New OPPO Blu-ray Player: BDP-80

[cfraser]

^ You *are* kidding, right?

Many people have higher standards than many other people. That's all I'm going to say.

[Todd Sauve]

Not kidding at all. But neither am I interested in trying to convince someone that a DAC is a DAC is a DAC, no matter how many times it oversamples, etc. Or anything else I wrote.

It's your money, spend it as you please ...

But for those who do wonder about these issues, the following website's information will liberate you from the grasp of the double-talking weasels who seem to make up the majority of those in the "audiophile" press these days. Bon apetite

http://www.theaudiocritic.com/plog/

[Todd Sauve]

I had a few troubles getting some avi video files to play on my Oppo 80 via my Patriot thumb drive, so I contacted Oppo and they recommended I change the file to mkv with a free little program called MKVToolNix. It solved all my problems and I can highly recommend it for those who may run into the same difficulty. It does the conversion incredibly fast, needing only 44 seconds to change a 48 minute avi to mkv!

http://www.free-codecs.com/MKVtoolnix_download.htm

[Todd Sauve]

OK, here is the first review of the Oppo 80 that I know of. It is pretty exhaustive and concludes by saying there is very little difference, if any, between it and the more expensive Oppo 83!

http://hometheater.about.com/od/dvdp...yer_Review.htm

[filper]

I got an 80 yesterday.

First impressions; a dramatic sonic improvement over my 588-A, solid construction, excellent BD playback without any tweaking over component to a 46" 1080i RP CRT, and a well thought out set up menu and interface.

A feature the really surprised and pleased me is during SA-CD playback the album/artist/track info is displayed.

The 'Pure Audio' feature is brilliant !

It's a steal for $300.

[supervij]

Hiya filper. Congrats on the upgrade! Glad you heard a difference between your old Pio and your new 80. The difference to me (I used to have that same Pio) was dramatic as well. I never knew about the album/artist/track being displayed during SACD playback . . . I assume you're not referring to the Oppo display, but rather this is on the TV screen? I've never noticed cos I never have the TV on during SACD playback.

Also: do you truly notice a difference in music playback when the Pure Audio is engaged? I have the 83, but I haven't noticed much difference. Using Pure Direct on my receiver, I do notice a difference, but not so much with Pure Audio on the player.

cheers,
supervij

[filper]

It displays on the TV, not the player... who could read it anyway.

I haven't had it long enough to comment on the Pure Audio feature sonically, but it's great for DVD-A navigation so you don't have to keep turning the TV on and off.

[filper]

The Pure Audio mode seems to make the soundstage fuller with more air.

Definitely an improvement in the bottom end.

[filper]

I retract the bottom end improvement comment... I was adjusting the speaker levels in the setup menu (which can be done during play which is kinda neat) and didn't notice I had upped the sub level. Sorry.

Darn electronic gizmos.

[cfraser]

^ Yeah, I didn't hear any audio diff with the BDP-83 in Pure mode, either via HDMI or the stereo analog outputs. I only use the 83 for SACD and DVD-A music disc-wise. I could see how it theoretically could improve SQ by not having any video data in the HDMI cable etc. I think this type of mode had a lot more effect back in the "old days" of analog audio/video circuitry/cabling from the player. Of course, it's possible the odd person is using the 83/80 that way still. I mean, let's face it, those 1080p/24 BDs with DTS-HD MA 7.1 all going through the same HDMI cable simultaneously don't exactly suck.

[supervij]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who hears no difference with Pure Audio versus not. I engage it anyway; the only downside is I have to press a button on the remote a couple times to see the "time remaining". Otherwise it's all the same.

I don't use my HDMI for audio -- for music, it's all analog. The 83 (and definitely the 80 for sure) would sound better than my old receiver. It was on par with my old Pioneer 588a player, so I know the 83 sounds better!

cheers,
supervij

[cfraser]

^ Yeah, I only use the HDMI for surround music, which works better with my current Denon AVR than any of its analog inputs. For stereo, I use the Oppo analog stereo outputs into an analog-only system. It's a very rare surround SACD/DVD-A/BD that sounds better than the same disc's stereo track through the plain analog system...that is in the genres I listen to, which are not known for good surround audio in general (more gimmicky mixes).

[supervij]

Apparently, there are rumours floating around the internet that the Oppo 80 is about to be discontinued. It's still up on Oppo's website (oppodigital.com), though. Here's what I found on Blu-ray.com this morning:

"According to several well-placed sources, the latest entry in Oppo's Blu-ray player lineup, model BDP-80, is already being discontinued, allegedly because of poor sales. The brand's other, older players, models BDP-83 and BDP-83 Special Edition, will continue to be sold. No new models have been announced yet.

After the first rumors about this development, Blu-ray.com contacted Oppo Digital for comment in August, and the company replied then: "Since we have made no product announcements, we will not be discussing what players may or may not be discontinued."

I guess since most people these days want Netflix streaming, sub-$150 prices and whatnot, it makes no sense to offer up the 80. The 83 will appeal to the hardcore market, but the 80 maybe doesn't appeal to the somewhat-less hardcore. Too bad; I thought it was a great idea for those who wanted Oppo quality and service for a lower price.

cheers,
supervij

[eljay]

Apparently, there are rumours floating around the internet that the Oppo 80 is about to be discontinued. It's still up on Oppo's website (oppodigital.com), though.

This would appear to explain why the BDP-80 is no longer on the onlybestrated.com website. I was surprised to see it missing during my recent browse of that site.

Too bad; I thought it was a great idea for those who wanted Oppo quality and service for a lower price.

+1. The BDP-80 seemed like the perfect "compromise" player from OPPO: A feature-packed performer at a fairly reasonable price point.

[cfraser]

^ And after so many people were asking (in the forums) for an Oppo BDP like the BDP-83 but with fewer features and CHEAPER. And when it finally comes out, "nobody" buys it. LOL.

The BDP-80 is not at all comparable to the BDP-83. Doesn't have any of the main features that distinguish the BDP-83 from the rest of the (typically much cheaper) market. I agree the BDP-80 has no reason to exist NOW. If it had come out 2-3 years ago at its price, that would be a different matter. Edit: the BDP-80 *does* play some music disc formats that most common current BDPs don't, but that capability seems to appeal to only a very small market as those who care usually already have various means of playing those discs (i.e. SACD/DVD-A are not exactly attracting reams of new users).