To cater to cost-conscious consumers, Oppo is offering a cheaper version of its $500 BDP-83 Blu-ray player by releasing the BDP-80 Blu-ray player with an MSRP of $290.
The BDP-80 shares many of the same features as its more expensive counterpart, except it has a slower video processor, is unable to output DVD at 24 frames-per-second, and seems to have no online streaming capabilities.
Oppo released the new player as a simple video/audio transport device, and consumers looking for a more powerful standalone player should consider the BDP-83.
"The BDP-80 is incredibly well suited as a digital transport to feed into an external video processor, a high-end A/V receiver or display device with built-in video processing," Oppo noted in a statement.
The two Blu-ray players do have the same upgraded firmware, controls and decoder. The BDP-80 includes two USB ports and 1GB built-in memory, with Blu-ray Profile 2.0, DVD-A and SACD support and 7.1 Surround Sound audio.
Oppo is a well known manufacturer that has a track record of releasing step down versions of its costlier products. I'm a bit disappointed the $289 Blu-ray player doesn't have streaming capabilities, especially since cheaper Blu-ray models from other manufacturers can stream content.
The Oppo BDP-80 Blu-ray player is available now.
