Official OPPO BDP-83 Owner's Thread [technical talk only] - Page 477

if that is in fact true its about the lamest thing I have heard about the Oppo.

Well, well, well...

I was just about to post my experience with the u/g and figured I'd scan the thread first.

My u/g also had problems. I downloaded and extracted to usb stick (used many times and verified) with no problems. I plugged the usb into the -83, powered up and the f/w was detected and the installation part went flawlessly. The -83 powered off and I removed the usb stick and powered back on.

This is where things went really bad...

While the -83 powered on fine, I was unable to use any function other then "open". Pressing setup did nothing; pressing power did nothing. I had to power down with the front panel button. Interestingly enough, I was able to re-power using the remote. Yet, the problems persisted. Nothing other than "open" was recognized by the -83.

I popped in an SACD and closed the tray. It played. I tried "stop" - nothing. "ff" - nothing. "pause" - nothing... In short, nothing worked except "open". I repeated this with both a BD and a DVD, with the exact same results.

I pulled the power cord, watied a moment or two and plugged it back in.

Same results

OK, time to go back to the last release of f/w.

I downloaded and extracted to the usb stick and performed the down-grade. Glad I read the release notes, as you need to perform this f/w load twice. I followed that procedure and everything worked fine (both times).

Power up - everything worked perfectly. I reset to factory defaults, powered down/up and tried the same assortment of SACD/BD/DVD - perfect.

OK - back to where we were.

(definition of insanity... repeating the same thing over and over, expecting different results)

I copied the beta f/w back onto the usb stick. Plugged the stick into -83. Power on!!!

The process completed flawlessly and the -83 powered down. I removed the usb stick and powered on.....

Perfect!

I reset factory defaults, powered down and after power up, I put my custom settings back and tested all functions with the same SACD/BD/DVD - perfect.

I have no idea what went wrong the first time. I was concerned that I bricked my player. I honestly do not think that I did anything wrong with the process steps and I used the exact same files that were originally downloaded.

Oh well... much better now.

On a postive note:

"The Look of Love" SACD, that was riddled with pops & crackles now plays almost perfectly. There is still the occasional (very occasional) pop/crackle on some tracks, but nothing like prior to this u/g.

So, I guess it was worth the drama & trauma

Amen to that. I wish there were a whole lot more reviewers like Kal.

Yes - it was the first time in over two years I picked up that rag. I was somewhat surprised at the positive (albeit snobby and sarcastic) prose offered for the -83. It wouldn't be a Stereophile "review" without the usual (not so) subtle remarks and innuendo's that we are, after all, talking about an audio device that costs less than the operating budget of a small, third-world country. Yet - I was somewhat pleased.


If you have a birdcage in need of lining.

That was me. I am impressed. It seemed like a pretty minor issue, I wondered if they would even consider it. Guess they did.

I've been updating my OPPO players with a Sandisk Cruzer flash drive with U3 software for about 3 years now. Never had one problem with it.

USB formatted on a Mac Pro OS X 10.5.7 (FAT32).

Downloaded file, mac unzipped, and copied folder to blank USB drive.

Oppo saw it and updated no problems.

Me too, and I also use it to update my Yamaha RX-V3800 as well as assorted IT functions.

Just updated my player with the new firmware and played some from all the dvd-a's that had been giving me trouble. They all work great now. No problems with the menu's, like I "was" having. Thanks OPPO!!!

Hi all,

I just updated my firmware. All loaded fine. After playing SACD Diana Krall and DSM, no pops or crackles using DSD. All's well for me. Anyone else notice any changes for SACD?

Greetings! First time poster here, and proud owner of the Oppo BDP-83. I was one of the first to receive this masterpiece of AV engineering a few weeks ago, and have so far been generally been blown away by the player. I've been reading this forum for a few weeks and needed to jump in for a couple of reasons: one, to say thanks to all you guys for giving such helpful advice that made me adjust my player accordingly in a few areas that really improved my viewing experience; most notably the 4:4:4 setup which REALLY made things come alive on the screen.

Some things I might be able to offer that could be of interest:

-The Apple Airport Express module works great with the player in connecting BD Live to a wireless network. We have two iMacs and Verizon FIOS in the house, and setting the player up to work with the network was very fast and easy. I know you can use Airport Express with PCs, but I can't validate its performance there; with Macs and the player, it works great. Depending on the speed of your connection, BD Live loads relatively quickly. So far, I've been less than impressed w/the BD Live features as they have been mostly ads and previews, although the Star Trek Original Series BD Live Material was really great. If you're in the market for a wireless bridge, consider me among those who can vouch for Airport Express (at least with a Mac, anyway).

-I calibrated the player using the S&M Disc and was also coming away with a -3 on the Contrast like a few of you guys have as well. In addition, the Brightness runs about a -4. Obviously, I adjust these parameters based on the media used, but these have been my starting points.

-I calibrated my display first THEN calibrated the player. I don't know if that might help someone's issues out there, but I walked away happy (so far) with my results.

-Like someone mentioned earlier, I highly recommend turning off the BD Feature on the player for certain discs that take too long to load if they have BD Live content or if you don't use the BD Live feature. I found that out the hard way with the new version of "Casino Royale"...I could have made a 7 course meal by the time things booted up. Once the BD Live material is accessed on most discs, boot up is a quick process most subsequent viewings thereafter.

-I've had problems with the Aspect Ratio on bonus content, but I know that's in the next fix. My workaround has been to just hit "stop" on the disc (or go to the top menu and go back into the feature again) and then "play". Things usually work themselves out with the rest of the Bonus Content on the disc as well.

-Right now I'm running just HDMI into my AVR and then HDMI from the AVR to the Display. I've had some problems with DVD-A discs (Yes' "Fragile" disc for example), but none with SACD. No pops, clicks, etc. The audio performance has been nothing short of SPECTACULAR for everything thrown at this player. I'm anxiously awaiting the DVD-A fix in the next firmware release.

Two questions:

-Has anyone else had a problem w/the Dolby True HD track on "The Song Remains The Same"? yes, I know there was a problem with the initial release (drop out on "Moby Dick" but they recalled and reissued the title); but there is no firm handshake between the disc/player/AVR for this soundtrack at all. (I'm Bitstreaming btw). I know there were issues with the first releases of my Onkyo TX SR 605 receiver (which I have, but so far have successfully been able to bitstream everything). So far, I've never had an issue with the any disc Bitstreaming...only this one. If I let the player do the decoding, there's no problem with the DDTrueHD track (although it doesn't sound any different from the DD 5.1 track). Any thoughts? I'm thoroughly confused here. Does anyone think new firmware might help issues like this one down the line?

-I'd like to hear further opinions on the beta firmware upgrade. I'm reluctant to try a beta on this because I have no desire to brick it, and it seems that Oppo and Mac formatted flash drives aren't playing nicely together, FAT 32 or otherwise. I think I'll sit things out until I can upgrade via the Net.

Thanks for all the great tips and conversation, and I look forward to participating in further discussions! - Ark.

narkspud, please don't question our choice of the superior Mac...mine played nice also! And yes, you need to format the drive in Disk Utility so that it has the PC Fat format.

Just upgraded to the new firmware. Looks like the subwoofer trim level bug is still there. Other channel trims seem to persist, just the sub reverts to 0 unless tweaked again. For now, I have pushed the sub adjustment to my pre/pro which is where it belongs anyway.

On the subject of SACD, I do notice that if I switch my projector from HDMI (from the -83) to some other source and back while playing an SACD, the sound stutters. However, if I engage Pure Audio first, it does not. I hesitate to call it a bug, but should probably report it into Oppo.

I'm a PC guy and long time user of the Airport Express. The old one doesn't work as a wireless bridge with Ethernet like the new one does, but aside from using the new version to connect the Oppo to the Net, it's an awesome way to distribute music throughout your house.

I question not. I have Macs myself, hence my awareness of the problem. I have indeed been using Disc Utility to format my drives in FAT-32, and my success rate in freezing up the Oppo with them has been 100%.

Hauled them to work, reformatted on a PC, and now everybody is happy. If you were successful in getting yours to work from a Disc Utility format, perhaps one of the recent OS-X software updates fixed it? Or maybe my Mac found out I'm seeing another computer?

"Looks like the subwoofer trim level bug is still there"

I was curious: I assume this bug was communicated to Oppo. If so, did they claim that this would be fixed with the latest FW release?

In my case, both bugs that I reported (AVCHD audio stuttering, Angle Icon persistence) were fixed with this latest beta version.

I have read just abouyt everything I can find in this thread and others about subwoofer settings. I have my 83 set for large speakers (I have Thiel 1.5 fronts - borderline large I know) and am using the 5.1 analog outs into a Parasound AVC2500u.

I do channel level calibration using the Parasound's mic and level setting test tones. I have a feeling though that this has no impact on the 5.1 inputs. The AVC owners manual is no help..the 5.1 board was an add on by Parasound.

For music DVD I am getting hardly any subwoofer output. On DVD/BD movies its a biut more but I think its a little lean. Before the Oppo I used the AVC's lowest crossover copnfiguration (40hz I think). SInce the OPPO is 80hz I stuck with large.

I also read somewhere that subwoofer channels are done 10-15 db so one needs to boost the level in the pre-pro.

The OPPO was allow a +10db trim but I also read this can overload some pre-pros.

If someone could make a suggestion I would appreciate.

1. Your prepro most likely does not redigitize the analog inputs. If it did, the manual would have an explanation about it. The channel level adjustments you did in the Parasound will likely apply to the analog paths as well. You may also be able to trim levels separately for analog and digital. But, any digital processing such as bass management, distance adjustments, and EQ will not apply to the analog inputs.

2. When you set speakers to large in the player, that means no bass management takes place. The only audio sent to the sub will be LFE. All bass in the other channels wil have to be handled by your speakers without help from the sub.

3. LFE is designed to be played back 10db higher than the other channels allowing for 115db peaks instead of capping at 105db. But, since interconnects cannot necessarily handle those higher peaks, LFE is recorded at the same level as the other channels and needs to be boosted on playback. This boost should be done in the processor or at the sub itself, not in the player. (If you boost it in the player, what's the point of recording it lower in the first place?) So, if you have not applied the 10db boost in your Parasound, then LFE is going to be weak. (The 15db boost you've read about applies when doing bass management in the player. When speakers are set to large, 10db should be all you need.)

There's an excellent explanation about bass management in a sticky thread in the Audio Theory forum.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=748147

It's about 64 in my house throughout the summer (and winter), but only if I sometimes turn on a smidjin of heat.

That's a loaded question.
I agree the faq is the best source for answering my question. I was asking to find out additional people's experiences and opinions

Thanks BIslander, that's an excellent sticky and should be read by everyone using SACD whether by HDMI or analogue!

Love the Oppo and I loaded the new FW with out a hitch. But I still have a problem with the drawer.

A specific sequence of events cause the drawer not to want to stay closed.
This problem was there before and after the FW update. Only now it seems worse. The Oppo engineers have not been able to duplicate the problem so I would like other owners to give it a try to see if we might have a global issue.

Here is the sequence:

After a BR movie finishes, from the remote press the open button.
The tray will open….. Do nothing else to the Oppo for around 15 min.
Leave the tray open.

After the 15 min. insert a CD in the tray and press the close button on the
Oppo. What happens now is the display shows the word “CLOSE” the tray
will retract and then open. The display will still say “CLOSE” and the
drawer remains open.

Repeated pressing of the close button just repeats the cycle.

Turning off the Oppo repeats the cycle only now the unit is off and the
drawer is open.

The work around:

When having this problem what I do is use my thumb to firmly hold the
tray closed after it retracts and when the display no longer says “CLOSE”
and changes to “LOADING” I’m good to go.

This problem only manifests itself if the tray is left open for a long period of
time.
The problem does not occur with your normal, open - insert disc – close route.

So if you will, please run the sequence and let us know if you experience the
same problem.

Thanks.

Since there are quite a number of different reports about SACD audio issues (or the lack thereof) with the BDP-83, I put this quick poll together to see if I can spot any hardware trends that may be affecting (or not affecting) audio using SACD.

For the purposes of this poll, I am assuming that the hardware could fall into 3 potential varieties:

1. Hardware designed/manufactured/assembled/shipped before and for the First EAP.
2. Hardware designed/manufactured/assembled/shipped before and for the Second EAP.
3. Hardware designed/manufactured/assembled/shipped after the Second EAP.

These are vague assumptions, but they are the ones I am using. If you don't like them - create your own poll

With that in mind...

I've created 3 categories:

1. BDP-83's shipped as part of the First EAP and prior.
2. BDP-83's shipped as part of the Second EAP.
3. BDP-83's shipped after the conclusion of the Second EAP.

There are 3 choices:

1. I am having many audio issues with SACD.
2. I am having some audio issues with SACD.
3. I am having no audio issues with SACD.

You get one vote which is a combination of one of the 3 CATEGORIES and one of the 3 CHOICES.

e.g. I have a 2nd EAP unit and I have no SACD audio issues.

The actual poll can be found here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1155217

I have requested discussion around the results take place in this thread, the poll thread should be used for voting only!

I'm a Mac user. I just successfully upgraded the firmware from a 2GB SD card that was formated FAT-16 by my Nikon D90 (format confirmed by Disk Utility) with Nikon files intact and with additional jpegs exported from iPhoto for a slide show still on the card along with the UPG folder.

The upgrade went fine. Note that the card was formatted by my camera. I didn't experiment by formatting with my Mac. However, I've formatted SD cards with my Mac that then worked with my camera. Note also that the 2GB card was FAT-16. SDHC (larger than 2G) cards are formatted FAT-32.

SD, FAT-16, SDHC, FAT-32, Mac, Widows, Nikon... Is there a simple answer? Maybe not but Nikon formatted FAT-16 worked for me.

StillStereo,

I have the AVC2500u, I also have KEF 107's. I find that leaving the speakers set to small in the 83, bumping the subwoofer by +10db in the Parasound "trim", and I have the crossover in the AVC2500u set to one of the 40hz settings (forget which one at the moment). This seems to work well for me.

Just taking a wild guess here, but, if you don't leave the tray open for 15 minutes, you might not have the problem to begin with.

That's what Oppo instructed me to do earlier this week but with respect did I not just re-flash the MCU firmware when I installed the new FW update?

None the less I'll flash it tomorrow. Tonight I'm rocking with BR, SACD and bourbon!