Oppo BDP-83 Player Review
Blu-ray and More from the Oppo Multi-Format Disc and USB Reader
Aug 31, 2009
With all the movie and audio options available today, it’s become more desirable to have a piece of electronic equipment that can do it all. The problem is that most universal players aren’t capable of really showcasing Blu-ray discs, compact discs, and DVDs very well. Sometimes compromises are made in video and audio quality.
The new Oppo BDP-83 player defies all logic when it comes to home electronics. A reasonable price? A universal player that can handle Blu-ray, DVD, CD, SACD, DVD-Audio and USB without a glitch? Picture and sound quality that is on-par with higher end models?
Yes indeed. This player is the real deal, and Oppo has a real champion on its hands.
The Tiny Company That Could
Oppo Digital, a small but bold company in Northern California, has made a big splash in the electronics world. Buyers and critics of its original DVD players have been more than pleased with high quality video and audio playback. The company also prides itself on exceptional customer service. Selling its products through the Internet, the company has made some real inroads.
Loyal customers wondered when Oppo would produce a Blu-ray player. Oppo’s site proclaimed they were working on one, but buyers would have to wait. It’s engineers donned their lab coats and went into the lab for a while. When the Oppo engineers came out of the lab, the result was the Oppo BDP-83. It’s a gorgeous piece of equipment that may just give Sony’s highly vaunted Playstation 3 a run for its money.
First Class Service and A First Class Player
The BDP-83 ships packaged in a thick box. Inside, Oppo includes a remote, HDMI cable, analog cables, batteries, a high definition test disc, an audiophile test disc, and a very easy to read instruction manual. The player is surrounded by thick foam and is stored inside of a nice canvas bag.
Taking the player out shows Oppo’s dedication to design. It has some nice weight to it. Flimsy plastic parts don’t apply on the Oppo. The front plate is dressed in brushed black metal and the tray is very solid. The player feels much more expensive than its $499 price tag would dictate. The menus are sharp with rich graphics that would feel at home on a high end computer.
Looks And Sounds Like A Winner
What comes to mind in using the BDP-83 is how effortless it is to use. It’s also very quick. Blu-ray discs, because of the immense amount of storage on them, can load slowly on some players. Not so with the Oppo. Blu-ray discs load very quickly and load times may be equal, if not slightly faster, than the Playstation 3.
Using Anchor Bay’s VRS video processing, the Oppo produces a stunning picture on most Blu-ray discs. The picture is natural and rich in color, showing off the strength Blu-ray’s picture quality. Blu-ray disc picture quality will occasionally vary, but the BDP-83 does an excellent job in being faithful to the original elements.
The BDP-83 is commendable in making DVDs look good, even if they’re not of the best quality. DVD isn’t high definition, but the BDP-83 squeezes every last digital ounce out of them. Older DVD titles with previous generation transfers will look okay, but new DVDs will look very good on the Oppo. Blu-ray is still the best way to see movies at home, and the Oppo does its job super well.
Audio on the Oppo will please most listeners of movies, compact discs and SACDs.
The press has been smitten with previous Oppo DVD players and it’s easy to see why. Their smooth sound has been compared to high end CD/SACD players. Movies sound every bit as clean and dynamic as their soundtrack options allow. Blu-ray discs, with their higher resolution audio formats, sound superb on the BDP-83.
The BDP-83 takes its engineering further, giving listeners a very pleasant audio experience with CD and SACD. DVD-Audio discs weren’t used in this review. By separating audio circuits from video circuits, the player has an open and transparent soundstage. Music is very dynamic, seemingly hitting all the right notes. USB files can be played via inputs on the player, too. The player will only playback MP3-type formats, though.
Are there any drawbacks with the Oppo BDP-83? Just some very minor ones. The remote is beautifully designed. Playback is instant, though fast forwarding/fast rewind isn’t as smooth as the PS3’s. Pressing the Oppo’s remote to get to the next track on a CD seems to take a millisecond longer than desired. The PS3 remote is Bluetooth enabled and can be used almost anywhere in a room. The Oppo remote needs to be within the player’s infrared sightline to communicate.
Although it’s probably desirable to use HDMI to play back all audio formats from the Oppo, it’s best to use it only for movies. Movie sound is excellent in this regard. However, playing audio from CDs and SACDs via HDMI sounds veiled with a collapsed soundstage. By choosing the analog jacks, audio becomes more natural sounding and opens up. The Oppo uses Cirrus-Logic digital-to-analog converters and they render music quite nicely. Again, these are minor quibbles on a wonderful player.
An Oppo For Everything & Everybody
The Oppo BDP-83 is simply a joy to use. It’s as speedy as the Playstation 3, packs incredible picture quality, sounds like a high end audio player, and looks great. For just a little cash, the Oppo offers a lot of flexibility for the money. It even has more features than can be mentioned here.
Oppo has really shown it can play in the big leagues. After producing some acclaimed DVD players, they’ve created the stellar BDP-83. It’s an exceptional universal player that does everything so well, and so right.
Oppo BDP-83
$499.00
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