Oppo's New Upconverting DV983H, Redundant Technology?

I understand the appeal of upconverting DVD players, I really do. They give people a chance to squeeze the maximum performance out of a dying medium; they allow people to put all that wonderful display power of their latest LCD and Plasma monitors to good use. The trouble is, that BluRay players are a lot cheaper than they once were and contrary to what some commentators will tell you, they are going to get cheaper, a lot cheaper. So does anyone really need to be buying a $400 upscaling DVD player like this latest model from Oppo?

The long answer is no and the short answer is yes; allow me to explain. What Oppo offers is something that a lot of bigger brands do not; versatility. The Oppo DV983H will handle just about every format that you can throw at it, including DivX. Furthermore, it is PAL and NTSC compatible with a multivoltage power supply. It is made to be used anywhere, which is nice as it likely means it will play just about any DVD that you stick in it. There are cheaper models on the market that do the same thing. You can buy a $50 pience of junk that will do the same thing. The Oppo is aimed squarely at people that want the versatility of a region free system, without the compromise on quality. With 1080p upscaling and 7.1 channel sound, the Oppo DV983H is lightyears ahead of most of the region free systems on the market; yet I would find it tough to justify the purchase.

BluRay was the survivor of the battle of the formats and while prices have briefly risen, they will fall again dramatically. With the format war over, BluRay manufacturers can enjoy higher prices for a while; however they will soon be going back into competition with all of the former HDDVD manufacturers that retool their plants to build BluRay players. You can also throw all of the budget manufacturers that were waiting for an outcome and some cheaper components before jumping into the ring. A $50 BluRay player is probably a decade away, but I think we will start to see some sub-$400 models on the market within the next year or two. We might even start seeing some multi-region / region free models appearing as well. To cut a long story short, if you bought a $400 DVD player, you would feel like a bit of a sucker if you too quickly replaced it with better technology. The new Oppo is a beauty, but it is a late entry into a dying market.

Price: $400 verdict: Wait for cheaper BluRay

Sources: DVICE, Oppo