Oppo BDP-105D Processor?

You guys are aware that the Oppo *ONLY* decodes the HiDef multichannel audio tracks from stuff played from the internal bluray drive and media player aren't you?

If you feed a HiDef multichannel movie into the Oppo via the HDMI inputs then it won't do HDAudio decoding from that source ...

Phil

Thanks for the heads up Phil but the reason I choose the Zen+ rather than any other NAS was because, and I quote from their web site "Store your Blu-Ray and DVD in MKV and play them on your Oppo in full quality 1080p and 7.1 DTS-HD sound. Connect the Zen+ via asynchronous USB and make the most of the Oppo's splendid DAC."  

So isnt it just the question of making sure you use USB for sound and HDMi for pictures ?

Not exactly ... if you *RIP* your BluRays and DVDs to an MKV format (with whatever your favourite ripping solution is, ensuring that you get the correct audio stream in the MKV) then you can play the MKV via the Oppo's UPnP client. (This is basically the same for any UPnP server though - nothing specific to the Zen.)

In that case it is being played internally on the Oppo's media player and you should get the HD audio too however I don't still have a unit around to confirm that.

What I did find though was that it wasn't a great UI experience to browse through large collections of movies. (I have all my movies stored as complete ISO images with extras and additional audio tracks on my main media server and there are several thousand of them.)

The Zen obviously also has its own built in audio playback solution that uses a USB attached DAC - again this isn't anything too special ... numerous other NASs do too - such as the Synologys.

Cheers

Phil

Thanks again.   I guess I will have to wait until it arrives to confirm - and there is a 30 day returns policy if it does not do what I expect and have asked it to do.  I agree with you about the UI  - hence my comment in my earlier post about it not being pretty!  Thats why they pair the Dune 303D with it to overcome this deficiency.

I am still not 100% sure how it will all work with the Zen and Oppo connected to via ethernet to a switch and the Dune sitting inbetween the Zen and the Oppo.  At the moment watching blurays on the Oppo  is a fantastic experience and I am expecting it to be as good when using ripped/stored files on the Zen+.

Nothing like kicking back and watching a good film with great sound after a "hard" days skiing :-)

I use a Dune B1 and control it with 10Muse on an iPad but obviously as an external HDMI source the Oppo wouldn't decode the HD audio from it when playing movies.

Phil

Neil...

I am VERY interested to hear your report on how this works out...

I already have a sinology NAS but no blue ray rips...

I will rip a few to prep… and perhaps with some of your guidance I shall follow in your footsteps to achieve the same thing...

What amp and speakers are you using for the center and rears?  and are you doing sides as well… all driven off of the oppo?

The Oppo will deal with all video formats that I've yet encountered in hi-def and surround, providing they are either streamed from a NAS or played directly off a USB storage device.  USB DAC mode won't play surround, and HDMI rendering mode won't resolve hi-def.

The UI is basically just a list, which as Phil says can be off-putting.  However it helps to keep a folder structure for related materials (eg DVD extras or TV shows/seasons), and helps further to use the control app which at least provides an alphabetic index bar -  so you don't need to scroll all the way to 'Z', for example.

Thank you KarlosTT,

I have clarified with Innuos the connections and am hopeful that I will end up with something worth listening to or watching :-)  Also with the Dune I should have a clear and easy to navigate movie wall. The  NAS to Oppo USB will provide 24/192 or DSD for music and the HDMI from Dune to Oppo will provide DTS-HD.  I am not sure if this misses a trick or not.

The recommended control apps are Squeezepad for music, internet radiop and streaming, and My Movies for monitoring the Zen NAS ripping process and controlling the Movie wall and the Dune.

Will confirm when the toys arrive later this week - as long as Swiss customs dont hold on to it for too long.

Will certainly keep you posted.

Oppo is connected via Naim AV2 to a Naim 82 pre-amp (+ 2 HiCaps) and 2 Naim 135 power amps for Front left and Right (Ruark Crusader IIs) and the Center (Ruarl Dialogue II) and Rears (Ruark Sabre IIIs) are powered by a Naim 175 3 channel power amp. So a 5.0 set up 

This thread got my interest (Thank you Ken!!!) due the OPPOtunity (sorry!) to reduce the number of boxes by selling the AV2 (and my Naim CDI) and using the money to upgrade the pre-amp/power supplies :-)

...you won't be able to decode HD DTS and Dolby Digital audio streams from the Dune going into the Oppo via HDMI as it only decodes the HD multichannel audio from the internal sources (the Optical drive and the UPnP renderer).

Cheers

Phil

Yes, I believe Phil is correct on the HDMI inputs -  no matter what the source / interface being deployed.  If you're using a NAS, stick with the LAN cable input for best results, and let the Oppo be the 'player'.  May not be the "prettiest" but it's the most effective. 

Also, another point mentioned was DSD playback in USB DAC mode.  I am not sure this is possible, leastways I haven't achieved it yet.  This could be an issue with the Oppo's USB interface but I'd be interested to hear the official answer from the horse's mouth. 

As with video, there are no limitations if streaming DSD or playing it off a USB storage device.

Thanks Phil and Karlos.

So the Dune will output HD DTS & DD but the Oppo wont decode it via HDMI?

And if I use the LAN connections  - then am I limited to the Oppo's UI for selecting movies ?

It seems odd that Innuos would specifically tell me that for a better UI experience for the family as well as making the best use of HD Audio I would be better off with the Zen+ and Dune into the Oppo rather than the Oppo speciifc "Zen+ for Oppo"*.

Regarding DSD into USB DAC  - I think this was part of the firmware upgrade last year on the Oppo and again this was confirmed by Innuos sales as a key feature for me.

DHL express tell me my shipment is on its way.....

Correct...

 Correct...

Well the Dune will correctly extract the normal DTS or Dolby Digital core audio from a BlueRay rip and output it instead of the HD audio so it *WILL* work, you just won't get the HD audio from it.

PopCorn Hour A400's don't extract the core DTS or Dolby Digital audio correctly (they also don't do the menus either) however the earlier C200's do.

Phil

Neil, are you looking for a UI that provides movie genre or director filters, etc etc, as with audio ?

Personally I find a simple alphabetic list works just fine, providing it's accompanied by alphabetic short-cut access, which the Oppo control app does.  In fact I definitely prefer a simple list to some dodgy server potentially offering up file dupes, or files which don't exist, organised in a ham-fisted & time consuming manner.  NAS/Servers are capable of serving up such cr&p that Oppo's robust simplicity in folder view can be quite refreshing, imho.... ;-)

So its taken its time but finally I understand.  

I read the Oppo 105D user manually in full last night (yes I should get a life)  and Page 20 clearly  states

" Both HDMI INPUT ports are HDMI v1.4 compatible and can accept up to 1080p high-definition
video signal, however, due to internal bandwidth limits, the audio signal is up to 6ch/192kHz or
8ch/96kHz PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS and AAC."

So if I utiltise the benefit of the Dune UI then I will end up with 5.1 / 192 or the various flavours of Dolby non HD audio.  It will be interesting to compare that sound with the HD Audio from using the network route instead (ie UPnP).

Karlos - the reason for having a nice UI is really for the kid's and wife's benefit.  But I really appreciate the suggestion of having a short-cut access - I have around 2,000 albums on my Voyger Air portable NAS and I was looking for a particular song for about 15 minutes the other night as it had been mistakenly filed under "Compilation" "Rock" "P!nk" "Funhouse" "Steely Dans Greatest hits" :-) 

Finally - I am assured that DSD playback works fine via the USB DAC - but only for the 105D and not for the 105EU.  Not sure if that is the issue.

Thanks again for the help.

Hi Neil,

I think that user manual paragraph is rather ambiguous, or confusing.  What it really translates to is "won't resolve Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio".  The mention of 192 khz is kind of irrelevant because that doesn't exist anyway with standard DTS or DD source material -  the best is 48 khz.

Don't get me wrong, I can see why and where a lot of really good work could be done on the UI.

However, with movies/video (compared to audio) I think the downsides of a simple list view are fairly minimal, because alphabetic order is the logical way to organise -  even for browsing.  For searching, it does put an onus on you the user to ensure titles are correct, to group related materials under folders, and ensure folder names are logical.  But basic housekeeping isn't hard, or a bad thing to do.... :-)

Anyway, once you're up & running with the new gear I think you'll have fun regardless, and figure out best ways to configure everything per your own requirements.

Hi Karlos,

You are right about the ambiguity - but the source material on the Zen+ will be HD and the Dune will do the decoding to 5.1ch 24/192 which is what the Oppo will then get via HDMI.  Just curious as to whether there will be a big difference between that sound and full HD if I use the Oppo as the decoder from the LAN / UPnP route.  I will find out sooner or later :-)

If it is a big difference I could always have the Dune in the lounge where watching movies is a less immersive experience but still good fun.

Then I would be in the home cinema with my nicely organised Oppo folder structure and the missus and the kids in the lounge.....result! :-)

I suspect that there may simply be a licensing issue involved if the Oppo was able to decode Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio from external sources ... I had an email conversation with Oppo a year or so about it and they said that although it technically could be done it was unlikely on this platform (which sounds to me like a 'we're not allowed to do it under the terms of our licences'...).

Phil

I'm pretty sure the current lineup of Dune's won't decode DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD internally to 24/192 5.1 LPCM ... my Smart B1 won't.

Phil