Lg bd390

[sgbroimp]

9 year old machine works well, but the tech is also 9 years old of course. Any benefit, however, in moving to something newer? The Sony TV is already upscaling BluRays to 4K right?

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by sgbroimp

9 year old machine works well, but the tech is also 9 years old of course. Any benefit, however, in moving to something newer? The Sony TV is already upscaling BluRays to 4K right?

You will need a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player to play 4K discs. That alone may make it worthwhile.
Load times should also be faster. You will also need a separate HDMI audio output on the player, that you plug into your MX151, and run the other HDMI video output directly to your TV, so your MX151 will no longer be a switcher for the player.
The HDMI cables need to be HDMI Premium Certified.

Ron

[Poppyhome]

Since Oppo is bye bye, one to consider is the Cambridge Audio CXUHD which is only a digital transport, without an internal DAC.

Sound&Vision reported, "The company’s newest $700 CXUHD Ultra HD Blu-ray player is based on the platform for Oppo’s $549 UDP-203. Other than the Oppo’s 7.1-channel analog output jacks, the two players are essentially the same, right down to the basic GUI and setup menus. They also provide compatibility with both the HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats of high dynamic range (HDR), and besides Ultra HD Blu-rays, they can play regular and 3D Blu-rays, DVDs, CDs, SACDs, and DVD-Audio discs."

There may be others.................

Ron

[sgbroimp]

Originally Posted by Poppyhome

You will need a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player to play 4K discs. That alone may make it worthwhile.
Load times should also be faster. You will also need a separate HDMI audio output on the player, that you plug into your MX151, and run the other HDMI video output directly to your TV, so your MX151 will no longer be a switcher for the player.
The HDMI cables need to be HDMI Premium Certified.

Ron

The second HDMI to the TV might be a deal killer for me. I use one long run (30 ft) for HDMI from MX151 to TV) and doubt I can get another one over the same route due to space constraints. I imagine you are addressing the fact that the MX151 can't pass a 4K signal, right?

[Poppyhome]

Correct, the MX151 cannot pass a 4K signal.

Ron

[sgbroimp]

So given my handicap do you think replacing the BD390 is going to be much bang for the buck?

[W9TR]

I’m loving 4K HDR 10 from my OppO UDP 205 direct to my JVC projector. Looks fantastic. I too have a McIntosh MX 151. For audio I use the analog outs of the OppO into the multichannel inputs on the MX 151. Sounds great.

One caveat, there are no premium certified HDMI cables longer than 15’ so you have to use an active HDMI cable or cat 6 / optical converter system that is certified to the latest HDMI specs.

Another caveat is that not all of the 4k releases are truly worthy of the enhanced performance enabled by 4K hdr so do some research before you buy a title.

Tom

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by W9TR

One caveat, there are no premium certified HDMI cables longer than 15’ so you have to use an active HDMI cable or cat 6 / optical converter system that is certified to the latest HDMI specs.

I think Monoprice has a Certified Premium High Speed HDMI Cable - 4K @ 60Hz, HDR, 18Gbps, 24AWG, YUV 4:4:4, 30ft Black and its not active.

Ron

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by sgbroimp

So given my handicap do you think replacing the BD390 is going to be much bang for the buck?

A 9 year old Blu-ray player is pretty old, and I'm happy with my Oppo 205 running only HDMI into my MX150, but only you can decide if worth while...............there are companies on-line that offer a 60 day trial period.

Ron

[sgbroimp]

Good idea on the trial thing. Much appreciate!