Other Source Component Reviews

Apart from the 2:2 SD test, the Cambridge player performed well on all of our video-processing and resolution tests.

The Azur 650BD is based on the same Mediatek MTK8520 chip set/OEM kit that OPPO uses for its new, $289 BDP-80 Universal Blu-ray player. According to Cambridge, Mediatek supplies chip sets and OEM kits for over 50 percent of the world’s DVD machines (including previous Cambridge Audio DVD players) and presumably a significant number of its Blu-ray players as well.

Cambridge differentiates the Azur 650BD by including an IR input that offers compatibility with other Cambridge products. It also has a more upscale look, an acoustically dampened chassis, antivibration feet, and a dedicated, unified remote control that controls other Cambridge Audio components. You also get a two-year warranty with local dealer servicing.

According to Cambridge, the onscreen menus are the same for the OPPO BDP-80 and the Azur 650BD. We found them similar to the menus on the OPPO BDP-83. According to Cambridge, the Azur 650BD, the OPPO BDP-80, and the OPPO BDP-83 offer the same basic Blu-ray playback performance, although OPPO uses a superior Anchor Bay video processor in both the BDP-83 and BDP-83SE. The $899 BDP-83SE also adds a more upscale audio DAC solution, which is said to offer superior analog audio playback.

Like the OPPOs, the Azur 650BD lets you change resolution (or call up the service menu) on the fly as a disc is running. But like many Blu-ray players, the Cambridge lacks the OPPO BDP-83’s memory feature, which can automatically resume playback, even after you’ve ejected and re-inserted a disc (unless you defeat the feature). The Azur 650BD always starts at the beginning after you re-insert a disc.

We dwell on these comparisons to minimize the chances of another he-said, she-said Internet free-for-all. I also took a peek inside the Azur 650BD to see what I could see. There is no chassis-within-a-chassis, just a very neat layout and good build quality. Two of the three main circuit boards are clearly stenciled with the Cambridge Audio name, even though Cambridge doesn’t claim any circuit changes from the basic Mediatek design.—TJN