With more than a million discs sold and a catalogue of around 100 titles, the UHD Blu-ray format has defied critics and appears to be finding an audience amongst quality keen 4Kphiles. But if you want to jump on board, what UHD deck should you buy? We finally have a definitive answer: the DMP-UB700.
The second 4K Blu-ray player released by Panasonic, at £400 (approximately $500, AU$670) the DMP-UB700 it’s a good deal cheaper than its predecessor, the high falutin’ £600 DMP-UB900. Buy Pana's new player early and you’ll get the Ghostbuster reboot on UHD Blu-ray free.
But what has been sacrificed, if anything, to hit this new price point?
At first glance? Nothing. The UB700 appears to promise content nirvana. In addition to 4K UHD compatibility, it’ll spin regular Blu-rays (including 3D platters), plus DVDs and CDs. It doesn’t support DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD, however, but it does offer High-Res Audio file support to make up for it and there’s a decent selection of streaming apps on-board.
Design
Design-wise, Pana's new deck is similar to the UB900 – in a dark theatre you’d struggle to tell them apart. The chassis looks much the same, with its full-width drop down fascia, but it lacks the UB900’s refinement.
Look to the bottom and you’ll notice heavy-duty anti-resonance feet have been replaced by sorry looking pads. Connectivity has also been stripped back. There’s a single digital optical output, and no analogue provision at all.
And while the UB900 comes with a full-size remote control, the UB700 has a dumpy half-pint alternative. What you get in the box is still as functional, but it's slightly more awkward to use.
Spin it around and you’ll find two HDMIs on the rear – one of which is audio only – in case your AV receiver isn’t 4K UHD compatible. A typical setup would see 2160p video sent direct to your 4K telly from the main HDMI, while multichannel sound from the audio HDMI goes to a home cinema receiver.
The deck also has an SD card reader and a slot for USB. Plus, in addition to a 10/100/1000 Base T Ethernet port, there’s dual-band Wi-Fi.
What content is on-board?
The player itself is easy to use. The main menu, with buttons for Videos, Music, Photos, Home Network, Network Service (aka apps) and Setup, is clean and aesthetically pleasing.
Headline apps include Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, BBC News and Sport, Netflix and My Space. Dig deeper and you’ll find some euro-specific news services, plus Aupeo! which is owned by Panasonic but no one uses.
Significantly, the Netflix app is 4K HDR-enabled. The Amazon app supports UHD streams, but at the time of writing doesn’t appear to be HDR-ready yet.
The deck’s file playback talents are considerable. DSD, played from USB, sound sensational. The deck reads 2.8MHz and 5.6MHZ DSD as well as 24-bit FLAC and for OCD media collectors, album art and metadata is all recognised. Video file support covers all popular file formats, including MKV.
That said, while Panasonic may have downgraded the power supply and removed some of the more expensive audio components from the mix, its HRA performance makes a good argument that there's no reason why the UB700 shouldn’t find a role in a high-end AV system.
Also good for audiophiles, the High Clarity Sound mode can be used to disable video when just listening to music.
Performance
Image quality is outstanding. The player delivers an extraordinary level of fine detail, with superb colour accuracy. The Times Square showdown in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (UHD Blu-ray) is incredibly dynamic and vibrant. Side by side with the pricier UB900, there’s no obvious visual shortfall. It also does a cracking job playing regular Blu-rays, offering images of nuance and depth.
There’s some clever processing beneath the bonnet. The UB700 interpolates 4K Blu-ray content from 10-bit native to 12-bit with 4:4:4 colour sub sampling. Alternatively, it can output 4K at 8-bit 4:2:0, depending on your screen.
In all probability, you won’t need to route around in the HDMI sub menus to set things up. In Auto mode, the player selects the most appropriate resolution for your screen. If you have a non HDR 4K TV, however, a Dynamic Range Conversion circuit is available for you to manually optimize image quality.
Naturally, the player bitstreams out both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D audio, too. Hook up a Dolby Atmos AV receiver for delicious sonic immersion.
When the remnants of the Russian spy satellite collide with George Clooney's space shuttle and Sandra bullock tries to disengage herself from the spinning arm in Gravity on Blu-ray, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack will send your viewing room into a dizzying spin.
The UB700 is a pleasingly fast loader. A feature-heavy movie platter goes from tray to Blu-ray menu is just 41 seconds. A simple Blu-ray concert disc does the same in 33 seconds. In the world of Blu-ray, this is a sprightly performance. Finally, in use, the deck is reassuringly quiet.
We rate the DMP-UB700 a first-rate Blu-ray player. There are clear differences with the more expensive UB900, but these mostly centre on build quality and audio spec. Video-wise there’s nothing significant between the two.
Here’s a bit of bad news, though: at present, there’s no news on an American or Australian release for the DMP-UB700, which means US and AU movie fans will probably have to wait a few months before trying this amazing UHD player out for themselves.
Admittedly, the deck looks expensive next to the Xbox One S, but if you’re after the best value dedicated 4K disc player available, then take the savings on the table and run.
We liked
The DMP-UB700 is cut from the same engineering cloth as the more expensive DMP-UB900, and plays UHD discs with similar accuracy.
Detail and colour performance are superb – and that includes regular Blu-rays too. It also wins points for offering 4K iterations of Netflix and Amazon. It even does a cracking job with High-Res Audio files.
We disliked
Panasonic has jettisoned refinement when it comes to finish and build quality, and the dumpy little remote control has the ergonomic appeal of a potato. Audiophile pretentions have largely been abandoned, though not entirely.
Final verdict
When it comes to 4K UHD image quality, the DMP-UB700 effectively sets a new benchmark for price and performance. Streaming service support, with HDR-enabled 4K Netflix, is well worth trumpeting and the player does a swell job with 24-bit audio, be it with FLAC or DSD files.
We would’ve liked universal disc support, but that’s probably not going to come until Sony launches its rival 4K disc spinner. In the meantime, though, if you haven’t got the quid to drop on Panasonic’s higher-end player, this is the UHD BRP you need to audition.
