While it hasn’t been confirmed by Panasonic, there’s a very good possibility we’ve already seen the DMP-UB700 before, disguised as the Panasonic UB-90 which appeared on the company’s Japanese website.
Panasonic says the DMP-UB700 is Ultra HD Premium certified after meeting the criteria set by the UHD Alliance and has Hollywood in its veins. The Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory was involved in the production of the new player and helped to refine a new 4K High-Precision Chrome Processor, which powers the machine.
MORE: Hands-on with the Panasonic DMP-UB700
On the back of the player you’ll find two HDMI outputs which separate audio and video signals. Panasonic says this helps to provide a clearer and more accurate performance. The DMP-UB700 can also be used to play back hi-res audio formats such as DSD and ALAC.
Not all the connections on the the new DMP-UB700 are the same as the '900 however, with no 7.1 or stereo analogue outputs and no digital coaxial output. There is a digital optical connection, however.
While Panasonic says the video performance of the two machines should be nigh-on identical, there is a different DAC inside the cheaper model and neither the gold-plated terminals or the dampening feet are present on the more affordable 4K Blu-ray player.
MORE: Ultra HD Blu-ray - everything you need to know
All the latest buzzwords and specifications are supported by the new player, however, including BT.2020 wide colour gamut and High Dynamic Range (HDR) with frame rates up to 60p and a brightness range of 1000 to 10,000 nits.
And it wouldn’t be a Blu-ray player released in 2016 if it didn’t have access to a number of on-demand services; you’ll find Netflix and YouTube built-in, but it’s also DLNA compatible for streaming content stored on a local network.
The Panasonic DMP-UB700 should be available from the end of October to early November for £400 in the UK.