The OPPO BDP-83 blue ray player

‘the seventh seal’ by ingmar bergman just one of the many new releases on the criterion collection blu-ray series

if you are looking to get a blu-ray player, or simply need to replace an old CD player to rediscover your discs and chuck that ipod, be sure to consider this. its no beauty, but for the value it’s a real steel.

 

the oppo BDP-83’s ordinary and unassuming front plate 

the unit came highly recommended by a trusted friend and I am considering it to finally put to use my 1080 flat screen with a few criterion collection blu-rays. the oppo BDP-83’s $499 price tag is deceiving because it is a direct to consumer price, there is no retail distribution chain with oppo, so most of your dollars are going to the product and the people who designed it, not to distributors and retailer margins. the oppo is designed by the brainiac engineers in silicon valley and built in the people’s republic of china. if a player of this standard was built in UK or USA and the pricing had to account for distribution and dealer margins, it would have to sell for $1,500 or more. 

outputs include: digi-audio: coaxial, optical, HDMI, composite and component, also note that the power supply is detachable and up-gradable (UK vs US or Europe) 

the oppo BDP-83 rivals the PS3 in speed, and uses the same VRS™ by Anchor Bay (DVDO) de-interlacing and scaling technology that offers outstanding up-conversion of standard DVDs. the oppo also plays Super Audio CD (SACD), CDs, DVD, Bluray disc, DVD-Audio, MP3 and supports both stereo and multi-channel high resolution audio programs. you can select whether to output the DSD (direct stream digital) signal in its native format or convert it into PCM. the unit allows output resolutions, including 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and up to 1080p 50 or 60Hz. the BDP-83 also supports NTSC and PAL systems for both disc playback and video output. by uh