Welcome to the forum ethos4lyfe Not much (there are some) Oppo 4K video questions/answers here. You may want to have a look at www.avsforum.com First off I can tell you there is no Oppo 4K player available yet. The UDP203 is coming later this year. The UDP205 (presumably that will be the model) is forthcoming first quarter 2017. As for the price, the numbers you have mentioned apply to the 103/203, not the 105/205. As for the audio, only the 105/205 are audiophile grade (balanced output, sabre DAC and so forth). My hopeful opinion is the audio quality in the 205 will be outstanding. It will not - or should not - suffer as a result of 4K. The video resolution has nothing to do with it. In fact Oppo has a pure audio mode where video can be disengaged. |
Yeah, that is a good question, as it does make me question the parts and build quality Oppo would be able to achieve for $500, especially on a player for a new format like 4K. I have two Oppo universal disc players, and both have been great. If you go to the Oppo site, you can sign up to receive info on the new 4K player.
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Yeah, I Have signed up for info - the price point just stuck out to me. The "last generation" are so highly priced, it makes me think that the first line of 4K players from them will be basic. The first 4K player I believe was the Samsung a while ago, and it left alot to be desired. |
I have a OPPO 103D and it's the best player I've ever owned. I have had some higher end ES in the past and they were great but this time I was looking good for a universal transport that could stream Netflix and pull audio off external storage plus play all of my existing media. I own a NAD M51 dac and the combination is killer....Had I not had a great DAC I probably would have bought the 105, but I knew 4k was right around the corner when I bought it about 10 months ago. The 103D was a perfect fit , it's a real bang for the buck, not to mention I have a kid in college so the price was about where I wanted to max out at.... |
AFAIK, Oppo is a Chinese firm with a design center in Silicon Valley. I am not worried about parts or build quality as Apple is manf. in China with a design center in Silicon Valley. The Chinese will build to spec. so it depends on the spec. you want.
Also, given that these things can become obsolete in 2-3 years, longevity is less important.
Audiophilic consumers are often attracted to ultra-thick aluminum face plates and will overpay for such trivia...
Finally, Oppo is a major, or the major, cell phone maker in China. It is possible that they just like building audiophile equipment and make less profit on it.
OTOH, a search for photos, or reviews of build quality might prove fruitful. |
@randy-11 with regard to
obsolescence
the Oppo 4K will not be going anywhere anytime soon. 8K is already on the horizon but well known (documented) to be more than 10 years out before a player of that resolution is available in a U.S. home. Also, 4K CONTENT is in its infancy so Oppo 4K will be around after Trump or Clinton finishes their second term. |
Yet another reason the Oppo is relatively inexpensive is because most other audio only and/or audio/video brands are overpriced.
Something else to be aware of about the forthcoming 4K Oppo's which purportedly is a plus is that they have transferred more
(as compared to their non-4K models)
functionality and reliance upon firmware updates. So they are, in my view, understanding of the fact that HDR and comparable Dolby are evolving technologies with no definitive standard.
I have a pro-calibrated Samsung UN65KS9800 and frankly the picture is "exactly perfect" (that's a Grateful Dead reference) so I'm looking forward to the audiophile 4K model Oppo myself! |
OTOH, all graceful circuit designs are not yet known, so Oppo could always update the chips, board, for cost or performance reasons before that decade long deadline for 8k
I'm also looking forward to a new Oppo player |
is there any reason to buy the 105 over the 103 if you gonna just use the oppo as a slave drive to play dvd audio discs through an external dac? |
I would think not. I believe the only difference between the two is the DAC chips.
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About Darbee.... not sure anyone "needs " it. :) I don't think it matters if you play 1080 or 4k either. I would expect Darbee to enhance either equally.
The Oppo 103 has one huge advantage over all others. The ability to replace the audio with purely digital output boards with enhanced clocks, which COULD feed up to 4 separate stereo DAC's, including DSD. As a pure player that to me makes it the single best option.
Best,
Erik
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Long time ago that I posted this....but I was able to get the first run of the 203 from Oppo. And I must say, the picture is fantastic. The difference with the HDR turned on is incredible, and it seems that audio/video is better than when using the 4K drive on the Xbox S.
I'm new to the audiophile side of things, but it seems that this has all the bells and whistles I could ever need!
And the remote is huge, I don't use it because I have Savant universal, but its very detailed.
My first piece from Oppo, very happy! |
Ethos, question - what streaming apps come with the -203 player ? I use my 105D to stream a number of sources, including Netflix, Berliner Philharmoniker, etc.. (I have to use a Roku 3600 stick to stream Amazon, Hulu, etc.. )
I was told that Oppo was dropping a lot of streaming apps and letting users install streaming sticks to save on cost. I really like the Berliner Philharmoniker concert channel, so I am hoping it's still on the new player.
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@dcbingaman honestly I haven't checked much - I use my Sony 930d for streaming. I have read that many people knocked the 203 though for not including as many apps if I remember. I can check and update tomorrow! |
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