Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems HelpPlease - Looking to buy a new Blu-Ray player

I think I'm going to swap my BDP83-SE for a 93 : for the 2 HDMI's & the 3D to future-proof myself (just in case I ever try 3D)....
The fact that the first batch is sold out is good news for me - means that there's time to find out how / who / what / where / when the hardware region-hack's going to be made available, and what the final spec of the 93+ is going to be - also just in case.... ;-)

Just to clarify, UKHDMI are supposed to be offering the first batch from the end of the third week of November in the UK. They were getting this batch by air. They are then due to sell more in the New Year, which will be coming to them by sea.

That was also my understanding. It appears people are being invited to order the 93 in the US indicating there is stock.

Avii

Asa Post + Avii: As mentioned in my post of yesterday, I spoke with a sales rep at UKHDMI and he made it quite clear that they do not have any precise dates as to when they'll be receiving any Oppo 93s other than it would be early in 2011 with an indication that it would probably be Jan or Feb. I do not believe there will be any offers made on the batch you refer to coming late this year as they've all been pre-sold. Again, this is based on what the sales rep told me on the phone.

I think the confusion was your comment that "no" 93 product would be available in the UK until Jan/Feb. If you have already placed an order for the initial pre-xmas stock then this hopefully will arrive pre-xmas.

If you're placing an order with UKHDMI since they exhausted the number of 93's available in the initial shipment, then yes, it appears to be a next year delivery.

Avii

does anyone have any thoughts or views on Audiocom and the modifications they do to the Oppo units?

No first hand experience but their claims for video over HDMI on the 83 would set alarm bells ringing. It should be easy enough to establish if colour, black/white level and contrast etc changes using basic calibration equipment.

"Clearly, colours were bolder, contrasts between whites and blacks more defined, with deep blacks more inky black, and whites fresher and cleaner looking."

Avii

I have an 83 with Audiocom's "full house" Signature HDMI upgrade. Burn-in is now just about completed and I'm delighted with the improvement in both audio and video quality on SACD, DVD-A and CD compared to my previous G98 and Oppo 80. However, I should make it clear that I added a HD621 at the same time as the 83 and, because of lack of space on my system rack, have not been able to A/B the players. My judgment is therefore necessarily subjective but I certainly would not hesitate to have Audiocom upgrade equipment I might buy in future.

NJHsmith,

Thank youi for taking the time to post. On the audio side, how is the performance of the Audiocom unit going through the HD621 with DD True HD and DTS Master Audio on BD source material? Also, how is the quality of Red Book CD verus the G98 which you used to have? I appreciate you did not A/B but just going off your "gut" sense.

Thanks. Jay.

Understood, however, none of those things are necessary/needed for me at the moment.

I totally agree with both you and George.

My first toe dip into BD was a Panasonic 35, then it went into system 2 when the Oppo arrived. And I ended up with a third BD player, a SONY, as part of a TV deal.

And guess what? The video and audio quality are indistinguishable from all 3, particularly through the HD621. OK, the Oppo loads a bit faster but this is really not the big deal that some make out although I do find the SONY slow.

And they all use that rotten HDMI with all its handshake problems. Whether or not that handshake will be friendly between components is anyone's guess. Unfortunately they do not all scrupulously follow the exact same protocol.

But spending dollars on high end players is a total waste of money. Now I have Sooloos the expensive modded Esoteric UX-1LE is sitting on the shelf rarely used for audio. Maybe it gets occasional use for MC SACD & DVD-A and is being used for DVD at the moment because the Oppo is not handshaking nicely with the iScan ...... and so it goes.

Just my 2C to help

John

What difference does HD621 make to video ?

Avii