# Oppo BDP-83 Multiregion Hardware MOD



## recruit

I have been running the firmware mod on the BDP83 to make it region free for DVD and BD playback since May this year, but I decided that I needed to upgrade the firmware to correct the PAL shift image issue where it was cutting off part of the picture on PAL DVD's and to make sure the player runs as smooth as possible, anyway by doing this I lost Multi region playback so I ordered the hardware mod and this morning recieved it.

It took me approx 5min to install and works perfectly and have multi region DVD playback all the time, but when changing regions for BD I need to put the unit in standby then press the blue button for approx 5sec and then hit either 1,2 or 3 which changes the regions to A,B,C accordingly!!

***If you do decide to try a hardware MOD it will void any warranty if you bought direct from Oppo and anything goes wrong, so at your own risk***

Here are some pics of the inside of the oppo if anyone is interested....


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## Jon Liu

*Re: OPPO Bluray*

Very nice, John! I didn't know it was _THAT_ easy to do the hardware mod. I may just have to do that now to mine!


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## recruit

It really is very straight forward Jon and as long as you have had some experience dabbling in say PC buliding or similar then it should pose no problems...


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## Jon Liu

I loved to build my own computers back a few years ago so if I did go that route, I'll likely have absolutely no problem. But, then again, knowing my my luck with computer building and if that luck transfers over to this mod, too, then a problem will most certainly present itself for me!


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## umr

Very cool!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sam Ash

The Oppo BDP-83 is no doubt an excellent player but costs about £550 in the UK for a universal (multiregion) version. One feature of the Oppo that I really like is the Source Direct Mode which allows the original audio/video content on the discs to be sent out with no additional processing or alternation.

Is there any other Source Direct capable multi-region/universal player that is better priced and offers good performance ?

I would like the AV amp to handle all the processing and so there is no point of paying extra for a player that repeats the processing features of the amp.


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## recruit

For the money sam there is not really anything that can compete, it was the first true universal player and the only other one I can think of is the big Denon A1UD but that costs £4500 :yikes:

I'd rather do a mod on the Oppo which is a 1/10th of the price of the Denon :bigsmile:


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## Sam Ash

recruit said:


> For the money sam there is not really anything that can compete, it was the first true universal player and the only other one I can think of is the big Denon A1UD but that costs £4500 :yikes:
> 
> I'd rather do a mod on the Oppo which is a 1/10th of the price of the Denon :bigsmile:


Thanks John, I totally understand but I want to know if there is a more cost effective solution out there (£150 - 200) that could serve the purpose. I've heard good things about the Panasonic BD35/BD60 but the only problem with these is that they do not have a Source Direct Mode. Loading time is not an issue.


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## recruit

Nearly all players will have similar performance when it comes to BD especially when playing BD at 1080p24, quite a few blind tests have been carried out showing this, ranging from players £150-£4500 so expect similar performance for BD, so in theory this is source direct when fed 1080p24 from a player and it should be the AV amp allowing source direct/pass through.

If you require specific info please start another thread Sam as this is the Oppo MR thread


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## Sam Ash

recruit said:


> Nearly all players will have similar performance when it comes to BD especially when playing BD at 1080p24, quite a few blind tests have been carried out showing this, ranging from players £150-£4500 so expect similar performance for BD, so in theory this is source direct when fed 1080p24 from a player and it should be the AV amp allowing source direct/pass through.
> 
> If you require specific info please start another thread Sam as this is the Oppo MR thread


Thanks John, it's good to be part of this forum. No problem, I'll start another thread should I need more information that is specific to my needs. :T


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## Sam Ash

Hi John,

Would you know where I could buy the Oppo BDP-83 (Region Free DVD and Blue Ray) at the very best price ?

I have found them here:-

http://www.crtprojectors.co.uk/region_free_bpd-83.htm

However, they are quite expensive: £579.00 including VAT and UK mainland delivery.


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## recruit

Hi Sam,

That is who I bought my Oppo from, I have been using Henry for a good few years now and his service is excellent, tbh that is the best price in the UK if you want to buy it from him but you could also import from the US direct I suppose but once you add on taxes and shipping/customs it does not work out much cheaper I'm afraid, possibly more 




Sam Ash said:


> Hi John,
> 
> Would you know where I could buy the Oppo BDP-83 (Region Free DVD and Blue Ray) at the very best price ?
> 
> I have found them here:-
> 
> http://www.crtprojectors.co.uk/region_free_bpd-83.htm
> 
> However, they are quite expensive: £579.00 including VAT and UK mainland delivery.


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## Sam Ash

Thanks John,

I had budgeted for a Panasonic player and will need to stretch the budget quite a bit.

Will speak to them to see if any reductions are possible.

Cheers mate.


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## recruit

Hi Sam, the Oppo may be a little bit more than you wanted to pay but it is certainly worth it, it is such an easy player to use and with DVD playback being exceptional, CD playback is also very good too which was a nice suprise as I had been considering a seperate player but think I will stick with the Oppo and spend money elsewhere


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## tiggers97

In the first picture there is a red/white/black(?) cable from the mod PCB board going to ???. 
What is the cable for and what does it attach to?


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## recruit

tiggers97 said:


> In the first picture there is a red/white/black(?) cable from the mod PCB board going to ???.
> What is the cable for and what does it attach to?


Hi Mike, that cable plugs into a socket on the main board to power the MOD as shown in the picture below


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## tiggers97

Hmm. That's interesting. The power connection next to the other end of the ribbon just 'happened to be there'? I wonder what the original intent of the power connection was? Probably it was to test the PCB boards as stand alone components during manufacturing. But I wonder if Oppo had other ideas as well.


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## recruit

Yes, I see what you mean Mike, there is another connection just where you insert the ribbon cable but it is a different plug type to the other one you actually use, and the instructions for fitting are very specific and straight forward...

I was actually considering getting another Oppo the official UK one 831 (Region B) but when that got postponed indefinitely that swayed me to go for the hardware mod also, plus I can keep up to date with the latest firmwares as the hardware mod does not get effected when updating, so a good solution :T


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## Florinaldo

It has been reported that Oppo's future firmware updates will prevent installation of dezoning patches.

So the hardware modification appears to be the best solution. 

There is another mod kit offered, and it has garnered positive comments on French and US audio boards. It comes from Denmark and it looks about as simple to install as the other one, although it takes a slightly different route by not requiring installing a complete new flat cable.

The developper seems to list it on eBay at times and it is also available directly at his website, where you can also download the installation instructions.

http://www.bluraychip.dk/product.php?id_product=10

I have ordered it and will report on it when installed.


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## recruit

Yes there are a few kits available and are the only way of being future proof when it comes to firmware upgrades, I have had mine installed for some time now and it works flawlessly...look forward to your comments on this?


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## recruit

Just an update on my player, the Multi region MOD has been working flawlessly but my player developed a fault in that it would not play SACD, everything else played fine but it just would not recognise SACD which was really strange :scratch:, anyway it went back in to have a new board fitted but at the same time I had the upgraded power supply fitted which is what goes into the new SE models, I did not have the Analogue boards changed as I am only using HDMI so pretty pointless but with the new PSU the player is so much more responsive than previously and it was quick anyway but it seems to have made an improvement in the players usage :T


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## Florinaldo

I have installed he modification from Denmark. Very easy to do, the most difficult part really being removing and reinstalling the player cover.

I have been playing with it for some time now, which is why I am a bit tardy in reporting on my experience. It has read flawlessly everything I have put in, including a few Region B BRs and many Region 2 SDs. I have noticed no interference with the player's performance nor with image or audio quality. The output is consistently better than on my already superior Oppo 981-HD.

Following recruit's post, I retested SACDs and some small label CDs that defeat some CD players. No problem there either. We'll see over time.

All in all, hardware modification is the best thing that happened to this player (and to its owner).


In addition to the link provided in my previous post, here is the developer's listing on eBay:

http://cgi.cafr.ebay.ca/Oppo-BDP-83-Multi-region-DIY-kit-easy-to-install_W0QQitemZ220544694553QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item33597cf919


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## q2bon2b

*Re: Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Player Review*

Anyone with a modded Oppo BDP-83? If yes, which company mod did you go with, and why? How do you like it? Thanks.


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## recruit

q2bon2b said:


> Anyone with a modded Oppo BDP-83? If yes, which company mod did you go with, and why? How do you like it? Thanks.


I have moved your post into this thread as this is the Hardware Mod I went with


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## q2bon2b

*Re: Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Player Review*



recruit said:


> I have moved your post into this thread as this is the Hardware Mod I went with


recruit,
Thanks!:clap: This is the MR mod thread I was looking for. I was also curious about the mods offered by the likes of Modwright, RAM and EVS. Seems to be lot of $$$ for those mods.

Great easy-to-follow visual instructions on the MR mod. Good job!


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## recruit

q2bon2b said:


> recruit,
> Thanks!:clap: This is the thread I was looking for.


No problem  I have to say this is one of the best Mods on the market and it works faultlessly...


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## technimac

recruit said:


> No problem  I have to say this is one of the best Mods on the market and it works faultlessly...


Great! Now that the BDP 83 is discontinued, I wonder if there will be a mod available for the new BDP 93 when that model is introduced by Oppo this fall? :dontknow:


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## recruit

technimac said:


> Great! Now that the BDP 83 is discontinued, I wonder if there will be a mod available for the new BDP 93 when that model is introduced by Oppo this fall? :dontknow:


I'm sure there will be room to fit a new MOD chip in the new Oppo :whistling:


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## q2bon2b

recruit said:


> I'm sure there will be room to fit a new MOD chip in the new Oppo :whistling:


And based on past trends, I suspect the mod chip will be out in time for Christmas, if not sooner.

Wow, the 93 is priced the same as the 83 (actually cheaper in inflation-adjusted) but with upgraded features. The 83 was great value when introduced and the 93 at this price point with better features got to be close to legal larceny!


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## recruit

q2bon2b said:


> And based on past trends, I suspect the mod chip will be out in time for Christmas, if not sooner.
> 
> Wow, the 93 is priced the same as the 83 (actually cheaper in inflation-adjusted) but with upgraded features. The 83 was great value when introduced and the 93 at this price point with better features got to be close to legal larceny!


I'm sure I'll find room to fit a nice new 93 in my AV rack, bring it on :bigsmile:


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## chrapladm

Ok just so I am clear. I want a Blu Ray player that can play atleast most regions of BR's and all my USA SD discs. Can the Oppo 93 or 93 do this and upconvert also?

My PS3 is great but it wont play my sd discs I have from the States.

Thanks


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## recruit

The multi region MOD makes the BDP83 region free for all BD and DVD discs, I bet there will be one for the 93 when it is made widely available but we shall see as only time will tell.


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