Quote Originally Posted by nightflier
Oops, misquoted the price of the Denon player. Let me rephrase and add a few more comments:

1. The Oppo BDP-83
- msrp $499
- freakin' glowing reviews from just about everyone, albeit always with constant mention of the $499 price-point
- plays every codec except DTS-ES and DD-EX (but no one seems to care, so we'll pretend that it doesn't either).
- At $500, it's hard to find even a two player alternative (BR + DVD/SACD) who's combination compares on features.

2. Marantz Vaporware
- msrp $1200
- Marantz has been in the BR business for some time and their players have been very well reviewed.
- Marantz' support of SACD has consistently been 2-channel - if their BR player only supports SACD in 2-channel, this one is going to fall flat on its face. I mean why pay $1200 for only part of what a $500 player supports?

3. The Denon DVD-A1UDCI
- msrp $4500
- has McIntosh-derived drive mechanism, extra audio-focused features
- good, albeit sparse reviews, but can anyone justify the cost of one?
- Supports DTS-ES & DD-EX, and everything else.

4. The new Mac/Mc
- msrp $stratosphere - probably around $6K
- has classic McIntosh sound (whatever that means)
- has classic McIntosh looks (hopefully not like their record player)
- at $6K, even Mac owners are going to wonder if it's worth it.

IMO, the only real contender is the as yet unannounced Marantz option, and that's only if it offers multi-channel SACD support. Oppo has built up a very good reputation for performance, service and reliability. If they can produce a universal player at $500, even audiophiles and wealthy insurance execs will be asking themselves what 2-10x the price will actually add. People with deep pockets didn't get rich by making stupid investments. So if the Oppo keeps providing quality and performance at a fraction of the price, there's no reason it can't be the player of choice in a rack were it costs less than the cheapest cable, not to mention the rack itself.
IMO there is no contender for the Oppo at its current price. It is already using the finest state of the art video processing and upconversion technology, and it can do anything audiowise you throw at it. Why pay more? How much more performance do these uber priced universal players will add with their higher price tag over the Oppo? I would say not much if any, and certainly not enough to justify their price difference.