OPPO UDP-205 Universal Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Preview

[gene]

OPPO Digital announced their UDP-205 4K Ultra HD Audiophile Blu-ray Disc player is available for purchase. A step-up version of the recently released UDP-203, the UDP-205 brings top-of-the-line audio performance to a universal player that supports 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and many other digital audio and video formats. Advanced engineering, rigorous parts selection, and rock-solid build quality are foundations to the UDP-205’s performance and we are looking forward to bench testing this beauty.

Check out our preview article to see what makes this Universal Ultra HD Blu-ray player so special.

Read: OPPO UDP-205 Universal Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Preview

 

[Gys Florian]

Hi,

While I know nearly everyone put thoses Oppo bluray players at the top of the chart, I admit I still don't understand what make them so specials... especially for my needs.

How would I justify to purchase a 800€ 4k Oppo when I can get a 400€ 4k Panasonic one ?

Here are my requirements :

1. a bluray player that can pass video without processing to my plasma ( and of course with no errors )
2. audio output in bitsream mode (I don't need audio analog outputs)

Considering this, does Oppo bluray players are really better than Panasonic one's ?
More specifically, is there really a video decoding quality difference between a Panasonic UB900 and an Oppo203 ?
Is there also a difference between Panasonic UB300 and UB900 regarding Video decoding ?

I think major problem is unlike audio reviews, bluray player reviews are often made without providing video benchmarks which left us in the dark and make our choice very difficult.

PS : I have been told by a retailer that Panasonic Bluray players are producing "more video noise and film grain" than Oppo ones... but I have no data to backup this statement, and frankly I doubt it.

Any thoughts ?

 

[Muzykant]

I believe you pay the extra money for the upgraded audio section.

I once owned Oppo 105 player for a day. I was not impressed with the grainy picture it was outputting. Plus, high electrical interference in my place tricked the soft touch buttons into randomly skipping tracks. I posted on this forum about these issues and was told that this is not normal and I may have a defective unit. Unfortunately, I never gave it another try and returned it instead of exchanging. I bought a 500$ player from another manufacturer and am very happy with its performance.

The selling point for me was that awesome audio section. However, if you already have a high quality processor in your system, you may find this functionality redundant (as did I).

I may give Oppo another chance for my other system, but probably will go for the 203 model instead.

 

[j_garcia]

Video quality won't be much different between the 203 and 205 IMO. The only time you may notice is on older DVDs where the superior processing helps, but on BD and 4K material, you won't see a noticeable different I'd guess. The Audio section is what you're after in the higher Oppo models. I love my 105. Zero issues.

 

[Gys Florian]

So we are sharing same point of view.
I think I will go for the Panasonic ub300 : same video decoding processor as the ub900 for much less price ( 300€ ).
I don't need audio analog outputs, I don't need two HDMI outputs, and I don't need any scaling process as I will only play 4k BluRay with it.

In that case and for my particular needs I still don't believe Oppo to be Superior.

Would love to hear thoughts from AudioHolics official staff... are you there Gene ? ;-)

Edit: just looked near retailers and it seems ub300 is not yet available while ub400 already is, at only 349€. So I will probably choose the ub400.

 

[j_garcia]

I have owned a number of Panasonic models as well and was always pleased with them for other rooms as well. I bought my Oppos for excellent audio mainly.

 

[slipperybidness]

Buy Oppo if you want superior ANALOG audio sections, or for the build quality and customer support.

Otherwise, Panasonic should fit the bill nicely.

 

[Gys Florian]

Thank you for sharing.
But even for audio output... Is it really that great?
I think in my case the best setup is to bitstream audio from the BluRay player to my Yamaha cx-a5100 preamp, don't you think?
But if you're talking about audio analog outputs for playing CD's in the BluRay player then I don't need it.

 

[j_garcia]

Yes, mainly analog would be for music. For movies, go with the 203 or one of the Panasonics.

 

[Muzykant]

If my listening consists of streaming music off YouTube, playing CDs and mp3 files, would 205 model make any difference in sound reproduction? Vast majority of music I like is not and will never be available in high resolution formats.

 

[j_garcia]

I don't know about its MP3 capabilities. They worked well on the 105, though I didn't find them to sound "better". I have a lot of SACDs and DVD-As in addition to a large number of CDs, and I feel the price of a unit like this is worth it.

 

[gene]

So we are sharing same point of view.
I think I will go for the Panasonic ub300 : same video decoding processor as the ub900 for much less price ( 300€ ).
I don't need audio analog outputs, I don't need two HDMI outputs, and I don't need any scaling process as I will only play 4k BluRay with it.

In that case and for my particular needs I still don't believe Oppo to be Superior.

Would love to hear thoughts from AudioHolics official staff... are you there Gene ? ;-)

Edit: just looked near retailers and it seems ub300 is not yet available while ub400 already is, at only 349€. So I will probably choose the ub400.

As I stated in my preview, if you're NOT using the analog audio outputs, get the UDP-203 model. What makes OPPO usually stand out above much of its competition is a better and quicker interface. Try loading up a Blu-ray on an older Samsung BD player. It's painfully slow and quirky. Also I've seen issues with black level on some of the cheaper players. OPPOs are usually flawless in that regard since they benchmark their players and update FW when it needs it. I haven't checked out the Panasonic so I can't comment but I've had less than stellar experiences with inexpensive BD players from Samsung.

 

[Gys Florian]

Thank you Gene.

Here some links I have been able to find, they also contains informations about Oppo and Samsung.

Panasonic UB700 review : does contain interresting informations about Samsung chroma problem : http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/dmpub700-201612114390.htm

Panasonic UB400 review : in this one the author is telling Oppo is inferior to Panasonic for downscaling 4k to 1080p.

It's still difficult to compare bluray players since reviewers are not providing any benchmark today.
There were a few available benchs for 1080p players, but now no-one is benching 4k players and I don't understand why.

sample old bluray player benchmark :
http://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/video-player/blu-ray/panasonic-dmp-bdt210-blu-ray-player-for-the-home-theater/

 

[rwwear]

I want one if they ever bring it out in silver, if not, I don't know.

 

[Blue Dude]

This unique design significantly reduces jitter and eliminates timing errors, allowing customers to enjoy their music with increased accuracy when they use the audio-only HDMI output port for connecting the audio signal. PCM and DSD signals rely on the HDMI clock directly, so the HDMI audio jitter reduction circuitry can improve the sound quality of PCM and DSD audio.

I've read the jitter-is-bad info on less reputable forums, but I have to know: is this a real thing? Can you perceive a difference between the standard Oppo 203 HDMI clock and this ultra-precise version? If not, why make a point of it, and make a claim that it "can improve the sound quality?" Painting it pink "can improve" your experience but the proof is in the listening. No diff in ABX, no improvement. If it's a real, perceptible phenomenon, I apologize, but if not, I rather expected better from Audioholics repeating such a claim, and also disappointed in Oppo for making a point of it, even if the crazy audiophools want it as a feature.

 

[slipperybidness]

I've read the jitter-is-bad info on less reputable forums, but I have to know: is this a real thing? Can you perceive a difference between the standard Oppo 203 HDMI clock and this ultra-precise version? If not, why make a point of it, and make a claim that it "can improve the sound quality?" Painting it pink "can improve" your experience but the proof is in the listening. No diff in ABX, no improvement. If it's a real, perceptible phenomenon, I apologize, but if not, I rather expected better from Audioholics repeating such a claim, and also disappointed in Oppo for making a point of it, even if the crazy audiophools want it as a feature.

Marketing at its "finest".

It may be measurable, but likely not audible.

Have you EVER heard anything offending that could be attributed (without a doubt) to jitter?

 

[j_garcia]

I want one if they ever bring it out in silver, if not, I don't know.

105D came in silver, so there's a good chance this one will too.

 

[slipperybidness]

why or what would you use the analog features for?
thank you!

Music

 

[tomd]

As I stated in my preview, if you're NOT using the analog audio outputs, get the UDP-203 model. What makes OPPO usually stand out above much of its competition is a better and quicker interface. Try loading up a Blu-ray on an older Samsung BD player. It's painfully slow and quirky. Also I've seen issues with black level on some of the cheaper players. OPPOs are usually flawless in that regard since they benchmark their players and update FW when it needs it. I haven't checked out the Panasonic so I can't comment but I've had less than stellar experiences with inexpensive BD players from Samsung.

Hi Gene,
why, how or what would you use the analog features for?
thank you!

 

[j_garcia]

Music

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