IFA 2016: Panasonic unveils DMP-UB700 affordable Ultra HD Blu-ray player

While it hasn’t been confirmed by Panasonic, there’s a very good possibility we’ve already seen the DMP-UB700 before, disguised as the Panasonic UB-90 which appeared on the company’s Japanese website.

Panasonic says the DMP-UB700 is Ultra HD Premium certified after meeting the criteria set by the UHD Alliance and has Hollywood in its veins. The Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory was involved in the production of the new player and helped to refine a new 4K High-Precision Chrome Processor, which powers the machine.

On the back of the player you’ll find two HDMI outputs which separate audio and video signals. Panasonic says this helps to provide a clearer and more accurate performance. The DMP-UB700 can also be used to play back hi-res audio formats such as DSD and ALAC.

Not all the connections on the the new DMP-UB700 are the same as the '900 however, with no 7.1 or stereo analogue outputs and no digital coaxial output. There is a digital optical connection, however.

The Panasonic DMP-UB700 should be available from the end of October to early November for £400 in the UK.

Max Langridge

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.