The Oppo UDP203 BluRay Player offers outstanding 4k video playback and perfect sound at a truly attainable price point.
We’re big fans of Oppo here at The Audio Affair Blog; possessing an uncanny knack for bringing outstanding audio and visual performance to a price point one might not think possible. Oppo certainly offers great ‘bang for the buck’.
Released at the beginning of this year, the Oppo UDP203 immediately garnered praise and awards from the press, claiming a coveted ‘5 Star’ review from What Hi-Fi Magazine.
With 4k video being ‘all the buzz’ and a steadily growing list of 4k media available, we take a look at the Oppo UDP203, plus some of the special upgrades offered Audiocom which really take the UDP203 to the next level.
Oppo UDP203 – The New 4k Standard?
The Oppo UDP203 4k BluRay player forms part of Oppo’s two-player 4k range, sitting beneath the UDP205 (the subject of a recent blog). The key differences between the UDP203 and the UDP205 are that the UDP205 offers an additional level of Audiophile enhanced features.
Let’s be clear though, the UDP203 is still a very well featured machine; indeed to refer to it simply as a 4k BluRay player would be to gloss over much of its functionality and breadth of abilities. The Oppo UDP203 is, in fact, an excellent universal disc player.
Virtually any 5″ optical disc format made is supported by the UDP203: BluRay discs in both 4K and Full HD (2D and 3D), DVDs, CDs and even DVD-Audio and SACDs are supported. You’ll also be relieved to hear that the UDP203 is fully HDCP2.2 compliant.
The Oppo UDP203 is more than just a high quality 4K video player, however. Thanks to the Oppo UDP203’s network and audio specificiations, the Oppo UDP203 can function as a Hi-Res music player. True Hi-Res audio is supported via the UDP203’s impressive hardware specifications. Talking of which…
Well Connected and Well Engineered
The Oppo UDP203 is graced with a high-quality 32-bit/384kHz DAC supporting bit and sample rates up to 24-bit/192kHz. All major music file types are supported including various DSD specifications.
Physical connections are kept to the basics, and are largely all the average user would ever need. A single HDMI in with twin HDMI out, a LAN port, twin USB ports, S/PDIF stereo digital on optical or coaxial, and analogue outputs for 7.1 surround.
There’s no denying then, that Oppo has endowed the UDP203 with all the essential features needed to create a well featured and strong performing 4k media player at an affordable price. Imagine the possibilities however, if this great platform was to be developed further, with absolute audio/visual performance the goal…
Audiocom Reference & Signature Editions
British AV specialists Audiocom, recognising the core strengths of the UDP203, offer a range of upgrades and modifications, under their signature and reference editions, which make an already good 4k player, truly great. The exact details of the modifications are too in-depth to fully cover here- contact us at Audio Affair for more in-depth details!
Audiocom offers significant improvements to video performance, digital audio and analogue audio by enhancing key areas of the UDP203’s architecture. This include modification to the power supply, internal screening, and many other special ‘tweaks’.
Audiocom replaces the standard switched mode power supply with a traditional, linear power supply. The latter is more costly to implement but results in lower RF interference and a cleaner power supply source. Additional screening and shielding are added to aspects of the circuitry deemed likely to cause issues.
An enhanced, ultra high accuracy video clock is employed to reduce video jitter which, claim Audiocom, results in picture quality being “more natural with a cleaner, better-defined image“. Audiocom also states that “digital and analogue sound is more dynamic, detailed and coherent“.
If you’re looking to make the jump to 4k video, then the Oppo UDP203, really deserves to be at the top of your shopping list.