Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture
  3. News

Oppo UDP-203 is an Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Tailored for Audiophiles

Unveiled earlier this year, the Oppo UDP–203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player looked to be one of the most feature-packed of the UHD players released so far, especially on the audio front, but as we began to close in on the end of 2016, there was no release info. That has finally changed, as Oppo has announced that the player is officially ready to hit the streets.

Oppo says the UDP–203 is a successor to its award-winning BDP–103 Blu-ray player, though obviously it’s much more advanced. The big additions include 4K Ultra HD resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels), as well as support for HDR (high dynamic range) and Wide Color Gamut. The more common HDR10 format is supported out of the box for HDR, but a firmware update bringing support for Dolby Vision is planned for release in 2017.

Recommended Videos

The player features two HDMI outputs — the HDMI 2.0a port supports UHD TVs, A/V receivers, and other devices, while an HDMI 1.4 audio port adds compatibility for older receivers. Two USB 3.0 ports on the back and another on the front allow users to source video, music, and photos from USB hard drives or other devices. And unlike most run-of-the-mill players, the UDP-203 offers 7.1-channel analog audio outputs, fed by a 32-bit “Velvet Sound” DAC by AKM.

In addition to UHD Blu-ray, the UDP–203 also plays both standard and 3D Blu-ray discs, DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD, and audio CD formats. The player can decode AIFF, WAV, ALAC, APE, and FLAC audio formats, as well as DSD64 and DSD128. In addition to Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, the player also supports the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround sound formats.

Oppo’s goal with the UDP–203 is providing a premium experience for disc playback with quick start-up times and fast response, so it eschews such “smart” features as the streaming apps found in many players. Instead, it features an HDMI 2.0 passthrough input that allows you to connect a streaming device of your choosing while keeping an HDMI input free on your TV or A/V receiver.

The Oppo UDP–203 sells for $550 and while no exact release date is available so far, pre-orders are expected to become available shortly. For more information, see the product page on Oppo’s website. A step-up UDP–205 model is also in the works, and is expected to launch in early 2017.

A version of this article originally appeared at our “brother site,” Digital Trends.

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it’s called when someone makes videos for the web. In his… Read Full Bio
Saturday Packs a Punch With Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga and Errol Spence Jr. vs. Tim Tszyu
Adult, Male, Man

Your Saturday is pretty much booked if you’re a big boxing fan. But if not for Tyson Fury, the action would have actually started Friday morning with his heavyweight bout against Poland’s Mariusz Wach, which was NOT televised because the so-called Gypsy King opted to save the footage for the upcoming season of his Netflix series, At Home With the Furys. According to reports, Fury squared off against Wach at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Thailand, where Fury secured a seventh-round TKO. Fury’s dominant win sets up a once-in-a-generation heavyweight showdown against Anthony Joshua, provided the British boxing star keeps his end of the bargain on Saturday.

Joshua’s long-awaited return to the ring comes against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season. It’s Joshua’s first fight since he brutally knocked out Jake Paul at Kaseya Center in Miami in December 2025. While his fight against Paul was a sanctioned contest, Joshua’s last fight against a legitimate boxer came against Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Joshua, who was a passenger in a deadly car crash that killed one of his best friends in Nigeria days after the Paul fight, lost to Dubois via a fifth-round knockout.

Read more
What I Learned From John Daly About Smoking Cigars
Body Part, Finger, Hand

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades. I fell in love with the aroma when I walked into my first cigar lounge, Fair Oaks Cigars, in South Pasadena, California, when I was 21 years old. I remember my first stogie — Flor de las Antillas from My Father Cigars. During my early 20s and 30s, I smoked cigars religiously, at least five per week. I puffed alone in the living room, hours before getting ready to hit the town with friends. On my patio on a lazy Saturday afternoon. In the car during heavy traffic. On the rooftop lounge at the mid-high-rise building I lived in for a few years in downtown Los Angeles. Inside my loft — decked with concrete floors and walls, and exposed pipes — while watching pay-per-view boxing or a Dodgers game.

No matter the setting, smoking a cigar, to me, was the occasion. I never needed, nor do I need now, a reason to light up. It doesn’t matter if I smoke alone at a lounge or with friends on my patio; I love that, for an hour-plus, time slows down for me. Because smoking cigars can’t and shouldn’t be rushed. It’s not a cigarette. From the moment you light up to when you set down the final stub of a cigar, at least 45 minutes to an hour has passed, during which, if you’re like me, you made new friends, formed stronger bonds, and/or reflected on all that is great in your life.

Read more
What’s the deal with Bryson DeChambeau? The Open Championship controversy explained
Baseball Cap, Cap, Clothing

It was Ryan Fox who birdied the 18th hole on Sunday to win The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Despite the electric finish, all anyone’s talking about is Bryson DeChambeau, who was given a two-stroke penalty following Friday’s second round. The penalty has apparently divided the golf community, but the fact remains that DeChambeau’s response to the penalty over the weekend took away from Fox’s triumphant moment. And now, word is that DeChambeau reportedly tried and failed to rope President Donald Trump into said controversy.

The drama unfolded after Friday’s second round, when it seemed DeChambeau finished the day in sole possession of second place with a -7 under score heading into the third round. At least it appeared that way — until the leaderboard was updated to reflect a two-stroke penalty against DeChambeau, after officials claimed he stomped on the grass behind his ball to improve the line of his swing at No. 5. That, officials say, violates Rule 8.1, which states that, in order “to support the principle of ‘play the course as you find it,’ this Rule restricts what a player may do to improve any of these protected ‘conditions affecting the stroke’ (anywhere on or off the course).”

Read more