Product Review (November 2012) OPPO BDP-103 Universal 3D Blu-ray Player with 4K/DVD-Audio/SACD/HDCD By Kevin Nakano OPPO has been recognized as a leader in Blu-ray players ever since the introduction of the original BDP-83 design back in 2009. Receiving high praise from the press, Oppo soon released the next generation BDP-93 which became one of the most sought after players by the serious home theater enthusiast. Oppo has just released the new BDP-103 that once again leverages from past successes. The BDP-103 represents the company's third generation Blu-ray design with many of the great features found on its predecessor and now with additional capabilities such as Ultra High Definition (4Kx2K) video up-scaling, 2D-to-3D conversion, and dual HDMI inputs. The Netflix application now supports 1080p video with 5.1 audio, and the new VUDU application supports 3D.
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Back Panel The BDP-103 back panel looks different from the BDP-93 with several significant improvements. The two HDMI outputs still remain, but are now capable of ARC (Audio Return Channel) with compatible displays. Both HDMI outputs have adjustable resolution supporting 4Kx2K, Auto, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p/576p, 480i/576i, and Source Direct. If Auto is selected, the player will determine the output resolution based on the best signal resolution that the TV can display. The eSATA port has been removed and replaced with an additional USB 2.0 (now two USB 2.0 ports in the back). The BDP-103 still has both optical and coaxial digital outputs, wired ethernet, RS232 control, an IR input, composite video (for diagnostics) and 7.1 analog outputs. A detachable power cord makes installation easier in tight places.
Analog Component Video Removed TV manufacturers and the industry in general have been moving away from analog interfaces and more towards HDMI (digital video). Blu-ray playback is already limited to 480i resolution on newly released models and by the end of 2013, analog video outputs will be removed or disabled entirely. Looking forward, Oppo has made the decision to exclude the analog video interfaces (with the exception of the diagnostic composite output) from the 103/105 Blu-ray players since these interfaces will offer little value in the near future.
HDMI Cabling More importantly, the digital video interface (HDMI) must be used to take full advantage of the superb picture quality offered by these advanced high definition players. In addition, the premium video processing features are only available over the HDMI output. This includes the latest 3D and up-scaled 4K x 2K resolution. Here we used a set of Accell's Ultra-Thin low profile round and flat cables during some of our testing. Both Ultra-Thin cables are available in 1-meter and 2-meter lengths.
Wireless N The BDP-103 includes a USB wireless N WiFi adapter since the capability is not built into the unit. An extension cable with an attached dock is provided and allows the dongle to be placed on a flat surface away from the back of the BD player for optimal reception. In our tests the signal strength was at 74% with the dock optimally placed in our room with the access point in a different room. We ran 1080p content from Netflix and VUDU and never experience any dropouts, even with this less than perfect signal strength. Configuration is easy with the Internet Connection menu where the user can select either wired or wireless connectivity. We ran all of our tests in this review with a wired ethernet cable for the fastest and most reliable connection, with the exception of our testing done with the wireless features. This capability is very handy for those with limited wired network access.
Internals The BDP-103 has a similar layout to its predecessor (the BDP-93) with three main boards (not including the front panel). The unit has a separate power supply board located on the left side that accommodates worldwide power from 100-240VAC (50/60 Hz). The main A/V board has the video decoder and processor handling the digital audio and video interface connections. A large heat sink keeps the video processor temperature down to help improve reliability. As a result, there is no need for an internal fan, so the unit is dead quiet when operating. The Audio Board provides the analog audio interface that feeds the back panel and includes the D/A conversion and line level drivers.
A/V Board The "L" shaped audio/video processing board is located on the right side towards the back of the unit next to the Blu-ray drive. This board handles all of the A/V processing and most of the interfaces including the BD drive, front panel board, rear digital audio and video interfaces and the USB 2.0 ports. OPPO's design topology keeps the sensitive analog audio electronics away from the noisier digital signals to improve audio performance. Like its predecessor, the BDP-103 also has a Pure Audio mode that is designed to keep the video circuits off to minimize noise bleeding into the audio section.
Hidden beneath the large black heat sink lies the new A/V decoder chip (OP8581), a custom version of the MediaTek MT8580. This SoC (System-on-Chip) includes a dual-core ARM processor and a special DSP for audio/video decoding and laser pickup control. This device is used to drive the second HDMI output (HDMI 2). Four 1 gigabit DDR3 SDRAMs (K4B1G1646G-BCH9) are used by the custom OP8581 chip. The improved processing performance allows for an enhanced user interface for CD and other media. In addition, this hardware upgrade improves responsiveness and users can now access more features such as cover art and track info (title, artist, genre etc.).
The main A/V board also uses the Silicon Image SiI1292 chip for the front HDMI/MHL input, which is an auto-sensing MHL/HDMI solution for audio/video connectivity between MHL-enabled mobile devices and the internal A/V interfaces.
The Top Menu and Pop-Up Menu buttons are located on the upper left and right sides of the navigation buttons. Option and Return are located on the lower right and left of the navigation buttons. The navigation buttons have been redesigned in a circular fashion tapered inward towards the Enter button giving the remote a better feel when using these controls. The more frequently used Stop, Play and Pause buttons are larger for easy access. Pressing the Resolution button allows the user to select from Auto, 4Kx2K, 1080p (60Hz/24Hz), 1080i(60Hz), 720p(60Hz), 480p/576p, 480i/576i, or Source Direct. OPPO has also included a three position switch inside the battery compartment that allows the user to change the command set so that it does not interfere with other OPPO products. This feature provides full and separate control of multiple OPPO units in the same room.
Installation Our review system consisted of an Anthem AVR 50v 3D preamp/processor mated to a Parasound HCA-2205AT five channel amplifier. We connected the BDP-103 HDMI 1 output directly to the projector and HDMI 2 to the Anthem A/V unit. While our main projector (Anthem LTX-500v) is currently not 3D capable, we also tested this unit with a Mitsubishi HC7800U 3D DLP projector. Speakers included a trio of M&K S150THX speakers across the front and a pair of SS250 surrounds. The THX crossover set at 80 Hz works well with our speaker configuration. The subwoofers included four new Ken Kreisel DX12012 subs stacked four high (called the Quattro ) for an unbelievable bass experience. The Anthem A/V processor is capable of decoding all of the latest surround formats over HDMI and also has the option for analog audio inputs, allowing us to test the player's internal decoding, DACs and analog section. Our projector shoots video onto a 100-inch 16:9 Stewart FireHawk. Walls are covered with Echo Buster sound absorption panels to minimize reflections and help reduce slap echoes, which often blur the sonic image.
Video Setup The Video Setup menu adjusts all the video parameters for both HDMI outputs. The Picture Adjustment panel allows the user to independently change the settings for HDMI 1 and HDMI 2. Each HDMI output offer three picture modes with settings for Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation, Sharpness, and Noise reduction. HDMI 1 also includes adjustments for Color enhancement and Contrast enhancement that are not available on HDMI 2's picture adjustment menu. This is because the two HDMI outputs use different video processing chips within the BDP-103.
The 3D Mode can be set to Auto, Off or Forced. To maximize 3D performance, Oppo allows the user to control the 2D->3D Depth (0 to 16) and define the 3D TV Size. The TV Aspect Ratio (16:9 Wide, or 16:9 Wide/Auto), TV System (NTSC, PAL or Multi-System) and Output Resolution (4Kx2K, Auto, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p/576p, 480i/576i or Source Direct) are also in this menu. The 1080p24 Output (Auto, Off, or On) provides the option for a 24 frame per second output rate. In addition, the DVD 24p Conversion (Off or On) can be configured for film-based DVD's.
Home Screen The Home button on the remote takes you to the Home screen where it is easy to access music, photos and video clips. Special icons are available for Netflix, VUDU, Film Fresh, YouTube, Pandora, and Picasa. Media content can also be accessed on local home networks using a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive or any file server complete with login and password capability. We have both NAS drives and Windows Home Servers (WHS) installed for network testing. Performance on our local network was excellent and the BDP-103 was able to stream content without interruptions. We found that Film Fresh was our least favorite offering on this system largely because their servers appear to be rather slow based on our experience.
Netflix Streaming The built-in Netflix streaming capability is a great feature that was added to Oppo's previous generation BD players. The updated version in the BDP-103 is even better with excellent graphics and a responsive user interface that is easy to use. Streaming was very reliable on this unit and we did not experience any bad behavior even with 1080p high-definition material. Netflix has a good movie selection and there is plenty of content for just about everyone. Having Netflix built into this unit eliminates the need for a separate media player. 2ff7e9595c
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