# High end 4K Blu ray players



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

The time has come to replace my Oppo (RIP) BDP-103D so I can upgrade theater to 4K. Is there anything currently or coming soon to the market which comes close? 

In addition to good picture quality, I'd really like to have an app to control the unit over the network (unit is in a separate closet). An IR input would also be nice but I'd rather have the app.

I'm pretty sure that I'm losing SACD capability but I can always keep the Oppo in service for that.


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## whitey019 (Feb 2, 2013)

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray | Reavon USA


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## Da Wiz (May 8, 2019)

HDMI CEC may offer enough remote control capability without having to do anything fancy for remote control using an app. For example... with CEC (manufacturers are assholes about this though, almost every one of them has made up their own name for CEC... Sony calls it Bravia Link and several other names in the past, Denon and Marantz have a name for it. Onkyo/Integra have another name for it. But it is all CEC that gives you control of devices connected with HDMI cables. For example: with CEC enabled, you could put the disc player BEHIND the surround processor or AVR and not be able to reach it with IR controls from remotes. Enable CEC on the AVR/processor and on the disc player. Now, when you aim the disc player remote, aim it at the receiver and the receiver will send that remote control command over HDMI to the disc player. If all of this always worked together with ZERO problems, it would be that simple. Unfortunately, in the real world, companyies way overthink this concept and you rarely get the simple result you were hoping for. After you enable CEC communications between your receiver and the new device, it will probably work. But there are still issues with control over HDMI that make it POSSIBLY not good enough. There are infra-red repeating systems that have a sensor you aim at placed in a convenient location. Where the disc player will be placed, you install an IR Blaster that "repeats" the signal the sensor in your room detected. The IR Blaster makes a bit wide infra-red beam that repeats what the sensor "saw". That's usually the simple-est way to get control without having to deal with an app. There are apps that will turn a phone into a universal remote control. So you COULD end up with your own control over Wi-Fi setup with your phone communicating with the device. How you go about this is more of a choice on your part. You have cheap and dirty options here, but you can spend a little more and get more and more control/integration. You can control an entire system with a note-pad--either with stuff you buy and program yourself, or with a commercial home automation control system (Control4, Crestron, and several others). It all depends on how custom/cool you want things to look. Control-Over-IP (network control) is the big "new thing" replacing systems with components connected to a central controller with serial port communications with connected devices. Some newer devices do support Control-Over-IP, but you have to check on that if it is a feature you require.


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

Thanks for the info.

All of my gear is and I separate closet. The only thing in the theater is the projector itself. I already have an IR repeater system, was just hoping to find something with an app control (which everything else in my theater currently has) so I could fire everything up and make adjustments if needed without having to pull out seven remotes.

Not the end of the world if that doesn't happen, but my previous setup was fully controllable with different apps except for (that) projector. And it was nice.


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## Da Wiz (May 8, 2019)

You can setup CEC to power-on every device when you turn on any one device... so only 1 remote needed. And what you are talking about is why the 12 VCD trigger exists. Your processor or AVR will have at least one Trigger. Connect everything with mono-audio cables with 3.5mm mini-jacks, and the Trigger will turn on every device, even if CEC won't turn them on. I find multiple individual apps for controlling a home theater a pain. Much better to have solutions that work across platforms. I was into home theater since the 1980s and never tried using the 12 VDC triggers until around 2006. Once I started using them, it was "why didn't I do this a long time ago?" You can daisy-chain devices on the 12 VDC trigger circuit. The mono (cables with a stereo jack will not work properly) cables with 3.5 mm minijacks will move the signal along to each component.


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

I have 3 triggers on my Integra pre-pro turning on my 7ch speaker amp and dual subwoofer amps. Have time delays on each to keep the circuit breakers happy.


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## Da Wiz (May 8, 2019)

Then why would you say you don't want to have to use half a dozen remotes to power up your system?


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

Also, I personally don't mind having separate apps for each device. Would much rather have that than have one central app which tries to group everything into activities. Never saw the appeal.


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

I don't want any physical remotes (much less half a dozen) in my lap while I'm watching a movie. Prefer everything on my phone. Half a dozen remote apps is fine.


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## Da Wiz (May 8, 2019)

There are universal remote apps for phones too. Then you can control everything with 1 app. You can make this hard or make it easy. You clearly know all the options. So decide what is going to work for you and do it that way. I don't understand the difference between picking up 1 remote out of 4 versus having to pick up a phone, and get the right control app on the screen. Same thing accomplished 2 ways with touching the remote physically being quicker. Some people just won't put their phone down for NOTHIN'. I'm not that in love with my phone.


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

Recommendations for good universal phone control app?


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## rdcollns (Oct 13, 2013)

sga2 said:


> Recommendations for good universal phone control app?


My phone no longer comes with infrared unlike older phones, so the potential as a universal remote control app has diminished. 

I have four apps for the majority of my equipment, 2xYamaha, Roku, and Sony. The Yamaha apps are outstanding, one controls my receivers and the second is for MusicCast. I wish they'd combine them, but they work perfectly for their purpose, and the most recent iterations include everything I had on my wishlist when they first released the app. If everything worked that well, I would have no issue having a separate app for every device. The Roku app sucked at the beginning, has improved, but needs much more work improving connection, responsiveness, and station control. The biggest issue is that every time you use it, you have to reconnect to your device, giant PITA. The Sony app just sucks.


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## Da Wiz (May 8, 2019)

Control over IP (network) is becoming common on newer components. Nothing more than a Wi-Fi connection to the local network and command codes for each device will provide the same sort of control as a Universal IR Remote... but it won't be super easy this early in the switch-over from IR to IP control. I've never looked for a universal control over IP app before, so there could be 20 of them for all I know... or there could be Zero control over IP apps. But control over IP is pretty new... a lot of components made in the last 2 years support it, but not much before 2 years ago. They may have RS-232 Control Ports, but that's like stepping back in time 20 years and not so useful for newer equipment.


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