4K HDR blu-ray player

[GarlanTyrell]

I'm setting up my first home cinema and was looking for a 4K (HDR) Blu-ray capable player, but only have about $150 left in the budget after screen and sound system. Does anyone know what's the best option.

On a non-unrelated note... Many reviews criticize players for having a "poor picture", "unnatural colours" or "poor sound", so basically I just wanted to know how the player even effects those things...?
But surely the player just spins up the disc, reads it, decodes the data, and sends that on through to the screen etc. (that actually decide what colours or sounds etc to produce based on the signal they receive) a signal that's surely just the information straight from the disc? So what's going on, and is it possible that the player somehow has an effect? And if so, how/why?

Thanks for any help or advice.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, GarlanTyrell said:

a non-unrelated note... Many reviews criticize players for having a "poor picture", "unnatural colours" or "poor sound", so basically I just wanted to know how the player even effects those?

Sounds like BS to me. It is probably written by the same people who think a 2000$ hdmi cable has a better picture than a 10$ one, even though hdmi is a digital signal.

Regrading the player xbox 1 S has a built in 4k bluray, but idk about hdr.

Sony also has some, but not built into playstations.

[PlayStation 2]

3 hours ago, Some Random Member said:

Sounds like BS to me. It is probably written by the same people who think a 2000$ hdmi cable has a better picture than a 10$ one, even though hdmi is a digital signal.

Regrading the player xbox 1 S has a built in 4k bluray, but idk about hdr.

Sony also has some, but not built into playstations.

Yeah, the One S can output 2160p HDR. Just make sure it enables itself and the cable you have can support it.

[ono]

Unless you can find a nice used Xbox One S though, I think that's out of the budget since those are still $250 new I think. I was lucky I got one free when I bought my TV due to a promo 

 

I don't have any particular models in mind since I didn't shop around due to having an Xbox. But you should keep in mind features that are compatible with your TV and sound system.

 

Does your TV support Dolby Vision? You probably want a player that has that too. It's a proprietary HDR implementation that's better than the more common open HDR10 standard. If you TV doesn't, then don't pay more for this feature in a player. Incidentally, it was announced today it seems that Xbox One S/X has added Dolby Vision support. Not clear if it is not only for streaming though.

 

What does your sound system support? Make sure you get a player that's supports that. E.g. if you got a Dolby Atmos sounds system, you'll need a player compatible with that.

 

[TDH32]

Sony UBPX700 probably your best bet for build quality, features and Dolby Vision. Can't comment on US prices but it was £130 on Prime Day here in the UK... 

[Blasteque]

On 7/10/2018 at 2:37 PM, GarlanTyrell said:

On a non-unrelated note... Many reviews criticize players for having a "poor picture", "unnatural colours" or "poor sound", so basically I just wanted to know how the player even effects those things...?
But surely the player just spins up the disc, reads it, decodes the data, and sends that on through to the screen etc. (that actually decide what colours or sounds etc to produce based on the signal they receive) a signal that's surely just the information straight from the disc? So what's going on, and is it possible that the player somehow has an effect? And if so, how/why?

Thanks for any help or advice.

I have seen picture quality differences when up-scaling.  I know there is a huge difference in picture when I play an HD DVD in my PS3 versus my Oppo to a 4k LG.  Since the Oppo is setup to output 4k, when it's playing HD, it's doing the up-scaling.  When I play it on the PS3, the TV is doing the up-scaling.  The TV does a much better job of image smoothing than the Oppo.

 

For native 4k, as you said, it seems unlikely to be an issue.

[GarlanTyrell]

Everyone seems to agree with my suspicions, but reading the What HiFi reviews, they speak of different colours and the like... Here is an example of what i mean from the Sony UBPX700 review:

 

"We've always lauded Sony for its natural-looking disc-players, but the X700 surpasses even that of the X800 in how it displays a wonderfully subtle picture that's   impeccably judged while being hugely entertaining....etc.

 

The X700 may be cheaper, but it's a newer model than the X800 - and ultimately that shows. It's the better value of the two.

The X800's picture performance is glossier: everything gleams, colours are richer and everything pops. It's an impressive display but, next to the more naturalistic X700, the X800 looks a tad overblown at times.

Play the Blu-ray of Looper and this quality is most noticeable through skin tones and landscapes - the green grass is too saturated through the X800.

The X700 is simply more natural in how it handles gradations of hues, preventing purples and oranges and sparkling blues from clashing with each other but still letting them wave their respective flags."

They certainly seem to think that there is a difference, but I've no idea why...

 

The extract was from: https://www.whathifi.com/sony/ubp-x700/review