Lantana Al
I was using an Xbox One S as a 4K player and Netflix streaming device. It worked OK but I did have some issues with the Blu-ray app locking up and having to restart the Xbox to get everything working again. Also, the fan can get loud when playing back 4K discs. Finally, I was concerned that the upscaler wasnt one of the better ones since I watch a lot of 1080P Blu-rays and Netflix... so I decided to get a dedicated 4K player. The reviews on this unit looked good, and they are offering a couple of freebie 4K discs as a bonus. So far Im impressed. This thing is metal and feels like a quality unit unlike plastic disc players Ive had before. It sleek and minimal. Theres not even an LCD display on it. The interface is basic (no eye candy) but its simple and fast. I like it. Positives: * Build quality (feels like a high end player) * Sleek, minimal, understated physical design * Excellent scaling so 1080P Blu-rays look great (set to output 4K so the player does the scaling; I use the "Auto2" setting for 4K Upscale Setting in Screen Settings which outputs 4K video for everything when connected to a 4K compatible TV) * Supports 3D Blu-rays (as well as UHD BD discs, regular 2D Blu-rays, SACD, DVD, DVD-Audio and CD) * Has a 2nd HDMI port for audio only so you can connect it to a receiver (like one that doesnt support 4K) * Includes a wired Ethernet/LAN port (as well as built-in WiFi) * Includes Bluetooth so you can listen with Bluetooth headphones * Decent paper/printed manual * Small but functional remote * Netflix starts very quickly * 2x free 4K movie discs when you register the player and get a coupon (must do this before this offer expires) * Quiet The downsides/quirks: * I had trouble manually checking for an update. It kept saying that it could not communicate with server. I checked my firmware version on the Internet and it looks like I already have the latest version. This is like the only significant issue Ive had with the player. UPDATE: This must be a bug because it works with a wireless network but not a wired network. * No Dolby Vision (DV) support * No HDR support in Amazon app (but does support 4K) (the Netflix app does support 4K & HDR) * UPDATE 2017-08-12: Twice now it has frozen while watching 2 different 1080P Blu-rays Other: * I could not get a bitstream/Atmos audio feed to my receiver until I turned off the "BD Audio MIX Setting" in the Audio Settings * No display on front; just a small green LED that isnt annoyingly bright (use the DISPLAY button on the remote for a nice on-screen display) * No analog outputs * Made in Malaysia * No optical digital out (instead its coaxial) * No cables included (no HDMI cable so youll need a "Premium High Speed" or "High Speed" HDMI cable that supports 18 Gbps bandwidth). I recommend Monoprice 115428 Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable, 6ft Minus 1/2 a star for the annoying Update via Internet problem that causes it to fail with a wired connection. UPDATE 2017-08-12: Im dropping it to 4 stars because it has froze twice now while watching 1080P Blu-rays. Im returning the player and going to try another unit hoping that I just got a bad one. UPDATE 2017-08-23: I bought another unit (sold as model UBP-X80) from a store that shall remain nameless except to say that the name starts with "C" and ends with "ostco". So far this unit has been performing without issue and even updates over a wired connection (unlike my first unit). This model comes with an HDMI cable, has a better return policy, sells for less $$$, and you still get a coupon for 2 free 4K discs when you register it (out of a limited selection). If this unit continues to perform well then Ill up my rating back to 5 stars and assume that my first unit was just a bad one. UPDATE 2017-09-02: The new unit has been working very well. No freezes. My first unit was probably defective so Im raising my review back up to 4.5 stars and rounding to 5. Unfortunately I just tried checking for updates again with a wired connection and had the same could not communicate with server problem. Not sure what is going on here so thats why Im staying at 4.5 stars instead of 5. UPDATE 2017-10-11: My new unit continues to work better than my old one (no freezes and reboots) but there are bugs playing content back, especially Netflix when it tries to do a Dolby Digital+ soundtrack... some very strange things can happen if you try to go back 10 seconds. Im knocking my rating down to 4 stars. Its a good player (if you dont need/want Dolby Visions) but they need to get more of the bugs out and add HDR in the Amazon app. UPDATE 2019-06-15: Downrating to 3 stars. It works great when it works but bugs can drive you crazy... like if it goes to screensaver (if paused for a few minutes) then it often gets locked in it and you have to turn off the unit and restart. Ridiculous that they havent fixed this yet. It also occasionally freezes while playing.