

Their inclusion is welcome, but they might end up being redundant if they’re built into your 4K TV already.Īlso on board are Spotify, Deezer, All4 and loads more in the Samsung Apps section, but oddly there’s no BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub – these will be added with a software update. The deck offers a wide range of online apps including Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, both of which offer 4K streaming (but not HDR support). MKV, DivX, AVCHD, WMV and JPEG are all supported. The deck also plays content from USB drives connected to the front port, including any 4K video files you have in your collection. For starters you can play all of your existing Blu-ray discs and DVDs (with 4K upscaling) and although 3D isn’t part of the UHD Blu-ray spec you can play 3D Blu-rays too.
#Prices for samsung 4k smart player full
Ultra HD Blu-ray playback is the star attraction, but the UBD-K8500 is crammed full of other features.

Related: Ultra HD Blu-ray: Everything you need to know Samsung UBD-K8500 – Features And Samsung has a message for those expecting analogue audio connections: get with the times, granddad. Joining the HDMIs are optical digital output and an Ethernet port, which you can use instead of the built-in Wi-Fi to access the deck’s online goodies (more on that later). The main HDMI 2.0a output supports HDR and uses HDCP 2.2 copy protection. It means that you can feed 4K pictures to your TV from the main output while piping audio to your AV receiver separately – essential if your receiver doesn’t support 4K signals. However, the inclusion of two HDMI outputs is very welcome. The rear panel is sparse but that’s hardly surprisingly when HDMI does most of the donkey work. Lower down the front panel is a USB port covered by a clunky plastic flap, alongside the disc tray. Samsung sticks with the curved design of its recent Blu-ray decks to match its curved TVs, but the jutting angles and classy brushed black finish take the deck in an even sleeker direction.Ī row of four touch-sensitive controls runs along the front edge but there’s no display panel, just a small power LED that glows red or green. On close inspection, the UBD-K8500 isn’t quite the premium proposition I expected for the money, but it’s a stylish and well-made machine. Samsung UBD-K8500 – Design and Connections Video: Trusted Explains – All you need to know about 4K and HDR

The first batch of Ultra HD Blu-ray discs has already hit UK shelves, including titles like Kingsman: The Secret Service, Life of Pi and X-Men: Days of Future Past – all of which offer HDR and sell for £19.99 each. High Dynamic Range (HDR) potentially has a bigger impact on picture quality, offering brighter whites and deeper blacks, while the format’s wider colour gamut delivers more accurate colours. But increased resolution is not the format’s only selling point. Ultra HD Blu-ray offers a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels – four times that of Blu-ray’s 1,920 x 1,080 – which potentially delivers clearer, sharper pictures. The UBD-K8500 is the Korean company’s first 4K player and finds itself in a two-way tussle with the Panasonic DMP-UB900 – a throwback to 2006 when Samsung’s BD-P1000 battled it out with the Panasonic DMP-BD10 at the birth of Blu-ray. It’s been a long time coming but Ultra HD Blu-ray is finally here, and as ever Samsung is leading the charge.
