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Amie Mandy

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Aug 2, 2024, 8:43:13 AM8/2/24

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If you can connect a Netflix compatible computer, Smart stick, smartphone, tablet, Blu-ray Disc player and/or media streaming device to your TV, you can watch Netflix content on the affected TV.
Please visit for a list of devices that still operate with Netflix.

This is where the streaming revolution comes in. Smart TVs and streaming devices give access to apps such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and more, meaning people can watch millions of hours of movies and TV shows, in up to 4K, for set monthly fees, which ends up being significantly cheaper, and tidier, than buying hundreds of Blu-rays.

So it begs the question: why would people bother with physical media such as 4K Blu-ray anymore? As someone with experience in AV retail and now a tester of TVs, I knew there was a quality difference so I decided to check it out for myself and the results were surprising.

For these tests, I used the Panasonic UB154, a budget 4K Blu-ray player and the Panasonic DP-UB820, a mid-range 4K Blu-ray player connected to the Panasonic MZ1500, a mid-range OLED TV, which was set to Filmmaker or Cinema picture mode, and watched the same movies on both Blu-ray and streaming.

Beginning with John Wick 4, I immediately ran into some trouble. Advertised as 4K on Prime Video, I could not get it to stream anything higher than HD (after some research I discovered I was not alone) so I opted for HD quality vs standard Blu-ray.

Moving on to Godzilla vs Kong, again in 1080p HD on Netflix vs standard Blu-ray, and it was the same story. The Netflix version looked better than I expected, carrying a lot of the vivid, colorful punch on the neon signs in Tokyo that was on the Blu-ray version but again the Blu-ray version showed deeper black levels and more refined details and textures. I was still, however, impressed with how good the streaming version looked.

Finally, I managed to test a 4K Blu-ray vs a 4K stream in the fantastic re-master of Alien, which was on Disney Plus. In both versions, black levels and contrast were superb, capturing the eerie, doom-laden nature of the movie well. Textures were again sharp on both versions. Although there was that little bit more perceived definition in the 4K Blu-ray. Skin tones, for example, looked accurate on both, but more so on the 4K Blu-ray. It is worth noting that the Disney Plus version was in HDR10, whereas the Blu-ray version was in HDR10+, which gave the Blu-ray the perception of a clearer picture.

Whether it was the UB820 or UB154, Blu-ray did indeed have better picture quality overall thanks to 4K upscaling and performance, but the comparison between them and streaming was closer than anticipated.

After being surprised by picture quality comparisons, sound was the next logical test. Running the Panasonic MZ1500 through a Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar, one of the best soundbars at a mid-range price, I tested the same movies again. This time, the difference made itself known.

For Godzilla vs Kong, the story was the same. The roars and shrieks from Kong and Godzilla sliced through the room with more heft when played through the Blu-ray compared to streaming. The crunching blows and shattering of buildings during their climatic fight scene had more direction through the room and just more power altogether. This not to say the Netflix sound was bad, just that the Blu-ray did it better.

When I put both Blu-ray and streaming in as close to the same conditions as possible, I was pleasantly surprised by just how close the picture quality battle was. Both had excellent details and colors that would make any viewer happy, although for the real movie lover, Blu-ray had the upper hand thanks to better contrast levels, despite streaming offered a suitable alternative.

James is the TV Hardware Staff Writer at TechRadar. Before joining the team, he worked at a major UK based AV retailer selling TV and audio equipment, where he was either telling customers the difference between OLED and QLED or being wowed by watching a PS5 run on the LG 65G2. When not writing about the latest TV tech, James can be found gaming, reading, watching rugby or coming up with another idea for a novel. "}), " -0-11/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); James DavidsonSocial Links NavigationTV Hardware Staff Writer, Home Entertainment James is the TV Hardware Staff Writer at TechRadar. Before joining the team, he worked at a major UK based AV retailer selling TV and audio equipment, where he was either telling customers the difference between OLED and QLED or being wowed by watching a PS5 run on the LG 65G2. When not writing about the latest TV tech, James can be found gaming, reading, watching rugby or coming up with another idea for a novel.

I am asking if a ROKU device will allow me to watch my netflix account on a older Panasonic plasma TV that does not support the streaming of the Netflix account now. Some kind of adapter suggested needed?

If the TV has HDMI inputs, you can use any Roku device. If cost is an issue, I would recommend the Express 4K+. Do NOT get the regular Express, as it has too little memory and runs into constant issues.

@DennyPAs the other member stated, Roku's connect via HDMI so the Panasonic will need to support 1080i (HD) in order to use it. If yours is 720p, it probably uses RCA composite connections which won't work with current Roku models. I owned a couple of Panasonic plasma and the switch to OLED is remarkable as is 4K resolution

No Roku I know of has ever supported 1080i. All current models support 720p and 1080p, and the 4K models support 2160p. I had an older Panasonic plasma (ST30, 1080p) and it worked just fine with my Roku players at the time.

After almost five years on the market, one supply chain-oriented hardware swap, and multiple firmware updates, the DP-UB9000 is still considered the 4K Blu-ray player to beat and the best disc-based videophile solution for 4K and now 8K displays and projectors.

The DP-UB9000 reference-class UHD Blu-ray player utilizes Panasonic in-house color and HDR processing technologies to reproduce 4K UHD pictures with cinema-level quality in the home. The DP-UB9000 plays almost every modern disc-based, CD-sized video format.

The DP-UB9000 also supports every current iteration of HDR technology, including HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision, combined with what Panasonic says is the best possible audio quality to complement the best disc-based media picture quality. Users can get all of this for an average retail selling price of $1,099.

While the DP-UB9000 is a universal disc player capable of playing everything from music CDs to UHD Blu-rays, it is also a smart device with wired and wireless network connectivity, Google and Amazon Alexa support, and onboard streaming applications.

Panasonic uses a High-grade ESS Sabre D2A converter for playing high-resolution audio file codecs. The DP-UB9000 creates a spatial sound experience with support for surround formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS-X.

While streaming content has increased dramatically, there are still home theater enthusiasts that prefer physical discs. Many movie lovers have hundreds of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays in our collections. The Panasonic DP-UB9000 is designed to maximize the picture and sound quality of those discs. While the DP-UB9000 can't play SACD or DVD-Audio discs, it is also a high-quality CD player.

This attention to material quality is only found in reference-class products, of which the DP-DP-UB9000 is undoubtedly one. The player's finish looks and feels every bit as premium on the outside as this flagship product is on the inside. On the downside, the front panel of the UB9000 is a fingerprint magnet.

A newly developed drive base and a thick steel plate hold the disk drive to the center of the 2 layer chassis. The Disc mechanism is center mounted to increase stability. Unwanted vibration and noise are reduced while precision is increased. When the tray opens and closes, it is smooth and silent. Load speeds were faster than I expected. Heavy steel plates lower the center of gravity.

The front OLED display can be set to dim automatically or manually adjusted from a dedicated button on the remote control to create the ideal home cinema environment. The display is visible without being too bright to become distracting when the lights are down.

My only criticism of this display is the very basic nature of the data it shows. This means the user must go into the menu system to get information that could, and on some competitor's units, does get shown on the front panel screen.

These types of connections are commonly used in professional audio and high-end Hi-FI systems because they provide a balanced signal. A balanced signal means the audio is transmitted on two conductors with an equal but opposite polarity, which helps cancel out electromagnetic interference and noise.

My professional background includes all aspects of the consumer and professional product industries. Still, as we focus on projectors, I rarely enjoy playing with my professional audio equipment for work. In this case, I got the opportunity to dust off a pair of my studio monitors and test them with this player.

The HDR Optimizer, also made possible by years of knowledge from the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, ensures the DP-UB9000 is compatible with the latest standards of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, while for conventional HDR10 content, HDR Optimizer will bring the best quality to your footage.

Tone mapping is a technology typically provided by the display. The problem with doing this is that consumers are left at the manufacturer's mercy, getting whatever tone mapping solution they provide. Panasonic has left nothing to chance, providing users with a top-notch tone mapping solution built into the DP-UB9000. Tone mapping is used to adjust the brightness level of the content. And even HDR images from ordinary