Can Anyone Tell Me If My UB9000 Is On Its Way Out, Or If This Is Faulty Software (Discs)? (2 Viewers)

[Kaskade1309]

Agree with ManW about moving parts. Sorry my reference to amazon wasn't clear, I checked my amazon purchases to find out when I bought the player, it was 3 1/2 years ago.

Thanks for clarification here; just wanted to be sure you weren't saying that these last, on average, for about three and a half years (which would actually make sense, because that's about how long mine apparently lasted).

 

[Malcolm R]

My Panasonic 420 just downloaded the below firmware update tonight.

Looks like this is applicable for all Panasonic 4K Players:

 

[John Sparks]

That's what's on mine.

 

[Kaskade1309]

My Panasonic 420 just downloaded the below firmware update tonight.

View attachment 200350

Looks like this is applicable for all Panasonic 4K Players:

View attachment 200351

Yes, that's the last update that was released -- I stated (maybe several times) that I did the update and that the player seems to have gotten quirkier since.

Your 420 just did the download now? Are you set up for auto downloads?

 

[Kaskade1309]

That's what's on mine.

It's not helping any of the issues I'm having.

 

[Malcolm R]

Yes, that's the last update that was released -- I stated (maybe several times) that I did the update and that the player seems to have gotten quirkier since.

Your 420 just did the download now? Are you set up for auto downloads?

Yes, but I haven't used the player much recently until I started watching more discs for the scary movie challenge. Been doing a lot of streaming through summer/fall.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Yes, but I haven't used the player much recently until I started watching more discs for the scary movie challenge. Been doing a lot of streaming through summer/fall.

I see; we don't do any streaming, but I suspect I'm going to be forced to because there are no new disc rental options anymore.

Your Panasonic was pretty much dormant since that time?

 

[Malcolm R]

I see; we don't do any streaming, but I suspect I'm going to be forced to because there are no new disc rental options anymore.

Your Panasonic was pretty much dormant since that time?

Yes, probably have not used it more than once or twice since June.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Sorry to hear that.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Update:

Received my replacement copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that disc also gave me problems, albeit at a slightly different point on the disc -- the picture froze, stuttered and pixelated, accompanied by audio dropouts. Frustratingly, I returned the second disc to our local Best Buy and got a refund on our card, but I was forced to purchase the more expensive Second Sight release of the 4K direct from the label in the UK, which really pissed me off.

It seems it's the ONLY way I am going to be able to watch this film in Ultra HD Blu-ray because my Panasonic just won't play the Dark Sky release.

I'm getting very close to chucking this unit, though I am not sure if I want to put my old Cambridge Audio CXUHD back into service (because that, too, has issues with a noise when playing DVDs) of if I should try and track down a new player from Reavon (the Magnetars are out of the question because they're ugly and are seriously overpriced).

 

[Carl David]

Update:

Received my replacement copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that disc also gave me problems, albeit at a slightly different point on the disc -- the picture froze, stuttered and pixelated, accompanied by audio dropouts. Frustratingly, I returned the second disc to our local Best Buy and got a refund on our card, but I was forced to purchase the more expensive Second Sight release of the 4K direct from the label in the UK, which really pissed me off.

It seems it's the ONLY way I am going to be able to watch this film in Ultra HD Blu-ray because my Panasonic just won't play the Dark Sky release.

I'm getting very close to chucking this unit, though I am not sure if I want to put my old Cambridge Audio CXUHD back into service (because that, too, has issues with a noise when playing DVDs) of if I should try and track down a new player from Reavon (the Magnetars are out of the question because they're ugly and are seriously overpriced).

Sorry to that.

Let us know if you do get the Reavon as it is something I will be considering in a year or so when I upgrade my 4k equipment.

Certainly won't be getting the Panasonic player now as I have seen too many complaints from owners to take a chance on that unit.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Sorry to that.

Let us know if you do get the Reavon as it is something I will be considering in a year or so when I upgrade my 4k equipment.

Certainly won't be getting the Panasonic player now as I have seen too many complaints from owners to take a chance on that unit.

Thanks for your understanding regarding what I'm going through.

I will keep you informed about my decision, though I doubt there will even be players or discs a year from now...

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

We are finally upgrading to 4K this winter (we've had a Panasonic plasma that's worked well for 12 years) and my Oppo Blu-Ray player is finally starting to act quirky. I am near ready on pulling the plug on a region-free player from either Bombay or 220 Electronics (from whom I bought my modded Oppo years ago). I'm a heavy disc user and don't want my machine crapping out on me but don't want a cheap, easily replacable plastic toy model either.

 

[Kaskade1309]

We are finally upgrading to 4K this winter (we've had a Panasonic plasma that's worked well for 12 years) and my Oppo Blu-Ray player is finally starting to act quirky. I am near ready on pulling the plug on a region-free player from either Bombay or 220 Electronics (from whom I bought my modded Oppo years ago). I'm a heavy disc user and don't want my machine crapping out on me but don't want a cheap, easily replacable plastic toy model either.

Good luck with all those parameters (they were my priorities as well), as I don't think something like this exists anymore.

 

[Robin9]

We are finally upgrading to 4K this winter (we've had a Panasonic plasma that's worked well for 12 years) and my Oppo Blu-Ray player is finally starting to act quirky. I am near ready on pulling the plug on a region-free player from either Bombay or 220 Electronics (from whom I bought my modded Oppo years ago). I'm a heavy disc user and don't want my machine crapping out on me but don't want a cheap, easily replacable plastic toy model either.

For what it's worth: I've only ever had Blu-ray players from Sony and none of them has ever died the death. The first I bought I gave to a friend when I replaced it with a Wi-Fi enabled player and it was still working faultlessly. The other three I still have - two are Zone free and one of them is 3D capable and the third is 4K - and they all work perfectly. Unless someone gives you an alternative experience, I suggest you bear this mind when choosing your next player.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

For what it's worth: I've only ever had Blu-ray players from Sony and none of them has ever died the death. The first I bought I gave to a friend when I replaced it with a Wi-Fi enabled player and it was still working faultlessly. The other three I still have - two are Zone free and one of them is 3D capable and the third is 4K - and they all work perfectly. Unless someone gives you an alternative experience, I suggest you bear this mind when choosing your next player.

I cannot recall ever having a Sony video player die, but I did have two Sony 5 disc carousel CD players break on me - and one was a higher end ES model that supported multi channel SACD. The carousel tray stopped working on both units. The ES player was built like a tank, but still had a plastic tray.

Those are the only disc players of any type that's died on me before being upgraded for technology reasons. I have owned three Panasonic players (one DVD player, one BD player, and my current 820 UHD player), several Sony players (a UHD player and BD player are still in use), an OPPO DVD player that's still in use, a Toshiba 2 disc DVD / DVD-Audio player, and some CD players that I cannot recall the brand.

 

[Kaskade1309]

ES is the ONLY Sony line I'd ever consider for stuff outside their TVs...

 

[DaveF]

I also toyed with the idea of ordering another UB9000 from Crutchfield, as the one we own now was from Best Buy/Magnolia and was just thrown on our porch when it arrived with no outer box, but I don't know if I want to give Panasonic another chance.

So you’re saying the Panasonic was damaged at delivery three years ago, you didn’t get it replaced immediately, and now you’re blaming Panasonic and not the delivery for its problems?

Sucks that it’s dying. But seems like you’re making a lot out of nothing. Broken on day one. You ignored it. Against the odds, you still got a good three years out of it. But now it’s dying and you gotta replace it.

 

[Kaskade1309]

So you’re saying the Panasonic was damaged at delivery three years ago, you didn’t get it replaced immediately, and now you’re blaming Panasonic and not the delivery for its problems?

No, that's not what I'm saying (and of course there's the ambiguous "like" from someone to a comment like this without actually understanding the context of the conversation, just because it's "cool" to rag on someone when they're reporting issues with a device instead of lavishing praise on it).

I have no way of knowing that the unit was damaged after delivery -- I merely stated that it was delivered to our doorstep without added packaging, as Crutchfield would have included (we bought it through Best Buy/Magnolia), and it was on the porch in such a way that I questioned how it was handled. I DO NOT, for SURE, know that the unit was damaged during delivery. There were no scuffs, damages or any kind of aesthetic blemishes when I unpacked it.

I am saying that it's POSSIBLE this kicked off the scratchy/noisy tray issues if something HAD dislodged or gotten damaged somehow.

So, no, I'm not blaming Panasonic for a damaged unit when I knew it was damaged in transit. I'm blaming them for making a product that cost us $1000 plus tax and delivery and apparently began to fail after a mere three years of use -- but thanks for the input.

Sucks that it’s dying. But seems like you’re making a lot out of nothing. Broken on day one. You ignored it. Against the odds, you still got a good three years out of it. But now it’s dying and you gotta replace it.

My God, man....

It WAS NOT broken on DAY ONE. The unit worked fine until the time the factory warranty ran out, and then it began to exhibit the disc drive noise (when the drawer closed). So I'm not making a lot out of nothing -- if anything, I'm not making enough out of SOMETHING.

What I am also experiencing with this machine wouldn't have been caused, YEARS LATER, by a shipping snafu -- many UHD discs, now three years later, are beginning to pixelate, freeze and make terrible noise when loading, and I seriously doubt this would have been caused by the FedEx guy throwing the player on our porch (unless he literally slammed it against the wall).

Thanks for playing.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Honestly, I'm not that surprised at all anymore at a Panasonic player failing prematurely, even one that costs $1K and would otherwise seemed built like a tank (as far as such goes). Stuff like that does happen... although the tray noise thing starting/happening several months into ownership does seem unusual, especially for a $1K player.

Anyhoo, you probably just need to let that go by this point, if nothing else... and just move on... so you can get back to enjoying this "hobby" and not become/stay needlessly obsessed about this apparently overly long-running, negative experience and disappointment...

IF I were you, I'd just get a fairly inexpensive, easily replaceable, but otherwise excellent-at-actual-playback, player just for the HT/video side and use your old Cambridge Audio for whatever higher quality audio playback (and/or maybe other region BDs if it's actually capable just like the Oppos?)... or just use that for everything, if there are no issues w/ that at all...

As they do say, "no use crying over spilled milk" over and over again afterall...




_Man_