The Oppo has landed

Appears so:

http://www.avguide.com/official-contest-rules

I forgot where we were talking about this, but after finishing Mass Effect 2 I picked up the PS3 version of Two Worlds II and have been enjoying it. It has some quirks, but so did the more highly rated Oblivion or Fallout 3. More than those games, Two Worlds II really requires some patience and willingness to experiment -- the skill trees, crafting and magic systems are extremely powerful, but most of the real power is undocumented; you have to be willing to experiment with things. But that is what makes an open-world RPG fun.

I used to love fiddling with RPG levelling systems to find that magic mix. However, I just can't find the time these days. Oh well. Maybe one day.

Keeps me sane. Since I neither drink nor do drugs, RPGs are my one shot at escaping reality for a brief time.

Don't get me wrong. I like a good escape. I just can't seem to find the time to get into a good RPG. A game like Heavy Rain was brilliant -- it allowed me to escape without requiring a huge time commitment.

Of course, I also use books, music, movies and exercise . . . .

Well, I certainly do not ignore the books, movies and exercise! I am going to have a bit less time to unwind with the commitments to Village activities, but if anything it will make my "escape" time even more important.

Indeed.

Pow!


http://www.avguide.com/review/oppo-bdp-95-blu-rayuniversal-player-tpv-103?utm_campaign=Weekly+Email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email-113&utm_content=TPV+2

If that was supposed to be a link, it is not working.

Granted, The Perfect Vision is not exactly focused on audio, but still it is yet another glowing review.

No, no link. Just playing with the pow, bam, ka-pow lingo.

Well, at least you are only playing with the lingo this time.

I am practicing restraint.

Are you getting any better at it?

No.

Interesting read (and some props for Oppo): Link.

Sadly, everything to do with video accuracy has always been a mess and is still a mess. Older NTSC video was famously referred to as "Never Twice the Same Color." for very good reason. HD video has improved things, but there are still too many variables. It makes me feel even better about my Oppo, though!

Well, I will be sprining for an Oppo in a month or two (I first need to deal with my next round of schooling costs, among many other expenses). Still not sure what model to go with.

I demand that you spend the maximum amount of money.

I thought you might. However, that would mean opting for the Nuforce Extreme Edition of the BDP-93, and I am not convinced that that version is worth the money.

You can still spend the maximum on the available Oppos!

Perhaps I can up your happiness quotient and opt for expedited shipping. That should bump the total nicely.

Well, giving Nuforce a miss, which way are you leaning between the 93 and the 95?

The benefits of each, as I see it:

• the 93 is fanless and the audio board can be upgraded to the NuForce board, should I want a different sound

• the 95 is the flagship model and will outperform the 93 (even if those differences are not audible). I will have peace of mind and will not wonder, "what if I had gotten the better model?"

Looks are subjective, so I'm not sure how to judge aesthetics. Some days I prefer the 95; on others, I prefer the simplicity of the 93.

I would certainly go with the 95, but of course I paid the extra to upgrade my 83 to the SE version, so I am hardly unbiased. But the 93 may well meet your needs and satisfy you with its performance.

My Moon CD player retails for nearly double that of the 95, so it is not that I am against the 95 by any means. In fact, the 95 would have been a no brainer had Johnson Junior not mentioned that he could not hear a difference between it and the 93. Even Audioholics hinted (through avoidance) that the difference would be slight or negligible. I generally like to buy the best I can that's within my means, however I am not one for throwing away money either.

What good is money if you cannot just throw it away?


Yourmusic.com is sadly going under. I was going through their selection of remaining titles to see if there were any hidden DVD audio or SACD titles. They do not have a seperate category for them, so you can only search for them by title. I had already tried "SACD" and "DVD-Audio," but it hit me to try "Dual Disc," and sure enough it brought up a couple of Nine Inch Nail DVD-Audio discs. I am not a fan of NIN, but I will try any high-resolution disc for $6.99. I got With Teeth last night, and it sounds very good in the format, despite not really being the kind of recording that makes my Vandersteens shine. Not only that, but I actually preferred the multichannel mix. Like the Talking Heads DVD-Audio discs, the main instruments are all kept up front with only light ambient effects moved to the rear channels. They also use the rears to pull the sound of the drums forward a bit (as well as adding reverb) which really gave them an impressive sense of depth -- it felt like the kit was in my room.