OK, the bad: the Oppo BDP-83 is $500, it doesn’t have WiFi or any digital download dilvery system like Netflix, Pandora, Amazon, or YouTube. But on the plus, CNET ranked the player above all others – including the PS3 – and that’s good enough for me. Where’s my credit card…

When we first spent some time with the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player way back last September at CEDIA, we walked away impressed and anxious to get our hands on the player. Well, 11 months later we’re pleased to report that it is finally available for purchase. Yay!

The $500 player isn’t the cheapest on the block, but it plays back just about every format available including DVD Audio and SACD. Plus the video processing is handled by the Anchor Bay’s VRS which is the same chipset used in the DVDO Edge that impressed the hell out of us.

If you’ve been waiting for the de facto Blu-ray player, well, this might be it. Although we would probably wait until some reviews drop before we drop 5 bills. We’re in a recession after all.

They’re thinking about doing an early adopter program with a limited run of units later this month or possibly in January. The upgradeable firmware means if you get in early you won’t be sacrificing any features they get when they’re out of “beta”. Check out the rest of the specs and update after the fold.

One of the major design goals for the BDP-83 was to deliver first-class video quality for both Blu-ray and DVD. We based and expanded upon our top-of-the-line DV-983H up-converting DVD player and fully utilize the unparalleled performance of the VRS by Anchor Bay video processing solution. You can expect all the great video features including Source Direct for DVD and Blu-ray, high definition HDMI scaling, Edge and Detail Enhancement, and 1080p24Hz output for both Blu-ray and DVD.

We did not stop at just video performance. We further refined the audio stage, including the addition of discrete stereo outputs and increasing the power and efficiency of the power supply. The BDP-83 will also offer direct DSD over HDMI and DSD-to-analog without any PCM conversion, a distinctly unique feature.

With the BDP-83, we intend to release a full featured universal Blu-ray Disc player that supports BD Profile 2.0 (BD-Live), DVD, SACD, DVD-Audio, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio. As of this writing, the BDP-83 supports BD Profile 1.1 (BONUSVIEW), DVD-Video, SACD, and bitstreaming of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Progress is being made on a daily basis as our engineers work diligently around the clock to further enable DVD-Audio, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio onboard decoding, and BD Profile 2.0.

The BDP-83 is currently undergoing an extensive and thorough Beta Test Program. We greatly appreciate all the feedback from our beta testers, as without their dedicated hard work and extraordinary attention to detail, the BDP-83 would not be a high quality product that our customers have come to expect from us.

As many of our customers eagerly anticipate the release of the BDP83, We are contemplating a “BDP-83 Early Adoption program” in late December or early January. This program will make available a limited number of units so you can purchase and experience the current implementation of the BDP-83’s feature sets, with the ability to download firmware as new features become available. The estimated price for the BDP-83 is around $499 to $599.

OPPO Digital is a consumer oriented company that carefully listens to customer opinions and values their feedback. If it were not for our customers’ feedback and support, OPPO would not be where we are today. At OPPO we strive to provide our customers with great products re-enforced by exceptional customer service.

Sweet.

Oppo has always been a driving force in the upscalling DVD scene. The company was one of the first, and the AV crowd still looks upon with respect, so when the BDP-83 dropped at the DVDO booth, they took notice. Rightfully so too as the BDP-83 is sporting the same killer video processor as the DVDO EDGE. No word on price or availability, but you can assume that the player supports BD Live, thanks to the rear-panel Ethernet jack along with 7.1 analog out for legacy audio. Plus, the front logo markings revel that it also supports SACDs with HDCD support. Hopefully, more info will drop soon — like the price — as the BDP-83 might just be the first must-have Blu-ray player.

Pics of remote and back panel after the jump.