Official OPPO BDP-80 Owner's Thread - Page 17

rdclark,

+1. You need to post this in all the owner threads. (lol)


Respectfully,
Willie

Rdclark, I agree that people are putting too much focus on streaming. Streaming players are readily available and can be had as inexpensively as a $100 for a roku or just a little more for the entry-level LGs or Samsungs.

Finding a player that offers exceptional dvd playback, lightning-quick bd loading, source direct, analogue outputs, and universal playback under $300 is a much rarer bird. With Pioneer passively leaving the bdp market, I cannot think of another player currently on the market that crams so much av performance into such an attractive price.

+1. This just adds to the enjoyment of their products.


When it does become an issue you're going to wish it was an Oppo.


Respectfully,
Willie

Could you please tell me whether the DAC of my Denon AVR-988 or AVR-2808 is better or not than the DAC used in BDP-83?

According to the specifications of AVR-988, it uses the following hardware:

24-bit/192-kHz DACs - Burr-Brown PCM-1791 DSD-1608

Analog-to-Digital Conversion - Bit Depth/Sampling Rate 24-bit/96kHz Burr-Brown PCM-1803

I don't know what the foregoing mean.

You would of course suggest me to try the analog output myself. However, I in fact do not know what kind of cable I need and how I make such connection. I am just seeking here readily available information from some savvy forumites. I suppose you would readily know whether the DAC of my receiver is better or not than the Circus one used in BDP-83.

Sitting Bull,

You meant the BDP-83 and not the 83SE I'm assuming. However, I don't agree with your statement that "anyone" will not be able to tell the difference. If you're bitstreaming maybe not, but through the analogs maybe you will hear a difference. I think most who own both players and place an importance on 2 channel analog will hear a difference and for those where 2 channel analog is after thought maybe not. Maybe you belong to the latter.


This will also be influenced by the quality and setup of your equipment.


Respectfully,
Willie

Joe,

There are no guarantees in life and there is a certain fail rate with all consumer electronics and the Oppo players are no exception; you just hope that you are not the person impacted. However, this is where Oppo really shines. Their customer service is fantastic and second to none either in warranty and out of warranty.


Respectfully,
Willie

Are there any other BDP-80 reviews besides gonk and winston9332's?
I know there are more beta testers out there.

I don't get mine until Friday night and I am not very patient!

Not a review, exactly, but a "first look" and comparison with the BDP-83 by Audioholics, FWIW.

Expected more of a backlash, but I, for one, applaud you, Sitting Bull. This is the AV SCIENCE Forum. I believe there is no discernable difference between DACs these days and am still waiting for an ABX test that proves otherwise. If there is one, great, I'll be the first to eat crowe. But, that many have heard discernable differences outside the parameters of a true double blind test, means nothing to me.
Now, this doesn't mean that I feel the 83SE is an unjustifiable purchase/upgrade. It is overbuilt with a beefier power supply, for example. That can increase a person's pride in ownership. And, for many, knowing that something else is available that is even possibly better is too much to stand. If that's what stands between you and enjoying the sound, then nothing anyone says is going to change it. If you can afford the SE, and buying it doesn't short money you would otherwise spend on speakers, might as well go for it!

I'm sure you didn't pay as much as I did for my Samsung BD-UP5000 that is broken again! I would rather go to the dentist and have my teeth drilled than deal with Samsung customer service. I will not be buying another Samsung anything for a very long time if ever again.

I agree I have been focusing on streaming a bit too much. That is probably because I've been using the LG BD-370 and I've been using Netflix streaming more than I thought I would. I should say my girlfriend has been using it more than I thought she would. She watches those damn Law and Order shows every night. I think she's trying to come up with a way to kill me and get away with it.

Does streaming require any hardware that the Oppo players do not have? I assume the answer is no. So what is the main reason that Oppo can't offer it?

I do see the value of the 80 and I agree it is the best overall player in its price range. Especially since it is made by Oppo. It is missing only one feature that I would like. I don't think I am the only one that is interested in a player that includes streaming. Just look at the list of every new player being released this year. I think every one of them has it.

Streaming requires licensing agreements with the providers, and requires designing and supporting a user interface and firmware. It also enters the manufacturer into competition in a market for streaming solutions. None of this has anything to do with marketing and supporting top-tier Blu-ray players, which is Oppo's mission.

Mass-market CE companies bring out new BD player model lines every year, and each new line has an updated slate of streaming services and a slick new UI that looks cool in advertisements. But it's comon for the streaming features of these players to never be updated once the line is replaced with next year's. If you want Blockbuster or Pandora and your existing player doesn't already have it, you're probably out of luck.

This isn't how Oppo operates. They design a player and that player remains available until it becomes obsolete. To offer streaming, they would have to build not just the player functionality, but also the company infrastructure and staff, of the equivalent of Roku, because the Oppo streaming feature would have to be as robust as Roku's. And I'm guessing that if you asked them, they would just tell you to buy a Roku.

See this link in the Denon AVR-789 owners thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...t#post16535883

It describes a process for comparing the Oppo's dedicated 2 channel analog outs with the Denon's DACs. (you have to be careful not to send the denon an analog signal and have it to an a to d, then another d to a conversion in processing.) I suspect the proceedure for comparing isn't much different with the 988 and the 7.1 outs. If you just want an opinion, google the part nos and do a comparison in 'spec space'. I believe in 'spec space' the Oppo's -83 dedicated two channel win out over the burr-brown, probably a wash for the 7.1 analogs. I did the 'spec space' comparison once don't remember the exact numbers.

Nothing really there that we don't know already from the Oppo website or this thread. They didn't miss many chances to take pot shots at a certain "upscale" brand though...

Excellent post. Thank you rdclark.

Yeah, that's why I threw in the "FWIW."

ok, so a used DV-980H just sold for $270+ on ebay. Really? I mean that's great because I'm putting mine up for auction on sunday night - but what gives? That's pretty much BDP-80 money!

Some of those are going overseas, where prices are higher and R-0 DVD players are in high demand.

Ebay is a crazy place. I sold a sealed copy of Gone With The Wind Blu Ray (regular version) back in November for $60, when it was available at Target, WalMart and Amazon for $29 at the time.

Do either the BDP-80 or 983 support closed caption?

Not through HDMI. Some of the older models supported CC over component at 480i but I don't recall this being tested on the -80 or -83. I don't have a CC display to check it myself.

Presumably S-video and composite would also work if component does.

-Bill

Bill, thank you for your reply. Wish the answer was different though.

Sorry, this gets asked fairly often and there is no good solution. HDMI DVD and BR players with CC decoders are rare, although I think they do exist. Maybe more common among DVD recorders?

The industry dropped the ball on this one. All that effort into CC data and it's thrown away. Over analog outputs you just pass the original signal, but digital output requires a decoder in the player.

-Bill

beekermartin,

I do understand the value that some see in streaming, but I could care less about it at present. If people require streaming then they have to look else where since the Oppo players don't offer it. If people require SACD and DVD-A support, then the Oppo players should be on their short list.

I've looked at the crop of players for 2010 and the only manufacturers offering streaming are Sony (not their ES line), LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Toshiba. I know of at least five other manufacturers that released players in Q4 '09 and 2010 that do not offer streaming, but they retail for more than $400.00. Do you see a pattern here? There is segment where streaming is a desired feature and a segment where it is not. I presently belong to the latter. If you look at players from Onkyo, Denon, Oppo, Marantz, NAD, Cambridge, etc. none of their players offer streaming. I see another pattern here.

The bottom line is Oppo is not trying to identify with Sony, LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Toshiba. They have set their sights a little higher. I've seen streaming and until they up the ante on picture quality and sound quality I won't even consider it.

Oppo just put out a $289.00 "Universal Player". Wow!!!

Respectfully,
Willie


P.S. I posted this in another thread earlier, but it seems appropriate here also.

Right. To me, streaming seems like a step backward into the dark ages. I'd MUCH rather view (and hear) HI-DEF content on my hi-def system thank you very much - not some nasty, overcompressed image with stereo audio that cannot even come close to DVD.

If streaming gets better, I'll get a dedicated box to decode it properly.

Gary

Obviously, many here differ with that point of view.

thanks to Bill McClain for pointing this out over in the CIH forum.

Oppo dropped the ball on this, IMO - stating on their BDP-80 web page "Unique features such as subtitle shift and vertical stretch zoom mode makes the player an ideal source component for home theaters with 2.35:1 CIH (Constant Image Height) displays."

Not exactly ideal if it doesn't work on a good number of disks. Anyone with a CIH setup will need another way to do vertical stretch... why even include it at all?

If they're going to tout it as a feature, they should certainly mention this significant limitation.

Looks like mine is going back

I agree they should note some restrictions on the product page. The online manual includes a disclaimer that some discs cannot be zoomed.

The BDP-83 has no restrictions on zoom BR titles with java.

-Bill

Yep, as simple as adding a another set-top-box if you really want streaming. Then you can go with a NUU player or Boxee Box (when they start shipping) to access anything out there, instead of being stuck with just what has been licensed and programmed into a BD player.

Sometimes a dedicated set-top-box is also a lot better then the assumption that everything belongs in a BD player. As you noticed Roku is gearing for 100-Channel Set-Top Service through their player, so as available content ramps up, you put a impossible burden on a BD vendor to compete on what number of streaming content is supported available via licensing and programming.