# OPPO BDP 103 dual HDMI outputs?



## roger1014

Ok...my impluse got the better of me and I just purchased this player .... currently using a BDP-80! This old player was starting to bug me as the disk loaded times were really long. Was just thinking about the dual HDMI outputs, of the 103, and was wondering if, maybe, I should have one HDMI cable routed to my TV, just video, and the other HDMI routed, for audio, to my Denon 4311ci? Would I get better video due to the fact the video signal would not be processed by the AVR. Or should I have just one HDMI cable routed to the AVR? Current set up is that all signals, from BDP-60, PS3, XBOX360 and DVR, are sent, to the AVR, thru HDMI, and only one HDMI output sent from AVR to TV. TV, WD-73838, has 4 HDMI inputs....


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## Jungle Jack

roger1014 said:


> Ok...my impluse got the better of me and I just purchased this player .... currently using a BDP-80! This old player was starting to bug me as the disk loaded times were really long. Was just thinking about the dual HDMI outputs, of the 103, and was wondering if, maybe, I should have one HDMI cable routed to my TV, just video, and the other HDMI routed, for audio, to my Denon 4311ci? Would I get better video due to the fact the video signal would not be processed by the AVR. Or should I have just one HDMI cable routed to the AVR? Current set up is that all signals, from BDP-60, PS3, XBOX360 and DVR, are sent, to the AVR, thru HDMI, and only one HDMI output sent from AVR to TV. TV, WD-73838, has 4 HDMI inputs....


Hello,
It certainly cannot hurt. I do run HDMI 1 directly to my Panasonic TC-P60GT50 and HDMI 2 to my AVR-4520CI. I must admit that I probably use the Denon for switching more often due to probably laziness.
Cheers,
JJ


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## mdanderson

I have the Oppo 105 and I also use the hdmi 1 going directly to my tv and hdmi 2 going to an Emotiva UMC-200. I tried running the video through the UMC-200 in pass-through mode but I could still tell a definite difference when choosing to run it directly to the tv. The picture just simply looks better to me with the direct connection to the tv. I really don't use the hdmi 2 much for audio though, because I like the sound of the analog connections for music and even for bluray movies.


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## 86eldel68-deactivated

Try both options, go with the one that works the best.


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## jimbodude

mdanderson said:


> ...I tried running the video through the UMC-200 in pass-through mode but I could still tell a definite difference when choosing to run it directly to the tv. The picture just simply looks better to me with the direct connection to the tv. I really don't use the hdmi 2 much for audio though, because I like the sound of the analog connections for music and even for bluray movies.


My understanding is that the video should be a digital signal and the AVR shouldn't be messing with it, just routing it. It certainly shouldn't be decoding it and re-encoding it in a lossy way... So it should be exactly the same signal getting to the TV whether it goes direct to the TV or through the AVR. Or am I missing something?

I've heard quite a bit of praise for the audio DACs in the Oppo player, so that difference I would definitely believe.


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## roger1014

jimbodude said:


> My understanding is that the video should be a digital signal and the AVR shouldn't be messing with it, just routing it. It certainly shouldn't be decoding it and re-encoding it in a lossy way... So it should be exactly the same signal getting to the TV whether it goes direct to the TV or through the AVR. Or am I missing something?
> 
> I've heard quite a bit of praise for the audio DACs in the Oppo player, so that difference I would definitely believe.


Not sure how much processing my AVR, Denon 4311ci, does but at one point, when I had my TV(WD-73838) calibrated ...the tech had to use one of the AVR videos adjustment to get the needed calibration!

As far as audio, when playing SACD disc, the OPPO will output a DSD signal when using HDMI 2 but when using the HDMI 1 output, the OPPO will convert the DSD signal to a PCM signal. At least this is what I think I remembered from reading ..... of course, I also remember that the author of the report noticed no difference between the DSD or PCM audio quality..


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## jimbodude

roger1014 said:


> Not sure how much processing my AVR, Denon 4311ci, does but at one point, when I had my TV(WD-73838) calibrated ...the tech had to use one of the AVR videos adjustment to get the needed calibration!


I don't see why you would want to do video processing in an AVR... You would have to decompress the video stream then re-encode it, which is an inherently lossy operation. There shouldn't be a noticeable difference, if it's done right. I didn't even know AVRs had that sort of thing built in... I thought that was always a separate video processor.



roger1014 said:


> As far as audio, when playing SACD disc, the OPPO will output a DSD signal when using HDMI 2 but when using the HDMI 1 output, the OPPO will convert the DSD signal to a PCM signal. At least this is what I think I remembered from reading ..... of course, I also remember that the author of the report noticed no difference between the DSD or PCM audio quality..


Oppo has multi-channel analog outputs and DACs on board, so it is fully-decoded analog audio, not just PCM.


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## Wardsweb

I just got my 103 today and hooked it up. HDMI 1 (Marvell QDEO processor) to my Panasonic PT-AE8000U projector and HDMI 2 (standard processor) to my AVR.


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## Osage_Winter

I, too, struggled with this when I first bought into HDMI, HDTV and all elements associated with getting this "right" from generation to generation; coming from the old-school sentiment that video should go direct to a display and audio direct to a processor or receiver, I was skeptical when I learned with the advent of HDMI 1.3a you could -- and SHOULD -- pass audio AND video via one HDMI link from your source to your AVR or processor, with a second HDMI lead going to the display, with the AVR or processor set to some kind of pure passthrough for video. Upon purchasing the first AVR on the market to handle the lossless codecs -- the Onkyo 605 (which is still with me today and running like an absolute champ) -- I learned that the receiver simply passes video signals through untouched via its HDMI 1.3 ports a la its HDMI OUT with nothing that needs to be set to "tell" the receiver to pass the video through...

From what I understand, with this particular Onkyo model, whatever comes in over HDMI video wise gets passed out UNTOUCHED; in other words, 1080p in, 1080p out...with no supposed degredation of the video signal. For what it's worth, I have not had a chance to compare side by side one of the newer receivers with HDMI 1.4 that allow you to pass audio and video separately via two separate HDMI outs, to a player and receiver such as my OPPO BDP-83 (one HDMI out) and Onkyo 605. It would definitely be my process of choice, though, to separate the audio and video streams, but with my current gear -- I am not interested in really buying into HDMI 1.4 because I'm not interested in 3D Blu-ray -- I can only transfer 1080p video AND the lossless codecs via one HDMI link, which must then be passed through the AVR so video can get to the display, and this is only achieved via the AVR's HDMI MONITOR...:crying:

I have read conflicting reports in both online hobbyist forums and hobbyist print publications such as _Home Theater Magazine_ that MOST HDMI 1.3a receivers will pass video completely unmolested if it's a "clean" signal, such as my situation with 1080p via HDMI > 1080p via HDMI, while some say there is absolutely NO DOUBT some signal is lost simply by sending something through a "passthrough" device like a receiver (video signal, that is)...and, to add fuel to the fire, you see just in this thread alone people saying they see a distinct difference between running the video directly to a display via one HDMI out while running the bitstreamed audio via a second HDMI out to the AVR/processor...

I wish there was some more concrete evidence in these matters; but I wonder if there are still people like me running their 1.3a-equipped gear in a "video monitor loop" through their AVRs -- that is, all video and audio is going over one HDMI cable through an AVR and then video off to a display...:huh:

From what I have been told, though, the Onkyo 605 does not, from all accounts, degrade any incoming video over HDMI so long as the signal chain looks like HDMI IN > HDMI OUT, which is the way I have mine connected...:doh::doh::doh::unbelievable::unbelievable::coocoo::coocoo:


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## Osage_Winter

jimbodude said:


> I don't see why you would want to do video processing in an AVR... You would have to decompress the video stream then re-encode it, which is an inherently lossy operation. There shouldn't be a noticeable difference, if it's done right. I didn't even know AVRs had that sort of thing built in... I thought that was always a separate video processor.
> 
> 
> 
> Oppo has multi-channel analog outputs and DACs on board, so it is fully-decoded analog audio, not just PCM.


BTW, Jim -- my thoughts and prayers are with you and the other people of Boston after the recent terror attacks...I hope you and your family (and/or people you knew) were not in any way affected by this tragedy...I am a huge old-school Patriots fan, so I'm with ya! :jump:


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## hjones4841

I have the Oppo 93 with the anniversary edition of the Denon 4311 (AVR-A100) feeding a Panasonic 8000 projector. I have tried both the HDMI direct connection to the projector as the primary and the other HDMI to the Denon as secondary. I cannot tell the difference, but at age 63 my eyes are not as good as when I was younger. I usually watch blu rays via the Denon connection just to have the on screen display for volume, for switching A-DSX processing modes, etc.


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## Osage_Winter

hjones4841 said:


> I have the Oppo 93 with the anniversary edition of the Denon 4311 (AVR-A100) feeding a Panasonic 8000 projector. I have tried both the HDMI direct connection to the projector as the primary and the other HDMI to the Denon as secondary. I cannot tell the difference, but at age 63 my eyes are not as good as when I was younger. I usually watch blu rays via the Denon connection just to have the on screen display for volume, for switching A-DSX processing modes, etc.


Are you saying you compared the HDMI connection direct to the projector and then routed through the Denon AVR (HDMI monitor loop)?


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## hjones4841

Osage_Winter said:


> Are you saying you compared the HDMI connection direct to the projector and then routed through the Denon AVR (HDMI monitor loop)?


Yes. No difference to my eyes. I decided to use the AVR connection to have the on screen display from the Denon.


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## Osage_Winter

I see...


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