Samsung UBD-K8500 Review
Last Updated on by Daniel Lawrence
Samsung’s UBD-K8500 Ultra HD player is designed to enhance the picture quality of the latest TVs. Conventional Blu-ray players have a resolution of 1,920*1,080 pixels, whereas Ultra HD Blu-ray players have 3,820*2,160 pixels. With its first Blu-ray player to support 4K, the Samsung UBD-K8500 was ranked second on our list of the best Blu-ray players.
A Review of the Samsung UBD-K8500
Samsung’s first attempt at a Blu-ray player supporting the new 4K format is the UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player. With high dynamic range (HDR) and streaming compatibility, it provides great picture quality.
Samsung UBD-K8500: Performance
Featuring high dynamic range HDR picture quality and Dolby Atmos digital audio, the Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray player offers amazing performance. Compared to standard Blu-ray discs, UHD Blu-ray discs take around 30 to 40 seconds to load. In addition to built-in Wi-Fi, the UBD-K8500 comes preloaded with Netflix, Youtube, and Amazon Video apps. In order to take full advantage of this 4K player, you will need an Ultra HD TV. Although the UBD-8500 comes with everything you need to watch movies, it doesn’t play games like the Xbox One S.
Samsung UBD-K8500: Design
A curved shape matches some Samsung TVs, so this disc player is available in full black. It is equipped with a USB port, dual HDMI outputs, a wired ethernet port, and an optical port. The one HDMI port that’s available is only for audio and is only useful if your AV receiver does not support 4K. It can play many old disc formats, including CDs, DVDs, and regular Blu-ray discs. The Samsung UBD-K8500 is designed for practicality. Although this player has many bells and whistles, it is not THX certified like the Panasonic DMP-UB900.
Value
The Samsung UBD-K8500 review found it to offer exceptional value for money. When it comes to 4K players, it has the majority of features you can ask for. It has good picture quality and can be used with any HDR-compatible TV. It also has good sound quality and can be used with your existing receiver and setup. Although most new TVs come with built-in streaming apps, Samsung has included them to give you more viewing options. All of this is available for an affordable price, though it is not as low as the Philips BDP7501.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fantastic Picture Quality | Needs a compatible TV |
| Ready for streaming | Confusing remote |
| Cheap | No display |
Final thoughts
The performance-to-price ratio of this 4K Ultra HD player is excellent. It offers both great sound and picture quality. Using the remote can be a bit fiddly, especially without a display to indicate what function is being performed. Despite that, it is a good performer and worth the cost.
