Video Asylum

Folks here share similar frustrations and I suspect this POV represents a sizable cross-section of Oppo's customer base.

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: Alas, that's probably where I am too. posted by Harmonia on February 17, 2009 at 17:50:28

It's worth noting that, Oppo probably monitors discussions on various A/V boards to get a feel for which way the wind is blowing (since they're primarily a direct sales marketer dependent upon word of mouth endorsements and targeted advertising to make up that which is lost through not having a nationwide dealership network).

By sacrificing a key function on which the company has built it's reputation in order to appease the powerful BD consortium Oppo has gambled on chasing an even shakier niche market that is already dominated by manufacturers which will undercut Oppo's product while staying one step ahead.

This is how I see things sorting out (given the fact that up until the controversy surrounding this player I've been a solid Oppo supporter):

Let's say Oppo offers SACD, DVD-A and a bunch of other bells and whistles on the new BDP-83. Most of Oppo's existing customer base probably already owns an Oppo player which does everything besides BD. Economic belt tightening notwithstanding, the only incentive returning customers would have for buying Oppo's new player is if the new product did everything their earlier players did AND added Blu-ray.

Any function(s) taken away from earlier players (such as backwards compatibility with other region DVDs) will probably be seen by Oppo's customer base as a zero sum loss. Essentially, it makes the Oppo BD player less competitive with other manufacturer's players since a) the BDP-83 probably won't be cheaper or noticeably better than most competitors, and b) one would still require an older Oppo player for those standard DVDs from other regions that the BDP-83 can't play.

If Oppo's owners had held their ground and resisted the DVD region-locking demands of the BD consortium (in respect to a format they have no interest in preserving) it could've been a win/win for the small company. Instead I've read disingenuous PR from their Beta testers that Oppo is trying to take the high road by following the Consortium's rules after flaunting them for years; that's nice, but it's hogwash. I suspect they've taken the road to Palookaville, and no one would like to see Oppo go under quicker than the BD Consortium.

AuPh

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