Sony UBP-X700 review
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verdict: Consistently good
Sony have come up trumps with the UBP-X700; not only is it reasonably priced for a 4K Blu-ray player, but it’s also easy to use, with sharp pictures, great sound, and an abundance of features. With so many plus points it’s clearly a Best Buy.
- Good 4K and Blu-ray pictures
- Sounds good
- Easy to use
- Quick-to-load discs
- Nothing major
- But standby power usage is high
Sony UBP-X800M2 review
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verdict: Great for viewing 4K content
With clear 4K picture quality and pretty good sound quality, the UBP-X800M2 is a decent choice. It’s also easy to use with helpful instructions for setup. The biggest weakness is that it doesn’t have the best picture quality for standard DVDs.
- Good 4K picture quality especially native 4K
- Easy to use
- Quick to load standard DVDs
- Disappointing DVD quality
- Very slow when loading 4K discs
LG UBK80 review
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verdict: Just short of a Best Buy
It may be one of the more simple Blu-ray players in terms of features, but it does the job very well, while managing to be one of the cheapest 4K Blu-ray players we’ve seen to date. On the whole, video quality was great but not as impressive as the sound, giving our panel an excellent amount of detail while still delivering powerful bass. It’s worth factoring in that it doesn’t have smart features, though, if that’s something you’d like.
- Good picture quality for 4K
- Easy to use
- Quick to load 4K discs
- Only has an ethernet connection
- No smart features
LG BP350 review
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verdict: Good value
The LG BP350 is good at playing both Blu-rays and DVDs, although usability issues let it down somewhat. It’s not the greatest Blu-ray player but at such a reasonable price, you wouldn’t expect it to be. If you’re looking for a decent player without too many frills then this could be the one for you.
- Decent Blu-ray and DVD picture
- Very compact
- Confusing language in menus
Panasonic DMP-BDT180 review
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verdict: Solid, but unspectacular
The Panasonic DMP-BDT180EB is a good Blu-ray player. It’s rather easy to use, and it will give you decent picture and sound quality. It’s not quite as good as our Best Buy-rated models, though, and for the price you may be able to find something better.
- Easy to use
- Internet features could be better
Panasonic DMP-BDT280 review
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verdict: Solid, but unspectacular
The Panasonic DMP-BDT280EB is a good Blu-ray player. It’s pretty easy to use, and it will give you decent picture and sound quality. It’s not quite as good as our Best Buy-rated models, though, and for the price you may be able to find something better.
- Easy to use
- Internet features could be better
Panasonic DP-UB820EB review
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verdict: Pricey but impressive
With a lot to offer in smart features and great performance when upscaling disks to 4K, the Panasonic DP-UB820EB is a good Blu-ray player. The video quality for Blu-ray and 4K content could have been better but it’s certainly one to look at.
- Good for upscaling to 4K
- Quick load time for DVDs and 4K discs
- Slow to turn on
- High power consumption
Panasonic DMP-BDT380 review
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verdict: Decent, but flawed
The Panasonic DMP-BDT380 is an average Blu-ray player. It’s nice and easy to use day to day, but disappointing picture and sound quality mean that this model doesn’t threaten the Best Buys. It’s come down in price since its release, but you can still do better.
- Easy to use
- Below average picture quality
Sony BDP-S6700 review
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verdict: Mediocre player
The Sony BDP-S6700 is an average Blu-ray player. It’s easy to use for sure, but picture quality isn’t good enough to make it stand out from what is a pretty uniform Blu-ray market. 4K upscaling is slightly disappointing, and while this player is by no means bad, you should probably be looking to get more for your money.
- Easy to use
- Below average 4K upscaling
LG BP250 review
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verdict: A basic safe bet
Picture and especially sound quality are fair, and the absence of extra features means it’s simple to use. It’s not perfect and if you want the best possible image quality then there are better models available for a few pounds more. However, if you just want it for a bedroom or don’t need it to add BBC iPlayer to your TV or watch 3D then, putting niggles aside, this will do the job nicely.
- Cheap
- Decent DVD and Blu-ray quality
- Can’t play files from USB 3.0 drive
Sony UBP-X500 review
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verdict: An average but affordable model
If you want a Blu-ray player that’s affordable and good at the important tasks, this model falls into that category. Picture quality is only reasonable and it’s fairly easy to use with no extra smart features, so it didn’t stand out enough in our tests to earn a coveted Best Buy badge.
- Easy to use
- Sound quality is impressive
- No smart features
- Short power cable
Sony UBP-X800 review
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verdict: Decent player, poor value
If you expect people to pay as far over the odds for a product as the Sony UBP-X800 is priced then it has to be just about the best option on the market. Unfortunately for Sony, the UBP-X800 is not that. Its 4K picture quality is of a good standard, as is its disc load speed, but it’s far too underwhelming in most other areas to be worth considering.
- Good 4K picture
- Expansive app store
- Quick-to-load discs
- Picture is no better than average for other DVDs
- No Dolby Atmos
- Very expensive
Sony BDP-S3700 review
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verdict: A mixed bag
The Sony BDP-S3700 is a decent Blu-ray player, but it’s certainly not without its faults. Blu-rays look reasonable, but playing DVDs is not this player’s strong suit. Sound is also a disappointment, although on the plus side it’s easier to use than many we come across. It all adds up to a fairly average final package, and you could probably do better for your money.
- Easy to use
- Slightly disappointing DVD playback
- Poor sound
LG UBK90 review
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verdict: Good for 4K upscaling
This LG Blu-ray player shaped up to be a pretty average model. Its biggest strengths lie in how easy it is to use and how good it is for 4K upscaling. We would have liked to see more smart features and it’s pricey for what you’ll get.
- Easy to use
- Very good for 4K upscaling
- Limited smart features
- Disappointing DVD picture quality
Sony BDP-S1700 review
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verdict: Perfectly ordinary
The Sony BDP-S1700 is a thoroughly average Blu-ray player. It’s easy to use and picture quality isn’t bad, but it won’t show your film collection in the best possible light. The lack of wi-fi connection could be annoying too, depending on your home set-up. On the plus side, it’s fairly reasonably priced.
- Easy to use
- Poor sound quality
- No wi-fi
Panasonic DMP-BDT167 review
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verdict: Uninspiring
The Panasonic DMP-BDT167EB is a mixed performer. It’s pretty easy to use and has impressively low power consumption, but it’s uninspiring in the key areas of picture and sound quality. Ultimately, there are better players available for the money.
- Easy to use
- Low power consumption
- No wi-fi
- Poor DVD and 3D Blu-ray playback
Panasonic DMP-BD84 review
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verdict: Uninspiring
The Panasonic DMP-BD84 is a mixed performer. It’s pretty easy to use and has impressively low power consumption, but it’s uninspiring in the key areas of picture and sound quality. Ultimately, there are better players available for the money.
- Easy to use
- Low power consumption
- No wi-fi
- Poor DVD playback
Panasonic DP-UB150 review
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verdict: Not easy enough to use
Unfortunately, we don’t have much of a glowing report for this Blu-ray player. It isn’t as easy to use as it should be and though 4K content was good to watch, it didn’t do enough to make it worth buying.
- Very good for native 4K discs
- Quick to load DVDs
- DVDs weren’t good quality
- Sound was disappointing
- Not easy to use
- No smart features
Panasonic DP-UB159 review
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verdict: Not worth it
Has the DP-UB159’s modifications made an improvement? The short answer is no. The small variations with this model weren’t enough to excuse its disappointing performance for ease of use. It does improve in picture quality compared with the Panasonic DP-UB150 but, unfortunately, it still isn’t worth buying, especially considering its price. A Best Buy Blu-ray is the safest way to go.
- Good picture quality for upscaled 4K discs
- Not easy enough to use
- Audible mechanical sound during playback
Panasonic DP-UB450 review
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verdict: Disappointing
Unfortunately, this Panasonic Blu-ray player is a near Don’t Buy. It’s got little to offer where ease of use is concerned and even firmware updates proved to be a task. We’d recommend heading straight for our Best Buys to find one that’s worth your money.
- Good for 4K
- Not easy to use – particularly with the remote control
- Louder than other models when loading discs
