Oppo Sites Attract!

[rsbeck]

Depending on how you control your system, you could run HDMI from the Oppo directly to your projector for Video, which would ensure a nice clean signal to your C3X1080.

Or, if you are currently passing your video through your Lexicon using HDMI, you can continue to do that.

You would run analog outs for audio and HDMI for video.

That's a lot of cable between your Blu-Ray player and Lexicon, but it would bring you up to date as far as enjoying the HD blu-ray audio codecs.

Are there any plans in the works for Lexicon to update your pre-pro with all of the latest blu-ray audio codecs?

 

[Steve Williams]

Are there any plans in the works for Lexicon to update your pre-pro with all of the latest blu-ray audio codecs?

Honestly I don't know but I would bet

 

[rsbeck]

Which Lexicon Model do you own?

 

[Steve Williams]

Which Lexicon Model do you own?

MC12HD Balanced

 

[rsbeck]

It used to be that you could count on Lexicon -- they always prided themselves on providing timely updates and having the state of the art surround processor, but they've been a little slow on the uptake with regard to HDMI and blu-ray. They were a little slow to market with HDMI and they have not been quick to update their flag-ship surround processor to the current state of the art.

Reading around, the best determination I could make is that Lexicon has not promised an update to the MC12HD to enable it to decode the latest blu-ray audio codecs, but neither have they made any announcement closing the door on such a possibility. This is a little strange considering how long owners have been waiting.

In the meantime, they have introduced a blu-ray player of their own and -- guess what? It bears a striking resemblance to the Oppo only it sells for about four times the price. $3,500 for the Lexicon BD-30 compared to Oppo's BD-83 SE at $899.

So, for the time being, Lexicon offers its MC12HD customers the capability of getting all of the latest codecs by buying their blu-ray player and -- you guessed it -- using analog out.

 

[amirm]

Having spoken to Haman folks, I know they believe in the same thing I do: Blu-ray decoding should occur in the player, not in the processor. So I would not hold that against them.

[Amir, owner of MC-12B gathering dust....]

 

[rsbeck]

OB -- If you're relatively happy with your current sonics while watching blu-rays -- and with your room and speaker system I'm sure you are -- it sounded fantastic to me -- but, you are unhappy with the load times and response of your current blu-ray player -- which is more likely -- you could dip your toe in the water with the Oppo BD-80 at $289. You would just run it the same way you are running your current blu-ray player with HDMI out. Choose "Source Direct" and just use the Oppo as a transport, which is the same way I assume you are using your current blu-ray player.

If/When Lexicon updates your MC12HD-B, you're good to go and ready to take full advantage.

Same thing if you eventually decide to replace the Lexicon.

You''ll still get the fast load and response times, hassle free play-back.

I have a buddy who I believe had the same blu-ray player you have now.

He bought the BD-80 and he can't stop raving about it.

 

[amirm]

I have longed moved to other processors with HDMI input (Anthem D2, multiple Yamaha/Denon/Onkyo AVRs, etc). So the issue for me is psychological more than anything else to see the pricey box sitting there .

Agree that outside of PS3 with its quirks, the Oppo is the best and fastest option. FYI I mention PS3 because it is the "gold reference" for some studios in testing their titles.

 

[rsbeck]

Having spoken to Haman folks, I know they believe in the same thing I do: Blu-ray decoding should occur in the player, not in the processor. So I would not hold that against them. [Amir, owner of MC-12B gathering dust....]

If that's what is stopping them from updating the MC-12HD-B, they should inform their customers.

 

[rsbeck]

outside of PS3 with its quirks, the Oppo is the best and fastest option.

Does the PS3 have "Source Direct" Mode? What are its quirks?

 

[amirm]

Does the PS3 have "Source Direct" Mode? What are its quirks?

Main and probably the only quirk with PS3 is the stupid Blutooth remote. It is very hard to tie into automation system. There are various boxes and kludges to make it work but at the end, it is not clean like the serial port on Oppo.

On the other side, the PS3 is still faster than Oppo and its implementation more accurate. Joe Kane for example complains that the Oppo will not render all of his menus correctly (I have not tested). That said, he is now using the Lexicon (Oppo clone) for demos so maybe it is not that much worse .

 

[rsbeck]

How is the implementation more accurate? Does it have Source Direct Mode?

 

[rsbeck]

Here's what I found on C-net -----

Although in our testing we saw virtually identical performance from both the PS3 Slim and the Oppo BDP-83, we'd still give the Oppo a tiny edge on Blu-ray playback because of its exceptional handling of rare content material. (See the Oppo BDP-83 review for more details.)

The PS3 used to be the undisputed king of Blu-ray load times, but the new crop of 2009 players has ended its run. So while the PS3 Slim is still relatively speedy, it's no longer best in class.

For example, we found it took 22 seconds to load "Mission Impossible: III" with the PS3 Slim already turned on; it took the Oppo BDP-83 13 seconds on the same test. When we started with the players off, the PS3 took a sluggish 42 seconds for us to get the movie playing; every other Blu-ray player we've tested this year is faster. It fared better with movie that had more elaborate menu systems. For example, "Spider-Man 3" took one minute, 5 seconds, which is only a little slower than the Oppo's 59 seconds on the same movie.


http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10316079-1.html

 

[amirm]

Ah, seems like I am a bit out of date . The firmware update they had late last year seems to have sped things up to be faster than PS3! Thanks for the correction.

 

[Rutgar]

In the meantime, they have introduced a blu-ray player of their own and -- guess what? It bears a striking resemblance to the Oppo only it sells for about four times the price. $3,500 for the Lexicon BD-30 compared to Oppo's BD-83 SE at $899.

It's my understanding that Lexicon is under fire for this player. Mainly because it IS the the Oppo with nothing more than a new faceplate and the 4X price point.

 

[Steve Williams]

It's my understanding that Lexicon is under fire for this player. Mainly because it IS the the Oppo with nothing more than a new faceplate and the 4X price point.

you're correct Bill. Lexicon has taken that on the chin as has Theta IIRC

 

[rsbeck]

Here's some interesting reading on the Oppo versus Lexicon blu-ray player controversy from IMO one of the most interesting & rigorous objectivist sites on the net called Audioholics...

Oppo on the Inside, Lexicon on the Outside

When we received the player the first thing we did was open it up to get a look at the inside. Imagine my surprise when I found that not only did the Lexicon share the same boards and transport as the Oppo - it was in fact AN OPPO BDP-83 PLAYER, CHASSIS AND ALL, SHOVED INSIDE AN ALUMINUM LEXICON WRAPPER. As far as we could determine, Lexicon didn't change a single thing in terms of the hardware. Heck, they didn't even lift the boards out of the chassis, opting instead to cut out the bottom of their own chassis to accommodate the venting locations, and putting a darker blue filter over the Oppo's VFD display to give it a slightly deeper hue.

Cont'd...

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/...-ray-oppo-clone/oppo-inside-lexicon-outside-1

 

[rsbeck]

To give you even more of a taste --

Here is a review of the Lexicon BD-30 where the reviewer makes some claims that the Lexicon offers better performance and then if you read the discussion below, you see the review get hammered by a number of folks demanding to know what exactly is different. Some interesting nuggets emerge amid the wreckage....

http://hometheaterreview.com/lexicon-bd-30-universal-blu-ray-player-reviewed/

 

[audioguy]

I can't imagine why anyone would spend more money on a BD player than the OPPO if it's only use it the HDMI output for movies/concerts, etc.

I had another player and while the OPPO picture is no better on Bluray, it is CLEARLY better on up-converting regular DVD's to 1080P for my PJ and has internet based software upgrades and is as fast as you would like. While I use a Server for my CD's, if I want to play a single CD, I use the OPPO as a transport into my external DAC (Benchmark).

This product is, in my opinion, the steal in audio (or I guess video).

 

[z06gal]

I am new to this forum and have just seen this thread on the Oppo. I am probably going to be sending my Oppo bdp83 to Modwright for their multichannel upgrade the end of this month. Just curious if anyone here has done that and what you think. I know someone who is waiting to get his back from Dan but thought I'd ask. Thanks.


Robin