The samsung ubd-m9700 review is the follow-up to Samsung's original ultra HD Blu-ray spinner, the UBD-K8500. It delivers a premium experience with all the bells and whistles, but not without some compromises.
For starters, it does not support ITV catchup apps - though BBC iPlayer and All4 are available. Similarly, it does not support Samsung's own VR content (which is available on the TV via its own smart hub).
What the M9500 does offer is a wide selection of streaming apps including Netflix, Amazon and YouTube. It also has a useful feature that allows you to play back photos and videos shot with the Samsung Shoot Gear 360 camera, which is very neat. It also has the 2017 version of Samsung's intuitive Smart Hub UI, which is easy to navigate, and it can use the remote that comes with many of its own TVs.
Other highlights include a handy option to mirror the display of an Android mobile phone on the player, and a decently powerful EQ mode that allows for fine-tuning of audio levels. It supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X bitstreams, upscales standard Blu-rays and handles high-resolution HD video with ease.
In our lab tests, it delivered a knockout performance across all of our test scenarios and is easily one of the best performing players we have ever tested. In fact, its UHD performance rating – which reflects trained panelists' evaluation of color accuracy and clarity – is the highest we have seen to date.
