Arcam FMJ BDP100 Blu-ray Player

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A couple of questions for Liam @ ProgAv or any of you guys who have got the player already:
1: Is the standard def DVD playback better than the DV139's?. I don't want to trade in my 139 if the bulk of my discs end up looking worse with the BDP1000 which has no ABT hardware.
2: Can you play mp3's etc from a flash pen through the USB?

Looks a nice player, but so sad it won't do DVD-A which I really don't want to sacrifice, even if I can do away with SACD.

Cheers.

I would also be intrested in how it compares as a cd player?

If there is nothing in it then It probably does not bring anything new for me as I have a ps3 to handle blu-ray and the 139 does a great job of dvd. I think for current owners its going to be a bit of a hard sell unless you really want a one box solution.
 
unless you really want a one box solution.

Which unfortunately it isn't unless CD, DVD and Blu-ray are the only disc formats required. If SACD and/or DVD-A support is needed it's no good. :(

Avi
 
I would also be intrested in how it compares as a cd player?

Add another interested party.
My main query is the software for CD operation - is it the same software as the CD37 ?
The reason I ask is that I currently have a DV135 for DVD , a Samsung BDP3600 for Blu-Ray and my CD37 which I use as a transport feeding my DAC.
Ideally I would have one box doing all 3 but having tried the DV135 as a transport I couldn't live with the ponderous DVD software for CD playback.
If this machine has the same playback software for CD as the CD37 I will be a happy bunny.
Can anyone advise ?
Cheers.
David
 
So I assume this means that the Arcam AVR350 I bought a few years ago is now incompatible because there are no analogue outs on this player?

A bit annoying - have been waiting for this to tidy up and get CD and blu ray in one box...the Panasonic BD I bought as a stop gap (because it had analogue audio outs) now looks like its here to stay. And its a hateful machine!

And Arcam always maintained that sound through HDMI was inferior etc. hence no sound over HDMI for the AVR350.

Yes, I know, time to move on....but thats pretty frustrating.
 
So I assume this means that the Arcam AVR350 I bought a few years ago is now incompatible because there are no analogue outs on this player?

A bit annoying - have been waiting for this to tidy up and get CD and blu ray in one box...the Panasonic BD I bought as a stop gap (because it had analogue audio outs) now looks like its here to stay. And its a hateful machine!

And Arcam always maintained that sound through HDMI was inferior etc. hence no sound over HDMI for the AVR350.

Yes, I know, time to move on....but thats pretty frustrating.

its a shame i sold my 139 a year ago waitingfro the new player think i might start getting loyal to oppo there new bdp93 look nice and they are building one after Christmas from the ground up there flag ship model .
sorry to mention the word oppo in here :laugh:
 
So I assume this means that the Arcam AVR350 I bought a few years ago is now incompatible because there are no analogue outs on this player?

A bit annoying - have been waiting for this to tidy up and get CD and blu ray in one box...the Panasonic BD I bought as a stop gap (because it had analogue audio outs) now looks like its here to stay. And its a hateful machine!

And Arcam always maintained that sound through HDMI was inferior etc. hence no sound over HDMI for the AVR350.

Yes, I know, time to move on....but thats pretty frustrating.

You will get CD and BD in one box - you just won't get HD Audio from BD. It has analogue out for CD, but the coax or optical for BD/DVD will be much better than the Panny analogues!

If you want HD audio over analogue, take a look at the new Marantz UD7005 - looks like it might have proper bass management. I have the BD7004 feeding my AVR280 over analogue (no sub, mind) and the sound quality is really excellent for movies.
 
Hey - thats helpful thanks. Sorry for moving off track - but assume you lose the Dolby HD because the AVR350 can't decode it? So you get decent sound quality but lose the full encoding? Again....sorry for barging in !
 
Hi folks, sorry to be a pain by being a little impatient. But are there any answers to:

1. Blu Ray load times
2. Comparison of SD viewing with FMJ139
3. Multi region dvd
4. Blu Ray region. Is it fixed at 'B' or can it be changed?

:D
 
Hi folks, sorry to be a pain by being a little impatient. But are there any answers to:

1. Blu Ray load times
2. Comparison of SD viewing with FMJ139
3. Multi region dvd
4. Blu Ray region. Is it fixed at 'B' or can it be changed?

:D

Had a demo today

1 Load times are quicker than my Denon 2010 I would say in half the time but I didn't time it.

2 Can't help.

3 Yes spoke to Arcam rep. only through dealer.

4 Can't help again.
 
Having just today ordered my machine through my local audio-T dealer who has had one for the last 5 weeks, he says that load times are fast and picture was better than 139 for both bray and dvd.

We tested it set up with the avr500 to match mine at home and with a pair of PMC GBI1 speakers and I have to say how very impressed I was. I've found the perfect bray with which to spin my cds, and that's real important to me and my 3,500 cds (mostly classical).

As to multi region dvd, he'd never tried it as he owns only region 2 dvds.

Yes spoke to Arcam rep. only through dealer. Does this quote from above mean that the dealer will know how to do it or what? When I bought my dv88 many moons ago, Arcam talked me through it on the phone. I wonder will they do it again?

I wonder how important is multi region bray? Are folks buying from other regions and are they cheaper?

I'm told the player will be here in a couple of weeks or so, together with the PMCs which I had to have. :)
 
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he says that load times are fast and picture was better than 139 for both bray and dvd.



:)
Cant comment about Blu-Ray, but as for DVD, id have to agree, the picture is much better than the dv139, audio steering is much better too im my opinion ! The Jury is still out for cd play back. Hope my 1st Blu-Ray finally arrives tomorrow ! (Band of Brothers box set)
 
...The Jury is still out for cd play back... (Band of Brothers box set)

I believe the thinking of cd playback has to be subjective depending on where you're coming from and what you want from it. If I want a top class cd player, then I surely need to concentrate on a separate machine, but even with my tastes, I have to say that what I heard today listening to a couple of my tried and trusted cds left me perfectly happy. This player fits the bill of combined bray and cd perfectly for me and I anticipate many hours, nay, years of perfectly acceptable audio pleasure. If I were more of a purist, not to mention more wealthy, then I would be happy with the 100 for my bray/dvds and invest in a whole new machine for cds. :)

PS> No money changed hands in the writing of this.:laugh:
 
If I were more of a purist, not to mention more wealthy, then I would be happy with the 100 for my bray/dvds and invest in a whole new machine for cds. :)
Thats just my thoughts also, but as posted earlier, it was always my plan to run two box's, 1 for movies and 1 for music and this will satisfy my movie needs for many a year to come.

Enjoy when it arrives - I look forward to your thoughts when you have played around with it a week or so ....
 
I will certainly play with it much. :)

Interestingly, the demo I had today was on a 100 that had arrived only the day before with just a few playing hours to its credit and a 500 that wasn't much more run in. The obvious point being, if it can sound this good not long out of the box, what will it sound like after a proper run in?
 
Hi everyone,

Basically I wasn't interested in the BDP100 since it has been sure that it won't have the 7.1 analogue outs.
But the fact that it is now said that it's PQ for SD DVD's is better than the DV139 may change things.
I must tell that I wait to see for myself. On my setup, if I omit some really good BR masters (i.e. Terminator 2 or Avatar) I must confess that I can't see only a slight difference between a DVD played through my DV139 and a BR played in my Panasonic DMP-BD80. So if the BDP100 is better in DVD playback than the DV139, I shall see no difference at all... unless of course, the BR playback of the BDP100 is much better than the Panasonic.
So this may be the solution to my search for a one box solution for video.

Concerning SACD playback : I must say that I own a lot of SACD. But I only listen to them using the stereo track. Why ? Because I have almost always felt that the stereo track played on my CD23T sounded better than the 2-Ch SACD track played on my DV139 ! I think that the DV139 was the first SACD-enabled player from ARCAM who was convinced that DVD-A was superior (and having heard both formats, I must say that I second that motion !). So I guess this first attempt wasn't the most successful one :-(
So, even if I own plenty SACD's I never listen to the SACD tracks... I guess I can live without the SACD feature :)

Regards.

PenguinHiFi
 
Well, you never quite got true SACD on the DV139.

The DV139 converted the DSD to PCM, the format of DVD-A. The chip they used was not capable of doing a straight DSD -analogue conversion. Ultimately, it's not possible to make a comparison between the two formats on this player because of this.

T
 
H
But the fact that it is now said that it's PQ for SD DVD's is better than the DV139 may change things.

It may be wise to wait for more detailed objective feedback or assess the player properly yourself.

It's not unusual at this point to see lots of "wow!" type feedback from new and/or prospective owners. There's no real detailed feedback about what's different or better and why with supporting evidence. Preconception is a powerful force and for some the very though that it "should" be better will make it better. That how we're wired. ;)

Avi
 
On my setup, if I omit some really good BR masters (i.e. Terminator 2 or Avatar) I must confess that I can't see only a slight difference between a DVD played through my DV139 and a BR played in my Panasonic DMP-BD80.
I've told you before and i tell you again. If you don't see any significant difference between a dvd or a bluray, there is something terribly wrong. With you. Not with the equipment. Unless you're watching HD on a 28" set from 6 meters away. ANY bluray player with a decent quality disc will blow away the BEST dvd player you throw at it. Your best upgrade would be some new glasses or contactlenses...
 
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For your kind of setup, which is quite typical of our kind of client, in terms of blu-ray video you won't see much difference from the Sony you are using. Sending out 1080p24 video and bitstream HD audio is pretty much the same quality with any properly made player that doesn't add any artefacts along the way. The gains come in how DVD is handled, CD audio replay, ease and speed of use ...

I am sure that Liam is right (he usually is). Therefore, if the difference in HD audio and video is little different between well built players there is no advantage in the BDP 100 in that department. If one has a good CD player such as the CD37 already then no advantage on the CD side of things. This leaves SDVD quality and blu-ray load times. The load times of other players is either irritating and frustrating or not depending on one's view of life! SDVD quality in terms of upscaling may well be better than other players such as the 139 but I do wonder if it is £1000 better, especially on under 50 in screens.

Any thoughts?
 
The load times of other players is either irritating and frustrating or not depending on one's view of life! SDVD quality in terms of upscaling may well be better than other players such as the 139 but I do wonder if it is £1000 better, especially on under 50 in screens.

Any thoughts?

Load time and operational performance can be a problem. The Pio LX91 I used took around a minute to just power on before I could load a new title. By comparison some players take seconds . I haven't seen any details of power on from cold or Blu-ray load times for simple and BD-J heavy titles. Maybe a new owner could publish.

Equally we need some detailed feedback on the SD DVD performance. The basic areas to check are decoding issues such as CUE, PAL cadence performance and if the resolution interpolation routine adds halo artefacts. A balance of real world and test material as needed as some players sail through the usual HQV type test but trip up with real world stuff. That before examining if there's any processing going on in terms of boundary contrast/gamma/colour boosting/noise reduction etc.

Based on my experience screen size and viewing distance makes a significant difference. What may look great on a 50" screen at optimum viewing distance can look relatively poor on a 8' image at optimum viewing distance. Start to move further away and some artefacts and detail is less noticeable.

Avi
 
Interestingly, the demo I had today was on a 100 that had arrived only the day before with just a few playing hours to its credit and a 500 that wasn't much more run in. The obvious point being, if it can sound this good not long out of the box, what will it sound like after a proper run in?

Given that they are electronic components rather than anything mechanical, they will sound exactly the same. "Running-in" is a mechanical phenomenon - it affects the suspensions on loudspeaker cones and the mechanisms inside turntable cartridges. Electronics do not change in any significant manner as they are used. You may get a short change as some components reach operating temperature just after you turn them on, but long-term changes simply don't happen. What happens is you become accustomed to the sound of the system, and your long-term auditory memory forgets what went before...
 
Say it ain't so... ;)

I'll probably get to see one next weekend but not to make a proper assessment though. Still I might find out what SoC Arcam are using as this doesn't appear to have been confirmed that I can find.

Avi

Apparently it uses a Broadcom SoC for decoding and video processing.

Avi
 
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