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

[NorthStar]

? Product Support | OPPO UDP-203 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc Player Firmware Update

Release Information
Release date: January 3, 2017.
Category: Latest Public Beta Test Release

This is only the first phase (Beta Firmware Upgrade).
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P.S. I'm going to suggest something here, which I consider important:
When a person starts a thread, OP, it would be beneficial that the first original post could be edited @ anytime.

For example, I would like to update it so that it's easy for members to keep track on a day-to-day basis; like firmware updates, review updates, the latest news, etc.

• Oppo UDP 203 review | Pete's Write
• OPPO UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Player Preview | Audioholics
• Oppo UDP-203 | Trusted Reviews
• EXCLUSIVE! FIRST CANADIAN HANDS-ON REVIEW OF THE OPPO UDP-203 BLU-RAY PLAYER | wifihifi
• Oppo UDP-203 4K UHD Blu-ray player review: A class act with awesome audio capabilities | TechHive
• Review: Oppo’s UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Covers All Bases | HD Guru
• Exclusive test Oppo UDP-203: The high-end universal player | LowBeats
• OPPO Digital UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Reviewed | hometheater

If this is possible, swell, if not, c'est la vie and we adapt with what we got and not.

 

[BlueFox]

Well, my 203 is warming up now to play Chappie a little later. Will check to see if firmware automatically upgraded.

 

[NorthStar]

Well, my 203 is warming up now to play Chappie a little later. Will check to see if firmware automatically upgraded.

Bud, I think you better read that top link above.

"How to Get the Public Beta Firmware Upgrade:
There are two easy ways to upgrade your player's firmware.
1. USB Thumb Drive - Use your computer and a USB thumb drive.
2. Firmware Upgrade Disc - Use your computer to make a firmware upgrade disc."

It's not an automatic firmware update, it's a beta one which you have two options (above) to get it on.
And read the warning too from the link.

But yes, it resolves few issues that owners were having; serious issues...no doubt.
I'm impressed; within three weeks and one day, and during the Holidays too, Oppo came up with a firmware, with the help of all their first adopters/buyers (beta testers), to fix several "bugs" (glitches/errors) that their customers were having. And I must tell you; it was quite intense few times. Few people lost their 'pedals'. Hey, it is the most active sector right now on that side of the equator. All life depends on a $549 machine. :b

Today is a good day.

 

[NorthStar]

HDMI is almost 15-years old. 2017 is the start of its 15th. HDMI was designed in December 2002.
Today it is still a mess for many consumers. It's not a simple connection because it carries many audio/video/internet/return/CEC/copy protection signals.
And between all the audio/video components it doesn't always play nice.
With UHD/4K now this is even more true. The five UHD BR players on the market today are counting on firmware updates even more than yesterday.
There are simply too many variations, permutations, 4K material from various sources and different plants, embedding, anti-pirating, anti-copying, delays of sound and audio, dropouts, frames interpolation and out of sync, different systems in each country (TV's resolution, scanning lines, fps, ...), different Blu-ray plants, batches, more layers, laser apertures, drive mechanism running faster, etc.

The new Oppo UDP-203 is a pure example of the new world of UHD we live in. It is impossible for programmers, designers to analyse and check and test all the variables.
We, the consumers/customers, are part of this voyage, of this experiment; because every system is different and HDMI doesn't work nicely in all the different systems with different settings. If one HDMI cable is not up to the transfer rate required by the components used in the system it will fail. I could write a book about all the various issues people are having with HDMI.

This is just in ?

HDMI FORUM ANNOUNCES VERSION 2.1 OF THE HDMI SPECIFICATION

Higher video resolutions and Dynamic HDR highlight the new advanced features for the HDMI® eco-system

Las Vegas, Nevada – January 4, 2017 - HDMI Forum, Inc. today announced the upcoming release of Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification. This latest HDMI Specification supports a range of Higher Video Resolutions and refresh rates including 8K60 and 4K120, Dynamic HDR, and increased bandwidth with a new 48G cable. Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification is backward compatible with earlier versions of the Specification, and was developed by the HDMI Forum’s Technical Working Group whose members represent some of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, personal computers, mobile devices, cables and components.

“This new release of the Specification offers a broad range of advanced features for enhancing the consumer entertainment experience, as well as providing robust solutions to the commercial AV sector,” said Robert Blanchard of Sony Electronics, president of the HDMI Forum. “This is part of the HDMI Forum’s continuing mission to develop specifications for the HDMI eco-system that meet the growing demand for compelling, high-performance and exciting features.”

HDMI Specification 2.1 Features Include:

• Higher Video Resolutions support a range of higher resolutions and faster refresh rates including 8K60Hz and 4K120Hz for immersive viewing and smooth fast-action detail.
• Dynamic HDR ensures every moment of a video is displayed at its ideal values for depth, detail, brightness, contrast, and wider color gamuts—on a scene-by-scene or even a frame-by-frame basis.
• 48G cables enable up to 48Gbps bandwidth for uncompressed HDMI 2.1 feature support including 8K video with HDR. The cable is backwards compatible with earlier versions of the HDMI Specification and can be used with existing HDMI devices.
• eARC supports the most advanced audio formats such as object-based audio, and enables advanced audio signal control capabilities including device auto-detect.
• Game Mode VRR features variable refresh rate, which enables a 3D graphics processor to display the image at the moment it is rendered for more fluid and better detailed gameplay, and for reducing or eliminating lag, stutter, and frame tearing.
The new specification will be available to all HDMI 2.0 Adopters and they will be notified when it is released early in Q2 2017."

Note the announcement of eARC! Supports all audio formats, including TrueHD/Atmos, DTS-HD MA and multichannel PCM, and has its own independent signaling.
________

I don't know how exactly that will play out moving forward with new existing HDMI products. We'll just have to sit tight and see/hear. But 8K is being talked about...
It is relevant because HDMI is a big part of the new Oppo UDP-203 UHD BR player, with two HDMI outputs and one HDMI input (the previous 103 had one more, MHL/HDMI input on its front panel; so two In and two Out, version 1.4a).

? The 203 ?
Dual HDMI Outputs
- The player features two HDMI outputs – an HDMI 2.0 port for connecting to the latest UHD TVs, projectors and A/V receivers, and an HDMI 1.4 audio port for connecting to older A/V receivers.
HDMI 2.0 Input
- An HDMI 2.0 input port that supports UHD resolution is available for users to connect an external streaming device.

"There is 2.0a, which is the current version of what the 203 has, and the 203 can also be upgraded to 2.0b when it's necessary to.
2.1 now seems to be the brand new upcoming spec just announced today. The 203 won't have anything to do with HDMI 2.1.
That will likely require all new hardware.
As far as 8K ultra video definition I think it would be obvious that the 203 won't be able to do that, just in case anyone decides to ask. ...Oppo 303?"

• http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-103/
• https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-203/

Look, you buy a product with the latest HDMI version; it needs to communicate properly with the entire chain...TV, front projector, source, AV reveiver/surround AV pre/pro, all the HDMI cables, ...the software with the hardware. ...Cable/satellite HDMI boxes, apps, streaming devices, HDMI DACs, ...all.
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? Extra: Dolby Vision Titles on Ultra HD Blu-ray in Early 2017

 

[cjfrbw]

I'll probably wait until Sony includes a 4K player on Playstation then upgrade the Playstation.

I got a Samsung blu ray player at Goodwill for $15. I recently used it to play the "Captain America Winter Soldier" DVD from the library through on my 120 inch/Sony VPL 1100ES and was amazed at how much information retrieval is still possible from 480P. The picture was gorgeous, sharp (no, not 1080P or 4k sharp), very contrasty, colorful and looked great. I didn't miss hi def much if at all while watching it.

Since I still prefer the projected image, and that relies on low light and a more subtle presentation, I don't think HDR means much in that context.

in Santa Cruz, I recently bought a 4k Sony HDR 42 inch LCD TV that I use for a computer monitor and lion's den entertainment center, and it produces some outstanding images with streaming 4k. I would call them hyper reality, because they almost look TOO real.

 

[NorthStar]

Carl, you are a calibrated audiophile; you need one of those: http://oppodigital.com/BluRayPlayer.aspx
? http://oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-205/

Sure you can get a Samsung BR player from Salvation Army (five bucks), and play DVDs from your local library for free.
But with your Sony 4K front projector (top videophile class), why not also play 4K Blu-rays like 'Lucy', 'Deadpool', 'Sicario', 'The Revenant', 'The Magnificent Seven', ...? I see; Sony PlayStation 4 Pro Console (4K) ? https://www.playstation.com/en-ca/explore/ps4-pro/

Samsung has one now, 4K BR player, for roughly $175 (discounted @ few places). That's cheap, not $15 cheap, and not $25,000 serious 4K front projector.

You must be a Sony man. :b Sony is also coming up with their own dedicated 4K BR player, but through installers/dealers network.
I'm not sure we'll be able to purchase it as a normal audio/video component from stores (are there Sony stores?) and/or Amazon (jungle).

It's not an Oppo, it's a Sony. I'm sure the picture and sound quality (via HDMI) is parallel, or in that verisimilitude's field.
• http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...-sony-ubpx1000es-ultra-hd-bluray-player/35387

 

[cjfrbw]

Playstation Pro doesn't actually play 4k movie discs yet. I am sure a newer edition will. It's 4k is for games and streaming so far. Perhaps everything will be streaming soon enough.

I love my big screen, but I am also not always that hard to please. The difference from 1080p to 4k is less than from 480p to 1080p, and it shocks me how well many well mastered 480p upscale to 4k through the Samsung/Sony devices, and I am not that unhappy watching DVDs that way. It makes me wonder if the finer laser in the blu ray player gets more information off of the DVD than the older DVD lasers did.

The Sony HDR 4K TV in Santa Cruz streams 4k, so I can get my 4k ya yas out that way for the time being. It doesn't sound like there is that much true 4k content out there now, anyway, and I think that the real benefit of 4k is the Sony 4k upscaling, which is brilliant with most of the content at any resolution you put through it.

Thanks for being concerned about my audio visual health, though, I am not that much of a cutting edge AV guy.

 

[NorthStar]

You made a good point just above; I've read several comments of people finding the upscaling of 1080p to 4k looking better than real 4K content!
That's with front projectors.
And the Oppo BR players, including the latest UHD 203 player are praised by many in their 4K upscaling quality. I am quite amazed of reading that.
But, with front projectors it's easier to understand why; they don't have the same brightness that most OLED and LED TVs have.
UHD and HDR generally produce a darker/dimmer picture from a projector. You need to put the lamp on its highest setting, and some front projectors are simply not up to it, and noisy too from their fan.
That's one major area that needs improvement in 2017; quality 4K front projectors with adequate brightness/nits/lumens ... lamp intensity, laser, life. ...And affordable. ...Same for 75"+ OLED and LED TVs...more affordability for the young generation of cinephiles.

The Oppo 203 is giving more people a better understanding @ UHD and HDR, depending of their equipment and HDMI cables and 4K content/material...4K mastered Blu-rays. It's a learning experience, a higher plateau, a new evolution, a transformation, an adaptation, a process, a change of better 4K video components, 4K displays, the best 4K BR transfers. It is also a deception for the ones not all set up adequately, because 1080p still looks fantastic, and only 1080p (2K) Blu-rays...some are mastered in (((3D))). UHD has zero 3D; you'd have to do a 2D>3D video conversion.

What you also get with a UHD player is this: Dolby Atmos exclusivity from some movie studios in Hollywood who only put the new immersive audio in their 4K BR discs, and not in the regular 2D/1080p and 3D BR discs. It's a shame that they are forcing us to upgrade and invest in their companies. But I guess the executives who earn on average more than 200% than the rest of us, have to eat and feed their children. '-)

Question: Can we live in a high technical/material world without compromises? Do we need an airbus ride to the next habitable planet? :b

 

[cjfrbw]

Actually, I still believe the charm of a projected image is sitting in a dark room with the image still low enough to create a hypnotically suggestive, almost impressionistic involvement. I think this was also the charm of older projected film in the theater.

I can understand HDR as a photographic standard moving digital imagery forward. Maybe it has its own charms with ultra bright and contrasty direct view monitors, like my 4k HDR Sony.

There are still old school guys who stick with the cathode ray CRT projectors (which don't get super bright compared to modern panel based projectors) because the image is just sensual.

One guy ran a HDR gray scale test disc with the newer Sony VPL 5000 projector which is laser based and puts out 5000 lumens (very bright for a projector), and he could barely get the bars to register at anything above 800, whereas the standard goes up to 10,000. So for projectors, HDR will probably just produce a less than stellar result. I think that projectors will eventually get "translation" software that will optimize HDR for the lower illuminations of projected images, but I think for practical purposes HDR is superfluous on projectors as it is stated in the standards. I am not even sure getting projectors bright enough to display HDR is even desirable, because there is a certain point where you get pop but lose that suggestive, impressionistic involvement.

Dolby Atmos sounds interesting, but my AV setup already has fantastic surround sound (9.4 Yamaha), so I am not all that hot to upgrade just for that purpose.

 

[NorthStar]

Your post brought me back to when I was living in Vancouver and going to "obscure" theaters, with girlfriends and their parents, who projected unknown films, black&white, artistic films, and one of the venues was an old classic well decorated theater from the old days, and still well maintained. Classic art deco and inexpensive; two films for five bucks.

 

[R Johnson]

As one who enjoys front projection, the latest 4K, UHD, HDR stuff has little appeal. I very much enjoy content from BD, Netflix streaming and (even) DVD with my 1080p DLP projector. Extra pixels are not a big deal given that I can't discern the pixels from my seating position. And it seems that contrast may be compromised to increase the pixel count in the same size display chip. To get HDR, will I need a 1,000 watt lamp instead of my 200 watt lamp? No thanks. I don't need more speakers for the latest sound formats either. It's fun to read about the latest stuff, but that's probably as far as I'll go....

 

[NorthStar]

It's a bit similar to people who like tubes and VHS movies versus solid state and 4K Blu-ray movies. You can't change people's perception. :b

I'm exaggerating a little; it all depends. After you've experienced the best there is no point of return.

Right now 4K quality front projectors and perfect large affordable 4K OLED TVs and impeccable 4K BR players and quality 4K Blu-ray movies and certified UHD long runs HDMI cables and quality pass/thru without issues HDMI circuits in pre/pros and AV receivers and Hollywood paranoia about 4K copyright issues and friendly 4K collaboration between all 4K manufacturing companies and common joint efforts to make life easier for all of us are as rare as discovering a new lost city underground from the most remote jungles of the southern Americas.
Somewhere in the chain, even when not aware with our eyes and ears, there are errors (timing, color shift, sync, framing, ...) to be discovered only later on when made aware from further knowledge acquired by the most knowledgeable audio/video experts. To some it will come as a surprise, to others as not much @ all.

The new UHD Oppo 203 is trying to break free of all conventions and restrictions and explore the new possibilities with matching cooperative friends.
It is succeeding in several fronts for many people. 1080p front projectors are things of the past, or still good enough for regular BR players and 1080p BR movies (and upscaled DVDs). ...Netflix @ 1080p and DD+ too.

2017 is the year when this world starts to become perfect. :b (((?))) Dolby Vision

 

[R Johnson]

...2017 is the year when this world starts to become perfect.

I look forward to reading about your adventures in this brave new world. Perhaps I'll catch up later...

 

[YashN]

2017 is the year when this world starts to become perfect. :b (((?)))

Not really: unfortunately, we still live in the Dark Ages of Cinematography.

Until people decry loudly the over-use of digital filters, monochrome or bi-chromic scenes, washed out colours so prevalent, movies won't nearly look as good as the technology itself allows in the videophile's home.

 

[NorthStar]

I look forward to reading about your adventures in this brave new world. Perhaps I'll catch up later...

I'm in a learning process right now, and sharing what I'm learning.

Not really: unfortunately, we still live in the Dark Ages of Cinematography.

Actually you are right; we are way behind when it comes to moving images and music reproduction.

Until people decry loudly the over-use of digital filters, monochrome or bi-chromic scenes, washed out colours so prevalent, movies won't nearly look as good as the technology itself allows in the videophile's home.

Art is a free form of expression; there are no standards in selling paintings, and their evaluation.
It's the offer and the demand that dictate the movements of today, and the recognition of yesterday's innovators/creators/true artists/names.
______

Ouch! ? 'Suicide Squat' - 'London has Fallen' - 'Passengers' - 'Now you see me 2' - 'Dirty Grandpa' - 'The Ridiculous 6'
______

• Michelangelo Antonioni - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo_Antonioni
• Federico Fellini - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_Fellini
• Sergio Leone - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Leone
• Akira Kurosawa - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa
• David Lean - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lean
• François Truffaut - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_Truffaut
• Stanley Kubrick - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick
• Pedro Almodóvar - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Almodóvar
• Charlie Chaplin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin
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* The Oppo UDP-203 is going to need another firmware update(s).

In other news; 4K/UHD/HDR/Dolby Vision OLED, LED TV manufacturers in 2017 are abandoning the 3D feature on their TVs...all of them!
What that means? It means that UHD/4K, HDR10/Dolby Vision is the "new movement" in motion picture @ home.
3-dimensional sharper/more colored/better contrast, brightness, blacks, depth of field, ...movie experience without the 3D glasses.

Eventually 4K front projectors might follow...I just don't know.

So, you have to keep up or you are left behind in the dust. That goes with picture, and sound. ...Movies and Music.

 

[BlueFox]

Ouch! ? 'Suicide Squat' - 'London has Fallen' - 'Passengers' - 'Now you see me 2' - 'Dirty Grandpa' - 'The Ridiculous 6'

Sounds like the porn version.

 

[NorthStar]

I mate a small dypo (the "t" is almost besite dhe "d" on our keyboart). And my eyes are gedding diret.

Tit you reat my highly praise review: 'Suicite Squat'
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_Squad_(film)

Budget: $175 million
Box office: $745.6 million (kids)

* On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 26%, based on 300 reviews.

All this to say that bad films are popular with the public; financially they can't resist pouring money for that kind of stuff.
I'm guilty; in purchasing the 3D BR.
This is a global phenomenon; it goes beyond North America's walls.

 

[BlueFox]

Turned on my HT gear when I got home so it will be ready for later tonight and tomorrow, and the Oppo said it has a firmware update. Loading went seamlessly and I will see later if there is any obvious improvement. Haven't looked yet to find out just what is in it.

 

[NorthStar]

They simply made it official now (1229), yesterday, the January 3rd Beta one (1229B).
• https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-203/UDP203-firmware-33-1229.aspx

If you had the 1229B then no change. If you didn't have the 1229B, then yes, it has fixed some issues.
____

I'm quiet here in this thread because I live in the [strike]president[/strike] present, and @ present the 203 is not in its prime.

 

[BlueFox]

Thanks. It was a new upgrade for me. Working in computer network software I know that nothing is ever in its prime.