Panasonic has unveiled the pièce de résistance of its latest Blu-ray player line-up, the DP-UB9000.
Panasonic may have introduced four 4K Blu-ray players (and two new OLED TV ranges) – spearheaded by the DP-UB820 model – at CES earlier this year, but it appears the company has a lot more up its sleeves when it comes to new products. The company used its annual product launch event ‘Panacon’ to offer a glimpse of its flagship DP-UB9000 4K Blu-ray player, in addition to two ‘compact’ soundbars (the SC-HTB200/208 and SC-HTB258).
Like the Panasonic DP-UB820, the DP-UB9000 provides support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR, 7.1 channel audio, as well as Alexa and Google Assistant voice control (to come via a software update). The DP-UB9000 also packs in a dedicated audio power supply, a 'high-performance' DAC and an XLR balanced output.
Like others in the 2018 range, the player incorporates 4K upscaling and HDR optimisation technology, in addition to HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience)’s latest processor.
The DP-UB820 Blu-ray player is housed in vibration-reducing casework, with a steel plate attaching the optical disc drive to the chassis, designed to reduce noise from disc rotation.
The player is expected to be released in the second half of 2018, with pricing not yet confirmed.