New BDP suggestions, Oppo?

bansheesho

My wife is frustrated with our current BDP which I purchased before I got into the higher end audio. The current one is a Panasonic dmp-bd75, just a cheap little thing, but it serves a very important role not only as the bd/dvd player but also as the cd player and netflix streaming.

Since it is playing such an important role, I would like to get a nicer one that is good with netflix, good streaming capabilities, built in wifi, and superb bd/dvd/cd playback. At this time I don't do 3d, but I would expect a nicer unit to have all the current bells and whistles.

My first thought was an oppo 103, but I'm not sure if I can justify the $500 price tag. I would feel more comfortable in the $200-300 range. Are there any good units in this price range I should consider? What would the advantages of getting an oppo be compared to a cheaper one, and would they be worth it?

Thanks for any help.

bansheesho

I did notice that the oppo supports netflix Dolby 5.1 which is a big bonus.

Conradicles

Used oppo 83 is a good option in the $225 to $250 range.

polkfarmboy

If you just want a great picture and the full HD experience then go for a sony bdp 790 but if you want more than a bdp then it has to be the oppo. I got my sony 790 for $250 and its 4k ready has 1080p streaming with great 3D, the picture quality has proven to be the same as the oppo for dvd upscale too

Inspector 24

Check out the Panasonic BMP-BDT500.

7.1 pre outs. Burr-Brown Dac. Dual Hdmi outputs. Higher quality build all around. Been doing some reading on it, seems 90% the player for $200 less.

bansheesho

The sony 790 does look to be a pretty good player in comparison. Of course the oppo 103 does have a few more features such as the mhl port on the front, but I already have an mhl cable through my receiver.

How does the Sony compare for audio playback?

polkfarmboy

The sony had what the older oppo's never had and that was superior streaming audio codec's. The sony gets beaten by the analogue audio because it has none, only digital. My sony does sacd and has 2 hdmi outs for audio video or you can disable the video on one and split the audio/video into separate hdmi ports. On a bluray you may not notice but the oppo has better audio for streaming music I would think and rightfully so given the big price tag

bansheesho

The way I currently work it is that I send the signals to the receiver for processing. Is it standard practice on the higher end players to have the signals processed at the player level and then sent to the receiver?

The question I am really getting at is would it even make a difference in audio quality to get the Sony and have it's signal sent to the receiver? Where would the audio advantage be in the oppo?

polkfarmboy

There would be no diff in that department, the sony is a very capable player and has so many great reviews. Its a no frill in the style department from a giant corporation and thats why they can let this go for as cheap as it is. I can understand your concerns because before this I had some crap bdp's

I just wana add to this that for the price of the sony you could buy a darbee that would just smoke the oppo on any movie for picture quality :cheesygrin:

bansheesho

I am leaning towards the Sony unless someone else has any input otherwise. I like that it also has the dual hdmi output incase at some point I upgrade the tv to 3d, I won't have to upgrade the receiver.

zane77

I've had the 790 for quite a while and it works great. Up scales DVD's to almost Blu-ray quality, hard to beat for the price.

Tornado Red

The 103 plays DVD-A and has 7.1 analog that the 790 doesn't, but neither may be a need for you anyway. Both have dual HDMI outs which will get you directly to your display for 3d in the future as you mentioned. 4k, SACD are also on both. Personally, I have the 103 and the reasons I bought vs the 790 were Oppo CS that is second to none, and build quality. But, the Sony is a great player and will certainly save your wallet. Decisions, decisions...:cheesygrin:

sarvic

I currently own the Sony 790, being upgrade from I think it was the 560. My only two complaints are that the physical player has those soft-touch buttons on the top (eject, play, etc) versus the physical ones. Sometimes they aren't always responsive. The second is that it doesn't have (to my knowledge) a countdown timer on the remote like my old sony had. Sometimes it's nice to be able to just see how much of the movie was left vs how much you've been watching.

polkfarmboy

sarvic wrote: »

I currently own the Sony 790, being upgrade from I think it was the 560. My only two complaints are that the physical player has those soft-touch buttons on the top (eject, play, etc) versus the physical ones. Sometimes they aren't always responsive. The second is that it doesn't have (to my knowledge) a countdown timer on the remote like my old sony had. Sometimes it's nice to be able to just see how much of the movie was left vs how much you've been watching.

Just push the display button and you will find all the relevant info regarding your content.... including the time line info. Its always nice to consult the manual

Inspector 24

Panasonic DMP-BDT220 same video section as the higher end BDT500 but without the audiophile DAC. just had mine delivered $110 shipped.

Reviews are better than its replacement the 230.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I agree with Skip, if you care anything about music playback then that Pioneer is a no brainer over the Sony.

For pure BD and music playback I'd recommend the Pioneer. If you want to add good DVD scaling to that mix then pay more and get the Oppo 83. If you want to add streaming and more bells and whistles then you're either going to need to spend more money or sacrifice music quality.

leftwinger57

This was my last device I had to get to complete the rack.I went to BB and happened upon an open box Toshiba BDX2200.It came w/ the box ,remote, all the paperwork and made sure the thing worked in the store. It lists for $100 and I got it for $52. Works fine for my needs and I just shined it up. Agaist the Oppo there probably is no comparison but for what I paid and for the amount of Blu/Rays I watch it's fine.

http://us.toshiba.com/video-electronics/disc-players/bdx2200

sarvic

polkfarmboy wrote: »

Just push the display button and you will find all the relevant info regarding your content.... including the time line info. Its always nice to consult the manual

And as verified again last night while watching a movie, the Display button "doesn't" in fact cycle though the timers to show a countdown.
I take it you don't actually own a BDP-790...
And another thing, try reading the manual. It doesn't help with that either probably because there is no actual countdown timer.
Thanks.

Polkie2009

Lol, hey you gave it a shot sarvic, it never hurts to check the manual , so many of them are so hard to comprehend sometimes with their weird wording.

sarvic

this is true although some are better than others...lol

Polkie2009

Oppo actually does a nice job on their manual. I once bought a Mackie Power Mixer and their manual was easy to read and actually had little comedic jokes and comments thrown in,lol.

sarvic

I wonder if they plan on coming out with come new models this fall...

polkfarmboy

sarvic wrote: »

And as verified again last night while watching a movie, the Display button "doesn't" in fact cycle though the timers to show a countdown.
I take it you don't actually own a BDP-790...
And another thing, try reading the manual. It doesn't help with that either probably because there is no actual countdown timer.
Thanks.

A countdown for what ?

sarvic

The time left on the movie being played. My old Sony had the ability of showing different timers on the display of the Blu-ray device by hitting the Display button on the remote. Mainly how long the movie has been playing and how much time is left on the movie (countdown). The 790 only gives you the first one and not the countdown.

polkfarmboy

Well I do have the sony 790, I will check it out but I am pretty sure you can hit display and view that info

sarvic

polkfarmboy wrote: »

Well I do have the sony 790, I will check it out but I am pretty sure you can hit display and view that info

Soooo, any luck?

Sherardp

I have the S790 paired up with JVC RS4810 4K projector and the image is amazing. I like the ease of use, streaming is awesome and the sound is fantastic. I like what Oppo has to offer, but the S790 rivals what Oppo has to offer for less coin. Go for the Sony, it's well worth it.

pretorios

I, too, have been looking to upgrade from a cheaper Sony player (< $100). Frankly, I'm unimpressed with the reviews I'm reading for any of these players, Oppo included. It seems this is very much a case--as with HDMI--that the dreams very much outstrip current technologies. From what I've read about Oppo, though, they do provide a good warranty and good support.

For higher-end bluray players, you certainly need a good warranty.

pretorios

DSkip wrote: »

Explain?

The vision exceeds the technology. Disc players have become these sort of global multimedia systems that can't really decide whether they would rather play discs or stream content and offer all sorts of Internet connectivity. These are nice machines, on paper, but it's difficult to find one--unless you're willing to part with a lot of dough--that do all of these things well. There's even a lot of criticisms of Oppo's higher-end players--not so good for sound, connection issues (particularly wireless), persnickety with certain types of DVD's, blurays, etc. It's as though these companies throw handfuls of macaroni at the walls to see what sticks. I'd rather a company do one thing and do it really well instead of selling beta technology on the open market.

It's not just Bluray players, either. You see this with receivers and televisions as well.