Dolby Vision Support is Now Available on OPPO Ultra HD Blu-ray Players

Dolby Vision Support is Now Available on OPPO Ultra HD Blu-ray Players​

(Dolby)
(June 6, 2017) OPPO Digital has officially announced the availability of a highly anticipated feature on its UPD-203 and UDP-205 Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc players: Dolby Vision. Today, the company issued a statement saying the technology is included on a new firmware upgrade, making both models the first players on the market to be Dolby Vision compatible.

Dolby Vision is the industry’s most powerful version of HDR to date, capable of delivering greater brightness and contrast, in addition to more colors. The tech is proving to be the preferred HDR mastering workflow for major studios, and the addition of Dolby Vision on OPPO 4K players allows enthusiasts to experience more 4K content as it is intended to be viewed.

“The addition of the OPPO Blu-ray player to the Dolby Vision ecosystem is a major milestone that will provide expanded choice and accessibility for consumers,” said Roland Vlaicu, Vice President, Consumer Entertainment Group, Dolby Laboratories. “With Ultra HD Blu-ray, we are able to scale faster to meet the growing demand for Dolby Vision content globally.”

OPPO’s wildly popular UDP-203 and UDP-205 4K Blu-ray players support a wide array of disc formats, including 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, standard Blu-rays, and DVDs. Prior to this current firmware update, the players carried the ability to support HDR10 and Wide Color Gamut found on 4K discs. OPPO, however, developed the players with Dolby Vision in mind, and included the necessary onboard hardware to implement the technology at a later date.

“Delivering reference picture quality and a premium viewing experience has always been the core mission of OPPO’s disc player products. We are thrilled to work with Dolby to incorporate Dolby Vision into our UHD disc players,” said Jason Liao, CTO of OPPO Digital. “The home theater experience is even more lifelike and engaging with the astonishing brightness, contrast, and color provided by Dolby Vision.”

Current owners of UDP-203 and UDP-205 models can choose to download the update direct to their players via Wi-Fi. Alternatively, the update is available through the company’s website or on a firmware CD (available upon request).

AV NIRVANA is just days away from publishing a full review of the UDP-205, so be sure to check-in and read how OPPO’s new reference standard performs!

 

[phillihp23]

This is excellent news. The real issue will be is your tv and or projector Dolby compatible.

 

[tesseract]

Looks like I'll be needing a new panel, soon, with all the new tech coming out.

 

[Todd Anderson]

That's definitely the next piece to the puzzle for a lot of folks.

Dolby Vision encoded content will still (most likely) play on HDR10 capable sets (you just won't see the benefits).

 

[NBPK402]

I just upgraded my firmware, but of course my Samsung doesn't support it.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I'd hazard to guess that the update contains several other tweaks...so installing the firmware upgrade likely will still benefit you. ;-)

 

[Asere]

That's good to know but besides needing a tv and player that supports DV. Does the AV receiver also need to be capable of DV?

 

[Todd Anderson]

Great question with a not so simple answer. Dolby Vision is technically compatible with HDMI versions going back to 1.4a. However, your receiver will require special firmware that's been issued by Dolby. Dolby has issued software that allows your AVR to differentiate between SDR and DV signals... but you are completely beholden to your manufacturer for the firmware to be released for your particular model.

AVRs, supposedly, will start carrying some kind of Dolby Vision compatibility stamp in the coming year.

 

[Jon Liu]

The firmware update got pushed to my system last night! I'm getting my copies of Despicable Me 1 & 2 today and will be watching #1 tonight.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Great news, Jon! Definitely report back with your impressions!

 

[Asere]

Great question with a not so simple answer. Dolby Vision is technically compatible with HDMI versions going back to 1.4a. However, your receiver will require special firmware that's been issued by Dolby. Dolby has issued software that allows your AVR to differentiate between SDR and DV signals... but you are completely beholden to your manufacturer for the firmware to be released for your particular model.

AVRs, supposedly, will start carrying some kind of Dolby Vision compatibility stamp in the coming year.

Firmware is better than having to buy new gear but like you say it is at the mercy of the manufacturer for that model. I have a feeling my X4200 will remain in the dark. At this point it's ok I guess as I am not ready for DV or 4K just yet. Hopefully later I can do some upgrading

 

[Todd Anderson]

What kind of UHD BD player do you have?

 

[Jon Liu]

Alrighty, I was able to watch all of the first Despicable Me last night.

Watching on the Oppo to my LG, I can say it is, indeed, one of the best presentations that I've had with HDR. What impressed me the most was the color reproduction. APL was quite bright overall and specular highlights were also quite impressive. Despite being a bright, bright image, black levels remained very, very good.

The improvement in level of detail for the movie was also appreciable to my eyes. Hard edges didn't always come off as immediately improved over the 1080p SDR presentation, but improvements in the level of detail was still always noticeable. Clothing and various different objects, including character's skin all showed texture detail the SDR blu-rays never properly resolved.

I also got to watch just a couple minutes of DM 2 yesterday before I headed to bed and it certainly looks like that presentation will be even more pleasing than the first.

If DV can provide a consistent experience like what I've seen from DM 1 (and tiny bit of DM 2), this is certainly the way I would much prefer to watch my movies.

I'm eager to see Sony push out an update to their TVs, specifically to the Z9D, that way we can see if and what benefits DV has on a FALD LCD with a high brightness capability.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Jon - thanks for the update! Very interesting to read a first hand account. I need to pick up a copy and check it out on this end. Sounds like DV is worth it!

 

[tesseract]

Thanks for the feedback, Jon. It is amazing how fast video is advancing.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Pretty exciting. Forget 8K. These advanced color and HDR features are the game changers the industry needs to focus on!

 

[Jon Liu]

Exactly Todd! I really can't wait until we have TV's that do full rec.2020 color!

Resolution is already at the point of diminishing returns. Consumer grade televisions would need to be a lot larger or people sitting a lot closer to them to start really appreciating anything beyond 4K.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Too bad the marketing folks aren't falling in line! ;-)

Amazing things are to come, that's for sure. In the mean time, you're incredibly lucky to have such an amazing performer in your home. Not sure how you feel, but it's hard to imagine what's possibly going to come.

 

[Leonard Caillouet]

Pretty exciting. Forget 8K. These advanced color and HDR features are the game changers the industry needs to focus on!

I agree completely. The fact that resolution is not the 'end all' for image performance seems to have become clear to the industry and we are moving in the right direction. More resolution certainly does not hurt, but ignoring other aspects of performance to get it certainly is not worthwhile. There exciting times ahead for video, even if it will mean upgrading some equipment. But remember, that first VCR cost how much? And that first big screen? We have some incredible options for very reasonable investment these days.