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

[Kaskade1309]

Okay, now this is beyond frustrating at this point.

I had a feeling something was going wrong with my 9000 outside of the physical operational noises (the vibrating "bump" sound in the tray mechanism when the drawer shuts, etc.) because I have been seeing tiny signs of laser failure such as flashes of distorted colors when playing discs and unusually long loading times (mainly for 1080p and 4K media). Now, it seems my suspicions were correct because last night I experienced two back-to-back issues, with one being on a disc I never had problems with before and the other on a brand new, just-unsealed copy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on UHD Blu-ray.

Before we threw in the 4K copy of Texas Chain Saw -- which just arrived yesterday in the mail -- we watched the original Scream from the Lionsgate 3-Movie Collection Blu-ray set, which NEVER gave us any problems up until this point (and we've been watching it for years). The disc loaded in our 9000 and got past the Miramax/Lionsgate intros, but before the first trailer started -- which was for Scream 4 -- the Panasonic seemed to freeze with a totally black screen before playing the trailer with a strange stop-then-start movement. A second of the trailer would play, then would break up and freeze, then play for a second again, then finally just freeze to the point I had to stop the disc.

I tried reloading the disc a couple of times, and it did the same thing every time. I finally was able to fast-forward the trailers to get to the setup menu for Scream, where the disc played normally after that.

When I put in the new Texas Chain Saw 4K next, the disc caused the typical loud spinning/vibrating noise as it loaded -- which is happening with EVERY 4K Blu-ray we watch now (I did the last firmware update) -- and this continued through the setup menu and into the first few minutes of the feature. Then, around the scene when the kids pick up the hitchhiker, the disc started to freeze with audio dropouts, doing that weird "jerking forward" thing while the picture pixelated and broke up into weird distortions/colors.

Annoyed beyond belief at this point, I stopped playback, ejected the disc and reloaded it, but it did the exact same thing at slightly different points. I couldn't get past that hitchhiker scene, though, without the whole image freezing and jerking with the audio dropouts.

After that, I threw in our 4K copy of Poltergeist as a test -- a disc that gave us problems as well, last year, with this sort of issue before I exchanged it for another copy -- and while there was a brief flicker of distortion to indicate this disc was going to break up and freeze too, it ended up playing until the pre-halfway mark before I ejected it and just went to bed.

At this point, I am seriously thinking of re-installing my Cambridge Audio CXUHD back into the system because the Panasonic has become nothing more than a headache to use after a mere three years of owning it.

I was going to chalk my issues up to the 9000 maybe having some problems with triple layer discs or 4Ks in general, but I can't explain why the Scream 1080p Blu-ray acted up last night -- which is the first time it did so. Also, I don't understand why we're still getting the load up noise on EVERY UHD disc we play in this thing after the last firmware update -- why is this still happening?

I clean the laser regularly, from the inside, using a brushless Maxell cleaning disc, and the unit is not abused in any way. I can try cleaning the Texas Chain Saw disc, but I don't predict any results from that; at this point, I don't know if the unit should be sent for service or if I should just box it and swap the Cambridge back in.

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.

Anyone here having these kinds of regular return problems with discs freezing/pixelating, and has anyone experienced this with the Dark Sky release of Texas Chain Saw Massacre on 4K/UHD in the 9000?

 

[Keith Cobby]

I had similar problems with one of my Panny 4k players last month (a cheaper model than the 9000). I checked on amazon, and it had lasted 3 1/2 years albeit with a lot of use. I think my player just wore out, and they are no longer manufactured to last. I replaced it with a similar model.

 

[John Sparks]

Bite the bullet and buy a new one, then you can enjoy your 4Ks

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Unfortunately, probably best to just move on from that Panny 9000 -- and probably don't buy another 9000 IMHO... unless you otherwise love that model quite that much (for reasons I don't personally get) and maybe have $$$ to burn I guess...

Just get a Panny 820 for $400-500, if you want another good, DV-capable Panny. Forget what you use for display, but if a projector, then probably just get an inexpensive Panny 420 instead -- that's what I (and many other FP users) use for FP setup. FWIW, I do also use an Oppo for some other disc playback in that setup -- mainly for music and BD imports from other regions.

_Man_

 

[Kaskade1309]

I had similar problems with one of my Panny 4k players last month (a cheaper model than the 9000). I checked on amazon, and it had lasted 3 1/2 years albeit with a lot of use. I think my player just wore out, and they are no longer manufactured to last. I replaced it with a similar model.

Thanks very much for your response.

Are you saying that, on average, the Panasonic players -- based on what you read -- are lasting about three or so years with heavy use?

If so, that puts me right on schedule, because ours is about three...

 

[Kaskade1309]

Bite the bullet and buy a new one, then you can enjoy your 4Ks

Really?

Another $1K model, you mean?

If a premium flagship model such as this doesn't last more than three years -- even with heavy use -- I don't know if I want to give this brand more of my money. The problem is, there really aren't any other premium models on the market anymore, save for the Magnetars, which are SERIOUSLY expensive (especially being that they come from China).

I do have a Cambridge Audio CXUHD (basically a rebadged Oppo UPD-203) in storage that I am thinking of putting back into service because of all the trouble this Panasonic has caused us.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Unfortunately, probably best to just move on from that Panny 9000 -- and probably don't buy another 9000 IMHO... unless you otherwise love that model quite that much (for reasons I don't personally get)

Just out of curiosity, why is that?

I just personally prefer the look of an all-metal player with a brushed aluminum faceplate rather than a plastic toy-esque deck that's going to slide around on a shelf as if it's a disposable piece of electronics. That's what I hated about the UB820.

However, it seems like it means nothing now if a player is built of metal and boasts "premium" parts, as evidenced by what I'm going through with my 9000.

and maybe have $$$ to burn I guess...

Just get a Panny 820 for $400-500, if you want another good, DV-capable Panny. Forget what you use for display, but if a projector, then probably just get an inexpensive Panny 420 instead -- that's what I (and many other FP users) use for FP setup. FWIW, I do also use an Oppo for some other disc playback in that setup -- mainly for music and BD imports from other regions.

_Man_

I really don't want a plastic player in my system if I can help it, especially one without a front display (like the cheap Pannys). I may just put my Cambridge Audio CXUHD (basically a rebadged Oppo 203) back into service, even though that unit suffers from a noisy disc mechanism during DVD playback.

Seems I just can't win.

What bothers me is WHY this keeps happening with 4K discs (mainly) and my 9000 -- WHY shouldn't a flagship player be able to handle these discs without freezing, pixelating or vibrating loudly when they load? Why? What's the problem? I did the most current firmware update and it STILL hasn't stabilized this player, and I just don't get it.

I returned my copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Best Buy over the weekend after cleaning the disc and attempting to play it almost a dozen times in the Panasonic, and ordered a new one. If that copy fails to play, I give up.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I just personally prefer the look of an all-metal player with a brushed aluminum faceplate rather than a plastic toy-esque deck that's going to slide around on a shelf as if it's a disposable piece of electronics. That's what I hated about the UB820.

However, it seems like it means nothing now if a player is built of metal and boasts "premium" parts, as evidenced by what I'm going through with my 9000.

Well, sure, I prefer that too, especially if I'm paying any meaningful premium, but... I just don't see the 9000 being worth $1K-plus even w/out the issues you ran into. It doesn't even play SACDs for instance... and it's not clear to me its analog audio output is anything special anyway -- I'd think most anyone considering a $1K-plus player would likely also own a better DAC somewhere in the audio chain and probably also want SACD playback.

And while Panasonic seems like the best remaining maker of (primarily video) disc players (w/out breaking one's bank or something), I've never viewed them as worth spending such rather substantial premium, especially since I haven't found their previous lower end players all that durable NVM their generally very mediocre UIs.

_Man_

 

[Keith Cobby]

Thanks very much for your response.

Are you saying that, on average, the Panasonic players -- based on what you read -- are lasting about three or so years with heavy use?

If so, that puts me right on schedule, because ours is about three...

I have two 4k players (Panny) and two blu ray players (Panny, Samsung). One of the 4k players I use much more than the others (I should probably rotate them) and this main player doesn't last more than 3-4 years. I buy the cheaper Panny players as the more expensive ones have features I wouldn't use (in contrast to my displays which are Panny OLEDs). I also don't bother with extended warranties. I think electronics are just not built to last and there's no point in paying for things you won't use.

 

[Kaskade1309]

Well, sure, I prefer that too, especially if I'm paying any meaningful premium, but... I just don't see the 9000 being worth $1K-plus even w/out the issues you ran into. It doesn't even play SACDs for instance... and it's not clear to me its analog audio output is anything special anyway -- I'd think most anyone considering a $1K-plus player would likely also own a better DAC somewhere in the audio chain and probably also want SACD playback.

You're right -- it is most certainly not worth what they ask for it. I was just curious as to why you felt that way.

Ever since owning and using the 820 for one night before returning it, I always said the 9000 should have been Panasonic's $500-$700 model and the 820 should have been around $200 or $300.

I personally do not have a need for SACD or DVD-A playback, but I understand that everyone who shops at this price point wants it. What was more important to me were features the Panasonic doesn't have with regard to operational controls (support for zooming in on the image, automatic stretch for 4:3 DVD playback et al), so it seems there are shortcomings for everyone at this price.

But here's the thing: if my unit is beginning to fail mechanically after three years of playing DVDs, Blu-rays and UHD Blu-rays, how reliable would these things be if people would ALSO use them to play SACD and DVD-A ON TOP OF those other formats? I can't see it lasting a year...

And while Panasonic seems like the best remaining maker of (primarily video) disc players (w/out breaking one's bank or something), I've never viewed them as worth spending such rather substantial premium, especially since I haven't found their previous lower end players all that durable NVM their generally very mediocre UIs.

_Man_

My very first DVD player was a Panasonic non-progressive scan model that is STILL in use today as a CD player in our workout room (which is also my wife's office). This was after several moves, including a cross-country relocation, and after it received a massive damage in the front that actually CRACKED the faceplate. The player STILL works.

My first Blu-ray player was a Panasonic DMP-BD10A and that too is still in use in our bedroom, albeit with a weakening drive and loading system (it has trouble loading most Blu-rays now and is slow as MOLASSES in any action it takes). The aforementioned DVD player was purchased in 02 or so and the BD player was bought when it first came out around 2007/2008.

The 9000 has been the most unreliable Panasonic I've owned and it's ironic, because it's the most expensive deck they've ever made. I wish I could have snagged an Oppo 203 when they were still making them, but I ended up with the Cambridge Audio CXUHD instead (it's basically a 203 clone). I am thinking of reinstalling the Cambridge into the system even though it has that noisy DVD playback problem because I'm just sick of the 9000's quirks.

Indeed, they seem to be the only manufacturer making a premium UHD deck that's around a grand, as the newer Magnetars are completely off the wall in terms of asking prices -- the (subjectively ugly) flagship player is around $2 or $3K I think...

 

[Kaskade1309]

I have two 4k players (Panny) and two blu ray players (Panny, Samsung). One of the 4k players I use much more than the others (I should probably rotate them) and this main player doesn't last more than 3-4 years.

What do you mean by "and this main player doesn't last more than...."? Do you mean it DIDN'T last more than three to four years?

Was just trying to clarify because you mentioned looking at Amazon replies, if I am not mistaken...

I buy the cheaper Panny players as the more expensive ones have features I wouldn't use (in contrast to my displays which are Panny OLEDs). I also don't bother with extended warranties. I think electronics are just not built to last and there's no point in paying for things you won't use.

I agree with you about paying for things you won't use, but I am willing to pay a premium for well-built electronics, especially disc players, even if it HAS things I won't use, as it is a piece of gear I use DAILY and I expect it to hold up at that level.

I simply don't understand what's going on with this unit that costs $1K before tax -- why should a player like this make a scratchy vibrating cogging when the drawer closes? It's louder than just about every budget player out there. Is that normal?
And why should it have so much trouble reading 4K discs without pixelating and breaking up/freezing?

I hear what you're saying about "electronics not being built to last" but something of this caliber SHOULD be. THAT'S what buyers like me are willing to pay more for. Do I have this all wrong?

 

[Carl David]

There does seem to be some problem with high end 4k UHD players and even mid-range players too.

Have been looking in some forums and there seems to be owners having their players malfunction in one way or another.

Have seen on Amazon of a reviewer claiming they have had 2 Panasonic players of the UB9000 model and has had issues on both which had to be returned.

Clearly, this is not specific to any one manufacturer but the UB9000 seems to be shocking in terms of its reliability which for Panasonic seems surprising as usually most Japanese electronics companies deliver high standard manufacturing quality even if they are not built in Japanese factories anymore and sent to Korea or China to be made.

My Panasonic TV seems to be very well made and my Sony 4k UHD player has been fine but I have not used the 4k UHD Sony player extensively whereas the TV has had heavy use so far.

Not sure if this issue with 4k UHD players is due to more processing power needed for 4k players thus requiring better more expensive and complex components compared to standard blu ray and DVD or something else.

It might just be due to globalization and the loss of purchasing power of countries currencies whereby nothing of quality is getting made for anything under $1,000 these days.

This is something obvious in many different type of products such toasters, dehumidifiers and cars too.

There seems to be a lack of competition with some products and others being made in China predominantly.

It's all very depressing but hopefully some company can release a 4k player in the near future that delivers on build quality and has been stress tested to last many years and hours of usage.

You would think this could be delivered for a sub $1,000 price range but who knows?

It does look as though the Magnetar UDP800 is probably the best out there that might out last other players but we should not have to pay over $1,000 for a decent unit built to last.

It's a bit odd because OLED TVs generally come with 6 year warranties as standard and mine has had a lot of usage since I purchased it just over 3 years ago.

They seem to be built like tanks.

Furthermore, I can only assume that 4k UHD TVs are more complex in their design and structure and require more complex computer components and sophisticated software design.

So why are 4k TVs getting built to high standards and not the players?

Could be the volume of sales.

Most people buy TVs so it's a big market whereas 4k UHD players tiny in comparison.

That big TV industry is obviously driving competition to make better and better products with such scope for good profits.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

^Actually, part of the problem w/ disc players vs TVs is the former have moving parts that the latter do not. Mechanical/moving parts are generally going to be more susceptible to defects/failure (all else being equal). Plus the disc players also have/rely on very high precision, optical-plus-laser assemblies (that also modulate and/or switch between different lasers or wavelengths) that TVs do not -- yes, TVs also rely on some optical/light engines, but pretty sure those are actually substantially lower precision (and also aren't complicated w/ mechanical/moving parts on top) than most of these optical disc formats, especially BD and 4K (w/ how densely packed the data are).

Finally, the source input for disc players, ie. the discs themselves, are probably also more prone to defects and failure than that for TVs, ie. typically the digital signals transmitted over HDMI, maybe smart TV app, etc.

_Man_

 

[Keith Cobby]

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.

 

[Carl David]

^Actually, part of the problem w/ disc players vs TVs is the former have moving parts that the latter do not. Mechanical/moving parts are generally going to be more susceptible to defects/failure (all else being equal). Plus the disc players also have/rely on very high precision, optical-plus-laser assemblies (that also modulate and/or switch between different lasers or wavelengths) that TVs do not -- yes, TVs also rely on some optical/light engines, but pretty sure those are actually substantially lower precision (and also aren't complicated w/ mechanical/moving parts on top) than most of these optical disc formats, especially BD and 4K (w/ how densely packed the data are).

Finally, the source input for disc players, ie. the discs themselves, are probably also more prone to defects and failure than that for TVs, ie. typically the digital signals transmitted over HDMI, maybe smart TV app, etc.

_Man_

To my knowledge there are not many moving parts in a player.

Isn't there only a disc tray to open and close and that is about it?

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

To my knowledge there are not many moving parts in a player.

Isn't there only a disc tray to open and close and that is about it?

The laser/optic assembly also has to move (throughout playback), and the disc has to be held and spun securely (at varying rates, etc)... plus the entire reading mechanism will simply be more susceptible to failure (from whatever else on top, eg. dust/dirt, limited lifespan of the laser(s), which also need to handle different formats w/ different wavelengths) even besides those mechanical aspects than purely electrical/digital input/connection for the TV -- the disc player will also have those purely electrical/digital aspects of the TV of course.

Think about it. Why are computers, etc moving away from use of optical disc storage as well as hard disc storage to flash media and SSDs (which are actually just larger flash storage) besides the speed performance aspect? For most typical usage, flash media and SSDs, which have no mechanical/moving parts, are simply more reliable/durable than optical disc storage as well as HDD -- the latter two also have other aspects (besides the mechanical) that are less reliable to varying degrees.

There was some sporadic (probably wishful-thinking) chatter about maybe eventually moving from optical discs to flash media for home video distribution, but we're apparently skipping that w/ the advent and proliferation of streaming now.

_Man_

 

[JohnRice]

I don't know what a brushless laser lens cleaner is, but I have ones with brushes, and they have done the trick. Sometime last year my Panasonic UHD player started having serious problems playing UHD discs. I ran the cleaner a couple times, and the problem was solved. I also learned early on that new UHD discs need to be cleaned once with a microfiber cloth. A lot of others have found that is necessary.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I don't know what a brushless laser lens cleaner is, but I have ones with brushes, and they have done the trick. Sometime last year my Panasonic UHD player started having serious problems playing UHD discs. I ran the cleaner a couple times, and the problem was solved. I also learned early on that new UHD discs need to be cleaned once with a microfiber cloth. A lot of others have found that is necessary.

The brushless ones basically try to direct/focus airflow from playback operation (w/ a strategic, ideally? shaped opening on the disc) over the laser/optics to blow dust/dirt off AFAIK -- I have one such, which also comes w/ some minimally useful, basic HT calibration/setup tool. Probably works more safely than brush, but probably also works best as a regular/periodic, preventive measure instead of waiting for definite playback issues to occur (as the dust/dirt removal might not work well enough by that point).

_Man_

 

[JohnRice]

I assumed as much, but if the player isn’t working, might as well try a cleaner with brushes.

 

[Kaskade1309]

There does seem to be some problem with high end 4k UHD players and even mid-range players too.

Have been looking in some forums and there seems to be owners having their players malfunction in one way or another.

Have seen on Amazon of a reviewer claiming they have had 2 Panasonic players of the UB9000 model and has had issues on both which had to be returned.

Clearly, this is not specific to any one manufacturer but the UB9000 seems to be shocking in terms of its reliability which for Panasonic seems surprising as usually most Japanese electronics companies deliver high standard manufacturing quality even if they are not built in Japanese factories anymore and sent to Korea or China to be made.

My Panasonic TV seems to be very well made and my Sony 4k UHD player has been fine but I have not used the 4k UHD Sony player extensively whereas the TV has had heavy use so far.

Not sure if this issue with 4k UHD players is due to more processing power needed for 4k players thus requiring better more expensive and complex components compared to standard blu ray and DVD or something else.

It might just be due to globalization and the loss of purchasing power of countries currencies whereby nothing of quality is getting made for anything under $1,000 these days.

This is something obvious in many different type of products such toasters, dehumidifiers and cars too.

There seems to be a lack of competition with some products and others being made in China predominantly.

It's all very depressing but hopefully some company can release a 4k player in the near future that delivers on build quality and has been stress tested to last many years and hours of usage.

You would think this could be delivered for a sub $1,000 price range but who knows?

It does look as though the Magnetar UDP800 is probably the best out there that might out last other players but we should not have to pay over $1,000 for a decent unit built to last.

It's a bit odd because OLED TVs generally come with 6 year warranties as standard and mine has had a lot of usage since I purchased it just over 3 years ago.

They seem to be built like tanks.

Furthermore, I can only assume that 4k UHD TVs are more complex in their design and structure and require more complex computer components and sophisticated software design.

So why are 4k TVs getting built to high standards and not the players?

Could be the volume of sales.

Most people buy TVs so it's a big market whereas 4k UHD players tiny in comparison.

That big TV industry is obviously driving competition to make better and better products with such scope for good profits.

Appreciate your thoughts, and agree with just about all of them.

Not sure if I am going to send the unit in for service or replace it with my old Cambridge CXUHD.