Well, I just had to send back my Oppo BDP-103 as it's IR kept screwing up my lighting system (RGB LED strips in a cove). I was still inside the 30 days so I'll be getting my money back. The main reason I went with the Oppo is because I was going to run my PS4 and Uverse receiver through it.
Bad idea. PS4 lagged so bad it was unplayable. The UVerse was okay but my Harmony remote had a hard time getting the Oppo to switch inputs.
Playing through the (current) Oppos probably was a bad idea, especially if you're also passing it through an AVR as well. Have to add the panel lag, the AVR lag and the Oppo's lag.
As to the Harmony, I have a Harmony One for my 103D which has no problem switching the inputs. Not saying you didn't have the issue, just haven't seen it on mine.
Anyway, I'm going to get another stand alone Blu-Ray player (yeah, I know I can do it through the PS4 but I don't like the interface or the need to use the controller to pause, etc and my Harmony to do the volume).
The usually recommended alternatives are Panasonic or Sony. Sony seems to have the better networking, so that my work best for you.
Both my AVR and my projector will upscale to 4k so I guess the Oppo upscaling may have been a little overkill for my system anyhow (at least that is what I'm hoping).
Well, Oppo is the reference for upscaling, so it will be better than an AVR or some other player. Some players are very good in their own right, so you may find that works best. I don't like to rely on devices whose main function is not video to do video.
The best thing to do in my opinion is to try the player and the display, see which you like better. They are more likely to be good at video and let the AVR just pass the signal through.
So, in my perfect world, here is what I'd like to be able to do:
Play Blu-Ray
Upscale my DVDs
Have good audio output for Dolby/DTS processing by my reciever
Maybe use an external hard drive to play workout videos I've ripped (get tired of putting in the disc)
Network capable (Netflix/Amazon etc.) but no WiFi needed.
I think the latest Sony or Panasonic players will do right by you. Just bitstream to your receiver for the lossless sound.
Maybe I'm missing something.
Thanks for the input.
My system is below.
Not missing anything, every setup is different and I think you can get very good results with these other players.