Pioneer BP-440 vs. Oppo BDP-93

[Chris Lueders]

Hi all,

I'm considering getting a new universal player. The Pioneer has struck
my fancy somewhat, it play BR, SACD, SACD-R, DVD-A and can bitstream
DSD or SACD PCM at 88khz. It also has network capabilities like DNLA,
with a price tag of €240.

What are the advantages of the Oppo BDP-93 that would warrant a price
tag of €700?

Has anybody heard anything bad about the Pioneer?

Thanks for your opinions (on those two only)!

[August Bleed]

the best i can say about oppo is that they are constantly updating products even ones that are discontinued to add new format support ect.  I dont know many manufacturers really going out of their way like that for products they are no longer selling.  I cannot say the same for Pioneer.

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Bleed, Inc.
Selling Art Is Tying Your Ego To a Leash And Walking It Like a Dog

[scolumbo]

I'm not sure about the Pioneers, but the Oppo plays ISO's if that's
something you're looking for. The Oppo 93 plays watermark discs, and
doesn't have Cinavia enabled, again I don't know about the Pioneer.
Although not audio-related, the Oppo's DVD up-conversion is considered
among the best of it's class. The build quality is also very high.

One overriding aspect though, is Oppo's customer service is
incredible. You won't find a large CE company that is anywhere on the
same level. They not only continue to update their products through
firmware updates long after they have ceased production, you will get
responses to issues or problems at all hours of the day or night/
weekends/holidays. They also do repairs for minimal expense long after
the warranty expires. They have very high resale value because people
know that their products are maintained long after they are
discontinued.

Oppo is a small, boutique company that has an incredibly loyal
customer base because they produce great products with great customer
service. Whether that's worth it to you for a premium price, only you
can answer. I was a long-time Denon owner, but after owning an Oppo 93
for about a year, I've drank the cool-aid and have been converted.

On Dec 15, 2:06 pm, August Bleed <bleed...@gmail.com> wrote:
> the best i can say about oppo is that they are constantly updating products
> even ones that are discontinued to add new format support ect.  I dont know
> many manufacturers really going out of their way like that for products
> they are no longer selling.  I cannot say the same for Pioneer.
>

[scolumbo]

One additional thought that might be important, esp. for video is the
Oppo can be easily modified to be region free. For DVD it's a simple
software mod, for BD it's a hardware mod.

[RW]

Here's another big thumbs-up for Oppo!! Their customer service is the
best in the business, and here's an example:

I bought my BDP-83 3-4 years ago. 2 years ago, I moved to Fla.
During the move, I mis-placed the 83's remote. I wrote an emial to
Oppo, told them my story, and asked how much it would cost to buy a
new remote. They told me not to sweat it and shipped a free remote to
me within 3 days! Wow, that is *terrific* customer service!!! I will
never buy a universal player from anyone else...

-RW-

PS - I absolutely love my BDP-93, it resides in my main system. My
bedroom system now houses the BDP-83. Oh yeah, I eventually found the
83's remote, I now have a spare - w00t!!

[Imre dr.Zsolnai-Nagy]

Hi!
I want to add:
The Oppo plays the 3D BluRay ISO's too.....of course in 3D....:-))
It is a great player....
Imre

2011/12/15 scolumbo <saco...@gmail.com>:

--
http://www.conversion3d.freeweb.hu
http://imre3d.axo.hu

[Chris Lueders]

Thanks for all your replies so far. Things I have to check:

- Watermarked DVD-A(-R)
- ISO playback
- Cinavia

With all of the praise, still, let's not forget that the small Oppo is
not only twice, but three times as expensive. The Pioneer definitely
doesn't have analogue output, but I don't need that. It DOES play BR
3D, though. The Pioneer employee who writes at avsforum, reputedly
someone of integrity, says he did change his Oppo BDP-93 for the
Pioneer BDP-440. Well, the unit was only introduced some 3 months and
the deal seems so sweet that I'm just going to go ahead and order it
when my next paycheck is due :)

[ArnoldLayne]

My first multiformat player was a DV-565A and it gave me a very good
impression of Pioneer. But honestly, the BD-93 plays in a different
league. A decent analog multichannel ain't cheap so it's quite logical
that the Oppo costs more. As of other features, you should add that it
reads SACD-R straight out of the box, which I don't know if the
BDP-440 does.

[August Bleed]

As a guy on a serious budget I can attest to it being worth every penny.  Plus you have a DLNA streamer that does 5.1 and iso's of pretty much any disc format except sacd iso's.  But they do play SACDs as well.  And DVD-As with watermarks.  I have no idea what future audio formats will come out but I fully expect oppo to support them as they have on discontinued models.  I know of no other company out there doing that kind of stuff.

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[scolumbo]

You would have to pay 700 Euro for an Oppo 93? You guys across the
pond pay a lot more than in the U.S.

According to my concurrency converter, the 700 Euro is equivalent to
$913 in U.S. Dollars. The Oppo 93 bought here costs $499.

[August Bleed]

It's a great sell at 499...not so sure about 913....

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[August Bleed]

FWIW the guy who writes stereo in the round preferred the hdmi output of music to that of its analog output.  I've heard the hdmi negatives but haven't actually heard them with my ears...The implementation on the oppo is very good.

[ArnoldLayne]

I went for the HDMI strategy 2 years ago and my conclusions are:

1. For movies, it's fantastic. The receiver can do all the hefty
processing.

2. For music, never again. All too fed up of jitter and handshake
issues.

So I'm back to analog multichannel interconnect with a BD-95 and this
is where I will stay. From what I hear, the BD-93 is quite good for
this purpose too. So IMO the choice is not so much between Oppo and
Pioneer but between HDMI and analog.

Some other differences:

- Oppo provides 2 x HDMI, which is useful if you have a non-HDMI 1.4
receiver and want to watch 3D,

- Oppo has the QDEO.video processor included in more expensive
Pioneers.

- 4,9 kg against 2,9 kg means the Oppo is a totally different build.

Trust me, both players can be good purchases but they are not
comparable within the same range of usage.

On 17 dic, 02:32, August Bleed <bleed...@gmail.com> wrote:
> FWIW the guy who writes stereo in the round preferred the hdmi output of
> music to that of its analog output.  I've heard the hdmi negatives but
> haven't actually heard them with my ears...The implementation on the oppo
> is very good.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 5:28 PM, August Bleed <bleed...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > It's a great sell at 499...not so sure about 913....
>

> Selling Art Is Tying Your Ego To a Leash And Walking It Like a Dog- Ocultar texto de la cita -
>
> - Mostrar texto de la cita -

[grill]

Unfortunately Oppo's cost at least three times more than Pio 440 in
Europe (at least in Hungary). This is thought-provoking thing when one
wants to save some money for buying more albums.

> > - Mostrar texto de la cita -- Idézett szöveg elrejtése -
>
> - Idézett szöveg megjelenítése -

[RW]

Would it not be possible for one of your buddies in the States here to
purchase the Oppo at the $499 price and ship it to you? I would be
willing to do that for you if need be...

-RW-

[August Bleed]

If there is someone you trust id definitely go that way.  As much as I like Pioneer, they have nothing on Oppo.  I'm not sure if the ability to play SACD-Rs from backups is on your agenda but it's another great perk to owning one.  Also for streaming, most only do 2 channel per DLNA unless its dolby or DTS.  It is a wonderfully musical streaming device that bests most computer based systems handily.

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[grill]

Very kind of you, indeed. However, some questions are raised in my
mind. Does the US model play PAL discs and is it multi-region? And I'm
not sure about custom fees.

[Chris Lueders]

The reason for the thing being so expensive here is that it can't be
sold without modifications. I'm guessing that it's manufactured
exclusively in the US with a non-switching power supply. For the EU
we'd need a different power supply and cables, also they need to add
shipping and have the manual translated. For a minority market, that
adds up.

[scolumbo]

The Oppo can easily be made region free, however, I'm not sure the
U.S. model would work overseas, due to power differences, etc. I know
there are European firmware versions that are different than the U.S.
counterpart.

[Chris Lueders]

Would somebody be so kind and post a pic of the rear where the writing and power connector are clearly visible? I'm interested in learning if it could be operated in my country without modifying the power supply. Thanks!

[Chris Lueders]

Ah, never mind, I found one here: http://www.laaudiofile.com/images/oppo_bdp93_back.jpg - looks like there's no problem connecting it over here since it has a detachable cord and a switching power supply. Now where does the huge price difference come from?

[Chris Lueders]

Oh deary deary me... You can pre-order the Oppo BD-83 at amazon.com for $500 with free shipping. I've clicked through until the final buying point and it actually seems possible to have it shipped to Europe for free. Not only would it be an awesome deal considering the exchange rate, but it would also be the first time they'd actually export electronic equipment, something which has never been possible before on Amazon for reasons of warranty.

[ArnoldLayne]

Be careful not getting too close to the dark side of the force,
Luke... :-)


I've just bought an Oppo myself (BD-95) and it has rapidly become what
I consider my best A/V purchase ever.

[August Bleed]

If I had a better analog stage on my AVR the 95 would have been my choice.  The 93 absolutely is one of my best purchases.  Although I still prefer the sound of the DACs in my receiver for MC, the sound stage compared to other transports is unparalleled for the price.  I do use it's internal coding for stereo sources and the analog output.  I still can't believe the sound and value.  About the only feature I am currently hoping for is support for DSD formats outside of SACD's (DFF or DST, whatever the kids are using these days).  I don't mind if I have to use an external drive but they would be seriously silly not to consider the sales effect for those just getting into SACDs.  Why they haven't gotten ahead of this is beyond me.  I was seriously stunned it was not part of their latest firmware.  I am also a bit perturbed they still haven't found a way to let one use an iphone or the like as a remote for their DLNA.  Those are about the only things preventing it from being the ultimate entertainment center-well it still is the ultimate media center just a few features shy of nirvana.

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[RW]

The Oppo has a universal power supply, meaning it can be played
anywhere in the world...

-RW-

[scolumbo]

From what I've been told, one issue to be aware of, a player purchased
in the U.S. is still a U.S. player requiring U.S. firmware. Why does
that matter? This could limit the players' ability to access certain
features. For instance, there are U.S. streaming services that may not
be available outside the territory they cover (e.g. Netflix, VUDU,
Blockbuster, etc). There could be European streaming services added in
the future that would not be available to a U.S. player. I don't know
how critical that might be, but it's at least something to consider.

[scolumbo]

There is a rumor, not yet confirmed, that Oppo may be forced to remove
ISO support from the Oppo 93/95 models through a firmware update. If
you are thinking about purchasing an Oppo, you may not want to wait
much longer. If true, Oppo's that have not had firmware updates will
be sold at a premium, not unlike PS3's that have not been updated
beyond firmware version 3.55.

[Chris Lueders]

Rumours without quoting a source are generally not worth the pixels
they are displayed with. Also, it would strike me as very odd if a non-
Sony consumer entertainment product shouldn't be firmware-
downgradable. Any of our Oppo users want to try?

[scolumbo]

Granted, "internet rumors" are generally not reliable. However, it has
been a long-held belief by Oppo owners that the studios and Blu-ray
industry would never allow ISO support to begin with. The fact that a
small company like Oppo could provide ISO support was probably under
their radar. How many other consumer BD players provide ISO support?
Check the Oppo 93/95 forums at AVS Forum for more discussion.
Hopefully, it won't come to pass, but I will no longer upgrade
firmware until I'm certain ISO support hasn't been removed or Cinavia
hasn't been enabled.

Firmware on the Oppo 93/95 can not be downgraded currently, unless
someone can develop a hack.

[scolumbo]

If you don't need the ISO capabilities, DLNA capabilities, or Netflix,
VUDU, Pandora, etc. streaming, or even BD playback, an older Oppo
would probably still be a fine player. I may be wrong, but I believe
you would still need one of the region-free mods installed to play PAL
content. I'm not familiar enough with the DV-981HD to comment on it's
strengths or weaknesses. If you could pick up a used Oppo 83 for a
decent price, it would be a good alternative, but prices for used 83's
remain high. It's one of the testaments to Oppo that their players
continue to hold their value, long after they cease production,
because Oppo continues to support them with firmware updates.

If you don't need BD capability, I have my Denon 2910 universal player
that has DVD-A (hdmi or analog) and SACD (analog only) playback that
could be had for a good price :-)

On Jan 13, 9:52 am, Tab Cursor <tabcur...@gmail.com> wrote:
> One more opinion. Although I haven't joined the Oppo club just yet,
> I've come close several times. The $500 price tag has put the player
> on my back burner wish list longer than I thought it would. Since I
> already own a bluray player (Panasonic BD-35), I've been looking for a
> solution to handle just the DVD Audio / SACD playback. Although I
> really want the ISO playback capabilities of the Oppo, my HTPC
> (Foobar) does that quite well. I also have a Bluray BD Rom / Burner.
> So what are other options?
>
> How about an older, cheaper Oppo?
>
> The DV-981HD seems to do all but the bluray. It's also a universal
> player, so that means PAL playback, right? This player is going for
> around $200 (USD) new or $100 (USD) used. I've seen them available at
> Amazon, E-Bay, and other Electronics websites.
>
> Specs here:
>
> http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_features.asp

[August Bleed]

So no link to this info or rumor?  Not even a forum posting?  Can we get some real info?

On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 6:52 AM, Tab Cursor <tabc...@gmail.com> wrote:

One more opinion. Although I haven't joined the Oppo club just yet,
I've come close several times. The $500 price tag has put the player
on my back burner wish list longer than I thought it would. Since I
already own a bluray player (Panasonic BD-35), I've been looking for a
solution to handle just the DVD Audio / SACD playback. Although I
really want the ISO playback capabilities of the Oppo, my HTPC
(Foobar) does that quite well. I also have a Bluray BD Rom / Burner.
So what are other options?

How about an older, cheaper Oppo?

The DV-981HD seems to do all but the bluray. It's also a universal
player, so that means PAL playback, right? This player is going for
around $200 (USD) new or $100 (USD) used. I've seen them available at
Amazon, E-Bay, and other Electronics websites.

Specs here:

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_features.asp

On Dec 28 2011, 4:24 am, RW <rlwainwri...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[scolumbo]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=21482188#post21482188

Be aware that the forum Mods have clamped down on any further
discussion on the topic.