Recommendations for Blu-ray Player

I would simply get a Roku or Amazon Fire Stick and keep your Sony for discs. A smarter and much less expensive alternative, and tons of streaming options available to you, including Tidal. Heck, most smart TV’s can steam what you want to via apps.

I have a Yamaha BD-A1040, and I can tell you, trying to stream any video from it is a painful and terrible experience. And the internal DAC? Nope, all my CD play goes digital cable out to my PS Audio DAC>2 channel pre. For me, it’s basically a transport, and the rare DVD or BlueRay disc use, but again, that is almost never used anymore. Not with the options available by streaming devices and services.

I have a Yamaha AV receiver which drives all my HT 5.1 sound, including my Yamaha DVD/BlueRay via an HDMI to the AV receiver. All my music is 2 channel and separate (amp, pre, and sources), the pre-amp has a pass-through for the front main speakers when in HT mode for watching TV and movies.

Pretty simple really. My Roku is connected to the TV via one of its HDMI ports, then sound from the TV to the AV receiver via another HDMI (ARC) port (I don’t need an optical cable for sound from the TV). So, all video streaming is done by my Roku (or Samsung smart TV) and sound fed to my AV receiver via the ARC HDMI. My DVD/BlueRay connects to the AV receiver via HDMI for 5.1 playback. And again, for music use, connects to my DAC via digital cable. Again, many video and music/radio streaming options with the Roku, including Tidal, although I don’t use Tidal through the Roku, but can.

Bottom line, I doubt anyone will be too happy streaming through a DVD/BlueRay player available today. Some say Oppo’s are better in that respect, but not made anymore, so non-upgradable for various existing and new services. That is a technology that has been surpassed by a Roku, Fire Stick, or similar, is a much better experience, and has updatable OS software via internet connection. These players/streamers like my Yamaha haven’t had an update in months if not years, and cannot come close to the performance of the alternatives available.

I don’t have cable, I switched to streaming my TV (or by antenna for air reception). It’s the future, and a future I doubt any of the DVD/BlueRay players can or will try to compete with going forward.

@mattmiller

(a Firestick hardly replaces this unit ,not even close)

Well, I would strongly disagree with that. Like a Roku, A FireStick or similar, steams literally hundreds of video and music sources. Like I say, I cut the cord years ago, and use my Roku for YouTube TV and Philo (my live TV sources right now), YouTube, AppleTV, Pluto, and numerous other steaming and movie apps, (too many to list, most all free), The Digital Concert Hall (which I have a membership to watch the Berlin Philharmonic live), and so many various music and radio apps are available. Today, most ’smart TV’s do not offer the channels (apps) available on these dedicated streaming devices, and actually newer ones seem to have less streaming apps available today than just 2-4 years ago.

There is no DVD/BlueRay box that can do what a dedicated video and live TV streamer can do.

But, for critical music listening, I bypass all that and switch to my dedicated 2-channel system. Including Tidal, which I also send through my DAC. All in the same room.

I think my comments are more regarding video streaming various video apps, such as Amazon .

Here is a review of the Oppo 205 regarding streaming:

STREAMING

The UDP-205 is also an asynchronous USB DAC but unfortunately I couldn’t give it a try. If you have a Mac you’re good to go, but Windows operating systems will need the appropriate file from OPPO’s website to get it working. My laptop has never behaved correctly since the Windows 10 update, and even after the download, my laptop wouldn’t make the match without problems. Boo to that. This isn’t an OPPO issue, it’s a Samsung laptop issue since Samsung no longer supports their older laptops. The OPPO UDP-205 can stream content from mass storage devices through the dual USB 3.0 inputs, as well as your home network. Unfortunately, there are no built-in apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or YouTube. Since I have a projector and not a SmartTV, I need an external device that’s 4K-HDR capable for these apps. I’d like the OPPO to be the solution, but it isn’t. You’ll need to connect that other device through the OPPO’s HDMI 2.0 input, your AVR, or directly to the display. Streaming quality is a mixed bag though, even from 4K HDR Netflix and Amazon Prime offerings. The high compression just destroys the image. I’d like to have these services within the player to reduce signal path and the number of boxes I have in my system. It’s a bit of a bummer if you use these services, but this is only one shortcoming of an otherwise excellent player.

Or this one:

And by "the latest in video wizardy," I mean that the UDP-205 is built on the same platform as OPPO’s UDP-203, which Adrienne Maxwell reviewed back in January. As with that player, the UDP-205 shares quite a lot in common with OPPO’s previous universal disc players, and it features a number of noteworthy differences. Gone, for example, are streaming services like Netflix and YouTube. That’s not a major loss, given that most of us have probably moved on to dedicated streaming media players for accessing such services. But gone, too, is the front-panel MHL HDMI input, which is a major bummer for me, since I use said input on my BDP-103 to connect my MHL Roku Stick.

Im not dissing the Oppo, I almost purchased one before buying my Yamaha (but steaming was not a factor as I was always going to use a separate device for that), but in terms of a ’one box’ solution to use video streaming services directly within it, I’m not sure it’s the answer. A Roku played can provide UHD if available by the service (you have to purchase the correct model that has that capability), and can send full surround sound to the receiver as well via the TV>receiver. I don’t know much about the details of the Amazon Firestick as I’ve never owned one.

As the OP seems to want High Def video streaming service (which a video steaming device can offer), but is attempting to also use a 2-channel set-up for sound, I’m not sure HT sound is important.

@mattmiller 

I thought this was Audiogon not Videogon bkeske....???

I did not start the discussion.