# OPPO Makes It Official, Announces Availability of Its New UDP-203 4K UHD Player



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

It’s official: OPPO has announced the availability of its new UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc player. The UDP-203 is a direct replacement of its popular and award-winning BDP-103 series of Blu-ray players, and marks the company’s first entry into the 4K world. 

While we knew the UDP-203 would be released prior to the end of the calendar year, its price has been the subject of quite a bit of speculation. According to OPPO, the UDP-203 will retail for $549 and sell direct from oppodigital.com. This places the UDP-203 at the upper end of the 4K UHD Blu-ray player market, costing nearly twice as much as currently available offerings from Philips and Samsung (not to mention Microsoft’s Xbox One S). There’s been some talk that Sony’s forthcoming 4K Blu-ray player may cost closer to $1,000, but Sony has not officially commented on price yet.

OPPO’s new player continues the company’s tradition of offering high-end technologies. Its brain is a custom quad-core video decoder/processor that integrates proprietary video decoding, processing, and optimization expertise. And its mechanical loader is described as “well balanced [for] smooth and reliable playback.” Then, of course, there’s its overall look, which is pure OPPO. The exterior features a familiar looking black brushed aluminum front panel and a steel chassis.

The back side of the UDP-203 features both HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 1.4 connections (allowing the player to connect to modern 4K televisions and older AV receivers) in addition to three USB ports for playback of video, music, and photos from USB drives. Users will also find 7.1 channel analog outputs paired with premium 32-bit AKM digital-to-analog converters. 










Enthusiasts will love the 203’s universal compatibility with disc and file formats. Legacy content on standard Blu-ray (including 3D), DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD, and standard CDs is supported. The player can internally decode TrueHD and DTS-HD MA codecs (while providing bitstream output for both Atmos and DTS:X). That kind of playback versatility is bolstered by Hi-Res audio support for AIFF, WAV, ALAC, APE, and FLAC formats, in addition to direct playback of Direct-Stream Digital audio files in stereo DSD64/128 or multichannel DSD64.

What the UDP-203 lacks is internal support of internet video and music streaming apps. While this is a change from the BDP-103, the company says users can easily add (and upgrade) their favorite external streaming devices using the HDMI port. Obviously, this is a cost-cutting move. However, the expense of external streaming devices is low enough that most buyers at this price point will likely find the exclusion of apps to be a non-issue. 

On the 4K video side of the equation, the UDP-203 supports HDR10 out of the box, and OPPO says that the guts of the player will allow for Dolby Vision support to be added at a future date. OPPO is legendary for its tradition of user friendly firmware updates, and we can expect to see Dolby Vision activated sometime in early 2017.

The UDP-203 will soon have a younger, more powerful, sibling. OPPO says the UDP-205 (successor to the BDP-105) is in development and will offer upgraded audio performance. No official price has been released yet, however we expect it to cost hundreds more than today’s reveal.

For more information, visit OPPOdigital.com on the net.


_Image Credit: OPPO Digital_


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I can't wait to get mine... I was told i will see it mid January most likely.


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## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

I've had a 103 for a few years now and have been quite pleased with it. Built like a tank.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Just to note... OPPO isn't differentiating between HDMI 2.0 or 2.0a at this juncture. Technically speaking, the HDMI 2.0 input/output is "a" compliant at launch. When the Dolby Vision update is installed, it will become HDMI 2.0b compliant.

Also, unmentioned in the article, is that the HDMI 2.0 ports are HDCP 2.2 compatible (which is true of all HDMI 2.0a inputs).


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

I'll be following the reviews on this player closely. If they come back positive this will be replacing the Samsung.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Woo Hoooo!!!


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## JimShaw (Apr 30, 2012)

I'm excited.

Now, do I go ahead and order or wait a little longer to see if there will be a 203D which would be my preference.


.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

I have a 203 review sample on the way... I'll get that review under way immediately upon receipt. 

As for a Darbee version... I haven't heard any rumblings about one. Frankly, I'm not sure how well Darbee's processing will play with HDR. I just sent my contact at OPPO some questions about a D version... we'll see what he says.

T


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## JimShaw (Apr 30, 2012)

Todd Anderson said:


> I have a 203 review sample on the way... I'll get that review under way immediately upon receipt.
> 
> As for a Darbee version... I haven't heard any rumblings about one. Frankly, I'm not sure how well Darbee's processing will play with HDR. I just sent my contact at OPPO some questions about a D version... we'll see what he says.
> 
> T


I agree with you.

Todd, I will be anxiously awaiting your review but the odds are I will go ahead and order anyway. 

Got to upgrade, always got to upgrade


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

So it sounds like Darbee is working on a 4K version and OPPO is very closely monitoring their progress.

However, the potential for a 203D version is very much up in the air. OPPO isn't revealing any cards.

Sorry I can't be more specific... 

You can always buy now... sell... and re-buy later. ;-)


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## JimShaw (Apr 30, 2012)

Todd Anderson said:


> So it sounds like Darbee is working on a 4K version and OPPO is very closely monitoring their progress.
> 
> However, the potential for a 203D version is very much up in the air. OPPO isn't revealing any cards.
> 
> ...


Thanks Todd for the info. I had called both Darbee and Oppo a while back and got nothing from either.

I sold my stand alone Darbee when I went 4K.

I'll probably go ahead and order the 203 and when Darbee's 4K finally hits the streets, buy the stand alone once again.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

Sure thing... it sounds like OPPO _is_ working with Darbee in the 4K realm, which indicates to me that a "D" version is planned. But, I have no official word... so I'm assuming that OPPO's interested in a "D" version, but not willing to commit just incase something isn't quite right.


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## JimShaw (Apr 30, 2012)

Todd Anderson said:


> Sure thing... it sounds like OPPO _is_ working with Darbee in the 4K realm, which indicates to me that a "D" version is planned. But, I have no official word... so I'm assuming that OPPO's interested in a "D" version, but not willing to commit just incase something isn't quite right.


That's why I like Oppo. 

Don't do it until it's right and if not, don't do it.


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