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dedicated blu ray player (panasonic dmp-ub9000) vs. xbox x

May 3, 2018 8:21AM PDT

So I found a really good deal on the panasonic via a local store that's selling a new one for 500 cad, while I see that it's still priced at 6-700 usd with the occasional 150-200$ off sale. Also most of the time consumer electronics are priced higher in Canada than in the U.S. even after adjusting for conversion.

At this price point, I was wondering if it was worth it to opt to get the dedicated player, which the consensus everywhere seems to be that it's the best, vs. getting the xbox one x, which sells for 600 cad. I actually have the first iteration xbox one, and it might be time for an upgrade on that, but I was wondering if picture quality wise there was a noticeable difference, and made sense to get the dedicated player instead.

Also for reference my TV is the Samsung UN65JS9000, which was a high end model in the 5-6k range when I got it in late 2015, but no idea how it stacks up to today's 4k models.

Discussion is locked

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Since you are shopping UHD 4K I worry.
May 3, 2018 8:37AM PDT
https://www.cnet.com/topics/blu-ray-players/best-blu-ray-players/ doesn't seem to reach your prices but that's not my biggest concern here.

UHD 4K content is still pretty rare plus with more and more content moving to streaming you will have invested a lot for so few titles.

It's your choice but my choice was a run of the mill under 99 buck BluRay player and stream what I want today.
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don't think streaming is that extensive
May 3, 2018 9:19AM PDT

Yes, but the scarcity of 4k titles is actually what's been making me considering it. I mean netflix and amazon barely have anything in terms of 4k, and I'll only get the odd NHL game and Toronto Raptors game in 4k. I downgraded my netflix 4k back to regular since I was not a big fan of watching shows and the content I wanted to see only took me 2-3 months to get through. Also when I purchase a title I would kind of want a physical copy too.

I also want to buy planet earth II and watch it in 4k, and it seems 4k titles have vastly exceeded expectations and a bunch more quality titles are set to release soon too. And still what mostly attracted me was the price point for this player, since it's significantly more everywhere else and seems to be the consensus #1. But I'm not really sure whether there is a noticeable difference from this vs. say the Sony UBP-X800 (which runs for 300cad on amazon), or vs. the xbox one x (which would bring more practicality, even though I don't really use it much).

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I hear you.
May 3, 2018 9:29AM PDT

The Panasonic is nearly twice the price so worry that you are paying more for same playback.
The Xbox has some other things going for it but unless you are into that, I think the Sony is the winner here.

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could be
May 3, 2018 9:48AM PDT

The Sony would be 300 cad from this marketplace seller that is selling on amazon, newegg and a bunch of other places, and I'm a bit wary of those. The Panasonic would be 500 cad from a local store though. Less hassle in returns or if there is a problem.

Also do you think it's relatively the same playback? Some reviews I read said that the Panasonic brings out something extra. But again, I have no idea if this stuff is noticeable or worth it. I just saw it and thought "this is really a good deal to what I see online."

What about the xbox then? Honestly if it was all the same, and no difference in picture to the naked eye, and the same sound I would go for this since I may play some games from time to time even though it's mostly just sitting there. Still, if there was a difference to it, I'd rather stick to the dedicated player, as having both would be superfluous.

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I don't have a 4K set.
May 3, 2018 10:39AM PDT

Just seeing what others see and friends. The pull for 4K isn't there for me. But so few have shown me any big difference among 4K players in this price range.

Here, I use Amazon a lot, even with their marketplace system. For me, a non-issue when buying. I'm sure someone has a story to tell but here, all good.

While I'd get the Sony, for you maybe the XBox is the way to go.

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4k comparison
May 3, 2018 1:40PM PDT

On a side, do you know if there is any difference quality wise when you compare an older model 4k that was near the top of high end models at the time, i.e. between late 2015 up until about early-mid 2016, to today's models?

Did 2 years make a lot of difference in the market? From what I see the prices fell off significantly, and Samsung discontinued this line, but would something today in the 1-2k price range outperform/have a better quality than a higher end older generation 4k tv such as mine?

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The difference always seems to be
May 3, 2018 1:51PM PDT

In the panel. It rarely has shown up in the electronics or code. The issues with any motion smoothing are still with us so for now I'm going with panel quality and for now I wait for HDR10 to settle out.

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4k technology advancing but not that content it seems
May 3, 2018 2:46PM PDT

Yeah, I'm not sure what kind of HDR mine has. It was advertised as being HDR "capable/compatible", but not really sure what that means and how what they had "back in those days" stacks up to something like today's HDR1000 or their say Q9 line.

And whether this difference would be noticeable on 4k blu rays.

Honestly to me it seems the 4k technology keeps being advertised as ever evolving while 4k content is very stagnant.