The absolute best picture and sound quality still comes from physical discs (namely, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs), not streaming media services.
If you want movies to look and sound their best through your high-performance 4K TV and surround-sound system, you need the Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Blu-ray disc player. It optimizes 4K video playback for your particular TV, and it makes Blu-ray and DVD movies look their best, too.
Our pick
Panasonic DP-UB420
The Panasonic DP-UB420 provides the best image quality with 4K Ultra HD discs, thanks to a feature that optimizes HDR video for your display.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $200.
The Panasonic DP-UB420 distinguishes itself from most other 4K Blu-ray players in two key ways. First, Panasonic’s 4K players are the only models that offer an HDR Optimizer feature, which adjusts the output of high dynamic range video to suit your TV’s brightness capabilities. In our testing, this feature made HDR content look better on TVs that weren’t as bright.
Second, the DP-UB420 offers the cleanest 4K upscaling for Blu-ray and DVD discs, producing the most detail without introducing extra noise into the picture.
The DP-UB420 offers support for the HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG high dynamic range formats but not Dolby Vision. It doesn’t have as many built-in streaming services as some other 4K players, but it does include the big three: Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.
Upgrade pick
Panasonic DP-UB820
The Panasonic DP-UB820 supports all the major HDR formats, including Dolby Vision.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $500.
The Panasonic DP-UB820 is very similar to the DP-UB420 in performance but adds support for the Dolby Vision HDR standard, which gives you even better picture quality if you also have Dolby Vision–supported discs and TVs. It also has more audio connection options, adds a front-panel display, and is faster in use than the DP-UB420, but it costs significantly more.
Budget pick
Sony BDP-S1700
The Sony BDP-S1700 is a good basic player that can handle your Blu-ray and DVD playback needs, but it can’t do 4K.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $75.
If you get your 4K content primarily through a media streamer or smart TV, and you just need an affordable player to handle your old Blu-ray and DVD collections, the Sony BDP-S1700 Blu-ray player can do the job simply and reliably. It offers good video performance and a user-friendly interface.
This player also allows you to access the non-4K versions of many streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, but it can connect to your home network only via Ethernet, not Wi-Fi.
