Oppo Releases UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player (1 Viewer)

[Phil Tomaskovic]

If you try to buy today, it says presale will reopen on 12/16.

 

[Mike Frezon]

For 1080p, the recommendation would be a 103D or 103, but unless they have refurbs they are only now selling the 203.

The MediaTek chip is always improving and the one in the 203 is a joint effort custom chip for Oppo, so I have no doubt it is "reference" output. That being said, with a 1080p display, unless you want to use it as a scaler for 720p/1080i content from say your dvr, or playback a 2160p disc at 1080p to get advanced audio like Atmos, I don't think you gain anything.

There are plenty of folks with 4K players outputting 4K discs at 1080p so they can get advanced audio.

Jason: Thanks for the reply.

I'm not the most tech-savvy guy on the forum (far from it)...so I need to know if I'm understanding your post correctly.

I don't have an Atmos-enabled receiver...so as exciting a prospect as that is for me (I'm more of an audio guy than a video guy), I guess that, too, is not a benefit I could take advantage of currently. And video-wise (my original question), there's not much of a benefit in terms of "upscaling.""

I think I might be on the lookout for an older model Oppo then. Maybe that will be a doable thing now with this new model release. The important features for me are the various audio playback formats (SACD, DVD-A, etc.). The Pioneer p[layer I have now does them well, but I am leaning towards pulling the trigger on an Oppo.

Thanks.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Jason: Thanks for the reply.

I'm not the most tech-savvy guy on the forum (far from it)...so I need to know if I'm understanding your post correctly.

I don't have an Atmos-enabled receiver...so as exciting a prospect as that is for me (I'm more of an audio guy than a video guy), I guess that, too, is not a benefit I could take advantage of currently. And video-wise (my original question), there's not much of a benefit in terms of "upscaling.""

I think I might be on the lookout for an older model Oppo then. Maybe that will be a doable thing now with this new model release. The important features for me are the various audio playback formats (SACD, DVD-A, etc.). The Pioneer p[layer I have now does them well, but I am leaning towards pulling the trigger on an Oppo.

Thanks.

Gotcha, and I agree. I cant say the 103D would be any better at what you need than the Pioneer, because I have not owned one of their players in years, but I imagine the used market for 103D's is going to sky rocket on forum classifieds. Plus you can put yourself on a list at Oppo for refurbs if they still have a chance at any. They generally repair things for little to no cost after the 2 yr warranty is up too, so it is pc of mind.

I sold my 103D to get into UHD, and have been thru the Samsung, the Panny, the Philips and Xbox S, as well as the Roku ultra trying to find streaming and movie playback that works best. I finally came to the conclusion the 203 and a Roku Ultra were my best move. For about $700, I have UHD streaming and disc playback, so I am happy.

 

[Mike Frezon]

If the "D" on the 103D stands for 3-D...and if that's the only difference between them, I think I'll be in the market for a 103.

I apologize to everyone for my original question trailing off-topic.

EDIT: Ooops. Looks my assumption about that "D" isn't right. Never mind. Go about your business.

 

[gadgtfreek]

LOL. Only reason I recommend the Darbee version is because the video processing is slightly "better". The 103 version had the Marvell chip which had NR that was never completely off, and created some slight softening in certain circumstances. While the 103D has darbee, the chipset is also updated.

I personally did not care for the darbee effect on flat panels.

 

[Bryan^H]

LOL. Only reason I recommend the Darbee version is because the video processing is slightly "better". The 103 version had the Marvell chip which had NR that was never completely off, and created some slight softening in certain circumstances. While the 103D has darbee, the chipset is also updated.

I personally did not care for the darbee effect on flat panels.

I am thinking about getting a Darbee enhanced Oppo for use with my DLP projector.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I am thinking about getting a Darbee enhanced Oppo for use with my DLP projector.

I think that is where they shine more, from my research.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Guess what? Apparently, due to their site issues while ordering this player, I had duplicate orders so one order has shipped today to me while the other was cancelled the other day. However, I didn't get an email about the order that took until the shipping company sent me a shipping email this afternoon with an order number that I didn't recognized. I took that order number to Oppo's site and verified it has shipped to me.

 

[demonfoo]

I am thinking about getting a Darbee enhanced Oppo for use with my DLP projector.

If you want one (and you're in North America), I'll probably be selling my BDP-103D soon, now that I have my UDP-203. It's in perfect condition, and I have all the original packaging, cables, manual, etc. They're not being sold new anymore, so second-hand is going to be the only way to get them.

 

[gadgtfreek]

First impressions, I have some blu-ray and UHD output details pics if anyone is interested, but it basically does what it is supposed to:

• Only problem so far is Batman V Superman in UHD not being recognized, disc wont play. All other UHD movies I have tried (5) work fine and the discs load very quickly. Problem reported to Oppo.
• Love the remote back light and how it works
• As usual, a simple yet very good looking front faceplate. Classy!
• Came with 1209 FW disc which I installed first
• Connected to my 5ghz wifi easily
• Menu's look GREAT
• The extended info screen while playing a movie is outstanding
• No red smear found on Star Wars Part 7 Blu-ray, was well documented with Samsung and something I had a problem with
• A few recent flicks I watched in UHD/HDR that I noticed issues on my display with (mostly how gamma looked and dark scenes) were not that way with HDR stripped mode (Star Trek Beyond, Warcraft and Ind Day Resurgence).
• TMNT 2, one UHD movie I watched with the Fury and 900, that sold me on that combo, looks just as outstanding on the Oppo with HDR stripped
• All of the above was dark room viewing on my LG OLED.
• IMO, running my Tivo Bolt set to 720p/1080i thru the Oppo and it scaling to 4k/60, is obviously more sharp than the Tivo doing 4k/60, and I think it may even be better than the LG doing it
  
  
  

 

[dpippel]

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for ordering the OPPO UDP-203 4K UHD Blu-ray player. We are hard at work fulfilling all the pre-orders as soon as possible. Please know that while our customer service reps are very knowledgeable about the UDP-203, they cannot tell you on which day your order will ship out. Rest assured, we are on track to fulfill all orders by the end of this week. Once your order ships, you will receive a shipment notification e-mail with tracking information. Here are some helpful links:

Order Status
http://oppodigital.com/orderstatus.asp

FedEx Tracking
http://www.fedex.com 1-800-GOFEDEX

USPS Tracking
Link Removed

As we are also in the middle of this year’s holiday season, all carriers are busy and there may be a slight delay in the delivery of your package. So we kindly ask that you please be patient. We are excited as you are about the UDP-203 – we look forward to having the UDP-203 be a part of your home theater system.

OPPO Digital, Inc.
http://www.oppodigital.com

 

[gadgtfreek]

Pics:

Menu settings

Reported output for 1080 Blu

Enhanced Info screen the Oppo now has (UHD Disc with HDR stripped)

1080i and 720p from Tivo bolt being output at 4k60

 

[dpippel]

Thanks for the pics!

 

[MTrotter]

I know one thing, I was on the presale for the 103 and 103D, and did not run into the issues this one had.



Someone at AVS hacked the link and shared with all, which was crappy for those who signed up and were waiting that may have missed it due to work, etc...

Luckily I was off yesterday, and just sat there trying to buy for an hour.

Well that stinks. I've been trying to order from my "personal link" for days now, and it is always out of stock. Not sweating it too much, as I don't yet have a 4K TV.

 

[George_W_K]

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for ordering the OPPO UDP-203 4K UHD Blu-ray player. We are hard at work fulfilling all the pre-orders as soon as possible. Please know that while our customer service reps are very knowledgeable about the UDP-203, they cannot tell you on which day your order will ship out. Rest assured, we are on track to fulfill all orders by the end of this week. Once your order ships, you will receive a shipment notification e-mail with tracking information. Here are some helpful links:

Order Status
http://oppodigital.com/orderstatus.asp

FedEx Tracking
http://www.fedex.com 1-800-GOFEDEX

USPS Tracking
Link Removed

As we are also in the middle of this year’s holiday season, all carriers are busy and there may be a slight delay in the delivery of your package. So we kindly ask that you please be patient. We are excited as you are about the UDP-203 – we look forward to having the UDP-203 be a part of your home theater system.

OPPO Digital, Inc.
http://www.oppodigital.com

What exactly does stripping HDR do? I thought HDR and the wider color gamut were the real benefits of going to 4k right now (over bluray) since a lot discs are from 2k DI's?

 

[demonfoo]

What exactly does stripping HDR do? I thought HDR and the wider color gamut were the real benefits of going to 4k right now (over bluray) since a lot discs are from 2k DI's?

For projectors that do 4K but can't do HDR, it allows them to use the Rec.2020 colorspace (which covers more than Rec.709). Some other UHD-BD players (like Samsung's and Panasonic's) don't let you strip out HDR metadata, so you have to choose SDR + Rec.709 or HDR + Rec.2020, which doesn't work. Also, I've heard a couple people say that SDR + Rec.2020 looks notably better on at least one of the high-end LG OLED TVs.

 

[gitongisip]

This player sucks, for $549 no netflix or youtube apps?

 

[demonfoo]

This player sucks, for $549 no netflix or youtube apps?

They've said multiple times that they don't have any streaming apps yet. Seriously, they've not been shy about it. They wanted to focus on getting the shiny, spinning discs right - you know, the main job of the device?

 

[titch]

Ordered immediately from a re-seller in Norway - in Europe we have to fork out roughly double what you good folks over the pond have to pay! This will be my third Oppo, after the BDP-93 and BDP-103D. They're expensive, but I'm willing to pay the difference. Apart from the continual hardware support, rock-steady reliability, the ability to play any physical media format I've thrown at them, region free blu-ray option, great sound and fantastic picture quality, the Oppo also has a unique feature I have not yet found in other players: the ability to shift optional subtitles up or down the picture from the default. This is a tremendously useful feature for me, as I pretty much always have subtitles on, whether the film is in English or a foreign language. Now, if only 4K projectors could come down to anything approaching a sensible retail price....

 

[Mike Frezon]

If you want one (and you're in North America), I'll probably be selling my BDP-103D soon, now that I have my UDP-203. It's in perfect condition, and I have all the original packaging, cables, manual, etc. They're not being sold new anymore, so second-hand is going to be the only way to get them.

For all you 203 purchasers...I'm certainly not going to get in Bryan's way...but--depending upon the pricepoint--I might be interested in picking up a used 103D (or maybe 103), too. Just sayin'.