4K UHD Player Options - Advice Needed Please

theclearout on 15/06/2018 - 14:14
Last edited 15/06/2018 - 15:09 by 1 other user

I am in the market for a 4K UHD player and need some advice please.

Just purchased a projector that supports 4K (not native 4K) it is a JVC X-5900. None of my existing Blu-Ray players upscale to 4K.
Have some future plans for Dolby Atmos receiver (maybe 6-9 months away) - sticking with existing basic 5.1 system for now.
Budget ceiling is $550. Calling it $550 to bring PS4 Pro as option.

Are dedicated players better than PS4 or XBOX options. I can't really see myself having time for playing games (existing PS3s are rarely used for anything except Singstar, and then probably only once a year).

For Atmos,does the player need to do the Atmos decoding or is/can that be done on the AV Receiver, or do both need to be Atmos capable. Dedicated players seem to be in the $300-$400 range but those that mention Dolby Atmos look to be in the high $400's.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • follow on 15/06/2018 - 15:13

    XBOX ONE S?

  • SaddenAscentAspirin on 15/06/2018 - 15:20
    +3

    PS4 Pro will not play 4k blu-ray's. Insane right? Xbox One S will play them, but it's not the best. You're probably best to just go with a dedicated 4k blu ray player.

    https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-4k-blu-ray-player/

    Also, does your existing receiver support 4k pass through? Something to keep in mind when looking at outputs of whatever source you end up with.

    • theclearout on 15/06/2018 - 15:57

      Thanks shamowfski. No, current receiver doesn't support 4K pass through so I'll be connecting the player direct to the projector to start with and taking audio feed direct to receiver. Just trying to balance budget to get as much functionality from the projector as soon as possible in enjoying 4K-like picture first, then adding a new receiver a bit later.

  • scrimshaw on 15/06/2018 - 15:24
    +2

    The new Xbox One X supports Dolby Atmos, and it's priced equivalent to a high end Blu-Ray player.

    Actually, so does the Xbox One S. I got my Xbox 1TB for only $200 from Amazon…

    The topside of the Xbox one is that it does more than just play Blu-Rays, you can install Plex on it and stream stuff (not to mention it plays games).

    • theclearout on 15/06/2018 - 15:44

      Thanks scrimshaw. Yes, the Xbox One S is looking like a real contender. I like the idea of add-on apps. I even have an Xbox One TV tuner that I picked up on an earlier Ozbargain listing a year or 2 back so would also cut down on switching between inputs.
      Would you know if there is any noticable difference in picture quality between the Xbox console and a stand-alone player?

      • scrimshaw on 15/06/2018 - 15:55
        +1

        I don't, sorry. You'll have to visit AVforums or whirlpool to get some 'enthusiast' level opinions on what is considered 'good' picture quality. Delving into it is like jumping into a 1Km deep rabbit hole..

        I don't even watch Blu-rays, I just stream :)

  • Chongwho on 15/06/2018 - 15:41

    https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/ubp…

    Dolby vision and Dolby atmos.

    Great player. Have one myself and plays back DV really well on my Sony Z9D.

    Check review by Lon on YouTube. He is a credible reviewer.

    Had for $278 at JB.

    • theclearout on 15/06/2018 - 18:42

      Thanks Chongwho - will definitely check this one out.

  • Masterpupil on 15/06/2018 - 15:48

    I can confirm that I bought an XBOX One S basically just for UHD Blu-ray player, with the added benefit that it plays games. Not sure about Dolby Atmos support but it does have Dolby Vision support. You could probably get one for less than $400.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/06/2018 - 16:01

    Thinking outside the box, rip your bluray content and stream using Plex. You then have a choice of player - Apple TV, nVidia Shield. You can store several 100 rips on any decently sized HDD. In a direct comparison it might seem more expensive up front than a UHD player, but there are extra benefits like not scratching your discs, watching on other devices (like iPad), or streaming outside your house.

    For Atmos,does the player need to do the Atmos decoding or is/can that be done on the AV Receiver, or do both need to be Atmos capable.

    Both. Atmos and Plex is probably a non-starter - there are combos that work but it's hit-and-miss.

  • jatcave on 15/06/2018 - 18:08

    I have a couple of 4k discs that i use on Xbox OneX. I wouldn't recommend doing it like this. It has occasional moments of jitter. It's connected to a 55" 200Hz Samsung tv. You get 4k for top quality viewing, and you don't get that using the Xbox. Also, using the game controller instead of an actual remote is a bit of a pain. Again, it's about a quality experience.

    • theclearout on 15/06/2018 - 18:36

      Thanks jatcave. That is the great feedback. For us it is about the 4K experience and would be ruined by jitter.

  • ode1online on 15/06/2018 - 18:24

    The Samsung UBD K8500 is a UHD 4k bluray player. It looks like it will be available for $240 plus shipping tomorrow as long as the good guys don't play with the prices overnite, its currently $299 , but tomorrow there is a 20% off code for The good guys ebay store. tomorrow

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/384877

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Samsung-UBD-K8500-UHD-4K-Blu…

    Whats great about this player is it has DUAL hdmi outputs, one for the Video and audio out which can feed your projector (if your amp does not support 4k passthrough)and the other for AUDIO which can feed your AMP.

    It will output Dolby atmos and DTS x..as well as older formats like DD true and DTS HD

    To decode dolby atmos and dts X your decoder will need to support it and also you will need to add more speeakers to your setup up (PRESENCE SPEAKERS) as the 5.1 wont be enough.

    see https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/pioneer-dolby-atmos-add-on-spea…

    Anyway Id personlly start with the 4k player and upgrade your AMP and speakers if you feel you are missing out on something at a later date.

    good luck ps the SONY player suggested in a previous post by CHONGWHO looks like it has dual HDMI out for an amp that doesn't support 4k passthru as well

    https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/ubp…

    • theclearout on 15/06/2018 - 18:40
      +1

      Thanks ode1. The dual hdmi outputs look like the way to go. We are a while away from upgrading our receiver so I was looking for a clean way of getting the audio to the existing receiver - this looks like it.

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