Panasonic launches cheaper UHD Blu-ray players
Technology from Panasonic’s more expensive UHD Blu-ray players has found its way into the more affordable UB400 and UB300 players that are now available in Europe.Cheaper UHD Blu-ray players
UB400, UB300 and a design version dubbed UB310 were announced at CES in January and are now available in Europe. Panasonic’s more expensive UB900 and UB700 models will remain in circulation, which brings the portfolio up to a total of five UHD disc spinners.
UB400 and UB300 do not offer the same audio technologies as the more expensive players but will deliver similar picture quality. A built-in HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience) picture engine ensures that the players conform to the UHD Blu-ray standard and deliver 4K resolution and HDR (High Dynamic Range). Panasonic has decided to ignore Dolby Vision.
The difference between UB400 and UB300 is that the latter has only 1 HDMI port. There are also built-in apps for Netflix and Amazon.
A new feature in the players makes it possible “to forcibly raise the brightness of low-brightness areas”, which Panasonic believes can be an advantage when watching UHD Blu-ray movies in a brightly lit room since UHD Blu-rays movies are often graded to be watched in a dimly lit environment. This feature will be added to the existing UB900 and UB700 players via a firmware update.
UB400 and UB300 are now shipping in Europe starting at around Ł250 / €250.
Pricing & retailers:
DMP-UB400 Main Features :
| High-Quality Picture Ultra HD Blu-ray Playback (4K) HCX Processor for Ultra HD Blu-ray 4K Direct Chroma Up-scaling 4K 60p/50p Output Multi Content 4K Up-scaling Full-HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Playback Picture Type Presets |
| High-Quality Sound TWIN HDMI PURE AV (Twin Isolated Output） High Clarity Sound Premium HDMI Low Clock Jitter Process Digital Tube Sound with Up-sampling High-resolution Audio Playback (DSD (2.8 MHz/5.6 MHz), ALAC, FLAC, WAV) 192-kHz/96-kHz Surround Re-master |
| Smart Features 4K VOD Supported 4K Networking (4K Video/ 4K Jpeg Playback) Internet Apps Network Drive Access External HDD Playback Mirroring with Smartphone / Tablet Web Browser Wireless LAN Built-in Stylish GUI Quick Start Home Screen Wallpaper VIERA Link |
| Design 3D Cut Design Compact Design |
DMP-UB310/300 Main Features:
| High Quality Picture Ultra HD Blu-ray Playback (4K) HCX Processor for Ultra HD Blu-ray 4K Direct Chroma Up-scaling 4K 60p/50p Output Multi Content 4K Up-scaling Full-HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Playback Picture Type Presets |
| High-Quality Sound HDMI Low Clock Jitter Process High-resolution Audio Playback (DSD (2.8 MHz/5.6 MHz), ALAC, FLAC, WAV) |
| Smart Features 4K VOD Supported 4K Networking (4K Video/ 4K Jpeg Playback) Internet Apps Network Drive Access External HDD Playback Web Browser Wireless LAN Built-in Stylish GUI Quick Start Home Screen Wallpaper VIERA Link |
| Design 3D Cut Design Compact Design |
