Use Foobar2000 or dBPoweramp to decode HDCD (on a Mac or PC), then playback from disc (data or DVD-A) or external drive (HD or thumb)
According to Modwright, Oppo Digital is no longer receiving new circuit boards or disc drives and are limited to stock on hand. They will still provide parts to Modwright on an as needed basis, but other than that are (probably) no longer making parts available (outside of in house repairs). It would be interesting to know if the disc drives for various Oppo players could be available from other suppliers?
I would like to buy spare laser assemblies for my 105 and 205. From reading this thread, it seems you can’t.
Correct. Except non-OEM ones. Some time ago I contacted Oppo about purchasing a spare (for my 103), but they said they had a limited supply and were keeping them for repairs. They would not just sell me one to keep as a spare. I've moved on to the Panasonic UB9000 for blu-rays though.
The non-OEM ones are available on ebay: NEW OPTICAL LASER LENS PICKUP for OPPO BDP-105D Blu-ray Player | eBay NEW OPTICAL LASER LENS PICKUP for OPPO UDP-205 Blu Ray Player | eBay
Thanks for the links! This is a great resource, and I really like that it's just the pickup and not the whole disc drive. Not only does that make it cheaper, but even more importantly, it removes from the equation almost all the aspects where a non-OEM replacement drive could be worse than the original: namely, mechanical disc-spinning and track-advance noise, and speed of loading a disc (in other words how fast a disc displays its menu or is ready to play music after you stick it in the tray and close the drawer). Nice!
I regularly rip surround tracks from my SACDs to HDD using my Oppo. Only had two that wouldn’t rip via the 105. Strangely, these discs ripped ok using my old PS3.
But… this is probably a DIY project. For example, Dan at Modwright says he would not disassemble the drive to replace the laser, and I very much doubt Oppo would. OTOH, if your laser is shot and there are no more replacement drives available you may have little to lose to DIY.
I use my Oppo 103 only for SACD ripping. I've never had any issues ripping SACDs whether they were stereo, multi-channel, single layer or hybrid.
If you're replacing just the laser, you'll need to be able to calibrate it. You will likely need specific software and instructions to do such.
I asked the seller of these non-OEM laser pick-ups the following: "Are these as good as the OEM ones? Who makes them?" This was their reply: "Hello and thanks for your inquiry. The units are a brand-new replacement made in China from very good quality. The parts work exactly as the original parts and our customers are very satisfied. Best regards, LIBERTY ELECTRONICS EBAY STORE"
As it happens, Oppo Digital does have a small program that will check the laser calibration (it was sent to me). I have no idea if it can be used or modified to calibrate a new laser.
By “way back when,” I meant right after Oppo Digital had folded, I contacted the customer support operation about obtaining spare drives.
And now something you’ll really like……….. Magnetar reveals new flagship UDP900 UHD Blu-ray player Show me da money! Beave
Very upsetting news. Well, we all knew it was inevitable, like what drove me to Craigslist my Cambridge Audio 650BD player for $25. when decoder boards were all gone. Luckily, I was never into playing CDs on my 95; just rip tracks to my pc. So I continue to extend its life span by sharing DVD/BD playback sessions with my Pioneer LX500. But as the latter's clock is also ticking, I will also soon be using an external BD drive with my laptop; feeding its HDMI video and SPDIF digital stereo outputs to my TV and DAC, and controlling it all via JRiver and a wireless keyboard/mouse. Meanwhile, I emailed Magetar Support about my issues with their player: Checking the manual https://magnetar-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/UDP800_User_Manual-English.pdf , I was saddened to find that this player apparently has no slow motion control. And while it does have a zoom button, there's no indication from the manual that Directional key #13 on the remote will allow the user to then center the zoomed image on the screen. These are basic features which I've long enjoyed on inexpensive DVD players and on my Pioneer Elite LX500 BD player. Could it be that he UDP800 actually does have these features but were not mentioned in the manual?
Seems odd that, except for a positive (but not glowing) review of the Reavon machine in Sound & Vision, there has been very little written up about the Oppo wannabes.