Panasonic's NZ first 4K UHD Blu-ray player is a premium product in every respect.

At the end of last week Panasonic launched its new 4K Ultra-High Definition (UHD) Blu-ray Player, the DMP-UB900.

Wares was treated to an in-depth insight into the new player's technology from visiting Panasonic Chief Engineer, Mr Kazuhiko Kouno (see photo below).

This sort of technology-led launch event was a regular occurrence some years back but nowadays it ranks as unusual and therefore special.

It may be rare these days for a major brand to roll out one of their boffins for a launch but the quiet pride and the passion which underscores their often highly detailed technical presentations means a lot more than just some PR blurb, to this writer at least.

The new Ultra HD Premium certified DMP-UB900 features proprietary imaging technologies including chroma processing technologies to deliver cinema-quality images, both from native 4K content and from lower quality material, thanks to some smart upscaling. 

And, with the use of carefully selected high-quality audio components ("equivalent to those found in Panasonic’s hi-fi audio range"), the sound it makes should be as good as the images.

Designed for high-resolution audio, as well as WAV/FLAC/MP3/AAC/WMA formats, DSD and ALAC music files can also be enjoyed once connected to a home audio system.

DMP-UB900 is 7.1-channel surround sound capable, can also play back MP4 videos taken with say an action cam, can connect with other devices in the home through DLNA and Wi-Fi and will stream NETFLIX and YouTube, thanks to built-in apps.

Best of all, DMP-UB900 will automatically optimise sound and picture according to the TV or audio/home entertainment product it's connected to.

To help consumers kickstart their collection of 4K content, from 1 July for a limited time and while stocks last, customers who purchase the DMP-UB900 from participating retailers will receive two UHD Blu-ray Discs Mad Max: Fury Road and Creed.