Still Considering an OPPO 4K Blu-ray Player? You’re Probably Out of Luck
(OPPO Digital) (June 7, 2018) Two months ago, the industry’s leading 4K Blu-ray disc player manufacturer – OPPO Digital – announced it was closing its doors. For many hardcore home theater enthusiasts and 2-channel aficionados, this has been a tough pill to swallow (and understandably so). OPPO’s product performance standards and customer support have long been benchmark worthy, making for an unparalleled customer experience from purchase to use. The reasoning behind the company’s surprising decision was said to be complex, ultimately driven by lower than expected sales numbers. Add to that a slumping disc industry and it’s easy to see why OPPO decided the long-term viability of its business was in doubt.
Despite its decision to cease manufacturing, OPPO remains committed to supporting warranties, offering repair services, and issuing occasional firmware updates for its products. And while the company hasn’t committed to a specified support timeframe, it expects to offer product support for “several years into the future.” And for that reason, the OPPO’s popular UDP-203 and UDP-205 4K Blu-ray players have remained a recommended buy.
Yesterday, I caught up with OPPO’s Jason Liao (Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Product Development) to see which OPPO products are still in stock. As previously predicted, its old stock of UDP-203 and UDP-205 players is completely sold out. The company has one last batch of these players going through the manufacturing process, but your chances of purchasing one are slim to say the least. According to Liao: “We have set up a ‘Let Me Know’ list on the [players’ product pages] so interested customers can be notified when the last batch becomes available. So far, the lists are over-subscribed and we will not have enough units for everyone who signed up.”
Disappointed?
The good news is that OPPO’s players can be found for sale – both used and new – on various websites. The bad news is your wallet is going to take a hit. A quick scan of eBay’s recently completed listings for both players shows final sale prices that are hundreds of dollars over MSRP, and new in box “Buy It Now” auctions currently range from $850 for the UDP-203 to a whopping $2,499 for the UDP-205. That makes for hefty mark-ups over original sale prices. Unfortunately, pricing on Amazon’s secondhand market (among other lesser known sites) isn’t much better.
Liao says the only currently stocked OPPO product is its sweet-sounding Sonica Wi-Fi speaker, making the company’s popular DACs and headphone models near unobtanium as well. Pricing for Sonica remains steady at $299. You can read a full review of Sonica’s sound and functionality, here.
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