Samsung UBD-M9500 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player Review

By Olin Coles

Manufacturer: Samsung Group
Product Name: UBD-M9500 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player
Model Number: UBD-M9500/ZA
UPC: 887276201535 EAN: 0887276201535
Price As Tested: $327.99 (Newegg | Amazon)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Samsung.

Quality is everything when it comes to enjoying audio video multimedia. Cutting edge technology is always improving the user experience by developing a better picture with more stunning colors, and immersive surround sound. Most recently, we’ve seen these features demonstrated in 4K UHD displays with HDR color enhancement, and advanced 7.1 home theater speaker systems. While 4K streaming content is slowing coming online, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray movies are already offering the best possible source for ultra high-definition content with high dynamic range. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we test the Samsung UBD-M9500 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player.

(Courtesy Samsung Product Website)

Samsung’s flagship UHD Blu-ray player offers the absolute best in picture quality and more ways to enjoy your content. With high dynamic range (HDR) content, scenes burst with vivid color, stunning contrast and deep detail. And with an expanded color spectrum, you’ll experience your favorites in a whole new way. With smart connectivity, content streaming to mobile devices, and Bluetooth wireless streaming, the UBD-M9500 is a true entertainment hub.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray Player offers twice the color range of existing conventional Blu-ray players and 64 times higher color expression, surpassing the digital cinema standard.

Enjoy realistic picture quality like never before. Experience professional studio quality sound at home. It preserves the quality and richness of the original sound through 192 kHz/24bit without down sampling.

Features

Audio Processing

• Dolby Decoding 7.1 Channel
• DTS Decoding 7.1 Channel

Video Features

• AV Decoding Formats: WMV, JPEG, MKV

The primary function of Samsung’s UBD-M9500 is 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc/Blu-ray/DVD/CD playback, but it’s also an Internet-connected ‘smart’ appliance that streams content from providers and compatible Samsung mobile devices. As of January 2018, model UBD-M9500/ZA was available online for $327.99 (Newegg | Amazon).

Samsung’s UBD-M9500 model adopts a unique curved shape for the front bezel. Touch control buttons and an OLED display are visible from the front of this 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player. The soft white OLED screen conveys symbols and text messages confirming functions: Hello (upon start-up), Play, Pause, Loading, Ejecting, etc.

In addition to disc and streaming media, it’s also a powerful media player with support HEVC playback of H.265, H.264, and VP9 CODECs (among many others). At the right side of the UBD-M9500 player is a single USB 2.0 port, which will accept formatted devices containing video, music, and photo files.

Samsung’s M9500 UHD BD player includes their AK59-00180A arched remote control, which is compact and fits well into the hand. Two AA batteries come with the unit, so it’s ready to run out of the box. UBD-M9500 features Anynet+ function, which links compatible Anynet+ products to be controlled with a single Samsung remote.

A brushed metal texture completes the dark black finish on the Samsung UBD-M9500, and prevents fingerprints from showing on its surface. The disc tray retracts behind a spring loaded door, operating prompt yet smooth.

While much of the technology is on the inside, at the back of Samsung’s UBD-M9500 are a myriad of modern digital connections, which I’ll describe in detail in the next section…

Let’s begin this section with an overview of what the Samsung UBD-M9500 offers: 4K Ultra HD (UHD) Blu-ray playback, digital multimedia playback via USB, streaming media playback from any of the myriad of apps available to this smart device (Netflix, HBO Go, HULU, etc…), as well as playback from any other supported Samsung device. You’ll need to register for a Samsung account if you want to download for-pay apps and rent movies.

 

Samsung’s latest SmartHub UI gives users quick access to menu features without having to go back to the home screen while playing a disc. I found this to be a useful when switching between audio channels during playback. Another Samsung-specific feature included with the M9500 is 360° photo and video playback.

Streaming content playback is a nice added feature, making this a smart device like so many of the latest TVs, but with the Samsung’s N Screen feature you can wirelessly stream content from this UHD Blu-ray player to any of their supported mobile devices on the same wireless network. Samsung explains that this is so you can watch Blu-ray content on your mobile device (Samsung lists their S3, S6 with Nougat OS, S7, S8, Tab Note5), while watching content from another source on your TV. This means you could also watch on your mobile with the TV turned off.

While functional, the OLED message screen blends into the players finish, making it equally fashionable. The M9500’s combination 802.11 ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna resides behind the front panel, below the power indicator. This is helpful for reception, but also for transmitting to wireless soundbar devices. The player’s tray eject/retract and power buttons are actually touch sensors – they’re not pressure-activated buttons.

Aside from the USB port on this UHD BD players right front side, all other connections are located at the units backside. The Samsung UBD-M9500/ZA enables 7.1-channel Dolby and DTS decoding in 24-bit 192 kHz audio, so digital output via HDMI is a necessity. An optical digital audio port is available, which outputs 2-channel PCM. For modern subwoofers and soundbars, a dedicated HDMI audio port is supplied.

Network connectivity is handled either wirelessly, through the unit’s aforementioned Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna, or by cable, through the player’s RJ-45 Ethernet port. Samsung recommends using a Category 7 STP (shielded twisted-pair) cable with this device, although any Ethernet cable will work just fine, as your modem likely has Cat 5.

With disc and streaming playback already covering so much of the multimedia spectrum, it’s rare to find a manufacturer willing to support digital file playback to the extent available on the Samsung UBD-M9500/ZA. For me, especially, this came as a hugely appreciated bonus. While my 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray library is just beginning, my collection of MKV and MP4 files encoded in H.265 is quite large. My 2017 4K Roku couldn’t handle some of my larger 4K HEVC movies, but the M9500 played through most at their native frame rates.

Taken together: disc, digital file, and streaming, the Samsung UBD-M9500 is a true all-in-one player. It’s backward compatible all the way down to CDV (pre-DVD, which I’ve only ever seen or experienced in Japan back in 1996), has all the most popular streaming apps (Netflix, Amazon, HBO, YouTube, etc), and plays virtually every digital file format encoded with all the most widespread CODECs. This truly is the consummate home theater player.

In the next section, I offer my final thoughts on UHD BD, and conclude my review of the Samsung UBD-M9500/ZA…

Very recently, I delighted in an opportunity to explore 4K HDR content for my VIZIO UHD M-Series reviews. While researching movies and shows available with High Dynamic Range enhancements, I recognized a distinct shift in how this multimedia is being delivered. Prior to broadband Internet, disc and tape media were most common. Now, almost every home enjoys the bandwidth needed for streaming ultra high-definition content to their smart TVs. Therein lies the problem for physical media: it’s not obsolete, but it’s no longer necessary. There’s also a catch.

Ultra Blu-ray discs typically deliver content in the highest audio and video bitrate quality possible, which is usually much better than all current streaming multimedia providers can offer. Every UHD Blu-ray player is capable of 7.1 channel Dolby decoding, but even the leading content providers such as Netflix can only stream in 5.1 (unless it’s one of their few Dolby Atmos-supported titles, according to their tech support agent). This keeps physical disc media relevant a while longer, but how long will it be before broadband Internet allows streaming services to catch up?

DVD rentals were a huge push for people to own a disc player, but while Blu-ray offered better quality, the rental industry collapsed and so it never gained relative popularity. As it stands now, you cannot rent Ultra Blu-ray discs anywhere. So, if you’re a hardcore audiophile or AV enthusiast, you’ll have to purchase the physical media at retail, typically costing $25 or more per movie, and accept the price of enjoying the very best quality. I suspect that few consumers will adopt this platform, possibly relegating the UHD Blu-ray as the last of its kind.

In testing this Samsung UBD-M9500/ZA 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, I found the performance to be quite impressive. It’s a powerful appliance, so whether you’re playing back UHD BD, H.265 files, or streaming 4K online content, it does so with authority. My wireless AC network is almost 100 feet from this player, but the connection was solid over both 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. Without question, the M9500 is Samsung’s flagship model for a good reason.

When I first received the UBD-M9500 for testing, I wasn’t sure how I’d like the arched appearance. To be honest, it was a complete non-issue, and only seems noticeable in photos (illustrated above). The 16-inch wide footprint was more prevalent. Once positioned on a flat surface, the player presents a subtle modern appearance.

Constructed with a metal enclosure, the M9500 is durable beyond the expectations of any typical home theater. Touch sensor ‘buttons’ are virtually indestructible to youngsters who like to poke. Even the disc tray is concealed from those same prying fingers. This is a player that’s built to last.

When it comes to functionality, there were some winners and losers. Although many consider 3D to be a fad, some would expect a top-of-the-line next-generation model to offer backwards-compatible 3D Blu-ray playback. It was not; although this might be because the Blu-ray Disc Association decided against the UHD 3D Blu-ray format. Alternatively, this player supports the 10-bit color of HDR10, but the 12-bit color of Dolby Vision is not. These two minor quibbles aside, the UBD-M9500 covers the gamut in functionality.

As of January 2018, the Samsung UBD-M9500/ZA is available online for $327.99 (Newegg | Amazon). This is Samsung’s current top-end model (they just revealed the M9700, which is not yet available), and so the price is a $100 leap over their M8500 model that omits 360° content playback. You’re not getting bargain value out of the M9500, you’re getting premium features and functionality for the price.

In conclusion, I like the Samsung UBD-M9500 very much, but probably not for all the reasons you might expect. 360° content is still in its infancy, so if you’re a cutting-edge enthusiast this player will likely be a must-have item. While this model offers 10-bit HDR color support with better performance over many rivals (and lower tier Samsung models), also delivering a beautiful ‘smart’ web-connected interface, it is the M9500’s strong support for HEVC (H.265 CODEC) digital file playback that I enjoy most. A total package, worthy of our Golden Tachometer Award.

+ Smart Blu-ray Player Appliance
+ Delivers 24-bit 192 kHz Audio
+ Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Hardware
+ Supports HDR10 High Dynamic Range
+ Capable of Streaming to Samsung Mobile Devices
+ Flawless HEVC/H.265 Digital File Playback
+ 360° Multimedia Playback

– Lacks 12-bit Dolby Vision Support
– Does Not Decode Dolby ATMOS
– 3D BD Playback Not Supported
– Premium Price

• Performance: 9.50
• Appearance: 9.50
• Construction: 9.75
• Functionality: 9.00
• Value: 8.25

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

COMMENT QUESTION: Will you upgrade to Ultra-HD Blu-ray?