(I am not an Oppo employee, tester, nor in the business) First - Oppo has not released a final price for the DP-83 but it seems to be planned for somewhere between $499 and $599. Second - I don't believe this unit is shipping yet nor even available for sampling or reviewer testing; the Oppo is in test and from the results looks to be released late Apr il. Third - statement piece or not, $4500 is an amazing ask for a product that functionally provides no more value than a combination of a current Panasonic Blu-Ray player and a lesser model Oppo. If money is no object and matching "outerwear" is really an issue then there is no doubting that the Denon unit is worth the price. Barring that limited situation I'll be amazed if Denon actually ships this product at that asking price. To borrow from Dennis Miller..."But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong."
Spare No Expense
Even without that critical examination, the player seems to have everything—I wouldn't be surprised if there's a small kitchen sink in there somewhere. Perhaps most important, the DVD-A1UDCI is the world's first truly universal player, capable of handling all current disc formats, including Blu-ray (Profile 2.0 with a firmware update), DVD, CD, DVD-Audio, and SACD. It can output each format's native bitstream via HDMI or the proprietary Denon Link, or it can decode any audio to PCM with full bass management.
The innards of this beast feature the highly regarded Silicon Optix HQV Realta video-processing chipset, which is more expensive and programmable than the more common Reon VX. In addition to deinterlacing and scaling, the processor offers a vertical-stretch feature, which lets you put an anamorphic lens on any projector, even those without their own vertical stretch, to fill a 2.35:1 screen with images from movies of that aspect ratio.
The price tag is likely to induce sticker shock—$4500! That's an order of magnitude more than most Blu-ray players these days, but then again, they can't play DVD-A or SACD. (The upcoming Oppo BDP-83 will also play all disc formats, and it's list price is a far more reasonable $600.) Some of that expense pays for the Denon's tank-like build quality that is said to virtually eliminate vibrations and greatly reduce operational noise.
I really enjoy listening to DVD-A and SACD, so I've always wanted a player that can handle them as well as Blu-ray, DVD, and CD. And I've always loved the sound of Denon gear. But $4500? That's a down payment on a new car. And with the Oppo about to be introduced, I wonder how many of these players Denon will realistically be able to sell. Not many, I'd wager.
On the other hand, the DVD-A1UDCI is clearly a statement product—what can be done if money is no object. And it is designed to mate perfectly with the AVP-A1HDCI pre/pro and POA-A1HDCI power amp, each of which lists for $7500, bringing the grand total for all three to nearly $20,000. And I must say that the performance of the pre/pro and power amp does, in fact, transcend most other products of their kind. So if you want the very best that money can buy—and you have a bank account to match—this trio could be just the ticket.
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Comments
beaverlake, I have the Oppo BD-83 Blu-ray player in my possession right now, but a formal review won't be published until the player is released with a final firmware. Regardless, it's an excellent Blu-ray player (even unfinished) and their beta-test program is brilliant in order to find a majority of the bugs before the player is released to the general public. There are other companies out there who released "unfinished" players and are still promising to release DTS-HD MA decoding in the future, that still haven't seen the light of day and they've been out for over 6 months! I would love to put the Oppo against any other player in a blind test, especially the uber-expensive ones, to see if anyone can hear or see a difference between them. I think not. David
Never underestimate the gullibility of a few audio/videophiles out there who honestly think by spending $4500 for this unit that they will get something vastly superior to anything else on the market! Even before the Oppo BDP83 is released in the next couple of months, you could buy a Panasonic Blu-Ray player which will give you all the features, latest BD profiles along with BOTH internal and external decoding of ALL the latest SS codecs, add to that an Oppo 980 which will give you good upconverting of standard DVD,s plus SACD AND DVD Audio, 1.2 HDMI connectivity which allows you to use your HDMI connection into an AVR or pre-pro and what have we spent in total for both units? UNDER $600!! Before someone even considers the Denon player and you insist on one player for your rack, I would suggest waiting for the Oppo BDP83. Your patience will be rewarded.
High end audio/video equipment never had anything to do with being better (although certain audio magazines would have one think so). It's like owning a Rolex; they don't tell time any differently than Casio's, but there's a fit and finish, as well as pride of ownership that makes them interesting. Years ago, electronic components pretty much evened out in performance. It's still all about the loudspeaker.
My first DVD player was the $900 Denon whose model number I forget because, as my car bumper sticker says, "I Recycle Brain Cells." It worked great for years, providing many the hour of fine viewing. I was happy and $900 seemed not too unreasonable (after all, I also bought a $1,100 Mitsubishi VCR once for only $900 - what a deal!) at the time. Pride of ownership is in the eye of the beholder. So while my Bravo D2 upconverting DVD player is still one of the best ones out there (for around $200 when it was still being made), it's an ergonomic nightmare (blog at 11!). May be spending $4,500 gets rid of some of those complaints, or maybe it's the fact that is weighs a lot and smells of Corinthian leather, but for some people, the Denon is going to be the Mercedes Benz of universal players, and that's what will make them happy. So like the cannibals say, "To Eat Your Own."
I'm with Eric. The Oppo is in the second round of EAP. People like Mr. Vaughn already have one. The Denon, on the other hand, is made out of 100% pure unobtanium, with release date now pushed back to fall. Of course this is from an organization that put "Perfect Plasma" on the cover of Home Theater twice within a few months. I understand the need to catch the eye and excite interest (the "Film at 11!" technique). This, and the alliterative allure (like that one?) of such a phrase notwithstanding, it strains credulity to assert twice in fairly rapid succession that the product had been issued that was incapable of being improved upon. As at least Mr. Vaughn is aware, the Oppo is generating mega-buzz among AV enthusiasts. Did you really think you would get this past those who visit this site?
The Oppo BDP83 is a great machine. It does everything for under $600. However, Denon's player does everything as well, for $4,500. I think the question isn't the end result but the process in the player on this one. The Denon is stacked with a Silicon Optix HQV Realta video processor (that thing pretty much costs like $2000 just to put it in the thing. Plus its the first Denon product to feature their 32bit audio processor. This is better than the 24bit processor on their matching Pre/pro. Additionally, the Denon is 100% Denon made through and through. I've seen the entire thing laid out on a Table (at CES 2009), and every part had the Denon logo on it. This is more than just a player for the company. It's the best disc player they've ever made. Period.
As soon as I saw "first universal player" in the title I knew responses would have Oppo all over them and rightfully so. Seriously 4500 for a DVD player. I can't even imagine it. Most of the units sold will be for displays in high end shops and to dealers who buy one for their own use cause they will get them for dealer cost.
Yes, Oppo has shipped its player already, but only in an expanded beta test, not to retail outlets. Also, the firmware is not yet finished, so the units already in the field don't count as production units. Still, in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have published Denon's claim as being the "world's first" since it's murky at best.
Why all the hate? Is this not a website called ULTIMATE A/V? In my experience, Denon has always made DVD players that exceed the quality of most other brands, and were by in large, a decent value. This is obviously a flagship design, and for flagship A/V systems. I'm fairly certain the design principals and functionality of this player will eventually trickle down to their more affordable players. Just because you cannot afford it, does not make it "just as good" as a $600 Oppo. Why would a high-end blu-ray player be any different than a high-end CD player in this regard?
@Colin: And similarly, just because someone complains about a price doesn't mean they can't afford to pay it. Just because a person *can* afford something, doesn't make the product worth the money. However, your assertion that Denon always makes DVD players that exceed the quality of most other brands is definitely valid, though I suspect nobody will get 7.5 times the build and a/v quality for 7.5 times the price of the Oppo.
I think that perhaps Denon can get away with claiming to be the "first" universal BD player because it looks to me as thought the Oppo BDP83 will not play DVD-Audio (at least not according to the specs I just saw on their web site). Since I was hoping to get the BDP83 and hoping to play my library of DVD-A media I hope that I am wrong in this.
Keith, the BDP-83 is already playing DVD-Audio, although they are still refining it. The BDP-83 was announced in Sep tember of last year, but OPPO was unwilling to slap the term "universal" on it because they weren't 100% sure that they'd have DVD-Audio support working (either at launch or after launch via a firmware update). I think the Denon announcement came after that, and at that point it was due around Jan uary or Feb ruary - which would have made it "the first." I know they used that language in that announcement, and I wondered at the time if they'd actually achieve it. At this point, I don't see Denon getting to market prior to OPPO, but with something very close to an 8:1 price difference I also don't see the two directly competing with each other - at least for the case of most consumers. Personally, if I weren't beta testing the BDP-83 I'd be saving up to buy one to replace my BD30, but I'm not Denon's target market.
Can anyone remember the Krell DVD player that failed most of the Benchmark test, yet cost a arm and a leg? Denon has yet to release this player because they know damn well it better perform extremely well on the bench to justify the price. That benchmark will most likely be the Oppo BDP-83. If Secret's (or any of the other fine stables of geek's!)test the Oppo to a higher performance standard, the Denon will die a slow and painful death.
At Denon's new-product press conference this week, I learned that 100 of these beasts have already been pre-sold, and it's expected to ship by the end of May . I also asked about the difference between the DVD-A1UDCI and the newly announced DBP-2010CI ($700) and DBP-1610CI ($500). Both new models are BD-Live, while the A1UDCI is "BD-Live ready," which means it will require a firmware update to achieve BD-Live functionality. The update will be free and is expected in Jun e. I suspect the new players don't have balanced analog outputs like the A1UDCI, though I have yet to confirm this. The 2010 and 1610 are very similar except for the lack of multichannel analog outputs on the 1610 and the fact that they use different video processors. I wonder how many people who pre-ordered an A1UDCI are now suffering buyer's remorse?
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