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CES Hands On - Samsung HW-Q990F review
Alec
Well-known member
mg428:
I have been checking this particular thread for about a month and had been eagerly waiting for the review of BDP-831.
Can someone confirm whether the below is really the full review??
http://whathifi.com/Review/Oppo-BDP-831/
Or is there a longer version available in the magazine or something and one needs to subscribe in order to read it? If so, will it be made available online in future? If not, I cannot comprehend how this review is deemed a "full review".
Also, I was wondering whether WHF rates a product on a half-point basis. If so, in my humble opinion, as someone who owns a multiregion BDP-83, I think this product deserves at least 4.5 stars.
PS. I have registered to the forum just to obtain some answers to my above questions, and hence my post count.
Assuming you've seen this multi-thousand word blog on the Oppo?
More on the Oppo as part of the aforementioned Group Test in next issue.
And no, we don't give half stars.
The most important thing of all is that you're enjoying your Oppo - you shouldn't need to be reading product reviews so soon after getting a player that's perfect for you!
I have been checking this particular thread for about a month and had been eagerly waiting for the review of BDP-831.
Can someone confirm whether the below is really the full review??
http://whathifi.com/Review/Oppo-BDP-831/
Or is there a longer version available in the magazine or something and one needs to subscribe in order to read it? If so, will it be made available online in future? If not, I cannot comprehend how this review is deemed a "full review".
Also, I was wondering whether WHF rates a product on a half-point basis. If so, in my humble opinion, as someone who owns a multiregion BDP-83, I think this product deserves at least 4.5 stars.
PS. I have registered to the forum just to obtain some answers to my above questions, and hence my post count.
Assuming you've seen this multi-thousand word blog on the Oppo?
More on the Oppo as part of the aforementioned Group Test in next issue.
And no, we don't give half stars.
The most important thing of all is that you're enjoying your Oppo - you shouldn't need to be reading product reviews so soon after getting a player that's perfect for you!
To reiterate what Clare said, the Oppo has had many times more words written about it than any other product you can buy. Or indeed any you can't buy yet.
Davo2008:Just tell me the Denon is on a par!
We (that's the lot of us, not the Royal 'we') think the Denon is a more capable DVD upscaler than the Sony - not by a huge margin, you understand, but there's a little more crispness to the Denon's edges, and a greater sense of distance between the background and the foreground.
There're more significant differences in DVD sound, actually. The Denon's an altogether burlier performer, and more dynamic - via HDMI, at least.
We (that's the lot of us, not the Royal 'we') think the Denon is a more capable DVD upscaler than the Sony - not by a huge margin, you understand, but there's a little more crispness to the Denon's edges, and a greater sense of distance between the background and the foreground.
There're more significant differences in DVD sound, actually. The Denon's an altogether burlier performer, and more dynamic - via HDMI, at least.
Simon Lucas:
pete321:Face to face discussion is so much easier!
Too right.
Going back to the original point (without any claims of sarcasm from red faced me), I make it 3 seconds!
pete321:Face to face discussion is so much easier!
Too right.
Going back to the original point (without any claims of sarcasm from red faced me), I make it 3 seconds!
Simon Lucas:
Davo2008:Just tell me the Denon is on a par!
We (that's the lot of us, not the Royal 'we') think the Denon is a more capable DVD upscaler than the Sony - not by a huge margin, you understand, but there's a little more crispness to the Denon's edges, and a greater sense of distance between the background and the foreground.
There're more significant differences in DVD sound, actually. The Denon's an altogether burlier performer, and more dynamic - via HDMI, at least.
So let me get this straight, so there's no confusion. In the opinion of the testing team, the Denon 2500BT is a better peformer (at least with DVDs) than the Sony, and therefore better than the Oppo??!!!
And presumably there would only be minor differences in Blu Ray PQ and SQ??!
So you're saying that I should get down on my knees and beg my Denon for forgiveness that I ever doubted it??!!
(I think I now know how Moses felt on Mount Sinai)
Davo2008:Just tell me the Denon is on a par!
We (that's the lot of us, not the Royal 'we') think the Denon is a more capable DVD upscaler than the Sony - not by a huge margin, you understand, but there's a little more crispness to the Denon's edges, and a greater sense of distance between the background and the foreground.
There're more significant differences in DVD sound, actually. The Denon's an altogether burlier performer, and more dynamic - via HDMI, at least.
So let me get this straight, so there's no confusion. In the opinion of the testing team, the Denon 2500BT is a better peformer (at least with DVDs) than the Sony, and therefore better than the Oppo??!!!
And presumably there would only be minor differences in Blu Ray PQ and SQ??!
So you're saying that I should get down on my knees and beg my Denon for forgiveness that I ever doubted it??!!
(I think I now know how Moses felt on Mount Sinai)
pete321:I make it 3 seconds!
Yep, I'll go along with that. Makes you wonder what either of those 'power on' buttons is for, doesn't it? So that makes the Oppo maybe 20 seconds faster from 'power on' to 'film playing' than the Sony (itself no slouch).
Yep, I'll go along with that. Makes you wonder what either of those 'power on' buttons is for, doesn't it? So that makes the Oppo maybe 20 seconds faster from 'power on' to 'film playing' than the Sony (itself no slouch).
Davo2008:So let me get this straight, so there's no confusion. In the opinion of the testing team, the Denon 2500BT is a better peformer (at least with DVDs) than the Sony, and therefore better than the Oppo??!!!
And presumably there would only be minor differences in Blu Ray PQ and SQ??!
So you're saying that I should get down on my knees and beg my Denon for forgiveness that I ever doubted it??!!
(I think I now know how Moses felt on Mount Sinai)
Yes, and consequently yes.
Not necessarily, no.
Undoubtedly.
Rather you than me.
And presumably there would only be minor differences in Blu Ray PQ and SQ??!
So you're saying that I should get down on my knees and beg my Denon for forgiveness that I ever doubted it??!!
(I think I now know how Moses felt on Mount Sinai)
Yes, and consequently yes.
Not necessarily, no.
Undoubtedly.
Rather you than me.
By "not necessarily, no", are you saying that the Blu Ray experience on the Denon is superior to, equal to, or inferior to the Oppo and the Sony?? (in your opinion, of course).....
Well, that "multi-thousand word blog" is a blog post, and not a review, at least that's how it is introduced. Whereas that relatively litte piece of information is presented as "full review" on the home page of your website, which made me say "is this what folks out there who have been have been "whipping themselves into a frenzy of expectation and speculation" have been craving to see for months?!".
I would like to kindly state that perhaps it may be better for WHF consider using half starts because, after all your ratings are given out of 5, and not out of 100 or even 10, and thus 1 point increment within a range of 1-5 may cause some unjust ratings. I am not necessarily claiming that your rating for BDP-831 is unjust, nonetheless, for instance, if you gave 4.5 starts to BDP-831, I am sure people, including Will, would not be this much frustrated.
From your statement I understand that some more details will be available in the group test which will come out in the next issue, which confirms that, the "full review" is the full review of BDP-831 indeed when not compared / without being compared to other players. Should not a "full review" include some details as to the certain aspects of a player, such as performance tests etc.? Is it me or has the concept of "full review" changed? Just to make sure of something, are we talking about a "preview" or "review"? I believe it is the latter, as "full review" is a powerful statement. I certainly appreciate that you will publish a group test, in which I am quite interested, but a full fledged review dedicated just to a certain product is another thing.
Please kindly note that I am not questioning your rating at all. My statements would be the same if you gave 6 starts out of 5 to BDP-831. In other words, if I ever saw another "full review" of another product containing such (relatively little) amount of information, I would express the same.
I am certainly happy with BPP-83, but I would still express my above opinions even if I had not ever owned BDP-83. Besides, why would not I wait for one of the most reputable hi-fi magazines' review on a product that I really enjoy? I don't think that there is something wrong with that.
I would like to kindly state that perhaps it may be better for WHF consider using half starts because, after all your ratings are given out of 5, and not out of 100 or even 10, and thus 1 point increment within a range of 1-5 may cause some unjust ratings. I am not necessarily claiming that your rating for BDP-831 is unjust, nonetheless, for instance, if you gave 4.5 starts to BDP-831, I am sure people, including Will, would not be this much frustrated.
From your statement I understand that some more details will be available in the group test which will come out in the next issue, which confirms that, the "full review" is the full review of BDP-831 indeed when not compared / without being compared to other players. Should not a "full review" include some details as to the certain aspects of a player, such as performance tests etc.? Is it me or has the concept of "full review" changed? Just to make sure of something, are we talking about a "preview" or "review"? I believe it is the latter, as "full review" is a powerful statement. I certainly appreciate that you will publish a group test, in which I am quite interested, but a full fledged review dedicated just to a certain product is another thing.
Please kindly note that I am not questioning your rating at all. My statements would be the same if you gave 6 starts out of 5 to BDP-831. In other words, if I ever saw another "full review" of another product containing such (relatively little) amount of information, I would express the same.
I am certainly happy with BPP-83, but I would still express my above opinions even if I had not ever owned BDP-83. Besides, why would not I wait for one of the most reputable hi-fi magazines' review on a product that I really enjoy? I don't think that there is something wrong with that.
Big Aura
Well-known member
mg428:
for instance, if you gave 4.5 starts to BDP-831, I am sure people, including Will, would not be this much frustrated.
I think anything short of 8 is not enough.
Is it time to lock this baby?
for instance, if you gave 4.5 starts to BDP-831, I am sure people, including Will, would not be this much frustrated.
I think anything short of 8 is not enough.
Is it time to lock this baby?
Am I right to assume that star rating is intended as a buying advice? Why don't you (WHF) establish and publish a clear(er) set of criterias, as it looks now WHF "review" is more of a "pre-view".
I am somewhat disapointed (not with oppo or sony star ratings) but with the level of WHF review details - it is not informative and not very helpfull... It is more of a marketing hype type advice - number of stars... I am relitavely new to hi-fi and home cinema world, and at the beginng I was not much into detailed reviews, all I wanted is somebody telling me - 'this is best, buy it'. I have wasted some money because of this approach. Since arround 2 years I try to investigate what I buy. I tried to find an advice on WHF website, but it is orriented towards a lazy consumer. If you want a detailed answer - this is not the right place to look for it.
I am somewhat disapointed (not with oppo or sony star ratings) but with the level of WHF review details - it is not informative and not very helpfull... It is more of a marketing hype type advice - number of stars... I am relitavely new to hi-fi and home cinema world, and at the beginng I was not much into detailed reviews, all I wanted is somebody telling me - 'this is best, buy it'. I have wasted some money because of this approach. Since arround 2 years I try to investigate what I buy. I tried to find an advice on WHF website, but it is orriented towards a lazy consumer. If you want a detailed answer - this is not the right place to look for it.
RodhasGibson
Well-known member
Big Aura:mg428:
for instance, if you gave 4.5 starts to BDP-831, I am sure people, including Will, would not be this much frustrated.
I think anything short of 8 is not enough.
Is it time to lock this baby?
Yep, way past its,sell by date methinks, Talk about done to death
for instance, if you gave 4.5 starts to BDP-831, I am sure people, including Will, would not be this much frustrated.
I think anything short of 8 is not enough.
Is it time to lock this baby?
Yep, way past its,sell by date methinks, Talk about done to death
I thank all you first-time posters for your feedback, all of which will be taken on board. As mentioned earlier, it's our intention to post more of our findings in longer reviews as we get the resources to do so.
In the meantime, our 33-year old star-rating and For/Against/Verdict system will continue to do its job, and we'll continue to be on hand on these Forums to answer any specific question prospective buyers will have: no other reviewing mag/site gives you such direct access to the people who've had hands-on time with such a wide range of products.
In the meantime, our 33-year old star-rating and For/Against/Verdict system will continue to do its job, and we'll continue to be on hand on these Forums to answer any specific question prospective buyers will have: no other reviewing mag/site gives you such direct access to the people who've had hands-on time with such a wide range of products.
The_Lhc
Well-known member
Mooney, with any review system you're going to end up wasting money unless you actually go and see and hear the items yourself. This is your decision, it's about time people starting taking responsibility for their purchases, if people don't go and check these things out for themselves they have no one to blame but themselves.
Reviews are a guide, nothing more, make your own mind up.
Reviews are a guide, nothing more, make your own mind up.
the_lhc:
make your own mind up.
What! That would mean taking responsibility for one's own decisions. Which goes against everything society seems to encapsulate these days - you only have to watch the "no win no fee" lawyer adverts during daytime tv to get my drift...
make your own mind up.
What! That would mean taking responsibility for one's own decisions. Which goes against everything society seems to encapsulate these days - you only have to watch the "no win no fee" lawyer adverts during daytime tv to get my drift...
Well said, the IHC. Personally, I like researching ssomething to death before I buy it. I like it that each site has different things to offer. For example, I like reading that something contains jaggies during the slow pan at the start of Gladiator, or has marginally failed the judder test, but I think I'd get bored if EVERY site said the same thing. There are in-depth test results for everything on the net if you look for it. Would it offer anything more if WHF did the same tests? I like reading different opinions from different experts, not just the same regurgitated, test data. All these differing opinions create a picture that you can use to make your decision, but ultimately you should try something before you buy (not that I ever have....doh!!!)
Now let's get back to whether the denon is better at blu ray than the sony.......
Now let's get back to whether the denon is better at blu ray than the sony.......
I bought my current system based on What HiFi recommendations. It was a DVD 1920, Yamaha 757 SE( replaced with Onkyo 875 when they were £400 off in Richer Sounds) and Monitor Audio RS6. My local Seven Oaks had this set up but none of the competing products that were in the same price range, so I could make no meaningful comparison. I phoned around the local area and nobody could offer this service. Although it is nice to do, it is often simply not possible to compare the products one is interested in, which is why magazines and forums are often the only realistic way to make a choice.
AndrewH13
Well-known member
Simon Lucas:
pete321:I make it 3 seconds!
Yep, I'll go along with that. Makes you wonder what either of those 'power on' buttons is for, doesn't it? So that makes the Oppo maybe 20 seconds faster from 'power on' to 'film playing' than the Sony (itself no slouch).
I reckon Power On button is for playing Flms or music from USB drive when no need to insert a disc.
Can confirm the Memory function. Quite startling the first time I come across it, playing half way through music BluRays and they re-commence, a nice touch though.
Now about the remote....... why is it I regularly pick it up, upside down? I mean, law of averages I would get it right 50%!!!!
pete321:I make it 3 seconds!
Yep, I'll go along with that. Makes you wonder what either of those 'power on' buttons is for, doesn't it? So that makes the Oppo maybe 20 seconds faster from 'power on' to 'film playing' than the Sony (itself no slouch).
I reckon Power On button is for playing Flms or music from USB drive when no need to insert a disc.
Can confirm the Memory function. Quite startling the first time I come across it, playing half way through music BluRays and they re-commence, a nice touch though.
Now about the remote....... why is it I regularly pick it up, upside down? I mean, law of averages I would get it right 50%!!!!
mg428:From your statement I understand that some more details will be available in the group test which will come out in the next issue, which confirms that, the "full review" is the full review of BDP-831 indeed when not compared / without being compared to other players. Should not a "full review" include some details as to the certain aspects of a player, such as performance tests etc.? Is it me or has the concept of "full review" changed? Just to make sure of something, are we talking about a "preview" or "review"? I believe it is the latter, as "full review" is a powerful statement. I certainly appreciate that you will publish a group test, in which I am quite interested, but a full fledged review dedicated just to a certain product is another thing.
Without going into the semantics of whether a review is a review or a blog post a blog post, the review published on the site is a standard half-page magazine review, which in the light of its performance in our listening/viewing rooms is what we thought the player was worth.
It's the same amount of coverage the majority of products get in First Tests.
Without going into the semantics of whether a review is a review or a blog post a blog post, the review published on the site is a standard half-page magazine review, which in the light of its performance in our listening/viewing rooms is what we thought the player was worth.
It's the same amount of coverage the majority of products get in First Tests.
Big Aura
Well-known member
on testing, I actually would like to see a bit of the science behind the testing process set out - WHF has (as far as I can tell) some of the most sophisticated review facilities in the land, I'd happily dispense with some of the photographs for a "here's the science bit" element to the tests - I realise a lot of reviewing is "a panel of guys and girls who know their onions rate this kit", but also there's a objective data element too. Just a thought. I did flag this a few months ago (tacitly) after reading in a German mag (i.e. looking at some graphs), that it would be good to see some of this also.
I think the reasons we test as we do, and why we don't publish graphs and charts, have been as well covered in the past as the reason why we won't be going for half-starts, half-stars or percentages any time soon.
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