I own this 4K Blu-ray player, and I think it's a better and cheaper option than Netflix Premium this Black Friday

A Sony Blu-ray player sitting on a shelf with the Dark Knight trilogy, Blade Runner 2049 and Dune Part Two Blu-ray cases sitting on top

(Image credit: Future)

I'm a huge advocate for the 4K Blu-ray format, hence why I've been listing the gains of physical media to anyone who will listen for the last three years.

Higher fidelity audio, no lagging or buffering and, most importantly, a much more consistent and sharper image are among the main benefits, and any home cinema enthusiast who's pulled the trigger on starting a 4K Blu-ray collection will echo my sentiment.

At £225, the UBP-X700 is currently cheaper than a year of Netflix's 4K subscription tier, and frankly, I would pick this disc player over Netflix any day of the week.

Netflix upped the price of its Premium tier in the UK to £18.99/month in February of this year. That option is the only way to stream in 4K HDR from Netflix, meaning you'll have to settle for 1080p if you opt for one of the "standard" plans; we also wouldn't be surprised if this price increases again in the near future.

Therefore, a year of Netflix Premium will run you approximately £228, which is slightly more than the cost of this player.

There are, admittedly, pros and cons to this comparison. You will need to factor in the cost of 4K Blu-ray discs, and you don't have the same range of content at your fingertips as Netflix offers.

Netflix has had a run of cancelling shows and offloading content recently, and I've noticed that a fair amount of its third-party content doesn't even stream in 4K HDR; either defaulting to 4K SDR or, in some cases, HD.

And to soften the blow regarding the price of 4K Blu-ray discs, I've compiled a few tempting 4K Blu-ray offers from my personal collection and our AV testing library to kick start your collection:

Benefits of physical media include the fact that you won't have to rely on an internet connection to play your content, meaning you won't notice a dip in picture quality if your wi-fi is struggling.

Furthermore, when you own a 4K disc, you own it for life; unlike streaming services, in which content is frequently removed or rotated to a whole other service.

The picture and sound benefits also speak for themselves. Being someone who spends a lot of their time staring at screens and switching between 4K discs and streaming, I've become particularly sensitive to the blocky gradation that's often present on streaming services.

I've also watched my fair share of Netflix and 4K Blu-ray content (using this exact Blu-ray player) on my Sony A80L OLED TV, and can vouch that the UBP-X700 delivers a sharper image with better contrast, and sound is richer and more cinematic too.

It's also worth mentioning that I am aware of reports relating to this player occasionally sticking and freezing when playing 4K discs; however, this has happened only twice in my time using this from memory.

For £225 at Amazon, I think this plucky 4K player is a great option for anyone looking to leave streaming behind this Black Friday.

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Lewis Empson is a Senior Staff Writer on What Hi-Fi?. He was previously Gaming and Digital editor for Cardiff University's 'Quench Magazine', Lewis graduated in 2021 and has since worked on a selection of lifestyle magazines and regional newspapers. Outside of work, he enjoys gaming, gigs and regular cinema trips.

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