Audio Video News

Oppo is well known for making superb DVD players, and it looks like the company is about to do it again with the introduction of its first Blu-ray player, the BDP-83. Slated to be a truly universal player with the ability to play Blu-ray, DVD, CD, DVD-Audio, and SACD, the BDP-83 has been in beta testing for many months, and it's finally close to shipping.

But before it does, Oppo has decided to initiate an Early Adoption Program (EAP). Fifty applicants will be chosen at random and offered the opportunity to buy a pre-release unit for $499, $100 off the expected list price. To sign up, go here, but you must hurry—the selection will take place on February 25. If you are chosen, you must then place an order no later than 3 PM Pacific time on February 27.

The 50 early adopters will have some time to use the player, after which they will be required to vote by March 15 on whether to expand the program or suspend it based on their experience. If at least 70 percent vote to expand the EAP, an additional 100 randomly selected consumers will be afforded the opportunity to buy a pre-release player. All players in the EAP will be shipped with pre-production firmware that will be updated from time to time.

The BDP-83 currently supports BD-Live (Profile 2.0) and decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, but it can't yet play DVD-Audio, a feature the company is working diligently to implement. A preliminary features and specs list will be available on Oppo's website on Tuesday March 3.