A new Oppo Blu-ray player coming soon!

[DaleAV]

Here's the thing I don't get: if you are buying a BD player, why would you need it to stream lower resolution video and stereo audio? I don't see why people feel this is a needed feature? I have Netflix, but the streaming quality so far is average. Convenient yes, but quality? Not especially.

That's my feeling. That's why I picked up a Roku box a year ago for $99. I can get all the major streaming I need through that, and it does not restrict my BD player options where I'd rather spend my a/v performance dollars.
Actually, the NF streaming has surpassed my original expectation. YMMV depending on the source. And you will not get the best multi-channel audio.
But a freebie along with my normal Netflix subscription I can't complain.
Of course a good & fast ethernet connection is essential.

 

[TVJon]

Geez. I haven't even taken mine out of the box yet and I'm having a little buyer's remorse. It'll be interesting to see what they take out to achieve the lower price point.

As for streaming - I'm not sure tying that to a Blu Ray player is the best option. I'd rather have a streaming/dvr kind of device than have streaming tied to a DVD player.

TVJon

 

[Audioholics]

No it doesn't. You can only stream movies that are available to be streamed. That is less than half of the titles available from them.

Giving the benefit of the doubt, I think he just meant that one box (the Oppo) could then play everything - discs and streaming.

 

[Adam]

Giving the benefit of the doubt, I think he just meant that one box (the Oppo) could then play everything - discs and streaming.

Yeah, that's what I meant. I totally missed that comment from John - I just focused on the quality comment.

Thanks, Clint!

 

[itschris]

Yeah, that's what I meant. I totally missed that comment from John - I just focused on the quality comment.

Thanks, Clint!

And a quality comment is was!

 

[sharptailhunter]

I was about to purchase an Oppo 83 before I read this. It was going to be my first BD player. So, now I'm wondering if I should wait to see what the new player is like? Anyone know about when we could expect to see it available?

 

[termin8ted314]

I was about to purchase an Oppo 83 before I read this. It was going to be my first BD player. So, now I'm wondering if I should wait to see what the new player is like? Anyone know about when we could expect to see it available?

Im in the same boat. I may hold off now.

 

[supervij]

With all the talk about the Lexicon-Oppo debacle, here's a piece of news that got overlooked . . . the new Oppo is here!

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-80/

And the comparison between it and the 83: http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-80/blu-ray-BDP-80-Compare.aspx

At $289 US plus tax, it looks pretty reasonable, especially as it has 7.1 analog audio output (though no dedicated stereo output), plays DVD-A and SACD (though not DSD over analog) and internally decodes the lossless audio codecs. The video processor looks to be not quite as refined as the one in the 83 and it is NOT recommended for home theatres with large screens, though what their criteria for a "large" screen is not defined. The 80 is recommended for those who wish to use a player as a digital transport. More info at those two links.

If my parents cared at all for Blu-ray, I'd pick this one up for them in a heartbeat. I'm sure a lot of people will be very happy with the $289 US price tag. Kudos to Oppo for delivering this new player. It does most of the stuff that the 83 does, but is signicantly lower in price. I foresee a LOT of sales of this little guy. And I do mean little: it's the same length, but it's a bit smaller on the height and depth.

No mention of any streaming (Netflix, etc.) capabilities, though. I'm sure that'll be a deal-breaker for some.

cheers,
supervij

 

[Nomo]

It actually looks pretty good.
I was anticipating Oppo dropping the SACD or in the least DVD-A, glad they didn't.
I'll probaly still lean towards the '83, but it's a tough call.

 

[j_garcia]

It is more expensive than I was hoping for, but for what you get it still seems like a good price. I actually don't need the SACD DVD-A portion for my second system, so I probably wouldn't pick one of these up. It looks like it only gives up a few features to the 83, most notably the Anchor Bay VRS.

 

[Matt34]

It is more expensive than I was hoping for, but for what you get it still seems like a good price. I actually don't need the SACD DVD-A portion for my second system, so I probably wouldn't pick one of these up. It looks like it only gives up a few features to the 83, most notably the Anchor Bay VRS.

Tough call for me, get another PS3 or this cheaper Oppo? Hmm, decisions.

 

[bogrod]

It is more expensive than I was hoping for, but for what you get it still seems like a good price. I actually don't need the SACD DVD-A portion for my second system, so I probably wouldn't pick one of these up. It looks like it only gives up a few features to the 83, most notably the Anchor Bay VRS.

The price & features is pretty much what I was expecting, which is a 980H with blueray capability. (which is more or less what Oppo said the new model was going to be) Part of the difficulty with going with a lower pricepoint is in what you end up with. Strip away the Anchor Bay chip and SACD & DVD-A playback, and then you essentially end up with a run of the mill blueray player.

For me, a big part of what separates Oppo from the rest is that they're willing to throw in high-end features and components for reasonable prices.

 

[j_garcia]

If you strip out SACD and DVD-A you have a Denon, since they use Anchor Bay also, however they cost a LOT more for the same features. There is nothing run of the mill about Oppo's players. I don't need SACD and DVD-A because I already have the 83SE that will eventually go up to the other house, but this would have been a good temporary player in the meantime if it cost a little less. This player is targeted at people who will do their video scaling outside of the player so the Anchor Bay VRS doesn't matter to them.

 

[bogrod]

If you strip out SACD and DVD-A you have a Denon, since they use Anchor Bay also, however they cost a LOT more for the same features.

But the new model does not have the AB chip, yet still retains SACD/DVD-A. Not really a valid comparison.

There is nothing run of the mill about Oppo's players.

I didn't say that Oppo has released a run of the mill product.

I don't need SACD and DVD-A because I already have the 83SE that will eventually go up to the other house, but this would have been a good temporary player in the meantime if it cost a little less.

Yes, but if a theoretical Oppo blueray player lacks SACD/DVD-A, and the AB chip, and any high-end-ish D/A converters, how does it differ significantly from your average blueray player? My point being that - how much of the neat-o-goodies can you strip away from an Oppo player before it starts to closely resemble your average player?

IIRC, I remember reading a posting where Oppo has stated that its performance (aside from perhaps load times, which some players suffer from) from blueray disks is no better than any other player.

This player is targeted at people who will do their video scaling outside of the player so the Anchor Bay VRS doesn't matter to them.

I'm sure there are some that will use it to scale elsewhere. There are some others who own(ed) a 980H and simply want blueray capability, but do not want to spend $500.

 

[termin8ted314]

IIRC, I remember reading a posting where Oppo has stated that its performance (aside from perhaps load times, which some players suffer from) from blueray disks is no better than any other player.

This is what worries me. IM not really concerned about the audio anymore. just the video so i may just go with another player.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

The video processor looks to be not quite as refined as the one in the 83 and it is NOT recommended for home theatres with large screens, though what their criteria for a "large" screen is not defined.

cheers,
supervij

I would expect what they mean by "large screens" is the same as conventional wisdom regarding whether you "need" 1080p or can just use a 720p set, like less expensive or older Plasma screens.

I would interpret that to mean you're OK up to 42" and under; for 46" and larger sets you would want to consider the ~83.

Since people who are looking for big-screen HD quality but want to save a few bucks are the ones most likely to consider a 720p/1080i set, it would appear to be a reasonable compromise to achieve a quality that mates with the budget. A careful buyer could get good performance out of a 720p 42" plasma screen and the ~80 for total outlay around $1000.

Similarly, if the potential buyer is more concerned about audio quality than a surround-capable receiver, a very good external audio decoder mated with the ~80 has the potential to give pretty outstanding audio disk performance; you could add another $1000 or possibly less (Benchmark DAC; Music Hall dac25.2) and have a very capable audio disk playing setup on a budget impossible even a few years ago.

You can still watch movies and TV, forgoing surround in your budget for better quality 2-ch audio gear. I think it's a well-thought out feature mix considering the compromises necessary to build to a price; and even considering the value it offers audio-oriented customers, there is still something there for video buffs as well.

 

[bogrod]

This is what worries me. IM not really concerned about the audio anymore. just the video so i may just go with another player.

I wanted to wait until this new player came out, just in case, but I am pretty much firm on going with an 83 & get the Anchor Bay chip. I already have a 980-H, which I think gives passable upscaling performance.

 

[allargon]

The price & features is pretty much what I was expecting, which is a 980H with blueray capability. (which is more or less what Oppo said the new model was going to be) Part of the difficulty with going with a lower pricepoint is in what you end up with. Strip away the Anchor Bay chip and SACD & DVD-A playback, and then you essentially end up with a run of the mill blueray player.

For me, a big part of what separates Oppo from the rest is that they're willing to throw in high-end features and components for reasonable prices.

A run of the mill Blu-ray player would have Netflix streaming and Youtube!

Seriously, I'd hoped Oppo would offer a player sans DVD-A/SACD, but with ABT and the bells and whistles. The high-end players (including Oppo) all lack the streaming (Vudu, pandora, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, etc.) and DLNA features that nearly all non-Sony mainstream players have these days.

At least Oppo and Denon aren't rushing to join that 3-D bandwagon.

 

[j_garcia]

A run of the mill Blu-ray player would have Netflix streaming and Youtube!

Seriously, I'd hoped Oppo would offer a player sans DVD-A/SACD, but with ABT and the bells and whistles. The high-end players (including Oppo) all lack the streaming (Vudu, pandora, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, etc.) and DLNA features that nearly all non-Sony mainstream players have these days.

At least Oppo and Denon aren't rushing to join that 3-D bandwagon.

The latest firmware does provide for streaming via DLNA. No specific services listed besides Blu-TV.

 

[allargon]

The latest firmware does provide for streaming via DLNA. No specific services listed besides Blu-TV.

Thanks for the 411 with respect to the DLNA. I assume that with DLNA, you could still get Netflix, Pandorra, YouTube, Amazon OnDemand, Cinemanow and even Hulu streamed to your Oppo as long as you had a program like PlayOn installed on your PC?