# Denon Vs. OPPO



## iSlinger

I have been researching a lot about both of these brands (actually one reason I stumbled upon this forum) for disc playback, and I gotta say that I am torn on which company to buy from. It seems to me like most people here are fans of their OPPO units, which is making me think more about them over Denon, but does anyone have any input regarding this? I don't have specific model numbers to compare, but something in the 400ish range is fine to look at.


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## Guest

The cheapest Oppo starts at $499 so that might be out of your budget range. IMO, oppo kind of shot themselves in the foot dropping the bdp-83 and selling players at $499. I'm sure they are plenty nice, but not everyone needs dual HDMI out and everything they offer. I used to be a huge fan of Oppo, and I'm sure their new players are still great, but they should still offer something cheaper then $499.

Its getting hard to know what brands are good anymore. Denon used to make great stuff, but I think they have slacked lately. They aren't really on my radar any more.

Maybe something like this would work. http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...eady-universal-Blu-ray-player-3D-ready/1.html

I don't have that player, but I've had success with refurbished Marantz gear from accessories for less. If you can handle saving bucks for a 1 year warranty vs a factory 3 year warranty, get higher cost gear for less.

You might also be able to find a used Oppo player from videogon as well.

I might be wrong in saying this, but I think the Oppo is known for great upscaling DVDs 480i to 1080p. Unless you have a huge screen, huge DVD collection, I just don't think its worth it. Blu-ray on a PS3 looks great and it doesn't take a lot of cash to get a good looking blu-ray player.


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## Sevenfeet

It's not that Denon makes lousy stuff. Far from it. Their Blu-Ray gear is still some of the best of the business. The issue for most internet savvy customers is that Oppo has just been paying more attention to the feature request list of this group of buyers. And when a product is released, not only does it play just about everything ever made, but there is a regular firmware update program over the life of the product to extend features and fix bugs. I'm a big fan of Denon/Marantz in general. But if I'm buying a Bu-Ray player, it's going to be an Oppo.


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## Guest

Sevenfeet said:


> It's not that Denon makes lousy stuff. Far from it. Their Blu-Ray gear is still some of the best of the business. The issue for most internet savvy customers is that Oppo has just been paying more attention to the feature request list of this group of buyers. And when a product is released, not only does it play just about everything ever made, but there is a regular firmware update program over the life of the product to extend features and fix bugs. I'm a big fan of Denon/Marantz in general. But if I'm buying a Bu-Ray player, it's going to be an Oppo.


Denon might still be making good stuff, but they also have lower end stuff that isn't as good. Still not bad, but not great either. Why a brand like Denon started selling at Best Buy and others is beyond me. I think it takes away from anything good they sell, but that is just my opinion.

Also, as far as just playing blu-ray disk, does the Oppo really have an advantage over other quality units? I guess if you want a player that can do it all, it is a great choice, but if you don't need dual HDMI out, sacd, hddc (add long list) of features, does it actually have a higher quality picture for blu-ray? If so, how?


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## iSlinger

I would love to have the SACD compatibility in my BDP. I don't have any SACDs yet, but I hear lots of good things about them, so I'm willing to look into the format and even buy a player that supports it. One thing that is leaning me towards OPPO is that they play Matroska (.mkv) files off of a disc. Or at least thats what I have heard. Panasonic makes units that play Matroska files as well, but they don't have SACD support.


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## Guest

SACD is nice, and if you really want that feature, then the Oppo might be a good choice. The .mkv format support is cool too. I wouldn't bother with disk though. At least get a fast 16gb USB drive.

While I really enjoy SACD, Sony stopped supporting the format. A few new disk are still released, but it's kind of a dead format. IMO, it is still worth it, as the available library is pretty big, a lot less new releases are coming out on the SACD format. Musicdirect.com has the biggest collection I've ever seen, and Amazon.com has them as well.

If you can afford the Oppo, you can never go wrong with getting it. I just really wish Oppo would re-release a lesser model. Not everyone uses netflix, vudu, blockbuster steaming, dual HDMI out. I kinda wonder how many owners actually use every feature that the player has. A simple blu-ray player, DVD up-sampler, would be great. Keep the SACD support.  As far as I know, every oppo player has supported that.


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## iSlinger

I'll probably look into it more, but at the moment the OPPO is my first choice. It's a nice looking unit and its the same price as the Denon equivalent. Also it has 7.1 analog out (not that I see myself using it at this moment) and Matroska support. It's DVD upscaling is pretty good right?


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## tcarcio

iSlinger said:


> I'll probably look into it more, but at the moment the OPPO is my first choice. It's a nice looking unit and its the same price as the Denon equivalent. Also it has 7.1 analog out (not that I see myself using it at this moment) and Matroska support. It's DVD upscaling is pretty good right?


It's dvd upscaling is fantastic and for all you get for the money,IMO, you cant do better for a stand alone player.:T


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## iSlinger

Good to know. It seems to me that the OPPO is probably the way to go. What processor is in the lower model of the Denon? Does anyone have it or know about it at all? How does it compare to the OPPO's custom one? (I'm only curious cause I love my Denon AVR)


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
OPPO really takes the cake when it comes to being Customer Oriented. Moreover, their BDP's are so good that Boutique High End Brands have literally slapped on an Aluminum Case used a darker Visor over the Display and charged $3000 Dollars more as Lexicon did with the BD-30. 

I am not sure what better endorsement there is than that. Also, the OPPO's score off the charts when Bench Tested. Highly recommend checking out the Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity Review and DVD Benchmark of the 93 and 95.
Cheers,
JJ


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## iSlinger

I would say I'm officially sold on the OPPO unit. For the price/quality, it seems to be the best decision. I'll do more finalizing research probably then make my decision. Thanks for all the input everyone. I'll be sure to let you all know what I think!


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## koyaan

I'd recommend the Oppo to anyone. As far as SACDs go, if your a classical music or jazz lover, this is far from a dead format. It never made it with the pop music croed, but they seem to be more intrested in portability than sound quality.


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## iSlinger

I gotta say that what interests me so much about SACD is how insane the quality difference is between it and a CD (on paper that is.. I have yet to listen to it personally). Even DVD audio format can't compete in a raw bit-rate comparison. I have become interested in classical, and always have loved jazz, so it sounds like the perfect format for me.


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## redsandvb

iSlinger said:


> One thing that is leaning me towards OPPO is that they play Matroska (.mkv) files off of a disc. Or at least thats what I have heard.


Hi. You may already know this but the OPPO can also stream them (along with other media types) from a computer running DLNA server software. Some free ones are out there, I sometimes use TVersity with my BDP-83.


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## redsandvb

Also, if you haven't seen it yet there is an excellent FAQ about the OPPO here http://watershade.net/wmcclain/BDP-93-faq.html with links to a really informative thread about the BDP-93 over at avsforum.


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## iSlinger

I never really considered using it for steaming, my Denon uses DLNA as well, and my fileserver is hosting my music in a DLNA setup, so I have been doing that. As for that link, thanks a whole bunch for it! I'm going to look through it more when I'm not running out the door. One thing that caught my eye was stuff about Netflix, so I'm gonna have to go back to that and read it more in depth.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
As far as Netflix implementation, OPPO will have 5.1 at the soonest possible moment. Sony had to do something special for Netflix for them to keep 5.1 exclusive to the PS3 for this long. And truth be told as I have both a PS3 and an OPPO, the DD via the PS3 did not offer Earth shattering better SQ.

It could be due to the myriad of Surround Modes that can take a 2 Channel PCM Source and really make it sound quite good. Moreover, Netflix is nowhere near BD SQ or even Wal-Mart's Vudu IMO via my PS3. Vudu offers Dolby Digital Plus which is at a higher Bitrate and almost all BD's offer the Lossless Codecs. (True HD, DTS HD, Uncompressed PCM)

All I can say is I use Netflix Streaming a decent amount and use the OPPO exclusively. I personally think the Marvell Qdeo Video Processing really makes a difference with it and I really am fine with either PLII, DTS Neo, et al...
Cheers,
JJ


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## redsandvb

iSlinger said:


> I never really considered using it for steaming, my Denon uses DLNA as well, and my fileserver is hosting my music in a DLNA setup, so I have been doing that. As for that link, thanks a whole bunch for it! I'm going to look through it more when I'm not running out the door. One thing that caught my eye was stuff about Netflix, so I'm gonna have to go back to that and read it more in depth.


Yeah, probably more reliable playing off a HDD plugged in to it. My BDP-83 doesn't support NTFS disks so I need to stream a few things over to it.

The BDP-93 even plays disc images in .iso format and Blu-ray folders/directories at the moment...

Gee, I think I want to upgrade...can't do that just yet though.


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## iSlinger

The fact that the OPPO supports .iso format, as well as .mkv, really sets it out above a lot of players. I love the fact that you can also just hook an HDD up to it and get rolling. I rarely use netflix, so if I streamed anything it would probably be off the OPPO, rather than me using my Xbox 360.


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## Rancho5

Hey Jungle Jack, You have an oppo and a PS3? I've got a PS3 and am considering a used oppo just for DVD playback, cause I've got a 110" projection and am not too thrilled with the PS3 upscaling my DVD's. In your opinion, would I be able to tell the difference?


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
As far as DVD go, I absolutely think you will notice a difference. I have barely used my PS3 since I got the 93 in all honesty. As far as BD's go, the differences will not be of any real significance. However, the 93 not having a Fan makes a huge difference for me as my 60gb PS3 is quite audible.
Cheers,
JJ


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## RobertKuhlmann

My experience with some Denons playing BDs is, that they deliver a slightly darker image, compared to e.g. Pioneer or Oppo:
BD-Playback (from Master&Commander)
 Pioneer BDP-LX71 (23FD)
 Denon DBP-2010

DVD-Playback (from Miss Marple, Murder at the Gallop, b/w)
 Pioneer BDP-LX71 (23FD)
 Denon DBP-2010

(All pictures taken from my Pioneer KRP-500A with unmodified controls)

And I think the Denons should be more silent in operation.


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## iSlinger

That's interesting.. Why do you suppose that is? Could it be the color or gamma controls of the Denon unit? Or is everything set to balanced output?


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## RobertKuhlmann

iSlinger said:


> That's interesting.. Why do you suppose that is? Could it be the color or gamma controls of the Denon unit? Or is everything set to balanced output?


I used the factory setting, as it is out of the box. I didn't try to "optimize" anything, because it was a test, not a buy.


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## iSlinger

I figured. That really interesting that the Denon by default outputs a darker picture. Its probably not very noticeable, or at least easily corrected by changing the Denon's output settings


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## RobertKuhlmann

iSlinger said:


> I figured. That really interesting that the Denon by default outputs a darker picture. Its probably not very noticeable, or at least easily corrected by changing the Denon's output settings


I have to admit, that this small difference was one of the few I ever found, writing reports about Blu-ray players. Except, of course, some major differences in DVD-playback.


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## iSlinger

Survey says the OPPO provides the best of both worlds, and the unit looks great too (though it doesn't match my Denon). Honestly the unit is overall much better than others I have looked in to, simply because of its third party media support, and its DVD playback.


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## Sevenfeet

My next player will be the Oppo as well. I still miss the Oppo 971H's DVD upscaling abilities when that player used to be in my rack (since replaced by a older Sony Blu-Ray player.


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## grassy

Has anyone got an idea of what players "denon, marantz and oppo" are realeasing in 2012. I am thinking of buying in the Higher range market and cant seem to find any news on a 2012 range from these companies. I thought i would bring marantz into the equasion as they seem to be on my mind for purchasing and they fall into the competition nicely with denon and oppo.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Though merely conjecture, I really do not think OPPO is planning on changing the 93 and 95 in the near future. I have not even read about a rumor of folks Beta Testing new OPPO BDP's. There might be a chance of a cheaper OPPO to compete in the 2-300 Dollar range, but it certainly would not be a replacement. And again this is just a guess. It was just last week that You Tube and Pandora were just added and Netflix is going to eventually be offered in 5.1. With these BDP's being 3D and nothing new coming down the pipeline, I really think it is going to be several years before these BDP's are replaced.

Denon and Marantz are more likely to change Models. Things like matching the Industrial Design to their AVR/SSP's comes into play. Also, they are much larger companies. All the same, even if they do replace current models, the HDMI Spec seems to be pretty steady at 1.4 and more and more people are moving towards an existence without physical media as well.
Cheers,
JJ


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## grassy

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> Though merely conjecture, I really do not think OPPO is planning on changing the 93 and 95 in the near future. I have not even read about a rumor of folks Beta Testing new OPPO BDP's. There might be a chance of a cheaper OPPO to compete in the 2-300 Dollar range, but it certainly would not be a replacement. And again this is just a guess. It was just last week that You Tube and Pandora were just added and Netflix is going to eventually be offered in 5.1. With these BDP's being 3D and nothing new coming down the pipeline, I really think it is going to be several years before these BDP's are replaced.
> 
> Denon and Marantz are more likely to change Models. Things like matching the Industrial Design to their AVR/SSP's comes into play. Also, they are much larger companies. All the same, even if they do replace current models, the HDMI Spec seems to be pretty steady at 1.4 and more and more people are moving towards an existence without physical media as well.
> Cheers,
> JJ


 Yea i see where your coming from, i am thinking that the denon dvda1ud being their top of the line machine will not be replaced anytime soon and same with marantz. But i do believe oppo have room to replace the 95 with something better. Oppo just seem to be in a position to expand even more and it wouldn't suprise me if they do. But i dont know how soon.I know a few others that are holding of buying until they see what happens in 2012.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Given the ESS Technology Sabre DAC's being used in the 95, I really do not think there are many areas where they can make cost effective improvements. And considering even OPPO's BDP-83 was good enough to where other Brands simply placed it in a different cover and used a darker visor over the illumination to charge an additional $3000. (Lexicon BD-30), and that Theta also uses an OPPO based BDP, I really do not think there is much to improve.
Cheers,
JJ


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## iSlinger

Based on what I have reads, the Oppo 83 has near, if not perfect digital reproduction through its HDMI port. That's stunning considering its so cheap. I think the article I was looking at the Oppo 83 VS some really overpriced Sony BDP, and the oppo got perfect scores.


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