Oppo BDP-205 issues with function

britishcomposers

britishcomposers
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While this is not strictly the correct forum for this question, I would much rather listen to my fellow brethren on here who, for those amongst you who have one such device, I know will be able to give clear answers on.

It goes thus.  I have installed for a client the aforementioned machine:  outputting to a multi-channel Rotel power amp via the L,C,R,SL,SR, SW RCA o/p's.  This feeds a Bowers & Wilkins Mini-Theatre 5.1 passive loudspeaker and active sub system. 

When specifying this system within a basement dig cinema room, I'd had the intention of using the Oppo's Blu-ray/DVD facility as well as with it's simple to use digital pre-amp facility, (no nasty Japanese AV-gimmick sound settings for the client to accidentally run into), with the television connected into the Oppo's optical spdif audio input, which operates with multi-channel sources. 

Within the set-up menu of the Oppo 205 is the sound processing of DTS Neo 6, which forms the basis of re-appraising native 2.0 (stereo) digital audio signals, (eg;  most of television's broadcast output, bar big tv drama productions and multi-channel cinema-release films) into a left-centre-right, surround pair and sub-bass matrix.  However, there appears to be no such reworking going on when this feature is selected on the optical and coaxial spdif digital inputs, for all that comes forth is stereo (L&R) and no sub-bass.  Pathetic, given that all televisions have an optical output for AV duties.  

I know that if the television were to be playing a Dolby-encoded programme or film, that the Oppo's Dolby 5.1 decoder would kick-into action on these inputs, but I am at a loss as to why they don't have the DTS Neo 6 feature working via spdif  - for it is common practice that multi-channel system users listen to 2.0 programme content in a matrix mode on other AV products;  one vital factor being to anchor the dialogue to the speaker nearest the television screen.  

Am I missing anything on the set-up procedure here or is this pure 'oversight idiocy' on the designer's part with this otherwise well thought of product?  Also, does it also happen on the previous BDP-195 model?  

As for the alternative approach with feeding sound from the television to the Oppo by using the HDMI2 audio return channel socket on the Panasonic television and connecting into the Oppo's ARC input, well this is completely useless in operation because it requires one to switch the television onto it's HDMI1 input in order to monitor the Oppo's on-screen menu to see the status of same, (the Oppo unit is located within an equipment cupboard and thus it's front display is out-of-sight), then one has to wait while a message tells you of the making of said connection.  Once it does, you are invited to select TV (as opposed to the Panasonic's AV button) on your television remote-control handset to start watching the chosen Freeview tv programme.  The trouble with this action is that it doesn't always keep the handshake, (for want of a better techno-babble term), when switching-over to TV because there is a marksman-like necessity with the timing of performing this 'pressing of the TV button' action that renders a success-rate of one-in-five attempts in getting the sound to come through.  Wholly unacceptable and un-workable for any client in my opinion.  

I have had this discussion with the main London Oppo agent with whom the unit was supplied from, but they have little knowledge of these findings, (which is usually the case, - that I am the one who has the rarest of scenario's where problems like these arise;  that no-one else has ever had the misfortune of coming across).

If any Oppo users (205 or even it's better facility specced 195 predecessor) on here have any suggestions or useful insight into these problems, I'd be most grateful.  Otherwise I'm of the mind to write to Oppo's CEO in China to see if a modded unit cannot be procured, for I am loath to absorb the wastage costs on the weight of a badly engineered product that really shouldn't be.  

This oversight sits right up there with the Colt Starrion Turbo, whose namesake was akin to something lifted right out of a Benny Hill sketch as it should've been the Stallion Turbo.

Sorry to be asking in a two-channel forum but I am at my wits end with this product, having stayed late in the night on the job trying to make sense of it all.  Any help will be much appreciated.      

 
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JamieMcC

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As above a poster there called bob is the resident guru for all things Oppo 205 plus if he doesn't know  the answer he seems to have a direct line of contact with oppo and can find out quickly.

 
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bencat

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Apologies as this might well be wide of the mark . I have never used the above unit but tried to think like I would if it happened to me . Most obvious to me is go and look at the manual and see if in the many pages there is anything that might be what is happening . After a brief look I found the following and while I am not at all sure this is a cause or better still a solution to your issue it is worth a quick look. Last line is the one for me as it is a default setting for NEO6 and unless something else is selected then it will pass through the signal coming in a Stereo out as Stereo .

Like I say not a definitive answer but at least a possibility .

8. DTS Neo:6 Mode: Allows you to enable DTS Neo:6 audio processing and select the listening mode. DTS Neo:6 is a digital signal processing that can expand the original stereo source to 7.0 (L, R, C, LS, RS, LR, RR) or 7.1 (with Bass Management) surround.

Music – Enables DTS Neo:6 audio processing for stereo music sources.

Cinema – Enables DTS Neo:6 audio processing for digital TV box or stereo movie sources.

Off (default) – Turns off the DTS Neo:6 to keep the original audio quality.

 

britishcomposers

britishcomposers
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Apologies as this might well be wide of the mark . I have never used the above unit but tried to think like I would if it happened to me . Most obvious to me is go and look at the manual and see if in the many pages there is anything that might be what is happening . After a brief look I found the following and while I am not at all sure this is a cause or better still a solution to your issue it is worth a quick look. Last line is the one for me as it is a default setting for NEO6 and unless something else is selected then it will pass through the signal coming in a Stereo out as Stereo .

Like I say not a definitive answer but at least a possibility .

8. DTS Neo:6 Mode: Allows you to enable DTS Neo:6 audio processing and select the listening mode. DTS Neo:6 is a digital signal processing that can expand the original stereo source to 7.0 (L, R, C, LS, RS, LR, RR) or 7.1 (with Bass Management) surround.

Music – Enables DTS Neo:6 audio processing for stereo music sources.

Cinema – Enables DTS Neo:6 audio processing for digital TV box or stereo movie sources.

Off (default) – Turns off the DTS Neo:6 to keep the original audio quality.
Thanks for your reply.  

Yes, I read this, but cannot get it to work on non-HDMI inputs, - eg; the spdif optical and coaxial audio inputs.  Moreover, the sub-bass or .1 RCA analogue output on the Oppo doesn't output anything on two-channel audio sources, such as the optical feed from the Panasonic television when it's tuned into a tv programme that's not 5.1 encoded.  Strange, since in the speaker set-up menu on the Oppo it has been set to small speakers all around the five audio channels used (B&W M1's) and there's nothing going to the active sub-bass speaker.

I may just have to use a Y-connector on the main stereo RCA audio outputs (separate audio stage to the 5.1 RCA o/p's and therefore not bridging anything upstream on the Oppo to mono) to act as feed to the sub;  albeit without the speaker distance calibration applied, plus the reliance of the sub's EQ calibrations applied instead of those on the Oppo's set-up menu.  My patience is beginning to run thin will ill thought-through products that are appearing more and more these days in the consumer marketplace.

Thanks again though.  Much appreciate the responses so far.  May talk to Bob on the AVS Forum as advised above if I can't get any further on this.  Never been there before though.

 

bigfool1956

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I had a similar problem once, and the issue was the gain structure I had used for the subwoofer. Basically I had the gain on the SW too high, so that for a balanced sound the signal going to the SW was too weak to trigger the SW into operation, and the light on it resolutely stayed red.

The answer was to turn down the gain on the SW and increase the gain in the receiver (in my case) settings so that the SW was properly triggered to turn on.

 

bencat

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I am sure you are probably much better at this than I am but having had four changes of Operating Software in this Job alone I have often been forced to wander through the minefield of menus and tables.

As I say never used this machine but on the inputs do you have a menu to set default sound ? Some items have a default that they go to if the input is not Dolby / DTS etc . If this is the case then check that the default for the SPDIF input is set to NEO6 . Then make sure that the NEO6 is set to Cinema as the unit will default as it says above to changing nothing .

I think part of the issue is you are using a BD Player for functions that are strictly normally handled via an AV Receiver and the Menu of the oppo  is just not big enough to cope .

 

britishcomposers

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I am sure you are probably much better at this than I am but having had four changes of Operating Software in this Job alone I have often been forced to wander through the minefield of menus and tables.

As I say never used this machine but on the inputs do you have a menu to set default sound ? Some items have a default that they go to if the input is not Dolby / DTS etc . If this is the case then check that the default for the SPDIF input is set to NEO6 . Then make sure that the NEO6 is set to Cinema as the unit will default as it says above to changing nothing .

I think part of the issue is you are using a BD Player for functions that are strictly normally handled via an AV Receiver and the Menu of the oppo  is just not big enough to cope .
That makes much sense.  I often try to get into the head of the two-layer's worth of a given product's DNA of operation:  The engineer who designed it and the person (or people sometimes) who wrote the manual.  Worse still if it's a translation, but in this case, I have since found that Oppo Digital is not Chinese (as in possibly their mobile phone division) but from good old California USA.

When I return to the client late this week, weather permitting, I shall have more time to calmly go through and look into what you've just suggested.  I may even perform a factory re-set (after taking notes on setting values stored) as this may re-awaken certain 'confused' protocols within.  So much of what is modern leaves me cold in this vein which is why I have mainly old or conventional electronics at home that never go wrong or trip-up.

I had a similar problem once, and the issue was the gain structure I had used for the subwoofer. Basically I had the gain on the SW too high, so that for a balanced sound the signal going to the SW was too weak to trigger the SW into operation, and the light on it resolutely stayed red.

The answer was to turn down the gain on the SW and increase the gain in the receiver (in my case) settings so that the SW was properly triggered to turn on.
I had a similar situation, but insofar as a client's Rotel auto-sensing circuit shut the power amp down at low background volume levels, even though the speakers were middling in efficiency rating and the source only 2V in it's total o/p.  Yet another ill-prepared design faux-pas.

 

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