Given These Criteria, Can You Recommend a Player?

[Linksys2.4]

Getting ready to retire my first-generation Panasonic DMP-BD10A due to its poor DVD upconversion, lack of Master Audio support and no bitstreaming of TrueHD...

Given these criteria -- that is, it must have very good DVD upscaling (and better BD performance with better chroma/color delivery as compared to first generation players like mine) and bitstream all surround codecs (which is a given with today's players, I would think) -- what player would be recommended with a max of $500 budget, give or take? I'm being told the player right now to have is the OPPO because of its Anchor Bay chip which handles DVD performance extremely well, but should there be any decks I should be staying away from or be adding to my shopping list?

Here are some more criteria: I would like to stay away from Samsung, and I don't want a PS3 (has to be a standalone player; just my personal preference)...I had at one time considered biting the bullet to purchase one of the expensive Denons, Marantzes or Sony ES players at around $2K, but I'm hearing that the OPPO player reaches these players' performance at $500. Also, I didn't read good things about the Sony ES player in terms of video processing in Home Theater magazine; what would be a good player to recommend?

[BeardedNinjaGuy]

Everything I've read on this site, and other sites reviews of the Oppo BD-83 is that it is an exceptional player, with excellent support from Oppo. People even rave about its packaging, and goodie bag it comes with.

Personally, I too will be upgrading my player and do not want to go the PS3 route.

The only downside to the Oppo is a lack of wifi. I am going to be getting one of these players shortly after I get a TCP58V10. Seeing as this too benefits from internet access I have invested in a Power Line adapter kit to get both my Blu Ray player, TV, and XBox360 online. From everything I've read, this should solve that fairly easily.

[Linksys2.4]

Originally Posted by BeardedNinjaGuy

Everything I've read on this site, and other sites reviews of the Oppo BD-83 is that it is an exceptional player, with excellent support from Oppo. People even rave about its packaging, and goodie bag it comes with.

Hey, 'Bearded Guy!

Thanks for your thoughts; indeed, the OPPO comes in a cloth/velvet type bag with a new calibration Blu-ray, which is enticing in itself...I once owned an OPPO 983 DVD player which I returned because I decided to put the money toward a new BD player with better DVD performance, and the player was packaged similarly.

Personally, I too will be upgrading my player and do not want to go the PS3 route.

Indeed...

The only downside to the Oppo is a lack of wifi. I am going to be getting one of these players shortly after I get a TCP58V10. Seeing as this too benefits from internet access I have invested in a Power Line adapter kit to get both my Blu Ray player, TV, and XBox360 online. From everything I've read, this should solve that fairly easily.

But what about the OPPO's DVD upscaling? Have you heard anything about the ABT chip implemented in it?

[BeardedNinjaGuy]

From what I've read the DVD upscaling chip in the Oppo BD-83 is impressive as well, and one of the top players for this.

That is another huge selling point for me on the Oppo. (I have twice as many DVD's as I do Blu's )

[Linksys2.4]

Originally Posted by BeardedNinjaGuy

From what I've read the DVD upscaling chip in the Oppo BD-83 is impressive as well, and one of the top players for this.

That is another huge selling point for me on the Oppo. (I have twice as many DVD's as I do Blu's )

I TOTALLY hear you about the DVD thing -- my collection of standard DVDs is massive, and I need a player that does outstanding upconversion...

How about the new Panasonic, the 'BD60/80?

[BeardedNinjaGuy]

Not as Good As the Oppo on the upconversion of DVD.

[Linksys2.4]

Originally Posted by BeardedNinjaGuy

Not as Good As the Oppo on the upconversion of DVD.

Really? The new Pannys have been getting good marks as of late for their improved DVD performance with their newly tweaked UniPhier chip; but I suppose the OPPO would make better headlines on the upconversion front...

Thank you for all your help and opinions so far.

Interesting thing about the OPPO upconversion though...while I understand this brand is kind of "known" in underground circles for being great with their upscaling DVD players, the 983 I had ordered when it first came out (I was on their ORIGINAL wait list for that player) didn't impress me all that much upscaling to 1080p; I thought it would blow my Panny BD10A out of the water in terms of upscaling, but while better, it wasn't really night and day. That's what made me decide that I would return the OPPO and put the $400 for that 983 DVD player towards a new Blu-ray player with better upconversion for DVD and bitstreaming support for Master Audio and TrueHD...

However, that said, I would be willing to give the OPPO a try again...

Any other players you would recommend in this mix?

[gekke henkie]

I agree with all said above; the Oppo should be comparable to Pioneer's 09 regarding upscaling dvd's. Regarding WiFi, you can buy a (seperate) WiFi-bridge with Oppo together with the BD-player, which would solve that 'problem' too (personally, I prefer wired).

Regarding Chroma, the Panasonic BD60/80 supposedly are the best in the sub-$300 category, so if you want cheaper than the Oppo, I would suggest you a BD80. This is what Stacey Spears (Co-Creator, Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark, Blu-ray Edition) said about the Oppo and the Panasonic (the Panasonic used to be his favourite, before the Oppo came out), quote: "The horizontal chroma resolution of the OPPO now equals Panasonic. The vertical patch is still a bit dimmer. OPPO is pressing their decoder vendor to improve. It may not happen in this gen, but we know it will happen at some point." (source: Meridianunplugged.com)

[deangrazy]

Originally Posted by BeardedNinjaGuy

Not as Good As the Oppo on the upconversion of DVD.

Oppo is really the best when it comes to upconversion.

[TwoTwo]

Originally Posted by gekke henkie

I agree with all said above; the Oppo should be comparable to Pioneer's 09 regarding upscaling dvd's. Regarding WiFi, you can buy a (seperate) WiFi-bridge with Oppo together with the BD-player, which would solve that 'problem' too (personally, I prefer wired).

Regarding Chroma, the Panasonic BD60/80 supposedly are the best in the sub-$300 category, so if you want cheaper than the Oppo, I would suggest you a BD80. This is what Stacey Spears (Co-Creator, Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark, Blu-ray Edition) said about the Oppo and the Panasonic (the Panasonic used to be his favourite, before the Oppo came out), quote: "The horizontal chroma resolution of the OPPO now equals Panasonic. The vertical patch is still a bit dimmer. OPPO is pressing their decoder vendor to improve. It may not happen in this gen, but we know it will happen at some point." (source: Meridianunplugged.com)

Where does BDP-23FD falls in this category? Closer to Oppo or Panasonic?

[Linksys2.4]

Thanks very much, guys, for your opinions and views -- sorry for the delay in getting back to all of you; I will attempt to answer you all individually...

Originally Posted by gekke henkie

I agree with all said above; the Oppo should be comparable to Pioneer's 09 regarding upscaling dvd's. Regarding WiFi, you can buy a (seperate) WiFi-bridge with Oppo together with the BD-player, which would solve that 'problem' too (personally, I prefer wired).

I don't have any criteria or demand for WiFi; my only demands are very good DVD upscaling and bitstreaming of TrueHD and Master Audio...

So, you are also recommending the OPPO?

Regarding Chroma, the Panasonic BD60/80 supposedly are the best in the sub-$300 category, so if you want cheaper than the Oppo, I would suggest you a BD80. This is what Stacey Spears (Co-Creator, Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark, Blu-ray Edition) said about the Oppo and the Panasonic (the Panasonic used to be his favourite, before the Oppo came out), quote: "The horizontal chroma resolution of the OPPO now equals Panasonic. The vertical patch is still a bit dimmer. OPPO is pressing their decoder vendor to improve. It may not happen in this gen, but we know it will happen at some point." (source: Meridianunplugged.com)

Thank you for the information -- very interesting; I know the Panasonic I have (the first generation DMP-BD10A) exhibits poor chroma and scaling due to its pre-tweaked UniPhier chip; I have heard they got their s!@%@ together, so to speak, since that generation...

In summary, are you suggesting that UNDER $500 I should shoot for the Panasonic, and if I want to spend $500 I should go with the OPPO?

Are there any other decks to consider outside of these? How about Onkyo's Blu-ray player, or one of the sub-$2K Denons? I have heard that these are simply Funai design clones, and they're not too good...

[Linksys2.4]

Originally Posted by deangrazy

Oppo is really the best when it comes to upconversion.

Is that true for this new BD player of theirs, too?

[No-So-Blu]

Hello,

Have you tried hunting down a Samsung 2550 or the dual format 5000 model? The both used the HQV chip set, which is still the best up-converting processor out there, so it will give you the best experience with your large DVD collection. They you can just get the Blu-ray player you want without worrying about it's up-converting ability.

Only Denon is still producing new model with HQV in some of their reference series products, they are around 2K MSRP

[gekke henkie]

Originally Posted by Linksys2.4

In summary, are you suggesting that UNDER $500 I should shoot for the Panasonic, and if I want to spend $500 I should go with the OPPO?

Yes! Heck, even under $1,500 the Oppo is considered by many professional reviews and comparisons as being the best in upconversion, and it is also considered one of the best regarding the Chroma that you mentioned as being one of your criteria. Regarding anything under $500, AFAIK the Chroma (and, therefore(?) the Picture Quality) of the Panasonic's is considered the best.

Originally Posted by Linksys2.4

Are there any other decks to consider outside of these? How about Onkyo's Blu-ray player, or one of the sub-$2K Denons? I have heard that these are simply Funai design clones, and they're not too good...

Well, other players are not bad at all either, like these ones, and like the BDP-23FD and Samsung that were mentioned, but if I consider your critera as being the most important and relate that to a budget, then, see above.

Originally Posted by Linksys2.4

Is that true for this new BD player of theirs, too?

Question was not addresed to me (and I do not own any former Oppo product), but from what I have read in the reviews, the answer is yes. Maybe you want to have a look at the thread about the Oppo, here: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=89000

[Systemlord]

You could spend $2500 dollars on a BD player (Denon) and still it would not equal an Oppo BDP-83, the Oppo is the fastest responding BD player I have ever seen. I think that just the responsiveness and speed of loading discs is worth the extra money. The stunning deep rich colors and ultra clear picture quality is simply amazing, Oppo gives you every dime you pay for in performance and then some!

[Linksys2.4]

Thank You, Fellas, for Getting Back to Me...Let Me Address Each of Your Replies...

Originally Posted by gekke henkie

Yes! Heck, even under $1,500 the Oppo is considered by many professional reviews and comparisons as being the best in upconversion, and it is also considered one of the best regarding the Chroma that you mentioned as being one of your criteria.

Thank you; I too have been hearing things in this direction, that even compared to the $1K-plus players, the Oppo is on par...

What concerns me most now, is if I pull the trigger on one, is the setup fairly easy? My Panasonic 'BD10A was a pleasure to set up for the most part; does the Oppo allow for, say, bitstreaming of all codecs over HDMI in its menus, and setting for 1080p video for DVD and Blu-ray output?

Regarding anything under $500, AFAIK the Chroma (and, therefore(?) the Picture Quality) of the Panasonic's is considered the best.

Really? Compared to the Sonys, Samsungs, LGs, Denons, Onkyo, etc?

Well, other players are not bad at all either, like these ones, and like the BDP-23FD and Samsung that were mentioned, but if I consider your critera as being the most important and relate that to a budget, then, see above.

Thank you for your honesty -- so, taking into consideration that one of the most important things to me is DVD upconversion, would you say the Oppo is pretty much the only choice?

I'd really like to stay away from Samsung; just a preference.

[Linksys2.4]

Originally Posted by gekke henkie

Question was not addresed to me (and I do not own any former Oppo product), but from what I have read in the reviews, the answer is yes. Maybe you want to have a look at the thread about the Oppo, here: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=89000

Thank you.

[Linksys2.4]

Originally Posted by Systemlord

You could spend $2500 dollars on a BD player (Denon) and still it would not equal an Oppo BDP-83, the Oppo is the fastest responding BD player I have ever seen. I think that just the responsiveness and speed of loading discs is worth the extra money. The stunning deep rich colors and ultra clear picture quality is simply amazing, Oppo gives you every dime you pay for in performance and then some!

Thank you!

Do you own the Oppo, or have you seen it in action? Is it difficult to get everything dialed in for setup?

Is the performance you describe applying to DVD as well as Blu-ray?

[Linksys2.4]

Originally Posted by No-So-Blu

Hello,

Have you tried hunting down a Samsung 2550 or the dual format 5000 model? The both used the HQV chip set, which is still the best up-converting processor out there, so it will give you the best experience with your large DVD collection. They you can just get the Blu-ray player you want without worrying about it's up-converting ability.

Only Denon is still producing new model with HQV in some of their reference series products, they are around 2K MSRP

Thank you 'Blu...sorry for the delay in getting back to you!

I have heard about that model Samsung and the HQV, but I would rather just stay away from the brand based on some nightmare stories I have heard...I would LOVE to get a deck with the Realta or Reon chip, but as you said, they're usually in the $2K-plus pieces of gear...

From what I am hearing, though, going with the Oppo wouldn't really be "worrying" about its upconversion performance...do you disagree with this?

[Glassroots]

I bought the OPPO last month after reading all the rave reviews about it, and I can vouch that it's an exceptional bluray player. The setup is straight forward in a functional step by step format upon intial startup. Highly recommended to anyone who wants a stand alone system that will play your whole media library with excellent quality.