(^18) [ April May 2019 [soundandvision.com
NO
SHORTAGE
OF BLU-RAY
PLAYERS...
YET
Samsung turned more than
a few heads recently when
it confirmed that it would no
longer sell Blu-ray players in the
U.S. The news was particularly
striking because Samsung
made headlines just three years
ago when it introduced the
world’s first 4K/Ultra HD Blu-ray
player —the Top Pick-desig-
nated UBD-K8500.
The loss of a major brand
like Samsung is significant in a
field with only a handful of key
players to begin with, which got
us thinking: Exactly how many
Blu-ray player options are there
right now?
Starting with retail, we focused
on mainstream brands and
checked in with Best Buy where
we found 19 players (excluding
refurbished models) listed from
five brands: LG, Magnavox,
Philips, Samsung, and Sony.
Prices ranged from $70 for
Sony’s BDP-S1700 standard
player to $500 for upscale
4K models from Samsung
(UBD-M9700) and Sony (UBP-
X1000ES). In between were
a handful of $200 and $
players from Sony and Samsung.
Bestbuy.com also sells Pana-
sonic’s DP-UB820 UHD player,
though you need to search for it
directly on the site.
In contrast to Best Buy,
Crutchfield listed 10 models
from four brands —LG, Samsung,
Sony, and Yamaha —at prices
ranging from $70 for the same
entry-level Sony player on
bestbuy.com to $500 for either
Sony’s ES Series UDP-X1000ES
4K player or Yamaha’s Aventage
BD-A1060 player, which spins
SACD music discs along with
standard Blu-rays. Six of the 10
models for sale on Crutchfield
were 4K and five of those were
Wi-Fi-enabled models with
onboard streaming options.
Checking out the websites
of each brand, here’s what we
found...
Samsung: Nine players were
listed—five 4K models and
four standard players—all
of which will presumably go
away as soon as stock sells
out. Prices ranged from $80 for
the BD-J5100 standard player
to $500 for the UBD-M 9700
4K player featuring built-in
streaming and high-dynamic
range (HDR) capability.
Sony: With 13 models listed,
Sony takes the prize for offering
more players than any other
brand. The lineup on sony.
com showed seven standard
Blu-ray models and six 4K
players—ranging in price from
$70 for an entry-level Blu-ray
model to the new UBP-X800M 2
introduced at CES 2019. Pricing
has not been announced for
the high-end model, which
supports high-resolution audio
playback, spins DVD-Audio and
SACD music discs, and handles
three flavors of HDR—Dolby
Vision, HDR10, and Hybrid Log-
Gamma (HLG). Other 4K player
highlights include the hi-res-
capable BDP-S7200 ($180)
and ES Series UBP-X1000ES
mentioned earlier—a universal
machine that will also play DVD-
Audio discs and SACDs.
Pioneer: Three models
were listed, starting with the
UDP-LX500 universal 4K player
($1,099), a model that features
Ultra HD Premium certification,
a high-end “three-block internal
layout,” and Reference presets
tailored to OLED, Projector,
and LCD sources (watch for
our review). Two Wi-Fi-enabled
standard players are listed
in Pioneer’s Elite Series: The
BDP-62FD ($400), featuring
DVD-Audio/SACD playback,
and the BDP-80FD ($300).
LG: Six players were listed,
evenly split between standard
and 4K models and ranging in
price from $70 for the standard
BP175 (via Best Buy) to $280 for
the UBK90 4K player featuring
Dolby Vision (discounted from
$300). The least expensive 4K
player was the $180 UBK
with HDR10 support and 3D
capability. The more upscale
UBKC90, a 4K player featuring
Dolby Vision, was touted at the
“see retailer” price of $250 but is
available only at Costco.
Onkyo: The THX-certified
BD-SP809 is the brand’s lone
Blu-ray player. While it is not a
4K model, it does provide 3D
disc support for those who care.
Panasonic: The Top Pick-
awarded DP-UB820 UHD
player, featuring Dolby Vision
and hi-res audio support, was
the only Panasonic model
listed. But its been reported that
the company is also making its
high-end DMP-UB9000 UHD
model ($999) available in the
U.S. in limited quantities.
Philips: Nine players were
listed—three standard and six
4K models—but only three
showed pricing: the BDP
($300), featuring Dolby
Vision and 4K streaming; the
BDP7501 ($350), featuring a
compact (and square) form
factor with HDR10 support
but no streaming; and the
standard BDP3502 ($90). All
other models have a “Buy from
Retailer” link to search for a
local store. But a quick search
from our NYC location only
yielded results for four players.
Magnavox: Three players were
listed—two standard Blu-ray
models with no model numbers
or pricing—and a 4K model with
a link to a lone retailer website.
So, while a good number of
Blu-ray players are available from
several brands at the moment, it
is a category that bears watching
as streaming becomes more
common in American homes.
—Bob Ankosko
antfer
(Antfer)
#1