Oppo confirms BDP-103/105 will be last Blu-ray players without online activation

[goodstuff]

^TBH the Sony 790 looked amazing and I can't really see or hear any difference here with the Oppo. I'd give the Oppo the slight edge in user control with their GoTo feature and particularly with the subtitle/audio track selection while playing a movie. While the 790 is built like a tank compared to today's flimsy BD players, this Oppo is like an aircraft carrier. It's also probably the most exquisitely packed piece of audio equipment I've ever seen. Very happy with the purchase and I'll probably get another one soon to squirrel away.

[Nighteyes]

Originally Posted by goodstuff

While the 790 is built like a tank compared to today's flimsy BD players, this Oppo is like an aircraft carrier.

This is so true.

[super390]

The preamp/processor features of the 105 are important to me because I want high quality multichannel audio. The ESS dacs on the 105 aren't found even on flagship receivers at twice the cost of that player. Few surround preamps are even built with HDMI audio processing needed to use Blu-Ray's surround formats because the small companies that used to build DD/DTS preamps gave up.

So I'd like to know how Oppo intends to position its UHD players. Will any UHD players even have multichannel analog outputs? Will there be a true successor to the 105D?

[jserrent]

Hi fellow frustrated AV Enthusiasts......
It started with the seamless branching problem with my BDP 93 ....
Then the 93 started to have audio dropouts on DTS-HD EX MAS. Lord of the Rings Trilogy. ....
So I bit the bullet and bought the BDP 103.... I'm reading too many horror stories about the upcoming 4k units from Oppo or anyone regarding registering disks and other nonsense.... I'll never buy into UHD ..... 4k up scaling is as far as I'll go.....
Back to the 103 ......
I like watching my movies with a slightly fuller screen. Zoom 1.2x is my go to setting..... In fact I only bought into Oppo because of the excellent zoom feature.
Anyway...... I slap in Ironman 2..... and voila........ red circle with the slash appears when I try to zoom...!!! Now can you imagine this.... I fix my audio problems , and a video problem exists..... Called Oppo.... apparently the 103 doesn't decode in the same fashion as the 93, and depending on the authoring of the disk...... No Zoom ..... !?!??
Plugged my 93 into the 103...... Zooms no problem.....now all I can say is ...!!!
Went through my entire library...... Everything zooms except Ironman 2....
I know many of you purists are appalled that I use zoom in the first place. I'm appalled that the industry gives us a 16 x 9 Tv..... and few movies are ever formatted for it.... I have a 70" Sharp....I want as much of that as full of picture as it can hold..... Next time I'll buy a 90" to get a 70" format.....!
So the mighty 103 just can't zoom Ironman 2, but the unit it replaces can.....just great.... what a freaking frustrating hobby....!

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by jserrent

Hi fellow frustrated AV Enthusiasts......
It started with the seamless branching problem with my BDP 93 ....
Then the 93 started to have audio dropouts on DTS-HD EX MAS. Lord of the Rings Trilogy. ....
So I bit the bullet and bought the BDP 103.... I'm reading too many horror stories about the upcoming 4k units from Oppo or anyone regarding registering disks and other nonsense.... I'll never buy into UHD ..... 4k up scaling is as far as I'll go.....
Back to the 103 ......
I like watching my movies with a slightly fuller screen. Zoom 1.2x is my go to setting..... In fact I only bought into Oppo because of the excellent zoom feature.
Anyway...... I slap in Ironman 2..... and voila........ red circle with the slash appears when I try to zoom...!!! Now can you imagine this.... I fix my audio problems , and a video problem exists..... Called Oppo.... apparently the 103 doesn't decode in the same fashion as the 93, and depending on the authoring of the disk...... No Zoom ..... !?!??
Plugged my 93 into the 103...... Zooms no problem.....now all I can say is ...!!!
Went through my entire library...... Everything zooms except Ironman 2....
I know many of you purists are appalled that I use zoom in the first place. I'm appalled that the industry gives us a 16 x 9 Tv..... and few movies are ever formatted for it.... I have a 70" Sharp....I want as much of that as full of picture as it can hold..... Next time I'll buy a 90" to get a 70" format.....!
So the mighty 103 just can't zoom Ironman 2, but the unit it replaces can.....just great.... what a freaking frustrating hobby....!

The only nonsense involved here is FUD* with people worried about AACS 2.0 enhanced would prevent the 4K UHD BD disc from playing on a player not connected to the internet.

Hey guys we now have several UHD titles now and Samsung 4K UHD BD player to judge whether that is a present concern? Speak up gang!

FUD = Fear Uncertainty and Doubt.

[jserrent]

Ok ...... so the BD 103 will not allow zoom function on Ironman 2....or Batman. Begines.
We have 2 $50 Sonys in bedrooms..... took one and plugged the HDMI out to the HDMI in on the 103... switch Bitstream to LPCM let the HD audio decode take place in the 103....Start the Sony..... the 103 still processes everthing and Zoom function is restored from the 103 to fill your screen to the desired size....
Thanks Oppo ...... That was a pain in the ass for no reason.....

In other words. ..... you need a cheapy bluray player to act as a slave player to get around the 103'S new and improved video/ audio path.... as opposed to the 93.... which would zoom anything...what crap....!!!

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by jserrent

Ok ...... so the BD 103 will not allow zoom function on Ironman 2....or Batman. Begines.
We have 2 $50 Sonys in bedrooms..... took one and plugged the HDMI out to the HDMI in on the 103... switch Bitstream to LPCM let the HD audio decode take place in the 103....Start the Sony..... the 103 still processes everthing and Zoom function is restored from the 103 to fill your screen to the desired size....
Thanks Oppo ...... That was a pain in the ass for no reason.....

In other words. ..... you need a cheapy bluray player to act as a slave player to get around the 103'S new and improved video/ audio path.... as opposed to the 93.... which would zoom anything...what crap....!!!

I'm sure you read that with recent BD player licensing, the zoom feature may not be available when certain DVD or Blu-ray Discs are played because the disc author chooses to disable Zoom. This is what has occurred with Iron Man 2 BD as played on a BDP-103D for example, compared to the older BDP-93. There is no work around, except ripping the title so that it is not in effect. Its mentioned in a note on page 33 Oppo BDP-103 user manual.

[jserrent]

If I'm sinking hundreds.....thousands of dollars into this, I'll watch the movie the way I want to watch the movie and not how the studio or authoring forces me to. Are you going to force the picture settings next..... color intensity perhaps.... It's just ridiculous....Studios don't want you ripping their Blurays ........ but now I have to rip certain Bluray disks....that's nuts...

Ok......... so Ironman 1 and Ironman 3 , allow the zooming function, Ironman 2 does not ....???? All I can say to that is WTF.....??? Batman Begins does not zoom, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises allow the zoom function....... Again.....WTF .....???

How about a nice Anonymous proxy server in Russia and I download them, use my zoom function, and don't buy the damn disc.....???

They can recommend how to watch a movie...... they have NO right to disable a function on the player, other than Copy Protect ..... And we know how bullet-proof that is........!!!

[bokes]

Originally Posted by hedliniv

This really scares me away from the format - sure it is pretty, sure it is very cool, but this really is a deal breaker for me. I'm cancelling my pre-orders... 1080p is good enough for me if the content providers are going to pull this crap!

Same here. Online activation?
This will never survive beyond a very small niche.
1080p blu-ray looks fantastic and the prices keep dropping.
My oppo will upscale the blu-rays just fine when my Kuro dies and I go 4K...or 8K or whatever.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

The only nonsense involved here is FUD* with people worried about AACS 2.0 enhanced would prevent the 4K UHD BD disc from playing on a player not connected to the internet.

Hey guys we now have several UHD titles now and Samsung 4K UHD BD player to judge whether that is a present concern? Speak up gang!

FUD = Fear Uncertainty and Doubt.

BD+ was in the BD spec but wasn't used at launch, and was used eventually.

Cinavia wasn't even in the BD spec, but was used eventually.

...

Online activation IS in UHD spec and you think it won't be used eventually?

It's not FUD. It's FCR.

FCR = Fear Certainty and Reality.

"present concern" - lol, exactly. Who wants to buy something that works in the present but is spec'd to be be massive headache in future?

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Ruined

BD+ was in the BD spec but wasn't used at launch, and was used eventually.

Cinavia wasn't even in the BD spec, but was used eventually.

...

Online activation IS in UHD spec and you think it won't be used eventually?

It's not FUD. It's FCR.

FCR = Fear Certainty and Reality.

"present concern" - lol, exactly. Who wants to buy something that works in the present but is spec'd to be be massive headache in future?

The only that is certain to be is a nice 4K UHD BD player from OPPO Digital that will spoil your fun!

[Pondosinatra]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

...

FUD = Fear Uncertainty and Doubt.

It's not FUD - if it's in the spec it will be abused by some studio at some point.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

It's not FUD - if it's in the spec it will be abused by some studio at some point.

Irregardless UHD BD players will be commonplace in the future, replacing BD players. If your worried about UHD BD players contacting a server, then switch to streaming, oh wait your still contacting a server!

From OP

So I spoke with an Oppo rep.
Once their UHD players are out, they are going to discontinue their 1080p BD player line.
They also confirmed they will be implementing all features of AACS2.0 as required by the BDA, which includes online disc activation.
So if you want a high quality player that doesn't have the ability to force you to register discs online, stock up on them 103/105s!

Get the BDP-103/105's for the near future, then they will be gone.

[MartinL]

I pretty much agree with a number of the posts regarding UHD format and blu ray. As one who has upgraded from VHS to DVD and (in the process of upgrading to blu ray)----UHD in my opinion is "a bridge too far" for me. I own two Oppos--BDP 80 and BDP 103 and I did confirm directly to with the company that they will drop their blu ray line once their UHD players come out. I think this ultimately will spell disaster for the company--and as a high tech, low volume "boutique" company, they can ill afford a misstep such as this.

But I think UHD will be a "niche" product--much as Betamax and Laser discs. For technology buffs, more power to you if that's what you enjoy. But I think the law of diminishing returns is in play here for most of us in terms of significant improvement in the image we see. Also, remember that nine years into the settlement of the HD format war, there are still many, many classic titles that have still not made it to blu ray. As a film buff, I don't intend to wait around for another decade to see if my favorite titles ever make it to UHD. But I do happily await blu ray releases as it means in many cases, restoration of classic films. I have the home "infrastructure" to enjoy these future blu ray releases--but not one dime towards starting over with UHD.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by MartinL

I pretty much agree with a number of the posts regarding UHD format and blu ray. As one who has upgraded from VHS to DVD and (in the process of upgrading to blu ray)----UHD in my opinion is "a bridge too far" for me. I own two Oppos--BDP 80 and BDP 103 and I did confirm directly to with the company that they will drop their blu ray line once their UHD players come out. I think this ultimately will spell disaster for the company--and as a high tech, low volume "boutique" company, they can ill afford a misstep such as this.

But I think UHD will be a "niche" product--much as Betamax and Laser discs. For technology buffs, more power to you if that's what you enjoy. But I think the law of diminishing returns is in play here for most of us in terms of significant improvement in the image we see. Also, remember that nine years into the settlement of the HD format war, there are still many, many classic titles that have still not made it to blu ray. As a film buff, I don't intend to wait around for another decade to see if my favorite titles ever make it to UHD. But I do happily await blu ray releases as it means in many cases, restoration of classic films. I have the home "infrastructure" to enjoy these future blu ray releases--but not one dime towards starting over with UHD.

The company said they will EOL the current BD players, but they never said they would stop making players that play BD's did they?

[Tedd]

Just read through this thread, and have to say, I was on the fence about 4K.

And now I have zero interest in 4K. This really clears up my future direction, and where I'll spend my money. A 2550x1080P projector it is, and I'll stick with Bluray.

[mrr1]

I have zero plans to upgrade to 4K, but I will buy a 4K Oppo player once they come available because it will probably have a few extra features than the 103/105, but still do everything that the Blu Ray players can.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by jserrent

I like watching my movies with a slightly fuller screen. Zoom 1.2x is my go to setting..... In fact I only bought into Oppo because of the excellent zoom feature.
Anyway...... I slap in Ironman 2..... and voila........ red circle with the slash appears when I try to zoom...!!! Now can you imagine this.... I fix my audio problems , and a video problem exists..... Called Oppo.... apparently the 103 doesn't decode in the same fashion as the 93, and depending on the authoring of the disk...... No Zoom ..... !?!??

Some studios don't want you to zoom their content.

Originally Posted by jserrent

I'm appalled that the industry gives us a 16 x 9 Tv..... and few movies are ever formatted for it....

I agree, the consumer electronics industry should be giving us 21 x 9 televisions.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

I agree, the consumer electronics industry should be giving us 21 x 9 televisions.

Well people would just complain that they would have to sit back further from the screen!

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by JohnAV

Well people would just complain that they would have to sit back further from the screen!

No. People would complain that there would be black bars on the left and right when they watch HDTV and 1.85:1 movies. The few 21:9 sets that were released didn't sell well.

When the HDTV specs were being developed, the Director's Guild wanted TVs to have a 2:1 ratio. They felt that was a good compromise between 1.85 and 2.35. But when the specs were being developed, most sets were still CRTs and it was very hard to create a widescreen CRT that kept focus at the edges, plus the larger the picture tube, the more it weighed. So SMPTE used a different method to determine the screen ratio. If the specs had been created just a few years later when flat screen tech was more advanced, it probably would have been 2.0:1.