OPPO to start BDP-83 Early Adoption Program
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
OPPO BDP-83 Blu-Ray Disc Player EAP
Dear ,
We would like to thank you for the tremendous feedback that we have received from the community in response to our first BDP-83 Blu-ray player notification update. There were many great comments, suggestions and concerns which we will try to address in the release of the BDP-83. In particular, we would like to address the Early Adoption Program.
We have decided to take a democratic, by-the-people approach to the implementation of the Early Adoption Program. For the initial batch we will randomly choose 50 customers to participate in the Early Adoption Program. These 50 customers will have the opportunity to purchase the BDP-83 for $499 before the official release. After using the player for about a week, they will be required to vote on whether the program should be expanded or suspended based on end-user experiences. If a supermajority (at least 70%) votes in favor of expanding the program, we will expand the Early Adoption Program by another 100 randomly chosen customers. The player will be shipped with a pre-production firmware version. Firmware updates will be available from time to time.
The initial 50 Early Adoption Customers will be chosen no later than February 25th using the random number generator at random.org. After being contacted by us, the customer must place the order no later than 3pm February 27th Pacific Time; otherwise the opportunity to participate will be passed on to another customer. A simple "Yes" or "No" vote on whether to expand the program needs to be cast no later than March 15th.
Terms and conditions for the Early Adoption Program, as well as the current program status, can be found at our web site:
http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-83/EAP.aspx
We would also like to take this time to update you on the status of BDP-83 developments. The last two months have been very fruitful, as the player now supports BD-Live (Profile 2.0) and can internally decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats. DVD-Audio has yet to be implemented through firmware, but we are working diligently on this feature. A preliminary features and specifications list will be available on our web site on Tuesday March 3rd.
Opt-Out:
If you are still interested in receiving communications about the BDP-83 and participating in the Early Adoption Program, no further action is necessary. Otherwise, please click on the SafeUnsubscribe link below to decline participation and to opt out of any further e-mail communications regarding the BDP-83.
Best Regards,
Customer Service
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
squiggleslash @ Feb 25th 2009 8:47AM
I must be missing the part that makes sense or makes this a great thing.
Is this a beta testing program? If so, how is it positive that the testers are being required to buy the hardware? How is it an improvement upon normal beta testing programs, where a mix of trained professionals and ordinary end users use the hardware for a few weeks, and give feedback both on bugs and usability issues?
If it's not a beta testing program, then what the hell is it? A method of superexclusivity? $499 seems pricey for a Blu-ray player, so is this the selling point, that nobody else has this player and they're going to limit themselves to selling 100 a week? So after a year a proud BDP-83 owner can tell his or her "friends" "Oh yes, this is an OPPO BDP-83. You won't find these in the stores, I'm one of only 5,000 people who were allowed to buy this superior player".
zargon @ Feb 25th 2009 9:29AM
I take it that it is a consumer beta program. I am not sure though if I would really call it beta though. This is most likely what they feel is a ready to go unit, or least pretty damn close. They are giving their customers the chance to get the unit early and help iron out the all the final details. I would think it is a fully functional unit, but there are always bound to be bugs and who better to find them then their fans. Just look on any forum about electronics, people are always talking about their equipment and problems they are having, AVS Forum is a good example.
This way, Oppo can release the best product to the consumer while letting getting the product out to the consumer to have a much bigger testing group. I personally would have no problem paying for this product to be a tester, I planned on purchasing it anyways since Oppo has not let me down yet and I am thinking this will be the Blu-ray player to get.
I think this is a great idea as it greatly expands their testing capabilities while giving their fans a chance to get their hands on the unit first and help out. It is much better than what a lot of companies do these days, releasing what I would consider a beta product with the mentality that they will patch and fix (or not) it when bugs are found. At least these people know what they are getting into before they buy what is suppose to be a fully and properly functioning product.
Galley @ Feb 25th 2009 9:30AM
$499 is currently a bargain for a true universal (BD, DVD-V, DVD-A, CD, SACD) player.
Shawn Parr @ Feb 25th 2009 9:41AM
There is a whole thread devoted to what this is at AVS, but I'll try to sum up:
There is already a beta test team. They have been testing for a while. Oppo most likely wants to open up to a small group of people outside the beta team to get real world testing on configurations that Oppo and the Beta test group may not have.
The EAP participants will not be bound by an NDA like the Beta testers are, and it has been heavily hinted at that the beta testers will still be under NDA and will be getting test firmwares in advance/different than those in the EAP.
It is kind of like a public beta. You pay for the hardware, and you get access to the 'OS' for testing early. After the player is fully publicly released, the EAP members can return the player for a full refund. If they decide they like the feature set, then they can keep it, and have already paid for it. The warranty is also supposed to cover to one year after the full public release, so if it takes one month from EAP to release, those EAP people get a 13 month warranty.
It is certainly an interesting way of doing it. Some of their previous players got out of beta with no known bugs, only to have some show up when it got into the hands of end users with slightly different equipment than any of the beta testers had. I think Oppo is trying to reduce the possibility of that happening with this player.
The price is not bad either. It includes on-board SACD playback with DSD D/A convertors, bitstreaming of just about anything, on-board decoding of just about anything, and a really nice upscaling solution for standard DVDs. Maybe that feature set isn't something that some would care about, but for those that want all those features, the next available player is something like $2000.
According to their notices, the only thing missing right now is DVD-Audio playback, which many people waiting for this want. Everything else seems to be in place, but it may still be buggy. So the EAP is there to help find and isolate the bugs that are left.
I don't blame you if you don't like the pricepoint or the methods they are using. But just because it isn't the right player for you doesn't make it any less valid for those of us that have been waiting for it as it covers all of our bases.
Andy Sullivan @ Feb 25th 2009 11:41AM
$499 is a bargain for a true universal player? Please. Blu-Ray is fighting to even become a viable option to DVD in a slumping electronics market. I don't see main stream buyers paying $500 for a TRUE universal Blu-Ray player. Oppo makes great stuff and became a main stream provider because of price and quality. Big difference between paying $180 for a top notch Oppo dvd player and $500 for a Blu-Ray player when you can buy a terrific Panasonic BD-35 Blu-Ray player for $199.
Jeff N. @ Feb 25th 2009 12:46PM
The Panasonic BD35 is a very good bargain for a Blu-ray player but it is discontinued. The Oppo has more features, will have excellent sound quality and is very desirable among audiophiles and videophiles. $499 isn't bad for all this does.
I own a BD55 and it is great but the first 2 I owned broke, so Build quality of these Panasonic Blu-ray players were Not all that great. (You are going to always sacrifice something for a cheaper price)
TRT @ Feb 25th 2009 11:43AM
Let me see if I can help squiggy understand what this is all about. A mom and pop from do-drop-in, ND are not going to buy this product or even know the company exist. Having written that, it should be clear that only audio/videophiles would ever be interested in a product of this magnitude. Oppo has got this. Otherwise, we wouldn't be given a EAP shot at it. Unlike the big companies (that are dropping like nuts from a tree) they are solely operating on their reputation. This EAP is a PR move that quite frankly is ingenious. Let the really well schooled consumer have a go at this player, report to the masses that it meets the grade and sales will hit their mark. Call it what you want, but I bet no one turns down the offer unless they just can't come up with the money. Those who think this is some sort of scam wouldn't buy this product anyway.
BIGSTEVE @ Apr 13th 2009 10:03PM
WITH DVD'S BEING ONLY 5 BUCKS NOW THIS WILL BE A GOOD BUY FOR THAT REASON ALONE.I'M CURRENTLY USING A SONY 350 BLU RAY WHICH IS GREAT WITH BLURAY, BUT ONLY GOOD WITH DVD'S DO YOU IF THE OPPO WILL BE GOOD,VERY GOOD OR GREAT WITH STANDARD DVD'S?..THX FOR YOU TIME
Aaron Smith @ Feb 25th 2009 11:52AM
They will sell a ton of players to audio/videophiles. I already have a Panasonic BD-35 ($200 and 6 free blu-rays) and don't need SACD or DVD-A, but there are a lot of people out there that do, and want this bad.
Andy Sullivan @ Feb 25th 2009 1:08PM
I guess it all depends on what you mean by "a lot of people". If it's enough for Oppo to see a return on their investment then the product will be a success. That is really what they are trying to determine with this program. I know of several people that have the BD-35 and none have experienced problems at all. I recommend Oppo to anyone that asks about a standard DVD player but I'm a bit hesitant about this new product. I'm sure it works great but most are looking for bang for the buck, even videophiles and audiophiles.
JDS @ Feb 25th 2009 2:38PM
OPPO has a following of loyal customers who this product is targeted at, the same goes for Pioneer, Denon, McIntosh etc......[water seeks its own level]
Many posters fail to ever see beyond their own personal perspective as if every product ever is targeted directly at them.
This product, at $499 will sell well to the OPPO faithful.
And that is all it has to do to be a success.
Jeff N. @ Feb 25th 2009 4:33PM
I think the Panasonic BD35 is a great Blu-ray player for the money.I recommended it to many friends. I got the BD55, and they one that now works is excellent. I love it. And like I said right now the BD35 is discontinued. But not all Blu-ray players have to be a Best Value player. I think there a a pretty good market for what Oppo provides. And really $499 is not an over the top price for what this does.
Andy Sullivan @ Feb 25th 2009 3:55PM
I hope you're right JDS. I hope Oppo has better luck than Pioneer when it comes to counting on they're faithful. I'm not sure what kind of poster responses you expect to see here. When it comes to participating at a sight like this I expect to see pretty much all personal perspective.
JDS @ Feb 25th 2009 4:09PM
And I do not disagree but posters should not attack a company & or their product for being true to their identity.
$499 is more than fair if the product performs as expected.
OPPO is not a brand that the uneducated average consumer is aware of.
Those that are familiar with OPPO will not blink at the price.
As far as participation on this site...none of us are the average consumer, we all know way too much.
Which is exactly why there should be much less negativity.
To much whining about prices.
If you want the latest & greatest then it costs what it costs.
If you can't stomach the cost then go without until Insignia / Magnavox / Memorex licenses it from Funai.
Jeff C @ Mar 2nd 2009 9:58PM
$499 and no support of other HD content like divx7 or x264 MKV files. Forget that. I know the picture will blow away my Panasonic on DVD upconvert but its not that worth it if they can't support features that will soon be added in the upcoming Panasonics. Also I did not see any mention of streaming support for NetFlix. Now if your an audio purist then yes this is probably a dream machine for you. But for a movie only guy like me, I am not so impressed. Especially in this economy where I am tight with my money and want the utmost bang for my buck. Sorry, Oppo, I'll wait for the BDP-93 in 2010 :)
Mike @ Mar 4th 2009 11:49AM
It supports MKV on disc, thumb drive, or external hard drive formatted in FAT32. Very cool.
Gabriel @ May 12th 2009 12:42AM
For those that have the belief that the SACD feature is not necessary, especially since it contributes to the $500 price tag, should look up the Esoteric P01/D01. This is a $50,000 player dedicated STRICTLY towards realizing the importance of the SACD format. Look at the first link below, then look at the second link {which is a PDF file, and shows a completely raw look at the P01/D01}. This should allow everyone to understand, and then all potential complaints will become irrelevant.
http://www.teac.com/esoteric/P-01.html
http://www.teac.com/esoteric/documents/P-01D-0presentationsq.pdf