4K Blu-ray player range is sadly lacking in Aotearoa

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › 4K Blu-ray player range is sadly lacking in Aotearoa

MikeB4

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#242395 26-Oct-2018 13:41

I have been given some 4K Blu-ray discs for a birthday present but I don't have a Blu-ray player. I gave away my Xbox One S to a friend who had lost one in a burglary. I have been looking around the likes of JB HiFi, Noel Leemings and Harvey Norman there seems to be only a hand full of players available. A couple of LG and Sony and three Panasonic. Noel Leemings only show one Panasonic on their web page. Quite a sad collection really. After poking around it seems the cheapest way to go is with a Xbox One S or One X, JB HiFi has a Xbox One S bundle for $389, a pity it's white though as it doesn't match the rest of my components. The Xbox One S is a good Blu-ray player but is overkill for what I want and the official remote control is just awful.

As for a complete unit that does 4K Blu-ray, HDD recording, Feeview forget it there is still non available in NZ although Panasonic sell one in Australia

irongarment

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#2114432 26-Oct-2018 13:43

Bummer, dude.

DjShadow

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#2114439 26-Oct-2018 14:27

Best place I've found looking for 4K blu-ray media is JB Hifi Australia

Dingbatt

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#2114517 26-Oct-2018 16:24

We have a Panasonic HDD/Bluray Player, unfortunately not the 4K capable type you are after. But having just up-specced to a 4K tv, I went through the same exercise as you. Because I hardly ever record anything on the HDD anymore (everything seems to be available on-demand) I decided to just get last year's Panasonic 4K Bluray Player (DMP-UB300). It is the base model but I managed to snag it for $140.
It does a perfectly adequate job for the amount of use it gets. I only rarely buy blurays. Normally just the MCU, DCEU and Starwars ones mainly. The Disney Corp produced ones are the worst value for money (here or Oz)

Depending on your display capability, the 4K blurays normally have an FHD disk included. If that's the case, even a standard Bluray Player may suffice it your TV is FHD.

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MikeB4

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#2114518 26-Oct-2018 16:30

I was going to have a look at that model tomorrow, JB HiFi currently have them for $249 which is a good price.

Dingbatt

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#2114546 26-Oct-2018 16:49

MikeB4:
I was going to have a look at that model tomorrow, JB HiFi currently have them for $249 which is a good price.

Yes that is the UB320, which is this year's model of the one I got. I think the UB320 had a few more smart features than mine but the video and audio performance is pretty much the same (according to reviews).

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Dunnersfella

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#2114636 26-Oct-2018 19:26

The Sony seem 'okay'.

Some outlets have some b-stock higher end Pana's for good pricing, so don't limit your searches to the main 'two'.

I would say that the XBox 360 remote works better than the XBox controller with the XBox S / X, but controlling it with a Logitech is a much better idea.

MikeB4

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#2115008 27-Oct-2018 15:49

I ended up getting the Panasonic UB320 from JB HiFi and they threw in a 4K DVD at no cost which was cool.

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ilovemusic

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#2115067 27-Oct-2018 16:59

sony cheapies are ok not so great as all-in-one media players.

new pioneer universal players are arriving, base model is $2k though.

you might find an old oppo 203/205 but opportunists liek a dude on tardeme are asking $3k+

lol

Dunnersfella

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#2115078 27-Oct-2018 17:28

The guy selling Oppo's on Trademe is winning... it's above 3K so there's obviously a demand.

My brief play with the Pioneer didn't convince me it was worth 2 grand, however the retailers are desperate to find something to fill the hole left by Oppo. $899 would be the top dollar in my world... The build quality and tray action was nice, but no XLR's, multi-channel outs, streaming apps, HDMI input etc etc, means it's no Oppo and frankly, I haven't exactly fallen in love with Pioneer disc spinners in the past. They could get some runs on the board due to a lack of opposition in the market, but I also believe demand isn't what it used to be.

ilovemusic

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#2115086 27-Oct-2018 18:13

it's only above $3k because he changed the starting price lol

it first listed at $3,000, then he changed to $3,360.

bought in china so bd region c, dvd region 3

caveat emptor

it seems oppo was one of the last with mc outputs.

the last cambridge audio players were transports only, hdmi only.

ditto the sony ubp-x700/800

Dunnersfella

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#2115178 27-Oct-2018 20:09

The Panasonic UB900 would be interesting to play with... 7.1 analogue outs + XLR's, no SACD though...

ilovemusic

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#2115198 27-Oct-2018 21:13

do you really need 7.1 analogue outs and xlr's ?

in the ht system all my digital sources are connected via hdmi.

Dunnersfella

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#2115201 27-Oct-2018 21:17

If brands are trying to charge $2k... then you'd expect a decent offering of connectivity, not just an overly inflated retail to try and take a chunk of the old Oppo market.

Many people bought Oppo's as CD players / multi-disc units that could play any disc on the market, whether through a 2-channel rig or their home theatre setup... so yeah, XLR's etc are looked for. I must admit, I don't give a damn about 7.1 analogue outs for my setups though!