OPPO BDP-103 Universal Disc Player Reviews

Written by John Wayne in Product Reviews

OPPO BDP-103

Amazing players play almost everything. I bought this for the HD pictures quality and it is. For the projector, it’s worth it to spend that money.

But for a small tv your never gonna see the difference. Sound quality with FLAC files on the direct mode it’s beautiful.

OPPO BDP-103 Player Specs

  • Product Name: OPPO BDP-103 Universal Disc Player
  • Product Brand: OPPO Digital
  • Model Number: BDP-103
  • Price: $599.99
  • Product Weight: 10.8 pounds
  • Product Dimension: 16.8 x 12.2 x 3.1 inches
  • Warranty(if any): 2 years
  • What’s Included: 4k Up-conversion, 2D-to-3D Conversion, True 24p Video, Vertical Stretch Mode, Advanced Picture Controls
Pros
  • The dual-core processor provides quick startup and fast loading times.
  • 4k Up-conversion.
  • 2D-to-3D Conversion.
  • True 24p Video.
  • Vertical Stretch Mode, Advanced Picture Controls.
Cons
  • Pretty expensive.
  • The power adapter is wide.
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Features of OPPO BDP-103 Disc Player

Sound Quality

For the projector, it’s worth it to spend that money, but for a small tv your never gonna see the difference. Sound quality with FLAC files on the direct mode it’s beautiful. One thing, I’m disappointing, it opens iso files as a file, not as a movie like on the computer or with a WD TV media player.

I have a server with a lot of iso files and some have more than one stream on the same movies. Anyway, nothing is perfect with all the technology that exists, so this is the Blu-ray player to buy if your request is quality over the price.

The sound is even more spectacular. I’m still not sure that the Qdeo Video Processor works at its peak on my machine. But with the picture and sound I have now, I’m happy

Verdict

Admittedly, my audio and video equipment would be considered low end by most who might consider the OPPO BDP-103. That said, after 3 years of nothing but frustration with my highly rated “cheap” Samsung player ($80), using the OPPO has been a great joy. Perhaps my imagination, but I swear I hear a difference in the audio even on my modest system. Alas, the video is what it is, no difference there, but I didn’t really expect it on my system.

OPPO BDP-103 Universal Disc Player

For my purposes, the system was easily connected to my TV as well as my audio system. Everything works perfectly. The wifi connection was easy. So far, it has read every file format I’ve thrown at it. I love that it has its own screen (my previous cheap player required the TV to be on to keep track of what was going on, which is silly for audio only).

The remote

The remote control contains three OPPO remote codes. The default is “Code 1”. If you have other OPPO products placed close to the BDP-103, they may inadvertently respond to the BDP-103 remote control. To prevent this, you can select a different remote code.

To select a new remote code, open the battery compartment cover of the remote control, and then use a ballpoint pen to flip the switch to one of the positions marked as “1”, “2”, or “3”. Close the battery compartment cover. Make sure that the BDP-103 player is turned on and that the disc tray is ejected.

Aim the remote control at the player. Press and hold the ENTER button for 5 seconds. The player will start using the new remote code.

This is bitter-sweet for me. On the one hand, it’s BIG and HEAVY. On the other hand, it’s big and heavy. I love the heft, and the buttons are big enough for my eyes to read the captions. But it is big and heavy.

Changing the Backlight Method

The remote control supports one of two backlight methods. By default, pressing the LIGHT button will turn on the backlight, and pressing any other button within 10 seconds will keep the backlight on.

The alternative method will activate the backlight whenever any button is pressed; in this mode, the light will stay on for 10 seconds, and pressing any other button will keep the backlight on. To switch between these two backlight methods, press and hold the LIGHT button for 5 seconds.

Quick Start Guide

The BDP-103 is pre-configured with settings that have been optimized for most home theater systems, so it can fit into your audio/video system without any additional adjustment. To begin, please follow these steps:

  • Connect the OPPO player into your system.
  • Turn on the TV and/or receiver/amplifier, and then turn on the player.
  • Switch the input selection on your TV or receiver so that the TV displays the signal from the
    player.

Within a few seconds, the player will load the factory default settings and you will see the Home Menu with an OPPO logo. The player is now ready for use. Enjoy your new OPPO Blu-ray sacd player.

Mute

1. Press the MUTE button on the remote control during content playback to turn off the audio output. The TV screen displays a mute icon. The front panel MUTE indicator will also light up.

2. Press the MUTE button again to resume audio output.

Note: Check the mute status on the front panel display of the player when there is no audio output. You may also press the MUTE button to verify the MUTE status.

OPPO BDP-103 Manual

My big caveat to anybody getting this unit is … read the manual! I’ve seen many reviews which claim something isn’t working but, after my 2 hours of manual reading, found references where certain features will work only with a specific level of updates or specific choices in Settings.

If you’re not a manual reader, well, hopefully, you have enough experience in modern equipment to just know what to do, or you have a friend who knows, or that you don’t really need an advanced feature.

Output Resolution

The BDP-103 supports multiple output resolutions. For a detailed discussion on how to choose the best output resolution, please
refer to the Select the Best Output Resolution section on page 22 of this manual. If you would like to change the output resolution, you may do so by pressing the RESOLUTION button on the remote.

  • Make sure the HDMI cable is properly connected.
  • Turn on the TV and adjust the TV to use its HDMI input port.
  • Make sure that the player is turned on. Although the output resolution can be changed while a disc is playing, it is recommended that you stop playback and take out the disc before changing the output resolution.
  • Press the resolution button. The Resolution Menu appears on the TV screen. If the TV does not support the current resolution and you cannot see the Resolution Menu, the current resolution is also displayed on the player’s front panel.
  • Use the UP/DOWN ARROW buttons to select the new output resolution. You may also press the resolution button multiple times to cycle through the available output resolutions.
  • Press the ENTER button to apply the selected output resolution. If you do not want to change the output resolution, press the return button to exit and return.

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OPPO BDP-103 Problems

I have always dreamed of having an Oppo. But I couldn’t justify the price. So I had to resolve my problem with my issues with previous players by going ahead with the Oppo. Well, it didn’t start off well. I set up the player as specified in the owner’s manual.

The recommended HDMI output is HDMI-1. The picture sucked! After a few e-mails back and forth the CS Rep had me restore the player to factory settings. The picture turned out fine. But when I changed the input to HDMI-2, effectively bypassing the Qdeo Video Processor, the picture was even better.

I rented a Red Box copy of The Martian and the picture was unbelievable! The Oppo is light years ahead of anything else I have seen. The sound is even more spectacular. I’m still not sure that the Qdeo Video Processor works at its peak on my machine. But with the picture and sound I have now, I’m happy!

Competition: Similar options on the market

Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player: The Sony UBP-X700 is a replacement for the former UBP-X800. The new player is smaller and more lightweight than its predecessor. It’s about the size of most recent Sony Blu-ray players.

The operation is very intuitive. When the opening screen comes up, press the open/eject button, insert your disc, and press PLAY, and you are done.

OPPO UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Player: This Multi-Region Oppo UDP-203 will play ANY Disc, from anywhere in the world, PAL or NTSC. I would NEVER buy any disc player that is not Multi-Region.

There are many wonderful movies that are LOCKED regions outside of the USA.

FAQ About OPPO BDP-103 Universal Player

Does the OPPO BDP-103 really play regular DVDs and CDs without any problems?
Flawlessly. Most regular DVDs are upgraded to 1080p by the phenomenal processor. I have both regular DVDs and blue rays of the same movie, and the major difference from blu-rays is in the audio.

This replaced my Sony ES series Blu-ray that was very fussy about what it would play (no scratches or copies, please). Never had a disk fail in this machine that wasn’t hopelessly damaged.

After I bought this machine, I retired a Proceed CD player ($1500) that I’ve had for 15 years, because nothing sounded as good.
The Oppo does. This is only my experience, that’s all I can provide. 

Does this player have the Amazon app?
I plugged a fire stick into the oppo and it works fine. When powering up the 103 you need to go into the menu and select option 3 so the input is from the back (which is where the fire stick is plugged in). Also, in the Oppo menu, you can select that when you turn on the unit it recalls the last input you used.
Is this the oppo 103 region free? And does it play DVD-a disc?
From Oppo Support: “Universal means that the player will support all standard media formats, can output in PAL and NTSC and do PAL<->NTSC conversions, and has a power supply that can be used in any region of the world.

What the player is not is Universal Disc Region. Licensing requires that we lock the player to DVD Region 1 and Blu-ray Region A. Any region free playback will require hardware modifications that we do not support.” It could be more clearly stated on their website.

Is it wi-fi?
It comes with a wifi dongle that is plugged into the rear of the unit. Make sure you have the bandwidth to the stream had content over wifi, or the video becomes choppy. I wound up running Ethernet to mine with a 5 port switch feeding the Oppo, Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6, and my Escient Fireball.
My equip. supports 1.3 HDMI @ the oppo is 1.4 will this make any difference in picture quality or is it even possible?
No difference really. The system is backward compatible. There are only 4 things that 1.4 brings New to the system that 1.3 didn’t have:

  • Higher-resolution capabilities (allowing for Ultra High Definition 4K x 2K which is about 6x the resolution of 1080p)
  • Support for 3D video at 1080p with compatible Blu-Ray Players, Set-top Boxes, PCs, and TVs.
  • Audio Return channel allowing audio from an HDMI 1.4 TV to be passed back to the receiver through the HDMI cable rather than having to run a separate audio cable to the TV
  • Ethernet link channel allowing all of your HDMI 1.4 devices to connect to the Internet through an existing HDMI cable provided that just one of your 1.4 devices is connected to the Internet via Ethernet or WiFi.

Unless you are really into this, the Oppo runs just fine on 1.3. They are just ahead of their time! Excellent product.

Any problems playing pre-recorded DVDs DVD-R?
I haven’t tried a DVD-R, but Blu-Ray discs burned from Final Cut Pro play just fine.
I already have Netflix on my gaming console. Once I have my Oppo set up, can I use my old user name and PW to login to Netflix?
I am not expert in Netflix, but I think you have to set up one “door” or device to be the Netflix access, and in the others, you do not set up anything.

So if you want to change from a game console to Oppo, you must disable the access through the game console. I access my Netflix account in three different apple TVs in my house, and I keep them connected all the time. So I do not see any problems. Of course, I can access only one TV per time, at least in my house. Best regards.

which is better? this or Panasonic DMP-bdt500?
The Oppo is the best. I have a Panasonic BD player, but my next one will be an Oppo if they keep making great players like this one. If you have any doubts about this, just do some online searching for professional reviews of this player.

Bottom line

Overall, Most complaints seem to come from a lack of connection to their network (did they connect the wifi USB stick or a wired connector to the OPPO? Who knows), or the apparently incomplete set of buttons on the remote control function.

When selecting the remote control it defaults to the middle 1/3rd of the actual remote. This contains most of the moment to moment controls.

If you want to have access to the other buttons, simply scroll up or down. While I have not done a button-by-button comparison, it appears to me that every button on the remote is replicated on the remote control portion of the media controller app.

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John Wayne

This is John Wayne's website, and this is a bit of copy about him. He has a life long desire to test all kinds of tools and wreck them if needed. He has an engineering background, loves playing baseball and football, ran home to watch films, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books!

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