The Panasonic UB820 can also upscale HD Blu-rays and SD DVDs to 4K - and again, this upscaling has impressed on previous models, so hopefully it will again here.Īlso great to find are options to convert HDR to SDR, and set the color output to 12 bit or 10 bit.

HCX features such as edge-adaptive chroma processing and chroma upsampling have delivered gorgeous results on previous Panasonic players. Also very promising is its HCX processor. Support for both dynamic HDR formats turns out to be just one of the UB820’s key charms. Panasonic, Philips (Europe) and TCL have come out of the blocks first with format-neutral TVs - and the UB820 would make a great partner for any of those sets. Though at the same time, doesn’t it make sense to future proof yourself for any TV you might buy later down the line?Įspecially now that TVs that do support both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision are starting to appear. So if you’ve got a TV from one of these brands, I guess the UB820’s killer app may not matter to you. The likes of Samsung (HDR10+ only), LG (Dolby Vision only) and Sony (Dolby Vision only), though, still only support one format.

Of course, the UB820’s format neutrality doesn’t mean much unless you also have a TV that supports both formats. After all, why should getting the optimum picture performance from any disc you buy be dependent on which premium HDR format your AV gear supports?

The Panasonic UB820, though, supports both. Typically, TVs and 4K Blu-ray players only support one or other of the HDR10+ or Dolby Vision formats.

Makemkv 4k dolby atmos