Featured Articles & Reviews

The BDP-80 is the new universal player from Oppo positioned below their venerable BDP-83 model. That means that not only does it play Blu-rays and DVDs but also SACDs and DVD-As. With just a few corners cut, the BDP-80 comes in at only $289. That's right, while others are trying to charge multiple of thousands for universal Blu-ray playback, Oppo keeps dropping their prices. If you're looking for a Universal Blu-ray player for a bedroom system or small den, the BDP-80 may just be your ticket.

It's an Oppo BDP-83. Normally we'd launch into a statement like this with more tact. We may, for example, wax eloquent about the Lexicon BD-30's beautiful chassis or it's billet aluminum front face. We could tell you about the heft of the unit, or the fact that comes double boxed with enough padding to warrant throwing it off the FedEx or UPS truck while it's still moving. While all of that is true, the Lexicon BD-30 is still an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player. And what's more, it's not just using the same parts - they actually stuck the player inside - chassis and all. This would be OK, were it not for the $3000 premium and THX certification. As Sherlock Holmes would say: The game is afoot!

When Oppo announced a hot rod version of their highly regarded BDP-83 Blu-ray player, it piqued our interest. Considering the stock player demonstrated stellar audio and video performance via the HDMI outputs and respectable analog audio performance, we figured it would simply be icing on the cake for Oppo to offer a supped up version and evidently they agreed, hence the BDP-83SE was born. As we began our exhaustive analog audio measurement process, we discovered some operational and performance issues on both players which are noted in this report. Fellow Oppo users fear NOT as we have made Oppo fully aware of these issues and they are working on solutions as you read this article.

The Oppo BDP-83SE is a "Special Edition" version of the Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu player. For an extra $400 (yes, that almost doubles the price of the original) you get upgrades only a connoisseur could love. Namely, you're getting an upgraded audio section, a better power supply, RS-232 support, and a faceplate with the words "Special Edition" on the front. This player should surely be a hit with the esoteric crowd.

JVC's new XV-BP11 entry level Blu-ray player has many of the bells and whistles you'd expect from a current generation Blu-ray player except for BD-Live. While $200 may seem like a lot to pay for a Profile 1.1 player, that doesn't mean it isn't without its merit - like our supposition that the price will drop like a stone come Black Friday.

The Denon DVD-A1UDCI Universal Blu-ray player exemplifies flagship performance and status from a company that continually strives to be the leader in high performance audio gear and transports. It flawlessly plays every disc format currently relevant in the marketplace. The fact that every output is always active on this player gives an end user and/or installer almost endless configuration options on how one could utilize this player. Whether I played back a Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-A or standard DVD, I was always in shock and awe at the end result. During this review process, I got a glimpse of a feeling professional car reviewers get when they have the opportunity to test drive that $300k Ferrari, only I didn’t have change my pants at the end of the test drive. Awesome product!

The DBP-4010UDCI isn't cheap unless all you have to compare it to are the top of the line Denon, Marantz or Lexicon players. Still, for the added money, you are getting top of the line components, cutting edge technology, and the piece of mind that you could have spent thousands more. While we don't expect the DBP-4010UDCI to fly off the shelves at this price point, for the user that has to have (almost) everything, this is the player for them.

Sony kind of stunned me with their new BDP-N460 networked Blu-ray player. What was most impressive was the amount of network features available to the player and it's almost mouth-watering price of just $250. Beside playing Blu-ray discs and DVDs, the device instantly streams one of the largest collections of premium and free on-demand entertainment from the BRAVIA Internet Video platform including thousands of movies, TV programs, and music from YouTube, Slacker, and, later this fall, Netflix.

Lexicon is touting their new BD-30 Blu-ray player as "future-proof." We've heard that claim before from a number of manufacturers. The BD-30 is a true universal player in that it can play CDs, DVDs, SACDs, DVD-As, and Blu-rays. At $3500, it's everything you could ask for... except for a bargain. One thing that is clear is that Lexicon is not really marketing this player to the common man (or woman). If you didn't get that from the price, then you will from the language of the release. There are constant references to custom installers specifically in relation to the RS-232 support but also in general. It it obvious that Lexicon expects this product to be marketed to those with the money to afford a home theater installation specialist. Upon closer inspection it looks as though Lexicon simply repackaged the Oppo BDP-83, and got it THX certified. At roughly $3k more than the Oppo its a hard sale for all but those loyal to the brand.