With Oppo shutting down, it is getting difficult to recommend a reliable UHD Blu-ray player to friends, family, and potential clients.
I am still recommending the Sony X800, with reservations. It is the closest "replacement" to the Oppo, as it is truly a universal player (plays CD, DVD, BD, SACD, DVD-A) and allows one to connect a pair of bluetooth headphones (very handy for late night viewing) but has very limited streaming options (Vudu is still HDX only), and does not support DolbyVision. Sony's stepdown player, the X700, omits DVD-A and bluetooth, is not as sturdy (more plastic in the chassis), but can stream Vudu in UHD (but no HDR, so I've heard), and is supposed to support DV thru a future firmware update (I'll believe it when I see it, as that is what Sony reps had originally said about the X800). Both players, unfortunately, still have buggy firmware that causes freeze-ups, although those are becoming less frequent (at least on my two X800 players). In the sub-$300 category, both are likely the best bang for your buck.
From what I've heard, the LG models are poorly built and have a clunky interface, and have had some firmware issues as well, bit I think they finally got a working update that enabled DV playback. Although their budget end model, the UP875, lacks a secondary HDMI port for audio, DV support (HDR10 only), and streaming options (this is a disc-only player and must be connected via ethernet for firmware updates).
The newer Samsung players seem to have better streaming options than the Sony's, but likely will never support Dolby Vision, since Samsung TV's do not. I also don't like the curved design of the chassis or the AppleTV-like remote.
Panasonic seems to be overpriced for what it is (although I've heard it has slightly better processors than the more mainstream models).
Philips is a brand I just can't bring myself to recommend, although it is a player that supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision and even includes 2 HDMI outputs (all for under $200). The downside is that it only offers two streaming options - Netflix and YouTube, which is hard to believe since Philips is a name you are likely to only see at retailers such as Wal-Mart (which owns Vudu) and Target, and as Black Friday specials at Best Buy.
I am still recommending the Sony X800, with reservations. It is the closest "replacement" to the Oppo, as it is truly a universal player (plays CD, DVD, BD, SACD, DVD-A) and allows one to connect a pair of bluetooth headphones (very handy for late night viewing) but has very limited streaming options (Vudu is still HDX only), and does not support DolbyVision. Sony's stepdown player, the X700, omits DVD-A and bluetooth, is not as sturdy (more plastic in the chassis), but can stream Vudu in UHD (but no HDR, so I've heard), and is supposed to support DV thru a future firmware update (I'll believe it when I see it, as that is what Sony reps had originally said about the X800). Both players, unfortunately, still have buggy firmware that causes freeze-ups, although those are becoming less frequent (at least on my two X800 players). In the sub-$300 category, both are likely the best bang for your buck.
From what I've heard, the LG models are poorly built and have a clunky interface, and have had some firmware issues as well, bit I think they finally got a working update that enabled DV playback. Although their budget end model, the UP875, lacks a secondary HDMI port for audio, DV support (HDR10 only), and streaming options (this is a disc-only player and must be connected via ethernet for firmware updates).
The newer Samsung players seem to have better streaming options than the Sony's, but likely will never support Dolby Vision, since Samsung TV's do not. I also don't like the curved design of the chassis or the AppleTV-like remote.
Panasonic seems to be overpriced for what it is (although I've heard it has slightly better processors than the more mainstream models).
Philips is a brand I just can't bring myself to recommend, although it is a player that supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision and even includes 2 HDMI outputs (all for under $200). The downside is that it only offers two streaming options - Netflix and YouTube, which is hard to believe since Philips is a name you are likely to only see at retailers such as Wal-Mart (which owns Vudu) and Target, and as Black Friday specials at Best Buy.
