Has the Oppo carried the AV industry?

According this review, the Mcintosh is back http://www.blu-raydefinition.com/hardware/mcintosh-mvp891-audio-video-player-review.html

Hi Albert,

Interesting about the DSD performance. Knowing Oppo, though, there will be incremental improvements with every new model, usually with software updates for previous models. Recording methods may also spur near future improvements in sq performance.

I'm really enjoying music files recorded and played back at 24 bit/96khz, with the critical ingredient seeming to be the recording at 24/96. Rereleasing CD quality recordings on 24/96 is still 16/44.1 sound contained within a bigger file; I cannot discern any sonic improvements.

However, I can clearly notice the reduced noise floor, resulting increase in details and greater dynamic range on 24/96 recordings when compared to CD redbook.

If I can find enough music I enjoy recorded at 24/96, I may need to increase my 2 TB system to one closer to your storage capacity.

I've also had a hard time differentiating sq between 24/96 WAV and FLAC files. But that's allright, since I'm able to get very high resolution AND use less hard drive space for the files, too.

Enjoy,
Tim

here's all im interested in, if it means needing to get ANY Oppo: One, I need to know if its possible to burn my bluray discs onto some hard drive, bit for bit (no loss of audio/video rez), and stream them through the Oppo? Ultimately, I want to get rid of all my Discs (going away anyway...let's be honest) and store them as exact copies, just like I heard some of the Kaleidascapes can do.
If the oppo simply is used as a player for my discs, Im less enthused. I'm sure it plays marginally better than standard $150 Bluray players for sound and vid, but im guessing that has much MUCH more to do with how well my projector and setup is calibrated and engineered, as well as the integrity of my audio system.
Again, if anyone can convince me of all the "goodness" that the Oppo can do to transform my digital AV life (i.e, store or stream media and arrange all my titles like a server, do wifi to my Netflix, even somehow -not sure how it can do this - stream my bluray titles from some stored hard drive (really??!), etc, then im definitely on board. Otherwise, if it's just down to better supposed sound and vid from my disc collection and SACD or two, which I own, then Im probably no so interested. Thx for anyone clarifying

Both our 95 and 105 stream Netflix (and several other services we haven't used) from our WiFi network, and the 105 can take high quality stereo from sources like HD Tracks from our Mac Mini via its asynchronous USB port. The 105 also provides superior analog for our DirecTV HD-DVR via an HDMI connection. So even if it doesn't play a single disc, the 105 earns its keep, but, of course, it plays many kinds of discs very well. They also function as processors in our setups, with Velodyne SMS-1s providing ARC in the critical sub range.

db

Avgoround,

You stated: "here's all im interested in, if it means needing to get ANY Oppo: One, I need to know if its possible to burn my bluray discs onto some hard drive, bit for bit (no loss of audio/video rez), and stream them through the Oppo? Ultimately, I want to get rid of all my Discs (going away anyway...let's be honest) and store them as exact copies, just like I heard some of the Kaleidascapes can do.
If the oppo simply is used as a player for my discs, Im less enthused. I'm sure it plays marginally better than standard $150 Bluray players for sound and vid, but im guessing that has much MUCH more to do with how well my projector and setup is calibrated and engineered, as well as the integrity of my audio system."

I am not currently using my NAS to store and playback video files wirelessly in combination with the Oppo. As I stated before, I am doing this with my entire CD collection and several 24bit/96khz hi-res downloaded music files.

However, it's my understanding that doing the same with video files is also possible with my current setup and I'll probably do this in the near future. My only reluctance is the increased storage usage of video files compared to audio files.

If you come to your senses and buy an Oppo, I think you can be doing the same if you want. I was unsure how to accomplish this at first, so I did a lot of online reading and research on computer audio (www.sounstream.com and www.computeraudiophile.com are 2 good sources of info). I also started a few threads here on Audiogon in the 'Digital' section of the Forums when I wanted questions answered and several fellow members were very helpful.

I now am very glad I did and have enough knowledge and experience to beconfident giving advice, especially with utilizing the Oppo in their setup.

If you're interested in setting up your own computer audio/video system, I'd be glad to assist you if you'd like. Just let me know.

To help you decide, I'll list some requirements you'll need to get started along with prices I paid for them:

1. Home wi-fi system with router that has an R-45 ethernet port(about $30 plus per month in most areas). The higher your internet speed the better but more speed= more $$.

2. Digital Media Renderer and Digital Media Player(DMR, DMP). The Oppo 103($499) and 105($1,199) serve as both providing the same high video quality but the 105 providing better audio quality. Each has a wireless USB dongle included for wireless streaming. Some will say you need to hardwire for best audio/video quality but I found this not to be true for me, at least for audio. I have no signal 'dropouts' and wireless and wired sounded identical on my system.

3. Digital Media Controller(DMC). I used my existing laptop but you could use a desktop or even a tablet. Im not sure of current costs on these.

4. Media center software. There are several options and I found J River Media Center($49) works very well for audio and handles video also but I have not used this capacity yet.

5. Network Attached Storage (NAS) which is the main storage device for all your video and audio files. The NAS is connected to your home wi-fi system via the router using an Ethernet cable with R45 connectors. There are several options with single or multiple bays for various sized hard drives bought separately. I bought a Synology R112j single-bay NAS for $150 and a 2 Terabyte(2 TB) hard drive for $89. Many recommend the use of a multiple bay NAS with multiple hard drives that basically mirror each other and, in case of hd failure, a remaining good drive takes over automatically so there's no down time. This is called a RAID system and the NAS itself is more expensive plus there's the extra cost of multiple hard drives.

I love my music but, in case of hard drive failure, I can get by without it for a short time while I replace the bad hard drive and reload my music files from my backup drive. I think RAID systems are unnecessarily complex and expensive but the choice is yours. I would definitely use a RAID if I was using it for a business but not my A/V files.

6. Backup hard drive. Hard drives do fail and you will need a system to guard against losing your files permanently. You'll therefore require an additional hd to consistently and frequently backup files to that is the same size or larger than your NAS drive. I use a Seagate Backup Plus 2 TB that I bought for $94. The unit is attached to the NAS via a USB cable and is programmed to backup all my files automatically every night while I'm sleeping.

7. Hard drive for NAS. HDs come in various sizes up to about 8 TB and the size you buy depends on how many a/v files you want to store, with prices increasing as size increases. I bought a Seagate Barracuda 2 TB hd for $89 but there are many options. Mine is a regular mechanical, spinning disc hd but there are also newer solid-state hds that are faster, quieter and also more expensive.

Once I had the Oppo, and since I already had a laptop and Wi-Fi with router, I was able to add computer audio to my system for a total cost of just $400. I cannot overstate how versatile and important the Oppo 105 was in attaining my excellent results. All the bluray and other discs it will play, and it taking over as my preamp and 5.1 surround processor and DAC, are just additional advantages.

Ultimately, of course, it's your choice. But, if you do buy one, I'm willing to assist you as much as I can with setup.

I'm no expert yet, but may be soon.

Tim