Oppo BDP-83: Can't Play Blu-ray Movie!

Mark (Basspig) Weiss

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2010
682
37
940
New Milford, CT
www.basspig.com
The BD movie Adjustment Bureau, doesn't play on the Oppo BDP83, not even with the latest firmware. The disc plays through the ads then gets to TOP MENU and crashes. Nice work, content protection.

Ironically, I had no trouble playing it on my 2007-vintage Sony BDP-S301. Oppo disappoints me. First the mediocre audio DACs, now the fact that it can't play a movie that my older, non-updated player can play. A $500 waste, if you ask me.

I spent from 8:30 this evening until 9:52, trying to get that disc to play. I updated the firmware over the internet connection and rebooted the player and it STILL would hang at TOP MENU. This, after watching 7 minutes of ads. You can't even watch your Blu-ray disc without being spewed at with advertizements.

Imagine getting your whole family together in the first floor theater for a movie, only to delay them because a disc won't load. After ten minutes, the inlaws got up and went back upstairs. My wife finally lost patience after the firmware upgrade. I lost patience in Blu-ray DRM and the MPAA after that.

I think I'm done with Blu-ray. I may as well sell the Oppo. A player that doesn't play a movie disc is useless to me. I never had these problems with DVD, VHS or Betamax. Blu-ray is very disapointing. Watching movies should not be a lottery/crapshoot!
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,411
2,509
1,448
wow...i have been fortunate never to have a problem before like that. good to know. i own an oppo and use it as a transport into my Zanden. yikes...sounds like you managed to get the movie playing thru the sony. was movie nite back on in the end? or did it get rescheduled?
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Did a google and found others with the same problem. So Mark's experience is not unique.

BTW, my first generation Sony DVD player had even more serious problems. I put a movie in it and it would constantly reboot. And this was a player I bought for $1,000 in 1997 dollars! And of course, no firmware upgrade.

The real issue here is piling so much stuff into the Blu-ray spec without thinking of all the compatibility problems it would cause well into the future. The Java subsystem for example was taken from MHP which was designed for set-top boxes (and without success at the time) with huge amount of interfaces. Since perfect software has not yet been invented, problems remain and will continue into the future.
 

naturephoto1

Member
May 24, 2010
820
7
16
Breinigsville, PA
www.nelridge.com
Mark,

Call Oppo customer service. You may have to do a reboot of the system by going back to factory defaults. Sometimes the machine can get something in the settings that can cause it to not advance properly. But Oppo customer service should be able to find a fix and/or let you know if they are aware of a problem with that particular disc.

Rich
 

Mark (Basspig) Weiss

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2010
682
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940
New Milford, CT
www.basspig.com
We ended up watching upstairs on a small TV, because I don't have a switcher downstairs and pulling out both racks and rewiring 10 connections for the audio was out of the question for one movie.
The disc was the rental version. Other versions of this movie may not have the problem. It was a Redbox rental.
I have access to Oppo's Facebook page, so I posted there. They told me essentially the same thing. I also shut off BD-Live, which they suggested. Didn't make the disc play, but did save me 7 minutes of watching commercials before the disc froze again.
Blu-ray is essentially a BROKEN format. The DRM stuff only causes us problems, for some foolish perceived sense of protection for the MPAA. Meanwhile movie piracy goes on stronger than ever. The consumer loses.
 

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
5,158
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Albuquerque, NM
www.fightingconcepts.com
Some discs are actually authored differently for the rental market than for home purchase. There was a lot of talk about RED, the retired secret-agent movie, having different soundtracks for the rentals and purchase versions. I'd try another disc.

Lee
 

Mark (Basspig) Weiss

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2010
682
37
940
New Milford, CT
www.basspig.com
Some discs are actually authored differently for the rental market than for home purchase. There was a lot of talk about RED, the retired secret-agent movie, having different soundtracks for the rentals and purchase versions. I'd try another disc.

Lee

It's not likely that we'd be renting the same movie again. Maybe if the retail version comes up at Costco for a good price, but we usually don't watch a movie more than once, unless it's exceptional.
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
It's not likely that we'd be renting the same movie again. Maybe if the retail version comes up at Costco for a good price, but we usually don't watch a movie more than once, unless it's exceptional.

Well then it's your fault that the economy is in the toilet since your not doing your share buy "purchasing" movies.:D
 

Mark (Basspig) Weiss

Well-Known Member
Aug 3, 2010
682
37
940
New Milford, CT
www.basspig.com
Well then it's your fault that the economy is in the toilet since your not doing your share buy "purchasing" movies.:D

I would be buying more, except that my video production business is in the tank since 2009, and this year our property taxes went up over 65% due to revaluation. The economy would come back instantly if the government dissolved tomorrow, I garantee that. ;)
 

user510

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2011
22
9
910
Raymond, Wa USA
www.theanalogdept.com
I have the BDP-83. It is an early blu-ray player. I found it needed a couple of firm-ware / software upgrades before it would play 'all' the blu-ray disks I might toss at it. Now it seems to..but I haven't tried "The Adjustment Bureau". It does load up slowly on a blu-ray disk. Its hardware/cpu/whatever must be older tech.

Meantime it hasn't refused to play any blu-ray disks yet...so I keep it for playing movies. For playing audio CD's it doesn't compare well against my (stock) Jolida JD100, which has much better sq.

-Steve
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Last firmware was on November 26, 2014 ? http://www.avsforum.com/forum/149-b...dp-83-owner-s-thread-technical-talk-only.html

The Oppo BDP-83 is a 2009 model (seven years old). Many owners are still using it, others had some playback problems (no wonder for an older player)...best is to send it to Oppo and they'll fix it...best customer service in the business. You can even buy a working unit on eBay for a song. But then for two songs you can get the 103. And for three songs the upcoming Oppo 113 UHD BR player.

In the lives of BR players and HDTVs the expectancy rate flies real quick as every year more improvements and features are added. Same with AV receivers.
The only audio technology that is not advancing rapidly is the vintage audio gear: stereo receivers, stereo amplifiers, old solid reliable turntables from old reliable audio manufacturers; Linn, Technics, Oracle, Audio-Technica, Rega, Stanton, Pro-Ject, VPI, Numark, Music Hall, ...
 

Sharp 1080

Member
Apr 20, 2010
284
9
18
Dallas,Texas
It is time for an upgraded unit. The 103/105 units are great all around players and have better audio and video (Darbee) than the out of date unit the OP has. I know for me if the unit becomes "buggy" unplugging the power cord resets the unit.
 

user510

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2011
22
9
910
Raymond, Wa USA
www.theanalogdept.com
that loader tray

At one point a couple of years ago, my BDP-83 sat for a month or so without playing any disks. Then, when I finally did choose to play a movie, the damn loader tray would not open when I pushed the 'open' button. I found that if I rapped lightly against the tray door while it was in the 'open the door' mode it would then reluctantly open so that I could then insert a disc. After that, having played the movie, the door opened with no drama so that I could removie the disk from the machine.

This became the normal mode afterward. Until I tried something else. I just leave the BDP-83 powered up all the time. Now the door opens up with no drama when I push the button. Door behavior seems normal so long as I leave the unit powered up. Must have to do with operating temperature. Also, it seemed like the problem was mechanical in nature. Listening with ear close to the door, there might be a latch mechanism that works properly only if the unit is at operating temperature.

I know, this thing is ancient and should be replaced. It does reproduce a nice picture on my even older LCD Samsung flat panel. So, for now, it remains in service.

-Steve
 

user510

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2011
22
9
910
Raymond, Wa USA
www.theanalogdept.com
plugged in and switched on...

---plugged in and switched on. --- That's a blue light for this player. Otherwise, if you switch it off, it cools down and the recalcitrant drawer issue happens all over again.
-Steve
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
I've read in the past that Oppo repaired some older players out of warranty for only the shipping cost.
That's why I mentioned emailing them.

And yes, the red light is just an indicator pilot light, for off. Blue is on.

If money was growing like leaves from the trees in your backyard you would be able to buy the newest 203. :b
 

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