Ditch streaming and take ownership back this Black Friday as our favourite 4K Blu-ray player drops by $100

panasonic ub820 black friday deal graphic

(Image credit: Future)

Sure, streaming is convenient, but ultimately it's compromised in picture and sound quality terms compared to 4K Blu-ray. And with the cost of services increasing, making it harder to subscribe to multiple ones, it isn't as affordable as it once was. And hey, unlike a physical disc, you never know when a movie or TV show going to disappear. You can 'buy' content for streaming, of course, but do you actually then own them? Not always.

The solution to all of these issues is to ditch streaming altogether and get back into movies on disc. The quality is vastly better, there are great deals to be had on Blu-rays, and you physically own the movies you buy.

If that sounds good to you but you don't already have a 4K Blu-ray player, this is the perfect deal: the Panasonic DP-UB820EB, which has just won its sixth What Hi-Fi? Award in a row, is now just $399.98 on Amazon courtesy of a $100 discount.

This is a great price on an absolutely brilliant player – if it drops further as the official Black Fridayt certainly won't be by much.

Despite the fact it's six years old, Panasonic's DP-UB820EB is still our favourite 4K Blu-ray player. It's held a spot on our yearly Awards list ever since it first launched, and it's easily the best option for those looking for a premium movie experience without forking out for its flagship sibling, the DP-UP9000.

With its vibrant, punchy-yet-balanced colours, stunning sharpness and exceptional detail, this 4K HDR disc spinner makes a mockery of the quality you get from even the best streaming services – and the movies you buy for it are yours forever.

It also sounds great, too, with powerful and weighty audio. Explosions are delivered with snappy dynamics and plenty of power, making for an exciting and engaging performer in the sound department. It's equally adept in quieter moments, with a rich muscular sound that adds texture to dialogue.

So is this deal truly worth it? Well, while the DP-UB820EB is discounted from time to time, we haven't seen it go this low for quite a while, and we haven't spotted a bigger discount on it for a couple of years. If you're in the market, now seems to be the time to buy.

MORE:

These are the best Black Friday US deals

Here are the best Blu-ray players you can buy right now

And these are the best TV deals

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Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.

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