Oppo to build Blu-Ray player

[Happy Camper]

Originally Posted by xsavoie

Will this Blue Ray player by OPPO also play all regular DVD'S and upscale them like their regular DVD players.Will they also include the Universal playing capability of all regions as well as have the PAL to NTSC processor converter,or whatever it is called.I wonder if they will ever issue a DVD recorder as well.

Oppo is a direct marketer that is notoriously closed mouthed about its products and marketing strategies until the product is actually released. They'll announce a new product and then shut up until it's time to go. Usually, when they come out with a new product, the capabilities of the product and low pricing blow away similar products in the market place and major manufacturers struggle to catch up.

To my knowledge, no one knows what exactly Oppo is going to do with their Blu-ray. Almost certainly, it will play legacy standard definition DVDs and will almost certainly upgrade them. I think it very unlikely that the player will have a PAL converter or be region free, but you never know. Other details, like the ability to decode new sound codecs like DTS Master, etc. are unknown as far as I know. I doubt Oppo will ever build a DVD recorder, but that's just my opinion-they are too smart to do that.

Judging from the Oppo player I already have, Oppo places a premium on quality HDMI connections, and the ability to stream all sound codecs via digital bitstream. I would guess their new player will be fully HDMI 1.3 compliant also.

I for one prefer the Panasonic strategy of being first on the market with a blu-ray which can bitstream all new hi-def and uncompressed sound codecs on Blu-ray, but which does not have internal decoders onboard, thus holding down the cost to under $500. My new Onkyo decodes perfectly, and the Oppo decodes and plays all the rest of the DVDs and CDs, and coupled with the Panasonic blu-ray, allows me to play and decode every kind of disk out there now with only a single HDMI running fromeach of the two players to the receiver, and only one HDMI running from the receiver to the video display. Sound and video are absolutely as good as my old eyes and ears can want-if it never got any better, I'd be happy. The lucky folks who actually read current magazines, reviews and discussion forums like this can benefit from Oppo-other big box shoppers just go astray and pay way more for inferior components which do less.

You can bet that any product Oppo comes out with will perform superbly and cost less. I often tell my friends that Oppo's superb quality and performance in their components also extends to their customer service, technical advice, product support, and even their packaging, of all things. Your new Oppo player comes in a double boxed package, wrapped in a drawstring cover like an expensive woman's handbag or B&W speaker, etc. It's all good.

I might have waited for the Oppo Blu-ray, but Panasonic allowed me to have all right now.
I'm truly a Happy Camper.

[xsavoie]

Did I misunderstand OPPO'S ad when they say that their present DVD players can play all regions and PAL format DVD'S as well,and making them compatible with regular NTSC televisions.I know my computer's internal DVD drive can do just that,although with limited quality.Well,it does say PAL on the DVD set that was made in Europe.Can't play it on my regular DVD player.

[gstarr]

"Indeed, it is quite remarkable that a small U.S. company (parent company BBK electronics is Chinese) can so consistently produce superior products at better prices than the big boys."

Indeed, they are one of a small handful of companies that give extraordinary value and performance for the money spent. But there are others. Emotiva makes incredible amplifiers that are both great looking and perform as well as anything many times the price. They also just released new speakers that perform excellently and they are at a bargain price. I presume that when they release their new surround pre-amp, it too will be top drawer and at a great price.

AV123.com makes many beautiful and excellent speakers and subwoofers, with some amazing new speakers and subwoofers to be released in the not too distant future. The woodwork on almost every speaker and subwoofer is extraordinary, as is most of their performances.

Axiom is also a great company with excellent speakers, subwoofers, and electronics. Some of their top drawer items are quite expensive, but in comparison to many companies they are an extreme bargain.

Radiient makes great HDMI switchers and I always look forward to any new product they offer.

I could go on as I omitted any number of companies that give great value for the price.

Greg

[Happy Camper]

I agree about Radiient, but if all you need is a three in, one out, long line HDMI 1.3 compliant switcher, Oppo makes a great one, with remote, and cheap, too.



http://www.oppodigital.com/hm31/

[rex]

Originally Posted by xsavoie

Did I misunderstand OPPO'S ad when they say that their present DVD players can play all regions and PAL format DVD'S as well,and making them compatible with regular NTSC televisions.I know my computer's internal DVD drive can do just that,although with limited quality.Well,it does say PAL on the DVD set that was made in Europe.Can't play it on my regular DVD player.

Although the OPPO players support PAL, they are not region free. They can, however, be made region free with a simple hack:
1. Press Setup.
2. Press "9210" in quick succession. A new window should appear.
3. Press "0" to set the Region to R0.
4. Press Setup to exit.
The player is now region free.

There is also a firmware modification which removes the CSS encryption and HDCP compliance from some players. This allows them to play upconverted, CSS encrypted content over component output, and allows you to play on non HDCP compliant displays such as PC monitors.

[Loves2Watch]

Originally Posted by rex

There is also a firmware modification which removes the CSS encryption and HDCP compliance from some players. This allows them to play upconverted, CSS encrypted content over component output, and allows you to play on non HDCP compliant displays such as PC monitors.

And just where can I find this modified firmware?