OPPO BDP-83 Blu-Ray Disc Player EAP

[rmk]

Like the title says, I've had my 980H for about two years, and it's performing beautifully. No problems to report. Just flawless operating.

I paid $170. I don't remember if I bought it at Oppo's site or off of Amazon. I remember looking at it on both sites, but one offered free shipping, so I chose that one.

I'm considering upgrading to the BDP-83, but have a few questions that I need to have answered before I move on it:

1. My television only goes up to 1080i, and my receiver supports HDMI 1.2. Will I be able to get to enjoy BluRay's benefits with these limitations (for instance, doesn't Deep Color require HDMI 1.3a?)?
2. Currently, it looks as though the BDP-83 doesn't support DVD-A (I have about 25 DVD-A disks). Their 2nd EAP page says they're working on it. Does anyone know if the BDP-83 will, for certain, play DVD-A?

As much as I love my 980H, I can't justify spending $499 for a player that I really won't benefit much from. If I have to buy some other brand, I can probably buy one from another manufacturer for a lot less and just use that to play BluRays and DVDs, and use my existing Oppo to play my SACDs and DVD-As.

I'm sure as heck not replacing my AVR or my display just because BluRay came out.

Thanks.

You will not see much benefit video wise with a 1080i (720P) display.

The Oppo 83 will support DVD-A and they just released a firmware upgrade (with disclaimers) that is the first cut at DVD-A support. I have down loaded but not actually upgraded yet. I will do so this weekend and check out some DVD-A's. Overall, I am very happy with the BDP-83 and despite some grumbling here I think it is worth every penny they are charging.

 

[DaleAV]

Look forward to your continuing comments, rmk . I agree, even at the possible MSRP of $599 I am sure it's worth it. You can spend a grand and not get anything much better IMO, and still not have multi-audio disk capability or any better SD upconversion.
This one appears to have it all, and the customer support is an added bonus.

Instead of being over-priced, it's priced correctly the first time around.
They don't have to compete on that level, and they don't have to do little re-designs every few months to refresh interest in their products.
Those that have had Oppo products in the past know what I mean.

I did not make the 1st or 2nd EAP..but my interest is still high.

 

[cwall99]

There's no doubt in my mind that the Oppo BPD-83 will be worth the upgrade if you have a system that's HDMI 1.3a throughout. Because my receiver is HDMI 1.2, it sort of makes the whole Blu Ray thing almost moot.

Besides, the only other universal disk player that's also Blu Ray is that Denon for about $4000.

But, if I were to stop and consider how much I'd have to spend on a display and a new receiver just to accommodate Blu Ray, it just doesn't make sense to upgrade at this point. Heck, the notion of buying an SVS NSD-10 subwoofer is enough to get my wife ready to throw me out on my ear.

My 980H does a nice job of upscaling standard DVD to 1080i, and it looks quite good. I'll just have to lay back and wait.

 

[rmk]

There's no doubt in my mind that the Oppo BPD-83 will be worth the upgrade if you have a system that's HDMI 1.3a throughout. Because my receiver is HDMI 1.2, it sort of makes the whole Blu Ray thing almost moot.

Besides, the only other universal disk player that's also Blu Ray is that Denon for about $4000.

But, if I were to stop and consider how much I'd have to spend on a display and a new receiver just to accommodate Blu Ray, it just doesn't make sense to upgrade at this point. Heck, the notion of buying an SVS NSD-10 subwoofer is enough to get my wife ready to throw me out on my ear.

My 980H does a nice job of upscaling standard DVD to 1080i, and it looks quite good. I'll just have to lay back and wait.

Good call

 

[cwall99]

It's hard to have a home theater without a home to put it in, and there are tons of other benefits that go way beyond home theater that come from keeping her happy.

 

[DaleAV]

There's no doubt in my mind that the Oppo BPD-83 will be worth the upgrade if you have a system that's HDMI 1.3a throughout. Because my receiver is HDMI 1.2, it sort of makes the whole Blu Ray thing almost moot.

Besides, the only other universal disk player that's also Blu Ray is that Denon for about $4000.

But, if I were to stop and consider how much I'd have to spend on a display and a new receiver just to accommodate Blu Ray, it just doesn't make sense to upgrade at this point. Heck, the notion of buying an SVS NSD-10 subwoofer is enough to get my wife ready to throw me out on my ear.

My 980H does a nice job of upscaling standard DVD to 1080i, and it looks quite good. I'll just have to lay back and wait.

I am enjoying HD codecs now from my present player (Pan. BD55) through analogs and expect the Oppo to be at least as good and likely better as crossover of 80Hz (vs. 100Hz for most) which puts it in right in the ballpark for me.
Plus. the added DVD audio options and even better upscaling, all from a company where customer service is a priority...can't go wrong!

 

[Hipnotic4]

Bluray prices are & will continue to drop, their is already internal bluray drive options for computers for arounnd 160...

599? lol that price will drop..That price is for the "i gotta have it first!" crowd

 

[cwall99]

I kind of agree, but, still, when the only other product out there that combines BluRay with DVD-A and SACD is a $4K Denon machine, $600 doesn't look all that expensive. Still, my thought is that if the price stays up there, why don't I just hang on to my 980H and buy a $200 Sony (or any big name brand).

Sure, it's an extra device in the rack, but I have room there and an open HDMI input on the back of my receiver. If I need more HDMI connections, I can latch onto one of those Oppo HDMI switches, and still come out ahead.

 

[DaleAV]

Bluray prices are & will continue to drop, their is already internal bluray drive options for computers for arounnd 160...

599? lol that price will drop..That price is for the "i gotta have it first!" crowd

With Oppo it could be "i gotta have it last"

If you look back you will find historically Oppo Digital rarely drops prices (unless it's an open box item) or an out of stock item they defer to Amazon:

http://oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_index.html

Oppo does not fit the typical a/v consumer model we see with more popular brands. But their products do sell themselves pretty much.

So if you want to wait for the 83 to drop in price, you could be waiting quite a while.

 

[j_garcia]

I can't remember a time when they've ever dropped the price of a unit except maybe when it was being discontinued, so don't count on that happening.

 

[jcilforever]

What Price do you want?

Can any of you remember the last Recession or Depression. This is a different time and that is why the company is testing the waters to see if they will be able to have a market to make some money on this.

We are in a perfect storm and I still believe that given the economy the price should be $399. Supply and demand rules the day. If people buy enough of them at $499 then the price won't come down. But given the economy if they do not sell enough and more people refuse to pay more than the price would go to $399.

It is really up to all of us to decide the price.

 

[DaleAV]

Can any of you remember the last Recession or Depression. This is a different time and that is why the company is testing the waters to see if they will be able to have a market to make some money on this.

We are in a perfect storm and I still believe that given the economy the price should be $399. Supply and demand rules the day. If people buy enough of them at $499 then the price won't come down. But given the economy if they do not sell enough and more people refuse to pay more than the price would go to $399.

It is really up to all of us to decide the price.

Bad economy or not, who can say what anything is worth to anyone else?

If you don't want to spend more than $399 then look to top line Panasonic, Sony, etc. which do not promise as much when it comes to playing multiple audio formats, excellent up-conversion, above average build, and superior customer service.

And if you wait a short while, the prices of those popular brands WILL drop even more thanks to competition. Being more a niche product, the Oppo is a minimal factor in those sales, as it has always been since inception.

 

[jcilforever]

Bad economy or not, who can say what anything is worth to anyone else?

If you don't want to spend more than $399 then look to top line Panasonic, Sony, etc. which do not promise as much when it comes to playing multiple audio formats, excellent up-conversion, above average build, and superior customer service.

And if you wait a short while, the prices of those popular brands WILL drop even more thanks to competition. Being more a niche product, the Oppo is a minimal factor in those sales, as it has always been since inception.

DaleAV you seemed to have missed the point OPPO was guaging the market to see even if it was worth it to release the Blu Ray when they released the early adoption and you are saying it has nothing to do with the economy

Our economy is based on free market and supply and demand, which means we set the prices of goods

If we don't buy it at the price the manufacturer sets than either they will drop producing the item or the price will drop.

I am simply trying to get you guys thinking about what you would do with the extra $100 in your pocket and also find out if there are others that would buy in at $399 and not $499.

 

[rmk]

DVD-Audio working

I downloaded the new firmware update BDP-83-16-0320 today and updated using a USB Flash. Oppo supplied clear instructions and the upgrade was fast and worked as advertized. This release is the first with DVD-A support but initially all my DVD-A’s either cut out or didn’t play at all. I posted this issue on the huge AVS thread and was told that for DVD-Audio, I need to use LPCM instead of bitstream over HDMI. This simple change resolved the problem and I have not experienced any other problems with DVD-A.

The notes for this new upgrade are:

Preliminary DVD-Audio Support.
This firmware version provides preliminary support for DVD-Audio playback. The DVD-Audio feature is still at a very early stage, and this firmware is just a proof of concept. Disc compatibility issues and menu navigation difficulties are expected. We are accelerating the implementation and will provide improvements with future firmware updates.
2. Fix for the audio drop-out issue affecting the bitstream output of DTS-HD Master Audio.
3. Fix for the audio drop-out issue affecting some discs with Dolby TrueHD audio tracks, such as the "Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas - A New Day" disc.
4. Slow motion playback.
This firmware version adds a "slow motion playback" feature. To access this feature, please first pause the playback, and then use the left and right arrow buttons to select a slow motion playback speed. DVD-Video discs and Blu-ray Discs without BD-Java navigation are supported for this feature.
5. Other general disc compatibility and performance improvements.
All features and improvements of the previous firmware are also included in this version.

 

[Darel]

I REFUSE to buy one of these until the fix the problem with Celine Dion!

 

[cwall99]

I REFUSE to buy one of these until the fix the problem with Celine Dion!

I fixed it on my own. I hit the Mute button.

 

[j_garcia]

I REFUSE to buy one of these until the fix the problem with Celine Dion!

Did you live under power lines when you were a kid?

I fixed it on my own. I hit the Mute button.

Or just set the discs on fire...

 

[ChunkyDark]

I REFUSE to buy one of these until the fix the problem with Celine Dion!

Chuck Norris can't fix the problem with Celine Dion.


pleasedontbanme

 

[DaleAV]

DaleAV you seemed to have missed the point OPPO was guaging the market to see even if it was worth it to release the Blu Ray when they released the early adoption and you are saying it has nothing to do with the economy

Our economy is based on free market and supply and demand, which means we set the prices of goods

If we don't buy it at the price the manufacturer sets than either they will drop producing the item or the price will drop.

I am simply trying to get you guys thinking about what you would do with the extra $100 in your pocket and also find out if there are others that would buy in at $399 and not $499.

Of course, if they come out and ask me for a price, sure, $399 sounds good, why not?

But I know for a fact there are machines not as capable, selling for that price. They know that too.

I never said the economy has nothing to do with it, I inferred it will have little impact considering it is a niche product and there is a high interest level.

I think they expect to sell it in the $500-600 range. And quite honestly against other players that seems reasonable to me, if not a 'deal'.

If they sold one without SACD/DVD-A capability, then I would say $300-400 would be a reasonable range.

Our economy has always been based on supply and demand, in good and bad times. I am not sure what a poll will do..but good luck with that!