Oppo's upcoming Blu-ray player: The BDP-83
(Credit:
Jon Spackman of AVSForum)
We've been fans of Oppo's upconverting DVD players for quite some time now, but it's been harder to recommend them recently with the company's latest player costing as much as a Blu-ray player. There has been tons of speculation over when Oppo might release a Blu-ray player, and it looks like it's finally going to happen: Oppo showed off the BDP-83 Blu-ray player at CEDIA.
Oppo's DVD players are known for playing back both SACD and DVD-Audio, but Gizmodo reports that Oppo is still "investigating" DVD-Audio support. That's unfortunate, as a true universal player capable of playing back SACD, DVD-Audio, Blu-ray, and DVD discs is still missing in the marketplace. And since SACD support is already available on some models of the PS3, it may be a harder sell even for enthusiasts. That being said, the BDP-83 is sporting the logo for Anchor Bay video processing--good news, considering how well the DV-983H handles DVDs using the same processing.
In terms of Blu-ray features, the Oppo looks to have the full suite of features we now expect on a Blu-ray player. There's an Ethernet port on the back that says "BD-Live," which means it should fully support Profile 2.0 features. Oppo says that while the current version of player only support standard Dolby Digital and DTS, Gizmodo reports that both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio will be supported in the future, via either onboard decoding or outputting the soundtracks in bitstream format.
(Credit:
Jon Spackman of AVSForum)
The back panel looks to have just about every connection you would want. There is a set of 7.1 multichannel analog outputs, which is a boon for those with legacy receivers. There's the standard HDMI output, which can carry both high-def audio and multichannel audio, as well as a component video output for those with older HDTVs. Finally, there's a USB port on the back, which we expect will be used as a storage solution for download Profile 2.0 features.
As far as pricing, Gizmodo is reporting it should cost between $500 and $700 and will be available "soonish." We'll be looking to do a review of this player as soon as it comes out, so check back soon.
However, after reading the specs on the oppo I have changed my mind about the pioneer blu-ray and am eagerly waiting its release. While reading the AVS forums I noticed that some kuro owners have decided to replace their current pioneer BD player with the oppo as well. A few lucky people got their hands on the oppo for testing before its release and the feedback has been mostly very possitive.
One of the drawbacks with many players is the loading time (around 2 minute wait before the movie starts to play). The exception is the PS3. The oppo's loading time is as fast as the PS3, which is very impressive. As a true universal player with high grade chip set (normaly found in high grade BD players costing well over $1000) this player is a no brainer.
.............Can't wait to get my hands on it.
Also, I love the fact that my current Oppo DVD player will basically play any disc you put in it, and they dropped this for the Blu-ray unit. May have to wait for Gen 2.
- by jwc13ac July 5, 2009 7:42 AM PDT
- Isn't it Already listed at 499 and available now? And it comes with a HDMI cable.
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(7 Comments)As just a blue ray player, I'd say this is not quite worth it, but add in the all the other formats it supports, and there is the value.
What it is really missing is streaming audio and video.