Spotted at Costco Ringwood. $20 cheaper than the post https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/289262.
Costco - Samsung UHD 4K Blu-Ray Player (UBD K8500) $279.99 - Membership Reqd
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Each to their own.
What kind of value is it if they don't play games and do not want to run any third party services because they already have a smart tv or don't want them?
The Samsung has accurate colour output. Xbox pumps out elevated contrast and colour that's not to standard and cannot be changed (not just in Blu-Ray, UI/games/movies are all inaccurate), and the audio output/decoding of the Samsung has more options. An AV purist buys a standalone player, Xbox 4K Blu-Ray is fine for casuals though.
Further reading: http://www.whathifi.com/news/no-xbox-one-s-isnt-very-good-4k…
But do you believe what you read in a pay for comment publication.
My link was further reading. I can see the problem with my own two eyes.
It was a conscious decision from Microsoft all the way back on the original Xbox One to give the Xbox more of a 'wow' factor over the PS4. All YouTube comparisons of games between each console show it. I personally hate it because I like accuracy, not wow factor.
The review implies PCM would sound different, which is absurd. Perhaps the video processor used on the Panasonic does some tactful adjustments but wouldn't an "AV Purist" not want that? The lack of codec support for Atmos and DTS:X is a valid criticism. However, i'll see your linked article and raise you another (Control+F: Bitstream):
https://www.trueachievements.com/n26399/new-xbox-one-update-…To quote one comment quite liberally from your link:
"Who do WHF think they are kidding? I have a Samsung UBD-k8500 and the picture is pretty much identical to the Xbox, (on my Samsung js8500).
…
This whole article reeks of advertiser pressure if you ask me. I'd love to see the sales figures of the Samsung and Panasonic UHD players since the Xbox S arrived."As a side dig- Review states it uses a Panasonic DMP-BD900 but I can't find a trace of that model, DMP-UB900 is the model. Hi-Fi reviewers aren't held to any accountability or professionalism standards when they make a remark about a product(See Steve Guttenberg of Cnet for a good example).
I understand your point of view. If you don't game and if the standalone has the same practical apps as the XB1S, then it is a solid option. But value-wise I see more out of the Xbox. If the unit supported Dolby vision then maybe it would have some validity. But to that I would add that the Chromecast Ultra supports Dolby vision and would be a cheaper option if you wanted it and had an Xbox.
I'm not trying to start a fight here and I hope this doesn't come across as a personal rejection of your purchase choices but I simply see so little value in dedicated UHD players.
If you're going for a purist route, I'd suggest the Oppo UDP 203 or even better, the Oppo UDP 205 (not announced). Other players in the market has only been an enabler device to support 4k playback.
How is it value if someone has to pay an extra $100 or so (with remote) for features they will never use?
Better to go back in time and purchase the Xbox One S on Dec 13, 2016 like I did for $294 (Purchase that is not go back in time!)
Does the Xbox One S have a hand held remote like a TV does?
I always forget people still use the original remotes for their devices.
Not sure about the Xbox, but my ps4 can be controlled with my tv remote through the HDMI-CEC setup. I assume xbox would be the same.
Xbox sounds lika a jet on takeoff at full ball.
For $50-70 more you can get a Xbox One S that plays 4K Bluray and games too. A casual Ozbargainer would say 'but this is cheaper' but a true Ozbargainer would be all about that value.