OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player with SACD, DVD-Audio, and VRS Technology by OPPO Digital, Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $425.00 You Save: $74.99 (15%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player with SACD, DVD-Audio, and VRS Technology
Digital camera Review: Amazing Blu-ray player from Oppo!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is truly an amazing Blu-ray player from Oppo, high-end features and performance! The build quality is very high and the weight of the unit is heavy when compared with other Blu-ray players, beautifully machined faceplate! The tray opens quietly and fast, everything about the Oppo's navigation and Blu-ray load times is very fast! When you first turn on the Oppo BDP-83 the initial setup is soo easy a caveman can do it, and your average 4th grader wouldn't have any trouble with the initial setup. As people have stated in their reviews it comes package nicely, something you see in ultra high-end professional equipment. The manual is printed only in clear english, not multiple languages.
The feature that blows me away is Demo Mode, this is designed for the demonstration of VRS video processing technology. It can also be used as an aid for setting picture control adjustments for Detail Enhancement, Edge Enhancement, Noise Reduction, Brightness, Contrast, Hue (analog only), Color Saturation, Y/C Delay and Border Level. When you turn on this Demo Mode feature it will split the screen in half. The left side demonstrates the result of the VRS video processing, and the right side shows video without the help VRS video technology. This allows for a side by side comparison, not something you'd expect from a $[...] dollar piece of equipment.
I purchased the Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark Blu-ray Edition separately not knowing it is included along with an Audio Calibration Disc and an HD Music Sampler disc. This beautiful Blu-ray player looks like it belongs next to my top of the line Denon AV receiver, the Oppo offers performance and features not normally found in this price range. This Blu-ray player is targeting those who would consider spending thousands of dollars on an ultra expensive player and those of us wanting a Blu-ray player for the long haul. The picture quality is second to none, you'll have to see it to believe it!! Way to go Oppo!! If only Oppo would market it's own AV receivers in the future...
Digital camera Review: Amazing picture and audio quality!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have only had my player for just over a week now but I could not be happier. I have put it through the paces with every disc format I have available, just about every one it is capable of playing. As a home theater enthusiast and someone with a professional audio background, I was very interested in having a high quality player capable of playing every format under the sun for a reasonable price - this is it!!
My first Blu-ray player was an LG BD-390 - I returned it because it was a defective piece of poorly built junk. I bought it because it has a pretty cool feature set; my kids still complain at no longer having NetFlix available via the Blu-ray player. It's really no big deal, though, because we have the computer hooked up to the HDTV via DVI -> HDMI.
The Oppo player, on the other hand, is well-built and a much better fit for our needs. We have a large DVD collection that has been given new life by the upscaling, we're enjoying watching Blu-ray movies from NetFlix at their best, the HDCDs I've had in my collection are finally being played back at full resolution, and I can play my collection of DVD-Audio and SACD discs.
Digital camera Review: Amazon $100 Save is B.S.
Summary: 5 Stars
Go look at Oppo's website. You will see that from the beginning the planned and sell price has been $499. It has never been $599. Amazon is normally pretty good, but in this case there is no $100 savings. Don't allow this type of advertising to ruin a great product.Digital camera Review: An HONEST Review After Thorough Evaluation
Summary: 4 Stars
Before I purchased this Blu-ray Player (the Oppo BDP-83) I owned a PS3. I also have several friends who own various Blu-ray Players including Samsung and Panasonic. Before I start the review let me say that all of these were connected to the TV with Monster HDMI 1000 cables into Sony XBR series televisions. I am writing this review mainly to assist those comparing current models - primarily those who own or are thinking of buying a PS3.
First and foremost, now that I have been operating this Oppo player almost daily for the past 3 weeks I can make the following blanket statement: This Blu-Ray player does indeed live up to its promise in terms of visual quality; however, it also has more than enough small quirks to annoy those who were hesitant towards the $500 price tag. Is it better than the PS3? Visually - Absolutely. Performance - Hit or Miss. Here's where I will break this down into sections:
Visuals: When I first purchased this player I changed the settings for 1080p, 16 x 9 ratio and made sure the settings were accurate as I went through the included manual. Then I put in a standard definition dvd. And...I was initially disappointed. The upscaling on newer films and older films including Ghostbusters, Batman Begins, Mad Max, and Harry Potter Order of Phoenix looked exactly the same as my PS3. My tv visual settings were left on Vivid for both players. After my initial shock, I came to the conclusion that at least it wasn't any worse. Then I put on a few cartoons for my daughters including: the Ducktales series and Dumbo. The colors and contrast were ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. The colors were much richer and vibrant than those that had been displayed through the PS3. The outlines on characters were much bolder and the quality of the original tape was so well represented that I could actually see tape defects on older cartoons from the transition to dvd. After much more comparison I have found that upconversion for most standard dvds is very similar to the PS3 although anything with bright visuals (most noticeably cartoons) stands out amazingly when placed side-by-side.
As for Blu-Ray playback I used Coraline, I am Legend and Band of Brothers. On all accounts the Oppo excelled, offering richer colors, greater depth and more accurate image representation. In some scenes, such as the lions in I Am Legend, the Oppo clearly showed a well defined computer generated animal whereas the PS3 was unable to generate the image to such a degree. The Panasonic and Samsung showed nowhere close to the same quality that this Oppo produces. Some images are so glass-like that it makes my tv look more fragile! Therefore, visually, if you want a stand-alone Blu-Ray player, go with the Oppo. However, if you will not be watching as many cartoons and still do not own a large Blu-Ray collection, the PS3 is not a bad choice.
Hardware: The Oppo does have a few glitches in this category I am sure they will eventually work out. The company seems to have incredible support and customer service as I will later talk about. Several times I have tried to turn the player back on and no image is sent through HDMI. It seems that if you stop playback at certain locations (menus within menus i.e. special features) or at certain parts of the credits before the dvd loops, the player is unable to read back the disc. This has happened three times within three weeks and I have had to eject the disc, turn off resume, and reload the disc. The signal was sent properly thereafter. In addition, the audio between some menus and general playback is occasionally at very different sound levels even with DRC on (Dynamic Range Compression). I have tried having it on and off to no avail. It seems that they are encoded differently - I cannot figure it out. This is not a huge issue, but it is something that the PS3 did not do. The third point I would like to STRESS is that the "award winning upconversion technology" also pulls in a few extra frames from time to time in its upconversion process that leave one image stuck on the screen for a fraction of a second longer than other images in series. It looks like the dvd is sticking for a second and then resolves itself. I find this more often in cheaper produced dvds (never in blu-ray discs), but it is still something the PS3 did not do. At first I was annoyed, but then I realized that 1 small glitch in an opening title was still ok given the enhanced colors in the cartoons. It IS something you will notice from time to time on Standard dvds and almost always occurs during a transition from one shot to the next or a jump cut. Furthermore, as another reviewer stated, the fast-forward is somewhat slow on 1x, 2x and 3x. However, it goes to 5x, which seems to be about the same speed as a 2x or 3x on any other player. This is more than enough to fast forward within a scene because Blu-Ray has scene forward and back. Use the two in combination and you will not have any problem finding your location. In addition, keeping time on the outside of the unit makes things amazingly simpler. Load times are EXACTLY the same as PS3, almost always instantaneous although you will find a 5-10 sec load from time to time. This is MUCH better than the other aforementioned players. Despite these shortcomings, the picture quality is fantastic for a standalone player. If you wanted to play PS3 games, however, the only performance issue I had was an occasional game freeze (which never occurred on dvds).
Presentation: The Oppo REALLY shines in its presentation. The entire unit is made from an etched black metal and feels very sturdy. The Led light on the front for time display also has a dimmer that with High, Low and Off for your preference. The remote is backlit and has several great features including zoom processed by the player itself for tvs that do not have that feature (or to use in combination with the one your tv has to enlarge a picture without cutting as much off). The zoom levels and automatic 16x9 are fantastic and do AT LEAST as good of a job as the PS3, although I believe it is somewhat better. The only problem I have found with the remote is that the LARGE buttons on it are somewhat difficult to press and must be depressed in the center for the player to read them. Pressing a button off to the side will turn on the backlight, but will not register with the Oppo even when directly in front of the unit. The unit also comes in a double thick cardboard box built specifically for the Oppo. The manual looks like what you would expect from a VERY HIGH CLASS startup company and features thick glossed paper and very explicit well versed instructions. The package also includes all necessary cables, standard AV and HDMI (although I already had Monster) and a tv/ bluray calibration disc for home theaters. I spent 9 hrs going through all settings with this disc, however, only to find that the standard settings on my tv seemed better. However, I admit that if you have a "professional" do this for you, then it may work correctly. I didn't think that $300 for a professional was necessary after seeing the quality I already had.
All in all, from the time you get the Oppo in the mail until you view your first Blu-Ray you will be presently surprised. The system does have great visual, although a few minor problems keep it at a 4, in my opinion. More specifically, I would give this unit an 8.5/10. A very good choice now that I decided I would no longer be playing PS3 games, but not the "PLAYER TO RULE ALL PLAYERS" as some reviews have made this out to be. Please Note that through firmware upgrades, some problems may be remedied in the future. I have called customer service twice - both times I went directly to a representative who spoke clear English, sounded very professional and knowledgeable, and helped me without question. Never put on hold and never transferred through an automated service. That in itself was enough to make me decide that this was the Player to keep.
Digital camera Review: Another excellent review
Summary: 5 Stars
I to am very pleased with this product. I read all the reviews before I bought and this conviced me to buy and I am glad I did. I am not to tech savy but the instructions were very clear and easy to read. The calibrations dics I didn't need My sony tv did it better.