TheBang

I put together this table to figure out the capabilities and pricing of all the consumer level 4K players available this year, because I'm looking to buy a player with the Black Friday sales.

	List	BF Sale	Retailer	Model Yr	WiFi	Dolby Vision	3D	2 HDMI	SACD/DVD-A	Apps
LG UP870	$199	$99	Walmart	2017			X
LG UP875	$199	$99	Best Buy	2017			X
LG UP970	$299	$149	Best Buy	2017	X	X (future)	X	X		X
Oppo UDP-203	$549			2017	X	X	X	X	X
Panasonic DMP-UB200	$249			2017	X		X			X
Philips BDP5502	$199			2017			X	X
Philips BDP7501	$299			2016	X		X	X		X
Philips BDP7502 (7302)	$299			2017	X	X (future)	X	X		X
Samsung UBD-K8500	$299	$149	Costco	2016	X		X	X		X
Samsung UBD-M7500	$249	$127	Best Buy	2017						X
Samsung UBD-M8500	$299	$169	Best Buy	2017	X					X
Samsung UBD-M9500	$399			2017	X			X		X
Sony UBP-X800	$299	$149	Best Buy	2017	X		X	X	X	X
XBox One S	$249	$189	Target	2016	X		X			X

Other $500+ players include the Panasonic DMP-UB900 and Sony UBP-X1000ES.

2 HDMI ports are useful if you don't have a receiver that can pass through 4K video, so you can hook the player's video HDMI directly to your TV, and the audio HDMI to your receiver for the lossless surround sound.

HDR10 is mandatory in the specification, so all players support it.

It seems like this year is really kind of a transition year with regard to Dolby Vision. The two players that will receive it with future firmware updates have had a lot of delays or problems getting the firmware out. Hopefully, most of next year's models should have it built-in from the start.

3D is, of course, just Blu-ray 3D support, as there is no 3D provision in the 4K spec.

Apps means stuff like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube, etc. App selection varies, as does capability, whether they're enabled for 4K, HDR, etc. I assume people usually have tons of other options anyway for App playback like smart TV's, game consoles, streaming sticks, media players, etc.

With both DVD and Blu-ray, I went through 3 different players as capabilities and features advanced. I expect 4K will be no different. To me, if I'm not placing any emphasis on Dolby Vision this year (assuming that later player implementations next year or later will be better), then the Sony is probably one of the best deals this season, and I've heard good things about the Sony's performance. The LG UP970 might also be a consideration, but there have been some issues and complaints with drive noise on that model.

Anyone have any other thoughts or corrections on this year's models? Any feature comparisons that I missed?

Dan

^ Nice list! You should add the Xbox One S and Xbox One X to that list. The latter is $499, so almost the highest price, but the S is down to $189 for black friday, I think, which is one of the cheapest options and comes with a whole game console.

edit: I would also suggest clarifying that the 3D column is for 3D Blu-ray only, since there's no 3D 4K Blu-ray option... unless there is? I don't recall.

E Unit

Yeah, good list there. And Dan is correct in that there is no 4K 3D. I thought it was assumed when 3D is mentioned, it’s only 1080. But since it’s been called out, maybe that clarification would be good.

I do plan on getting one this holiday. I have a Phillips that I got for $99, but it is a generation before HDR/DV was included.

TheBang

I added the XBox One S. If anyone wants to spend $500+, they're probably best off going for the Oppo.

I added a note about 3D.

davidlynchfan

The Panny UB200 should rear its head into the list as well.

TheBang

I added the Panny, which has gotten great reviews for its picture quality.

Adam Tyner

It's nuts that there are so few Dolby Vision options on the market now.

TheBang

FYI, most of the 4K player BF deals for Best Buy are active already this weekend on bestbuy.com.

kahuna

The LG - UP870 - 4K Ultra Blu-ray Disc Player can be had for $49.00 at your local Walmart. I know it's just a basic 4K blu-ray player but for $49 it's not a bad price.

Just enter your zip code at link below to see if your Walmart has nay in stock.
https://brickseek.com/walmart-invent...?sku=634346527