Oppo Decision

[kapsnb01]

I realize this is a rehash of a topic that's come up several times both in this forum and in the AVS forum.  Trust me, I've read nearly all these threads...which is likely why I'm stuck with too much information and too many opinions.  So, why not add some more. 

 

I'm currently running a PS4 as my primary BluRay player and am generally ok with it.  I think it does a decent job, though it's primary focus is geared more toward the gaming aspect than being a high level BluRay player.  I'm trying to get off the fence as to whether an upgrade to a stand alone Oppo 103 or 103D for BluRay duty should be my next upgrade. 

 

From all the reading that I've done on both forums, folks are split about 50-50 as to whether the upgrade is worth it (though all agree that Oppo is a high quality player).  For me, where 90% of the use will be playing BluRays...most opinions are that I won't see an appreciable difference from my current rig.  However, PQ may be a little better, build quality will be better, and customer service/support is very strong.  Also, on my 50" plasma, it likely won't be a benefit to get the 103D (even with an eventual planned upgrade to a 65-70" in 1-3 years). 

 

All of that said, do I need it...no...do I sort of want the Oppo...yes.  And thus my paralysis by overanalysis.  So, here we are...those who own an Oppo and took the plunge, are you happy you did and what led you to your decision?  I'd also be interested in the thoughts of those that considered an Oppo but went a different direction. 

 

Lastly, I love music and use my CF-3s quite a bit for 2-channel.  I could see myself giving SACD a try at some point...but at this point I don't know what I'm missing in that department. 

 

I'm not generally this indecisive...but, I've read way too much on this topic...

[Max2]

I own the 103D with a 55" LED Samsung.  It does make a tad bit of difference, but its quickly over bakes things with over adjustment with a flat screen. (Things get grainy) kind lime the sharpness adjustment on a TV.   I wouldn't miss it, but I use it 103D for Audio 99% of the time.  Projector yes, flatscreen, save your dough. Just my take on the $100 option

 

 

Between spelling check and my grammar, my posts always include a hidden speed bump

Edited May 23, 2015 by Max2

[wvu80]

I have heard that blu-rays are now a commodity and that PQ is the same from brand to brand, so a blu-ray is a blu-ray is a blu-ray.  I am happy with my $99 Sony BD player with internet.

 

That being said, I don't have the Oppo, so those guys would be in a better position to advise you.  It would be nice if you could borrow one, then I think you would know in 10 minutes if that's what you really need.

 

Uh, want. 

[Schu]

Op... if youve read evrytuing there is to read, there should be no confusion... the choice is clear between manufacturers. Between the 103 and the ps, its less clear. The 105 is superior in almost every way, the 103, much less so.

Given the choice betwen staying with sony and 103 oppo, I come down on the side of the Playstation... a 105 and I make the jump to oppo asap.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Schu

[GeneT]

I am in a similar boat but want 4k upscaling. Problem is my bluray is is a Panasonic BD85 I picked up last year on ebay for $30. I looked for one because it had component out at 720p which I needed for my projector. Now I have a 4k LED and use HDMI so don't use the component out. The BD85 is slow. Sometimes just doesn't work and I need to run a cleaning disk. Must be pretty dusty inside.

I believe there is a difference between the low priced players and the higher end stuff. Probably quieter and faster. Some put in expensive audio output capability. The Oppo looks to be a good value when compared to comparable quality. But having said that I may just buy another used Panasonic on ebay with 4k and wait for something to come along I like better.

[derrickdj1]

Oppo has great build quality and it really comes down to how bad you want it.  I could of brought an Oppo but, my Samsung works in harmony with the Samsung TV to take advantage of having a smart tv/BDP.

[willland]

I loved my Oppo BDP-83 and currently love my Cambridge Audio 751BD(same Mediatek chipset as Oppo BDP-95) universal player.  Both have great build quality and Oppo's customer service is a template for all other companies out there.

 

I tried to pull the trigger on a used Oppo BDP-105 on Audiogon when one popped up for $850.00 but was not quick enough.  Soon after a great deal on a CA 751BD appeared and I jumped on it.

 

Very pleased with my choice.  Sold the Oppo 83 to JTubbs and he is enjoying it now.

 

If my CA 751 takes a dump, I would not hesitate to go back to Oppo or buy another CA.

 

With SACD's, the Oppo 83 performed well but not as well as my current 751 using the analog outputs.

 

If you want superb analog performance with CD's and SACD's, go with either the Oppo 95 or 105 or the CA 751 or 752.  If you are primarily an HDMI user for music playback, go with the lesser 93 or 103.

 

Bill

[Nismo]

I'll offer up one thing that rarely gets mentioned. 

 

Noise.

 

The fan noise & disc drive ramping up with the PS3 & the PS4 can be annoying.

 

Can't speak to other models, but my 103 is perfectly quiet.

 

If your primary use is for movies... switching to the Oppo is worth it for that alone.

[kapsnb01]

Most of my issue is that I'm just not overly impressed with the PS4. It's outstanding for games, but compared to the PS3, it's not great for most everything else. I'm more impressed with my Apple TV for streaming and even my old cheap living room Sony BluRay player for movies. Nismo, you're correct, the PS4 is also pretty loud. It's not that I completely dislike the PS4, but it does one thing (games) well and everything else ok.

So that is what stoked the thought that standalone may be a better option...and Oppo is pretty high on the list of standalone. In some respects I'm trying (badly) to talk myself into riding with the PS4 in the hopes that firmware will eventually upgrade the non-gaming aspects...but it's been 18 months with little improvement so far in that regard.

[derrickdj1]

Don't hold your breathe, lol.  Buy the Oppo if you wanted and it will not put you in a hole.

[gadgtfreek]

This is from an guy who has more video calibraation experience than audio (im still an audio newbie IMO), and I still buy 2-3 players a year to try out and replace older models. I also use them for streaming. 

 

I currently have an Oppo 103D, Sony 7200, Sony 1200, Panny 460 and will be getting a Sony 6500 when it is released. Its funny because I only have two tv's, but I usually hand em down to relatives. I have also owned a Oppo 93 and 103.

 

Here are my simple and straightforward comments:

 

Anyone that says all blu-rays players are created equal in terms of PQ playback is wrong. Now one might argue that the difference cannot be seen, or may not be seen, but a fact is a fact. Samsungs have undefeatable noise reduction and slight color errors, Panny has color errors in newer models since they swapped to Mediatek, Sony used to have color errors but they worked that out a few years ago (they use mediatek chips too, so does Oppo now). The color errors are a problem for me because I have a calibrated display, that I keep touched up. I am not paying all that money for a player to have NR or color errors, slight as they may be. I also test every player with spears and munsil, and you will find some of them clip fine chroma resolution on hose patterns. Currently the Sony's and Oppo do not. My $2000 Marantz did when I turned on its video processing, but I never liked an audio device doing video processing anyways.

 

The Oppo 93 was a beast, the 103 had an issue where the Marvell was always on, and actually slightly softened the image, other than that it was a great player. The 103D solved that and has a razor sharp image IMO. My only knock on the Sony is I think the image is a little more soft, not much, and most wouldn't even care. As much as I loved my PS3, it's clarity of image did not compare to newer Panny's and the Oppo 103D.

 

So here is the simple part:

 

If you only want to watch blu-ray, and maybe stream Netflix and Amazon, a $100 Sony is an excellent choice (get the just released 5500).

 

Now if you want a universal playback device that can be used as a video processor (I run my dish hopper thru the 103D and it converts everything to 1080p for my display), has reference playback of DVD and Blu-ray, and has Darbee processing, get the 103D. The Oppo can also take the MHL Roku stick in the front, and you get all those streaming services and the Netflix app on that stick will put out 1080p/24 thru the Oppo MHL port

Edited May 24, 2015 by gadgtfreek

[kapsnb01]

Now if you want a universal playback device that can be used as a video processor (I run my dish hopper thru the 103D and it converts everything to 1080p for my display), has reference playback of DVD and Blu-ray, and has Darbee processing, get the 103D. The Oppo can also take the MHL Roku stick in the front, and you get all those streaming services and the Netflix app on that stick will put out 1080p/24 thru the Oppo MHL port

So you're running your Dish Hopper through the Oppo. I assume then that you have the Oppo running HDMI out directly to the TV? And are you then running the second HDMI to the receiver. I'm thinking that'd be the way to go so that you wouldn't be passing the video signal through the hopper, Oppo, and then the AVR before the TV.

It seems that you do think then that the Darbee is worthwhile for a flat panel over just the straight 103...?

[Paducah Home Theater]

With the nicer oppo there's a bunch of functionality you may never use. Super audio CD's, analog surround output, dual hdmi, xlr's, hdmi input... all this goes way beyond simply using it as a blu ray player. If you're never going to use this stuff then no I don't see that it is worth it.

[derrickdj1]

As the old saying goes, buy what you like and like what you buy.    After all, it's your money and what you value.

[kapsnb01]

Appreciate all the input.  As much as I like the Oppo, I can't justify spending $500+ for what I would use it for.  Looking at the Sony BDP-6500 (their brand new flagship), I can get it for $130 on sale at Best Buy.  I think that's the direction that I'm going to go.  If I'm not completetly satisfied, I can move it to the bedroom and get an Oppo then.  From the specs, I think I'll be more than happy with it and I'll keep nearly $400 in my pocket for other "upgrades." 

[oldred]

Like my 103 and 83 both.... All I can say is if you have the extra money and you watch Blu-ray often go for it. My problem is since I have gone to home theater PC's...... I do not use them much

Edited May 25, 2015 by oldred

[gadgtfreek]

I think you will like the Sony, they are plenty fine for streaming, dvd and blu-ray.

 

My setup is Hopper/Roku into 103D, 103D sends 1080p/60 out (for Dish it is taking in 1080i/60 and sending out 1080p/60) to AVR via HDMI, and then AVR sends video out to display. I cut all the video processing off in the preamp, so the display should get the unmolested 1080p/60 upconversion from the Oppo. The only real benefits here are:

 

1) I can hit info on the Oppo remote and see what color space and resolution are going in and coming out at all times, like a video processor

2) you potentially have the benefit of taking 720p/1080i to 1080p in the Oppo better than your display can, or you may not notice a difference. 

3)  darbee can be applied to the input

 

I tried darbee, just not for me. On a poor signal with compression, it makes things worse. As far as blu-ray, I just don't think you need it. The reason I went with the 103D over the 103 is because of the issue with the Marvell I discussed in my post. It has some noise reduction that cannot be turned off.

[Scrappydue]

i got a oppo 103 for free. tried it out vs ps3 for a few days. sold it afterwards. 

Edited May 25, 2015 by Scrappydue

[kapsnb01]

i got a oppo 103 for free. tried it out vs ps3 for a few days. sold it afterwards.

After we watched Josh's Oppo that day, I started thinking about getting one. It was certainly crisp and sharp, but it is also overkill for what I'll use it for.

[willland]

Something else to add about the Oppo players(and Cambridge Audio) is that they use the Marvell Qdeo chip for upscaling DVD's(and other sources if equipped) and it is an excellent one indeed.  I popped in a plain vanilla DVD of the original Transformers movie and the PQ was incredible.  Then popped in the BD version for comparison and the difference was minimal at best on my Samsung plasma.

 

Bill