OPPO BDP-83 BLU-RAY PLAYER (UltimateAVmag.com July 2009 review link)

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OPPO BDP-83 BLU-RAY PLAYER (UltimateAVmag.com July 2009 review link)

Here is another excellent in depth professional review link that was just published at Ultimate AVmag.com. This is a very fair and honest review that goes into the problems of using the reverse 3:2 pulldown feature on some DVD titles and also talks about some of the pre-production firmware problems with some BLU-RAY titles. In theory the BLU-RAY playback problems were only with pre-production firmware and the latest firmware should have close to 100% compatibility with BLU-RAY titles. It sounds like OPPO is very quick to fix bugs and new release movie compatibility issues with firmware updates once a problem is discovered. The built in 1GB of memory and USB ports to add external memory is ideal for BD-LIVE. I like that OPPO has included both a rear and front port to plug in additional external memory.

The OPPO BDP-83 is around 10 seconds faster compared to the PS3 when loading a BD-Java BLU-RAY disc (Load times vary depending on disc title used). The OPPO BDP-83 is only around 2 seconds slower then the PS3 when it comes to powering on. And only one second slower then the PS3 at using the top menu button.

Overall the OPPO BDP-83 is the best BLU-RAY available when it comes to load times, DVD 1080P/24 upconversion, and picture quality. At $499 list price it is a excellent deal.

A few selected quotes from the review

"This is a Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) player, so it must offer at least 1GB of persistent storage. Many companies require you to purchase a memory card for compliance, but Oppo has included 1GB internally, and you can expand the capacity via two USB inputs (front and back) and choose whether to use the internal or external memory in the Setup menu."

"The build quality is fantastic, from its solid 11.3-pound weight to gold plating on its analog connectors."

"One thing to note is that Oppo recommends a factory reset after every firmware update, so be sure to write down your settings once the player's been configured for your system."

"While slightly slower than the PS3 in the power-on and top-menu tests, the Oppo beat the speed champion by 10 seconds on loading this particular disc. Additionally, I never once felt the player was slow in any regard in my three months of use. Disc navigation is speedy, and moving between chapters on discs is reminiscent of DVDs—something we've been waiting for since the launch of the format."

"I also tested the Oppo's ability to output DVDs at 24p, but I wasn't that impressed. Oppo rightly warns in the user manual that "the result of DVD 24p Conversion depends heavily on the quality of the content. If the video encoded on the DVD contains incorrect 3:2 cadence, cadence breaks caused by edits, or heavy compression noise that can affect cadence detection, the result may have motion judder or frame tearing."

"The BDP-83 is the complete package—it rivals the PS3 in speed, it plays Blu-ray discs flawlessly with a DVD-like experience, it offers outstanding upconversion of DVDs, and it even plays SACD and DVD-A discs. Even better, it lists for only $500, making it an incredible value. The Oppo BDP-83 truly is the ultimate Blu-ray player, and it's found a permanent home in my reference system."

Click on the following link to read the in depth review

http://www.ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/oppo_bdp-83_universal_disc_player/index.html