Oppo BDP-103/105 Networked Blu-Ray players

[hometheatergeek]

Originally Posted by growler

Hometheatergeek, Thanks for the suggestion re SD card. I did install one & just checked & less than 10% full, 90+% available. So, I erased & reformatted it anyway & tried both BDs again & still cannot read. Good suggestion though. You just upgraded from BD35 to Oppo, do you see a difference in PQ? I know that when upgrading from a recent model player the PQ improvement, if any, is small but, I wonder about upgrading as you & I are doing, from an older player? Did you upgrade due to a problem with the BD35?

JohnAV, I probably will call Oppo to ask if there is any benefit for me to split the HDMI out with 1 direct to TV & 2 to AVR. I think the reply will be no, not unless I get a 3D TV & keep my Sc05 which is not 3D/HDMI 1.4.
My Oppo shipped today.

Hello Growler. Missed your question. Sorry. That's too bad the SD card did not fix those two non-playing BDs. Did you say you have tried to play them in a different player, maybe a neighbor or family member's player? To answer your question I do see an improvement in PQ. I threw in The Fifth Element and saw detail that seem to be missing from previous viewings and I have watch that move numerous times including going all the way back to when I had it on LD. No the BD-35 is alive and kicking. Never had a problem with it except once with The Fifth Element oddly enough where it got stuck in the scene where Bruce is in his apartment but played perfectly in the Oppo. And of course with the newest release of Total Recall. Other than that if they were clean BDs no problems. I must say this disclaimer. I only used my BD-35 on the weekends so maybe 4 hours each weekend.

Originally Posted by JohnAV

I thought the trailers were just stereo, while the actual video stream is DD. Have you switched HDMI audio to say bitstream/LPCM over AUTO as a suggestion.

It was my first run at Vudu so you might be right. I did toggle the audio on the new Denon 4311ci that I just got but I was only able to get the versions that you would expect to get when it is only seeing a stereo feed.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by hometheatergeek

Went to play a trailer off of Vudu during the weekend, Ironman3. It showed it was playing DD audio but my Denon 4311ci was receiving stereo. All defaults in the Oppo output from HDMI1 to in on the AVR. Is there something I am overlooking?

Instead of playing the trailer, some of which are only stereo, play the 2 minute preview, which you can watch for free for most movies. That should come through in Dolby Digital 5.1.

[growler]

Originally Posted by hometheatergeek

Hello Growler. Missed your question. Sorry. That's too bad the SD card did not fix those two non-playing BDs. Did you say you have tried to play them in a different player, maybe a neighbor or family member's player? To answer your question I do see an improvement in PQ. I threw in The Fifth Element and saw detail that seem to be missing from previous viewings and I have watch that move numerous times including going all the way back to when I had it on LD. No the BD-35 is alive and kicking. Never had a problem with it except once with The Fifth Element oddly enough where it got stuck in the scene where Bruce is in his apartment but played perfectly in the Oppo. And of course with the newest release of Total Recall. Other than that if they were clean BDs no problems. I must say this disclaimer. I only used my BD-35 on the weekends so maybe 4 hours each weekend.

Thanks, Hometheater geek

I set up my Oppo last night & spent hours going through the manual, tweaking settings here & there. I also used my favorite test BD, The Fifth Element” & I too thought the PQ was better than it was with my old Panasonic DMP BD80.

But, it may just be Cognitive Dissonance <GRIN>

http://www.simplypsychology.org/cogn...issonance.html

Nonetheless, the Oppo is certainly an superb BD player.

BTW, the Oppo played both BD discs my Panasonic failed to load. Much faster loading/reading & I have it set to quick start. Not listed on the spec page, if in QS mode the power consumption = 7 Watts. (As per Oppo) As listed pg 82: If in Energy Efficient mode, standby uses only 0.5W. When in use, 35W. Has anyone timed a few BDs loading from standby EE vs. QS modes? 6.5 W difference means I “waste” ~ 4680 W/month -~100 hrs actual use/month so maybe waste 4030 W/month by keeping it on QS. That is ~ 4kWatts. I pay ave of 11¢/kWatt. So it may cost me 44¢/month for the convenience of QS mode.


It arrived with a loose, scratched DVD-R with the latest FW updates & instructions.
The instructions were in a sealed, cardboard sleeve with a pocket (empty) for a disc. Strange. But it worked & I have the latest FW b4 I set up the Wi-Fi.

I’ve already asked Oppo a couple questions via email & the replies were very fast. Unlike Panasonic which either ignores or takes weeks to reply.

Tried streaming HD videos from youTube,,,very cool! But, many of the HD videos stop & start & even when play normally have that annoying loading moving circle in the center or the video. My Wi-Fi signal strength was ~ 65% when I 1st set it up according to Oppo set up software but, now when I check connection, it just says “OK.” I don’t know how to check signal strength again. I think the manual says need 50% or greater signal strength. Not sure if 90% vs 60% signal strength makes a difference in playability of HD videos.

BTW, anyone notice that on pg 59-60 of the manual there is no explanation or mention of De-Interlacing Mode? It is explained on the Oppo screen tips though & the setting are just after Color Space & Deep Color. Probably a misprint/omission.
This setting is to chose the correct algorithm to convert interlaced (“i”) to Progressive (“p”) Most people will wish to leave it @ the default of Auto.


Now to get back to troubleshooting my Harmony 890 remote which does not have Oppo BDP -103 properly in their database! They think it is a mini system! Huge hassle to add it. Several people have complained to Harmony about this. Somehow it has cut out all sound from my Oppo after I added it. Despite the Correct TV input, AVR input & Oppo Input (Blu-ray).

[hometheatergeek]

Originally Posted by growler

Thanks, Hometheater geek

I set up my Oppo last night & spent hours going through the manual, tweaking settings here & there. I also used my favorite test BD, The Fifth Element” & I too thought the PQ was better than it was with my old Panasonic DMP BD80.

But, it may just be Cognitive Dissonance <GRIN>

http://www.simplypsychology.org/cogn...issonance.html

Nonetheless, the Oppo is certainly an superb BD player.

[Show spoiler]BTW, the Oppo played both BD discs my Panasonic failed to load. Much faster loading/reading & I have it set to quick start. Not listed on the spec page, if in QS mode the power consumption = 7 Watts. (As per Oppo) As listed pg 82: If in Energy Efficient mode, standby uses only 0.5W. When in use, 35W. Has anyone timed a few BDs loading from standby EE vs. QS modes? 6.5 W difference means I “waste” ~ 4680 W/month -~100 hrs actual use/month so maybe waste 4030 W/month by keeping it on QS. That is ~ 4kWatts. I pay ave of 11¢/kWatt. So it may cost me 44¢/month for the convenience of QS mode.


It arrived with a loose, scratched DVD-R with the latest FW updates & instructions.
The instructions were in a sealed, cardboard sleeve with a pocket (empty) for a disc. Strange. But it worked & I have the latest FW b4 I set up the Wi-Fi.

I’ve already asked Oppo a couple questions via email & the replies were very fast. Unlike Panasonic which either ignores or takes weeks to reply.

Tried streaming HD videos from youTube,,,very cool! But, many of the HD videos stop & start & even when play normally have that annoying loading moving circle in the center or the video. My Wi-Fi signal strength was ~ 65% when I 1st set it up according to Oppo set up software but, now when I check connection, it just says “OK.” I don’t know how to check signal strength again. I think the manual says need 50% or greater signal strength. Not sure if 90% vs 60% signal strength makes a difference in playability of HD videos.

BTW, anyone notice that on pg 59-60 of the manual there is no explanation or mention of De-Interlacing Mode? It is explained on the Oppo screen tips though & the setting are just after Color Space & Deep Color. Probably a misprint/omission.
This setting is to chose the correct algorithm to convert interlaced (“i”) to Progressive (“p”) Most people will wish to leave it @ the default of Auto.

Now to get back to troubleshooting my Harmony 890 remote which does not have Oppo BDP -103 properly in their database! They think it is a mini system! Huge hassle to add it. Several people have complained to Harmony about this. Somehow it has cut out all sound from my Oppo after I added it. Despite the Correct TV input, AVR input & Oppo Input (Blu-ray).

I too thought that was odd when I added the Oppo to my Harmony One. However everything works perfectly except I had to teach the remote "popup menu." So you need to redo the activity you setup because you might have incorrectly told the harmony a incorrect setting. Also the trick I always use is to tell the Harmony software to use Eject to power on the unit. So when I select "Watch a Blu-ray" the tray is already out to except a disc and then tell the Harmony software to use "Power Toggle" to turn in off.

[growler]

I solved the Harmony - Oppo issue. I deleted the troublesome Oppo BDP-103 that wasn’t really in the Harmony database. I added a new device, Oppo BDP-105 which is similar to my BDP 103. The Harmony database still, incorrectly, lists it as a “mini system” rather than a BD or DVD player. However, there was NO long process of getting the Oppo remote lining the 2 remotes up & pressing buttons & answering questions. I next went to this new device & selected add this device to an activity. So, now I have Watch DVD2. Tested & works except still no audio. More button commands listed so fewer to later add manually one by one.


I then removed the BD, inserted; CD, DVD, a different BD & again tried YouTube Streaming & they all worked perfectly WITH audio. Including DTS HD MA for the BD. So I replayed the 1st BD which was the one that was in there when Audio stopped after I 1st added the Oppo to Harmony software & remote. It now again plays perfectly with Audio! I checked the settings to see if I can tell if any are different. Nope.

So, I have no idea why the audio stopped & now is back on.

I changed the name of Activity to Watch BD/DVD & delete the old activity Watch DVD (which had been linked to the 103 attempt)

I still have no idea why the audio stopped just after I added the Oppo 103 manually with all those questions & remote to remote learning/testing. Hard to believe it was a mere coincidence. All the Harmony remote is supposed to do is turn on the power & set the input to Blu-ray player. Nothing else. Well, Turn on the TV & set input to HDMI-1 & turn on the AVR & set input to BD. When the movie was playing w/o volume, I used the individual remotes for; Oppo, Pioneer Sc05 to see if some setting was off that would stop the audio & found nothing wrong. Hopefully, this issue is behind me.

I was able to add all the commands I wished to add, they were all in the database. No remote learning required. I had thought I’d need to use teaching mode as you did, Hometheatergeek & I have in the past for a few commands not in the database. Pop up menu was incorrectly called “menu” in their database! I added it & renamed it popupmenu. It is separate from the Top menu in their database.

Interesting trick, re Eject powers on unit. Doesn’t “Eject” power on the Oppo anyway?

I think Logitech is selling off the Harmony Remote business. I think their Universal remotes work great but, the software to set them up is very buggy & support is hit or miss. I spent many years with 5-6 different remotes & once I transitioned to Universal remote I’ll never go back. Simple to just pick up one remote & press either; Watch BD/DVD, Watch TV, Listen to CDs, Listen to Radio, Listen to Cassette (yes, I have that rarely used command) or Watch VCR. I even programed in a large volume reduction for whenever the Watch BD/DVD activity ends. Otherwise, if my next activity is Listen to CDs the volume is way too high.

I watched Point Blank & it was awesome as I recalled from the theater.
I am about to watch 12 Angry Men right now.

I’m happy with the Oppo BDP-103. I will play around with my Wi-Fi dongle to see if I can get better streaming YouTube. No one responded to my question as to how to see signal strength & if 90% vs say 60% would be noticeable in streaming HD video. (probably since my posts are too long!)

[hometheatergeek]

Originally Posted by growler

I solved the Harmony - Oppo issue.

[Show spoiler]I deleted the troublesome Oppo BDP-103 that wasn’t really in the Harmony database. I added a new device, Oppo BDP-105 which is similar to my BDP 103. The Harmony database still, incorrectly, lists it as a “mini system” rather than a BD or DVD player. However, there was NO long process of getting the Oppo remote lining the 2 remotes up & pressing buttons & answering questions. I next went to this new device & selected add this device to an activity. So, now I have Watch DVD2. Tested & works except still no audio. More button commands listed so fewer to later add manually one by one.


I then removed the BD, inserted; CD, DVD, a different BD & again tried YouTube Streaming & they all worked perfectly WITH audio. Including DTS HD MA for the BD. So I replayed the 1st BD which was the one that was in there when Audio stopped after I 1st added the Oppo to Harmony software & remote. It now again plays perfectly with Audio! I checked the settings to see if I can tell if any are different. Nope.

So, I have no idea why the audio stopped & now is back on.

I changed the name of Activity to Watch BD/DVD & delete the old activity Watch DVD (which had been linked to the 103 attempt)

I still have no idea why the audio stopped just after I added the Oppo 103 manually with all those questions & remote to remote learning/testing. Hard to believe it was a mere coincidence. All the Harmony remote is supposed to do is turn on the power & set the input to Blu-ray player. Nothing else. Well, Turn on the TV & set input to HDMI-1 & turn on the AVR & set input to BD. When the movie was playing w/o volume, I used the individual remotes for; Oppo, Pioneer Sc05 to see if some setting was off that would stop the audio & found nothing wrong. Hopefully, this issue is behind me

.

I was able to add all the commands I wished to add, they were all in the database. No remote learning required. I had thought I’d need to use teaching mode as you did, Hometheatergeek & I have in the past for a few commands not in the database. Pop up menu was incorrectly called “menu” in their database! I added it & renamed it popupmenu. It is separate from the Top menu in their database.

Interesting trick, re Eject powers on unit. Doesn’t “Eject” power on the Oppo anyway?

I think Logitech is selling off the Harmony Remote business. I think their Universal remotes work great but, the software to set them up is very buggy & support is hit or miss.

[Show spoiler]I spent many years with 5-6 different remotes & once I transitioned to Universal remote I’ll never go back. Simple to just pick up one remote & press either; Watch BD/DVD, Watch TV, Listen to CDs, Listen to Radio, Listen to Cassette (yes, I have that rarely used command) or Watch VCR. I even programed in a large volume reduction for whenever the Watch BD/DVD activity ends. Otherwise, if my next activity is Listen to CDs the volume is way too high.

I watched Point Blank & it was awesome as I recalled from the theater.
I am about to watch 12 Angry Men right now.

I’m happy with the Oppo BDP-103. I will play around with my Wi-Fi dongle to see if I can get better streaming YouTube. No one responded to my question as to how to see signal strength & if 90% vs say 60% would be noticeable in streaming HD video. (probably since my posts are too long!)

See I thought the menu button was for the Oppo menu screen. I was trying to add a customized button for popup menu to the LCD screen that would be easy access in certain activities. Yes the eject button on the Oppo remotes turns it on that is why I use that command as oppose to power toggle. This way the tray is open and ready for me once I find a movie to watch. I have setup multiple universal remotes over the years and believe the Harmony remotes are actually the easiest to get right. Yes the higher the signal strength the less buffering should happen. Are you using a N wireless router?

[growler]

Thanks Hometheatergeek, do you know how to check the signal strength? I may use the extension & move the dongle around repeatedly checking to see where the strength is highest.

Yes, I use an “N” router. My Wi-FI may be OK, My Internet speed seems a bit slower than it should be. I just did some speed tests on my Mac (hard wired to router) & D/L was only 5-10 Mbps. Depending on which speed test. When I last tested 3-2013, I got D/L 14-29Mbps. Cox claims 25Mbps.

All the commands (Customized Buttons) I add are for the LCD screen. I like to have a few pages of commands. 99% of the time I only use the ones on the 1st page. I also remove some & change the order. I don’t need Chapter + or - on the LCD when there is a regular button for that along with play, stop, pause etc.

Motorola SB5101 DOCSIS 2.0 modem
Linksys WRT160N Router

I reset modem & router & no change in speed. I tried 1080p, HD full screen videos on YouTube & had the same buffering on my iMac. I know I’ve watched them b4 with no buffering. I’ll give it a few days & if still issues, will call Cox. Only if I can play HD videos OK on hard wired iMac & not on Wi-Fi Oppo will I play around with the dongle location.

I can play HD videos on my RAZR Max phone via Wi-FI w/o buffering. Says they are HD but not sure if 1080p or 720p or if really HD. When I use iMac & find an HD video on YouTube it starts playing & I check the sprocket icon below the picture & sure enough it defaults to an SD version like 360 & I must select 720p or 1080p.

[hometheatergeek]

Originally Posted by growler

Thanks Hometheatergeek, do you know how to check the signal strength? I may use the extension & move the dongle around repeatedly checking to see where the strength is highest.

Yes, I use an “N” router. My Wi-FI may be OK, My Internet speed seems a bit slower than it should be. I just did some speed tests on my Mac (hard wired to router) & D/L was only 5-10 Mbps. Depending on which speed test. When I last tested 3-2013, I got D/L 14-29Mbps. Cox claims 25Mbps.

All the commands (Customized Buttons) I add are for the LCD screen. I like to have a few pages of commands. 99% of the time I only use the ones on the 1st page. I also remove some & change the order. I don’t need Chapter + or - on the LCD when there is a regular button for that along with play, stop, pause etc.

Motorola SB5101 DOCSIS 2.0 modem
Linksys WRT160N Router

I reset modem & router & no change in speed. I tried 1080p, HD full screen videos on YouTube & had the same buffering on my iMac. I know I’ve watched them b4 with no buffering. I’ll give it a few days & if still issues, will call Cox. Only if I can play HD videos OK on hard wired iMac & not on Wi-Fi Oppo will I play around with the dongle location.

I can play HD videos on my RAZR Max phone via Wi-FI w/o buffering. Says they are HD but not sure if 1080p or 720p or if really HD. When I use iMac & find an HD video on YouTube it starts playing & I check the sprocket icon below the picture & sure enough it defaults to an SD version like 360 & I must select 720p or 1080p.

Guess it's time to call Cox Communications. But even than 10Mbps download speed, if you are the only one on, should be good enough. You also might need to check the settings in the router. I believe there are some setting that can be change to benefit media bandwidth output. To check the strength on the Oppo go to the network section and select "connection test" or reset up your connection and I believe it will show the strength also.

[Joshjp]

Hey guys, can the 103 play the Mastered in 4k blu-rays?THANKS

[growler]

Originally Posted by hometheatergeek

Guess it's time to call Cox Communications. But even than 10Mbps download speed, if you are the only one on, should be good enough. You also might need to check the settings in the router. I believe there are some setting that can be change to benefit media bandwidth output. To check the strength on the Oppo go to the network section and select "connection test" or reset up your connection and I believe it will show the strength also.

I had tried connection test & also resetting up the network connection (‘use previous’) & just get the “successful” notice, no signal strength listed. I found my notes & upon initial setup it had said my signal strength was 56%. Would be nice to repeatedly test strength as I move dongle.

Last night, I tried different browser on iMac (Google Chrome) & had 1080p video/full screen play w/o buffering. So, I cleared Cache & History from Safari browser & it too once again plays w/o buffering.

I then tried YouTube on Oppo again & seemed to play better but, some buffering. Obviously, unrelated to computer browsers --may be time of day issue. The buffering didn’t affect Audio or video except still had the annoying loading/buffering moving circle in the center of picture. I discovered if I pause video for ~ 10 sec as soon as it begins & then play, it plays perfectly. This was a work-a-round I used to use b4 I had broadband Internet. Although I had to pause it for a few minutes back in the dial up 56K modem days <GRIN> Gives the video time to “load” I suppose.

Update:



Eureka!
Setup/Network Setup/Connection Information: click & 1st page shows Signal Strength!

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Joshjp

Hey guys, can the 103 play the Mastered in 4k blu-rays?THANKS

Yes, Lots of recent films are mastered in 4k. Because there are no native 4K sources, Sony is remastering some blu ray titles to be improved so that when they are upscaled to 4K resolution they look decent on their UDTV's. They are still just 1080P BD's.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by growler

Thanks Hometheatergeek, do you know how to check the signal strength? I may use the extension & move the dongle around repeatedly checking to see where the strength is highest.

Yes, I use an “N” router. My Wi-FI may be OK, My Internet speed seems a bit slower than it should be. I just did some speed tests on my Mac (hard wired to router) & D/L was only 5-10 Mbps. Depending on which speed test. When I last tested 3-2013, I got D/L 14-29Mbps. Cox claims 25Mbps.

All the commands (Customized Buttons) I add are for the LCD screen. I like to have a few pages of commands. 99% of the time I only use the ones on the 1st page. I also remove some & change the order. I don’t need Chapter + or - on the LCD when there is a regular button for that along with play, stop, pause etc.

Motorola SB5101 DOCSIS 2.0 modem
Linksys WRT160N Router

I reset modem & router & no change in speed. I tried 1080p, HD full screen videos on YouTube & had the same buffering on my iMac. I know I’ve watched them b4 with no buffering. I’ll give it a few days & if still issues, will call Cox. Only if I can play HD videos OK on hard wired iMac & not on Wi-Fi Oppo will I play around with the dongle location.

I can play HD videos on my RAZR Max phone via Wi-FI w/o buffering. Says they are HD but not sure if 1080p or 720p or if really HD. When I use iMac & find an HD video on YouTube it starts playing & I check the sprocket icon below the picture & sure enough it defaults to an SD version like 360 & I must select 720p or 1080p.

Run either http://www.speedtest.net/ or http://testmy.net/legit-speed-test.php. The first tells you how fast your connection is, the second you need to select what server is closer to you, but it tends to be more real life measurement. The fact that you are still using a DOCSIS 2.0 vs a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem can really make a difference in connection speed against ISP guaranteed rates.

[growler]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

Run either http://www.speedtest.net/ or http://testmy.net/legit-speed-test.php. The first tells you how fast your connection is, the second you need to select what server is closer to you, but it tends to be more real life measurement. The fact that you are still using a DOCSIS 2.0 vs a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem can really make a difference in connection speed against ISP guaranteed rates.

Thanks JohnAV,

I already use use both those speed tests as well as several others.
testmy.net just now shows me D/L @ 7.7Mbps. Speedtest.net just shows me @ 27.45Mbps D/L & U/L @ 12.48 Mbps (Which I don’t believe)

(Cox says now 25 Mbps D/L & 5Mbps U/L possible with my level of service “Preferred” with Power Boost)

Other Speed tests & my results:
http://www.internetfrog.com/mypc/speedtest/
8.14/1.76 Mbps (D/L & U/L) {repeat & get 9.97/1.64}

http://www.auditmypc.com/broadband-speed-test.asp
7471 kbps D/ 7256 kbps U

http://www6.sprint.com/landings/speedtest/index.html
12.37 D/12.02 U

http://performance.toast.net/

9576 kbps D/L using Blue Angles Test

http://www.bandwidthplace.com/

6.8 Mbps D/9.4 Mbps U



http://speakeasy.net/speedtest/
16.35 Mbps D/ 14.55 Mbps U

http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?flash=1

Flash based (I typically disable Java unless I need it for something)
4267 kbps D/1191 kbps U

http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/
11064 kbps D/L

Quite a variation & if you repeat a test the results are often different.

I may eventually upgrade Modem to DOCSIS 3.0 but, not just for YouTube via my Oppo/Main TV.


Update: I just read over my info on DOCSIS 3.0 which was from 2010. Things have changed in 3 years. It should significantly help me & Cox recommends 3.0 now. I will purchase the Motorola SB6121 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem. Then after that is up & running I’ll see how my Desktop speed is and no buffering with 1080p HD videos & if my Oppo/TV can match the no buffering.

[hometheatergeek]

Originally Posted by growler

[Show spoiler]Thanks JohnAV,

I already use use both those speed tests as well as several others.
testmy.net just now shows me D/L @ 7.7Mbps. Speedtest.net just shows me @ 27.45Mbps D/L & U/L @ 12.48 Mbps (Which I don’t believe)

(Cox says now 25 Mbps D/L & 5Mbps U/L possible with my level of service “Preferred” with Power Boost)

Other Speed tests & my results:
http://www.internetfrog.com/mypc/speedtest/
8.14/1.76 Mbps (D/L & U/L) {repeat & get 9.97/1.64}

http://www.auditmypc.com/broadband-speed-test.asp
7471 kbps D/ 7256 kbps U

http://www6.sprint.com/landings/speedtest/index.html
12.37 D/12.02 U

http://performance.toast.net/

9576 kbps D/L using Blue Angles Test

http://www.bandwidthplace.com/

6.8 Mbps D/9.4 Mbps U



http://speakeasy.net/speedtest/
16.35 Mbps D/ 14.55 Mbps U

http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?flash=1

Flash based (I typically disable Java unless I need it for something)
4267 kbps D/1191 kbps U

http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/
11064 kbps D/L

Quite a variation & if you repeat a test the results are often different.

I may eventually upgrade Modem to DOCSIS 3.0 but, not just for YouTube via my Oppo/Main TV

.


Update: I just read over my info on DOCSIS 3.0 which was from 2010. Things have changed in 3 years. It should significantly help me & Cox recommends 3.0 now. I will purchase the Motorola SB6121 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem. Then after that is up & running I’ll see how my Desktop speed is and no buffering with 1080p HD videos & if my Oppo/TV can match the no buffering.

I just bought the SB6121 last month because Comcast was going to start charging me $7/month to use their modem.. It works good. However the 3.0 really is for the user who is paying for the 50 or 100Mbps tier services. I did not see an increase in DL speeds comparing the 2.0 vs 3.0 because I am on the performace level which is only 25Mbps. But even if you get the newer modem your bottleneck might still be your wireless router.

Edit: BTW when you run speedtests the variation in the readings also have to do with the traffic hitting the server that responds back to your request.

[growler]

Originally Posted by hometheatergeek

I just bought the SB6121 last month because Comcast was going to start charging me $7/month to use their modem.. It works good. However the 3.0 really is for the user who is paying for the 50 or 100Mbps tier services. I did not see an increase in DL speeds comparing the 2.0 vs 3.0 because I am on the performace level which is only 25Mbps. But even if you get the newer modem your bottleneck might still be your wireless router.

Edit: BTW when you run speedtests the variation in the readings also have to do with the traffic hitting the server that responds back to your request.

I know traffic is one reason for large differenced in speed readings. Also, for some sites it is best to clear your cache b4 a 2nd reading. Then the difference between Java vs. Flash based tests as well as other different types of speed tests. Many sites let you choose which server, etc.

Oppo & streaming changes everything for me.

My Internet is quick & pages, graphics most videos load very fast, no problems. But most videos play on a small window on my 24” iMac. A few inches only. Lately when I go into menu on YouTube & change to 480p most still play OK but 1080p especially, if I go to full screen has been spotty. Sometimes they play fine, other times freeze, buffer & unwatchable. Now that I can watch 1080p YouTube videos for free on my 65” Plasma with Oppo streaming, I want try to get it to work w/o buffering/freezing. Maybe I will eventually wish to pay for streaming rental movies? Probably not if I need to pay a monthly fee since I almost never rented VHS or DVD. But, occasionally if I can do it easily, inexpensively from my home on a singe movie basis, I can see doing it to catch a film I missed or that didn’t play in my city.

Cox has been increasing the Speed for a years. Now they claim 25Mbps. I think I rarely get close to that. I know DOCSIS 3.0 will allow up to 50 if I have the service once available. But instead of getting 6-12 Mbps typically with great variability, maybe spending <$70 for the new modem will get me significantly more speed & more consistent speeds given the multichannel tech. If I can get 15-20 Mbps it should improve the 1080p HD videos. The reviews of this modem are great. Cox does NOT recommend the DOCSIS 2.0 anymore for any level of service! My modem is 5 years old now.

My Router is N speed & I think it should work fine with the new modem. If you have any links or info stating otherwise, I’d be grateful to see it. I suspect my old vs new modem will have no effect on the signal strength picked up my my Wi-FI dongle. Maybe 56-63% strength is enough if the modem allows 15Mbps-20? I’ll probably go ahead & attach the extension & move it around to try to improve signal as well.

I’ll report back what the results are since many new Oppo owners may experience similar issues when streaming.

[hometheatergeek]

Not sure how much this will help but here's and article on the different settings you can try in the router to improve video streaming.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/21286...oip_video.html