Oppo Decision

[TheFiend1]

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

Just out of curiosity, what did you not like about the 103 that made you sell it and keep the PS3?

[Scrappydue]

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

Just out of curiosity, what did you not like about the 103 that made you sell it and keep the PS3?

just seen no difference in video quality, no difference in sound quality either. One played games and had a much better remote for being in a rack out of sight. So it was an easy choice for me.

[gadgtfreek]

For me, Panasonic players from about 2011 and on offered a sharper image than a PS3, so did the Oppo 93 and 103D.

 

The 103 has a slight softness due to the Marvell chip and noise reduction that is always on (minor ***** by many owners). The 103D does not have that issue and the image is razor sharp. That being said, it is $600, and if you arent using it as a video processor, for Darbee, SACD/DVD-A, then you are wasting your money. For people that want Darbee AND a blu-ray player, it is a great move. To be honest, i do not even sweat DVD on an Oppo vs a Sony, DVD looks like shit on both.

 

I may sell my 103D soon if I like this new Sony BDP-S6500 (just released 2015 model) that I ordered. That $450-500 will go to my new sub. The Sony's also have excellent streaming performance, and I have a little dinky one in the bedroom (1200 model) that doesnt even have wifi. I wear Netflix and Amazon out on it. The only way to get full streaming operation from the Oppo is to get the roku stick, which is just something else to buy.

 

For someone that streams and only watches blu-ray, Sony players are just fine plus they pass all the spears and munsil tests I throw at them. Something some players still cant do.

Edited May 29, 2015 by gadgtfreek

[ChuckAb3]

Just can't let this go without mentioning audio quality. I'm using an Oppo 95 in our 2 ch system at present (yeah, I know it's underutilized). Bought it second hand after choking on the prices of 'audiophile' cdp's. Huge upgrade over the Marantz we had been using (esp in pure' audio mode) and the Marantz was a very good player. Every review I've seen says pretty much the same regarding the SQ of the 105 but no personal experience with it. We do have a 103 in a separate HT system and I'd give it a good plus rating for both PQ and SQ. I know I'm a bit off topic but thought another perspective might assist. Good luck with your choice.

[kapsnb01]

Well...I certainly wasn't a rock of decisiveness on this one.  I did order the Sony BDP S6500 with every intention of keeping it.  Of course, then Oppo started listing refurbished 103's on their site for $415.  Derrick, I'm sure you're laughing as you hit the nail on the head...this became much more of a "want" than a "need."  I canceled the Sony and ordered the 103.  I figure that if I don't notice a difference or decide it's way overkill for what I use it for, I have the 30 days to send it back and I'm only out original shipping.  I also figure that since I'm putting together a theater/family room that my wife, daughter, and I will spend a fair amount of time using, I may as well put it together right the first time.  Since I tend to keep my gear for quite a while, the Oppo will get a good workout and quality build and support is important.  So, we'll see how this goes, but I found a way to talk myself out of it and then back into it...go figure...

[gadgtfreek]

95/105 analog guts are supposed to be something special.

 

 

And I get into want vs need all the time with HT, but I still like to be honest. If I tell someone they do not need a Oppo and a Sony is fine, but they want an Oppo, then I did my part

 

I didn't need a preamp, and I don't need dual 18" subs. But I want...

Edited May 29, 2015 by gadgtfreek

[Nismo]

I like the PS3 it does a great job, but I also do lots of gaming. Play your standard session of CoD, GTA, Metal Gear, Gran Turismo or The Last of Us — then fire up Gravity on Blu-ray. The PS3 is louder than the movie (the XBOX is even worse, much, much worse. lol).  Pro/Con of PQ has too many variables, display, connections, calibrations, source—so individual results may vary in that respect. For me the Oppo perfectly takes on its role; Movies. Plus, it will extend the life of my beloved PS3 & help stay off the Red Light of Death (already been down that road).

 

Congrats on your new pick up. I hope it performs well in your system.

[Thaddeus Smith]

At the time, my BDP-93 was the only device that would play full resolution MKV files over DLNA without transcoding by the DLNA server. The PS3 still doesn't, and I'm pretty sure neither does the PS4. There are other BR players, however, that have come out since that time with proper support.

 

App support on the Oppo devices is garbage. Netflix and Pandora are the only popular offerings and they are painfully slow to use.

 

I will re-evaluate the field whenever my Oppo craps out on me, but I would not hesitate to stay with the brand if all other things are equal.

[kapsnb01]

95/105 analog guts are supposed to be something special.

 

 

And I get into want vs need all the time with HT, but I still like to be honest. If I tell someone they do not need a Oppo and a Sony is fine, but they want an Oppo, then I did my part

 

I didn't need a preamp, and I don't need dual 18" subs. But I want...

Exactly...I didn't "need" the Oppo, just as I didn't "need" to rip apart my CF-3s and put them back together.  But, it was sure fun doing it and I enjoy the results!

 

I like the PS3 it does a great job, but I also do lots of gaming. Play your standard session of CoD, GTA, Metal Gear, Gran Turismo or The Last of Us — then fire up Gravity on Blu-ray. The PS3 is louder than the movie (the XBOX is even worse, much, much worse. lol).  Pro/Con of PQ has too many variables, display, connections, calibrations, source—so individual results may vary in that respect. For me the Oppo perfectly takes on its role; Movies. Plus, it will extend the life of my beloved PS3 & help stay off the Red Light of Death (already been down that road).

 

Congrats on your new pick up. I hope it performs well in your system.

I won't pretend it was a major factor in the decision, but I do use the PS4 a lot, so it will be nice to not keep putting hours on it as a game system and Blu-ray player.  My wife is the opposite of tech savy, so it will also be nice for her to have a dedicated Blu-ray player that will be easy to use.  She gets lost using the PS4 and controller to try and watch Blu-rays...so she'll really appreciate not having to do that as well. 

[Paducah Home Theater]

I like the PS3 it does a great job, but I also do lots of gaming. Play your standard session of CoD, GTA, Metal Gear, Gran Turismo or The Last of Us — then fire up Gravity on Blu-ray. The PS3 is louder than the movie (the XBOX is even worse, much, much worse. lol).  Pro/Con of PQ has too many variables, display, connections, calibrations, source—so individual results may vary in that respect. For me the Oppo perfectly takes on its role; Movies. Plus, it will extend the life of my beloved PS3 & help stay off the Red Light of Death (already been down that road).

 

People tend to view them as a toy, but the PS3 was/is a killer player.  Sony actually lost money on every one sold.  Those things are so powerful you can take several units and turn it into a supercomputer that will outperform some of the multi-million dollar setups.  

 

However, they went a step backwards with the PS4.  They blocked the ability to play even simple store bought CD's, you can't use some streaming services, can't play MP3's, plus it is louder, and they turned the remotes into flashlights that cannot turn off.  Really aggravating.  I can only assume they were trying to promote the Sony streaming music service.  

[gadgtfreek]

Yep, PS4 doesn't even have a blu-ray remote like the PS3.

 

The PS3 really ruled '06-10 as THE blu-ray player to have, plus all of it's media abilities. It's main drawback was it did not have a decoder/SoC, it's playback was software based. One that Sony stated at one point would get better, but they never improved. I bought the BDP-1000 Samsung in '06 for $1000, and it SUCKED. I had a PS3 after that for a long while.

 

As a blu-ray player, it lost ground in 2011 and beyond to cheap standalones, many of who had better PQ (especially dvd) than the PS3 (now realize when I say "better" I am nitpicking). Still is to this date a great device though. I think with the PS4 sony wants you to but it for games, and then have to buy a $100 player from them.

Edited May 29, 2015 by gadgtfreek

[Nismo]

 

I like the PS3 it does a great job, but I also do lots of gaming. Play your standard session of CoD, GTA, Metal Gear, Gran Turismo or The Last of Us — then fire up Gravity on Blu-ray. The PS3 is louder than the movie (the XBOX is even worse, much, much worse. lol).  Pro/Con of PQ has too many variables, display, connections, calibrations, source—so individual results may vary in that respect. For me the Oppo perfectly takes on its role; Movies. Plus, it will extend the life of my beloved PS3 & help stay off the Red Light of Death (already been down that road).

 

People tend to view them as a toy, but the PS3 was/is a killer player.  Sony actually lost money on every one sold.  Those things are so powerful you can take several units and turn it into a supercomputer that will outperform some of the multi-million dollar setups.  

 

However, they went a step backwards with the PS4.  They blocked the ability to play even simple store bought CD's, you can't use some streaming services, can't play MP3's, plus it is louder, and they turned the remotes into flashlights that cannot turn off.  Really aggravating.  I can only assume they were trying to promote the Sony streaming music service.  

 

Yeah I agree. The PS3 with the Cell processor is powerful hardware & does an outstanding job with graphics & processing. Sony even participated with the Folding Home program where it connected to thousands of personal PS3's (at home) to conduct research with protein folding to study the causes of Alzheimer's, etc.  The Air Force even use them to assemble their own super computer the Condor Cluster. The $400 PS3 had the power of what would normally cost $10,000 for similar processing power.  Plus, the initial (launch) PS3 was the only version that had the Emotion Engine, making it backwards compatible, I purchased 2 of them on day one. I've owned almost every gaming console from Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo — yet, I've not been compelled to get the PS4. Like you say they took a few steps back with the "4" , another example the PS3 plays 3D, last I checked the PS4 does not. 

 

If one was to use the PS3 exclusively for movies only (not gaming) it would be an excellent choice for HT. But they do tend to overheat (processing graphic-heavy content), & the loud fan kicks in; or worse dies with Red Light of Death. Once my first PS3 died from overheating... I grabbed the Oppo exclusively for movies & purchased another PS3 for gaming.

 

I've heard the the Darbee edition was best suited for larger 100+ screens to take advantage of the additional VDP modes. But gadgtfreek offered that there is benefit with the Darbee, for even smaller displays. That upgrade certainly has me curious in terms of improved PQ. But bear in mind, back in the day, I also bought the Sony DVP-S7700 for DVD's, by comparison the Oppo is a very cost effective option. I like things to be over-built & to last. 

Edited May 29, 2015 by Nismo

[Max2]

Did anyone mention just how good the Oppo badge looks among your other equipment? 

[oldred]

Wow....... I still like my Oppo....... The other thing that blows me away...... Is that a Chinese company that specializes in cell phones has at least for the last 10 years made one of the best players..... If only it still played iso files

Edited May 30, 2015 by oldred

[gadgtfreek]

FYI, I got in a 2015 Sony 1500 ($79) and 6500 ($129) yesterday.

 

I like the new menu's better than the XMB, their styling is PS4 all the way but better than the drunk pyramids. The 6500 has a similiar Sony video chip to the BDP-7200 from last year, for 4K scaling I assume. The cheaper 1500 has less ram on board than the 6500/7200 which is to be expected, and the 1500 and 6500 have the same model drive which is a newer model number than the 7200/1200 share.

 

It passes spears and munsil tests just fine, so looks like another reliable year from Sony players. They didn't really change much that I can tell by looking at the chips, other than the older models have nanya ram and the new ones have Samsung.

 

the 6500 will be my new HT player and the 1500 is replacing the much slower 1200 for my bedroom streamer. Oppo is sold to help fund sub upgrades

 

Audio is more a priority for me nowadays, especially since I mainly watch blu-ray.

[kapsnb01]

FYI, I got in a 2015 Sony 1500 ($79) and 6500 ($129) yesterday.

 

It passes spears and munsil tests just fine, so looks like another reliable year from Sony players. They didn't really change much that I can tell by looking at the chips, other than the older models have nanya ram and the new ones have Samsung.

 

the 6500 will be my new HT player and the 1500 is replacing the much slower 1200 for my bedroom streamer. Oppo is sold to help fund sub upgrades

 

Audio is more a priority for me nowadays, especially since I mainly watch blu-ray.

Very cool...glad that you like the 6500.  Looked like a very good player and if I end up deciding not to hold on to the Oppo, for whatever reason, it would be my top choice as a replacement. 

 

Once the Oppo arrives (via Pony Express it seems) on Friday, I'm going to run the Spears & Munsil tests also.  Will be my first attempt at video calibrating, so it's going to be interesting (or painful as I know very little)...I guess I'll see how it goes (and how user friendly it is!)

[gadgtfreek]

Its not bad, and if you hit up on the directional control on the remote, you get instructions for each pattern. Setting brightness, sharpenss and contrast do wonders.

[kapsnb01]

Been trying to read up on the articles they have posted and also been reading the thread on the AVS forum as well.  So, hopefully, by the time I pop the disc in, I'll have a bit of an understanding what I'm doing. 

[gadgtfreek]

Its not a big deal when you get used to it.

 

The brightness patterns are straightforward, just adjust up until you see everything, and then reduce until part disappears. Contrast you can go as high as you want as long as the long ramps don't pink or change colors, or you start clipping out too much bright white.

[Quiet_Hollow]

After two iterations of Panasonics players, we finally sprung for the OPPO 103 last month.

 

It was more a hardware upgrade than anything. The Panasonics were painfully slow in almost every way (especially the 85) and mechanically noisy (especially the 310).

 

Their only saving graces were the vidoe processors. Both cream of the crop....the DVD scaler in the 310 for instance is nothing short of amazing.

 

The OPPO ushered in real DNLA capability, "better" app support (Thadeus said it best), a real tray loader, quite drive motor, front display, quality front buttons (yes, some of use still use these), a stout remote, and an overall fit and finish not seen anywhere else in it's price bracket.

 

Finally, I needed region-free capability across the board which was really easy.