Oppo UDP-205 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Review & Comments

Steve I find this review rather contradictory in that you say firstly there is no difference in SQ via HDMI between the 203 & 205 and then later say the 205 is better unless I have misread. It seems to me if as I am ,only interested in mch SACD & 4K Video, the Sony X800 is better buy not withstanding that it has to connected to a TV for SACD whilst the Oppos are stand alone players that only have to be connected to a AVR.
 
Steve I find this review rather contradictory in that you say firstly there is no difference in SQ via HDMI between the 203 & 205 and then later say the 205 is better unless I have misread. It seems to me if as I am ,only interested in mch SACD & 4K Video, the Sony X800 is better buy not withstanding that it has to connected to a TV for SACD whilst the Oppos are stand alone players that only have to be connected to a AVR.
The 205 is better in terms of sound quality overall but I'm including the player's analogue performance in that statement. As for the X800 I agree and as I said in the conclusion, if you want SACD and DVD-Audio playback over HDMI then the Sony is much better value.
 
So I guess it's a small fortune for the analogue audio quality (and build I guess) since that's all I can really see is different from something like the Sony. I'd get the Sony if they'd add Dolby Vision :)
 
It's all about the analogue audio performance with this one. As the review rightly points out on the face of it it's a very expensive bluray player but when you factor how much a really good DAC (that can do stereo AND up to 7.1 surround) and a really good headphone amp as well would add to a 203 then suddenly the price isn't so unreasonable.
 
It's all about the analogue audio performance with this one. As the review rightly points out on the face of it it's a very expensive bluray player but when you factor how much a really good DAC (that can do stereo AND up to 7.1 surround) and a really good headphone amp as well would add to a 203 then suddenly the price isn't so unreasonable.
I completely agree and having just proofed Ed's review of Oppo's Sonica DAC and Network Streamer which at £799 only supports stereo, the 205 with its stereo and 7.1-channel DACs, universal disc playback, network streaming and headphone amp starts to look like a bit of a bargain!
 
I completely agree and having just proofed Ed's review of Oppo's Sonica DAC and Network Streamer which at £799 only supports stereo, the 205 with its stereo and 7.1-channel DACs, universal disc playback, network streaming and headphone amp starts to look like a bit of a bargain!
Yes, although the 203+Essence HDACC combo a little bit cheaper option and does the same thing, basically the only HDMI DAC+Amp which can decode DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD soundtrack and convert it back to stereo as it was in its original form. And this OPPO.

But OPPO is the only big company with this solution which is pretty interesting because I think the demand for watching movies with headphones is not that low. Many people have limited space for speaker setup or living in a condo where they can't bother others with loud speakers.
I'm also a headphone guy, would be better to have one device instead of 2 so the 205 is a good deal for headphone people. Connections are great, it has optical, HDMI and USB. Although I'm not sure if it can run 250 or 600 Ohm headphones
 
Yes, although the 203+Essence HDACC combo a little bit cheaper option and does the same thing, basically the only HDMI DAC+Amp which can decode DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD soundtrack and convert it back to stereo as it was in its original form. And this OPPO.

But OPPO is the only big company with this solution which is pretty interesting because I think the demand for watching movies with headphones is not that low. Many people have limited space for speaker setup or living in a condo where they can't bother others with loud speakers.
I'm also a headphone guy, would be better to have one device instead of 2 so the 205 is a good deal for headphone people. Connections are great, it has optical, HDMI and USB. Although I'm not sure if it can run 250 or 600 Ohm headphones

Those living in a condo/apartment could buy a sound bar or soundbase which both take up a very limited amount of space? I'm also a hi fi/headphone person and if you don't already own 250 or 600 Ohm headphones, then you'd be better off buying lower Ohm headphones unless the 205's amp produces enough grunt?. This was one of the reasons I bought the AKG K812 headphones with a 32 Ohm rating as they are very easy to drive and I use them with a Cowon Plenue 1 DAP.
It can be quite limiting to be tied to an amp etc with headphones, does the 205 offer wireless headphone capability? If I wanted to mainly listen to headphones with a 205, I think I'd want to be able to wander around as you can with a soundbar/soundbase/speakers. Anyway, just my thoughts!
 
It's all about the analogue audio performance with this one. As the review rightly points out on the face of it it's a very expensive bluray player but when you factor how much a really good DAC (that can do stereo AND up to 7.1 surround) and a really good headphone amp as well would add to a 203 then suddenly the price isn't so unreasonable.
I agree re cost IF you have real use for the 205's feature set otherwise it's a lovely but very expensive bit of kit that you're not using enough to get value from.
 
Steve, thanks for yet another excellent review but I'm still watching lots of DVD's! I've just upgraded to a Sony 49XE9005 + X800 and the DVD's look much better than they used to, thanks to the new TV & BluRay player. Just bought Spiral Series 5 on DVD as I couldn't see it available on Amazon in BluRay and sometimes you can get action movies 1/2 of the BluRay price so if it's going to be a one off watch, then I will probably buy the DVD version and give it to a charity shop after watching it.
 
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The review mentions the HDR to SDR conversion is fixed. It isn't on the 203. When using HDR=OFF, conversions to SDR and REC709 will show <2% Blacks are crushed, and banding can occur in the conversions. I understand Meta Data OFF option has higher % Black crush.

I assume 205 is the same.

Oppo are supposed to be working on it, and it has improved over the last 6 months though.
 
The review mentions the HDR to SDR conversion is fixed. It isn't on the 203. When using HDR=OFF, conversions to SDR and REC709 will show <2% Blacks are crushed, and banding can occur in the conversions. I understand Meta Data OFF option has higher % Black crush.

I assume 205 is the same.

Oppo are supposed to be working on it, and it has improved over the last 6 months though.
The amount of black crush is significantly less than it was with the metadata strip feature. I have noticed banding on occasion, although when I've checked the same scene in HDR it has been there but not as pronounced, suggesting that it's being exaggerated rather than added. I think converting from HDR to SDR or stripping out the HDR metadata is always going to be very dependent on the specific manufacturer's method of implementation.
 
Im very interested in finding the best uhd player to play 4K disc on a full HD display. Why? Because many bd disc doesnt offer atmos or DTS x soundtrack. Only the uhd version does.

Is the oppo 205 better than cheaper players regarding the above mentioned?
 
Disc play back is old school nowadays, once movie is copied into MKV you would not be able to tell the slightest difference. Better to buy a UHD file media player
 
Hi all,

Am using Oppo 103D currently. Happy with quality. The question is -

If I buy Oppos UDP205, can I use it as Pre (say 7.1.2 or 7.1.4), and add external Amp.
Will it work at same quality as good separates? If the answer to that is essentially yes, am getting Oppo 205. If not, 103D is good enough!

Let me know your views. Thanks.

Regards
 
Im very interested in finding the best uhd player to play 4K disc on a full HD display. Why? Because many bd disc doesnt offer atmos or DTS x soundtrack. Only the uhd version does.

Is the oppo 205 better than cheaper players regarding the above mentioned?

205 advantage over other players is in the Analogue stuff.

For what you need, the Panasonic players are reported to offer better conversion at the moment. You should look at those options versus the 203.

It does depend on how fussy you are - a guide would be - are you the type to have your display calibrated and appreciate the difference?
 
Im very interested in finding the best uhd player to play 4K disc on a full HD display. Why? Because many bd disc doesnt offer atmos or DTS x soundtrack. Only the uhd version does. Is the oppo 205 better than cheaper players regarding the above mentioned?
No I'd be inclined to look at one of the Panasonic's, perhaps the UB400 or UB700.
 
The question is - If I buy Oppos UDP205, can I use it as Pre (say 7.1.2 or 7.1.4), and add external Amp.
Will it work at same quality as good separates? If the answer to that is essentially yes, am getting Oppo 205. If not, 103D is good enough!
You can only output 5.1 or 7.1, it doesn't support immersive audio formats like 5.1.4, 5.1.4, 7.1.2 or 7.1.4.
 
The browser header title of this review is "Oppo UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Player Review | AVForums"

I don't mean the article header or the URL, but
<title>Oppo UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Review | AVForums</title>
 
Looks like a lovely piece of kit and a world away from my flimsily built UHD player from LG. Interesting that it can strip HDR from 4K sources too. That's something I would certainly use if my LG had it.
 
The browser header title of this review is "Oppo UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Player Review | AVForums"

I don't mean the article header or the URL, but
<title>Oppo UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Review | AVForums</title>
Fixed, thanks.
 
Im very interested in finding the best uhd player to play 4K disc on a full HD display. Why? Because many bd disc doesnt offer atmos or DTS x soundtrack. Only the uhd version does.

Is the oppo 205 better than cheaper players regarding the above mentioned?
Whilst he said nothing re video performance
A poster on Steve Hoffman Forum can hear no improvement over 105D which he prefers as it does not suffer quirks etc found on the 205 which he returned for a refund.
 
Can I get the dummies breakdown on the differences between 203 and 205?

I have the 203 and use it 100% of the time as a 4K BluRay player. I don't listen to much music in general.

Is there anything in the 205 worth looking at?
 

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