Official OPPO BDP-83 Owner's Thread [technical talk only] - Page 368

Precisely.

Im expecting mine on Friday. If I connect a digital coax and the multi-ch. cables, do I have to manually set which one to use or does the player do it automatically? Do I even have to hook up a digital coax in order to watch regular dvd's?

I just replaced my unit with loosen screw flying inside the box.
Before sending it back, I removed the screw and tested. It was freezing badly on Resident Evil. The fast forward was opening some bar and showing the progress, but bar wasn't parallel to the screen. Right side of the progress bar was higher than left. Replacement unit arrived 2 days later, works fine.

The buttons used most often on remotes are the pause, rewind and fast forward. They are small and way too tightly packed in an area on the remote that the thumb cannot reach in any way close to a comfortably natural hand position. This should be Ergonomics 101 for any company. OPPO should know this.

I guess I wasn't clear on the SACD part. I DID use the multi-channel interconnects for that. It's the audio on Blu-ray, DVD and CD through the digital coaxial. My Arcam does not sound tinny at all with the DV-137 which a universal dvd/sacd/cd player. I'm using all the same cables, the only thing new is the OPPO. I'm going to experiment with my son's PS3, then switch out the Arcam with my old Yamaha to see if there are any differences.

Well folks, I'm done for the weekend. Did a lot of stereo listening to both redbook and SACD (there was no down mixing ever). Used the RCA stereo outs to my analog pre-amp. Compared the Oppo to my two existing players which have brought me great trouble free listening pleasure for years & years. There are definitely still some issues with the Oppo:

FF and Rew are useless due to poor sampling
next and prev can cause the beginning notes of a song to be missed
One 3 second audio drop-out
No artist, album, or song text is displayed on the display
Difficulty navigating my CD-R

Some are annoyances, some detract from the music, some make the overall listening experience less enjoyable. I still have to test analog multi-channel, but I'm pretty sure that will sound very similar to what I heard and experienced this weekend. On the plus side:

:Very coherent sound with well placed instruments in the soundstage
:Excellent detail throughout the spectrum
: Very very very quiet
: Most importantly, it plays music with dynamics, rhythm, and pace

It kept up with both my other audio players which are older but well regarded. I've been looking for one player to replace them all (sorry about that ) and the BDP-83 is it. Yes, it has some operational and audio problems. Certainly understand if you prefer to know these bugs are fixed, in which case you should wait. I know Oppo is good with FW updates so I have confidence the worst of these will get fixed.

To me, the most important issue is how the player conveys music. The short answer is - very well indeed with a few glitches here and there.

Styln

PS And it's a pretty good BD/DVD/AVI player, too

I'm sure the rhythm and pace engineers at Oppo will be very happy to hear that

--
Steve

My appologies if this has been answered... I've checked the FAQ and have been googeling with minimal to no success... and the 369 pages here is a bit daunting.

I'm trying to connect my BDP-83 to my Marantz SR7000 via the Multi-Channel Analog... I've:
- Set the down-mix to 5.1 - all speakers are on, and set to small (have sub)
- Made sure audio settings are set to what's described in the manual
- Double checked connections
- Checked firmware, it's the latest
- Double checked receiver settings - things look good...

Either with standard DVDs or Blu-Ray, it seems as though the center channel is muted... very little audio is coming out.

Suggestions on what to check? (Admittedly, it just dawned on me to try a different cable)

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Dave

B-BOXHUNTER, you need to be more precise and explicit with regards to your equipment and how it's setup when posting and seeking advice. Just about everybody who answered, and there were a few, understood your post in the same way. I looked in your manual and noticed that the AVP-700 cannot retrieve LPCM audio from the HDMI connections. If you were aware of that important fact, you should have mentioned it as well.

As I said on my first reply to your question, when playing Blu-ray material, the new lossless codecs such as Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA CANNOT BE TRANSMITTED (bitstreamed) through the digital coaxial connection because of the S/PDIF interface's bandwidth limitation, only through HDMI connections, but your AVP-700 doesn't support this feature. Therefore, for BDs with Dolby TrueHD soundtracks, only the legacy Dolby Digital bitstream will be sent through the digital coaxial output. Likewise, with DTS-HD MA soundtracks, only the regular DTS core will be transmitted through the digital coaxial output.

DVD-Audio and SACD material also CANNOT be transmitted through the digital coaxial outputs. Some DVD-Audio discs may transmit a down-converted 2-channel 16-bit/48 kHz PCM signal.

Again, as I recommended in my first reply, for the best audio quality for BD, DVD-A and SACD material, you should be using the Oppo's 7.1 MC analog outputs into your Arcam's 7.1 MC analog pre-amp inputs. I should hope that you were using the DV-137 the same way for DVD-Audio with your AVP-700. The Oppo 83 will fully decode all these lossless formats and codecs and convert them into much higher quality analog signals than the very lossy legacy codecs that the digital coaxial output will send out.

When using the Oppo 83 or you Arcam DV-137 with the coaxial digital output, you're using them as digital transports, sending the digital bits (bitstream) to your AVP-700. For CDs, DVDs (DD & DTS), this is fine as the S/PDIF interface was designed to handle the bandwidth requirements of those formats. In theory (in a perfect world), there should be no difference between digital transports, i.e. between the DV-137 and the BDP-83 since all they're doing is retrieving the bits from the discs and sending them out to the AVP. However, in the real world, factors like the quality of the laser servo, the quality of the S/PDIF transceiver (whether coaxial or optical), quality of the digital cable as well as phenomenons like noise and jitter all come into play and can account for differences between transports.

Now, if you want to continue using the coaxial digital output for CDs and the legacy codecs like DD and DTS on DVDs in order to use the very good DACs in your AVP-700, that's perfectly reasonable as they may sound better than the Oppo's DAC implementation. However in your current situation, because of the technological limitations of your AVP, for any other material you're really shortchanging yourself if you're not using the 7.1 multi-channel analog outputs from the 83 to your AVP.

Just got my BDP-83 hooked up tonight.

I was trying out the "underscan" mode with the Spears & Munsil disc, and I noticed some odd behavior. If I go from a test pattern to the top menu, the word "underscan" pops up briefly whenever I press the arrow keys to navigate around. Then, when I go to another test pattern, the BDP-83 goes back to 1:1 mode, but it still thinks it's in underscan.

Speaking of zoom modes, the BDP-83, like the 983H, does not properly underscan 4:3 DVDs. It compresses them vertically, but not horizontally (the sides of the frame remain in the same place on screen), resulting in a slightly vertically squished image. This is with the player set to "16:9 Wide/Auto."

Also, is there any way to deactivate the remote backlight?

I'm not sure what you mean here - CD Text works fine for me on discs that include it, as does SACD Text. (I've even got a picture in my review now showing CD Text with Offspring's latest CD.)

wmmclain or neuromancer,

what is the status of further improvements in firmware for the audio synch issues? is oppo still working on this and are they aware there are still problems?

from reading the thread, does setting it to "source direct" right now for blurays fix the problem?

Can't talk about status. If would be safe to assume OPPO is working on improving the player.

If you have a special concern and can document your test cases then it would not hurt to write it up and send it to support.


I thought some people reported not using source direct improved the audio sync. It probably depends on the other gear in the chain.

-Bill

To those who have received your units, does FedEx require a signature at time of delivery?

mmus77

At first I was a little unhappy (well yes, disappointed) with the picture quality of standard DVDs, then I realized that even though I had set the 83 to 1080p (which is OK with my Sony KDL-52XBR4), I had forgotten to set my Onkyo 875 to just 'passthrough' the video unmolested. USER ERROR! Once I corrected the Onkyo configuration to just passthrough the video, the PQ on everything was amazing. Even my oldest SDVDs are very watchable.

I too didn't enjoy the SD-DVD upconversion of the 83. I'm sending the 83 to an Onkyo 805 through HDMI connection to a Samsung 5087 DLP (recently installed new bulb.) I tried every resolution setting, I don't think my Samsung can do 1080P/24 but the picture looked blocky, blurry and full of grain. I tried a superbit version of Lawrence of Arabia and the more recent Casino Royale. I also compared this to the upscaling in my Toshiba HD-DVD A30, which looked tighter on the grain and clearer, colors on both were close with an edge to the Oppo. Is there a setting in the 805 I need to change? I thought that connecting via HDMI would be a direct pass thru?

Incidentally, I love the player and so far a run throught of several SACD's, DVD-A's, CD's and BR audio in bitstream FANTASTIC! I have some more comments, questions but now it's Monday morning work routine.

I asked for next day delivery, and a signature was needed. Can not comment on other delivery methods. But, I am glad I took the day off to be home for delivery.......got to play all afternoon with the Oppo, and I am very impressed.

I just received my Oppo; it is excellent so far. I am having a difficult time choosing the best output resolution for dvd and blu-ray. I have a Pioneer 6070 which will accept a 1080p signal, but its actual resolution is 768p. I have tried 480i, 1080i, 1080p, and source direct. Can anyone comment on what is best for both formats and why?

Neuromancer, do you have the specific model of the Linksys game adapter you are using? I might like to look at this option for when my BDP-83 arrives. Thanks.

Mine did require a signature. I do remember someone saying earlier it was on their porch when they got home.

Signature is required, but not necessarily at the time of delivery.

Print out a copy of the tracking document, sign it with instructions on where you want the guy to leave the box -- behind the bush, flower pot, etc. That should be enough for FedEx.

That said, you are then responsible if someone steals it from your front porch.

Also see the FAQ: Does the player have built-in wireless networking?


-Bill

Yes!

I documented them earlier, i havent watched any full blurays yet other than Taken and I had problems with audio synch issues when pausing and resuming and also when jumping directly to a chapter, and also as the movie got later into it. I did email oppo on this. As far as other gear in the chain, there isnt any other gear that matters because I am using analog outs.

Finally got around to comparing BDP-83 playing CD with my favorite Denon 3300 (circa 1986 and reference quality). Listened to both using stereo analog connections (AudioQuest black Mamba interconnects for BDP83 into a Yamaha DSP-A1 and Monster for Denon 3300).

Using my ole standby Yamaha DSP-A1 (also circa 1986) having returned a Denon 4308CI for too many reasons and a Marantz AV/MM 8300 defective out of the box. Therefore no HDMI and only 5.1 analog. But the sound is very agreeable to my ears.

Randomly selected BeeGees One Night Only HDCD. The Denon 3300's SQ was better. Richer. Better sound stage. More 3D like and in front of the L/R speaker grilles. Not a little better, much better. Thin is a good description. Brighter. I know listening is subjective. Yet your experience is similar to mine. While you are listening via digital coax for audio, I was listening using stereo analog and still came up with similar evaluation. As for a bit "tinny", how about also clean, sparing, farther back. I was disappointed in the results wanting the experience to be equally attractive even if different. Gives me pause.
Richard

I also have the 6070. if you set the -83 to auto, the Pioneer will display 1080i. I've also been experimenting. I find detail resolution ever so slightly better at 1080i. However the Vatican steps moire problem in MI3 completely disappears at 720p. The Pioneer will also accept 1080/24 (not 1080/60). I tried it for a while, but did not prefer it (for instance the above mentioned MI3 scene was a disaster). The upshot is you can't go wrong at 720p or 1080i. OK I'll come clean, I prefer 1080i.

Thanks for the info Bill. I have a wireless network already set up at home, but this is one area I am not sure about. If I purchase the Belkin Wireless G Gaming Adapter, would I then connect that to the back of the Oppo and it will then find my wireless network automatically? Also I have a secured network, will Oppo prompt me for the password? Sorry if this is off topic, but it seems hard to find exact information on setting up to a wireless network. Thanks.

Scott

bborzell and DreamCatcher,

Thanks for your responses. I missed them on 5/16 as this thread moves so quickly. I set the BDP-83 to PCM and the volume is louder than with the DSD setting. I will send Oppo an e-mail to ask their thoughts on the volume difference. Both settings sound excellent with SACD just need to crank the volume more with the DSD setting.

Bill

Sorry Neuromancer, I've got to disagree with you on this one point. First, I don't need a tutorial on how to hold a remote, but thanks anyway. The middle space on the back of the remote positions your hand nicely for the thumb to reach the scroll arrows, and I think that is where the FF and Rew buttons should be closer to ( near to where the set up, return and R,G,B, buttons are, or where the clear, go to, and display are positioned) Sony has produced thousands of remotes with a much more natural and comfortable hand positioning that have often been reviewed as an exemplary design. I simply think there have been enough remotes designed that any company need only try a few and copy the basic layout of the one that is most comfortable. Maybe it's just me, but I use the fast forward/rewind/chapter buttons much more often than any others and no matter how you hold the remote, I find they are positioned awkwardly, and I hit the wrong button too easily in a darkened room. Of course, the light is helpful, but I prefer positioning of these buttons where I can feel them without having to hit a light and then look at the remote. I do have a universal remote, but I usually prefer the one that comes with a product. Guess I'll have to start programing once again, which rarely satisfies.

I forgot to do the firmware upgrade last night. OPPO sent me a disc. Curious, did they address the noisy, gargling, chirping, grinding sounds when the player starts up?