Oppo BDP-831?

[Simon Lucas]

Genaa:
1. What are the loading times like for the Sony S760 compared to the Oppo?

2. Ditto for comparison of DVD upscaling?

3. Does the Sony have the ability to zoom the picture on 'letterbox' format movies which the Oppo appears to (judging by what reviews and comments I have read)?

4. Does the Sony memorise last position for discs if switching between discs?

5. Other than SACD and DVD-A, what file formats does the Oppo play which the Sony doesn't / vice versa and does either machine play FLAC and OGG files?

6. How would the CD, DVD and BD performance compare when played via HDMI to my amp and Kef 3005SE? The Awards first look indicates a negative for picture and sound via analogue outs but I'm unclear as to whether this would impact me?

I don't own a dedicated CD player and whilst I know a dedicated player will likely always be better at a given price point, I'd like to try and get the best sound I can from a multi-disc player and the surround speakers..... an upgrade to dedicated CD player in future could happen I suppose, likewise obtaining a pair of reasonable speakers (Dali Lektor 2 / Diamond Wharfedale 10.1 ?) but not for a couple of years I don't suppose due to impending wedding bills hehe...

7. Any tangible benefit to pairing a Sony disc player with my Sony amp, or would either machine do as well?

OK then. From powering a player up to it being ready to accept a disc, the Oppo takes 16 seconds and the Sony 6. From closing the disc tray to the film starting, the Oppo takes a minute dead and the Sony 1 minute 16 seconds.

The Sony's the better DVD upscaler. It's not a night-and-day difference, but where suppression of picture noise, particularly, is concerned, the Sony's superior.

Neither the Sony nor the Oppo will allow you to 'zoom' a 21:9 film to fill a 16:9 display. Your display ought to, though.

Neither the Sony nor the Oppo can remember the point at which you stopped a film should you take it out of the tray and then put it back in.

The Oppo can play SACD, DVD-A, AVCHD, HDCD, DivX, MKV and photo CDs - the Sony cannot.

Playing BD and DVD via HDMI gives better results than via the analogue outputs. CD sound is more on a level whether via digital or analogue outputs.

In this instance you'd be better off pairing the Sony player with your Sony amp (unless you want to play any of the formats mentioned above, of course) but not because it's a Sony. Because it's the better player.

 

[pete321]

Simon Lucas:OK then. From powering a player up to it being ready to accept a disc, the Oppo takes 16 seconds and the Sony 6.

Not sure about that one, can't test mine at the moment, but the Oppo can be powered up using the eject button and I'm pretty sure it doesn't take 16 seconds.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Maybe we've found a difference between the BDP-83 and -831!

Slave-driver that I am, I did just send the test team down to re-test those times, with stop-watches

Anyhow, it's a moot point; they're both faster-than-average players.

 

[Simon Lucas]

pete321:

Not sure about that one, can't test mine at the moment, but the Oppo can be powered up using the eject button and I'm pretty sure it doesn't take 16 seconds.

I can test ours, and that's how long it takes.

BTW, don't you find the Oppo remote's inclusion of a 'power' button (to turn the power on or off), an 'on' button (to turn the power on) and an 'off' button (to turn the power off) quaint?

 

[Dazmb]

When we tested our batch of players we ran all of them in source direct 1080p24 for BluRay where we could. The idea being that the screen should show the disc as it was recorded and mastered. You may choose to enhance the image but in so doing you also introduce new data which wasn't part of the presentation on the disc. The reality shouldn't need to be enhanced on a BluRay, just re-produced. However, if it's a feature that's available and you like applying it to every disc you play, then great. I'll check it out if it's really very good, be churlish not to.

That doesn't change the fact that you've applied a strange set of criteria to the Oppo. It plays SACD and DVD-A but you don't think many people will be interested in that so haven't given the player any credit for having the capability. It'll even output DSD from an SACD but again, no credit given. It starts up incredibly quickly, reacts brilliantly to remote commands (no delays) and have 2 USB ports, one front and one rear as well as network capability. All of these things are ignored, which in your view means you can concentrate on testing it's picture and sound. Even here, I know of no-one who's seen the Oppo who'd rate it at 4* and not 5. Only WHF. Perhaps that's how you like it. I think it's odd. And I think that other reasons must have crept in. That's my view. It's a ligitimate critisism, I know you don't like it, but you have every right to defend your position. Just don't consider it such a crime to have it raised. It should be expected and you appear well armed to defend yourselves so I'm sure you'll outlive me!

Will - here is a thought for you. Why don't you set up your own magazine or website if you don't like WHF's reviews. I mean, if you're going to all the effort of doing your own group tests as you are then you're halfway there already.

Then you can give your beloved Oppo the rating YOU feel it deserves.

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:OK, here's that thread re staff systems - but it's almost two years' old now. I've changed my turntable (now on Clearaudio Performance), CD player, amp (both Leema at moment), AV amp (Yamaha DSP-Z7) and BD/DVD player (Panasonic 'BD55) in that time.

Clare, as a fellow BD55 owner I'd be interested to know if you would spend £400 of your own hard earned cash to buy the Sony (or even the Oppo). The DB55 was £350-£400 this time last year, so would a £400 spend give a significant upgrade from this machine, which was very popular at the time? I'd be particularly interested in DVD upscaling comparisons as I still feel that's one area the BD55 isn't as good as my older Sony HDX 870 DVD recorder. And would the Sony be a "good fit" with your Yamaha Amp (I have the RX-V3900??)

 

[Andy Madden]

the_lhc:Clare Newsome:Directly from the Sony review:
Sony's HD Reality enhancer allows you to fine-tune the picture on the fly, and
tinker with aspects of performance such as grain and noise reduction.

Precision Cinema HD claims to help produce a smoother, sharper image. Finally,
the 'S760 also includes Sony's SBM (Super Bit Mapping) technology that
helps match the image to your display's bit depth (whether it's 8, 10,
or 12-bit).

Is that last bit automatic or something the user has to set themselves, ie do you need to know what bit-depth your display is to use this feature? I've no idea what the bit depth of my TV is (KRP-500a).

I didn't really want to go away from Pioneer for BD but I don't think I can wait long enough to save up for a new amp, so I might get the Sony for the multi-channel outs, it's not quite the cheapest I've seen with them but the only other one was a "Logik" BD player from Curries, which is getting a complete body swerve!

Maybe I'll sell the Sony once I've got an HDMI amp, to fund a BDP-LX52, how do they compare in picture quality terms?

Yes, it is automatic. The Sony makes all the adjustments internally.

 

[pete321]

Simon Lucas:pete321:

Not sure about that one, can't test mine at the moment, but the Oppo can be powered up using the eject button and I'm pretty sure it doesn't take 16 seconds.

I can test ours, and that's how long it takes.

BTW, don't you find the Oppo remote's inclusion of a 'power' button (to turn the power on or off), an 'on' button (to turn the power on) and an 'off' button (to turn the power off) quaint?

Yeah it is quaint, but even quainter is the fact that you usually turn a player on to put a disc in it, so being able to power on and eject the disc tray at the same time is not that silly really is it? It's not a quirk it's a feature that's in the manual of the BDP-83 and I assume, the BDP-831. Anyway, not worth getting upset over a few seconds, but the sarcasm warrants a response.

 

[Big Aura]

Big Aura: gel:

Hi

www.gadgetguy.com.au has a review, apparently it's good at everything. thanks - had a read, but it doesn't really answer the burning (dvd ability) question. Interesting to see that the "six second" wake up means effectively leaving the player constantly on stand-by (with fans whirring - how loud are they, I wonder; also not very green). The true start-up time-line is 25 seconds.

In any case, thanks for the pointer (although I imagine the link will shortly disappear, you're not permitted to post links to rival sites, even when they're on the other side of the world!).

This is from another thread yesterday - is there any word on power usage when it's in that stand-by mode?

 

[laserman16]

Simon Lucas:

OK then. From powering a player up to it being ready to accept a disc, the Oppo takes 16 seconds and the Sony 6. From closing the disc tray to the film starting, the Oppo takes a minute dead and the Sony 1 minute 16 seconds.

Hell, thats nearly as fast as my s350.

Using Casino Royale.

 

[Alec]

Eh?

 

[Davo2008]

Excellent. Now THAT'S what I wanted to know! Could you also provide an opinion on the upscaling abilities of the Sony compared to the Denon 2500BT? Thanks!

 

[Trahern]

Trahern:I am therefore nosey enough to ask what equipment (hi-fi and cinema that is) Clare and the other staff at WHF use at home and did they pay for it

?

I was being facetious

.

Thanks Clare and Andrew for the links.

 

[The_Lhc]

Andy Madden:the_lhc:Clare Newsome:Directly from the Sony review:
Sony's HD Reality enhancer allows you to fine-tune the picture on the fly, and
tinker with aspects of performance such as grain and noise reduction.

Precision Cinema HD claims to help produce a smoother, sharper image. Finally,
the 'S760 also includes Sony's SBM (Super Bit Mapping) technology that
helps match the image to your display's bit depth (whether it's 8, 10,
or 12-bit).

Is that last bit automatic or something the user has to set themselves, ie do you need to know what bit-depth your display is to use this feature? I've no idea what the bit depth of my TV is (KRP-500a).

I didn't really want to go away from Pioneer for BD but I don't think I can wait long enough to save up for a new amp, so I might get the Sony for the multi-channel outs, it's not quite the cheapest I've seen with them but the only other one was a "Logik" BD player from Curries, which is getting a complete body swerve!

Maybe I'll sell the Sony once I've got an HDMI amp, to fund a BDP-LX52, how do they compare in picture quality terms?

Yes, it is automatic. The Sony makes all the adjustments internally.

Thank you Andy! That's pretty cool then, just out of curiosity, what display(s) was the Sony tested with?

 

[Anonymous]

Simon Lucas:Genaa:
1. What are the loading times like for the Sony S760 compared to the Oppo?

2. Ditto for comparison of DVD upscaling?

3. Does the Sony have the ability to zoom the picture on 'letterbox' format movies which the Oppo appears to (judging by what reviews and comments I have read)?

4. Does the Sony memorise last position for discs if switching between discs?

5. Other than SACD and DVD-A, what file formats does the Oppo play which the Sony doesn't / vice versa and does either machine play FLAC and OGG files?

6. How would the CD, DVD and BD performance compare when played via HDMI to my amp and Kef 3005SE? The Awards first look indicates a negative for picture and sound via analogue outs but I'm unclear as to whether this would impact me?

I don't own a dedicated CD player and whilst I know a dedicated player will likely always be better at a given price point, I'd like to try and get the best sound I can from a multi-disc player and the surround speakers..... an upgrade to dedicated CD player in future could happen I suppose, likewise obtaining a pair of reasonable speakers (Dali Lektor 2 / Diamond Wharfedale 10.1 ?) but not for a couple of years I don't suppose due to impending wedding bills hehe...

7. Any tangible benefit to pairing a Sony disc player with my Sony amp, or would either machine do as well?

OK then. From powering a player up to it being ready to accept a disc, the Oppo takes 16 seconds and the Sony 6. From closing the disc tray to the film starting, the Oppo takes a minute dead and the Sony 1 minute 16 seconds.

The Sony's the better DVD upscaler. It's not a night-and-day difference, but where suppression of picture noise, particularly, is concerned, the Sony's superior.

Neither the Sony nor the Oppo will allow you to 'zoom' a 21:9 film to fill a 16:9 display. Your display ought to, though.

Neither the Sony nor the Oppo can remember the point at which you stopped a film should you take it out of the tray and then put it back in.

The Oppo can play SACD, DVD-A, AVCHD, HDCD, DivX, MKV and photo CDs - the Sony cannot.

Playing BD and DVD via HDMI gives better results than via the analogue outputs. CD sound is more on a level whether via digital or analogue outputs.

In this instance you'd be better off pairing the Sony player with your Sony amp (unless you want to play any of the formats mentioned above, of course) but not because it's a Sony. Because it's the better player.

If you push the eject button on a BDP 83 it takes 2 seconds to put the disc tray out, not 16. I would be rather surprised if your 831 takes 16 seconds to perform the same task.

The Oppo also has a memory for, I believe, the last 5 discs you've played excluding Java BluRays. Quite surprised me when I popped the BluRay of Keane Live back in after watching a movie and it started playing midway through "Somewhere Only We Know". But brilliant nonetheless.

Simon, were you one of the panel of reviewers that reviewed the Oppo?

 

[pete321]

Will Harris:Simon, were you one of the panel of reviewers that reviewed the Oppo?

I didn't think you'd be able to resist that one!

 

[Simon Lucas]

Will Harris: If you push the eject button on a BDP 83 it takes 2 seconds to put the disc tray out, not 16. I would be rather surprised if your 831 takes 16 seconds to perform the same task.

The Oppo also has a memory for, I believe, the last 5 discs you've played excluding Java BluRays. Quite surprised me when I popped the BluRay of Keane Live back in after watching a movie and it started playing midway through "Somewhere Only We Know". But brilliant nonetheless.

Simon, were you one of the panel of reviewers that reviewed the Oppo?

I haven't used a BDP-83, but I have used a BDP-831. Repeatedly. This 60-page thread has rather darkened my disposition towards the Oppo, but not to the extent that I would seek to make it look any tardier than it is. Nor would I suggest our BDP-831 had no memory of where a disc was stopped if it has.

As Clare has (exhaustively) pointed out on this and other threads, all of our reviews are undertaken by the test team. So yes, I was involved - just as I'm involved in all the other tests.

 

[hammill]

Will Harris:Simon Lucas:Genaa:

1. What are the loading times like for the Sony S760 compared to the Oppo?

2. Ditto for comparison of DVD upscaling?

3. Does the Sony have the ability to zoom the picture on 'letterbox' format movies which the Oppo appears to (judging by what reviews and comments I have read)?

4. Does the Sony memorise last position for discs if switching between discs?

5. Other than SACD and DVD-A, what file formats does the Oppo play which the Sony doesn't / vice versa and does either machine play FLAC and OGG files?

6. How would the CD, DVD and BD performance compare when played via HDMI to my amp and Kef 3005SE? The Awards first look indicates a negative for picture and sound via analogue outs but I'm unclear as to whether this would impact me?

I don't own a dedicated CD player and whilst I know a dedicated player will likely always be better at a given price point, I'd like to try and get the best sound I can from a multi-disc player and the surround speakers..... an upgrade to dedicated CD player in future could happen I suppose, likewise obtaining a pair of reasonable speakers (Dali Lektor 2 / Diamond Wharfedale 10.1 ?) but not for a couple of years I don't suppose due to impending wedding bills hehe...

7. Any tangible benefit to pairing a Sony disc player with my Sony amp, or would either machine do as well?

OK then. From powering a player up to it being ready to accept a disc, the Oppo takes 16 seconds and the Sony 6. From closing the disc tray to the film starting, the Oppo takes a minute dead and the Sony 1 minute 16 seconds.

The Sony's the better DVD upscaler. It's not a night-and-day difference, but where suppression of picture noise, particularly, is concerned, the Sony's superior.

Neither the Sony nor the Oppo will allow you to 'zoom' a 21:9 film to fill a 16:9 display. Your display ought to, though.

Neither the Sony nor the Oppo can remember the point at which you stopped a film should you take it out of the tray and then put it back in.

The Oppo can play SACD, DVD-A, AVCHD, HDCD, DivX, MKV and photo CDs - the Sony cannot.

Playing BD and DVD via HDMI gives better results than via the analogue outputs. CD sound is more on a level whether via digital or analogue outputs.

In this instance you'd be better off pairing the Sony player with your Sony amp (unless you want to play any of the formats mentioned above, of course) but not because it's a Sony. Because it's the better player.

If you push the eject button on a BDP 83 it takes 2 seconds to put the disc tray out, not 16. I would be rather surprised if your 831 takes 16 seconds to perform the same task. The Oppo also has a memory for, I believe, the last 5 discs you've played excluding Java BluRays. Quite surprised me when I popped the BluRay of Keane Live back in after watching a movie and it started playing midway through "Somewhere Only We Know". But brilliant nonetheless. Simon, were you one of the panel of reviewers that reviewed the Oppo?I had read elsewhere that the oppo has this 5 disc memory. I find it extremely unlikely that the 831 would have this facility removed. Maybe it was faulty? Andrew, you had the 831 for a long time, what did/does yours do?

 

[Big Aura]

Will Harris:Simon, were you one of the panel of reviewers that reviewed the Oppo?

http://www.witnessprotectionprogram.org/

 

[pete321]

Simon Lucas:I haven't used a BDP-83, but I have used a BDP-831. Repeatedly. This 60-page thread has rather darkened my disposition towards the Oppo, but not to the extent that I would seek to make it look any tardier than it is. Nor would I suggest our BDP-831 had no memory of where a disc was stopped if it has.

As Clare has (exhaustively) pointed out on this and other threads, all of our reviews are undertaken by the test team. So yes, I was involved - just as I'm involved in all the other tests.

"BTW, don't you find the Oppo remote's inclusion of a 'power' button (to turn the power on or off), an 'on' button (to turn the power on) and an 'off' button (to turn the power off) quaint?"

So why the sarcasm to what was a perfectly reasonable observation to your findings during the test. You wonder why you get accusations thrown (which are probably unfounded for the most part) when you react so defensively.

 

[Alec]

pete321:Simon Lucas:I haven't used a BDP-83, but I have used a BDP-831. Repeatedly. This 60-page thread has rather darkened my disposition towards the Oppo, but not to the extent that I would seek to make it look any tardier than it is. Nor would I suggest our BDP-831 had no memory of where a disc was stopped if it has.

As Clare has (exhaustively) pointed out on this and other threads, all of our reviews are undertaken by the test team. So yes, I was involved - just as I'm involved in all the other tests.

"BTW, don't you find the Oppo remote's inclusion of a 'power' button (to turn the power on or off), an 'on' button (to turn the power on) and an 'off' button (to turn the power off) quaint?"

So why the sarcasm to what was a perfectly reasonable observation to your findings during the test. You wonder why you get accusations thrown (which are probably unfounded for the most part) when you react so defensively.

Oh how utterly ridiculous!

Far as i could tell he was merely making an aside that it is genuinely quaint. Tho i would just call ity weird.

It doesnt help these threads when people give up oin reading and thinking.

 

[Dazmb]

Now i'm going out to wash the car. When I come back I'm expecting this all to be wrapped up and put to bed.....

 

[Andrew Everard]

I'd pop out and wash this, if I were you.

But chances are it'll still be going when you come back...

 

[pete321]

al7478:pete321:Simon Lucas:I haven't used a BDP-83, but I have used a BDP-831. Repeatedly. This 60-page thread has rather darkened my disposition towards the Oppo, but not to the extent that I would seek to make it look any tardier than it is. Nor would I suggest our BDP-831 had no memory of where a disc was stopped if it has.

As Clare has (exhaustively) pointed out on this and other threads, all of our reviews are undertaken by the test team. So yes, I was involved - just as I'm involved in all the other tests.

"BTW, don't you find the Oppo remote's inclusion of a 'power' button (to turn the power on or off), an 'on' button (to turn the power on) and an 'off' button (to turn the power off) quaint?"

So why the sarcasm to what was a perfectly reasonable observation to your findings during the test. You wonder why you get accusations thrown (which are probably unfounded for the most part) when you react so defensively.

Oh how utterly ridiculous!

Far as i could tell he was merely making an aside that it is genuinely quaint. Tho i would just call ity weird.

It doesnt help these threads when people give up oin reading and thinking.

You need to go back a bit, I disagreed with the power on/ready for disc time quoted by Simon, which isn't 16 seconds as the Oppo powers on and ejects from the eject button, so it's faster than the Sony in that respect. Simon obviously pointed out with a degree of sarcasm that that's what the power on/off buttons are for and obviously didn't like being questioned.

Anyway, it's getting a bit ner-ner-nee-ner-ner now. All I was saying is that one of his figures was wrong, don't need the sarcasm.

 

[Anonymous]

As a home cinema ethusiast, member of this forum and person, I fins some of the insinuations and blatant attacks on WHF completely ridiculous.

The fact that some people can react so aggressively because a piece of hardware has 'only' received a 4 star 'very good' review leaves me beyond comprehension.

I am very impressed with WHF's attempt to answer questions and queries even in the face of people trying to find some underlying conspiracy or hidden meaning in them.

If you feel that WHF are lying, not being honest, whatever, step back and actually look at what you are saying.

This is almost beyond a joke now.