Another Blu-ray player that plays more than just Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs: the Oppo BDP-831. And at just 449 GBP, it will cost way less than competing models.

October 14, 2009 — Who says Blu-ray players that can play back all formats, including DVD Audio and SACD, have to carry a four-figure price tag? Exactly, no one. Even though other such players from Denon and Marantz, for example, can easily cost 4,500 GBP, the BDP-831 does the same for just a tenth of that price — how well it does it will, however, only become clear through laboratory testing.

Chic, cheap, and universal: the Oppo BDP-831.

Owners of older receivers without an HDMI input will be pleased to see that the American player has an analog, 7.1-channel output. It also supports BD-Live and has a USB port, allowing you to hook it up to an external hard disk to store downloaded BD-Live material. The BDP-831 is expected go on sale imminently.