Oppo UDP-203 and XMC-1

[gus]

This past summer I took advantage of the XMC-1 refurbished deal and am now looking at a disc player to replace my Sony Bluray/SACD player and my Integra CD/DVD/DVD-Audio/SACD 5 disc player.  I've been looking at the Oppo players and recently they released this 4K player that plays every format I want and has basic transport controls on the front.  

My question is, can I simply hook this up to my XMC-1 with a single HDMI cable and get all the sound formats and pass the video to my TV?  

My XMC-1 does not have the HDMI upgrade, and I am not planning on getting it.  I have no concerns about missing out on 4K video.  My TV is a Samsung UN50H5203, which is a 2014 model with 1080P 60Hz. 

I looked at the Oppo manual today and I believe that the player is capable of standard HDMI 1.0 output.  (This would only make sense, but what do I know?)

Thanks!

[doc1963]

You certainly "can" purchase the 203 and it will work just fine, but if you have no current (or near-future) use for its 4K UHD capability, I would look for a used 93 or 103. There's been quite a few of those for sale in our own Emporium as of late...

See HERE

[geebo]

What Doc said. If you have no interest in 4K or HDR then why pay $549 when you can get a perfectly capable 103 for a couple hundred bucks less.
But to answer your question, yes, a single cable going to the XMC should cover your needs.

[LCSeminole]

As Doc and geebo have already said, the XMC-1 should work just fine with the UDP-203. The 203's "Main" HDMI out when set on "AUTO" will handshake with the XMC-1 and know exactly what it does and doesn't support, so playing your regular blu-rays @1080p should be no different than it was with your Sony blu-ray player. If you have no plans on upgrading to 4K for quite a while then you could save yourself some money in picking up a used Oppo BDP-93 or BDP-103 on the used market, but if you can see yourself moving to 4K in the foreseeable future then the UDP-203 would have you prepared in this case, as well as upgrading to the 8x2 HDMI board that Emotiva plans on releasing later in Q1 of 2017. This just gives you options and who doesn't like options!

[routlaw]

Couple more thoughts on this. Looking at the specs, photos, and marketing material on the Oppo website it appears the 203 has now gone to a linear power supply vs the switch mode power supply in the 103, and they have changed the DAC chips to AKM vs the Cirrus Logic chips that were in the 103 while implementing some advanced video capabilities even if you are NOT displaying 4K UHD and they have done all this for only a $50 upgrade price over the previous model 103. And it appears they have gone to a much more robust transport mechanism, not that the previous was bad, but… For the audio alone this might be worth a serious investigation. Perhaps I'm an easy sell, but even though I don't have a 4K display I'm seriously considering one of these units. Anyone want a mint used Oppo 103?

FWIW, I've never enjoyed the sound of redbook CD playback from the 103, whether thats due to the DAC, the power supply or a combination of other things I don't know. For that reason alone I purchased the ERC-3 earlier in the year which is vastly superior for standard cd playback compared to the Oppo 103. If this new 203 compares favorably to the ERC-3 I could simply my system a bit, but thats a taller order to fill. I've owned some pricey digital front ends through the years but the ERC-3 is as enjoyable to listen to as any of them.

[cawgijoe]

I will be purchasing a 203 to replace my 103 in late March or early April. I love my 103 and still haven't decided whether to sell or move it to the bedroom.
So, I may be adding a 103 to the Emporium one of these days.......

[neekos]

The 203 looks like a solid piece. I'm curious to see what people will think of the sound with the new AKM dacs.

[goozoo]

I don't believe the 203 does HDR or Dolby Vision however.  I may be wrong on this, but I think that is what I just read.  That being said, if you want the 4K in the future, wait until these features are added before making the purchase.  Like you, I am still in 1080P mode and not moving to 4K until the price of laser projectors drops.  By then, I can move my BDP-103 to another room and enjoy the 4K UDH experience but in HDR.  

[geebo]

Jan 4, 2017 17:02:16 GMT -5 goozoo said:

I don't believe the 203 does HDR or Dolby Vision however.  I may be wrong on this, but I think that is what I just read.  That being said, if you want the 4K in the future, wait until these features are added before making the purchase.  Like you, I am still in 1080P mode and not moving to 4K until the price of laser projectors drops.  By then, I can move my BDP-103 to another room and enjoy the 4K UDH experience but in HDR.  

The 203 does in fact do HDR10. Dolby Vision is part of a planned firmware upgrade according to Oppo.

[LCSeminole]

Jan 4, 2017 17:02:16 GMT -5 goozoo said:

I don't believe the 203 does HDR or Dolby Vision however.  I may be wrong on this, but I think that is what I just read.  That being said, if you want the 4K in the future, wait until these features are added before making the purchase.  Like you, I am still in 1080P mode and not moving to 4K until the price of laser projectors drops.  By then, I can move my BDP-103 to another room and enjoy the 4K UDH experience but in HDR.  

Just as "geebo" has already posted, the Oppo UDP-203 does indeed already support HDR10 and already has the hardware aboard for Dolby Vision to be activated by a firmware update.

.............straight from the Oppo website:

"One of the more exciting elements of the new 4K UHD format is the inclusion of high-dynamic range (HDR) video and an expanded color range, allowing for more natural and true-to-life colors. The UDP-203 supports the HDR10 format, and it is also capable of providing an accurate conversion from HDR to SDR for older displays. Support for Dolby Vision will be available in the future via a firmware upgrade."

High Dynamic Range:
"The UDP-203 supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Color Gamut. The enhanced resolution, refined contrast, greater brightness, and expanded color produce stunning video with unparalleled clarity and detail. In addition to supporting the HDR10 format on discs and video files, it is also capable of providing an accurate conversion of HDR to SDR for older displays, as well as conversion between various color spaces such as BT.2020, BT.709, and BT.601."

Dolby Vision Upgradeable:
"Leveraging hardware designed to support Dolby Vision, customers can expect a firmware update in early 2017 that brings Dolby Vision support to the player. Dolby Vision transforms the TV viewing experience by delivering striking highlights, brilliant colors, and deep darks never before seen on standard television screens, and OPPO is committed to bringing this exciting technology to the UDP-203."

[gus]

Well, Thank you everybody for chiming in with lots of great information.  Buying a used 103 looks like a great option for me.  Most of the movies I like are lucky to get a Blu Ray release at all, never mind a 4k release.  As far as DACs in the 203 go, I'm quite happy with the conversion taking place in my XMC-1. 
I'm really looking forward to having a universal player that can feed all my cd and various surround disc information to the XMC-1 via the HDMI connector.  It'll be easier to switch between my Ministry DVD-Audios and Who Blu Rays on one player with one input on the XMC-1.

Thanks again!  You guys rule!

[audiosyndrome]

Jan 4, 2017 12:31:08 GMT -5 routlaw said:

Couple more thoughts on this. Looking at the specs, photos, and marketing material on the Oppo website it appears the 203 has now gone to a linear power supply vs the switch mode power supply in the 103, and they have changed the DAC chips to AKM vs the Cirrus Logic chips that were in the 103 while implementing some advanced video capabilities even if you are NOT displaying 4K UHD and they have done all this for only a $50 upgrade price over the previous model 103. And it appears they have gone to a much more robust transport mechanism, not that the previous was bad, but… For the audio alone this might be worth a serious investigation. Perhaps I'm an easy sell, but even though I don't have a 4K display I'm seriously considering one of these units. Anyone want a mint used Oppo 103?

FWIW, I've never enjoyed the sound of redbook CD playback from the 103, whether thats due to the DAC, the power supply or a combination of other things I don't know. For that reason alone I purchased the ERC-3 earlier in the year which is vastly superior for standard cd playback compared to the Oppo 103. If this new 203 compares favorably to the ERC-3 I could simply my system a bit, but thats a taller order to fill. I've owned some pricey digital front ends through the years but the ERC-3 is as enjoyable to listen to as any of them.

Why are you not using the DAC in the XMC for analog conversion? It sure beats the 103. Don't know about the ERC as I've never heard one.

Russ

[goozoo]

I stand corrected. Thanks for he correction guys. Will have to wait and see what the 205 offers and if it plays out like the 103 vs 105 did; making the 103 a heck of a value.

[gus]

Jan 4, 2017 10:54:01 GMT -5 doc1963 said:

You certainly "can" purchase the 203 and it will work just fine, but if you have no current (or near-future) use for its 4K UHD capability, I would look for a used 93 or 103. There's been quite a few of those for sale in our own Emporium as of late...

See HERE

Thanks Doc!  I just bought that.  I can't wait!SaveSave

[doc1963]

Jan 5, 2017 10:10:17 GMT -5 gus said:

Jan 4, 2017 10:54:01 GMT -5 doc1963 said:

You certainly "can" purchase the 203 and it will work just fine, but if you have no current (or near-future) use for its 4K UHD capability, I would look for a used 93 or 103. There's been quite a few of those for sale in our own Emporium as of late...

See HERE

Thanks Doc!  I just bought that.  I can't wait!SaveSave

You're quite welcome. Enjoy...!!!

[routlaw]

Jan 4, 2017 19:15:03 GMT -5 audiosyndrome said:

Why are you not using the DAC in the XMC for analog conversion? It sure beats the 103. Don't know about the ERC as I've never heard one.

Russ

I never said I didn't use the XMC-1 DAC via the 103, not sure where you got that info. We do use the HDMI outs of the 103 when spinning Blu Ray, but as previously stated to these ears and in my system the ERC-3 outperforms hands down the 103 as a standard CDP. I've tried this using the ERC-3 as a transport into the XMC-1, and also the 103 in the same manner, but prefer the ERC-3 with its analog balanced outputs by a wide margin.

My point was the 203 might have improved substantially its analog outputs with this new DAC chip among other things… or it may not have. But for sure it seems to have taken the video capabilities up a notch or two even without a a 4K display.

[gus]

Well, my BDP-103 showed up yesterday.  I took the Integra 6 disc cd/dvd/dvd-audio/sacd player and Sony bluray player out of the system and replaced them with the Oppo.  Soooo much nicer to play all my different disc formats on one machine.  

Thanks for the help, everyone.  Now I need to save up for a center channel.  

[mrg1999]

I've been thinking about upgrading my Blu-Ray player to an Oppo UDP-203 (currently a run-of-the-mill Samsung Unit and the weakest link of my HT).

I should state that I use my HT system to view concert videos almost exclusively and thus the main focus of my HT has been on the audio components.

The audio sources to my XMC-1 (STB & Blu-Ray) are via digital optical and coax cabling. It has been my thinking that optical or coax cables would be able to carry more bandwidth and be subjected to less interference than the 28 ga. wires of an HDMI cable.

Now I read in the UDP-203 manual:

"Due to bandwidth limitations, high resolution audio formats such as Dolby Digital Plus,
Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio cannot be sent through
the coaxial or optical digital audio output. A reduced resolution version of the same audio
track will be output instead. To listen to high resolution audio formats in their best quality,
please use the HDMI connection if you have a receiver that handles HDMI audio"

In addition, I have heard from several sources that the UDP's DAC is inferior to the XMC-1's and that utilizing the 7.1 analog interface results in "too bright" audio.

What to do?

[Gary Cook]

Nov 14, 2017 21:57:49 GMT -5 mrg1999 said:

I've been thinking about upgrading my Blu-Ray player to an Oppo UDP-203 (currently a run-of-the-mill Samsung Unit and the weakest link of my HT).

I should state that I use my HT system to view concert videos almost exclusively and thus the main focus of my HT has been on the audio components.

The audio sources to my XMC-1 (STB & Blu-Ray) are via digital optical and coax cabling. It has been my thinking that optical or coax cables would be able to carry more bandwidth and be subjected to less interference than the 28 ga. wires of an HDMI cable.

Now I read in the UDP-203 manual:

"Due to bandwidth limitations, high resolution audio formats such as Dolby Digital Plus,
Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio cannot be sent through
the coaxial or optical digital audio output. A reduced resolution version of the same audio
track will be output instead. To listen to high resolution audio formats in their best quality,
please use the HDMI connection if you have a receiver that handles HDMI audio"

In addition, I have heard from several sources that the UDP's DAC is inferior to the XMC-1's and that utilizing the 7.1 analog interface results in "too bright" audio.

What to do?

Last item first, I find the 203 (AKM) DAC to be OK, it's the 205 (Sabre) DAC that irritates me.

HDMI is the go for lossless audio, compared to digital coax or toslink.
Wire size is pretty much irrelevant, it's digital.
Interference is much the same, it's digital (the 1's don't get magically converted to 0's)

You'll like the 203, great unit.

Cheers
Gary

[wilburthegoose]

And - the 203 is a Roon endpoint.