The first Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player/recorder, the DMR-UBZ1, went on sale in Japan last November, as we previously reported. But now the DMP-UB900 model is winging its way to Europe and hopefully it should land in UK stores in the next couple of months.
Unlike the model sold in Japan, which is also a recorder, the DMP-UB900 is just a playback device.
The DMP-UB900 is capable of playing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, with support for 4K/60p playback as well as HDR (High Dynamic Range) video.
It is THX Certified, has a wide colour gamut of BT.2020 and a brightness range of up to 10,000 nits. In short, the Panasonic 4K player promises to deliver finer detail, vivid colours and better contrast between light and dark areas than ever before.
The DMP-UB900 will also support 4K video on demand services. While the services haven't been officially named yet, we're hoping that Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube are on the list.
There are twin HDMI outputs, an optical output, and 7.1-channel analogue audio outputs.
It's not all about the 4K video resolution: the player is equipped with five 24-bit/192kHz DACs for each channel, and can support all popular hi-res formats including ALAC, FLAC and DSD (5.6 and 2.8 MHz). Music files can also be upsampled.
The DMP-UB900 is a fully networked player, with built-in wi-fi and DLNA on board, meaning you'll be able to stream music and videos from compatible devices. You can also share and watch 4K footage shot on a compatible camera.
And finally: there is a backlit remote control.
The DMP-UB900 will be available in Europe in spring 2016, and we will update with more details and pricing as we get them.
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