Oppo BDP-83 Multiregion Hardware MOD

**recruit** · **10-31-09, 07:23 AM**

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....

**Jon Liu** · **10-31-09, 10:22 AM**

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!

**recruit** · **10-31-09, 10:55 AM**

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...

**Jon Liu** · **10-31-09, 12:10 PM**

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!

**umr** · **10-31-09, 12:13 PM**

Very cool!
Posted via Mobile Device

**Sam Ash** · **10-31-09, 12:26 PM**

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.

**recruit** · **10-31-09, 12:45 PM**

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

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

**Sam Ash** · **10-31-09, 08:18 PM**

Quote:

recruit wrote:

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

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

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.

**recruit** · **11-01-09, 02:49 AM**

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

**Sam Ash** · **11-01-09, 09:53 AM**

Quote:

recruit wrote:

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.

**Sam Ash** · **11-02-09, 07:15 AM**

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.

**recruit** · **11-02-09, 07:23 AM**

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

Quote:

Sam Ash wrote:

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.

**Sam Ash** · **11-02-09, 09:29 AM**

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.

**recruit** · **11-02-09, 12:04 PM**

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

**tiggers97** · **11-06-09, 01:12 AM**

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?

**recruit** · **11-06-09, 01:32 AM**

Quote:

tiggers97 wrote:

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

**tiggers97** · **11-06-09, 10:23 AM**

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.

**recruit** · **11-06-09, 10:36 AM**

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

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