Jordan O'BrienFollowing the introduction of four new 4K Blu-ray players at CES 2018, Panasonic has officially debuted its flagship model at a separate launch event.
Like the DP-UB820, which debuted at CES 2018, Panasonic’s DP-UB9000 boasts support for both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The player also benefits from Alexa and Google Assistant voice control, as well as 7.1 channel audio.
The difference with the new DP-UB9000 will all be on the audio performance. Panasonic has packed this 4K Blu-ray player with a high-performance DAC and an XLR balanced output, while it also features new vibration-reducing casework to reduce noise during disc rotation.
It’s not all about audio quality, however. Panasonic has also paid particular attention to ensuring that the DP-UB9000 offers the best picture possible. It features the latest HCX (Hollywood Cinema Experience) processor, support for Dolby Vision, and Samsung’s HDR10+ formats. It can also upscale 1080p content to 4K, and features the same HDR optimisation technology that can be found on the rest of Panasonic’s range.
Panasonic has yet to reveal how much its flagship 4K Blu-ray player will cost, although it’s not expected to be available for purchase in the UK until the second half of 2018.