO 205 with XLR support and curious on the dac chip used!   Hopefully it supports s/pdif out! 

Indeed. No idea if the pana does other disc formats. Looks to me. Player I always wished Cambridge audio to do.

 

looks like oppo has some competition here !

 

competition is always a good thing

[Mobe1969]

This may be a dumb question, but is there any benefit for the analog output that would differentiate the 9000 from the 820? I mean what specifically would one use this for? Would you use it if you didn't have a receiver, had spare amps, and didn't want Atmos?

[betty boop]

20 minutes ago, Mobe1969 said:

This may be a dumb question, but is there any benefit for the analog output that would differentiate the 9000 from the 820? I mean what specifically would one use this for? Would you use it if you didn't have a receiver, had spare amps, and didn't want Atmos?

 its for 2ch aficionados that use the oppo 105/205 for instance as source. thats what the 9000 is competing against the oppo with XLRs for I would suggest.

 

you can use the 105/205 as a rudimentary processor to feed a multichannel amp but i personally wouldn't recommend it.

[Mobe1969]

That is what I thought (as well as the Oppo 103/105 and 203/205). I'd honestly be more interested in a flagship model if the quality of other components were better, especially the Oppo. The Australia Oppo 103 had such a rubbish laser assembly I had too many playback problems. It is a plastic chassis with a single stainless tracking rail on one side, and grooved piece of plastic on the other. It is a bad example of engineering if I've ever seen one. The US laser assembly was more standard. I can't even find a full teardown or replacement parts listed for the assembly on the 203/205 so I can't say what they are like. Or if the Aus version is different.

 

[betty boop]

11 minutes ago, Mobe1969 said:

That is what I thought (as well as the Oppo 103/105 and 203/205). I'd honestly be more interested in a flagship model if the quality of other components were better, especially the Oppo. The Australia Oppo 103 had such a rubbish laser assembly I had too many playback problems. It is a plastic chassis with a single stainless tracking rail on one side, and grooved piece of plastic on the other. It is a bad example of engineering if I've ever seen one. The US laser assembly was more standard. I can't even find a full teardown or replacement parts listed for the assembly on the 203/205 so I can't say what they are like. Or if the Aus version is different.

sorry in the 4 oppo players i have owned ive had absolutely no issue with laser assembly failure or anything. and oppo are renowned for after sales incase of issues so absolutely least of my concerns. certainly what ever the experience, i wouldn't be tarnishing 203/205 wiht 103./105 brush as completely different units and with different uhd/universal drives in anycase.

 

in players we are talking here, id be more bothered in this case with pana after sales and support(call centre based) having experienced myself and found to be very average to say least.

[Mobe1969]

38 minutes ago, al said:

sorry in the 4 oppo players i have owned ive had absolutely no issue with laser assembly failure or anything. and oppo are renowned for after sales incase of issues so absolutely least of my concerns. certainly what ever the experience, i wouldn't be tarnishing 203/205 wiht 103./105 brush as completely different units and with different uhd/universal drives in anycase.

 

in players we are talking here, id be more bothered in this case with pana after sales and support(call centre based) having experienced myself and found to be very average to say least.

I wouldn't go as far as saying I was tarnishing the 203/205, more to the point that I have not, after quite a bit of searching been able to ascertain what exactly they are using for the assembly in the 203/205. And I was most definitely burnt on the 103. I only found out with the oppo as I was getting sick of the playback issues I was having, and was going to do what I did with my PS3s when they started displaying issue - order in a new laser assembly and replace it. I took the cover off the oppo and found the chassis looked nothing like the ones on ebay. So digging further I found it was a different assembly, as in the pictures I posted. And it is poor quality. So after my 103 experience I just wouldn't even consider an oppo UHD player unless I could verify they haven't lumped Australia with poorer quality parts like they most DEFINITELY did with the 103. And having seen enough posts on UHD forums and threads of people with playback issues on the oppo I am reticent.

 

And even worse, when I contacted oppo they were NOT interested in helping even though it was under warranty. They just asked me for a list of all the titles I was having issues with and they'd look into it. They didn't even want to see the unit. And that was when I started looking at just replacing the laser assembly myself.

 

So maybe the 203/205 is great. but I have no reason to believe it is. And after recounting all this, I would have to be against a brick wall with something I absolutey could not get some other way to even consider them...

Edited February 15, 2018 by Mobe1969

[cwt]

3 hours ago, al said:

Indeed. No idea if the pana does other disc formats. Looks to me. Player I always wished Cambridge audio to do.

looks like oppo has some competition here !

competition is always a good thing

A few things make me tend to think its not a universal Al ; their competitiveness with  sony - the 1st bd player they put out did dvd-a ;no dsd and they haven't released one since afaik . And it lists both dsd flavours as streamable ; good enough possibly .. 

 

Very handy BT2020 SDR option and the UK price does look very competitive  Like the sound of the stable drive mechanism too ; 

https://www.avforums.com/news/panasonic-announces-dp-ub9000-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-player.14649

[Mobe1969]

1 minute ago, cwt said:

A few things make me tend to think its not a universal Al ; their competitiveness with  sony - the 1st bd player they put out did dvd-a ;no dsd and they haven't released one since afaik . And it lists both dsd flavours as streamable ; good enough possibly .. 

 

Very handy BT2020 SDR option and the UK price does look very competitive  Like the sound of the stable drive mechanism too ; 

https://www.avforums.com/news/panasonic-announces-dp-ub9000-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-player.14649

Good find. Yes, an improved drive assembly is of definite interest to me. It is good to see there are other components improved in it, not just the addition of the analog.

[Fun-Ghoul]

Looks like some of the engineers at Panasonic are remembering their days at Pioneer. Has that kind of look.

[TP1]

I've had repeated laser problems with Oppo but they still have an advantage not reported on any spec sheet- the availability of after market upgrades. Having witnessed Picture quality improvements that a high quality linear power supply could do for my Dune 4k, Roku 4k and Mac mini, I am thinking PQ wise, a 205 with Diy upgraded PSU from China ( where Oppo is made) might give it the edge

[betty boop]

32 minutes ago, Tasso said:

I've had repeated laser problems with Oppo but they still have an advantage not reported on any spec sheet- the availability of after market upgrades. Having witnessed Picture quality improvements that a high quality linear power supply could do for my Dune 4k, Roku 4k and Mac mini, I am thinking PQ wise, a 205 with Diy upgraded PSU from China ( where Oppo is made) might give it the edge

which oppo with laser issues can you be bit more specific please. I have not had any issues with the 205 and unaware of any laser / transport issues with the 203 / 205 ? 

 

we have to be careful of not comparing the old 103/105 transport to 203/205 as transport it has nothing do with older gen players which used oems transports.... oppo went to trouble of doing own home brew transport for the 203/205 ! 

 

 

the 203 was a pig when released, why i returned mine...however to their credit oppo did lot of work...and am not aware of people with issues now and its not like transports and laser self heal themselves it was multiple generations of firmware that help, and this will continue... like with blu-ray (i lived those early days too) with uhd we will continue to get firmware updates from all makers for playability...

[Mobe1969]

I've seen plenty of playback issues on UHD forum threads for the oppo and Samsung players. And if I see an unqualified playback issue post, the first thing I ask is what player. And it is generally split between the oppo and the Samsung. 

 

Interesting what you said about the transport. What is the source for that? I still haven't seen a real teardown showing the drive assembly, just the outer box (just like they did on the 103).

[betty boop]

13 minutes ago, Mobe1969 said:

I've seen plenty of playback issues on UHD forum threads for the oppo and Samsung players. And if I see an unqualified playback issue post, the first thing I ask is what player. And it is generally split between the oppo and the Samsung. 

 

Interesting what you said about the transport. What is the source for that? I still haven't seen a real teardown showing the drive assembly, just the outer box (just like they did on the 103).

mobe I am no donkey but have been following playback issues as far as format goes - it is ABSOLUTely paramount to me infact i put it far above picture quality and audio quality. I returned a player because of it. if you havent seen it is yes ME ...  I am the one in forums asking if there are playback issues. currently I am unaware of playback issues with oppo for a LONG time and i weigh in here wiht my very own experience as well. Samsung which i owned to from day one of the format used to be faultless however if appears with the player now superseded they have lagged in support and we are starting to see issues. the last person i recall with playback issues was a samsung which people suggested get an oppo and hasnt reported an issue since. 

 

that is not to say people may or may not have an issue. it is a new format still and ALL makers have been providing updates for ...playability.... this is no different as happened in the early days of blu-ray.

 

re the info on the transport well you havent been following that closely enough. its been talked about since day one. infact with the initial issues that was perhaps suspected heck oppo doing their own transport... perhaps dont know what they are doing. but it wasnt it was firmware that was the fix. 

 

if you are wanting tear down you might have to do your own. oppo with their own home brewed transport with a cutting edge format arent dumb enough to be providing that to anyone. 

 

 

 

[Addicted to music]

In the OPPO ecosystem, firmware fixes everything.  Including burn-in!  

 

 But also in the OPPO ecosystem, firmware creates issues after every release!  It's taken OPPO 4yrs to get the 105 to where it is now!

[Cope]

This looks fantastic. I'm very happy with the UB900 for 4k, Netflix, etc., but it's a bit of a pain to use as a CD player in my lounge room setup - tiny screen, hidden buttons, stupid fascia door, reliance on the OSD. This looks like it solves some of these issues, and the XLR will plug into my integrated amp nicely.

 

I'm just hoping it's a usable cdp without the need for OSD, and that it has a pure  direct mode.

 

The AVS article suggests it'll still have Netflix, which means it'll certainly cut into Oppo 205 sales (I understand the argument for what Oppo has done, I just disagree with it).

[TP1]

3 hours ago, al said:

which oppo with laser issues can you be bit more specific please. I have not had any issues with the 205 and unaware of any laser / transport issues with the 203 / 205 ? 

 

They were earlier models.   

[betty boop]

5 minutes ago, twofires said:

This looks fantastic. I'm very happy with the UB900 for 4k, Netflix, etc., but it's a bit of a pain to use as a CD player in my lounge room setup - tiny screen, hidden buttons, stupid fascia door, reliance on the OSD. This looks like it solves some of these issues, and the XLR will plug into my integrated amp nicely.

Agree 100%, you have heat nail on head, this does take case of a lot of inadequacies i saw in the 900 as a standalone player  

 

7 minutes ago, twofires said:

I'm just hoping it's a usable cdp without the need for OSD, and that it has a pure  direct mode.

indeed as a standalone player that would be good

 

8 minutes ago, twofires said:

The AVS article suggests it'll still have Netflix, which means it'll certainly cut into Oppo 205 sales (I understand the argument for what Oppo has done, I just disagree with it).

 dont agree with oppo dumping streaming options. the 900 had netflix. but to be honest i went side ways for streaming and the apple TV 4k is so good ! am not sure i could go back to how it was on the 900 if thats what pull across to the 9000

[betty boop]

@55782121 YellowLemon writes...
["Just returned my second faulty DMP-UB900 for a refund after 6 months ownership. The first one was noisy right out of the box. The second one started making increasingly loud 'seeking' noises, and started freezing and skipping video&audio during playback. I've had problems with Panasonics doing this in the past so I'm done with Panasonic players for now."]

["I must say JB Hi-Fi were REALLY good. Took it back no questions asked. ((I was expecting "oh we need to send this one for repair and it will take 6-8 weeks bla bla"))"]

["What's a good alternative? The Sony? I'm using the Xbox One X for now"]

 

as can see from above post panna’s are not without issue either. From my own ownership of pana 900 I can’t remenber stuff like this so wouldn’t say a typical. But more reminder things can and do fail ! Which is reality for anything electro mechanical. A good retailer is key obviously

[Mobe1969]

14 hours ago, al said:

Agree 100%, you have heat nail on head, this does take case of a lot of inadequacies i saw in the 900 as a standalone player  

 

indeed as a standalone player that would be good

 

 dont agree with oppo dumping streaming options. the 900 had netflix. but to be honest i went side ways for streaming and the apple TV 4k is so good ! am not sure i could go back to how it was on the 900 if thats what pull across to the 9000

From what I've read the AppleTV Netlix supports Dolby vision, but not atmos. The Panasonic UB900 Netflix doesn't support either I believe. It is a bit disappointing none of them seem to cover DV and Atmos, other than I _think_ the one on the XBox One S. You would think there might be a market for some other manufacturer other than MS to have support for both.

[betty boop]

28 minutes ago, Mobe1969 said:

From what I've read the AppleTV Netlix supports Dolby vision, but not atmos. The Panasonic UB900 Netflix doesn't support either I believe. It is a bit disappointing none of them seem to cover DV and Atmos, other than I _think_ the one on the XBox One S. You would think there might be a market for some other manufacturer other than MS to have support for both.

I have read that apple has indicated atmos will come through with an update. but not something holding breath on the amount of material with atmos is 2/5ths of stuff all.

 

the pana900 is very restricted as streamer that i remember. in use it would natively pump everything out at 4k 50/60 ? and there is nothing much else in its apps eg no amazon prime and such. user interface too very clunky. i would hate to use it as every day media player. again if been refined further since i had it last year please anyone do suggest otherwise. the panaub900 certainly cant do dv as that was an anti pana thing for a while. i think this is where the ub9000 comes in with DV capability.

 

i have the xbox oneX and it is even more !  clunky in use as media streamer the atv 4k romps all over it.  

[Mobe1969]

That is good about the ATV4k possibly releasing an atmos support update. I've got a gen 3 ATV and it has worked pretty well. I am looking at one for the projector eventually, but was just going to try the Pana one on it in the interim. Dolby Atmos would be nice though.

[cwt]

Vincent Teoh explains the new 9000's superior chroma processing and other handy WCG options for projectors etc 

 

[betty boop]

3 hours ago, cwt said:

Vincent Teoh explains the new 9000's superior chroma processing and other handy WCG options for projectors etc

good to see. though gee 999 GBP ? that puts it same price point as oppo 205 but without the universal disc play capability of the 205 ?

 

also looks like the pana needs a fan ? which is a pity. 

 

also what on heck is that thing that pokes out the back of this player left of the dan on the back shot ? 

 

 

either ways good to see some competition for oppo ...