New Blu-ray player announcements, CEDIA and IFA

[Chris Gerhard]

Home Theater Forum is following the CEDIA Expo at the Colorado Convention Center going on through September 7. There have been quite a few announcements of players including Samsung 5th generation, Panasonic 4th generation, several new Blu-ray products from Sony, the first LG Blu-ray player without HD DVD, and so on.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/cedia2008/Main_Index_Page.html

There were some announcements at the recent IFA convention in Berlin, including players from Sharp.

Not sure whether these budget Chinese made players are being shown at the CEDIA Expo but Funai and Daewoo have new players coming:

http://www.funai.de/index.php?kat=hdd3

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/30/daewoo-shows-off-blu-ray-profile-2-player-at-ifa/

We don't have the nonsense with Blu-ray that we had with SACD/DVD-A where Sony never made a DVD-A player and Panasonic never made an SACD player and Sony never released DVD-A software and Warner never released SACD software in the US and so on and so on. After a couple of years of similar nonsense with Blu-ray and HD DVD, almost all major consumer electronics companies and software providers are behind Blu-ray now.

Independent studies on the future of Blu-ray are all over the place from indications Blu-ray will replace DVD to other predictions that Blu-ray will remain a tiny niche format. Nothing is clear yet regarding what audio only releases are coming, but we are seeing some. With low hardware prices this holiday season, the ownership is going to increase substantially so next year might be the beginning of a push for Blu-ray audio software.

Chris

 

[soundboy]

Here it is....the Oppo Blu-ray player with SACD and possibly DVD-A

 

[Chris Gerhard]

The claims I have seen are that the upcoming Oppo does include Blu-ray/DVD-A/SACD and analog 7.1 output. I will inquire directly with Oppo and see if I can a confirmation.

Chris

 

[georgeshannon]

I would buy one of those.

But then I would need to upgrade my TV to 1080p 120Hz, buy two more rear speakers, and buy an OPPO HDMI switch.

Shoot, if they release that thing, I'll need to get a part time job. Christmas time hiring at Lowes, here I come.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I would buy one of those.

But then I would need to upgrade my TV to 1080p 120Hz, buy two more rear speakers, and buy an OPPO HDMI switch.

Shoot, if they release that thing, I'll need to get a part time job. Christmas time hiring at Lowes, here I come.

Ha, I don't know when it will be released but it is quite a ways in the future so you should have time to save. I have already gotten a response, there is no decision yet as far as DVD-A. I don't even know if DVD-A is possible with the design and it may be the posts I have seen from others, usually reliable know more than I do and they know it is indeed possible and assume it will happen. I would say DVD-A must remain a maybe for now. That is probably a critical factor for many here.

Chris

 

[jefe1]

If Oppo doesn't include dvd audio in their upcoming blu ray, I will probably pass on it and just get the 980H to upgrade my 970, I understand it has a much better audio section. Too bad if Oppo drops DVD-A and why couldn't they include HD DVD capability also, the licensing must be dirt cheap now.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

If Oppo doesn't include dvd audio in their upcoming blu ray, I will probably pass on it and just get the 980H to upgrade my 970, I understand it has a much better audio section. Too bad if Oppo drops DVD-A and why couldn't they include HD DVD capability also, the licensing must be dirt cheap now.

I am sure Oppo wants DVD-A included and I believe that will happen and the only reason it wouldn't be is as a result of technical issues. Only one Blu-ray player to date, the Panasonic DMP-BD10AK has included DVD-A, and Oppo really needs their player to include it in my opinion. As far as including HD DVD, you have got to be kidding, that would make no sense, no company will ever make another player with HD DVD ability is how I see that happening. I also expect no more LaserDisc players to be manufactured.

Chris

 

[DennisMabry]

The Oppo announcement says it has 7.1 analog outs. Does anyone know if it will have Dolby True HD and DTS-HD MAS playback capabilities?

 

[Chris Gerhard]

The Oppo announcement says it has 7.1 analog outs. Does anyone know if it will have Dolby True HD and DTS-HD MAS playback capabilities?

Yes, that has been confirmed by several at AVSForums so I expect that is an absolute certainty. Of course until the product is on the market, everything is subject to change but I would be absolutely stunned if the player didn't decode all audio codecs and output over the analog connections, including 5.1 and 7.1 Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA.

Chris

 

[DennisMabry]

Yes, that has been confirmed by several at AVSForums so I expect that is an absolute certainty. Of course until the product is on the market, everything is subject to change but I would be absolutely stunned if the player didn't decode all audio codecs and output over the analog connections, including 5.1 and 7.1 Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA.

Chris

Cool! Now if we just knew how much $ ?

Still hoping DVD-A is included.

Thanks Chris.

 

[dbmay75]

Maybe these photos will shed some light...I live very close to OPPO headquarters and visit them on occasion. As I find out more, I will pass on what is safe to pass on. The DVD logo on the front is V not A so it remains to be seen whether or not this will be the player to end all players.

stay tuned to this site or www.oppodigital.com for more details!

 

[Lucanu]

I reckon I see a DVD audio/video logo in the last picture

 

[Chris Gerhard]

The LED display used does have the DVD-A logo, whether or not Oppo makes the player able to light up that logo is the unanswered question. Surely it is more likely that DVD-A is included than not included. I just see so little benefit for having SACD without DVD-A, how small would the market that owns SACD and no DVD-A be? The first Oppo DVD player, the DV971H, handled DVD-A but not SACD and all players since have handled both.

Chris

 

[Lucanu]

In that case that would be my first (and I hope the last) BD player I'd buy.

 

[Guy Robinson]

I guess the question would also be whether the SACD is handled on board or only passed via HDMI. They may decode all the BD audio formats internally and pass the others via HDMI. Time will tell. Anyway, I just bought a BD player and I now have switching for the 6.1 analog so that I can choose the Oppo 980 or my Samsung 1400. So until I get receiver capability with HDMI I will not even be considering the new Oppo. I just couldn't wait any longer and after experiencing BD now I am glad that I didn't.

 

[uffeolby]

I just bought a BD player and I now have switching for the 6.1 analog so that I can choose the Oppo 980 or my Samsung 1400.

I am looking for such a "switch" solution. What equipment do you use for this?

//Uffe

 

[Guy Robinson]

I am looking for such a "switch" solution. What equipment do you use for this?

//Uffe

Just a simple A/B switch. I also used the video connection for one of the audio connections. I can tell no difference in the sound quality of the 980 using this hook-up. So I am assuming that the BD is the same. No difference from hooking the audio directly to the receiver. Here is what I picked up. I connected the front speakers to one of them (center using the video hook-up) and the rear speakers and the sub on the other one (sub using the video connection).

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/prod...ategory=AVSelectors&catalog=Online&tab=1#more

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I am looking for such a "switch" solution. What equipment do you use for this?

//Uffe

I use a Zektor switch. A bit pricey but very reliable and quite flexible.

Kal

 

[jefe1]

And the latest word from Oppo is:


We are working on a Blu-Ray player which we anticipate will be released sometime this Winter, but at this time we are not confirming the price or specifications as the player has not been hardware or software finalized.

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.
2629B Terminal Blvd.
Mountain View, CA 94043
[email protected]
Tel: 650-961-1118
Fax: 650-961-1119