Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player Review
July 2009 - Mike Rollet
A detailed review of the Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player. Images and related commentary, added by Art
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Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player - Overview
While not a household name, Oppo Digital has made a name for themselves among both videophiles and audiophiles for their DVD players, which have combined top performance with great value. When I reviewed their last DVD player, the since discontinued DV-983H, I remarked that they had pushed the DVD format to its limits, as the 983H made a DVD look at good as it possibly could. So, the next logical step was to turn their attention to the Blu-ray format and the result is the new BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray player.
Oppo never rushes a product to market and the BDP-83 has been no exception. In an unprecedented move, Oppo had two prereleases of the BDP-83 in what they called their “Early Adoption Program”. In the first release, fifty customers (chosen at random from a list of interested customers) were given the opportunity to purchase the BDP-83 and report their experiences with the player (comments are posted on Oppo's website). This led to a number of firmware upgrades being issued (as with previous Oppo products the firmware is user-upgradeable) to improve performance. The first 50 were also asked to vote on whether the player was ready for a greater release. A supermajority of 70% or greater yes votes would lead to a second pre-release. This led to a second pre-release of 300 BDP-83s, whose owners would vote again for the general release. After some more feedback and a firmware upgrade or two, the BDP-83 was recently released for sale to the general public with an MSRP of $499 (plus $89 for the RS-232 control option).
I received the BDP-83 for review about the same time as the first group of early adopters got theirs, so it’s been interesting to watch the progression of the BDP-83 as various bugs have been identified and solved. The result is a world-class universal Blu-ray player with performance that is second to none. The implementation of Anchor Bay’s VRS video technology combined with flawless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio decoding results in a gorgeous picture and all-enveloping sound. SACD and DVD Audio sound quality is equally impressive. While $499 may seem high when there are Blu-ray players out there for as little as $200, rest assured that no player in the BDP-83’s price range matches its combination of performance and features. Read on to find out more about this great new Blu-ray player.Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player Highlights
- Features Anchor Bay Technologies Video Reference Series (VRS) technology for the best picture quality
- HDMI v1.3 compliant with 30-bit and 36-bit Deep Color support
- Supports BD “Profile 1.1” (for picture-in-picture and secondary audio) and “Profile 2.0” (for BD-Live)
- Plays almost every disk and video format (see specs below)
- Has true 1080p, 24 Hz video output for both BDs and upscaled DVDs
- Supports multiple levels of aspect ratio control and image zooming, including a vertical stretch mode for a 2.35:1 CIH (Constant Image Height) display system
- Decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio for output over HDMI or analog audio outputs
- Dual USB ports (front and back panels) for playback of high definition video or photos from USB thumb drives
- Optional RS-232 control
- Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark Blu-ray Disk included with player
Basic Specs for Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player
MSRP: $499
Compatible Disk Types: BD-Video, DVD-Video, AVCHD, DVD-Audio, SACD, CD, HDCD, Kodak Picture CD, CD-R/RW, DVD±R/RW, DVD±R DL, BD-R/RE
HDMI Video Output Resolutions: NTSC: 480i/480p/720p/1080i/1080p/1080p24 PAL:576i/576p/720p/1080i/1080p/1080p24
Analog Video Output Resolutions: 480i/480p, 720p/1080i available for non-restricted content only
HDMI Audio Output: Stereo, up to 7.1ch high-resolution PCM, up to 5.1ch DSD, bitstream or LPCM conversion of Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, and DTS-HD Master Audio.
Analog Audio Outputs: 7.1ch or 5.1ch, stereo
Digital Audio Outputs: Coaxial, Optical
Dimensions: 16-7/8” x 13-1/4” x 3”
Warranty: 1 year Parts and Labor, extended warranty available
NEXT: Take a physical tour of the Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player