Updated Sept 29 - 10
        Answers to some questions

Comment:     

Robert W wrote:
"After living with the unit I have noticed the blu-ray picture quality is better than stock. This is most noticeable with the blacks in dark scenes where the transition from gray to black seems to have more discrete steps."



Jennifer replies:
"Our mods will dramatically improve the Blu-ray picture quality, as well as standard DVD video. The combination of lower noise in the DC rails, the local vibration damping on ALL the video and computational chips, and the damping-isolation of the 5 clock crystal timebase's associated with both video and audio all help. No one single thing gives all the
performance, but the sum total of a lot of small incremental improvements results in a very nice overall package.

For our video reference, we mostly use the Blu-ray of Dr.No, the old James Bond flick from the early 60s. *This blu-ray* is from a restored film, the film negative is scanned with super high resolution equipment [about 16 times the resolution of 1080P] directly from the ORIGINAL camera color negative film, not a release print, and has been restored and corrected frame by frame, and then down converted to 1080P, where it achieves a level of quality that has been unequaled even by pure native 1080P video cameras of today. The opening scenes have shadow and sunlight, delicate skin tones, fine hair revealing facial close ups, bright ocean water with sparkle highlights, open blue sky with harsh shadows, glossy and dull painted surfaces in all kinds of lighting situations, and pure-color solid fields in the opening animation. In a matter of 10 minutes we can see just about everything that will reveal the color and shadow revealing performance of a player. ...And besides, the film is a true classic, fun to watch! 

I am personally very sensitive to the gradations  in the shadow areas. where as you note, you can see deeper into the dark ares with gradations. This is not a trick of reducing the contrast, as that setting is unchanged!  All that improvement in low level detail comes from helping the processors and video chips with lower noise, and lower vibration induced smearing. I also watch a lot of old B&W Noir detective films...These are almost always shot dark and shadowy, hence my focus on improving the low light resolution. On rare occasion I have seen actual projected 35mm film of some of these Noir classics, and in the real film you can see into the shadows, and that is what I try to achieve with the video of them. Just having everything below a certain darkness go to hard black is irritating to me, especially when I KNOW there is
graduation down there, so we go after it.

Jennifer".

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Question?

Jennifer, do you plan to perform Mods the newly introduced BDP-93 (does not feature stereo outs like BDP-83) as an HDMI 1.4 transport only, i.e., no analog Mods?  THANKS

Answer:
    Yes we DO have extensive mods planned.  The 93 has a complete set of 8 analog outs for a total stereo or surround capability, but not the separate stereo-only DAC and outputs as found in the 83 series. For proper stereo from the 93, will likely be necessary to enter the menu and select a stereo output for music reproduction, and you will use the L and R outputs in the multi-channel array. There may well be auto switching of this function for those that are using the 93 for both multi-channel movies and 2 channel music, but we do not know for sure one way or another yet about that.

What we ARE already working on is a new 2 channel analog board for the 93, and following 95. We will intercept the L and R analog signal either immediately at the DAC output, or after the first stage, and route the 2 channels OFF the Oppo board and on to our own. From there the stereo signal will be amplified, filtered as needed, and buffered and servoed. The circuit will be 100% direct coupled, and the output stage will have an active DC offset correction servo to eliminate any potential of offset on the output. We are using the top of the line TO-99 metal-can National LM4562HA  op amps, and, if certain stages requiring current feedback for best operation are needed, also the National LME45713HA current feedback op amps, also in the TO-99 metal can. We have done extensive comparisons of the sound of assorted op-amps and even the sound of the 'same' op-amp in different packages. We have found that the best overall sound is when the die is mounted in a metal or ceramic housing. National no longer offers ceramic housings on the vast majority of its linear devices, but they DO still offer the metal can variations at a premium price for many of their best amplifiers. Our plan is to use the very best of these as appropriate, in spite of the cost penalty for the superior packaging.  As a matter of comparison, a plastic cased op-amp in either the small surface mount SOIC package [ as used in the Oppo  83 series ] or larger conventional plastic DIP package, will usually run in the 80 cents to 3 and half dollar region. The same amplifier die in a TO99 metal can will run from 12 to 20 dollars, but it WILL almost always sound better, and even measure better with the right very sensitive test equipment.   Our new circuits will then feed a pair of new Cardas RCA jacks, just as we use in the Oppo 83,  that will probably be installed under the multi-channel array on the rear panel. It is also QUITE likely that our new analog board will also include a Polarity Inversion circuit integrated into the new analog design, and a small toggle switch will be added to the front panel to select the Polarity.  Some people mistakenly refer to a Polarity switch as a 'Phase' switch, which is a technically VERY incorrect term, although widely used.  We are already working on perfecting a short-signal path polarity selection circuit. By the way, this polarity selecting circuit will also be available as a stand-alone system with multiple inputs, for use with tuners, recorders, CD players, or anything else that produces an un-balanced signal that is not equipped with a polarity switch.

For those customers that are using HDMI audio and video output only, decoding sound later in the signal steam, we will have appropriate modifications that will improve the sound and picture, just as our mods on the 83 do. In this application, the work on the audio board and new analog board will be omitted, and all the rest of the modification enhancements that focus on power supply improvement, vibration abatement, reduction of clock jitter, noise suppression and what-have-you will be fully executed. 

We knew that the 83 had a finite life ahead of it, but it was not originally scheduled to be terminated at this point in its life-cycle.  The problem came from Sony, who supplied the optical drives for the 83 series. We HAVE done quite a bit of investigating, and got an 'insider story' about what really happened, not the 'official' public story that has a spin of political correctness to it. We are preparing an update to our Oppo web pages that will explain the situation as we heard about it for someone employed by a well known company whose CEO is buddies with folks at Sony, and ended up chatting about what HE heard from them..... We will also be posting information on the new Stereo analog board we already have in development for the 93. It will also be retrofitable to the stereo channels of the 83 for those so interested.

Thanks for your inquiry,
Jennifer


     
                                      
                                    

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