Official OPPO BDP-105 Owner's Thread - Page 114

There are several ways to avoid the Oppo needing to know anything about ALAC files.

1) Convert ALAC to FLAC permanently. Many ways to do this and ALAC and FLAC are so similar, the conversion process is VERY quick. Some Media Player software can do this, but there are also some standalone apps for converting 1 file format to another format and some of those are free.

2) Play music on computer using nice media player interface with album art available, playlist support... all the stuff that makes computer audio interesting. The Media Player software will convert ALAC (or any other compatible format) to PCM and send the PCM to the Oppo via the USB DAC input (you need a USB cable with a type A connector on one end and a Type B connector on the other end. The computer does all the work and the Oppo plays the music without having to know anything about ALAC.

3) Same as #2 but you send the music over a network... Ethernet being much more likely to provide seamless playback than wireless which can be problematic with music if it is not "n" speed or faster and if there's not much other activity on the wireless network that would steal bandwidth from the music playback activity.

Many media player software apps for the PC will play ALAC files fine from a PC so you don't even have to have a Mac with Media Player software if you don't already have one. There are also file converter programs for PC that will convert ALAC to FLAC quickly. There are free media player apps for the PC... Foobar2000 is probably the best one for sonics, but JRiver Media Center for $50 is quite impressive, especially if you appreciate interesting graphical user interfaces with 3D album art modes for selecting music to listen to, etc. For the Mac, Decibel at $33 has a very basic user interface with excellent sonics. I avoid iTunes like the plague for music playback as it doesn't bypass any of the computer's internal audio system and is among the worst-sounding ways to listen to music.

You can use the BDP-105 as a preamp but it only has Digital Inputs. HDMI, Optical, COAX, and USB Async.
It sounds fantastic connected directly to my Sunfire 7400 amp.

However, since you are looking for analog inputs, I think you have to have a preamp to handle the analog sound.
I cannot help you on the 7.1 question since I have a 5.1 system.

- Rich

DTS Neo:6 Mode Question:

If I set this processing mode and then play a 5.1 audio source, for instance a 5.1 flac over USB, will FL/FR of that audio be processed to DTS Neo:6 (obviously not a good thing)? Or is the Oppo intelligent about it, only processing Stereo sources? My Marantz receiver knows automatically not to apply that sort of "up-mixing" to multi-channel audio - just wondered if the BDP-105 was also smart about it.

Yes, it is a little tricky to be sure just by doing a quick listen; hoping that Bob or Bill or one of the other experts would already know the answer.

Thanks,

Steve

this ties into my last question...

The only up-mixing processing the Oppo will do that I am aware of is DTS Neo: 6

what the manual says:
It reads like it can only do that with stereo sources.

But will it try on any m-channel source? Or does it know the difference? "Can only" and "will only" being an important distinction here.

Steve

^ It is only SUPPOSED to engage for stereo content input. However, a side effect of using it is that the digital audio path is limited to 44.1KHz or 48KHz (depending on the content rate) and there is a bug which triggers THAT side effect during multi-channel content.

So only turn on DTS Neo:6 when you WANT to use it while playing stereo content.
--Bob

Oppo emailed me back (within minutes!!!) and informed me that the 105 will only convert a two ch signal into a 7.1 but will not be able to convert a 5.1 to a 7.1 like Dolby PL IIx. So, as far as I am concerned, I will be stuck getting a surround sound processor instead of the simple analog only preamplifier that I wanted to get!!!!
At least now I will be able to take advantage of room eq, etc. So should I get the Rotel 1572 or the Integra 80.3 or consider one of the Marantzs (7701 or 8801?) This is just too confusing for me.....

I have given the 105 a full overview by comparing to all the sources I typically use for reference. My listening was all straight stereo and Oppo was optimized for same. After my original disappointment the other night I called Oppo who were available and friendly and confirmed that I had the settings optimized for stereo.

I had originally shared that the SACD sounded bad and I this is a fact. I had also indicated that I thought that the CD sounded better than my $100 Pioneer but upon back to back comparison, I rather angrily realized that the Oppo is terrible at playing CDs too, at least on my system. I think I was originally thrown by the apparent increased bass and forcefullness that the Oppo seems to have.

Upon closer listen, I couldn;t believe how confused the Oppo really sounds. Lack of clarity on multi-instrumental parts, the most deadest sound I've ever heard on my system, and this general conflict where it seems like somethings always fighting to be sucked back in whenerver an emphasized sound is coming out. There is also some weird type of imprinting/memory that almost had me thinking that another source was bleeding into the source I was listening to but it was not possible since no other sources were on and I've never heard that before.

I also tried DVD-A as I had several night ago, and again, I might as well have been listening to a MP3 with shrill output to make up for all the body its supposed to exhibit. I put in a thumb drive of hi-res flac files...sounded even worse. I WAS using the front thumb drive but c'mon! After reading all the reviews I have to seriously wonder if there was some type of mind controlling drug that was meant to be injected through a port that I haven't touched yet because this thing sounds like shite. ALL organic quality is sucked out of every recording for the cheap thrill of the emphasized punctuation of the very front end of the musical parts.

I have all high quality components and cables and you never know how something is going to sound on an individual system but it was almost like this thing was designed to be difficult to listen to. I CAN NOT be the only one and I am never going to believe another Stereophile review. It was quite a bad night for music here since I just dropped a good deal of money (for me) and I am REALLY hoping that I'm going to be able to return this POS to Music Direct. end of rant and apologies. my opinion is to avoid this player!

Now I'm confused. It can't convert stereo to 7.1, or 5.1. It doesn't have any center, side, or rear info. What exactly did you ask Oppo, and what was their reply?

Oppo BDP-105EU Universal Blu-ray Player Review - AVForums - Stephen Withers, January 31, 2013

A very detailed review to read.

I am curious, what is the rest of your system and cables?

Jimshowalter:
Here is the exact conversation. I wrote: Big question I have is can the oppo 105 convert a 5.1 movie soundtrack into a 7.1 for my 7.1 system (like Dolby PLIIx?) because that is the only time that I use my current Rotel SSP for processing. If so then how do I do that? (Of course the same would apply to Multich SACD as well but I had not mentioned that cause I generally listen to music in 2 ch).
Here is their exact response: Unfortunately this is not supported. The player can matrix stereo to multi-channel, but not 5.1 to 7.1. This is something that we are investigating but do not know if the software will support it.

Also, I have another question. The Oppo has a Qdeo processor for video, my planned Rotel or Integra SSP has Faroudja or Qdeo also. SO which one is doing the video processing. And being the analog stoneage person that I am it still makes no sense cause I thought once digital was processed it turns to analog so we can see or hear it cause you cannot see or hear 1s and 0s. So if either the Oppo or the SSP processes then how come you still have an HDMI cable going to the TV? Does that mean it processes i to p and then the TV takes the progressive signal and converts to pixels/colors, whatever. Probably a really dumb question but has me completely confused (doesn't take much, I know).

jokerman1226,
Obviously your experience with the 105 doesn't match what others have reported. You may be too pissed off at this point to want to spend any more time with it, but if not, there are some things to check.

You mentioned the impression of another source bleeding in. I'm assuming you are using the Dedicated Stereo Analog outputs since you said you were doing only stereo, but perhaps that's not the case. If you have HDMI hooked up for video, double check that the HDMI Audio is not *ALSO* coming out of other speakers (e.g., speakers in your display).

Confirm that DTS Neo:6 Mode is set to OFF.

Toggle the Stereo Signal setting between FRONT LEFT/RIGHT and DOWN MIX STEREO ending up at your desired choice (presumably DOWN MIX STEREO). There is a bug which can sometimes cause the alternate setting to be used to what you selected. Toggling it like that cures this.

Lower the Volume output of the OPPO to check to be sure you are not clipping the inputs at the other end of the Analog cables.

Is your SACD listening done using DSD or PCM? Are you using a Subwoofer, and if so, what device is doing the bass management for you -- the OPPO?

There's of course always the possibility that your unit has a hardware fault. OPPO Tech Support can take care of that for you, presuming you don't just want to return the unit and be done with it.

I can imagine your frustration, but you have to consider that there are quite a lot of folks, around the world, using this player with high end equipment right now. If the unit was really as bad as you fear, we would be hearing A LOT more screaming right now.
--Bob

With modern equipment, the video stays digital all the way from the disc to your HDMI-capable display. "Processing" of the video is done by doing math on the digital video signal. The conversion from digital to analog for video actually happens just once, inside the display, prior to feeding the circuits that light up the pixels.

When the digital video signal path goes through several video processors on the way to lighting up the pixels, it is often difficult to know what each processor might be doing. For example, there is ALSO digital video processing going on inside your TV.

Certain key aspects of video processing only need to be done once. That would include things like "de-interlacing" video and "upscaling" SD video to HD. A general Rule of Thumb is that video processors are set so that if the work has already been done, then they don't try to do it again. So if you have the OPPO set to output 1080p video (for example), any de-interlacing and upscaling has already been done by the video processing in the OPPO, and, typically, video processors external to the OPPO will just pass through that result on the way to your 1080p display.

But there are other ways that video processors can stick in their oar. For example, modern TVs often come with a metric ton of video "enhancement" features -- most all of which really ought to be disabled. So there's nothing for it but to get familiar with what each piece of gear does in your video path so you can minimize or eliminate undo processing. The owner's thread here for each device can be a big help, as can the forum devoted to display calibration, where issues caused by out of control video processors are commonly discussed.
--Bob

+1

Quote:
Originally Posted by darkphader 

The audio delay and sync problems are not an opinion, they are fact.

I am watching australian open right now. It does have audio synch issue.
Have to skip channels back and fourth to get corrected.
It is a good player and i recognize the value and thats why i purchased it, But please have the guts to admit if something is wrong with it. Thats the only way it will get fixed... And i have no doubt that people are not working on this fix.

+1

Thanks Bob for offering your knowledge on this unit. I will try anything to not have to return it and find I am overlooking something! I have HDMI Out and DTS Neo:6 turned "off". I originally heard sound coming from display and turning off the HDMI fixed that as you said. I messed around with Oppo volume but didn't notice difference in sound quality and at 100, my levels seem similar to what I had from non-amped sources.

I tried PCM and DSD. I noticed that DSD sounded a little better so that was what I was listening with. Oppo confirmed that the DSD and down-mixed stereo were the optimal setting for stereo listening. I dont have a sub hooked up.

Are you saying I should try to select between LEFT/RIGHT and DOWN MIX STEREO a few times to make sure it is actually set to the latter? If so, that is something I haven't tried.

Yes, it is most frustrating to see that I am having a different experience than most others for sure! I'm glad everyone else loves it. The most frustrating thought is that mine has something wired wrong. If I return it, its most likely going to be tested and someone will say "sounds fine" and I wont get to enjoy a properly working one.

My components are: Oppo 105>Dared MC-7P Tube preamp>Parasound A23 amp>MB-Quart QLS 830 speakers. Kimber Timbre and Audio Art interconnects. Legacy and Zu power cables.

^ Yes, there is a bug that can cause the Stereo Signal setting to be implemented opposite of what it displays. Just toggle the setting back and forth once and see if that "fixes" things.

Here's another thing to try:

Move the Left/Right cables from the Dedicated Stereo Analog outputs of the OPPO to the Left Front / Right Front outputs of the multi-channel Analog set. It's OK to leave the other jacks in the multi-channel set without cables. I'm assuming you are using RCA connections, but if you are using XLR you will need to switch to RCA for this test.

In Speaker Configuration set:

1) Left Front / Right Front to LARGE at 0dB volume trim and equidistant -- any distance will do so long as they are the same

2) Set Down Mix STEREO

3) Confirm that the Subwoofer setting is now OFF

Try your stereo content tests again. If this sounds "correct" than that simply means the Stereo Analog board in your 105 is broken -- get in touch with OPPO for warranty service.

(The multi-channel Analog and Dedicated Stereo Analog outputs use different circuit boards. So this test will bypass any problem in the stereo output board.)

It would also be wise to double check the wiring polarity for your two speakers. It is possible that -- somehow -- the signal polarity is mismatched with the OPPO compared to your other source -- perhaps a a cable with a manufacturing flaw. That would, of course, severely screw up instrument imaging. You can use a calibration disc (in-phase / out-of-phase) test track to double check this.
--Bob

Same thing hapens with me, it is extremely frustrating and I too hope they are working on it.

Perhaps someone would help with a networking problem.

Using Windows 7 and a Windows password I can get by the username and password request on the Oppo and play my video and audio files. To do this I had to make a second reference to them in c:/users/[name] etc. Having them in "Libraries" was not enough.

I can live with this arrangement if I have to for my files are played beautifully. However I'd like to simplify because (1) I now have to use a pw to sign into windows, which I'd rather not (can't leave it blank), and (2) to get to my audio, video and picture files on the Oppo I have to scroll through too many folders.

Oppo tech recommended that I try a DLNA compliant media server as a neater solution. I tried TVersity and next, at Oppo's suggestion, the free program oShare. However with either of these programs installed I cannot get the Oppo to recognize them at all and the Oppo simply operates as though they are not there and I go through the process as above.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Len

I have used oShare with my 105 without a hitch.

If you are really interested in the Parasound Halo P7 PM me as I recently retired mine a little over a year ago when I got the Classe SSP-800 pre-pro. Used It for about a year or so. It worked very well with my DENON A1 Universal BD player. Unfortunately I don't have the Oppo 105 yet, but I can only imagine how good it would work with it. Thought about putting it on e-bay or audigon but never got around to it and Initially wanted to just have it as a back-up, I liked it that much. It is like brand new and I have the original box and packing. The P7 as a preamp to me sounded just as good as my SSP-800 when I would use the both the balanced 2-channel analogs from my A1 and also the m/c analogs. Obviously it has no digital, but is a wonderful m/c preamp.

It could be a firewall setting. You are secured against using your own system.

See the links here for tips: How do I get DLNA working? (That's the BDP-93 FAQ, but the DLNA procedures are the same).

-Bill

If using the balanced outputs, also make sure that the cable pinout matches at both ends.

I think it is worth noting the description of how you are hearing the player is not disimilar to how What Hi-fi mag in the UK described the sound in their review of the 103-obviously not the same player but very strong parallels to what you said.

I have a 105 currently in transit and I have bought it mostly for stereo...so I will certainly add to this debate.

Bingo! A quick note of thanks to Bob for solving a puzzle I could not solve on my own. And the advanced AVS search works well

Ed

Well I'll be darned. I didn't know it could do that.

Is there really any analog involved? The pixel values are integers, and to use LCD as an example, control signals flip transistors between low and high voltage. Yes, the capacitors etc. that drive the pixels are analog, but they're acting digitally (for that matter, there are RC circuits inside digital chips--the point is, they're used for discrete states, not continuous states). Active-matrix LCDs even use PCM to control the storage charge at each pixel, which is again a discrete signal, not analog.

^ Light is an analog, not digital, phenomena -- disregarding its quantum nature. So yes, there has to be conversion to Analog before the pixels light up, just as audio must be Analog before the speakers emit sound.
--Bob

Did you try the 105 direct to the halo A23 ?, its possible its not playing well with your preamp, give it a shot as it can give you a reference point for the sound of the 105 but it sounds as though somethings clipping.