Oppo Vs Philips

[miata]

I can't believe that no-one has commented on the latest issue of CHOICE Magazine, in which a sub $200 Philips BD player, outperforms the Oppo and was rated #1.

Edited February 6, 2012 by miata

[Quark]

How long since Choice had any credibility? The amount of cr@p they have endorsed over the last twenty years is a joke.

[betty boop]

outperforms in what way ?

edit, yes unfortunately choice ratings seem a bit bizare at times !

[Quark]

[quote name=' timestamp='1328519119' post='1778810]

outperforms in what way ?

edit, yes unfortunately choice ratings seem a bit bizare at times !

Based on some their previous efforts the assessment methodology might have been based on a composite connection to a 26" black and white TV.

[wilsact]

I would take many of choice mag reviews with a grain of salt. (I found their 102-107cm tv review very amusing.) Whilst many of their reviews are good (i.e whitegoods etc), they are hardly av specialists. Still to their credit they did list the oppo as their equal best 'choice' along with the Philips. I note they failed to take into account regular firmware updates and the level high level of customer service provided by each company, which many of us would put very high on our list when buying. Will Philips want to know you in 6 months or even reply to emails, like companies like oppo will?

[miata]

I would take many of choice mag reviews with a grain of salt. (I found their 102-107cm tv review very amusing.) Whilst many of their reviews are good (i.e whitegoods etc), they are hardly av specialists. Still to their credit they did list the oppo as their equal best 'choice' along with the Philips. I note they failed to take into account regular firmware updates and the level high level of customer service provided by each company, which many of us would put very high on our list when buying. Will Philips want to know you in 6 months or even reply to emails, like companies like oppo will?

Philips is one of the oldest electrical companies around, why would they not support their products? Upgradeable firmware was mentioned in the preamble "all players on test can be upgraded via the internet" and I think the results panel is pretty comprehensive. Only in "Ease of use" did the Oppo 93, score higher than the Philips. I had been considering upgrading my SONY BDP S350 and would definitely use the CHOICE test as a guide if I did. I paid over $1200 for my first DVD player when there were only two movies available, so I'm not afraid of paying for quality, I would have to seriously question the price of the Oppo for very similar (and at least for the tests carried out, inferior) performance. I also used to travel a lot and multi region was important, it is not a factor any more (for me) so why would I pay four times as much for no gain in picture or sound quality?

[blairy]

So I'm guessing someone here has the choice review that they might be able to share...

Edited February 6, 2012 by blairy

[SDL]

It's akin to The Washington Post suggesting Greg Matthews was a better cricketer than Don Bradman, no credibility so opinions of Choice are taken with a grain of salt.

[wilsact]

Philips is one of the oldest electrical companies around, why would they not support their products? Upgradeable firmware was mentioned in the preamble "all players on test can be upgraded via the internet" and I think the results panel is pretty comprehensive. Only in "Ease of use" did the Oppo 93, score higher than the Philips. I had been considering upgrading my SONY BDP S350 and would definitely use the CHOICE test as a guide if I did. I paid over $1200 for my first DVD player when there were only two movies available, so I'm not afraid of paying for quality, I would have to seriously question the price of the Oppo for very similar (and at least for the tests carried out, inferior) performance. I also used to travel a lot and multi region was important, it is not a factor any more (for me) so why would I pay four times as much for no gain in picture or sound quality?

First each to their own. There are many bluray players out there that will keep various people happy.

As many have said Choice are not really specialists in testing this type of av gear.

Regardless you are not being honest with the test results and your representation of what the test really said.

In their results they give 6 'What to buys' out of the 22 players tested. They list the Philips and Oppo (apart by a single percent), followed by 4 others. Choice normally do not give just one winner in their tests, but usually a number of what to buy choices. They are normally across different price ranges as well.

If you see the 1% as a clear victory using their vague testing criteria so be it, but I doubt that is what Choice is aiming for.

Also note they do not actually include audio performance as one of their test criteria, so you can not really comment that the Oppo has no gain in audio performance going off the test (as you have above) as it wasn't tested!! Still will try not going too much into what was not tested, as this will end up 10 pages long.

Here is the percentage ratings given during the test for each criteria they used.

(Disclaimer- Though I would also suggest signing up to read the full test, and they do provide many other worth while reviews.)

Many of the other players on test also rated close. Unfortunately they do not give accurate or specific numbers for test results like power useage, or even test versatility of disc playback etc (only going off what the manufacturers claim). They just give the percentage ratings for their overall score.

Also they do not state what screen size/type was used for testing (just that they use two 'indentical reference screens' and 3 bluray titles, 1 dvd title, and 1 1080p home video.)

You could argue that more specialist reviews would be much more comprehensive telling you what titles were used, and using a wider arrangement of titles especially with load times, and how different players handle this across different and difficult discs. Most quality reviewers keep a selection of these difficult and reference disc for these comparisons. Also no mention of any other testing equipment used, so you just have to trust their judgment.

So you can see it is much less comprehensive than a specialist test.

They also skim over and do not take into account things like build quality, player noise (my Oppo 93 is much much quieter and much much better built than my also award winning spare room player Panasonic DMP-BDT-310 during playback and operation), and customer support as mentioned. As most of us know it is one thing the player being upgradeable, another thing the manufacturer supporting and issuing regular updates.

So fairly vague, and not really up to a normal specialist tests but anyway.......

What to buy: 80% Philips Oppo 79%

Criteria used to reach results-

Ease of use: Philips 72 Oppo 82

Picture quality: Philips 95 Oppo 95

Versatility score: Philips 87 Oppo 77

Load time: Philips 55 Oppo 56

Error correction: Philips 100 Oppo 100

Power consumption: Philips 79 Oppo 55

cheers

Edited February 6, 2012 by wilsact

[HomerJ]

Versatility score: Philips 87 Oppo 77

the difference is all in this score. What is Versatility ?

Does the Philips have 3D, play SACD and DVD-A, play most digital file music formats over LAN//WAN, Wii-Fi? That would make them the same.

What are the extra ten points for? (mabe Versatility means it can play on its side or even upside down?)

Edited February 6, 2012 by HomerJ

[Mjr69]

I have used Choice twice years ago to make decisions on some appliances that I had very little knowledge about - a washing machine and a microwave. Both were 'the best available"...

The washing machine burnt out and was repaired three times before it was determined that the spare parts would cost more than a new machine and then there was the labour costs and waiting time because the gearboxes were not an item kept in Australia. The microwave lasted about one month after the warrantee expired before it was replaced - told that it was a throwaway item. I had only used it about six times!

A lady I work with subscribes to the mag and has had similar experiences but still trusts them. But I noticed that lately she also asks around the office before she makes a purchase.

She recently was thinking about upgrading her TV and I asked if I could read the article - it was full of generalisations and half truths - no wonder there is much confusion out there.

I can't comment on the actual article but I too am curious how "versatility" is better on the Philips...

[Mjr69]

Here is most of the article - mods please delete if this is not allowed...

Blu-ray players review

Our testing reveals whether 22 Blu-ray players live up to the hype.

Author:Chris Ruggles

1 .Introduction

We review 22 Blu-ray players, priced from $129 to $950.

Through our rigorous testing, we reveal which Blu-ray players:

Have the best picture quality

Are the easiest to use

Are the most versatile

Have the fastest load time.

The arrival of the DVD over a decade ago heralded a new age in home entertainment and marked the beginning of the end for the VHS videotape. Now we're told DVD is no longer good enough and we need high-definition (HD) digital video on Blu-ray (BD) to truly enjoy video in the home.

This round of new Blu-ray players includes some extended tests on damaged disc handling and we've decided to remove BD-Live from the versatility score (all models on test had this feature), because it is so dependent on the movie provider's offer.

CHOICE looked at a range of Blu-ray players to see if their performance lived up to the hype. We tested ease of usability, how long they took to recognise and start playback, how the picture compared to DVD and how well the player would play a damaged disc. We also measured the standby energy of the players.

None of the Blu-ray (BD) players in this test can record content, but many can stream video from the internet as well as play multiple formats, including most CDs and DVDs – and, of course, Blu-ray discs.

Brands tested

• Denon DBP-1611UD

• LG BD660

• Marantz UD5005

• Onkyo BD-SP309

• OPPO BDP-93

• Panasonic DMP-BD75

• Panasonic DMP-BDT110

• Panasonic DMP-BDT310

• Philips BDP5200/12

• Philips BDP3200/12

• Pioneer BDP-LX54

• Pioneer BDP-430

• Samsung BD-D6500/XN

• Samsung BD-D5500/XN

• Samsung BD-D5300/XN

• Samsung BD-D6900A

• Sony BDP-S780

• Sony BDP-S580

• Sony BDP-S480

• Sony BDP-S380

• Toshiba BDX1200

• Yamaha BD-S671

How we test

Before testing, we record all the main features and functions of the player, check that it has the latest firmware and assess the user manuals and any other supplied documentation.

Picture quality is assessed by three testers using two identical reference screens. We watch three BD movies and a 1080p movie shot on a high-quality consumer video camera with each player. We view a DVD movie in its native format and then upscaled to 1080p.

Ease of use We check to see how easy the player's remote control, menu system and other functions are to use.

Error correction We use a specially made DVD with gradations of errors to check how well each player handles faulty DVDs.

Versatility is scored on the number and type of formats the player supports, its connections and networking ability as well as any interactive functions.

Load time is the time it takes for each player to load a DVD and two different Blu-ray discs. Each disc is loaded into the player three times and the average time recorded.

Power consumption Each player's consumption is measured when the disc is spinning, in standby mode with power save off and quick start on (if possible) and again with power save off and quick start off.

02.What to buy

One of the most impressive features common to all these players is the ability to upscale a normal DVD to the same 1080p resolution as Blu-ray. They do this very well - in most cases we couldn't see any difference, and when we could there were only minor variations.

Although build quality may be a factor in the massive price difference between our top-performing Philips and the top-cost – Oppo, you could buy almost five of the Philips players for the price of one Oppo, so your choice should not be based on longevity alone. You'd expect more expensive models to have more features and offer greater flexibility, but this isn't always the case. Fortunately, all the players on test can be upgraded via the internet, which can help keep them up to date with evolving technologies such as changing HDMI protocols and 3D functionality.

6 CHOICE buys

Philips BDP5200 79

Scored 80/100 | $199

Good points:

• Claims to play most discs and formats (not DVD-audio or SACD).

• Very low standby energy consumption (Quick start off).

• SD memory card slot.

• Relatively inexpensive.

Bad points:

• Requires extra memory for BD-Live.

OPPO BDP 93

Scored 79/100 | $950

Good points:

• 7.1-channel analog audio outputs.

• Will play most discs and formats (not Xvid).

• 2GB internal memory.

• "Pro kit version" will play DVDs and BD discs from any region.

• HDMI cable included.

• Very low standby energy consumption.

Bad points:

• Relatively expensive.

Sony BDP S780

Scored 79/100 | $379

Good points:

• Claims to play most discs and formats (not DVD-audio, SACD or Video CD).

• Very low standby energy consumption (Quick start off).

Bad points:

• Requires extra memory for BD-Live.

Samsung BD D6500

Scored 78/100 | $279

Good points:

• Claims to play most discs and formats (not DVD-audio, SACD or Video CD).

• Relatively inexpensive.

Bad points:

• Requires extra memory for BD-Live.

Yamaha BD S671

Scored 78/100 | $349

Good points:

• Claims to play most discs and formats (not DVD-audio, SACD or Video CD).

• Very low standby energy consumption.

Bad points:

• Requires extra memory for BD-Live.

• No wireless option.

• Limited to 576i video via its component output.

LG BD660

Scored 77/100 | $199

Good points:

• Relatively inexpensive.

• Claims to play most discs and formats (not DVD-audio, SACD or Video CD).

• Very low standby energy consumption.

Bad points:

• Requires extra memory for BD-Live.

• No wireless option.

• Wouldn't play AVCHD files on USB.

• Can be slow to load DVDs.

04.What to look for

DVD upscaling allows you to view your current DVD titles in an "enhanced video" mode: the picture is interpolated to either 1080i or 1080p so your DVD movie looks very much like HD. (1080 is the number of lines the TV uses to display the picture, and is regarded as high-resolution/high-definition. The "I" and "p" denote different ways of displaying those lines.) However, you need an HDMI connection and a TV that can display HD to enjoy the benefits.

The remote control should have buttons that are sized, shaped and spaced so you can easily find and press them individually. They should be grouped so you can quickly go to specific functions, and the most commonly used buttons should be prominent.

USB ports allow you to plug in storage devices to play formats other than DVD and BD, or a wireless dongle if the player supports wireless. Having two USB ports is handy if you're likely to need to do both.

Memory cards can be taken directly from a camera or similar device and plugged into some players. Otherwise, you can use them in the same way you would a USB storage device.

Internet connection delivers a range of features, but not all are available on every model. Some use the internet connection to upgrade the firmware, or operating software of the player, via the internet, giving you added features and functionality.

Video streaming All players on test that can support video streaming also support YouTube video.

3D-ready means the player will recognise and play a 3D disc, but you'll need a 3D-capable TV to see the image in 3D.

Getting connected

Your Blu-ray player needs the best possible video connection to enjoy the full benefits. The following connection options are all able to show a Blu-ray movie, but if your TV can't handle at least a component connection, there's no difference in video quality using Blu-ray over a standard DVD player:

Composite

is found on most modern TVs and uses a single yellow RCA connector. All players on test have one.

Component

provides up to HD (1080i) quality if the TV can display the resolution. Three video cables are required to show the video, and you need a separate cable for sound. All players on test have at least one except the Panasonic DMP-BD45 and Toshiba.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)

is a digital connection for both video and sound in one cable, with the latest version being 1.4. HDMI is also the only connection that can accommodate the upscaling of video to a higher resolution. All players on test have HDMI.

Toslink (optical) and RCA (coaxial)

digital audio outputs provide a digital audio connection; either is a good option if you're unable to use HDMI to connect your Blu-ray player to your home theatre system. However, while these connections support most digital audio formats, they don't support lossless audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master audio signals.

Why DLNA matters

Home networks can be very tricky things to set up and then use. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) have created a standard that is supposed to make the process much easier. Products that are DLNA enabled should recognise a DLNA server and connect to it without your having to do very much at all.

Fortunately all the DLNA enabled products in this test worked well. The Pioneer models required a firmware upgrade to become DLNA enabled, but this wasn't available at the time of testing.

Once connected you can use the player to connect to anything on your network and often beyond to internet services such as YouTube or Picassa. However, not all players will recognise all files and it's a good idea to make sure a player will handle the sorts of files you like to work with.

05.Blue-ray vs DVD movies

You'd be forgiven for thinking all BD movies are created equal. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A recent test by our UK sister organisation, Which?, found some significant differences in image quality. They looked at 17 movies, available in both DVD and BD formats, and found eight showed little or no difference in quality between formats. Five movies really stood out because the BD version was exceptional, and a further four were definitely improved in the BD version.

Industry sources refused to comment on the specific reasons for these differences, but it's no great leap to suggest that the movies have been converted from different sources, of differing quality. Some will be taken from the original film stock, while others will have been up-converted from standard definition sources made for TV. Consumers shouldn't be made to pay more for little or no improvement in image quality, so we support Which?'s call for BD movies to clearly indicate on the label whether or not the movie is remastered from source materials.

The best-quality BD movies:

• Avatar

• Casino Royale

• From Russia with Love

• The Wizard of Oz

• Zulu

Little improvement to DVD:

• Matrix Reloaded

• Die Hard

• North by Northwest

• Gangs of New York

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

• The Untouchables

• The Graduate

• Ghostbusters

06.What is Blu-ray?

Blu-ray is a disc format that delivers video at a higher resolution than DVD. Initially there was a tussle between companies, led by Sony who support Blu-ray, and the companies led by Toshiba who support the competing format, HD-DVD. Thankfully this war was short-lived and didn't cause the same amount of trauma for consumers as the legendary VHS/Beta tape battle of the 1980s. Now it's Blu-ray or nothing for HD video on disc.

The Blu-ray disc looks very similar to a standard DVD, but the disc capacity is up to 10 times higher, which means you can fit a lot more video on each disc, including interactive games and other content. While you may think the video quality from a DVD movie is as good as it gets at home, when seen on a TV that can support higher resolutions (such as 1080p or 1080i, for the technically minded), the difference between DVD and Blu-ray is noticeable.

The additional space also allows for multiple streams of audio, to suit a wider variety of home theatre systems, although most home users will be happy with the standard Dolby 5.1 surround sound that's already available on most DVD titles. You can't play a Blu-ray disc in a DVD player but you can play a DVD disc in a Blu-ray player.

Blu-ray profiles

All Blu-ray players operate on one of three profiles, with functionality and support for extra features determined by the profile number.

The very first players support Blu-ray

Profile 1.0 (Basic)

which means it will play a Blu-ray movie in all its HD glory, but you won't be able to enjoy some of the extra features such as picture in picture (PiP) or any available interactive content.

Profile 1.1 (Bonus View)

requires the player to be capable of accessing at least 256 MB of memory. These players support picture in picture (PiP) as well as Virtual Package, which shows extra content such as games, trailers and interactive content by loading files from the Blu-ray disc into the players' memory.

The

BD-Live (2.0)

profile requires the player to be capable of supporting at least 1 GB of memory. For both Bonus View and BD-Live this can be done with either built-in memory or with user-provided memory, such as a memory card or a USB flash drive.

The main difference between a Profile 1.1 machine and a Profile 2.0 machine is access to the internet for interactivity.

BD-Live explained

BD-Live is interactive content delivered via the internet to your BD-Live enabled player. The content appears to be dependent on the disc title, and each title (disc) offers different experiences. For example, Iron Man has trivia questions, Transformers has "behind the scenes" footage, and The Bourne Supremacy has trailers for other movies.

The server to which the player connects when downloading content may contribute to intermittent connection and downloading issues. Overall, we found BD-Live to be an underwhelming experience, but there may be more compelling offerings in the future.

There are comparison tables but do not convert well to this format so they are not included...

Edited February 6, 2012 by Mjr69

[Mjr69]

Although the Philips does play DIVX it is region locked for both BR and DVD. However, I am told there is a workaround for making it regionfree for DVD:

Set to DVD region 0

1)No disc in tray

2)press "HOME" key on remote control

3)press number keys "1389310"

To check:

1)No disc in tray

2)press "HOME" key on remote control

3)press number keys "8520"

I think Choice have made a mistake in their "Verstaility" estimation when you say that the ability to play DIVX files outweighs SACD and DVD-Audio and that the OPPO can play DIVX from USB or LAN anyway. I also noticed there are no 5 analogue connections on the Philips which should have been someting to point out to prospective purchasers.

At $199 (and seen as low in the wild at $129) for a 3D player it is still a good option for many out there. But they were comparing it with a full singing and dancing regionfree modified BR hence the $950 pricetag. I think being able to play multi standard BRs is another tick for versatility!

[SDL]

and with regards to the burn-out of appliances that for me has been the issue. I have bought what were at the time considered good fridges and good microwaves from Choice reviews. The units were great when I got them home, nice features, good styling, did what I wanted. A couple of years down the track and bang they were faulty with no warranty, parts were expensive, and in the end junked them and replaced them.

I still would trust them to an extent that they tell you about some features on whitegoods but that is all, and with recent experiences I am sticking clear of whitegoods with features that sound great but I don't really need, as they become costsly when they fail. But when it comes to av gear I don't think they are really a great source of information, and when you see something like that versatility score, unless the Phillips makes a cup of tea as well as play BD's I just don't think it is very scientific.

[fawlty99]

First a disclaimer - I subscribe to Choice. Secondly, I might not re-subscribe due to changes in how they do business. Now about this article. Before we get too excited about their findings remember that they are aiming the article at ordinary Joe Blow consumers, not enthusiasts who bother to frequent specialist forums. In short what they are saying is that at a 5th of the price the Philips is a better buy than the Oppo. Don't see how you could argue against that. They also found that for picture quality all the units were pretty much comparable. Sure you could quibble about this or that but the average person would be very happy with any of them. In a nutshell they say "All players on test deliver very good pictures and sound, so buy on features, ease of use and price. Long load times and poor error correction will result in frustration. Look for higher scores in both areas". Bringing SACD and DVDA into the argument is a bit of a red herring as 95% of people have never heard of them.

[betty boop]

Sorry don't get the versatility 10 points extra to the Philips. Way I see it the oppo would thrash most players let alone Philips in this regard. Anyone know specifically what's more versatile about the Philips to get 10 more points. Note have owned couple of oppos, and few philips things over the years. Not oppo fan boy by any stretch. But do feel Philips though capable of some nice stuff, has walked away from Aussie market some time ago. With some spuratic re entry's but mostly through 3rd party importers...

Edit saw your post Fawlty, no probs purely on price. But as far as value that's something else. Most people here will make their own possibly quite different value judgements based on relative merits they see vs price commands.

Still keen to know what 10 more points in versatility brings

[Mjr69]

Bringing SACD and DVDA into the argument is a bit of a red herring as 95% of people have never heard of them.

I agree that they may not be of interest to the average Joe but neither is DIVX and as the only category that the Philips is judged better on by their definition:

"Versatility is scored on the number and type of formats the player supports, its connections and networking ability as well as any interactive functions. - therefore I think they made a mistake.

I can't argue about price - the Oppo is significantly more costly but they are not making their "Choice" on price alone and that is why when the only category Philps eclipses the Oppo is in Versatility (and it clearly isn't more versatile) then I question the outcome.

I have recommended 3 other non-Oppo players for friends because the models are more appropriate to their needs - so I have no affiliation etc.

[wilsact]

[quote name=' timestamp='1328577005' post='1778971] Sorry don't get the versatility 10 points extra to the Philips. Way I see it the oppo would thrash most players let alone Philips in this regard. Anyone know specifically what's more versatile about the Philips to get 10 more points. Note have owned couple of oppos, and few philips things over the years. Not oppo fan boy by any stretch. But do feel Philips though capable of some nice stuff, has walked away from Aussie market some time ago. With some spuratic re entry's but mostly through 3rd party importers... Edit saw your post Fawlty, no probs purely on price. But as far as value that's something else. Most people here will make their own possibly quite different value judgements based on relative merits they see vs price commands. Still keen to know what 10 more points in versatility brings

The 24% extra given to the Philips on power consumption also stands out big time for me. Especially considering they make mention of the Oppo's good standby power consumption.

Without actually listing figures gained through their testing and only percentages for each criteria tested, it is hard to place much value on any of their results.

As stated by others I doubt highly whether Choice is proclaiming the Philips as superior to the Oppo as the opp would like to believe, only that it is 'might' be a good buy for the average consumer.

[betty boop]

~

I have recommended 3 other non-Oppo players for friends because the models are more appropriate to their needs - so I have no affiliation etc.

same here, by no means see the oppo as all things to all people. as an example for some cheapy $88 tosh players are quite adequate or the jb hifi soniq. will do all they want for not much money without worrying about anything else.

The 24% extra given to the Philips on power consumption also stands out big time for me. Especially considering they make mention of the Oppo's good standby power consumption.

Without actually listing figures gained through their testing and only percentages for each criteria tested, it is hard to place much value on any of their results.

As stated by others I doubt highly whether Choice is proclaiming the Philips as superior to the Oppo as the opp would like to believe, only that it is 'might' be a good buy for the average consumer.

yeah not sure re the power thing either. and yes you might have a point there, perhaps all this says is for the average person the philips a better buy. sometimes with comparisons like this maybe not a lot of value reading too much into them ! hehe

[SDL]

fawlty I agree value for money the Philips may well be a better proposition, but that isn't one of the criteria as I undesratnd it. What they should be doing is rating machines out of the box against each other and then once they get a score discuss the cost as a factor where you pay for extras. They should not suggest a Mazda MX5 is a better car than a Porsche, though it may be a better value proposition cost wise for someone wanting a 2 door sports.

[fawlty99]

I agree that they may not be of interest to the average Joe but neither is DIVX and as the only category that the Philips is judged better on by their definition:

"Versatility is scored on the number and type of formats the player supports, its connections and networking ability as well as any interactive functions. - therefore I think they made a mistake.

I can't argue about price - the Oppo is significantly more costly but they are not making their "Choice" on price alone and that is why when the only category Philps eclipses the Oppo is in Versatility (and it clearly isn't more versatile) then I question the outcome.

I have recommended 3 other non-Oppo players for friends because the models are more appropriate to their needs - so I have no affiliation etc.

Maybe it is also because of the Philips having a memory card option? Anyhow - versatility only makes up 15% of the score so it is a 10% of 15% of the total. I'm not trying to defend Choice or Philips or whatever - just rationalising why for Mr Average the Philips would be a better buy (i.e. nbr 1 on the "what to buy" list.) I actually have a cheapo Pana as a player because decodong is done by the AVR and I have another better credentialled player for SACD/DVDA/DvD/CD and I stream from PC for divx and other exotic formats. The pana is fine for BD playback & I defy anyone to notice any difference with BD compared with a multi $,000 player. Horses for courses really.

[SDL]

So choice are making a choice instead of informing consumers so they can make a choice?

[JSmith]

This thread is whacky...

Choice = buy what we tell you.

Long live the mighty Oppo.

JSmith

[fawlty99]

So choice are making a choice instead of informing consumers so they can make a choice?

AFAIK a reader is not forced to buy what Choice recommends as a "best buy".

[SDL]

No I don't think anyone is forced to buy anything. Just a strange system where they score based on the demographic they are aiming at if that is the case.