Oppo S83 review

Stew4HD · 05-20-2009, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Citico

Finally arrived!!This is my first OPPO . I have had a lot of components come through my HT but never have I had a product delivered in such professional packaging. That in itself tells me I am in for a special treat when I get the player installed tomorrow. My hat is off to the marketing team. Replacing a Samsung BD-Up5000.

Congrats! I agree, the packaging is very nice and shows quality. I have bought more expensive components that didn't come packaged as professionally as the Oppo. The BDP-83 is my first Oppo as well (probably not my last).

daleb · 05-20-2009, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew4HD

Congrats! I agree, the packaging is very nice and shows quality. I have bought more expensive components that didn't come packaged as professionally as the Oppo. The BDP-83 is my first Oppo as well (probably not my last).

It is not my first Oppo product, but it's been a while. It is good to be back!

Chris Gerhard · 05-20-2009, 07:11 AM

I have the Oppo DV-970HD, DV-980H, DV-983H and the BDP-83. All still work fine and all were packaged with the same care. Customer support has been handled expertly in all cases as well.

The Oppo product line is never long but it is really short now, with the DV-980H and BDP-83 the only players currently available. I don't know what the company will do next, probably not much until the BDP-83 customers are happy. Contrast that with the Samsung player customer base after 15 or so different models and not many of the player's owners are happy based on what I have been reading.

Chris

Bravestime · 05-20-2009, 03:29 PM

Stew, since you have the Oppo 83, can you tell me if the Oppo's price difference between the Panny 35 worth it? What differences have you seen that the Oppo out-performs over the Panny.

Thanks

Stew4HD · 05-20-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bravestime

Stew, since you have the Oppo 83, can you tell me if the Oppo's price difference between the Panny 35 worth it? What differences have you seen that the Oppo out-performs over the Panny.

Thanks

The Oppo is twice the price of the Panny but plays SACD and DVD-A. It's built so much better making the panny look cheap in comparison. As metnioned earlier in this thrread, it appears that the Oppo outputs the PCM levels at a bit higher voltage making for a louder volume but not a lot of difference.

I have not played an SD in it yet (still stuck on watching The Tudors in BD

) but plan on testing that in the next day or so. I expect the Oppo to do a better job of upconverting.

So far, I so no measureable difference in BD playback between the 2.

The options are enormous and looks like I can tweak many settings to my hearts content.

Bravestime · 05-20-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew4HD

The Oppo is twice the price of the Panny but plays SACD and DVD-A. It's built so much better making the panny look cheap in comparison. As metnioned earlier in this thrread, it appears that the Oppo outputs the PCM levels at a bit higher voltage making for a louder volume but not a lot of difference.

I have not played an SD in it yet (still stuck on watching The Tudors in BD

) but plan on testing that in the next day or so. I expect the Oppo to do a better job of upconverting.

So far, I so no measureable difference in BD playback between the 2.

The options are enormous and looks like I can tweak many settings to my hearts content.

Thanks Stew. Love to hear what you think about the SD playback.

Stew · 05-20-2009, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Citico

Finally arrived!!This is my first OPPO . I have had a lot of components come through my HT but never have I had a product delivered in such professional packaging. That in itself tells me I am in for a special treat when I get the player installed tomorrow. My hat is off to the marketing team. Replacing a Samsung BD-Up5000.

Here's hoping you get many good years out of it. So far, I've had a ball with mine and hopefully, you will too!

Chris Gerhard · 05-21-2009, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bravestime

Stew, since you have the Oppo 83, can you tell me if the Oppo's price difference between the Panny 35 worth it? What differences have you seen that the Oppo out-performs over the Panny.

Thanks

I have both the Panasonic DMP-BD35 and Oppo BDP-83. Of course the big differences in favor of the BDP-83 are the additional formats played, analog 7.1 output, and better DVD-V performance. The Anchor Bay ABT2010 in the Oppo BDP-83 provides for great flexibility in setup and tweaking both Blu-ray and DVD. If all you need is handled by the Panasonic DMP-BD35 or replacement model DMP-BD60, I think both are great players with my one concern being build quality, these Panasonic players appear flimsy and less than durable to me. We won't know much about that concern until the players have been in use for a long period. The BD35 has been replaced about 6 months or so after introduction, a pretty short lifespan. It was a very popular player so if it isn't durable, we will be reading about issues soon enough.

To anybody that wants the additional formats handled by the Oppo player, I think it is a great value considering all it does. For me, SACD and DVD-A are the big draws, there will be few or no other players in that price range to handle all of it. My bet is there won't be another company to do it, neither Panasonic nor Sony will. Samsung appears unlikely to compete and Denon isn't likely to compete at near that price.

Both players connected to my Yamaha RX-V663 AV receiver and Panasonic PT-AE900U 720p projector in the same system and I don't see or hear any difference in Blu-ray quality using HDMI for both audio and video. It doesn't matter whether player or receiver decodes the audio, I won't claim to be able to tell any difference. As far as load times and operationally, the Oppo is better in my opinion. For DVD-V, Oppo is better. I believe by looking at the things the Oppo does that the Panasonic players don't do, the premium is easily justified if somebody wants much of it. I am not aware of any shortcomings in SACD and DVD-A performance with this player. Of course the potential for better analog audio exists with the Oppo BDP-83 compared to the Panasonic DMP-BD55 or replacement model DMP-BD80 if analog 7.1 output is needed. I haven't compared that and I don't have either Panasonic player with analog multichannel output to compare.

I can't say whether or not the incremental improvements in DVD-V and Blu-ray and apparent better build quality for the BDP-83 justify the premium in price for any individual. I would think the Oppo formats handled and feature set needs to be part of the justification. Right now, I believe both players are a great value.

Chris

Bravestime · 05-21-2009, 06:13 AM

Thanks for your input Chris.

Stew4HD · 05-21-2009, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bravestime

Thanks for your input Chris.

Indeed, good review. I do feel it was worth the difference in price but not everyone will need or want the extra capablities of the Oppo.

IMO, for the average user, the BD35/60 will be quite adequate.

daleb · 05-21-2009, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew4HD

Indeed, good review. I do feel it was worth the difference in price but not everyone will need or want the extra capablities of the Oppo.

IMO, for the average user, the BD35/60 will be quite adequate.

Agreed, same goes for the BD55/80 of course. I could be wrong, but it seems I see more over-buying of DVD players than I do for other equipment like displays and a/v receivers or processors. Kind of like trying to get that 10 lbs of you know what into a 5 lb bag.
I suspect the Panasonics, et al, are more than capable of providing excellent a/v performance for the majority of systems out there.
Some of us put more of a premium on having multi-disk audio capability, better 2 ch. analog, faster loading, better build, and superior customer service.
In that light, I don't see the 'present' or 'proposed' price of the BDP-83 out of line at all. On the contrary, it would appear there are great options for everyone.

Stew4HD · 05-21-2009, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daleb

Agreed, same goes for the BD55/80 of course. I could be wrong, but it seems I see more over-buying of DVD players than I do for other equipment like displays and a/v receivers or processors. Kind of like trying to get that 10 lbs of you know what into a 5 lb bag.
I suspect the Panasonics, et al, are more than capable of providing excellent a/v performance for the majority of systems out there.
Some of us put more of a premium on having multi-disk audio capability, better 2 ch. analog, faster loading, better build, and superior customer service.
In that light, I don't see the 'present' or 'proposed' price of the BDP-83 out of line at all. On the contrary, it would appear there are great options for everyone.

I paid twice the price of the Oppo for my Tosh XA2, paid the same price for my first Tosh A1 and A2.. so yeah, definately a bargain!

I still wuvs me XA2 but now the Oppo can UC as well as the XA2.

daleb · 05-21-2009, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew4HD

I paid twice the price of the Oppo for my Tosh XA2, paid the same price for my first Tosh A1 and A2.. so yeah, definately a bargain!

I still wuvs me XA2 but now the Oppo can UC as well as the XA2.

New technology is rarely a bargain. The BDP-083 is just a well conceived implementation of existing technology.

celica · 05-23-2009, 11:40 AM

Great review, considering purchasing this soon myself

rubystone1111 · 05-23-2009, 12:05 PM

I heard the new oppo has problems playing dvds in "24P"?
is this true?

Jacob

05-20-2009, 03:29 PM	#214
Bravestime Supporter of HiDef Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Aiken, SC Age: 56 Posts: 4,510	Stew, since you have the Oppo 83, can you tell me if the Oppo's price difference between the Panny 35 worth it? What differences have you seen that the Oppo out-performs over the Panny. Thanks __________________ Life is Short, Watch a Movie

05-21-2009, 06:13 AM	#219
Bravestime Supporter of HiDef Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Aiken, SC Age: 56 Posts: 4,510	Thanks for your input Chris. __________________ Life is Short, Watch a Movie

05-23-2009, 11:40 AM	#224
celica High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 98	Great review, considering purchasing this soon myself __________________ I <3 Life

Similar Threads to Oppo S83 review
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Blu-Ray Movie Review Format-READ BEFORE POSTING A REVIEW PLEASE	Cass	Blu-Ray Movie Reviews and Software discussion	120	04-11-2011 03:43 PM
OPPO DV-983H DVD Player review	Loves2Watch	High Definition News & Informative Articles	7	12-12-2008 02:20 PM
3K for a Samsung and the $700 Visio looks better?	TAG	Flat-Panel TVs	2	12-01-2007 08:35 PM
Panny AX100U / Oppo DV-981HD Problems	wisemaj	Projectors	2	01-18-2007 01:26 PM
Oppo 1080i output is flawed	Brandenborg	SD DVD Players and Discs	33	02-21-2006 09:21 PM

05-20-2009, 07:11 AM	#213
Chris Gerhard High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 10,789	I have the Oppo DV-970HD, DV-980H, DV-983H and the BDP-83. All still work fine and all were packaged with the same care. Customer support has been handled expertly in all cases as well. The Oppo product line is never long but it is really short now, with the DV-980H and BDP-83 the only players currently available. I don't know what the company will do next, probably not much until the BDP-83 customers are happy. Contrast that with the Samsung player customer base after 15 or so different models and not many of the player's owners are happy based on what I have been reading. Chris

05-23-2009, 12:05 PM	#225
rubystone1111 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 398	I heard the new oppo has problems playing dvds in "24P"? is this true? Jacob