Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player Thread

[solarrdadd]

howdy, the disc would load previews, went to the menu page then when you selected play, it would turn black (as if starting to play) but would do nothing and the player had to be physically turned off. i found that i could do the same thing again twice and it was a brand new disc. i took the disc out after another restart and turned off bd-live in the setup menu and of course, the movie played without a problem. yes, i have the latest firmware BDP83-50-0424.

either the disc makers/studio's or the blu-ray consortium (how ever it's spelled ) really need to get their sh!t together with this bd-live thing. it causes more problems in it's use than it's worth. i guess i should just leave it off. so far it's the worse part of my blu-ray entertainment and experience other than the fact that they should play all the previews in lossless and not stereo but that is a grip for another thread!

[HDTV1080P]

The OPPO BDP-83 external USB drive BD-LIVE storage limit is 200GB

I just recently had a few more email communications with OPPO Digital. If one purchases a 200GB USB drive that contains a NTFS or ExFAT file format then one can reformat the 200GB USB drive using a third party format utility. If a 200GB USB drive is formatted as FAT32 using a third party format utility then the OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray player operating system (BIOS) will see the full 200GB. One of the reasons Windows 7 and Vista operating systems limit FAT32 formatted drives to 32GB is because ExFAT and NTFS is a better file system when drives are larger then 32GB in size. OPPO Digital has no plans on adding ExFAT file support which would allow for USB drives as large as 2TB's (2TB partition size).

The following are a few quotes from OPPO Digital

"The player only supports FAT16 and FAT32. This means partitions can only be 200GB and individual files can't be larger than 4GB in size."

"If you use third party formatting software you can format the drive into 200GB partitions using FAT32. Vista and Windows 7 limit the partitions to 32GB, but FAT32 supports up to 200GB partition sizes."

Selecting a external USB 2.0 drive for the OPPO BDP-83

The OPPO BDP-83 uses a USB 2.0 connection for external storage. On page 40 of the manual it is recommended that only USB flash memory and certain hard drives be used. Only USB hard drives that have an external power supply is recommended.

Quote

"The USB ports are rated to provide a maximum of 5V, 500mA power to the
USB drive. It is sufficient for all USB thumb drives and flash memory card
readers, but may not be sufficient for USB hard disks. It is recommended
that you use a USB hard disk with an external power supply."

OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player User Manual (PDF Format)

[HDTV1080P]

Important Updated info added on August 1st:

I finally had time to purchase some flash memory and hard drives to test things out.

1. The 32GB USB flash drives I purchased for around $64 were to slow for read and write speeds so I decided not to use those with the OPPO and went with a faster USB flash memory for around $105 at one location that did not have space for a hard drive.

2. The 10,000RPM hard drives will not work with the Samba USB 3.0 hard drive enclosures without some major modifications. The Western Digital 10,000 RPM hard drives that are labeled as 3.5 inch drives are really a 2.5 inch hard drive inside a 3.5 inch mounting frame with a build in heat sink. So the external Samba hard drive cases require a standard 7,200 RPM hard drive that is 3.5 inches.

3. I purchased a 7,200 RPM hard drive that had 500GB of capacity and found out that the OPPO BDP-83 can use 476.811GB of space on the drive when formatted as FAT32. Perhaps even a larger hard drive like 2TB might work but I have never tried that size drive on the OPPO.

Important update has been finished ( The following is old information from June that has some incorrect information. OPPO Digital originally told me 200GB was the largest size drive that could be used with the BDP-83).

More information on adding fast USB BD-LIVE storage to the OPPO BDP-83

If anyone is interested in a fast 300GB 10,000 RPM hard drive for the OPPO BDP-83 then this post will have some useful information. The 300GB hard drive will need to be formatted and partitioned as a 200GB hard drive since the OPPO BDP-83 does not use ExFAT. One will need to use a 3rd party formatting utility with FAT32 support. A 256MB solid state memory drive would be faster but prices are around $700+. Fast hard drives are still a lot cheaper compared to solid state memory drives.

2 items needed to make a fast high quality 10,000 RPM 200GB FAT32 hard drive for the OPPO BDP-83

** Consumer Alert: I have not tested this design with the OPPO BDP-83. In theory it should work fine. There is always a possibility of some brands and models of USB hard drives and USB flash memory not working on the OPPO BDP-83. **

1. 3.5" Samba USB 3.0 (SATA Drive) Enclosure Kit (SMBXXXU3E-BLK): This hard drive enclosure kit allows any 3.5 inch SATA hard drive to be connected. The interface is USB 3.0 and when connected to the OPPO BDP-83 the interface is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. Includes power supply, USB cable and everything to install a SATA hard drive. List price $59.99. Amazon price $35.68 with free shipping.

http://www.acomdata.com/app/stx.prod...il.asp?did=130

Data Sheet

http://www.amazon.com/AcomData-Samba...7157909&sr=1-1


2. Western Digital 300GB VelociRaptor SATA 10,000 RPM (WD3000GLFS): When used on the OPPO BDP-83 can be formatted as a 200GB FAT32 hard drive with a third party formatting utility. List price $269.99. Amazon price $192.76 with free shipping.

WD VelociRaptor SATA Hard Drive Specification Sheet

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-VelociRaptor-Desktop-WD3000GLFSRTL/dp/B001A1TPFE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277159007&sr =8-1

Why I went with a 32GB USB flash memory card instead of a super fast 300GB hard drive

I wanted to go with an external 300GB USB hard drive for the OPPO BDP-83 but decided against going with an external USB hard drive for the following reasons.


1. I cannot format a 300GB hard drive as one 300GB partition with FAT32. I would have only been able to use 200GB of space on a 300GB hard drive. The 150GB 10,000 RPM hard drives are only around $20 cheaper so it is better to go with a 300GB 10,000 RPM hard drive.


2. The size of the external hard drive case is large compared to a small USB flash memory card. I did not want a large external case with another power supply to plug in.


There are 256GB USB flash memory drives available but those drives cost around $700 at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-DataTraveler-310-flash-Hi-Speed/dp/B0039PBFNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277160459&sr =1-1

Since I needed something small and without a power supply I went with a few 32GB USB flash memory cards for around $64 each for a few OPPO BDP-83's we have. The 1GB of internal memory is not enough for BD-LIVE HD trailer downloads but the 32GB of external USB memory should be enough for my BD-LIVE capacity issues when using the OPPO. I always end up deleting the BD-LIVE memory after each title I watch anyways and have no plans to keep BD-LIVE downloads. I can always use BD-LIVE on my desktop computer with a Blu-ray player which has a fast 10,000 RPM hard drive with DDR3 memory if I need better performance.

Maybe in a few weeks I might post an update on how the 32GB USB flash memory is working with the OPPO BDP-83.

[progers13]

I received my BDP-83 on Monday, set it up and have done my updates. Haven't had much of a chance to play anything on it yet, but I wanted to say hello to all of the members of this thread!

[un4gvn94538]

Originally Posted by progers13

I received my BDP-83 on Monday, set it up and have done my updates. Haven't had much of a chance to play anything on it yet, but I wanted to say hello to all of the members of this thread!

HI! enjoy your purchase

[ScuseMe]

Originally Posted by progers13

I received my BDP-83 on Monday, set it up and have done my updates. Haven't had much of a chance to play anything on it yet, but I wanted to say hello to all of the members of this thread!

Hello and welcome aboard the Oppo wagon! I got my BDP-83 a little over a month ago and I'm loving every minute of it. Currently, I think I play more SACD's than I do BD's (I love DSD) I still haven't done the S&M calibration yet; that's my next to-do (my plasma's calibrated to an 80 GB PS3, which did BD duty before the Oppo).

You purchased a great product with excellent customer service! Good luck!

[progers13]

Originally Posted by un4gvn94538

HI! enjoy your purchase

Thank you! The PS3 did well for 2 and a half years, but it was time to step it up. I'm pleased to say that the Oppo has been everything it was billed to be.

Originally Posted by ScuseMe

Hello and welcome aboard the Oppo wagon! I got my BDP-83 a little over a month ago and I'm loving every minute of it. Currently, I think I play more SACD's than I do BD's (I love DSD) I still haven't done the S&M calibration yet; that's my next to-do (my plasma's calibrated to an 80 GB PS3, which did BD duty before the Oppo).

You purchased a great product with excellent customer service! Good luck!

Thanks! It's funny you mention the SA-CD playback, because that is one thing I plan to try here in the very near future. I'm very eager to check it out.

As for the S&M disc, I bought one a few months back and used it to calibrate my projector. It is a great disc with some of the best calibration screens that I've seen. You really should give it a shot, and see how well it improves your image. I'm going to run through the disc again tonight to make sure that it's not out of whack from what the PS3 displayed.

[ScuseMe]

Originally Posted by progers13

Thank you! The PS3 did well for 2 and a half years, but it was time to step it up. I'm pleased to say that the Oppo has been everything it was billed to be.

Same here. I decided it was time to use my PS3 (old 80 GB) for mainly games and on-demand Netflix; it's lack of raw bitstream transport, streaming DSD, and BD zoom functions made me want to make the switch.

Thanks! It's funny you mention the SA-CD playback, because that is one thing I plan to try here in the very near future. I'm very eager to check it out.

Check out the Recommend Some SACDS thread for ideas on titles, and on sa-cd.net for a nice, all-encompassing site. Once you've heard some good SACD's, you won't want to go back. I have all my CD music ripped to a music server in ALAC (lossless) format, but I must say, the SACD sound quality is better, sometimes worlds better than the CD counterpart. There's also some multi-channel SACD's that will literally blow your mind It's a shame that the format got caught in the DVD-A format war, but I'm hoping for an SACD resurgence, since the new Sony BD players they're releasing now support SACD

As for the S&M disc, I bought one a few months back and used it to calibrate my projector. It is a great disc with some of the best calibration screens that I've seen. You really should give it a shot, and see how well it improves your image. I'm going to run through the disc again tonight to make sure that it's not out of whack from what the PS3 displayed.

I just had a few minutes to look thru S&M's menus, and it does seem like a full-featured package. I did my previous calibration with DVE-HD Basics, so i'm looking forward to see the differences between the two.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by ScuseMe

Same here. I decided it was time to use my PS3 (old 80 GB) for mainly games and on-demand Netflix; it's lack of raw bitstream transport, streaming DSD, and BD zoom functions made me want to make the switch.



Check out the Recommend Some SACDS thread for ideas on titles, and on sa-cd.net for a nice, all-encompassing site. Once you've heard some good SACD's, you won't want to go back. I have all my CD music ripped to a music server in ALAC (lossless) format, but I must say, the SACD sound quality is better, sometimes worlds better than the CD counterpart. There's also some multi-channel SACD's that will literally blow your mind It's a shame that the format got caught in the DVD-A format war, but I'm hoping for an SACD resurgence, since the new Sony BD players they're releasing now support SACD



I just had a few minutes to look thru S&M's menus, and it does seem like a full-featured package. I did my previous calibration with DVE-HD Basics, so i'm looking forward to see the differences between the two.

I own both the S&M disc as well as the DVE. DVE is good for audio tests and as a general FAQ / "cliff's notes" about the HD format. It's a valuable tool for individuals who may not spend the time browsing sites like this to gain all the information. However, as a video calibration tool, the DVE is below average (IMO). It's certainly better than nothing, but the test patterns on the S&M disc is far superior. A good example is to look at the section on each disc for setting the white level. The DVE disc shows the white as being properly set at one level; however, a follow up check with the S&M disc shows blooming and white crush at that same level. I actually chatted with Stacey Spears (author of the S&M disc) in the Spears & Munsil thread about the discrepancy. I wasn't aware that Stacey actually helped create the DVE around 2001 / 2002. The S&M disc was produced much more recently, as better methods were discovered and better (more accurate) patterns were developed.

I highly recommend the S&M disc, but it is only useful as a video calibrator. The audio portion will still need to be done using DVE or another comparable disc (I have yet to check out the AIX audio disc included with the 83).

[ScuseMe]

Originally Posted by progers13

I own both the S&M disc as well as the DVE. DVE is good for audio tests and as a general FAQ / "cliff's notes" about the HD format. It's a valuable tool for individuals who may not spend the time browsing sites like this to gain all the information. However, as a video calibration tool, the DVE is below average (IMO). It's certainly better than nothing, but the test patterns on the S&M disc is far superior. A good example is to look at the section on each disc for setting the white level. The DVE disc shows the white as being properly set at one level; however, a follow up check with the S&M disc shows blooming and white crush at that same level. I actually chatted with Stacey Spears (author of the S&M disc) in the Spears & Munsil thread about the discrepancy. I wasn't aware that Stacey actually helped create the DVE around 2001 / 2002. The S&M disc was produced much more recently, as better methods were discovered and better (more accurate) patterns were developed.

I highly recommend the S&M disc, but it is only useful as a video calibrator. The audio portion will still need to be done using DVE or another comparable disc (I have yet to check out the AIX audio disc included with the 83).

Thanks for your insights into the S&M disc. I just realized that the Oppo site has some additional info on the disc, including the terms used for calibration (black level, brightness, etc.), and importantly, using the calibration filter. I don't know how I missed it

As to the AIX disc, I only watched the excellent performances on it; I didn't do any calibrations (I have Audyssey, so I don't think I need to).

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by ScuseMe

Thanks for your insights into the S&M disc. I just realized that the Oppo site has some additional info on the disc, including the terms used for calibration (black level, brightness, etc.), and importantly, using the calibration filter. I don't know how I missed it

As to the AIX disc, I only watched the excellent performances on it; I didn't do any calibrations (I have Audyssey, so I don't think I need to).

If you still need more information you could alwasy go to the Spears&Munsil Blu-Ray Test Disc Thread and ask Stacey Spears directly.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by ScuseMe

Thanks for your insights into the S&M disc. I just realized that the Oppo site has some additional info on the disc, including the terms used for calibration (black level, brightness, etc.), and importantly, using the calibration filter. I don't know how I missed it

As to the AIX disc, I only watched the excellent performances on it; I didn't do any calibrations (I have Audyssey, so I don't think I need to).

Originally Posted by kpkelley

If you still need more information you could alwasy go to the Spears&Munsil Blu-Ray Test Disc Thread and ask Stacey Spears directly.

Or go to http://www.spearsandmunsil.com/articles.html and read the articles, which provide a tremendous amount of information and insight to the patterns and the technology that they simply couldn't put on the disc.

[ScuseMe]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

If you still need more information you could alwasy go to the Spears&Munsil Blu-Ray Test Disc Thread and ask Stacey Spears directly.

Originally Posted by progers13

Or go to http://www.spearsandmunsil.com/articles.html and read the articles, which provide a tremendous amount of information and insight to the patterns and the technology that they simply couldn't put on the disc.

Thank you both for the comments and links

[Jimbo976]

I ordered my BDP-83 today and can't wait to try it out tomorrow.

I have a couple of Sony players and just got a slim PS3. I was planning to have 2 different PS3's in the house but of course the day after I got the slim, the original 60GB PS3 dies with the YLOD.

Now I need a way to play SACD and it's finally time for the Oppo.

[ScuseMe]

Originally Posted by Jimbo976

I ordered my BDP-83 today and can't wait to try it out tomorrow.

Great! Welcome to the club!

[pgblu]

Hello all,

Just received my BDP-83SE on Saturday. I swapped out my Sony BDP-550 (both using analog out to my pre-pro). I have tried a couple of SACD's (new format for me) as well as my reference CD's to compare. Wow what a difference! The Sony was no slouch, but the OPPO sounds much better. Sounds more open and the soundstage is slightly improved too.

I also really like all of the flexibilty in being able to use the 5.1 out or just the 2 channel out. This allows me use the sub or not for 2 channel listening without disconnecting it or changing around options on the pre-pro.

Anyway, just wanted to give my 2 cents and first impressions. BTW, the manual is well organized and written.

pgblu

[ScuseMe]

Originally Posted by pgblu

Hello all,

Just received my BDP-83SE on Saturday. I swapped out my Sony BDP-550 (both using analog out to my pre-pro). I have tried a couple of SACD's (new format for me) as well as my reference CD's to compare. Wow what a difference! The Sony was no slouch, but the OPPO sounds much better. Sounds more open and the soundstage is slightly improved too.

I also really like all of the flexibilty in being able to use the 5.1 out or just the 2 channel out. This allows me use the sub or not for 2 channel listening without disconnecting it or changing around options on the pre-pro.

Anyway, just wanted to give my 2 cents and first impressions. BTW, the manual is well organized and written.

pgblu

Fantastic! The DACs in the SE are amazing; I know just how much better music can sound with good DACs (I previously used a Parasound Halo C2 for all DAC-work). I just have the regular 83 now, but I may upgrade to the SE in the future.

[pgblu]

Originally Posted by ScuseMe

Fantastic! The DACs in the SE are amazing; I know just how much better music can sound with good DACs (I previously used a Parasound Halo C2 for all DAC-work). I just have the regular 83 now, but I may upgrade to the SE in the future.

So you use the analog in too? The good news is you can send in the OPPO to them (or some other after market compnay) for an upgrade.

I thought about changing out the pre-pro for an HDMI capable pre-pro; however, I'm more concerned about high quality sound and can directly connect the BD to the TV via HDMI anyway. As far as the DAC goes, I agree. I used a vintage Denon DCD 1500 for CD's until very recently, because it sounded great and I wanted a box that would do more (and not just buy another CD player). I've kicked around getting a dedicated SACD player over the years too. Now I'm glad I waited. Hopefully the OPPO will fit the bill.

[Canada]

http://hometheatermag.com/discplayer...lu-ray_player/ Check out the $2,000 price point.

[ScuseMe]

Originally Posted by Canada

http://hometheatermag.com/discplayer...lu-ray_player/ Check out the $2,000 price point.

It continues to amaze me what Oppo's accomplished at the $899 price point of the SE