About the Samsung UBD-K8500
The first 4K Blu-ray player from Samsung
The first 4K Blu-ray player from Samsung
The Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player offers a truly amazing picture from 4K Blu-ray discs (TV not included).
For the past few years, we've marveled over the stunning picture quality of Ultra HD TVs, but it's been in the back of our minds that they're capable of even more. Samsung's UBD-K8500 — their debut Ultra High Definition Blu-ray player — will finally allow today's 4K TVs to reach their top picture potential. Place an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc into this player's tray, and savor your movies in true 4K resolution — a staggering 3840 x 2160 pixels.
You'll get an incredibly sharp, realistic picture, even when you're sitting up close. Scenery will glow with a vivid array of colors. And a few movie studios have already announced their first batch of Ultra HD Blu-ray titles. These discs offer even better performance than 4K streaming, because the signal doesn't have to be compressed to travel over the web. Plus, you don't have to rely on extra high-bandwidth and a stable Internet connection to watch a flick.
Beautiful, lifelike picture contrast
When I first explored Ultra HD Blu-ray, I mentioned how gobsmacked I was when Samsung showed us a demo of High Dynamic Range (HDR). I think HDR is the most exciting aspect of Ultra HD Blu-ray. It allows compatible TVs to display extremely bright and dark black picture content together within the same image. (Think tiny stars peeking through the pitch-black night sky.)
This also has Hollywood buzzing. It gives directors a brilliant visual palette to play with — subtle, delicate lighting, sparks of brightness, and true-to-life shading and shadows. The UBD-K8500 will play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs with HDR on compatible televisions, like Samsung's line of SUHD TVs (namely the Samsung JS8500, JS8600, JS9000, and JS9500 Ultra HD TVs).
Samsung gives you more 4K viewing options — yep, including Netflix®
How fun would it be to binge-watch House of Cards and Orange is the new Black in 4K? How vibrant would the Colombian landscapes of Narcos look? Oh, you can find out with this player. When connected to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, It gives you several 4K streaming options including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and M-Go. Plus, you can watch 4K video clips on YouTube.
And don't throw out your old standard Blu-rays and DVDs. Samsung made 4K upconversion a top priority for the UBD-K8500. Their UHD Upscaling automatically upconverts any signal to 4K resolution. All of your movies and shows will look better than ever.
The Samsung UBD-K8500 sports a curved design to match Samsung curved-screen Ultra HD TVs.
Impressive sound and music options
Along with the state-of-the-art picture, your movies will sound amazing too. The Samsung UBD-K8500 has built-in support for the highest-quality surround sound formats, like Dolby® TrueHD and DTS Master Audio™. It also plays Dolby Atmos®-encoded discs (just set the HDMI audio output to "bitstream" when connected to an Atmos-capable receiver). It includes two HDMI outputs for sending audio to your home theater receiver and video directly to your TV. That means you can still play sound through receivers that don't have a free HDMI input that's HDCP 2.2 compatible. You can also use an optical digital connection.
This Ultra HD player's no slouch when it comes to music, either. You can play music from a CD or stream tunes from services like Pandora® or Spotify®. You can even wirelessly connect to a compatible networked PC via DLNA technology and play songs from your computer.
Samsung's smart hub is smarter than most
This player's brain is a super-speedy eight-core processor — the same found in Samsung's latest high-end TVs, Galaxy phones, and tablets. It lets you do serious multitasking. You can browse the web without having to interrupt your movie, or use one app while downloading another. Plus Samsung's on-board selection of apps is pretty stacked — streaming video, sports leagues, music, games, you name it.
Project images to your screen
While newer phones are getting harder to cram into pockets, sometimes the screens still aren't large enough for certain tasks. Maybe you want to share a video or picture with a group of people. Wirelessly "push" the display to your TV's big screen through the Samsung UBD-K8500. Allshare™, Samsung's take on Miracast™ technology, mirrors the screen of your compatible mobile device, tablet, or computer screen for everyone to see.
Product highlights:
- plays Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, 3D and standard Blu-ray discs, DVDs, CDs and rewriteable discs
- full 4K resolution video for use with Ultra HD TVs
- 4K video upscaling for standard Blu-ray and DVDs
- supports lower resolutions when used with non-4K TVs
- built-in Wi-Fi for streaming video and music from dedicated apps, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Spotify, and Pandora (subscriptions required for some services)
- HEVC for watching streamed 4K content from sources like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video (requires Internet speed of at least 20Mbps)
- HDR (High Dynamic Range)-ready for extended picture contrast and brightness on compatible TVs
- supports HDR10 format
- AllShare lets you stream content and mirror screens from compatible Samsung smartphones and tablets
- BD-Live and BonusView support for added bonus features with compatible discs (requires external USB storage device)
- Multiroom Link for syncing wirelessly with Samsung Shape wireless speakers
- rips CD to MP3 files with a USB storage device
- on-board web browser
- remote control
- this player accepts Region A Blu-ray discs and Region 1 DVDs
Technical Specs:
- selectable video resolution up to 3840 x 2160 pixels
- built-in audio decoding for Dolby® Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS®, and DTS-HD Master Audio
- front-panel USB port for use with external storage devices or wireless keyboard
- 2 HDMI outputs for separating audio and video signals:
- "MAIN" HDMI output is HDMI 2.0a (connected 4K TV and/or receiver must have an HDCP 2.2-compatible HDMI input, and must have HDMI 2.0a to support HDR)
- "SUB" HDMI output is audio-only; does not output video signal
- Anynet+ simplifies control of compatible Samsung components via "MAIN" HDMI connection (HDMI-CEC)
- optical digital audio output
- Ethernet port for wired network connection
- 15-15/16"W x 1-3/4"H x 9-1/8"D
- warranty: 1 year
- MFR # UBD-K8500
What's in the box:
Samsung UBD-K8500 owner's manual
- Ultra HD Blu-ray player
- 5' AC power cord
- Remote control (AK59-00179A)
- CR2032 3V battery
- User Manual
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Customer reviews for Samsung UBD-K8500
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More details on the Samsung UBD-K8500
Features & specs
General | ||
---|---|---|
Surround Sound Decoding | --- | |
4K Ultra HD | Yes | |
3D Capable | 1080p | |
Internet Movie Streaming | Netflix,Vudu,Hulu, Amazon | |
Built-in Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n | |
Smartphone App Control | No | |
DVD Video Upconversion | 4K, 1080p, 1080i, 720p | |
Multibrand Remote | Yes | |
Parts Warranty | 1 Year | |
Labor Warranty | 1 Year | |
Compatibility | ||
CD-R Capable | Yes | |
CD-R/W Capable | Yes | |
SACD Playback | No | |
DVD-Audio Playback | No | |
Outputs | ||
Digital Optical Output | Yes | |
Digital Coaxial Output | None | |
HDMI Outputs | 2 | |
HDMI Version | 2.0a | |
Ethernet Ports | 1 | |
Analog Audio Outputs | None | |
1080p Video Output | Yes | |
Component Video Outputs | None | |
RS-232C Port | None |
Product Research
Disc & USB Compatibility
Video Section
Audio Section
Network + Internet Functions
Convenience Features
Remote Control
Disc & USB Compatibility
Disc Compatibility: The Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player is compatible with many disc types.
Disc Type | Disc Description |
---|---|
Blu-ray | UHD BD-ROM, BD-ROM, 3D-BD, BD-R, BD-RE |
DVD | DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW |
CD | CD-Audio, CD-R, CD-RW |
Ultra HD Blu-Ray: Ultra HD Blu-ray provides these key features and advantages over standard Blu-ray.
- 4K Resolution: Ultra HD Blu-ray supports resolutions of up to 3840 x 2160 pixels. That's 4x as many pixels as Full HD televisions, and 27x as many pixels as Standard Definition televisions
- Wider Color Gamut: Ultra HD Blu-ray can display over 75% of the visible color spectrum; this is known as "Wider Color Gamut". That's more than twice the color range of current HDTVs.
- HDR (High Dynamic Range): Ultra HD Blu-ray also supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) video. Dynamic range is the difference between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks on screen. HDR means that scenes with high contrast can be shown with much greater clarity and detail.
- Smooth, Realistic Motion: Ultra HD Blu-ray supports progressive frame rates of 24, 25, 50 and 60 frames a second, enabling smoother, more realistic motion.
- Greater Capacity & Speed: Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs will be available in a dual layer 66 gigabyte disc and a triple layer 100 gigabyte disc. Ultra HD Blu-ray can stream video up to a maximum of 108/128 Mbps for 66Gb and 100Gb discs.
- Backward Compatible: Ultra HD Blu-ray players will play all current Blu-ray Disc & DVD content. When connected to a current HDTV television, the player will output a standard HDTV signal. Ultra HD Blu-ray players will support existing Blu-ray media, as well as provide down conversion and HDR to SDR conversion functionality to match the connected television's capabilities.
Note: Like standard BD, Ultra HD Blu-ray discs use region codes. The region code on your disc must match the region code on your player, otherwise the disc will not play. This Blu-ray player is region A and DVD region 1. Blu-ray Disc uses the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) to prevent unauthorized recording of copyrighted material.
Firmware & Software Updates: As Blu-Ray technology continues to evolve, new disc types with enhanced functionality will become available. In order for you to enjoy this new functionality, you will likely be required to update the firmware in your player. These firmware updates will become available for downloading from the Internet. The player's Software Upgrade menu allows you to upgrade the player's software & firmware for these performance improvements & additional services. You can upgrade via Network or USB.
USB 3.0 + Ripping: The Samsung UHD Blu-ray disc player features a front-panel USB 3.0 (type-A) port that allows playback of a variety of audio files (up to 192kHz), still-image files, and video files (up to 4K) stored on a USB mass storage class device (formatted in FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS). The player even allows you to rip CD-Audio to a connected USB msc device, or copy non-copyrighted music, video, and photo images from a CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, BD-R/RE disc, or even a connected network device onto a compatible USB device. You select between three ripping formats.
- WAV lossless copy (best)
- MP3 320 kbps (better)
- MP3 192 kbps (good)
Media File Formats: The Samsung UBD-K8500 Blu-ray disc player supports the following video, photo, and music files recorded onto BD-RE, BD-R, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD-R discs; or downloaded onto a USB thumbdrive.
Media Type | Format |
---|---|
Video | MPEG, MKV, WMV, AVI, AVCHD |
Photo | JPEG, PNG, BMP, MPO |
Music | MP3, WMA, AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, OGG |
Video Section
HDMI 2.0a Output + HDMI Audio Only Output: The Samsung Blu-ray player is equipped with dual HDMI outputs for separating audio and video signals (the "Sub" HDMI output does not output video signal). The "Main" HDMI 2.0a output can be used to carry both video and digital audio all in one cable. You can choose to use the "Sub" HDMI output to send audio only to your A/V receiver and the "Main" HDMI to send only video to your HDTV. The HDMI output resolution can be set to 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, or 2160p.
Ultra HD 4K Playback & Upscaling: With stunning UHD 4K, Samsung's UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player gives you 4x the resolution of full 1080p HD and boasts incredibly life-like images with a level of detail and clarity like never before. You can even upscale your favorite non-4K video content and enjoy it in 4K Ultra-HD (3,840 x 2,160) with this Samsung UHD Blu-ray Player and your Ultra HD TV.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) Video: With HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, the Ultra HD Blu-ray Player delivers dynamic UHD content in exceptional quality with a greater range of color contrast and brightness, enhancing details from the original film format. Experience sharp contrasts and brightness with deeper blacks and brighter whites.
WCR (Wider Color Range): The Samsung UBD-K8500 supports up to 4:4:4 chroma subsampling for full color data rendering of ultra high-definition video. This allows the Ultra HD Blu-ray player to offer twice the color range of existing conventional Blu-ray players and 64x higher color expressions, surpassing the digital cinema standard. As a result, you'll get to enjoy realistic picture quality like never before.
Deep Color & x.v. Color: Deep Color allows more accurate color reproduction with deep color depth. The Samsung UBD-K8500 must be connected to a Deep Color compatible TV via HDMI for this feature to function. The UBD-K8500 also supports x.v.Color; meaning it's ready for x.v.Color discs, such as AVCHD discs (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format).
Movie Frame (24fps): Movies are typically recorded on film with a frame rate of 24fps (frames-per-second). When a movie is transferred to Ultra HD Blu-ray or Blu-ray Disc at 24 frames per second, the UBD-K8500 will output that signal to the TV at a resolution of 1080i, 1080p, or 2160p with no need for conversion for improved picture quality when watching a movie.
Full HD 3D: The Samsung UBD-K8500 UHD Blu-ray disc player supports 3D playback of high-definition (720p/1080p) 3D Blu-ray discs when connected to a 3D-Ready HDTV via HDMI, along with wearing a pair 3D vision glasses.
Video Settings: The Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray disc offers a variety of video adjustments to fine tune the TV's picture image.
- Screen Size: You can enter the actual screen size (up to 116") of your TV, so that the player can adjust the image according to the screen size and display an optimal image.
- TV Aspect: You can adjust the video output of the UBD-K8500 to match the screen-type of your television. You can choose from 16:9 Original, 16:9 Full, 4:3 Letter Box, and 4:3 Pan-Scan.
- Picture Mode: Picture Mode enables you to
adjust video quality when the player is connected to your TV.
- Standard: Suitable for most viewing applications.
- Movie: Suitable for watching movies.
- Dynamic: Increases sharpness.
- User: Lets you adjust the sharpness and noise reduction function manually.
BD Wise: BD Wise is Samsung's latest inter-connectivity feature. When you connect Samsung products with BD-Wise to each other via HDMI, the optimum resolution will be set automatically.
Bonus View: The Bonus View feature provides picture-in-picture capability with select Blu-ray Disc titles. You can view addition content (such as director/actor commentary) in a small display window while the movie is playing.
Audio Section
Dolby Digital/DTS Surround Decoding: The UBD-K8500 can decode the following Dolby Digital/DTS surround formats; Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS HD High Resolution, and DTS-HD Master Audio. The player must be connected to a Dolby Digital/DTS surround AV receiver which also supports these same formats via optical or HDMI input.
Digital Output/Surround Mode Chart: You can set the unit's Digital Output (HDMI or Optical) to match the capabilities of your connected AV receiver.
Disc Type | Audio Stream | PCM | Bitstream (Unprocessed) | Bitstream (Re-encode) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HDMI | Optical | HDMI | Optical | HDMI or Optical | ||
Ultra HD Blu-ray & Blu-ray | PCM | up to 7.1ch | 2ch | up to 7.1ch | 2ch | Dolby Digital/DTS |
Dolby Digital | up to 7.1ch | 2ch | Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital/DTS | |
Dolby Digital Plus | up to 7.1ch | 2ch | Dolby Digital Plus | Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital/DTS | |
Dolby TrueHD | up to 7.1ch | 2ch | Dolby TrueHD | Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital/DTS | |
DTS | up to 6.1ch | 2ch | DTS | DTS | Dolby Digital/DTS | |
DTS-HD HRA | up to 7.1ch | 2ch | DTS-HD HRA | DTS | Dolby Digital/DTS | |
DTS-HD HD MA | up to 7.1ch | 2ch | DTS-HD MA | DTS | Dolby Digital/DTS | |
DVD | PCM | 2ch | 2ch | 2ch | 2ch | 2ch |
Dolby Digital | up to 5.1ch | 2ch | Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital | Dolby Digital | |
DTS | up to 6.1ch | 2ch | DTS | DTS | DTS |
Optical Digital Output: The UHD Blu-ray disc player features a digital optical (toslink) output. The player's audio menu allows you to select the digital audio format that is passed through the optical digital output; bitstream (Dolby Digital or DTS) or 2-channel PCM.
Audio Adjustments: The Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player provides the following audio adjustments.
- PCM Downsampling:This feature lets you choose to have 96kHz PCM signals downsampled to 48kHz before they are output to your AV receiver.
- Downmixing Mode: This feature lets you select the multichannel downmix method that is compatible with your stereo receiver. You can choose to have the player downmix to normal stereo or to surround compatible stereo.
- DTS Neo:6 Mode: You can enjoy multichannel sound via the HDMI output from a 2 channel audio source.
- Dynamic Range Control: When movie soundtracks are played at low volume or from smaller speakers, the system can apply appropriate compression to make low-level content more intelligible and prevent dramatic passages from getting too loud. This is only active when a Dolby Digital signal is detected.
- Audio Sync: In some cases when the player is connected to a TV, the audio signal may not synchronize with the video signal. If this occurs, adjust the audio delay time to match the video signal. You can set the audio delay time between 0 msec and 250 msec.
Multiroom Link Compatible: The UHD Blu-ray Player easily integrates into Samsung's Multiroom Link System (sold separately). Enjoy your movies, TV and music wirelessly with rich, multi-room sound and no cluttering cords. Pop in a disc and hear its incredible sound on any compatible speaker in your home.
Network + Internet Functions
Wired & Wireless Network Connection: You can set up the Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray player so that it can access your home network and online Samsung Apps through your local area network (LAN) using a wired connection (RJ-45 Ethernet) or wireless connection (built-in Dual Band WiFi). You can setup a wired network connection automatically or manually. You can setup the wireless network connection using these four methods; PBC (WPS), Auto Network Search, One Foot, or Manually.
- Supported WiFi networks include IEEE 802.11A/B/G/N wireless LAN networks (2.4GHz or 5.0GHz).
- Security setup types include WEP (open/shared), WPA-PSK (TKIP/AES), and WPA2-PSK (TKIP/AES).
Samsung Apps: Samsung's UBD-K8500 UHD Blu-ray player incorporates Samsung Apps for access to a variety of online entertainment, social networking, sporting & news apps. Search Samsung Apps by "My Apps", "Recommended", "Most Popular", "What's New", or "Categories". Below is a list of some of the more popular apps available from Samsung Apps on this Blu-ray player.
- 4K Video Streaming: Watch movies and TV shows in Ultra HD from Netlfix & Amazon Video. Plus, get 4K video content from YouTube.
- Movies & TV Shows: Watch movies and TV shows on Vudu, Hulu+, YuppTV, M-GO, & more.
- Music & Radio: Listen to online music and internet radio from Pandora, vTuner, Spotify, SiriusXM, & more.
- Social Networking: Share what's on your mind using social networking services, like Twitter or Facebook.
- News & Weather: Get updated with the top stories of the day & stock quotes from BBC News & CNBC Real-Time. Check your local weather and other area weather at The Weather Network or AccuWeather.
- Sports & Games: Get access to baseball scores from MLB.TV. Download games like Sudoku and Solitaire for extra fun with the family.
- Kids & Education: Gain access to kid friendly programs that are fun and educational.
Web Browser You can access the internet using the player's Web Brower application. You can search web pages by entering a URL address or entering a keyword search. The player will archive your web browser history. You can also save "Favorite" web pages and create a "Home" page. The playback of Flash videos is also supported. The Web Browser is optimized to fill your connected TV's screen. The Web Browser provides two types of browsing; Pointer Browsing and Link Browsing.
- Pointer Browsing: When you launch the browser for the first time, Pointer Browsing is active. If you are using a mouse to navigate in the Web Browser, leave Pointer Browsing active.
- Link Browsing: If you are using your remote to navigate in the Web Browser, replace Pointer Browsing with Link Browsing. Link Browsing moves a highlight from one link to the next in the Web Browser and is much faster than Pointer Browsing if you are using your remote.
Wireless Device Connectivity: The Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray players allows wireless integration with your wireless network devices via WiFi Direct, AllShare Cast, and AllShare DLNA.
- WiFi Direct: When using WiFi Direct, you can connect directly with other devices without using a wireless router. You'll be able to wirelessly transfer personal content (such as photos & videos) to the Samsung Blu-ray player without connecting to your home network. WiFi Direct completely bypasses your WiFi access point/router, so it's easy to set up. Streaming of copy-protected content and other certain formats are not supported.
- AllShare Cast: AllShare Cast is a proprietary "screen mirroring" function which lets you wirelessly send the display from your compatible AllShare Cast Samsung mobile device to the Blu-ray player and your connected TV. This allows you to view pictures and videos that are playing on your compatible Samsung smartphone or tablet on your TV screen. No wireless router or access point required.
- AllShare DLNA: The Samsung UHD Blu-ray disc player's AllShare function, along with its DLNA Certification allow you to watch videos (MPEG), photos (JPEG), and listen to music (MP3/WMA/AAC/FLAC) saved on your Windows PC (or other DLNA Certified media server) through the TV via its Ethernet (LAN) port or built-in WiFi (wireless). This eliminates the need to copy your photo, video, and music files to a separate USB storage device.
BD-Live: BD-Live technology allows you to download and stream bonus content such as additional scenes, shorts, trailers, movie-based games, and more from a broadband internet and home network connections (fees may apply). The UBD-K8500 features an Ethernet port and built-in WiFi to connect to the internet via your home network, and features USB (type-A) port for additional storage.
Convenience Features
Modern Curved Design: The modern, curved design of the Samsung UBD-K8500 perfectly matches Samsung's SUHD televisions. With a brushed finish look, Samsung's Ultra HD Blu-ray Player gives your living room a modern, elegant touch.
Start Up/Play Back Times: The Samsung UHD Blu-ray player has a start-up time of approximately 7.3 seconds. It takes approximately 15.7 seconds for a UHD Blu-ray disc to begin playback.
Parental Lock: The Parental Lock function works in conjunction with Blu-ray Disc/DVDs that have been assigned a rating which helps you control the types of Blu-ray Discs/DVDs that your family watches. There are up to 8 ratings levels on a disc. The rating levels are protected by a customer user 4-digit password. You can also restrict access to inappropriate web pages by allowing access only to the web sites you have registered.
Remote Support: The Samsung Remote Support service offers you one-on-one support with a Samsung Technician who can remotely diagnose the UHD Blu-ray player, adjust its settings, perform a factory reset, and install recommended firmware updates; the player must be connected to your home network and the Internet.
Remote Control
Wireless Remote: The included IR remote offers wireless operation of the Samsung UHD Blu-ray player and a number of function on Samsung TVs. The remote can also be programmed to operate basic functions (like Power On/Off, Input Select, & Volume Up/Down) of other brands of televisions.
Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC): Anynet+ is a convenient feature that offers linked operation with other Samsung components that have the Anynet+ feature, and lets you control those products with one Samsung remote control. To operate this function, you must connect this player's "Main" HDMI output to an Anynet+ Samsung TV using an HDMI cable.
Keyboard & Mouse Compatible: The Samsung Blu-ray player will also support a USB-enabled keyboard and mouse (both sold separately) through its front-panel USB port. This make web browsing much simpler.
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This player is a must have if you have a 4K tv I have it connected to my Samsung un65js9000 and the first movie I watched was The Revenant in 4K the picture is awesome that was the first time I seen my tv in full resolution
mppaul from Fountain Valley, CA