Panasonic is launching a new 4K Blu-ray player! Okay, it's very niche and is coming to Japan only so far but it's the second new player this year, and
I'm just happy we're getting new hardware

Date:
Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:31:17 +0000

Description:
Panasonic's new flagship Blu-ray player and recorder launches in Japan in October 2026.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter 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). Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: (Image credit: Panasonic) 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. You may like Surprise: someones actually making a new 4K Blu-ray player! But its far from a mainstream option The best 4K Blu-ray players: Ultra HD marvels chosen by our experts Is Kaleidescapes new 'Cinematic 4K' movie format the next big thing after 4K Blu-rays?

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. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

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. The best 4K Blu-ray players for all budgets Our top picks, based on real world testing

Read our full guide to the best 4k Blu-ray players 1. Best overall Panasonic DP-UB820 2. Best budget Sony UBP-X700 3. Best premium Panasonic DP-UB9000 Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/televisions/blu-ray/panasonic-is-launching-a-new-4k- blu-ray-player-okay-its-very-niche-and-is-coming-to-japan-only-so-far-but-its- the-second-new-player-this-year-and-im-just-happy-were-getting-new-hardware


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