Oppo BD83 - Intial setup and impression

BlueFox

I just hooked up my new Oppo BD83 to my Sony DA7100ES via HDMI. This is the first time I have used the HDMI on the Sony. So far it has been a piece of cake. Select HDMI1 on the Sony, and that was it. Since LPCM was the default Oppo setting, I think the only thing I changed was to dim the display, and turn on screensaver. After that, everything seems to work. It is 6:30 PM here so the HT room is not completely dark yet, but the initial picture looks good. It is Bluray at 1080i to a Hitachi 57” RPTV.

I started drinking beer at 6, so around 9 or so I should be in “Bluray video and audio evaluation mode”. Then I will “see” if this Bluray upgrade is worthwhile.

Along this line, last week I upgraded the analog ICs between the Sony AVR pre and my amp with 5 new Mapleshade ICs. That was a great upgrade, especially for the subtle background sounds; leaves rustling in the wind, glass breaking, etc. They really bought out the details in the sound. Hopefully, Bluray is going to make it even better.

I am using T3 as my first Bluray disk since I use the DVD version as my reference disk. I have every scene and sound memorized, so if there is a difference I should notice it. Also, I will be able to do a comparison of the Oppo DVD upconversion compared to the Sony 9100ES upconversion.

Time for another beer.

BlueFox

So far, after watching T3 last night, I am impressed. I was wondering how much better a 1080i Bluray would be compared to an upconverted DVD to 1080i, and the difference is dramatic. It is as if I am watching a different movie. The picture is so clear, sharp, and detailed. It is so good I found myself watching what was occurring in the background of a scene instead of the foreground.

The audio also is a great leap forward. Using the Oppo to uncompress it into LPCM for the AVR works flawlessly, and there is so much more detail in the audio.

This is a great upgrade, and well worth the $500 the Oppo costs.

Unfortunately, as I was watching T3 last night, and seeing it as a new movie, I realized I am going to be rebuying more than just T3 in Bluray. At the very least, I need to get the Matrix Trilogy, and the Star Wars set in Bluray when it is out.

Time to start drinking beer to get into evaluation mode for Watchmen tonight.

kuntasensei

You're gonna freak when you see Watchmen on it. A friend brought his new BD83 over to try to get me to buy it off of him (long story - he bought it with money his wife had planned on spending on something, and now he's scrambling to put the money back before she finds out), and we hooked it through my Onkyo 705/Sanyo PLV-Z2000 setup and spun Watchmen. Freakin' AMAZING.

I didn't buy it off of him, 'cause an evil part of me kinda' wants to see him get busted for it after all his bragging to me about getting one... but I'm thinking of getting one soon to replace my Panny S97.