" The sizeof the units is different"
The BD-30 is taller, but we already knew that Lexicon made a new faceplate. Frankly, the extra height could be explained by having to accommodate setting the 83's chassis inside their box and by having bigger feet on the bottom.

" the buttons are completely redone"
Actually, the buttons appear to line up *perfectly* with the placement of the controls on the BDP-83. Sure, the navigation pad on the BDP-83 is replaced with a cluster of five separate buttons, but each button location matches up with a contact behind the 83's pad.

"and the drive and outputs have been completely reworked to Lexicon's spec."
They may have asked the drive maker to make some changes, as you noted that the drive was quieter. You also described the 83's drive as being louder than I've found it to be. Do you have any measurements of the output changes? For that matter, did you compare the sound quality of the analog outputs? The reason that I ask has to do with your next statement:

"Why do you think I BOUGHT an Oppo BD-83 SE for comparison????? "
This is where I've *really* curious. First, the BDP-83SE uses a different power supply and analog section than the stock BDP-83. As you'll see in Audioholics' write-up, the BD-30 appears to be using the same power supply and analog board as the *stock* BDP-83. Thus the BD-30 and BDP-83SE may look different inside, but that would be because OPPO produced an upgraded model and Lexicon used their base model. It is not indicative of any improvements made by Lexicon - worse, it is indicative that OPPO made the sort of changes that Lexicon *should have made* and still charge $2,600 less for their player.

I really think that Lexicon's biggest mistake (or at least the mistake that has led most directly to them getting caught at this) was their decision to base their player on the most extensively-reviewed Blu-ray player of 2009. Every reviewer (at least every informed reviewer, which appears to exclude the guy at HTR) has used the BDP-83, many have opened them, and many still have the player close at hand for a direct visual inspection.

Jerry, I've spent a good bit of time with the OPPO player and know how good a piece it is. I had no issue with Lexicon's announcement to use it as the foundation for their player. Theta and Ayre are doing the same thing, and in all three cases it is a clear compliment to the BDP-83 as a platform that those companies are using it. Any of these products, assuming they receive tweaks and refinements, are working well out on the "diminishing returns" curve - a small market segment, but one that accepts the cost increases involved. I also don't care either way about the THX licensing, although I do think that it merits some discussion.

What I am interested in learning is what Lexicon really did to improve on the BDP-83. The stock player is a great value, and by all accounts OPPO's SE upgrade to it puts it in a position to challenge the "big boys" in terms of analog performance while still costing under $1k. Disregard the words in Audioholics' review (and yes, their decision to merge their news/review site with an online store does some weird things to how they are perceived - they aren't one of my regular stops for reviews). I just looked at the pictures of the two players and the measurements taken. The BDP-83 (not the 83SE) and BD-30 look indistinguishable (same boards attached to the same stamped base plate, same front panel layout) and they measured *very* similarly in every test. As I mentioned above, comparing the BD-30 and the 83SE is not what is needed at this point. It has value, as I'd like to know how the 83SE's upgraded ESS-based analog section compares to the BD-30's Cirrus-based analog section. It doesn't address the current concern, which is that Lexicon has made no clearly identified changes to the three boards inside the player. Is that "diminishing returns" market being well-served by the BD-30, or are they being well-served by the BDP-83SE and abused by the BD-30?