New 4K UHD Players --- Magnetar UDP800 Mini-Review

Which of the Magnetar Players should you purchase?
#bluray #4K #audiophile
Click ❤️ Thanks above ☝🏾to highlight your question and show support to the channel🙏🏾
0:00 Introduction
1:45 My Decision
2:43 UDP900 vs UDP800
4:54 Panasonic UB-9000
5:35 Reavon
6:45 Remote Differences
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Magnetar Store US - www.magnetar-audio-us.store
Magnetar Store EU - magnetar-audio.store/en/
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Links to my home theater setup
Front Left/Right: 1723 Monitor S - bit.ly/3RWNRKG
Center: 1723 Center S - bit.ly/3eSxDUG
Surrounds: 1723 Surround S - bit.ly/3BHHaGY
Atmos Speakers: Energy Take Classics 5.1 - Purchase amzn.to/2l0ubbs
Subwoofer: 1723 2V Subwoofer - bit.ly/3Lfcnof
Speaker Wire: Monoprice Access Series 12 AWG CL2 Rated 2 Conductor - amzn.to/2y4btcT
AV Receiver: Denon AVR-X4400H - amzn.to/2JuznyM
External Amplifier: Monoprice Monolith 7 - amzn.to/2ZXrTvu
4K UHD BluRay Player Panasonic UB820 - amzn.to/3bGwOcc
Television: LG C1 77" - amzn.to/3O8ZVqe
TCL 55" 6 Series - 55 Inch: amzn.to/2QUvKsN
Projector Screen: Elite Screens Yard Master 2 -amzn.to/3iObztN
Valencia Theater Seats- us.valenciatheaterseating.com...
Television Stand: Salamander Design AV Cabinets - bit.ly/3I8OLjv
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Contact the Home Theater Hobbyist
Email: [e-mail]
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[@kellywilliamson2187]

I have an Oppo 203, the Panasonic UDB9000 and now the Magnetar UDB 800 - I like hedging my bets!

[@VONDOOM88]

Do any of those players besides the Oppo do subtitle shift?

[@melraine919]

Thank you for the demo and info 👍🏼👊🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@Terry.W]

I wish I could afford it it ticks all the boxes ...and looks good too.

[@Oz-Jameson]

I’ve seen a few reviews on the Oppo 203 against the Plantronic 9000 and in all reviews the guys said the Panasonic 9000 with the optimiser set to on was better than the Oppo 203, it would be nice to have a comparison between the Panasonic 800 and the Magnatar. Thanks for the great review. thanks Oz

[@kellywilliamson2187]

I have to agree but the Oppo is no slouch!

[@Oz-Jameson]

I love my Oppo 203, but sending mine to my brother in Perth Australia, due to his Oppo 203 not working properly, so I am looking for something else

[@limulus61]

I am just glad to see that there are some companies still producing high-end Blu-ray players. I still love my Opo 203. At least I know there is something out there to replace it if I ever have a problem with it.

[@kenr4540]

Nice video! Do you plan on doing a video on the new Zidoo UHD5000? I would love to know how the 2 players compare especially when it comes to the sound!

[@silviobaldacchino2150]

Two big players for me - Panasonic 9000 and magnetar 900 but i order the new tv Panasonic OLED 77inch the latest one and i order the Panasonic 9000 ! Thanks for this video from 🇲🇹

[@mikecampbell5856]

You're always making me want to buy stuff! Knock it off! Just kidding. Great review as usual.

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

😁😁😁

[@emix1010]

To me it doesn’t sound like a joke. I don’t know about “always” as I’m new to this channel, but I sure want this one Blu-ray player!

[@garymclure1]

Does it have the zoom function like the oppo 203 does so I have get rid of the black bars on my movie discs

[@davonfranklin5158]

Great Vid. Is there any noticeable video quality difference between the Panasonic and the Magnetar?

[@matthewnorwell5353]

Ive owned the oppo 203 and the 205 and it was a stunning machine i also have the sony 800g2 and i would have the 9000 mag in a heartbeat its the ultimate player atm but watch out for the new sony replacement for the 1000es it should also be a stunning machine

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I didn’t know Sony was making a replacement! More players on the market is excellent!!!!

[@brianastrodoc2886]

Looks like the same menus as the oppo 203, which I love. If you ever want better audiophile sound quality for music, you can bypass the internal dac and use a high end one of your choice. I’ll choose the same one if my oppo ever dies.

[@nickthequick]

same engineers that made Oppo make Magnetar

[@Spiderman7Bob7]

I really appreciate information like this . I have got a cheap Sony 4k DVD player ...I'm not sure of the quality of the player , because I'm a novice to this 4k thing , but I am learning . I don't have the money to purchase all that is out today . But I am learning . Believe it or not I do not like the picture of hslf of the dozen or so 4k's that I have . Why . Because I don't like the 'darkness' of a 4k disc . And the colors seemed washed out . But the colors on the Blu-ray disc are bright and shinny . Shouldn't it be the other way around ! Like the 4k should be much better than the Blu-ray ! .I'm probably not adjusting the system right . What do you think ? Would a more expensive 4k player better ?

[@Member319]

Is there a significant difference from my Sony UBP-X800?

[@kmdkmd-jz8pv]

Are you still liking your player? I was going to order a ub9000 but ordered the 800 instead. I wanted the option to play all my ripped uhd movies on the 800 and stop using Plex. Plex has been dropping frames here and there. I just hope I made the right choice. Loved the video.

[@Bikes-guitars]

Great player, now all we need is for Hollywood to sell physical media in 16/9 to fill the screens we own instead of the widescreen format that robs 25% of the screen size and to stop filming everything in the dark or at sunset so that we can see more than two colours. A great player though and finally a replacement for the legendary Oppo players 👌

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

👍🏾

[@tkusterb]

Umm... if you zoom in on 2.35:1 widescreen movies just to eliminate the letterboxed black bars, you are LOSING content by chopping off the far left and right ends of the picture. I can't believe it's 2023 and folks are still complaining about this.

[@christopherbrown5023]

@@tkusterb Correct! I am puzzled why any physical media buyer would want 16x9 ( or 1.78:1) across the board, no matter what. MOST films are shot with a 2.35:1 or 2.40:1 widescreen ratio. People need to understand how aspect ratios work, and what happens when you crop those wider ratios down [to 16x9]. The black bars are there to PROPERLY display the image, on a 16x9 screen. Only a projector coupled with a native 2.35:1 screen will correctly display that ratio without any black bars. However, such screens will require black sidebars to properly display 16x9 images.

[@Rascallucci]

The more hardcore audiophiles would only use the Magnetar as a SACD/CD transport as far as 2 channel music goes, especially for SACD because they could use the the HDMI out from the Magnetar to connect it to a HDMI Extractor device that you can buy from Amazon and then connect from there to the I2S input on a better quality or high end external DAC that some audiophiles have. That is the only way you can decode SACD on an external DAC as ironically most high end SACD players do not have HDMI out and HDMI out is only available on the cheaper universal players. To be honest, I only found that out recently as I use the coaxial out from my SACD/CD hybrid player to connect it to my external DAC. However, it only works on CD. I guess what many audiophiles are now saying is that the transport itself doesn't make much of a difference if at all on sound quality, it only matters with the DAC which kind of makes sense. Since audiophiles are already spending good money investing on their external DACs to decode both their CDs as well as from their music streamers, of course they would want to decode their SACDs on their expensive external DACs too. So, in theory may be the UDP800 is already good enough for that purpose unless the transport on the UDP900 is far superior which I doubt.

[@fransdegroot9778]

I have the oppo 203 he is playing for years now from the begining i have him in my system. He is top vision en sound also. I can play every file from internet no problem.

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I wish I had an Oppo. 😁

[@MrNorcal81]

I have a Panny ub9000 and an Oppo-203. In terms of pure video quality, the Panny has a slight edge but it is very limited when it comes to files with various video/audio encoding. For instance it can't play lossless audio in an MKV file. It can't even play E-AC3 audio which is pretty much a standard with steaming content (Atmos on streaming platforms is actually a core E-AC3 audio with a very effective "Atmos" overlay). The Oppo, on the other hand, can play pretty much any combination of video/audio encoded files you can throw at it. My understanding is the Magnetar can as well so they are the logical successors to the Oppo 203 and 205. If my Oppo ever goes toes up and the cost of a repair and the wait time was unacceptable, the Magnetar 800 would be my first choice to replace it, The only thing that it lacks compared to the Oppos is an HDMI input which can come in very handy at times.

[@fransdegroot9778]

Magnetar 800 is it if my oppo deas but for now he is doing very goodcwork for me.

[@robertmcelfresh1031]

I have a Sony 4k player that offers BlueTooth out, HDMI out or BOTH. This lets me give headphones to an elderly relative so she can crank her volume while the rest of us use the speakers are lower levels. I did not shop for this but now I love it.

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Nice!

[@SgtHooch]

Good video. Might have to upgrade from my Sony UBP-800. I working on my third one in two years. For some strange reason the device crashes and the only fix is a full reset. However, after a while the full reset doesn't work, either. I have not idea why.

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Wow, I haven’t heard of that issue before. To date I haven’t had any issues with my Magnetar (~7 months of ownership) or the Panasonic ub830 (greater than 3 years ownership) so I can recommend the Panasonic easily.

[@ReZel80657]

I bought a Magnetar UDP-800 and while it cost me and arm and a leg its also by far the best player i have owned what many fail to realize is the Magnetar can be made region free for an extra $100 and no other player on the market is region free from the factory only Magnetar offer that and if you have mix of region 1/A and 2/B discs like i have a multi region player is a must so if you are looking for that forget about Panasonic, LG, Sony or any of the other big brand name you want them multi region you have to modify them often with a 3rd party chip soldered to the motherboard, another thing to consider is the Magnetar can play DVD-Audio and SACD´s which are rare high res CD formats and finding players for those these days is really hard and the Magnetar can play pretty much every discs under the sun so its a player that can do everything at once and if you have to buy a player for every region of DVD and BD and a SACD/DVD-A player it would cost more than what the Magnetar players does so you get more overall value if you need multi region and/or SACD/DVD-A playback

[@TheRealJohnHooper]

That is like ordering extra onions for 10$ A scam 😀

[@patrickl.654]

Thank you for a great review ! Do you need to connect it to an HDMI 2.1 on the TV to benefit from the highest quality video or a 2.0 enough ? And is this player able to play all region movies ? I have DVD and blue ray from France that I can’t play in the US. Thank you

[@Zaptos5325]

I'm not sure about audio but it's region free

[@hometheaterman1424]

Hi Hone Theater Hobbyist how are you doing today? I currently own the Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray. I want to upgrade to the best Blu-ray player. I am debating on getting eather the Magentar UBD-800 or the UBD-900 . Which one would Upscale DVD movies better? Or are the Upscaling the same on both? And I will be using HDMI to Blu-ray player to AVR. Will the UBD-900 have a more Clearer sound then the UBD800 if I am using just HDMI? Or are THE SOUND the Same thru HDMI With both Magentar Blu-ray Players? And will the Magentar Blu-ray Players be less Finicky when Playing 4K Blu-rays Disc? Because if I have 1 scratch on my 4K Blu-ray Disc my Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player will not allow me to play my 4K Blu-rays.

[@roachman1412]

I just ordered the 800 i have sony been no issues but getting aggravated with constantly having to switch dolby vision on from reviews panasonic is the same the magnater is auto dolby vision and it looks good

[@jacobclark89]

I think on the x700 and x800 u might need to turn the upscaling off when playing uhd 4k or it might freeze up . But I recommend first to upgrade to a 8k optical hdmi cable so you know your cable is not the cause of the issue .👍

[@kmdkmd-jz8pv]

@@jacobclark89mine still freezes with if off. Time to upgrade I guess.

[@mikeygrizz23]

What exactly does the HDR Optimizer do? I am curious as I am purchasing either the Magnetar or the 9000.

[@Oz-Jameson]

I was watching spare change, he tested the Oppo 203 against the 9000, and he said the 9000 with the optimiser set to on was a better option than the Oppo 203,

[@EndoV2]

Magnetar looks legit, but overpriced imo. $3K for the 900 is even more than what Pioneer was charging for their flagship lx800 few years ago.

[@paulk9534]

Can you tell me about the transport, is it the same in both units? Are they as good / same as in the Oppo?

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I think it’s the same between the 800 and 900 but I don’t know for certain. I don’t have an oppo so I don’t know how it compares.

[@alexyt75029]

Could you five me an advice? What sub is better to music and movies, kef kube 10 or polk hts 10? IS It true that polk IS more desfile, hás more detective units?

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I'm not going to be much help with this one but here's my answers..............I haven't tried either in my home but I have heard the Kobe 10 in a showroom and it sounds good. I'm not aware of issues with either. That's not saying they are not happening, I just haven't heard of them.

[@alexyt75029]

@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Thank you very much!

[@ericshutter5305]

Panasonic 9000 but whatever you personally prefer. Most current 4K players are not bad.

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I agree, there is choice and I prefer that.

[@edvedder7835]

Nice review. I don't like how they want $99 for a firmware update! Wth?

[@musashi-san____1409]

So if you already have a decent Atmos 7.1 receiver the UDP900 is overkill?

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I don’t totally understand your question but I assume you’re asking if the 7 channel analog outputs are worth it if you have an Atmos receiver? My answer to this question is, If you don’t plan to use the 7 channel outputs then yes it’s overkill get the 800 and save money.

[@musashi-san____1409]

@@HomeTheaterHobbyist I have a Yamaha RX-A780. That's why I was just curious if it was even worth spending double?

[@jebo4jc]

I rely on the HDR optimizer from my Panasonic player too much to consider a different brand.

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Understandable! 😁😁😁

[@Jacob-ed1bl]

I had an Oppo player and used the HDR optimizer for my JVC NX7, but I sold that house along with my theater. I recently bought the Panasonic 9000 & it failed on me within a week. I'll probably order this player, but for the price, it's ridiculous that it doesn't have an HDR optimizer. I've emailed them to see if it's something they plan on adding in the future or if that's even possible.

[@Abdul..]

What’s your comparison between the MAGNETAR UPD-800 to Cambridge Audio CXUHD? I know you might not have an experience regardless the Cambridge. I was so close buying the MAGNETAR, but the company didn’t answer my email as I was seeking to know some information regarding the warranty, and spare parts prices such as the optical lens drive..etc then I put my eyes to Cambridge due it given a great process for picture quality for OLED TV as per the reviews, and I found a good deal for few hours of use as a second hand, and it’s on the way, and I can’t wait to have it hooked up to my TV to see the difference.

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

You’re correct, I don’t have experience with the Cambridge but they do make nice products. A good guy (screen name shaken n stirred), who regularly comments mentioned purchasing one on my 900 video. He said it was made from Oppo parts but he hadn’t spent much time with. Being made from Oppo parts is very promising but search for that comment in the comments section (kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZLZpKWBmch6eZosi=CtR-TIWoM7pttjWh)

[@christopherbrown5023]

@Abdul.. Magnetar offers a 2 year warranty, on all products. That information has always been on their website (under the "Terms of Sale" section).

[@user-kv3ue5fp4c]

I have the CXUHD. Bought it when Oppo stopped making their players because it was the closest I could get to the UDP-203, which was my first choice. The players are identical, right down to the menu layout - the only difference is that the Cambridge doesn't have analog outs, so it's basically a digital transport. When my CXUHD developed an issue when playing DVDs - I sent it back three times under warranty but it ended up being a problem with the way the player was interacting with the glass shelf it's on - I purchased the Panasonic 9000. The Oppos and other MediaTek based players like the Cambridge, Reavons and now the Magnetars offer a ton of great features that the Panasonic 4K spinners don't, such as a zoom button on the remote to correct non anamorphic DVDs, an auto stretch setting for 4:3 DVD content, a defeatable auto power turnoff, a source direct setting, a power button illuminated LED, full featured front display with chapter info, audio codec info and more. My Panasonic 9000 is actually in for service right now because 4K discs were beginning to freeze and the disc drawer made a nasty cogging noise when it closed. And that player cost one thousand dollars before tax....

[@Abdul..]

@@HomeTheaterHobbyist The Cambridge Audio CXUHD it’s better than the OPPO UPD-203 in terms of picture and sound quality via HDMI, because there is no Analog signal distribution to Cambridge. It’s totally digital transparent so the CPU gives the best of it to extract the best possible picture and sound quality, especially for OLED TV.

[@Abdul..]

@@christopherbrown5023 Sadly they don’t deliver to the Middle East, as I was so close to buying the MAGNETAR, but they didn’t answer me. So I decided to buy the Cambridge Audio CXUHD which I even felt would be much better than the MAGNETAR. I haven’t put my hands on it yet to hook it up to my OLED TV because it's still in the way, but I believe it’s destiny to make me avoid buying the MAGNETAR to go with Cambridge.

[@TheRealJohnHooper]

1500$ is insane.. 40 Watts power draw is insane..

[@TheRealJohnHooper]

The 8000 is actually not as ugly as the 9000 model. Sad reality is that Blu-ray is already a super niche market. I fear that they will drop the value models at one point. However right now you can still buy them. Prices for PC Blu-ray drives went up over the years, while you can buy a DVD-burner for 15 Euros.. In the long run HD DVD would have been better. Blu-ray founder where: Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung und Sony. HD DVD founder were: NEC, Microsoft, Toshiba, Intel, IBM und Hewlett-Packard. Basically Video vs PC companies. Fun fact: In November 2007, the popular audio-visual discussion site AVS Forum temporarily closed its HD-DVD and Blu-ray discussion forums because of, as the site reported, "physical threats that have involved police and possible legal action" between advocates of the rival formats. 😂

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Thanks!

[@danemoreno88]

My Panasonic ub820 has been going strong for almost 4 years straight

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Mine too! Great player!!

[@donjaun540]

Love your review, but I had to laugh when you used the excuse to get a better player to almost buy one 8x the cost. 😂🤣 You ended up with one at just over 4x the cost.🥴😁💪🇺🇸 Do you find it superior to the Panasonic you own ❓

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I do like the video quality just a little more, I talk about it and show an example in the video quality section starting at the 4:30 point here kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZLZpKWBmch6eZosi=-vqEciwNooThP3sU

[@donjaun540]

@@HomeTheaterHobbyist I have to ask though is it $1200 better ⁉️

[@VinnyCThatWhoIBe]

If I actually needed a new player I'd consider it, but can't complain about my ub820

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

My 820 is fine, I’ve waited very near a year before purchasing and I wasn’t in a super rush until I tried the 900 then I got really excited. 😁😁😁

[@Kudarr216]

Region free???

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Yes

[@ReZel80657]

Yes and no you have to pay an extra fee to get it region free otherwise its region locked

[@user-kv3ue5fp4c]

I know it's subjective, but the Magnetars are SUPER UGLY IMO, especially for the price - what were they thinking with that checkerboard faceplate? These units are way overpriced - compared to the Panasonic 9000, the 9000 seems like a virtual bargain, and THAT player I thought was grossly overpriced. I had an 820 for one night before I returned it to Best Buy because I didn't think $500 before tax was worth it for what looked and felt like a plastic toy. I will say this: the build quality of the UB9000 is absolutely beyond reproach, but its heaviness and layers of metal didn't really mean anything because mine developed a noisy and cogging disc drawer (my unit is actually in for service right now because of this issue and due to 4K discs freezing up). The Panasonics are also lacking a ton of features the MediaTek based players offer.

[@ianproudfoot5415]

Makes a nice change from the monotony of every other player's front plate.

[@user-kv3ue5fp4c]

@@ianproudfoot5415 Well, I suppose it's subjective, but I don't care for the design at all - keep it classy with a plain black brushed aluminum face and metal control buttons on premium players (which are an extinct species anyway).

[@dominus519]

To be honest, if you already have a good player like the Panasonic 820 of Sony x800 second gen i would not buy the magnastar. Great player but the upgrade will be minor for what it cost over the Panasonic or Sony. But if your in the market for a new player and have enough green, go for it. Great machine!. I only upgrade if my Panasonic 820 dies on me...

[@richardzagozeski892]

I saw that this player (UDP-800) allows you to play 3D movies. Another reviewer (Shane Lee) told me that all 4K players would play 3D movies. Didn't believe him because years ago you had to buy a specific player that was 3D compatible (Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Player & Panasonic 3D Plasma TV). ALL modern 3D Blu-rays state on them that you need a Blu-ray player designed to play 3D movies.

[@DarinBuss]

Is this a new oppo company that took over oppo ???

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

I think this is the new Oppo, not sure if it’s the same folks or some of the same folks from Oppo but they’ve done a great job!

[@MrNorcal81]

​@@HomeTheaterHobbyistIt doesn't just look like the Oppo interface, it is the Oppo interface. Maybe Magnetar either bought it from Oppo or made some kind of licensing deal with them?

[@richperez2168]

Gene from Audioholics said all audio reviewers are paid shills. What do you think about that? Are you a paid shill?

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Gene's a nice guy, I've met him on a couple occasions so I'm not going to disparage him but I am NOT a paid "anything". I have not taken any money from anyone for any review. If I ever do you'll see "Paid Endorsement" on the video. I either buy the product from a reputable retailer or get a review sample and review it. Every now and then a company will allow me to keep the sample but most of the time I send the review unit right back. The Magnetar 900 I reviewed was a review unit that I sent back then I purchased the 800 as my own. Hopefully this answers your question.

[@user-zl9qk1sg2f]

No thanks, I still love my Panasonic 9000 4k blu Ray player

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

Understood, keep rocking it! I’m keeping and will be using my 820

[@Jacob-ed1bl]

I ordered the panasonic 9000, and it failed within a week. I know it's a good player, but I sent it back and will be ordering this instead. I used to own an Oppo, and this is very similar.

[@MrChrisGER]

@@Jacob-ed1blwhy ? What failed? Because I had the 824 for few days and the disc drive is to loud so I will try the 9004

[@Jacob-ed1bl]

@MrChrisGER My player struggled to load disk many of the times or took forever, and then it started having issues while playing movies even if it did load them. I sent it back and decided to reorder the Panasonic over the Magnetar.. My new player should arrive soon and hopefully won't have any issues. If it does, I'll order the Magnetar. My disk drive was quiet, I just had the other issues.

[@MrChrisGER]

@@Jacob-ed1bl thanks for your fast reply… yes i hope you will get a good one. Had no issues with the 824 but the disk drive (not the fan) was sooo extreme flattery and loud with 4K discs - like my ps5 and that’s not okay for that price in my opinion - hope the 9000 is more quiet like you said

[@jgilliam1955]

This is an OPPO in sheep's skin. Why anyone would buy this nonsense does not make sense. Is $3000 worth the difference between the Panasonic 820 and 9000. I have had an OPPO since 2017, and I have a Panasonic 820-K.

[@cato12]

3000$ pfff

[@HomeTheaterHobbyist]

They are expensive but at least they exist. I've been nervous that we wouldn't see another new player.