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Is it worth getting a standalone 4K player when you already have a PS5?

Rubmifer

Rubmifer

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,544
I have a PS5 and wanna start investing in 4K blurays. Since I have a LG CX 65", I wanna get the most out of my movies quality wise, but the PS5 doesn't support dolby vision.
I was wondering if DV makes a big difference compared to HDR10+?

I was checking out the Sony X700 which is priced at 170€ at the moment, and it's said to be one of the best affordable 4K bluray players that support DV. So I'm thinking about getting one. Or shouldn't I bother and just stick with the PS5's built in player?
 

Deleted member 21709

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
23,310
Seems wasteful, and quality HDMI ports are scarce on most TV's. So I vote no.

Not blu-ray related, but the PS5 with media remote has been a great way to watch streamed content for me. It's nice that it's quiet, too. Was the PS4 loud when it played blu-rays?
 
RightChandMan

RightChandMan

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,682
New Orleans, LA
Yes. I have a LGc9 and a ps5. I also have a separate 4k player. I did have the x700 which is a solid player but I upgraded to the panasonic ub820.

The sony doesn't automatically detect DV (you have to enable it and disable it manually if the disc has DV)

Either way, a separate player is much better than the ps5.
 
Afrikan

Afrikan

Member
Oct 28, 2017
16,968
I think having a PS5 buys you time for an Amazing 4K BluRay player deal. I'm talking one that supports DV, but priced at $99-$120. So imo, just wait.
 

Deleted member 29691

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
1,883
A lot of people in this thread will mention some video feature I forget the name of that the ps5 isn't capable of but the general consensus is if you aren't into prosumer bleed edge tech you probably don't need it, save the money!

Or treat your damn self if you want, 2020 was a fucking nightmare and I just spent a grand on super high end headphones, a lossless audio player with built in DAC and amp, and a USB C amplifier so who am I to talk.
 
CorpseLight

CorpseLight

Member
Nov 3, 2018
7,666
It all depends on your preference and available free time I guess.
For me personally, I would rather invest the money from the 4k Player + 4K discs into more games, extra controller, better headset, etc.
However my free time is very limited, we rarely have company over watching movies. We are fine with just the built in 4k player from the Series X / PS5.
 
Jeremy

Jeremy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,639
A few points:

- I have a Panasonic UB820 (i.e. a $500 retail player).
- I get much better picture quality from my discs on my standalone player than my PS5 or Series X.
- Many 4k discs don't support Dolby Vision, so it's first and foremost a question of how many DV discs you intend to watch.
- The bigger factor to me, rather than DV support, is the quality of the video decoding... and the upscaler for Blu-Ray content. Whatever decoder that's in the dedicated player definitely results in a more nuanced picture.

I do think it's worth the upgrade to a high-end 4k player if you plan to watch a lot of physical media... I imagine that the consoles are more comparable to a budget 4k player though.
 

Deleted member 36054

Banned
Dec 12, 2017
4,652
I have a Series X, and bought a an X800M2 two weeks ago,
  1. Dolby Vision support
  2. Better 1080p upscaling
  3. Accurate color reproduction
  4. Much quieter disc drives
Are reasons why I bought a standalone. With that said I am a movie enthusiast who is picky about picture quality.
 
Jeremy

Jeremy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,639
RightChandMan said:
Yes. I have a LGc9 and a ps5. I also have a separate 4k player. I did have the x700 which is a solid player but I upgraded to the panasonic ub820.

The sony doesn't automatically detect DV (you have to enable it and disable it manually if the disc has DV)

Either way, a separate player is much better than the ps5.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, I shunted my Sony X800 off to a secondary TV because of its inability to detect DV signals on the fly. Frustrating feature.
 

BobLablow

Member
Apr 18, 2018
2,497
Not sure how good the PS5 4K player is, but at the very least, you're saving some wear and tear from the PS5's disc drive by having a separate 4K player.
 
Charcoal

Charcoal

Member
Nov 2, 2017
7,507
100% absolutely yes.

The fact that neither console supports Dolby Vision should be reason enough.
 
Ryuelli

Ryuelli

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,209
RightChandMan said:
Yes. I have a LGc9 and a ps5. I also have a separate 4k player. I did have the x700 which is a solid player but I upgraded to the panasonic ub820.

The sony doesn't automatically detect DV (you have to enable it and disable it manually if the disc has DV)

Either way, a separate player is much better than the ps5.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Jeremy said:
A few points:

- I have a Panasonic UB820 (i.e. a $500 retail player).
- I get much better picture quality from my discs on my standalone player than my PS5 or Series X.
- Many 4k discs don't support Dolby Vision, so it's first and foremost a question of how many DV discs you intend to watch.
- The bigger factor to me, rather than DV support, is the quality of the video decoding... and the upscaler for Blu-Ray content. Whatever decoder that's in the dedicated player definitely results in a more nuanced picture.

I do think it's worth the upgrade to a high-end 4k player if you plan to watch a lot of physical media... I imagine that the consoles are more comparable to a budget 4k player though.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I literally just got the UB820 about an hour ago after having disk skip issues with multiple UHD disks on both the One S and the Series X. So far after testing a couple disks that I had issues with it looks like this is a far more reliable player. It was a bit expensive since I don't have a TV to take advantage of the advanced features, but at least it's there now for future proofing.
 
Dany

Dany

Member
Oct 29, 2017
4,063
seattle
So i got Tenet on 4K blu ray. Does it still do HDR on the ps5. It looked stunning and the ps5 already has hdr mode turned on
 
Kittenz

Kittenz

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,156
Minneapolis
I wanted one too but now that I got my Series X and PS5 this week, I can use my 1X. Honestly if you can find a used Xbox One S, they're great as 4K players, especially if you aren't gaming on it and just optimize and calibrate for 4K Blu-ray and people are selling them as upgrades roll in. Plus can be a Game Pass box.
 
Broadbandit

Broadbandit

Member
Oct 29, 2017
905
I have a ps5/series x and an x700 but thinking of getting the panasonic ub820 (which was $399 at best buy currently for that glorious auto switching dolby vision)
 

diverit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
183
Get the UB820 on sale. You won't be disappointed if you want to get into watching discs. I recommend it for its HDR optimiser, upscaler, and the fact that it does Dolby Vision, HDR 10+, and HDR10.

A PS5 can't touch the functionality and performance of a dedicated 4K player.
 
Jeremy

Jeremy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,639
Ryuelli said:
I literally just got the UB820 about an hour ago after having disk skip issues on both the One S and the Series X. So far after testing a couple disks that I had issues with it looks like this is a far more reliable player. It was a bit expensive since I don't have a TV to take advantage of the advanced features, but at least it's there now for future proofing.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, it's a good player, but I definitely wouldn't say that it's required for casual movie watchers or those with cheaper TVs.

I definitely get the future proofing idea, but it is worth stressing in general that generally speaking you want to buy a 4k player that matches your TV's feature set.

The OP of this thread has an OLED LG CX, so the leap from a console to a $500 4k player will be more noticeable than it would be on a cheaper 4k display.

That said, the 1080p upscaler for that player on normal Blu-Ray discs is awesome and probably noticeable on any set versus a console.

(FWIW, I got my UB820 Open Box from Best Buy for $300, so that might be one option to look for).
 
nihilence

nihilence

nøthing but silence
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
15,903
From 'quake area to big OH.
Are consoles good at turning off game mode and changing to a theater preset?

I know they are supposed to enable auto game on.

Otherwise, I'm guilty of destroying true iq when I watch anything.
 

Ashhong

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,593
You have a CX so I assume you value good quality video. DV is imo a huge feature and worth buying a player for alone.

Thst being said, I think you can wait until players are cheaper and stick with the PS5 for now
 
BobLoblaw

BobLoblaw

This Guy Helps
Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,288
diverit said:
Get the UB820 on sale. You won't be disappointed if you want to get into watching discs. I recommend it for its HDR optimiser, upscaler, and the fact that it does Dolby Vision, HDR 10+, and HDR10.

A PS5 can't touch the functionality and performance of a dedicated 4K player.
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This. I got one during BF last year and there's no going back. $399 and no tax were the icing on the cake.
 
Syriel

Syriel

Banned
Dec 13, 2017
11,088
Rubmifer said:
I have a PS5 and wanna start investing in 4K blurays. Since I have a LG CX 65", I wanna get the most out of my movies quality wise, but the PS5 doesn't support dolby vision.
I was wondering if DV makes a big difference compared to HDR10+?

I was checking out the Sony X700 which is priced at 170€ at the moment, and it's said to be one of the best affordable 4K bluray players that support DV. So I'm thinking about getting one. Or shouldn't I bother and just stick with the PS5's built in player?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Depends mostly on if you want DV.

For *most* people, an Xbox One S (or newer console) is going to be more than fine.

If you want DV and/or if you are a film fan, get one of the two Panasonics.

Basically, a console will do the job and will have more apps. The Panasonics are a notch up for better features that the general public won't likely notice, but will provide an edge if you have the setup to take advantage of them.

Dany said:
So i got Tenet on 4K blu ray. Does it still do HDR on the ps5. It looked stunning and the ps5 already has hdr mode turned on
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It'll fall back to HDR10.
 
Lydecker

Lydecker

Member
Aug 13, 2020
1,198
I own the Panasonic UBP424 and have bought it for 4 reasons:

1. the option for setting audio-delay
2. the option to adjust the height of subtitles
3. the option to adjust the intensity of the brightness of subtitles, which is very important to me because subtitles with HDR are so bright they are burning into my eyes lol
4. its HDR optimiser, that Vincent Teoh calls a 'killer feature'

I think these last two options are exclusive to Panasonic.
 
Gouty

Gouty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,658
Id rather wear out the drive of a $150 bluray player than a $500 one. And that's before we even get to features.
Stand alone players are always a good idea.
 
Tetsujin

Tetsujin

Unshakable Resolve
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
3,464
Germany
Not really, PS5 plays BDs just fine.
I actually sold my standalone Dolby Vision capable player once I got my PS5. I get it's supposed to be the better HDR format but in practice you don't see a difference unless you compare it directly.
 
Soriku

Soriku

Member
Nov 12, 2017
6,895
nihilence said:
Are consoles good at turning off game mode and changing to a theater preset?

I know they are supposed to enable auto game on.

Otherwise, I'm guilty of destroying true iq when I watch anything.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I think this is more of a TV thing. I have my Sony TV set up with the auto picture mode setting which changes to Cinema Pro when a DVD/Bluray is put in my PS5, and Game mode otherwise.
 
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