Oppo UDP-203 4K UHD Blu-ray player | Brand new release today

[NorthStar]

New from today

New firmware update, today. ...Beta

• https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-203/UDP203-firmware-60-0601B.aspx

This release is for the OPPO UDP-20x 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc Player.

Comparing to the current Official release version UDP20X-56-0224, the major changes included in this version are:

? Added the Dolby Vision “Player-led processing” mode for compatibility with recent Sony Dolby Vision TVs and firmware updates.
? Added the “Dolby Vision” mode under the HDR Setting menu, which allows the player to convert the output to Dolby Vision when possible.
? Added the “Dolby Vision Processing” setting under the HDR Setting menu. This setting allows customers to choose whether Dolby Vision processing is handled mainly by the TV or the UDP-20x player.
? Added MQA support via the USB DAC In for the UDP-205 players. (More info can be found in the “USB Audio DAC Firmware” section on the UDP-205 support page.)
? Added the “Up-Sample DAC Input” setting under the Audio Processing menu for the UDP-205.
? General fixes and disc compatibility improvements based on recent and upcoming UHD Blu-ray releases as well as user-submitted samples.

 

[dan31]

Nice. I won’t install on my 205 until
I get some feedback from the early testers.

 

[NorthStar]

Official Firmware Upgrade, today:

• https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-203/UDP203-firmware-60-0625.aspx

* From the Beta to the Official it took twenty-four days.
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Additional notes

• DV to SDR still results in 1080p/60 output. No info available whether 1080p/24 output is possible.
• The fix to the clipping of extreme color saturations during HDR to SDR conversion when using HDR Off (BT.2020) is pending a future update.
• The Dolby Vision labeling issue was fixed that was seen in the beta
• Fixed Dolby Vision mandated conversion to 1080p SDR BT.709 for HDTV's. (flickering issue)
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[BlueFox]

Is that what happened. Both my 203s did a firmware upgrade.

 

[NorthStar]

Are you on auto-pilot Bud? Some people call the 203 the Tesla of BR players.
And the 205 the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio.
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https://youtu.be/w4poGSXnOUk

 

[BlueFox]

Are you on auto-pilot Bud? Some people call the 203 the Tesla of BR players.
And the 205 the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio.

It’s Friday night after an intense work week. I am making progress towards autopilot.

Since the 203 and 205 are the same for video, and that is all I use them for, I guess they are both a Tesla, or a Lamborghini, in that sense.

 

[NorthStar]

Yes, same video chip processor. It's going to be a beautiful weekend.

 

[NorthStar]

Lowering the noise floor of the Oppo 203/205 ...

 

[NorthStar]

There is a new firmware update coming up soon; by the end of this month or in January 2019.
The new feature that would be added to the Oppo 203 and 205 players is HDR10+

With new 4K Blu-ray discs featuring this video upgrade it's nice of Oppo to be able to support it by updating/upgrading their software.

"It's now confirmed that the upcoming IMAX Original 4K Blu-rays of Journey To The South Pacific and A Beautiful Planet will carry HDR10+ masters, and there’s a rumor, too, that Bad Times At The El Royale 4K Blu-ray is going to become the first big movie release to be mastered in the format."

We will see what else will be included in this firmware update; like some new fixes.
I have zero clue, all in due time.

But, in this era of new advanced Panasonic 4K Blu-ray players, Oppo is adding what Panasonic supported already. Not bad since their exit announcement last April 1st, eight months plus ago.

 

[NorthStar]

December 28, 2018
Update | Latest Public Beta Test Release | Firmware Upgrade | 203-205

Comparing to the current Official release version UDP20X-60-0625, the major changes included in this version are:

• Added the HDR10+ support. A HDR10+ enabled TV is required to view content in HDR10+.

• Added the "HDMI IN BYPASS" mode for Dolby Vision passthrough via HDMI In.

• General fixes and disc compatibility improvements based on recent and upcoming UHD Blu-ray releases as well as user-submitted samples.

 

[Barry2013]

That's very helpful Bob.
Earlier today I bought a brand new multi region Oppo 203 which should arrive the middle of next week.
I'm not sure if my Sony 4k TV is HDR10 enabled but not a major problem. Will need to check

 

[NorthStar]

4K Sony TVs, some support Dolby Vision and HDR10, not HDR10+. It's not a big deal @ all because most 4K TVs do not support HDR10+, and there is less than 0.0000001% content...close to zero. But, the Oppo 4K players now support it; their video processing chip can handle it.

I expect the official firmware upgrade in about two weeks.

It's nice from Oppo to support their 4K players with updates like this, after their exit on April 1st 2018. The 203/205 are still among the very best players out there for many owners, me included.

 

[Bodhi]

I still own an Oppo BDP-103 & just missed out on buying a UDP-205 after stock dried up. But now, with the benefit of hindsight I’m glad I missed out. The future is not high end disc spinners, but streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Stan & free sites like YouTube. Hence I plan to redirect the funds set aside for the Oppo into a high end OLED tv & Streaming subscriptions going forward.

 

[NorthStar]

D'accord mais nothing is superior to 4K Blu-ray discs.
Physical discs are the ultimate best.

It's the same with music, analog vinyls and open reel tapes.

There is a physical présence that no streaming can do with full aplomb.
An approximation yes, not the magic stuff life is made of.
Nothing is perfectly perfect, we only dream ... free.

 

[BlueFox]

The biggest issue, to me, with streaming is that when the network is down then you are helpless. While it doesn’t happen often, it does occur. Of course, quality wise for video, 4K Blue Rays are on top, and will be for quite a while.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I still own an Oppo BDP-103 & just missed out on buying a UDP-205 after stock dried up.

That's OK. You can rip your SACDs with the 103 and play them back as files.

 

[NorthStar]

Yes, it's true!

 

[NorthStar]

And same for the Oppo 105, 103D/105D.

 

[Bodhi]

The biggest issue, to me, with streaming is that when the network is down then you are helpless. While it doesn’t happen often, it does occur. Of course, quality wise for video, 4K Blue Rays are on top, and will be for quite a while.

Bud, that's true. Outages are annoying, hence it's good to have a bluray player as a backup so you can atleast spin garden variety Bluray discs. That said, Netlfix, Amazon Prime and others have launched 4K streaming which is supported by the latest 4k Wifi routers & Cat 8 ethernet cable. Granted, the range of titles are limited for now. But with the proliferation of OLED and Super UHD tv's, that category will only continue to grow.

 

[NorthStar]

The only thing Kal missed with the Oppo players prior to 12/12/2016 (models 103/105, 103D/105D) is that they don't spin 4K Blu-rays. Yes, they rip SACDs ... but no spinning of 4K discs.

Streaming 4K content is quick, convenient and economic.
Spinning 4K content is selective, research, quicker in some instances and more expensive, but also more reliable with superior quality picture and sound (bit rates & all that jazz).

If we want the best movie medium, 4K BR discs is the way to go (there are no analog film formats, even theaters are digital, except for the few old nostalgic/romantic ones that still play old classics on pellicule in their art deco interiors).

Also, you can record your own 4K movies and play them from the Oppo 203/205.

But, because now the 203 and 205 are quite expensive compared to their original list prices, there are other 4K BR players to consider if money is an issue (plus eBay). They are not the equal of the Oppos in many regards but if 4K image quality is numero uno priority they'll do just fine, eg.; new Panasonic 9000 (there is a dedicated thread).

And if sound quality is the objective from a spinner there are dedicated audio spinners from all venues and formats...vinyl, open real tapes, dedicated DACs, dedicated music streamers, Esoteric disc spinners (CDs & SACDs...stereo), other 4K BR universal players (stereo & multichannel) from Pioneer, Cambridge and Sony.

I've seen the Oppo 203 on eBay with prices ranging from roughly $1,200 to $2,500
When it was released to the public back on December 16, 2018 it listed for $549
There are zero players today approaching it for all its features, like various 21:9 zoom (stretch) screen aspect ratio for front projector owners (and of course its unique HDMI Input).

"The Oppo 203/205 support several widescreen 21:9 options in the video setup menu under the widescreen option. These options allow for a quick selection, using the zoom button, to switch between standard 16:9 display and 21:9 image manipulation to support panamorphic lens and widescreens. This worked well, even with Dolby Vision encoded discs, a feature that no projector yet supports."
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Happy Holiday! ?