If that is indeed true, that would make the BDP-83 rather unique in that respect... I'm not aware of any other player that can decode HDCD to PCM at full 20-bit resolution without also converting to analogue. In fact, it seems to me that I saw a discussion to that effect on this forum while the 83 was undergoing beta testing, and, IIRC, gonk made a suggestion that the 83 might have the capability you describe, but I was subsequently unable to find any verification in the online manual. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, however.

In any case, I don't have a BDP-83, although I will likely be buying a 93 when it becomes available. I'll certainly be looking closely into its HDCD capabilities at that time.