Oppo UDP-205 Announced

Greg: I'm learning by reading the various posts and when I got looking into these new sets, beyond 1080 P capabilities, it appears the 4K is actually less important than this new (HDR) feature, high dynamic range. It appears Sony has chosen on some of their smaller televisions to omit the 4K capability in lieu of including the HDR capability as the picture is just perceived to be better by everyone in viewing tests, that is how important the HDR is with a new set, at least in the eyes of Sony. I have read other articles on the HDR, and it seems to be a worth while step forward. If you purchase a ultra high def 4K set with the HDR, you will be up to date, which is what I will do, when the prices calm down a bit as the HDR is brand new!

 

Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion in the 4K marketplace since not all 4K TV's have HDR capability. All the OLED's do as well as top LCD's. In the future all TV''s should have it, but it's worth confirming before you buy. IMO, HDR is necessary, it brings 4K up to a spectacular level, but so far there's not a lot of content. That's why it's necessary to check the regular upscaling of a TV. Even regular 1080 programming can look incredible if the TV upscales it to 4K properly.
I originally thought as you did, that 4K wouldn't be much different from 1080p unless you sit up close. I was wrong. There's so much immediate improvement that my wife nagged me to buy a second set. Amazing.

 

Which OLED displays did you buy? Size? Thanks !

 

65E6 and the 55E6.
BTW, it's worth getting a 4K TV that can handle Dolby Vision as well as HDR-1. Most TV's can only do HDR-10. Another thing to consider. There's also a new HDR standard coming out, which top TV's will be able to process this year. Confused yet?

 

Your information is so valuable, thank you for making it clear to those of us who follow, but not nearly as closely as you do! This goes to show, you cannot trust even what appear to be good sources on the Internet (regarding the 4K improvements). Until I read the last few posts, I knew nothing about HDR and it's importance.

 

Thanks for the information ! I was just checking out the LG OLED displays and the reviews are quite good. I kind of like the looks of the 65B6 as I wouldn't have any need for the attached sound bar. I'll be looking at prices and hope they come down somewhat as I'd prefer to pay $2000-$2500.

 

I'm thinking this will be the next device I should get... Cant wait to hear the release and read reviews of it.

I just picked up an LG OLED and for my budget they more then satisfy. Watched Life of Pi in 4K UHD some of the scenes where unreal. I saved half grand and got the version without the soundbar (on the E6/G6) didnt need it and the extra glass face seemed to pick up more reflections, at the show room I viewed them at. Looks like they are the last of the mohicans for OLED 3D panels too. I believe the 2016 models support HDR 10/12

 

Well, at the end of April the wait "should" be over for the UDP-205, but once we own that, what television can keep up with the Oppo or are there televisions that will surpass it's picture capabilities, inquiring minds want to know. Does the UDP-205 have to mirror at least some of the options on these new televisions to provide maximum picture quality or not?, example, does the UDP-205 have to have Doby Vision or say HDR-10 to match the LED television's capabilities?

I am going to list most of the new technologies from the last few years, starting with the oldest, placing an asterisk on the newest and best technologies, and if your television has all of them, well, you have a mighty fine television indeed!

1. *Smart TV (Most of the ads do not list what streaming options the television has, sure wish they did)
2. High def 1080 P resolution (now history)
3. *Super Ultra HDLED TV 4K resolution
7. *HDR-10 (This appears to the be the hottest addition to any television, even more important than 4K)
8. QLED TV (Samsung's new product, a total different approach from RGB OLED or White OLED)
9. RGB OLED
10.*White OLED
11. *Dolby Vision (Another big advancement with HDR-10, some TV's offer BOTH)

So, if you have a Smart TV with super ultra high 4K definition, HDR-10, Dolby Vision, and White OLED you are completely up to date, at least for today. What's on your wall?

 

There are pros and cons to both LCD-LED and OLED TVs. OLEDs will have better black levels and contrast, but are more suited for dark viewing environments, as they do not get as bright as LCD-LED screens. LCD-LEDs excel in brighter viewing environments because their screens can give off more brightness than an OLED and they also handle motion better than OLEDs. Both can look great, but take into consideration where the TV is going to be used. It's also not to say that as OLED technology progresses, they won't be able to surpass LCD-LEDs in brightness and motion handling. Just right now that is the reality of the technology. I, myself, just purchased a new Sony XBR55X930E LCD-LED screen that handles all the high res formats, 4K, HDR10, Dolby Vision, etc. and it looks fantastic. A huge improvement over my 10 year old Sony XBR6.

I'm also going to be ordering a UDP-205 once they go on sale, which should be any day, considering the website says April 2017 as a release date.

 

1. Smart TV's may be too smart for our own good. Both Samsung and Vizio have been caught spying on everything their customers do and selling the info to marketing companies and who knows who else? The cameras on Samsung TV's were actually activated to watch what people were doing at home. I'm sure they're not the only TV company spying, they just got caught. Read the fine print of your smart TV. It's scary what you are signing away.
7. HDR-10 is the basic standard for all HDR TV's. Even the upcoming Dolby Vision UHD discs must provide a HDR-10 codec.
8. QLED is a LCD TV. Samsung just uses the terminology to confuse people into thinking they're as good as OLED. They're not.
9& 10. There's only one company making consumer grade OLED's right now- LG. They will even be making the panels for the upcoming Sony and Panasonic
OLED's this year.

 

OLED's start from a lower black level so the brightness range is more than you may think. I've had no problems watching my OLED in regular daylight. But it will never match a LCD TV which can easily cover the 1000 nits that UHD requires. Motion handling is the weak point but that's more a problem in how LG implements it. The 2017 models will have an increased nit range as well as improved motion. The new Sony OLED should be spectacular. They've always had the best motion handling in the business.

 

I really wanted the OLED Sony A1E, it was just out of my price range. But it is supposed to be fantastic.

 

Right now, the LG OLEDs lead the pack.
Finally a technology that is better than plasma.
Once OLED tech spreads to the other makers the real price drops will happen.
I think we're on the cusp. The next CEDIA in Sept. will tell the tale.
If and when Vizio releases an OLED panel, that will be the time to really investigate.
Until then, my Panasonic plasma stays put.

 

Those interested in Darbee: the Cambridge Audio CXU, which may be fast disappearing itself but is available now at an attractive price, has Darbee. I don't use it much myself (I mainly only watch Blu-ray and it doesn't do much for me with that source) but it's there. And the sound from the CXU is awesome. I use it as a source for Redbook and SACD for my Decware Taboo Mk III headphone amp and Audeze LCD-2 and Oppo PM-1 headphones, and these will show you audio quality. . . and the CXU does not disappoint.

 

How does the CXU compare with some of your other players you've had....Denon, Sony etc.

 

The CXU compares favorably. The Denon DVD-A1UDC1 "flagship" universal player is the King of all those I have had, and for use as a Blu-ray and DVD player it does sound and look better than the CXU, and it should as originally it cost three times what the CXU listed for, and is a very purpose-built and well-built prestigious machine! I bought a used one and last year it started being picky about the video discs it played, refusing to read about twenty percent I fed it, and so I assigned it to audio use in my only other system, a system based around headphones and the Decware Taboo Mk III or Decware CSP2+ headphone amp/preamp-headphone amp. The Redbook and SACD sound quality is exceptional on the Denon, and better than the CXU but not by a lot. The CXU and the Sony XA-5400ES both sound really close (via memory, I no longer have the Sony). At its current price point it's a great bang for buck for both video and audio quality imo.

 

Sorry to get carried away with all the TV talk guys . There is some news on the 205. Oppo is going to to give a release announcement this week as well as post some photos. They will also be displaying it at an audio show in Moscow on the 20th of the month.

 

One would hope the announcement will come this week and shipping would commence next week. Oppo's 205 website still proclaims April release. That gives them less than two weeks.

 

They are disappearing fast. I just picked up one NIB with warranty from an authorized dealer via Amazon for $799.00. I was waiting for the Oppo 205 but decided to save some money. Very happy with the CXU which I bought mainly as a DVD-A, SACD and such player. It is also a transport into my Schiit Gumby but is is a very good CD players in itself. I run it RCA into my Auralic Taurus Mk II and run balanced from my Gumby into the Taurus. I wanted to try a setup without Sabre dac's for a change. I kind of went upgrade crazy this year but at least the CXU (799.00) and the Taurus (1329.00) were discounted. The Focal Elear was list.

As a video player it replaced my Oppo 83. It's much better but given how old the 83 it sure as heck had better be .

 

It's all good... These players serve a much larger role than just audio. I can't wait till it hits the streets.

 

Glad you found the right deck for your needs but other potential CXU buyers could run into several problems........

1.......This one's a biggie!!!!........and one of main reasons that you got yours cheaper.
The CA CXU is NOT a 4K UHD player.........the Oppo UDP 205 IS.

2......The CXU upsamples audio to 24/192 whether you want it or not.
3......The CXU does NOT offer stereo XLR outs.

There may also be some other differences but these are the main ones that I am aware of.

 

As it happens, I think the CXU might be on its way out sooner than expected. It's only about 18 months old so they might be ushering in their own 4K player soon. The CXU upscales to 4K however.

The audio side, being identical to the 752BD, should be a treat!

 

I didn't know about 2.!

On the positive side it DOES let you extract SACD to your PC and it plays HDCD.