oppo blu ray player

[dvdx2]

Why are these players so expensive?

Noticed some weighing in at 899 quid??

[wakka]

Um because they're really good.

['Press Start']

They contain anti-vibrational dampers that keep the player separate from the Earth's Vibrational frequencies therefore enhancing Blu Ray play back up to 63%...........

[_SD_]

I was looking into the Oppo players myself the other day after I heard them mentioned somewhere.

I ended up going for the new Yamaha BD-A1020, as I couldn't see anything in the Oppo players to justify the extra cost. Plus the Yamaha unit is available in silver and it's made to match the Aventage receiver range.

[Lyris]

In the West, Oppo worked with and listened to video experts when they launched their first DVD player (in 2005 I think). They basically took a decent machine and turned it into a near-flawless one.

Because of that, they're a "safe bet" for people who just want a player that works properly.

Most people are still of the opinion that the more expensive the player, the better the image quality. That was sometimes true in the analog days but it's completely possible for a cheap player to put out the same picture (I have a cheap Panasonic that I got free that I've done tests on, and verified this).

Some just can't get their head around the idea that the price of the player is affected by economies of scale and other factors besides quality. I've had someone, who owned a more expensive player tell me: "I don't care what your science and test patterns say. My eyes see different."

I'm not knocking the Oppos, BTW. They're excellent players and there are good reasons to own one.

[dvdx2]

Thanks for that -

Are there any br players out their that WILL make the image quality better?

I heard the sony s760 was rather tasty

[Lyris]

No. Some players have gimmicky "enhancements" like sharpening filters though.

Others have multi-point gamma correction features. Those do make the picture better, IF you know there's something wrong with your display. Basically it's a calibration feature, only in the player rather than in your TV. Of course, it can only be used by a calibrator with equipment + software.

If you're not satisfied with the picture quality as it is now, look at calibrating or replacing the TV or projector, not the player. What about the picture are you finding lacking at the moment?

[PaTaito]

In the dvd days oppo used the best in class video scaling chips, along with high quality audio DACs and other components, and i still think they made the best dvd player.

In the bluray realm they still offer the same high quality features(qdeo video for sd upscaling), but because bluray playback quality is much of a muchness, and not everyone runs high class receivers and floor standers....its not nearly as necessary imo.

Besides players like the pioneer bdp-lx55, and the newer bdp-450, also feature qdeo scaling for much less....they wont sound as good as the oppo bdp-95 no doubt, but it will likely match the bdp-93.

[dvdx2]

No. Some players have gimmicky "enhancements" like sharpening filters though.

Others have multi-point gamma correction features. Those do make the picture better, IF you know there's something wrong with your display. Basically it's a calibration feature, only in the player rather than in your TV. Of course, it can only be used by a calibrator with equipment + software.

If you're not satisfied with the picture quality as it is now, look at calibrating or replacing the TV or projector, not the player. What about the picture are you finding lacking at the moment?

No, i'm totally happy with the picture. Just going through an "anything " better out ther phase lol

[JSR]

This will "enhance" your picture: http://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/darbeevision-darblet/

[PaTaito]

This will "enhance" your picture: http://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/darbeevision-darblet/

Interesting link....seems to have a fair few testimonials too.

[_SD_]

That Darblet jobbie certainly sounds interesting. I'd like to see one in person to judge how much of a visible improvement it makes.

[Lyris]

In the dvd days oppo used the best in class video scaling chips, along with high quality audio DACs and other components, and i still think they made the best dvd player.

In the bluray realm they still offer the same high quality features(qdeo video for sd upscaling), but because bluray playback quality is much of a muchness, and not everyone runs high class receivers and floor standers....its not nearly as necessary imo.

And because DAC quality doesn't matter at all when you're not using analog output.

I'm not going to get into a Darbee Vision debate again (done it elsewhere on other forums), but the review linked to has some real technological misunderstanding going on. AV Forums did a good review of it. It's a new kind of sharpening algorithm which looks visibly similar to Unsharp Masking, but it's still post-processing.

"The Darblet doesn’t change the picture so much as it improves the playback of what’s there." In other words, it changes it.

The "tinkering" mindset is depressing. We have the best home video format ever, ultra cheap players which work properly, and some outstanding screens for not a lot of cash - heaven forbid people would be happy with this setup and spend some money on films! I guess it all comes down to money, everyone wants to sell magic beans. If the same feature was in the TV menu as "Super Sharp Vision" or something similar, it would barely get a second look. Market it and sell it in a standalone device and suddenly the rave reviews come in. You can't add something to the signal if it isn't there in the first place. (That's not aimed at anyone in this thread, BTW).

['Press Start']

The "tinkering" mindset is depressing. We have the best home video format ever, ultra cheap players which work properly, and some outstanding screens for not a lot of cash - heaven forbid people would be happy with this setup and spend some money on films! I guess it all comes down to money, everyone wants to sell magic beans. If the same feature was in the TV menu as "Super Sharp Vision" or something similar, it would barely get a second look. Market it and sell it in a standalone device and suddenly the rave reviews come in. You can't add something to the signal if it isn't there in the first place. (That's not aimed at anyone in this thread, BTW).

This +1. A deep comment in a way as this goes for most consumerism and even our self image.

We are told every day of our lives, subliminally and up front that what we possess (physical self too) it not as good as what we do not.

I often wonder if having all this technology in our upgrade mindsets actually makes us unhappy.

[dvdx2]

I often wonder if having all this technology in our upgrade mindsets actually makes us unhappy.

off course it does - i used to look around at the ?1000s of stuff I had bought to try to make me happy, but in reality, it made me unhappy. You never are fully content, because something better is out there. Stuff usually compensates for important things in ones life; i went through counselling to try and change the way I thought as it was starting to affect my health. Thankfully, I now try for the most part to be content with what i have other than what I dont. We are however in an upgrade society. What number will the ipad be at in 2050? insane