Hello all, this topic seems to come up from time to time so I will seek to clarify it.
We had many similar queries about the 650BD and similarities to the Oppo models last year.
As with our previous models the Cambridge Audio 751BD and 651BD are based on a Mediatek chipset- in this case its the MTK8530 solution.
Cambridge Audio of course has had a decade long relationship with Mediatek having based all of our previous 650BD BluRay, DVD89, DVD99, DV30, 540D V1 and V2 DVD players on various different Mediatek platforms.
As you would expect we are not the only brand to be using Mediatek development kits and application software, Oppo continue to use them, as are various new big league adoptors.
Generally brands like us prefer to use platforms that are also used by other customers as it means that when/if issues with discs and playback formats are found everyone is feeding back into a common knowledge pool (Mediatek in this case) and all brands benefit in terms of the reliability and robustness of the chipset and core software.
In terms of what Mediatek offer each customer they give us all schematics, software and PCB layouts for example versions of their solution.
The processor code includes an OSD generator and tools for defining setup menus and the like.
In fact Mediatek supply application code that gives an excellent framework for this.
This does mean that any machine based on the chipset is very likely to have a similar look and feel to the On-Screen Display.
For the hardware, each manufacturer then edits or regenerates these to greater or lesser extent to add their own flavour of sockets, DACs, power supplies etc. as they see fit.
Our model is thus our own and in this case we designed a new audio stage from the ground up with both a dedicated stereo analogue output, and 7.1 analogue multi channel output
In addition, all analogue audio outputs (both Stereo and 7.1) are processed for jitter suppression and up-sampling to 24-bit/192kHz by Anagram Technologies Q5 up-sampling running in our 32bit SHARC DSP.
We use various components (particular brands and types of capacitors for instance) and circuits developed and chosen by us from many hours of measurement and listening tests.
This design and its attendant technology is completely proprietary to Cambridge Audio is derived from developments first used in the multiple award winning Azur 840C CD player and DacMagic.
We also offer a choice of digital filters – linear phase/minimum phase/steep filter, as featured in the DacMagic.
Various other tweaks have also been done and the transport is indeed a new very high quality item, its one of various ones MTK support/recommend and being freely available on the market others may well choose to use it.
We don’t actually have an inside track on what the other Mediatek licensees may choose to use but we know there are several and there is considerable variation in how a Mediatek platform is implemented.
In short Cambridge Audio and Oppo or others actually have no relation. We are simply connected by our relationship with the chipset supplier, Mediatek and the fact that the core of our designs stem from there. I know that all the players in that list on the linked document are MTK8530 platforms and would be licensed as such.
It’s a bit like saying all PCs are the same because they use Intel processors and run windows, that is the root but clearly the products deviate greatly from that starting point.
We seek to maximise the performance of our units for the type of customer we cater for, and in particular we are passionate about the musical ability of our products so a lot of ‘special sauce’ goes into that.
Thanks
Ed Selley
Cambridge Audio customer support
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