Oppo blu-ray
Posted by: butchgo
Oppo blu-ray - 09/05/08 06:33 PM
Has anyone else seen this?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1063625 Wonder when this will be available???
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/05/08 07:49 PM
I wondered if they'd have something hiding at CEDIA this week. Last year, there was a DV-983H hiding at ABT's booth and it took nearly a week for any pictures of it to emerge. This one may be at ABT again this year, as I see what looks like a DVDO Edge box in the background of one shot.
This is the first I've seen this (hadn't spotted the AVS thread until you linked to it), but a few things catch my eye and make me very curious.
Connectivity: I see a 7.1 analog output plus stereo analog, coaxial and optical outputs, the standard array of video outputs (possibly excluding s-video, but it's hard to fault anybody on that), what appears to be a USB port, and a network jack. Oh, and IR in/out, and what might be a second USB on the front panel? Cool...
Remote: A new remote for the OPPO boys. I wonder if it is backlit?
Logos: Drum roll please, but did anybody else notice the "VRS" on the rear panel? That's what's under the hood of the 983H. And perhaps an SACD logo there on the front panel, next to a DVD logo that might or might not include DVD-A?
It's hard to say anything definitive yet, but a player with the video abilities of the 983H, DVD-A/SACD support, Profile 2.0 Blu-ray, and on-board decoding of new formats could be something of a "holy grail" player in many ways. Nifty. I still would hazard a guess that it'll be 2009 before they start shipping hardware, but it seems possible that it could be the early months of 2009...
Posted by: butchgo
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/05/08 09:14 PM
With the Sony S550 coming out in the next couple of months it will be hard to wait but I really think it would be worth it.
It would be so nice to have one player that could do it all.
They say "things come to he who waits" and "patience is a virtue" but it will be tough waiting for the preorder to be posted for this baby!!!!
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/05/08 09:39 PM
Nice find butchgo. The S83... This is the player I've been waiting to see.
Posted by: AvFan
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/06/08 05:45 AM
With all the BD player choices out there it has been difficult to "choose wisely" so I've stayed on the sidelines. OPPO could take care of all that with this player if it incorporates the 983 features along with BD capability. As Gonk said, the Holy Grail of players.
Posted by: butchgo
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/06/08 06:00 PM
I always felt the one of the reasons Oppo released the 983 was to test the platform for their Blu-ray player.
So I am going to assume that all of the features of the 983 will be in the S83.
I just wish we had some idea of Oppo's time frame.
I too have been waiting in the wings and actually had decided to buy the Sony S550 when it comes out but now, I am not sure about that.
Maybe Gonk can get us some inside info soon?
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/06/08 06:06 PM
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/06/08 07:52 PM
Jon took some great pictures. Apparently they weren't putting "DVD-Audio" on the faceplate yet when they had this prototype built because they're still trying to get it working, but it's so similar to TrueHD that it would seem likely they can pull it off. And the new remote looks pretty nice, actually. They still have the "GOTO" button that I was so pleased with back when I first got my 971H as well as discrete "on" and "off" buttons. There's also a "P/N" button suggesting that they're retaining the PAL/NTSC support they've long been known for.
Originally posted by butchgo:
I always felt the one of the reasons Oppo released the 983 was to test the platform for their Blu-ray player.
So I am going to assume that all of the features of the 983 will be in the S83.
I'd initially be skeptical of them being able to afford to retain the ABT solution of the 983H in a Blu-ray player simply because of the hardware costs associated with the 102 deinterlacing chip, but it appears they were thinking far ahead - the 102/1018 combo that they used when developing the 983H was also the basis for ABT's new 2010 chip, and the firmware by and large ports over. (In fact, new 983H's ship with a revised HDMI board that uses a 2010 in place of the 102 and 1018 that are in my 983H.) Apparently the BDP-83 is going to use the 2010 as well, which means it should mimic the 983H's scaling and deinterlacing performance. Which is just really, really cool...
Originally posted by butchgo:
I just wish we had some idea of Oppo's time frame.
I too have been waiting in the wings and actually had decided to buy the Sony S550 when it comes out but now, I am not sure about that.
Maybe Gonk can get us some inside info soon?
If I knew anything "official" yet, I'd be under an NDA until they started either shipping or taking pre-orders. On the other hand, I've been watching developments in the forums as closely as most anybody, and what's cropping up there (mainly from folks who visited the ABT booth this week) indicates that they'd like to be shipping before the holiday season if possible. I'd tend to guess there's some possibly-misplaced optimism in that goal, but it sounds like even if they can't pull a holiday release off we've got a really good shot at seeing this thing shipping before winter's over.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/06/08 08:40 PM
Here's a little more info that Gizmodo got from OPPO:
The BDP-83 will be a Profile 2.0 that features the ABT 2010 de-interlacing and scaling solution for both DVD and Blu-Ray media. The product as currently implemented supports SACD. We are investigating the possibility of DVD-Audio support.
The player will support the transportation and decoding of the Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS High Resolution, and DTS HD-Master. In the current implementation only the core DD and DTS are supported, but the hardware will support the transportation and decoding of these formats in the future.
No price has been established, but we are throwing around $499~699 as the possible price points. Anticipated release is Winter (November through February)
It sounds like there's still some serious firmware work to be done (implementing the decoding in the DSP, working out the situation with DVD-Audio), which makes me suspect we'll see this closer to February 2009 than to November 2008.
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/07/08 05:56 PM
I can definitely wait. Just like I can wait for Outlaw on their next gen equipment. I'm using a PS3 now and it's fine for now.
I'm using the 980H for DVD's and CD's.
I personally think it's smart to have the pictures and model number of the player out with some preliminary features. People will wait for Oppo.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/07/08 08:51 PM
Yeah, it's definitely looking like a good maneuver on OPPO's part to put this prototype in ABT's booth this week. They've been keeping things very quiet up to now (understandably, as high expectations and excessive impatience can really put a damper on even a good product), but they seem close enough now (largely finalized hardware plus work in progress on the firmware) that it's smart marketing to get the word out to that substantial portion of their customer base that reads forums and home theater sites. I doubt that Panasonic, Sony, or Pioneer will be able to identify the drop in Blu-ray player sales that this announcement is likely to create, but there will be a drop and there will be a respectable number of people who will postpone Blu-ray hardware purchases specifically for the BDP-83 because of this prototype's appearance.
What I like most is the potential for this to be the player that gives us a real, justifiable, and practical upgrade solution for people who don't want to spend money on a new processor. I know more than one person with a 990 who has no interest in moving to a next-generation product (and even a few 950 owners in the same boat, for that matter).
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/07/08 09:31 PM
Originally posted by gonk:
What I like most is the potential for this to be the player that gives us a real, justifiable, and practical upgrade solution for people who don't want to spend money on a new processor. I know more than one person with a 990 who has no interest in moving to a next-generation product (and even a few 950 owners in the same boat, for that matter).
Right, it certainly makes it so there isn't an absolute must to upgrade in order to take advantage of high def audio. HDMI to my TV and 7.1 analog to the 990.
Gonk - would you run analog into the 990 strait through or would you process with Dolby Pro Logic IIx for those disc's that don't have 7.1, which is the majority?
I've heard that Oppo is going to try get these units ready for the holiday season. It would be great if they could.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/07/08 09:55 PM
You've got to run straight through the 990 without additional surround processing, as the 990 can't apply PLIIx to a multichannel analog source. What remains to be seen is what options might exist internal to the player to provide matrix processing to expand 5.1 sources to 7.1. The 980H and 983H offer this ability in the form of a simply steering logic, and it would make sense for them to allow something similar in the BDP-83.
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/07/08 10:30 PM
I didn't realize that, but I guess you wouldn't want to reprocess the audio anyway. I haven't been using the 980H with multi-analog out. Perhaps I'll set-it-up today and see how I like it.
Since we've bought our PS3, we haven't been watching many DVD's, it's been all blu-ray.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/07/08 11:01 PM
With the 980H and DVD's, there's no real need to use the multichannel analogs. The 7.1 direct is useful if you have any DVDA or SACD titles, in which case using the "7.1Ch" sownmix setting will enable the rear channel steering.
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 09/07/08 11:34 PM
I do have DVDA and may see how it sounds.
Posted by: garcianc2003
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 10/03/08 12:24 PM
I guess this will serve as a bump. Here are a couple of links that I have run into. There may be some new pictures that you haven't seen, or you may be tired of seeing these. Like i said, *bump*
-
CrunchGear -
Home Cinema Choice (mentions a possible $700 price for the player) -
YouTube video from Cedia showing the Oppo at 5 min. into the video
Posted by: AvFan
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 10/03/08 01:33 PM
I can't tell; will this new OPPO decode the new lossless formats when it is released or will that feature be a firmware update at a later time?
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 10/03/08 01:48 PM
We don't know. My suspicion is that it will decode them when it launches, but we've had no official word either way - just that the hardware supports it but the firmware they had running on it when it was shown (staticly) at CEDIA didn't yet implement those capabilities.
Posted by: butchgo
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 10/03/08 02:56 PM
The picture of the back of the Oppo confirms that it will decode all of the formats.
Even if it was missing anything after it's release you know that Oppo would have a firmware update that would take care of it anyway.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14603715#post14603715
Posted by: AvFan
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 10/03/08 04:17 PM
The timing on the release of the new OPPO and the 997 is likely to give some 990 owners, me included, some pause.
I'm pretty happy with the way my system sounds. For example, I've found a way to take care of first reflection points in a tasteful way that meets the WAF. So, the new Trinnov feature of the 997 may not be that important to me. If/when the new OPPO decodes the new audio formats I can run them directly to my 990 via 7.1 analog inputs. No need for a 997 to do it.
On the video side the new OPPO will take care of DVDs like the 983H does plus add BD to my options. It sounds like the OPPO video may be better than the Silicon Optix Reon solution in the 997. Folks have indicated they want a video bypass feature for each input on the 997 so they can take advantage of high quailty sources such as the new OPPO player and their 983H. That leaves me with legacy video sources that I rarely use plus standard and HD TV.
Hmmmmm, sounds like I'm talking my way into only the new OPPO BD player...Must have patience!
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 10/03/08 04:28 PM
@ AvFan,
I hear what you're saying. I used the Audessy optimizer in the integra 885 for my father's system and wasn't impressed with with the results. It was interesting, but not accurate. But I could be doing something wrong.
I like the idea of the internal video scaling because I have basic cable and only a handful of HD channels, which only happened recently. However, I have an xbox and ps 2. I don't know if the scaler will benefit them or not, but if it does, great.
I agree that the Oppo will take care of dvd/blu-ray media and hd audio formats of said media, but that's it.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 10/03/08 06:21 PM
The BDP-83 does represent a path for anyone with a good non-HDMI receiver or processor to avoid "needing" to buy an HDMI front end. It's something that I've been hoping would appear at some point, and I've been a little surprised to see how little activity there has been for support of DVD-Audio and SACD on Blu-ray players (even from companies like Denon and Pioneer that have done a lot with both formats in the past). If I were to pair a BDP-83 with a Model 997, I'd certainly look to let the BDP-83 retain responsibility for video processing - the Reon is good, but the general consensus I've seen has been that the ABT solution is a bit better.
Posted by: butchgo
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 11/11/08 01:29 AM
Check this out.
It's getting closer!!!!
Still doesn't say DVD-Audio but I hope that will be included.
http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-83/
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 11/11/08 03:01 AM
Thanks.. that made my night.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 11/11/08 03:18 AM
Looks like there is either some rendering or Photoshop touch-up involved in the pictures (the USB port cover looks like a part of the faceplate, even though the design looks reminiscent of the 980H's USB port cover), but that doesn't change the fact that it looks mighty handsome - and very much similar to the prototype that appeared at CEDIA. Exciting to see it getting a page of its own on their site...
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 12:39 AM
Psssst.....
We would like to thank you for the tremendous feedback that we have received from the community in response to our first BDP-83 Blu-ray player notification update. There were many great comments, suggestions and concerns which we will try to address in the release of the BDP-83. In particular, we would like to address the Early Adoption Program.
We have decided to take a democratic, by-the-people approach to the implementation of the Early Adoption Program. For the initial batch we will randomly choose 50 customers to participate in the Early Adoption Program. These 50 customers will have the opportunity to purchase the BDP-83 for $499 before the official release. After using the player for about a week, they will be required to vote on whether the program should be expanded or suspended based on end-user experiences. If a supermajority (at least 70%) votes in favor of expanding the program, we will expand the Early Adoption Program by another 100 randomly chosen customers. The player will be shipped with a pre-production firmware version. Firmware updates will be available from time to time.
The initial 50 Early Adoption Customers will be chosen no later than February 25th using the random number generator at random.org. After being contacted by us, the customer must place the order no later than 3pm February 27th Pacific Time; otherwise the opportunity to participate will be passed on to another customer. A simple "Yes" or "No" vote on whether to expand the program needs to be cast no later than March 15th.
Terms and conditions for the Early Adoption Program, as well as the current program status, can be found at our web site:
http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-83/EAP.aspx We would also like to take this time to update you on the status of BDP-83 developments. The last two months have been very fruitful, as the player now supports BD-Live (Profile 2.0) and can internally decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats. DVD-Audio has yet to be implemented through firmware, but we are working diligently on this feature. A preliminary features and specifications list will be available on our web site on Tuesday March 3rd.
Opt-Out:
If you are still interested in receiving communications about the BDP-83 and participating in the Early Adoption Program, no further action is necessary. Otherwise, please click on the SafeUnsubscribe link below to decline participation and to opt out of any further e-mail communications regarding the BDP-83.
Best Regards,
Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.
Tel: 650-961-1118
Fax: 650-961-1119
2629 Terminal Blvd., Suite B
Mountain View CA 94043 USA
BDP-83 EAP program coming
very soon. DVD-Audio is still under development, but BD-Live, TrueHD decoding, and DTS-HD MA decoding are up and running.
Posted by: edcon
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 01:43 AM
Thanks for the info Gonk. Anyone care to take a guess at the full production release date? I have been waiting for this unit for a long time but at $500 I am having second thoughts(Panasonic DMP-BD35 is 1/2 the cost). Does anybody think that price will hold or drop?
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 02:32 AM
The price of $500 is actually less than I'd expected it to be - I'd been telling folks to expect $600. The price will not come down. As for the Panasonic BD35 being half the price, it's because you're getting less than half of the player (which may or may not make a big difference depending on your needs). The BD35 lacks multichannel analog output (a big deal for Model 990 owners), lacks SACD, lacks DVD-Audio (which the BDP-83 will have before much longer), and lacks the Anchor Bay video processor. Having used both the 983H and BD30 (and having spent quite a few months testing the BDP-83), I can say that Panasonic's Uniphier chip is not on the same level as the ABT2010 that the BDP-83 is using.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 02:34 AM
As for a release date, I'm guessing that it could be as soon as the week of March 23-27 (based on the EAP time frame), but it might be later than that. An unscientific WAG would be between 3/23 and late April...
Posted by: edcon
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 03:27 AM
Good info, thanks. It's not really an apple to apple, point taken. Just a brief moment of impatience on my part. I am ready to upgrade my 720 DLP to a 1080P TH58PZ800U-Viera-58-Plasma and get a blueray player! So looks like that may happen sometime in March/April. If you can make a comment I would be interested , How’s the load time?
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 03:58 AM
I'm holding off on performance details until the NDA is lifted (which should happen once the EAP launches), but it's safe to say "fast."
Posted by: edcon
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 01:43 PM
I just received the email from OPPO this am (same one you posted yesterday). I signed up early on; maybe I will be one of the random lucky "50".
Posted by: butchgo
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 04:29 PM
I think we are all sitting here with everything crossed hoping to be one of the lucky 50.
One thing though, if they get the 70% yes vote another 100 names will be drawn.
Then if that release that garners a 70% yes vote another 200 names will be drawn so the odds keep getting better!!!!!!
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 05:24 PM
I don't know that they'll scale up to an additional 200 EAP participants - if we get to that point, they are likely to use input from the second wave of EAP folks (numbers 51 through 150) to help determine when to pull the trigger on the official release.
Posted by: UMtiger
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 08:00 PM
I got my email on the EAP as well, and hoping to be among the "lucky ones". I will keep my 990 and use the Oppo for all the decoding functions instead of the difference in $ for the new 997.
Just can't justify right now during these cautionary economic times.
Unfortunately for Oppo, their timing will not end up being the best for releasing a new product.
Posted by: gonk
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/25/09 09:03 PM
It's hardly ideal, but I think their target audience is likely to generate a fairly healthy sales volume. The $499 price is lower than I think most beta testers were expecting, which helps, and judging by the AVS thread there are a fair number of folks who have been saving their pennies specifically for this player since last fall.
By the way, folks, once the EAP kicks off officially the NDA on beta testers will be adjusted. Discussion of ongoing testing will be off-limits, but discussion of everything relating to features and performance of player and the EAP firmware will be allowed. With that in mind, I'm going to try to have a first-pass review ready to post when the NDA is loosened and will simply update it later once the EAP ends and the official product launch takes place.
Posted by: Retep
Re: Oppo blu-ray - 02/26/09 12:11 AM
Thanks gonk, your reviews are always insightful.