Oppo Plans?

[jdmusante]

Apr 5, 2018 13:54:51 GMT -5 musicfan said:

cross post from the other thread:

i just read this from an oppo vendor:

Oppo is out of 205's and have 1,000 203's left. Oppo said at the current rate, the 203's will not last through the weekend. Oppo said they have sold more 203's in the last two days than they sold for the month of march.

With this info I just ordered one. Will hook it up and use the Roon integration until I get a 4k TV. I guess I don't need the 105D I have but I REALLY like the 105D. Maybe the 203 renders it useless. We shall see. I know its probably overkill but I like their products quite a bit.

[bluemeanies]

Although I am VERY disappointed of OPPO's decision to STOP being involved in the blu-ray player/4K player business and having the OPPO 93 (which operates) flawlessly I do not intend to jump into the panic and purchase a 203/205 for future use. As of now my projector operates just fine and is NOT 4K ready, besides technology changesd on a DAILY basis.
What about 8k that I have heard is coming in the not to distant future.
When my OPPO 93 is ready for the trash can then I will consider a 4/8k at probably a cheaper price than what OPPO was offering.
Hopefully it will be from a reliable company that makes a quality product....not SONY!
Apologies to all SONY customers. I myself own a couple of SONY's that work well but they have saturated the market by being involved in every phase of HT and Audio as well as Refrigerators, Microwaves and a host of other products.
First I want to deal with a product that is made either 100% in this country or at the very least 75/25.
OPPOS demise in this market is partially due to its rising cost of their products when there many players out there cheaper.
That said, I myself want reliability and I am willing to pay a "Few Dollars More"
I will definitely miss OPPO regardless of the price!
The adage " you get what you pay for" allies here IMO.

[Boomzilla]

My initial Oppo purchase, the BDP-105, was the most satisfying audio purchase I've ever made. It stayed in my equipment rack consistently and for far longer than any other component. It was flexible and could use just about any input I wanted including USB, TOSLINK, Coaxial digital, DLNA streaming over Ethernet, and both balanced or unbalanced analog. It also had a plethora of outputs, digital and analog, video and audio, that let me have the flexibility of using it in multiple configurations. The Sabre DAC wasn't the most neutral, but it was pretty good, and I got some VERY good sound out of the 105 in both stereo and surround.

The only thing that persuaded me to let go of that 105 was the introduction of the UDP-205. The advertising promised all the flexibility of the 105 with the added "benefits" of 4K video, HDR video capability (which IS a major improvement), and a new Sabre chipset. That last is the downfall of the UDP-205 (and probably of Oppo itself). The Sabre implementation in the 205 is significantly brighter (think glare) than the 105 and makes the 205 FAR less versatile. The Oppo is no longer an acceptable DAC for stereo listening (although it will suffice for home theater).

That said, I know of no other disc player that has the versatility of the Oppo, nor that has any DAC that sounds significantly better. It's true that I haven't heard much of the competition, because until now, I never thought I needed to bother. And although I'll keep my UDP-205 until it breaks, eventually I'll need to evaluate replacements.

The logical order for such things would be:

An inexpensive, universal disc reader with a standard output interface (no DAC - no analog section - no processing - just a bare disc spinner)
A high-quality and easily-upgradeable processor that can both stream and accept data from the disc reader
And analog outputs thereafter for power amps, subwoofers, etc.

But of course, that isn't what manufacturers will probably produce. Instead, we'll get massive redundancy in "all-in-one" components that will be jacks of all trades, but masters of none. An audio amigo's system is typical - He has apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime, TIDAL, etc. on his disc player. But his AVR has the same set of apps. And his smart TV also has the same apps yet again! What a mess. Depending on his hookup, he can use the DACs in the disc player or those in the AVR. But what you get depends on what the AV companies want to offer. It isn't as if you can pick & choose like car accessories (I want the Amazon Prime app, the DLNA over Ethernet streaming, but hold the Sabre DAC...).

I think that McIntosh may have gotten the design factors right (not that anyone much is in the market for their $20,000 system), but at least they show some engineering creativity!

So Oppo leaves a mess in their wake. Where we go from here is yet to be seen.

Boom

[brubacca]

I concur. Oppo leaves a huge hole in the market for affordable excellence.

Unfortunately the trend is streaming over physical media. I dislike the trend, but I'm in the minority.

Personally when my Oppo 103 dies I will be forced to look at brands like NAD, Cambridge Audio and Arcam. I expect to pay double what my Oppo costs.

I have always secretly (or not so secretly) thought that Jade was involved with at least one or two of the companies mentioneded. I'm hopeful that Emotiva would add that type of video source and that they possibly already have some expertise in the area.

[routlaw]

FWIW, I just ordered the Oppo 203 (still have my 103) though I had intended to purchase the 205 regardless of what some detractors have indicated.

While I realize there are some who don't approve of the 205 there are apparently other reviewers, music lovers, videophiles and audiophiles by the thousands that seem to think the 205 is or was a great product in all arenas. From my perspective the criticisms of Oppo have been over the top too harsh. I have admired what they have accomplished in an industry that is not easy to please and play in. Regarding the Sabre DAC experience, I've owned 3 DACS with their chips and have heard both good and not so pleasing sounds from them, enough that I was reticent to purchase the 205 before they all sold out. My loss… maybe. Interesting too how we continually hear claims the 9038 chip is superior to the AKM chip in the 203, yet some percentage of people can't stand to listen to the 205. Its a curious hobby and industry.

As for built in apps, meh who cares given the litany of different other inexpensive devices such as Roku, and Apple TV. We have not used the apps in our 203 in a 2-3 years at least so I just don't understand all the fuss over this issue. True, streaming movies is far more convenient than going out to our local video store to rent Blu Rays especially during our winter months up here in the Northern Hinterlands. But streaming always leaves me wanting more, both sound and picture quality. From what I gather video rental stores seems to have vanished across the heartland apparently which eliminates yet another venue for high quality viewing at a reasonable cost. We seldom purchase Blu Rays and the few we have bought they rarely ever get watched again, not a real good investment.

Cutting to the chase Oppo will be missed and in a big way IMHO. In the meantime I'm anxious to see how the 203 performs against my ERC-3 for redbook CD playing. This brings up one last thought. Like many of you I had been using a computer based music server for years and was very satisfied with the experience but even that has its potholes. The Mac Mini I purchased several years ago was dedicated just for this task has become obsolete with Apple OS, and thus any further upgrades to Audirvana my preferred jukebox. And quite frankly dealing with a computer for listening to music is just a PITA. I normally set in front of one of the thinks all day and the last thing I want to do in the evening is use yet another one. Seems I've gone full circle and back to spinning disc.

[jjkessler]

Ordered a 203 as well as upgrading my theater to 4K is in my future plans.

[roadwar]

After suffering problems and a complete failure with Sony and Samsung cheaply built, light weight Blu Ray players, I bought a 103 which has been flawless. The day of Oppo's farewell announcement, I ordered a 203 which is due tomorrow.

[bootman]

Still the only player that can play Dolby Vision disks reliably and still the only choice for any serious videophile.
Sad to see this go.

[wilden]

Just ordered a 205 from my local Magnolia (BestBuy). They don’t have them in stock but will order one for you with a 20% deposit. I’ll pick mine up on Tuesday.

[dwa247]

I currently use an Oppo BDP-103 and haven't upgraded to a 4K display yet, but I might this year. I decided to purchase a UDP-203 player yesterday before they are gone. I still think they are the best universal disc players out there compared to others. Honestly, I wished Oppo would have offered a 4K digital only universal disc transport at a lower price than the UDP-203 because I don't need the analog outputs.

[pknaz]

Great time for Emotiva to jump into the video disk player market! - I'd most likely buy an Emotiva 4k video disk player.

[Loop 7]

I'm curious just how many actual BRD transport manufacturers exist? As we know, Oppo's transport was utilized by numerous other brands.

I assume Sony, Panasonic and LG manufacture their own transports?

[hemster]

Apr 7, 2018 13:20:26 GMT -5 pknaz said:

Great time for Emotiva to jump into the video disk player market! - I'd most likely buy an Emotiva 4k video disk player.

I would too. But it's a crowded market and I don't think Emotiva will want to diversify. But then again, you never know! Not many of the others make toasters!  

[klinemj]

Apr 7, 2018 15:45:41 GMT -5 hemster said:

Apr 7, 2018 13:20:26 GMT -5 pknaz said:

Great time for Emotiva to jump into the video disk player market! - I'd most likely buy an Emotiva 4k video disk player.

I would too. But it's a crowded market and I don't think Emotiva will want to diversify. But then again, you never know! Not many of the others make toasters!  

And, let's not forget - their toaster is 4K!

Mark

[Cory Cooper]

Hi All,

I purchased a UDP-203 on Wednesday, to go with my BDP-95. I would have gotten a UDP-205, but I only wanted the upgraded video capability over my BDP-95, and it wasn't worth the extra $750 or so. If I want a better DAC than the BDP-95 or XMC-1 have, I will purchase it separately.

Very sad to see them leave the media player market. Hopefully someone will take up where they are leaving off, even though digital files/streaming are definitely taking over.

C

[Loop 7]

Apr 7, 2018 16:43:50 GMT -5 Cory Cooper said:

Hi All,

I purchased a UDP-203 on Wednesday, to go with my BDP-95. I would have gotten a UDP-205...

Likely a very smart move that will future proof your system for the long run.

[sahmen]

Read "What OPPO Digital's Goodbye Means to Your AV System" at hometheaterreview.com...  << link>>   

[AudioHTIT]

Changed my vote, ordered a UDP-203 today, may then move the BDP-93 to the bedroom and dump the Sony there now.

[woofy98102]

Oppo just put out an updated announcement on their website indicating that they will have another shipment of the UDP-205 players and that they expect that shipment to arrive sometime in June. I already put my name on the notification list to get one. I had previously planned to purchase a 205 after my daughter's wedding in November but Oppo's decision to leave the 4K player market is forcing my hand earlier than I wanted. Crappy, but I'm glad I can still get one before they go. The Oppo players are built so well, it should last me a few years, though it's not uncommon for Oppo players to last at good decade or longer. My old DVP-981HD I purchased at the end of 2006 is going strong without a single hiccup. Once the current UDP-205 players are gone, the only high performance player still on the market with a comparable feature set is the McIntosh Labs DVP-900 and it'll set you back over five grand! That is, until McIntosh quits making it.
Most blame the proliferation of streaming services for the demise of Oppo. Only thing is, even the better streaming services' image quality doesn't even come close to disc playback. I stream but without my glasses on for good reason. So far the business model of streaming services centers far too much on cost with only a passing nod to performance. Unless ISP's manage to deliver enormous bandwidth and close to cheap prices, streaming services will follow the lead of most music services and offer mediocre performance with compromised video quality...sort of like they do now. Time will tell, but I'm not much for trusting that the predominate corporate business model where less is peddled as more and quality is a foreign concept will change anytime soon.

[cawgijoe]

I’m on the list to be informed when the next 205 run happens.
I probably won’t do it though because I would need to sell my 203 and my ERC-1. I would still owe $650 or so.
A conundrum.