Panasonic Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Lands UHD Alliance Certification

A day after the UHD Alliance announced the expansion of its Ultra HD Premium certification logo program to include Ultra HD Blu-ray players (see 1604120017), Panasonic’s U.K. subsidiary said the company’s DMP-UB900 Ultra HD Blu-ray player got that certification. That means the DMP-UB900 “has met the rigorous testing protocol set out by the UHD Alliance for Ultra HD Blu-ray players,” the subsidiary said in a Wednesday announcement. The DMP-UB900 will be available to buy in U.K. stores beginning this week, and Panasonic is giving away copies of the Warner titles Mad Max: Fury Road and San Andreas to the first takers, it said. “Blu-ray consistently delivered the best picture and sound performance for the HD age,” the company said. “Now Ultra HD Blu-ray is going to do the same thing for the 4K HDR age.” Panasonic representatives didn’t comment Wednesday on U.S. availability of the DMP-UB900. The company said at CES only that “specific pricing and availability will be announced at a later date.”