Official OPPO BDP-83 Owner's Thread [technical talk only] - Page 431

Deja vu: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post16555315

-Bill

No Bill, the AVC (AVCHD or .m2ts) file is simply in a folder I named "video". It is not actually in a "formatted for disc" AVCHD directory. Does this mean that stand alone AVC/.m2ts files will not play via usb? I can't get HDV/.m2t files to play or DV/.avi files; but .avi files files aren't supported anyway.

All this is really no more than a nit from me though, as the use I get from all the supported disc formats way over compensates for the trivial lack of additional USB format support in the BDP-83. I hope these issues get addressed in future firmware, but I still feel this Oppo is the coolest, most versatile Blu-ray players I have ever seen yet. It certainly is a keeper, for sure!

Right, mt2s files are not supported directly but AVCHD directory structures containing them are. See the FAQ for a link to a diagram of the AVCHD layout.

I said "top level" but I meant the BDMV folder must be directly inside an AVCHD folder (all caps). The AVCHD folder can be anywhere.

Also: .avi containers are supported.

-Bill

sillysally, thanks for the updates.

I was reading through the manual and found, what I consider, an interesting tidbit. The player has a built in volume control with a range of 0-100 for level matching other sources which appears to be applied to the players analog outputs only. Has anyone connected the player directly to amplifiers therefore bypassing a possibly redundant preamp section? Would be interesting to see if the players internal volume control would be adequate range and drive for HT preamp duties.

edit: yes it's been done but the preamp is digital therefore bits are lost at anything less than level 100.

I have been digging around both this thread and the one about Subwoofer and Bass Management. Learning a lot and found specifically the two quotes below extremely helpful for my situation. I have the Radio Shack SPL meter and AVIA and DVE calibration discs. I am hoping someone can take a look to see if the following makes sense before I start the calibration and setup.

My understanding is (i) the BDP83 will properly decode/handle bass management (i.e., re-direct signal below 80Hz to subwoofer output) with the .1 LFE but the analog output will be -10dB compared to all other channels (as stipulated by whatever standard), (ii) there is a bug in the Oppo for +10dB setting in the Subwoofer channel in that the setting is not maintained once the unit is turned off, and (iii) Oppo advises against trimming speaker levels in the player as it might reduce dynamics and audio resolution.

I am using the Krell HTS7.1 as pre/pro which doesn't have the latest HDMI input but does have 7.1 analog input and of course coax and toslink digital inputs. For dts and DD5.1 DVD, I have been using its digital input for decoding in which I can trim/boost individual channel setting. So no problem there. For BluRay disc, SACD and DVD-Audio, I will need to connect the Oppo to the Krell via the 7.1 analog input. Unfortunately, the Krell 7.1 analog input is a straight pass thru; no individual channel adjustment can be made; only master volume control.

So here lies the dilemma, I want to let the Krell do dts and DD5.1 decoding from the Oppo digital bitstream output and use the Oppo analog 7.1 output to the Krell for HD audio (unless I find out the that Oppo DAC is superior to the Krell DAC which will be sad but that's another topic for another day). The goal is to switch between these two audio formats in the Krell depending on whether I am playing regular DVD or BluRay/SACD. In this scenario, I would turn up my REL subwoofer volume dial to +10dB to match the other channels using calibration disc and SPL meter. This should ensure the 7.1 analog output from Oppo to Krell has the proper BM+LFE level (when playing BluRay/SACD). My Parasound multichannel amp has individual input trim so I can volume-match the remaining 5 channels using this feature. This way, all the channel trim in the Oppo are set to 0 (but with 80Hz bass re-direct engaged for small speakers) to avoid the subwoofer bug mentioned by Brian A. Now for dts and DD5.1, I can equilibrate the Krell in the digital domain to compensate all the adjustments I would have done to make the 7.1 analog works properly.

Does all these make sense? Has anyone confirmed the subwoofer channel bug reported by Brian A? It would make my life easier if I can simply boost the subwoofer channel by 10dB from the Oppo. Nevertheless, since I really shouldn't trim the other channels output from the player (as per Oppo's reply to redsandvb), I can't volume match the remaining channels thru the Oppo anyway. So I guess it doesn't make any difference.

Sorry for the long post but may be someone else in a similar situation can benefit from this as well. FWIW, I compared Casino Royale DVD vs BD on my Pioneer 4270HD from 7' away and the image of the BD definitely is superior to the upconverted DVD image. Not night-and-day but significant improvement enough to justify the upgrade. A lot more 3D and vibrant; metal pieces from cars look more realistic. This is without video calibration yet. My next exercise is to compare the Pioneer DV59AVi feeding DVDO VP20/ABT102 with the Oppo for regular DVD viewing. In any event, considered me sold on BluRay

Thank you all for reading.

Has anyone tested some mkv file formats on their player?

So far I have tried some anime fansub episodes and the video part it wonderfully. The audio does not play, which seems to indicate that it does not have support for the audio codec. The two audio codecs in question is Vorbis and AAC.

I wonder if Oppo will implement support for this in the future.

I hooked up a 20" tv via composite so I could navigate SACD's and DVD-A's without ramping up the projector. CD's and DVD's run perfectly but the SACD's and DVD-A's studder unbearably. Any ideas?

Btw, yesterday everything played perfectly and before ya ask, I should have cranked up the projector to see if that had any effect, but I didnt think of it then. Even if it did fix it, I would still want to find out what the problem is with the setup as it is now.

Pretty sure that I remember reading that the resolution has to be at 720P or higher. Check the FAQ to make sure.

I've noticed what may be a problem with my 83. I have it set to 16:9 Wide/Auto, which is supposed to display 4:3 material as is, with sidebars. But it doesn't; the 83 stretches any 4:3 material. The 24p for DVD feature is off, by the way.

Is anyone else finding this?

EDIT: Correction! Just did some double checking...I do have the bug.

I tried this with speakers set to Small in the player (though my Sub level was +3, not +10), I do not run into the same problem. From power off, I powered on, my sub still measures correctly w/ VE and Radio Shack meter. Maybe it's only when the player is not doing bass management?

As far as setting levels in the player, if you have to i guess you have to...

Hrm, if I could have MKV playback that would be outstanding.

I've had my player for a couple of weeks. The only thing that I noticed was that while playing cd's thru hdmi the sound was a bit harsh. Played the same cd on another player connected to the same system thru digital coaxial and the harshness was not there. Anyone else experience this?

Had a chance to test out the Oppo today, and initially I'm VERY pleased with it's overall video and audio performance.

Overall build quality of the Opp is solid, and the rear connections are nicely laid out.

The brushed aluminum faceplate is a nice touch, but style wise the player's overall look is somewhat on the plain side, IMO.
Looks and style count for something, but the bottom line is how the player performs.
The Oppo scored high marks in this department!

I had absolutely NO problems with my power cord.
The Oppo power cord while not audiophile quality, is fairly beefy compared to the Sony & Panny power cords, which are the standard thin wimpy power cords you see on most consumer electronics.

Setup was very easy and straight forward.
It was good that I have been following this tread and already familiar with most of the settings, as this helped immensely.
This player has plenty of tweaking options for boys who like to play with toys.

Played some of my favorite demo blu-ray movies, SACD & DVD-A disc's to see how the Oppo performed on it's own.
Will test it further with comparisons to my Panny BD80 and Denon 2930CI.

Blu-ray video performance on the Oppo via HDMI to My Sony XBR6, was VERY GOOD.
I was using the following settings: 16:9 wide, 1080p 24output , HDMI auto, 4:4:4 color space - 36 bit HDMI deep color.

Blu-ray Movies used for PQ testing:
Speed Racer ( pushes color platelet to the max.)
Bakara (great detailed images of people and places)
Celion Dion : Live in Las Vegas ( great live concert images)
I,Robot ( great special effects & reference PQ)

The Oppo's audio performance delivered, and was much better than I expected.
First off this player has exceptionally high dynamic output using the analog 7.1 connections via my Denon AVR 5803.
Speakers were all set to small using the Oppo audio menu and all trim settings were left at zero.
Speakers used in setup : (5) M&K S5000 (4 on M&K tilting stands and 1 for center channel) - (2) M&K SS-500 ( wall/ceiling mounted in mid room) - (2) M&K SW95 (ceiling mounted) - & (1) M&K MK-5000 sub.
LFE output was VERY SOLID and dynamic and only required a +5 SW increase using my Denon's Ext In menu.
Highs and midrange were very transparent, and I really liked the sound of the Oppo's analog playback for blu-ray, SACD (DSD) & DVD-A.
Had no playback issues with any of the disc's I played using the latest firmware version with the exception of : Beatles Love DVD-A (won't play track 26 unless I pressed enter.)

Blu-ray's used for AQ testing:
Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas ( Dolby TrueHD 5.1 96k/24bit)
Baraka ( DTS-HD MA 5.1 96k/24bit)
Transporter3 ( DTS-HD MA 7.1)
3:10 to Yuma (LPCM 7.1)
Hellboy2 ( DTS-HD MA 7.1)

SACD's used for AQ testing:
Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon (5.1)
Celine Dion : A New Day Has Come (5.1)
The Police : Every Breathe You Take (5.1)
Tommy : The Who (5.1)

DVD-A used for testing:
Seal: Best 1991-2004 (5.1)
The Beatles : Love (5.1)
Beck : Sea Change (5.1)
TigerLily : Natalie Merchant (5.1)
Fleetwood Mac : Rumors (5.1)

Overall very happy with the initial performance of this player, and look forward to more auditioning.
I do however have some minor issues with the Oppo that I would like to address.
First off is the speaker setup menu. NO TEST TONES.
I realize they supply a calibration disc, but a player like this should have this built in, IMO.
Secondly is the audio on screen display.
They supply quite a good deal of useful info such as audio formats : (example Dolby TrueHD &DTS-HD MA) number of channels (5.1 & 7.1) and video bit rate, but no understandable frequency (48kHz - 96kHZ - 192kHZ) output.

When I played Celion Dion : Live In Las Vegas blu-ray, it should output Dolby TrueHD 96kHz/24bit.
The Oppo on screen audio displays the following: VC1 BDMV 29.97Hz 16:9 ???
How does this show 96kHz/24 bit ??
Baraka when played displays on screen: VC1 BDMV 23.976Hz 16:9 ???
What does this mean??
Using the Oppo's on screen audio menu how are you suppose to tell if your blu-ray disc is outputting 48kHz - 96kHZ - 192kHZ ???
Does anybody else find this confusing and think there should be a clear frequency designation?

Other than these few minor complaints, I find this player extremely playable.

It looks like it maybe supported for certain encodings of AAC because I do hear audio but it's corrupted and distorted.

I will send you a PM with a clip.

I dont have the Oppo yet but one thing it needs it a very detailed info screen. I hope this gets addressed in a firmware update.

I dont know how the Krell performs but I do know that generally Krell is very good. I am going to make a suggestion many may debate me on, but I am fully prepared for that.

Full spec lossy (from BD) will sound better through a high end processor then lossless via a mid level player or processor. Its important for me to point out that I am talking about full spec lossless as many SD DVDs were not full spec lossy.

You may find after fiddling around with base management etc that lossy may sound better with your high end processor rather then lossless through the analog.

I want from a Rotel with HDMI that accepts lossless to a Classe with no HDMI and only the ability to accept lossy. My audio has never sounded better. Yes I can use the analog inputs, and I will test them when my 83 arrives, but the reality is ill likely stick with lossy and high end processing.

I am also a big fan of full spec lossy. I think it gets you 99% of the performance of lossless without needing to buy a newer receiver/prepro. Many people need to justify their new purchases but I have been glad that both full spec lossy and lossless still play nice with my older legacy equipment and that I can compare them.

Well, the test disk does not offer audio either, except as demos. If the disk had audio tracks of the same caliber as the video tests, I would be less concerned about a test signal not being available in the Oppo.

Notice you have the ability to provide the additional level for redirected bass in the Denon (for 15db total?)
Does the Denon also have level trims for all channels in the analog domain? Just curious, or do you find the levels set at zero in the player to be sufficient?

Actually, I have found very few stock power cords to be 14ga even in fairly high level components, outside of amplifiers.

Nice detailed review, thanks!

I am going as far as saying that full spec lossy will sound BETTER on a high quality processor then lossless on a low t mid level one. Resolution is not everything.

I haven't entered the world of separates yet but can a really good processor give full spec lossy that much of a boost compared to lossless on a mediocre processor? If you were talking about receivers, I would heartily agree since the built-in amp comes into play.

See the FAQ: Media Files

-Bill

MKV containers are supported.

-Bill

The 23.976hz you are seeing has nothing to do with audio. The "VC1" is compression used for video, BDMV= Blu-ray disc movie, and the 23.976hz is the frames used (24 frames per second) 16:9 is aspect ratio selected.
Hope this helps

Thanks for reading over my earlier post.

EWL5 and Vancouver, I tend to agree with you. That's why I try to keep the Krell DAC in the signaling path for DD5.1 and dts. Hopefully once I have everything set up, I will compare the digital output (Krell decoding lossy) vs 7.1 analog (Oppo decoding lossless) and report back. Noting that with my system, this comparison is only possible with movies disc. For DVD-audio and SACD, I don't really have another option but to use the 7.1 analog from Oppo to Krell. Having said that, I usually only do critical evaluation with audio only format, so I am probably not the best person for movie soundtrack comparison. Maybe I should go out and get a couple of concert DVD/BD that are audio-critical for this purpose.




Interesting. I have my C, SR, SL Channel set to small at the player for 7.1 analog output. As I posted before, I can level trim/match all 5 channels at the power amp. I wonder how much would I REALLY loose if I use the Oppo to trim the output levels of the 5 channel. Well...I guess being neurotic and obsessive is part of the fun/torture of this hobby.

I am not sure I understand what you are saying in your last sentence. Separates are generally better than a all in one receiver, but that is not to say high end receivers cant come close to many seperates.

What you will find, however, is that in the very high end separates are your only option.

In regards to your first question? Yes. I bet my heart and soul on it. Before I was properly introduced to quality processing I felt resolution was everything. Thats coming from someone who owned fairly good stuff stuff (rotel).

Now is a very unique time in our hobby. You can get processors that were sold for 8-10k for 2-3k. People are running from them for the wrong reasons. Take advantage of it if you can.

having said that there is something to be said for connections and its important to fully understand your system as it pertains to audio (HDMI video is cheap and easy with a switcher) before moving away from HDMI.

Not that it matters, but i just looked at the front of my oppo that I received friday. Under the DVD logo on the front it says video/audio, I noticed on some early pics of this unit it just says video. I suprised at the attention to detail to go and add the audio designation as well.

Interesting. I was under the impression they were not going to make any changes to the front in regards to DVD A.