# Quality difference between players.



## Guest (Sep 20, 2011)

I was thinking about getting a Panny blu-ray player and was wondering... What does an Oppo player do that is so much better? Assuming blu-ray play back only, load time not too important. I already have a SACD player. Is the picture quality of an Oppo really that much better? Also, is Panny known for good firmware support?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

The Oppo is solid and play about everything you throw at it. Is it worth the extra cash, Personally Im not sold on it. The Panasonic players are very well made and I still have not had a BlueRay disc glitch or not play. Firmware updates have been regular up until the beginning of this year as my model is now two years old but still have no issues playing anything and I get many new release movies.
The Panasonic also does a fantastic job of upscailing DVDs


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

The Oppo is a fine machine, but I have to agree with Tony. I have thrown a lot at even the cheapest Panasonics and they are hard to beat. I find the scaling in them to be among the best. Any resampling and frame/field processing will have artifacts, but overall, I see less objectionable stuff in the Panasonics than any players other than perhaps the Oppos. I have a hard time justifying the latter, though my cheap Panny is a little slow.


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## mojojojo (Aug 7, 2011)

Two months ago, or was it last months issue of a British home theater mag did a comparison of various BD players including the Denon and oppo, but not the panny. They said the Denon was their favourite, but loved the oppo as well. However their comments on the panny in the back of the magazines were just as positive. What hi-fi had also great things to say about the panny and it's on their top picks/highly recommended list. I have the panny 210 and can't see what the oppo would do better in terms of BD playback.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Most of the better quality blu ray players will be very good for most people. The differences will be minor in quality of image and sound for blu ray. The differences will be more in how they handle motion and scaling, and in functional aspects like speed of access and features. I have not seen any of the recent Denon units perform, but they have been very good in the past. I am just not as confident in Denon as a company and its ability to support its product, and the pricing is better on the Panasonic units, IME. 

From a service perspective, Panasonic remains one of the few companies that makes a serious effort at support for most of their products, and rarely has a "dog," i.e. a model with widespread problems.


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## dirtold (Sep 19, 2011)

I was strictly a Panny guy for about 5 models. I finally went to Oppo for its upscaling ability of DVDs of which I have many. Blu-ray picture according to most does not vary much between players. You pay a good premium for the Oppo. Whether its worth it or not is more a question of affording it and wanting the premium service and support available from Oppo and the wide range of formats it plays.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

The Panny is a sound player & in my opinion the OPPO is not worth the extra bucks unless you are an ultra high end user. That said, you can also consider whether you are a gamer. If so the PS3 can also be a consideration. The price has recently dropped again & the quality of the BD playback is better than the Panny. Unless your an X-Box kind a guy like myself  !


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2011)

I had heard that blu-ray picture quality didn't very much, but I wanted more feedback before I made a choice. I still have a few DVDs, but I plan on renting almost all movies. I don't buy and collect movies like I used too.

I was going to go ahead and get a refurbished DMP-BD655K, but I'm noticing their seems to be a lot of refurbished ones on the market. Does anyone know what the failure was, or if the fix is a good fix? Another option might be the DMP-BD75, but it seems to have mixed reviews. Not sure if the Netflix interface is working right, but I don't really care about that. Just want solid blu-ray playback, and the .mkv support would be nice. I have zero interest in 3D, but would consider getting a newer player if it was worth it for some reason. Any ideals?

I used to a huge Oppo fan and still am in a way, but for me, they lost a chunk of the market when they dropped the BDP-83. Having a starting player at $500. I think they forgot what got them going in the first place. It's not that $500 isn't doable, but I rather get a Panny and have more twords a TV or projector. Also, I'm getting a little burnt out on spending a lot of money on gear that will be dated before I even get it.


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## dirtold (Sep 19, 2011)

Generic said:


> I used to a huge Oppo fan and still am in a way, but for me, they lost a chunk of the market when they dropped the BDP-83. Having a starting player at $500. I think they forgot what got them going in the first place. It's not that $500 isn't doable, but I rather get a Panny and have more twords a TV or projector. Also, I'm getting a little burnt out on spending a lot of money on gear that will be dated before I even get it.


Looks like a good choice to me.

lddude:


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## mojojojo (Aug 7, 2011)

Generic said:


> I was going to go ahead and get a refurbished DMP-BD655K, but I'm noticing their seems to be a lot of refurbished ones on the market. Does anyone know what the failure was, or if the fix is a good fix? Another option might be the DMP-BD75, but it seems to have mixed reviews. Not sure if the Netflix interface is working right, but I don't really care about that. Just want solid blu-ray playback, and the .mkv support would be nice. I have zero interest in 3D, but would consider getting a newer player if it was worth it for some reason. Any ideals?


Why refurb? Just get a 210, or even a 110 if you can live without the magic open gizmo. Better players for BD and DVD and includes their latest vierra cast. The 210 is $138 new at amazon.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
If strictly interested in BD, the differences are slim. However, things like manufacturer support for Firmware Updates on legacy models is a big thing to me. With so Brands, they are often slow or sometimes never address older BDP's when new Titles are released which can cause issues with a large swath of BDP's.

As far as larger Brands go, I do think Panasonic is the way to go. They have really been great in terms of loading speeds for a long time and seem to support both current and legacy models.
Cheers,
JJ


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## RobertKuhlmann (Aug 29, 2011)

Jungle Jack said:


> ...
> As far as larger Brands go, I do think Panasonic is the way to go. They have really been great in terms of loading speeds for a long time and seem to support both current and legacy models.
> Cheers,
> JJ


I disagree.
Possessing both, a Panasonic DMP-BDT300E and an Oppo BDP-93EU, I can compare them directly and the Oppo is absolutely superior to the Pana.
1. Picture Quality: While both perform equal with Blu-ray and Blu-ray-3D material, the Oppo does a far more advanced upscaling job, when it comes to DVDs.
2. Speed: There's actually no player that outperforms the Oppo.
3. Compatibilty: The Oppo supports more video formats, even with critical frame rates.
4. Noise: The Panasonic DMP-BDT310E (the actual Top-Model) is much louder than the Oppo, especially when searching tracks or loading the BD-software from the disc (it calms down a bit while playing the film though).
5. Sound: Supporting SACD-playback the Oppo is the best choice, if you don't already own an SACD-player.

The remaining advantage to the Pana is its ability to convert 2D to 3D material. Doing that with a a different algorithm than the Pana 3D-Panels. But that's not enough to beat the advantages the Oppo offers (both having 2 HDMI-outputs).


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

RobertKuhlmann said:


> I disagree.
> Possessing both, a Panasonic DMP-BDT300E and an Oppo BDP-93EU, I can compare them directly and the Oppo is absolutely superior to the Pana.
> 1. Picture Quality: While both perform equal with Blu-ray and Blu-ray-3D material, the Oppo does a far more advanced upscaling job, when it comes to DVDs.
> 2. Speed: There's actually no player that outperforms the Oppo.
> ...


Hello,
I actually agree with you on the whole. Especially with DVD's. It is why my first sentence started with a proviso. It is why I was writing of the large Manufacturers when discussing the Panasonic. As for speed, the PS3 will give even my OPPO a run for the money and the Panasonics are also quite fast.

Somewhat ironic you are talking about noise as on another thread about the OPPO being compared to the PS3, the main thing I spoke about was how much less noise the OPPO has. However, when it comes to BD Playback, the differences have never seemed very vast to me and to most...
Cheers,
JJ


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## RobertKuhlmann (Aug 29, 2011)

Jungle Jack said:


> ...However, when it comes to BD Playback, the differences have never seemed very vast to me and to most...


Correct. And sorry for the "disagreement", because I misunderstood your post at first.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
No worries. Truly. I just wanted to make clear that I actually was in agreement with almost everything you wrote. Unfortunately, while the OPPO is by far the best BDP I have ever owned, it is far more expensive than others. All the same, I own 5 other BDP's and since I got the 93 it is the only one I use. The BDP-83 did not have the same affect on me and I seriously need to sell it or lend it to a friend/family member.
Cheers,
JJ


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

The one thing that oppo gives you is a compleat CMS menu in the player. That means it can be calibrated as well. Panasonic has left this level of control out of player. There are other players that include some more minor controls IE contrast/brightness like Samsung and LG.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

That feature is really un necessary given most if not all displays and projectors have way more adjustments these days.


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

But the device IE the player will have differences in output relative to other devices IE cable box or appleTV or game system. Also the AVR can affect your image as well.


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## FAV (Nov 25, 2010)

I'd have to agree with going Panasonic. I have a Sony BDP-S500, and it has been quirky from the get go.
It's old and I would like something that loads as fast and has as many good reviews as Panasonic.


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## darklandz (Nov 1, 2011)

Guys, the Oppo 93 also has the ability to play multichannel FLAC 96/24 files via usb.


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## smurphy522 (Sep 21, 2010)

Has anyone come across a review or comparison of the Oppo and the PS3 (slim or other) for DVD up-scaling? As stated there is little difference in picture quality between most BR players. Yes there are differences in speed, compatibility (firmware updates) and internet/online/media access. But really the defining differences seem mostly to be the DVD up-scaling capability of players.

I guess this becomes moot when going through one of the flagship AVRs or those like the Onkyo line with the Marvell / HQV Vida decoders, among others.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

smurphy522 said:


> ..... But really the defining differences seem mostly to be the DVD up-scaling capability of players.
> 
> I guess this becomes moot when going through one of the flagship AVRs or those like the Onkyo line with the Marvell / HQV Vida decoders, among others.


The Panasonic, PS3 and the Oppo BluRay players are all about the same in up scale quality. The Oppo's big thing to boast about is it plays just about every format out there.


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

I've been using my 60gig ps3 for BD play back for years now and my only complaint is its lack of streaming options. Recently they added voodoo and cinemanow so that's no longer an issue for me. The only reason I would get a stand alone player now would be due to the ps3's spin/fan noise.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

rab-byte said:


> I've been using my 60gig ps3 for BD play back for years now and my only complaint is its lack of streaming options. Recently they added voodoo and cinemanow so that's no longer an issue for me. The only reason I would get a stand alone player now would be due to the ps3's spin/fan noise.


Hello,
Funny that you mention your 60gb Launch Model. Due to Lightning, mine no longer outputs HDMI and I found out today that Component does not work as well. I cannot emote just how bummed I am about this as I have been using it as a giant iPod for around 5 years and had Ripped hundreds of CD's.

I only used it as a BDP for about a year as the Fan Noise was so audible that it drove me crazy. However, I did love using it when entertaining as I would have Playlists setup and used the Blue Marbles Background for Playback.

Thankfully, it only costs $129 Dollars to have it either Repaired or Exchanged. With the 60gb Model still fetching a considerable premium over all later Versions, it is consoling to know that I will at worst get the same exact Model back. I will say the Sony Reps really do try to talk you into going with a PS3 Slim instead as though they were doing you a huge favor. After calling them out on this, the Representative acknowledged that the 60gb Model was the most desirable. It cost $840 Wholesale to Manufacture. 

After taking out the Emotion Engine Chip (brain of the PS2) on the 80gb Model, they did save around 30 Dollars on this Chip alone. They did at least try Software Emulation with this Model, but it did not come close to the full Backwards Compatibility provided by the EE equipped 20gb and 60gb Models. Now, SACD is not supported, no more Card Readers, and fewer USB Ports. The only positive thing about the Slim Model is the ability to Biststream the Lossless Codecs, but most believe there is little if any difference whether the Source or the AVR/SSP handles the Decoding.
Cheers,
JJ


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## CatBrat (May 20, 2010)

I went through 3 Panasonic blu-ray players in about 4 years. Each one developed some problem after about a year of use that caused me to want to upgrade to a newer unit. Right now I'm on my first Sony. I usually pay between $150 to $200 for a player. I also play an average of about 1-1/2 movies per day and some CD's. I'd like to get an OPPO, but I'm afraid I'd just wear it out shortly too.


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## Guest (Dec 27, 2011)

When I started this thread, I was having some blue screen of death issues with my HTPC. I was rather upset with it and was looking to get a stand alone unit. I've since gotten everything working and it is as stable as can be. Turned out to be a combination of drivers and tweaking settings to get everything right.

If I did have to buy a stand alone unit, I'd probably get a Oppo (I'd look used to save some cash), but I really wish they would offer a starter unit. Bring back the BDP-83 or another more starter unit. Oppo got started making great affordable players and I just sorta feel like they left behind what got them started. I know they are good and all, but $500 is a lot of cash to some people.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

CatBrat said:


> I went through 3 Panasonic blu-ray players in about 4 years. Each one developed some problem after about a year of use that caused me to want to upgrade to a newer unit. Right now I'm on my first Sony. I usually pay between $150 to $200 for a player. I also play an average of about 1-1/2 movies per day and some CD's. I'd like to get an OPPO, but I'm afraid I'd just wear it out shortly too.


One and a half movies a day plus CDs will ware most players out in short order. Sounds like your a candidate for a media server.


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## CatBrat (May 20, 2010)

tonyvdb said:


> One and a half movies a day plus CDs will ware most players out in short order. Sounds like your a candidate for a media server.


Good point. I'll have to look into that. I currently have a library of about 350 movies and concerts. Right now, about 60% blu-ray and 40% dvd. Will I be able to make a digital copy of all of these movies, or just those that come with a digital copy?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

There is software out there that will make copies of all your movies to hard drive. I have started to do mine and so far its nice to have the ability.


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## silvercans (Jan 16, 2012)

I've had the Panny 210 and LG 670 and Blu-ray wise they both looked the same. DVD, was also a touch call. It really matters how the dvd was mastered and how the scalar chip deals with it, odds are you aren't going to notice that much of a difference


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