• Panasonic launches new DMR-4X1010 4K Blu-ray player in Japan
• Also includes 4K tuners, 10TB of local storage for recordings, Blu-ray recording, and support for cloud storage
• About $2,800 / £2,080 / AU$3,930

Blu-ray fans should be feeling blessed this month: with new players decidedly thin on the ground, September has brought us news of not one but two 4K Blu-ray players — though neither is really aimed at the average movie enthusiast.

The new Panasonic DMR-4X1010 is a flagship 4K player with a bunch of other neat tricks up its sleeve, and while it's likely to stay as a Japan-only release, we're still happy to see new players being made.

A 434,500 yen, which works out at about $2,800 / £2,080 / AU$3,930, it's a fair bit cheaper than this month's other new Blu-ray player, the Magnetar Ultima: that costs a cool $12,000 (about £8,895 / AU$16,687).

Panasonic DMR-4X1010: key features

The Panasonic DMR-4X1010 not plays 4K Blu-rays, regular Blu-rays and DVDs, it also features 4K broadcast tuners and includes a giant 10TB hard drive for recording shows and movies. There's also the option of cloud recording of up to 10TB via Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, so you can access recordings on your phone or store Blu-ray disc images in the cloud.

It even records to BD-R/RE discs of up to 100GB, if you prefer. Recording from live broadcast isn't that popular worldwide, but evidently it's popular enough in Japan to make this the ultimate 'own your copies' machine.

The player uses an AVC encoder for high-definition recording, and Panasonic says the encoder can compress 24Mbps signals to around 1.6Mbps to maximize recording space… though, again, it does come with 10 terabytes.

The DMR-4X1010 also works with Panasonic's AI Viera system, which can automatically adjust the picture quality to fit the scene — so bright and vivid if you're watching sports, and richer contrast if you're watching a noir movie. AI can also adjust the audio to make it more immersive.

The new player launches through authorized dealers on October 22, 2026, and exclusively to the Japanese market.

There have been worries about the future of 4K Blu-ray, and whether the companies are still interested in producing them — the current models have been around for a long time, and Panasonic just increased the price of its options.

But the release of this model and the Magnetar show that companies aren't blind to the desire for new options — I just hope we might get something more affordable and mainstream than these at some point.

• Panasonic 4K Blu-ray players are now more expensive in the US
• Some retailers have stock at the previous price
• Tariffs and the ongoing component crisis strike again

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you've been putting off buying the Panasonic DP-UB820 Blu-ray player — our pick of the best 4K Blu-ray players on the market — its price, along with other Panasonic players, has rocketed.

The eagle-eyed Harrybalzac71 on the r/4kbluray subreddit spotted the new prices in Panasonic's updated US shop listings. And in those listings, our favorite Blu-Ray player has gone up by $100, reaching a new list price of $649.

The player has also had an increase in recent months in the UK to £429, having been listed at £349 for some time, so while the price isn't as high as the US still, it's still notably higher.

When the DP-UB820 launched, it was priced at $499 / £349 / AU$769, though the price people have expected to mainly find it at has fluctuated over time, and it's had price rises before — it was $549 most recently.

Panasonic: new prices for US Blu-ray players

The new prices have caused bafflement on the subreddit: as WorryTurbulent3924 recalls, "I price matched my 820 for $349 at best buy slightly over a year ago. Wtf happened?" Other redditors shared similar stories.

There are six US models, and their new prices are:

• DP-UB450: $299.99
• DP-UB420: $369.99
• DP-UB820: $649.99
• DP-UB9000: $1,299.99
• DP-UB154: $299.99
• DP-UB150: $209.99

There is some good news: some Panasonic players are still in retail at the older price, so at the time of writing a third-party seller has the DP-UB820 is on Amazon for $539.99 and it's on Best Buy for $549.99. Both are showing as stock available, but when that stock runs out you're likely to see higher prices afterwards — the main official Amazon sales page is already showing $649.

It's a shame, but unfortunately it's something we've gotten used to – not just in Blu-ray players but in PCs, PlayStations, Steam Machines and other electronics too. The triple whammy of AI-related shortages, inflation and (in the US) tariffs is sending prices into orbit.

From now, it looks like buyers will have to hope we get deals that take it back to the previous price of $549.

The Panasonic UB820 has been the sweet spot of 4K Blu-ray players available today, which is why this one is such a focus for us and the 4K Blu-ray community. It's the only player available today that has total format support and isn't priced like a high-end reference machine.

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