Hi guys, been out of the upgrade game for a while so my question is this; Would the new oppo BDP 103D represent an upgrade over my current player the Denon 2500BT?
Oppo or not
- Thread starter JASPER09
- Start date
michael hoy
Well-known member
Hi and welcome.
I am not sure of the Darbee element of the OPPO (D), I had the 2500BT for a long time and now own the OPPO 95.
Depending on whether or not you want / need the extra features and of course the HD audio, picture quality wise the OPPO 95 is better but not night and day.
Personally I would change from a 2500BT to an OPPO again, but maybe save some money by not buying the 103D and get the 103.
Can you demo?
I am not sure of the Darbee element of the OPPO (D), I had the 2500BT for a long time and now own the OPPO 95.
Depending on whether or not you want / need the extra features and of course the HD audio, picture quality wise the OPPO 95 is better but not night and day.
Personally I would change from a 2500BT to an OPPO again, but maybe save some money by not buying the 103D and get the 103.
Can you demo?
Welcome to the forum.
It'd be really useful if you could let us know why you're upgrading your BDP, and give some indication of what other kit you own.
If you have a reasonably high end TV, I think you money would be better spent elsewhere. If you're simply looking for a 3D-ready player, a cheap Panasonic BDP will more than suffice. While there's some debate over whether more expensive BDPs offer better performance, any improvement would be negligible at best.
In my view, your money could be more effectively spent in one of two ways:
1. Professional calibration of your television. On a performance-per-pound basis, this is the best system upgrade available and will deliver substantially greater improvement than a new Blu-ray player
2. Upgrading other kit, such as your AVR or speakers.
Relative to the above two options, a new and quite expensive Blu-ray player becomes a false economy.
It'd be really useful if you could let us know why you're upgrading your BDP, and give some indication of what other kit you own.
If you have a reasonably high end TV, I think you money would be better spent elsewhere. If you're simply looking for a 3D-ready player, a cheap Panasonic BDP will more than suffice. While there's some debate over whether more expensive BDPs offer better performance, any improvement would be negligible at best.
In my view, your money could be more effectively spent in one of two ways:
1. Professional calibration of your television. On a performance-per-pound basis, this is the best system upgrade available and will deliver substantially greater improvement than a new Blu-ray player
2. Upgrading other kit, such as your AVR or speakers.
Relative to the above two options, a new and quite expensive Blu-ray player becomes a false economy.
Thanks for the warm welcome, I was looking at AV cabinets for my kit because we have just moved into our new house and I'm planning a floating wall for our front room. Whilst searching i clicked on the Oppo ad on a website and had a read, sounds like a decent bit of kit but did'nt want to spend that much if I was'nt going to notice much difference in quality. Having been out of the loop for several years ( spending all my time and money on making and paying for babies!!) I just thought I'd pick some brains on here!
I'm in agreement with Strapped For Cash, spending money on the right speakers, amps and tvs can make a big difference, blu ray players can't.
I have owned expensive and budget blu ray players, and I am yet to notice a difference between the picture or sound quality when watching a blu ray disc. I think expensive players can upscale DVDs to a higher standard, but again, it's not a night and day difference.
The build quality was better on my more expensive player, but is that enough reason to spend loads of money and a new blu ray player?
I have owned expensive and budget blu ray players, and I am yet to notice a difference between the picture or sound quality when watching a blu ray disc. I think expensive players can upscale DVDs to a higher standard, but again, it's not a night and day difference.
The build quality was better on my more expensive player, but is that enough reason to spend loads of money and a new blu ray player?
Looking at your kit list, your TV isn't 3D ready. I can therefore see no need to upgrade your BDP at present.
I used to own the 2500 and it's bomb-proof. You won't find better build quality on a new machine, or notice any worthwhile improvment in sound and picture performance.
The 2500's disc loading times are a little slow, though this never bothered me particularly. (I can wait that extra 20 seconds!) As long as you're not having difficulties playing some discs due to firmware, I think you should stick with what is a genuinely excellent player.
I used to own the 2500 and it's bomb-proof. You won't find better build quality on a new machine, or notice any worthwhile improvment in sound and picture performance.
The 2500's disc loading times are a little slow, though this never bothered me particularly. (I can wait that extra 20 seconds!) As long as you're not having difficulties playing some discs due to firmware, I think you should stick with what is a genuinely excellent player.
thanks for the replies, well i guess I'll keep my hard earned firmly in my pocket then. Do you think it's possible to get an older TV like mine calibrated? Might be worth giving that a whirl once everything is up and running, I have to say my kit still puts a big grin on my face when i crank up something like the TRANSFORMERS bluray, I was just thinking that with how quickly technology moves these days my big ol' player might be a bit of a dinosaur now!
Here's the calibration section of the HDTV Test review of your TV:
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Pioneer-PDP-LX508D/Calibration/
Out of the box, the review sample performed very accurately, though televisions drift over time and yours will likely be less accurate now than when you bought it.
The 508D has less extensive calibration controls than many newer televisions, though calibration should improve the picture. Whether it's possible to achieve a reference performance, I don't know. You should be able to get close.
It's a borderline case in my view. I'd suggest this is a better investment than a new BDP. Whether it's worth it overall is a tough call. You'd lose nothing by chatting to a professional calibrator and getting their opinion.
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Pioneer-PDP-LX508D/Calibration/
Out of the box, the review sample performed very accurately, though televisions drift over time and yours will likely be less accurate now than when you bought it.
The 508D has less extensive calibration controls than many newer televisions, though calibration should improve the picture. Whether it's possible to achieve a reference performance, I don't know. You should be able to get close.
It's a borderline case in my view. I'd suggest this is a better investment than a new BDP. Whether it's worth it overall is a tough call. You'd lose nothing by chatting to a professional calibrator and getting their opinion.
To add to the above, the age of your TV is also a factor. It's now 6-7 years old, so you'll of course need to consider whether you'll get sufficient future use out of it to justify the cost of calibration. I'm not sure I'd throw down £200-300 in your case.
Your tv was exactly the same model as I had, and it's on record here, that I bitterly regret selling it.
I found some great settings for my LX508D on the net, which I used, but I'm struggling to find them now.
I'll post them here if I can locate them.
I found some great settings for my LX508D on the net, which I used, but I'm struggling to find them now.
I'll post them here if I can locate them.
8 G D65 HDMI Settings.txt
I'm pretty sure these are the settings I used, hopefully the link will work.
I'm pretty sure these are the settings I used, hopefully the link will work.
Ok, so basically stick with what I've got for now until my TV goes bang, I haven't got a problem with that at all. Let's pretend that my kit is your kit, what would you be looking to upgrade and with what?......just a bit of fun!
You could maybe add a PS4.
Otherwise, I think you're in pretty good shape.
Is there a part of your system you feel is lacking in some way?
Otherwise, I think you're in pretty good shape.
Is there a part of your system you feel is lacking in some way?
No not really lacking, just looking for ways to improve upon what I have. I was looking at BLOK cabinets when I saw the Oppo advert, are you happy with yours and is there a noticeable improvement in performance or do they just look lovely?! Will probably be getting one of the new consoles later in the year, not sure which one though.
professorhat
Well-known member
JASPER09 said:
Have a look at the exclusive games that are coming out and base your decision around that - there's not a lot between them otherwise. Make sure to check the Indie titles coming to the PS4 as I think a number of them will actually blow away a lot of the "mainstream" releases for outright fun, and for a fraction of the price as well. Resogun is a good example of that.
hi jasper09, i have the arcam bdp 300 ,with my lx508d i find the picture quality fantastic,i know arcam had real problems with the bdp 100 ,but this machine so far no problems load speeds are fast picture and sound is fantastic ,i changed from the pioneer lx08 bluray player to arcam,if you get a chance to check one of these out befor buying a new player it's well worth a look.regaurding calibration i spoke to steve withers about having it done but he said that the pioneers we so accurate out of the box but, other say it does drift over time so it's hard to know if worth having it done as it's very expencive.good luck david
BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW said:
These look like Bumptious ball park figures to me - might not be though - he always posts get you closeish to a full cal.
your tv will have 2 point white balance controls - at the perfect contrast setting you will most likely get a good greyscale reading and flatish gamma so a good calibarted set. Out of the box will not compare to a properly calibrated set - no tv comes calibrated and it makes a Big Difference!
Probs best to keep your blu ray - if you wanted faster newer features etc my cousin has just bought the Panasonic BDT500 - top range panny player for £170 big difference to £500 for the oppo. Only you can tell if you see / hear a difference.
He thinks its very good - he had a Pioneer LX71 before. He has got a Panasonic 65VT65 TV though to compare on calibrated by me
I am yet to see his new player so cant pass judgement but I am keen to see it.
In contrast to common opinion. I am going to back to recal my Dads ZT65 - as my new cal method is amazing and the picture quality I now get is ridiculous - it really brings out the quality of these new sets. Last I went round his and watched my Pacific Rim on his Pioneer LX55 blu ray on a still calibrated 2.4 gamma ZT it did not even come close to what I get from my setup - to me it looked pretty pants.
However I am reserving full judgement until I calibrate it again as that does make a huge difference.
Just seen the Panasonic bdt500 player as mentioned above, feeeding a.calibrated 65VT65
Using settings suggested in the hd tv test review of the tv as being the best to feed it i.e 444 and chroma upsampling set to advanced the player was night and day better than the pioneer lx08 player he had before for picture.
Seems to be a very good player as reviewed and for.£160 ish is a bloody good option, especially if you have a 65 range Panasonic tv
Its the sharpest and cleanest i have seen the tv look
Using settings suggested in the hd tv test review of the tv as being the best to feed it i.e 444 and chroma upsampling set to advanced the player was night and day better than the pioneer lx08 player he had before for picture.
Seems to be a very good player as reviewed and for.£160 ish is a bloody good option, especially if you have a 65 range Panasonic tv
Its the sharpest and cleanest i have seen the tv look
jase fox
Well-known member
Hi Jasper09
I can't comment on the oppo as never tried one, but if Michael Hoy say's there is a slight improvement then you can take it to the bank.
Now for people who say there is no difference between budget and high end players in terms of picture performance - I do not agree! I don't know where they come up with that conclusion? If there wasn't any difference I would own a budget player.
Besides if they where all the same then Whathifi would be out of a job in reviewing players.
I recently took hold of a Denon 3313ud which replaced my Denon 2500BT and the difference in PQ is there to be seen from the start as soon as the film rolls, didn't even need to look for it.
Now the 2500BT is still a fantastic picture, and still better than most mid market machines, and up until the denon 3313udI didn't find any other player to match it.
If your in need of 3D then yes your going to need to change it, but if your looking for a better picture then the 3313 would give you that, If it didn't I'd still have the 2500BT.
I can't comment on the oppo as never tried one, but if Michael Hoy say's there is a slight improvement then you can take it to the bank.
Now for people who say there is no difference between budget and high end players in terms of picture performance - I do not agree! I don't know where they come up with that conclusion? If there wasn't any difference I would own a budget player.
Besides if they where all the same then Whathifi would be out of a job in reviewing players.
I recently took hold of a Denon 3313ud which replaced my Denon 2500BT and the difference in PQ is there to be seen from the start as soon as the film rolls, didn't even need to look for it.
Now the 2500BT is still a fantastic picture, and still better than most mid market machines, and up until the denon 3313udI didn't find any other player to match it.
If your in need of 3D then yes your going to need to change it, but if your looking for a better picture then the 3313 would give you that, If it didn't I'd still have the 2500BT.
jase fox
Well-known member
Yes from reviews I've read the 103 is a good player with which is the player I was maybe thinking of getting however, other reviews I read for the Denon 3313ud say that it slightly bettered the 103 and these comments where from other 103 owners. Looking at the quality of the 3313 I'm not surprised! So i was happy with those reviews as I personally love the look of Denon players, as it is my preferred brand.gel said:
You ask where people came up with the conclusion that there is no difference between budget and high end then I'll say the answer is by owning them. I recently sold a Denon 3313, and currently own a Pioneer 450, Panasonic 130 and PS3. There is no meaningful difference in bluray between any of them and the difference in DVD is marginal at best. The Denon cost ten times the Panasonic and nearly three times the Pioneer.
The only real difference is price, file support, features such as MC analogue and build quality which may or may not be of value. The Pionner at 180 does everything that the Denon at 500 did, since they are both transports, but is not as well built. In fact it works flawlessly which is more than can be said for the Denon which had issues. As others have said upgrading the AVR, TV and Speakers is going to show more performance gain than buying an expensive player. Bar build quality and features 500 quid plus transports are just about fashion to me.
The only real difference is price, file support, features such as MC analogue and build quality which may or may not be of value. The Pionner at 180 does everything that the Denon at 500 did, since they are both transports, but is not as well built. In fact it works flawlessly which is more than can be said for the Denon which had issues. As others have said upgrading the AVR, TV and Speakers is going to show more performance gain than buying an expensive player. Bar build quality and features 500 quid plus transports are just about fashion to me.
bigboss
Moderator
jase fox
Well-known member
I've also owned / demo'd high end / budget players also and my conclusion is different to yours.Mtenga said:
There is a difference between the Denon 1713ud and the 3313ud in terms of picture quality (to my eyes) so on this subject It's safe to say we'll have to agree to disagree.
The only way of anyone really knowing for themselves is to try do a home demo, people evidently come up with different results, but that's what makes it so diverse, It'd be boring if it wasn't .
And 500 quid for transports is about fashion you say? Or is it about cutting out all the connectivity etc that you'll never need to use and to just give the purist connection possible?? Mine is the latter. Again, different opinions.
I've always thought this with amps. If I could design my own amp and only add connectivity for what I'd use I wander how much I'd save?? All those wasted ports etc that I'm never going to use, not to mention all the silly processing sound effect modes.
jase fox
Well-known member
When I went from the Denon 1713ud to the 3313ud watching animation was a revelation, the difference in PQ was amazing almost looking 3D, you didn't even need to scrutinise it, eye popping comes to mind.
So when I hear that folk like yourselves say you can't see any differences I'm always amazed by that, I really am :? Watching Rango and finding nemo for e.g the detail is outstanding, better contrast levels to enhance shadow detail is 2nd to none.
Moving on to a movie like Insidious where the mother goes looking around the attic, I could see detail in the dark scenes I'd not noticed before, whilst at the same time it gave great black levels and not grey looking. The same with Skyfall, whilst bond is in the house again the level of detail in the shadow / dark scenes is fantastic.
Amazed...
So when I hear that folk like yourselves say you can't see any differences I'm always amazed by that, I really am :? Watching Rango and finding nemo for e.g the detail is outstanding, better contrast levels to enhance shadow detail is 2nd to none.
Moving on to a movie like Insidious where the mother goes looking around the attic, I could see detail in the dark scenes I'd not noticed before, whilst at the same time it gave great black levels and not grey looking. The same with Skyfall, whilst bond is in the house again the level of detail in the shadow / dark scenes is fantastic.
Amazed...
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