The A/D/A is for bass management, and if I remember correctly (haven't used a Model 990 in a number of years) you can operate a stereo analog input in bypass mode without this processing.
For the length of run you're dealing with, I wouldn't worry about the lack of XLR input on the 990 - I would just use the RCA stereo output. It will work just as well as the XLR.
If you set any analog input to BYPASS mode, the 990 will not do an A/D/A conversion nor apply bass management. If you have a sub though, you should look at the 990's bass management matrix to see what it does with the L+R and sub. Depending on how your Fronts and Sub are defined (Fronts small/large or sub LFE/NONE/SUB), BYPASS mode in stereo analog will send either nothing or full range signals to the sub. So you could end up with more or less bass at some frequencies. I have it set so the sub gets full range in this mode and set the 2-channel sub trim down a couple of dB from the balanced multichannel calibration to help compensate.
In one of the first
Firmware updates for the Oppo 95, it states the following:
"For the BDP-95 model only, the dedicated stereo output ports (XLR and RCA) can now be assigned to use as the Front Left and Front Right output channels."
Does that mean that when playing a BD or multi-chanel discs, that you can use the Stereo RCA L+R output along with the 7.1 RCA output? Meaning that the left and right channels are sent through the stereo outs, while the center/surrounds/sub is sent through the mulri-chanel outs?
With using the 7.1 out (for me it would be 5.1), I would have to buy 6 RCA cables, then 2 more RCA cables for the 2ch stereo output (8 in total). But if I can use the 2ch stereo RCA out in place of the L/R RCA multi-chanel outs, then I'd only need 6 cables.
(I hope I explained that right).
For my current bass management, since I'm only using three Digital inputs, and I have the Fronts sets to Small and sub set to Yes, this digital
bass management applies. With Fronts set to 40 Hz and Center at 60 Hz crossover.
If I use the 7.1 (5.1) Analog input for BD and the 2ch Stereo for CDs from the Oppo 95, then the 990's
Analog bass management applies. Using the "bypass" mode sends full-range too all speakers including the sub. I guess this would mean I'd have to turn on the active crossover on the Outlaw LFM-1 Plus sub and set it to around 45 Hz, so it only plays frequencies below that point, which is roll-off of the B&W 804S speakers?
You said that on the 990's 7.1 inputs that it applies A/D/A conversion, I was not aware of this. That means that if the 95 is connected to the 990 in this manner for BD movies to muti-chanel audio discs, than the 990 is doing additional A/D/A, I guess for bass management? But for regular 2ch CD output from the 95 using the dedicated stereo RCA out, and connected to the 990's CD RCA input, does it still do extra A/D/A, or will the "Bypass Mode" circumvent this? I do wish the 990 had 2ch XLR inputs like the 7500 amp. I guess if I wanted to, when only playing CDs, I could disconnect the XLRs going between the 7500 and 990, and connect the Oppo 95 directly to the 7500 amp - though this would not allow use of the sub.
The A/D/A is for bass management, and if I remember correctly (haven't used a Model 990 in a number of years) you can operate a stereo analog input in bypass mode without this processing.
For the length of run you're dealing with, I wouldn't worry about the lack of XLR input on the 990 - I would just use the RCA stereo output. It will work just as well as the XLR.
The other reason I went with the Oppo 95 was for the Component video out, since my 2001 Panasonic Tube HDTV only has (two) Component inputs for 480p/1080i. I wanted to be able to play BD discs at 1080i. I understand that if the discs have a certain "flag" that the player will downconvert to 480p over Component, unless you "back up" the discs your self and remove the "flag". I wasn't aware that the Oppo 95 didn't upconvert DVDs to 1080i over component. Does it upconvert DVDs when HDMI is used? In that connection guide, you mentioned the HD Fury product. I'm wondering if that may be best for connecting to the Oppo 95's HDMI output, then have the HD Fury connected to the TV via Component. My only concern with that is any degrading or altering that the HD Fury does in the HDMI-to-Component process. The HD Furry 3 is $249, but the version 4 is $399 since it supports 3D, which I don't need, even though the video processor looks to be better.
Technically, manufacturers have been forbidden from scaling DVD to HD resolutions at component outputs since the time that scaling DVD players started appearing. The limit was always 480p (deinterlacing only). Some manufacturers cheated with that rule, but it was rare and pretty much stopped by the time the HD format war got going. The result was a clear kick in the teeth to early adopters of HDTV who (like yourself) lacked an HDCP-complient digital video input, and it was probably driven in large part by a desire to steer HD video signals onto HDCP-compliant connections (meaning some DVI and all HDMI). It's a problem for some early HDMI displays, as well - my parents have a 26" HDTV from Panasonic with HDMI inputs that implement HDCP so poorly that not even Panasonic sources can establish a successful HDCP handshake. Device's like the HD Fury allow some flexibility there. It depends to some degree on how long you plan to hang on to that display, of course. If you do plan to wait for OLED to get well established and reasonably priced, the HD Fury with better video processing might be worth the extra money. Also consider that the Model 990's DVI switching or a separate HDMI switcher could let you share that HD Fury among multiple HDMI video sources (like your cable box) if you wanted to do that.
I'd like to get another 5 years out this 36" Panasonic Tube HDTV if possible. If it broke down and cost more than $500 to fix, then I'd look at getting a new set and entertainment cabinet. I know the new 55" OLEDs are going for $12K, so that would take 5-7 years for them to drop under $4K.
So I guess I'd have to look at investing in an HD Furry with the Oppo 95, so that BDs can be output at 1080i, as well the Oppo upconverting DVDs to 1080i. If I just use the Oppo's Component out, then all DVDs are at 480p (which I have now from my Pioneer DVD player), and it would be a toss-up as to if BDs get downconverted to 480p.
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