Yeah, it's definitely looking like a good maneuver on OPPO's part to put this prototype in ABT's booth this week. They've been keeping things very quiet up to now (understandably, as high expectations and excessive impatience can really put a damper on even a good product), but they seem close enough now (largely finalized hardware plus work in progress on the firmware) that it's smart marketing to get the word out to that substantial portion of their customer base that reads forums and home theater sites. I doubt that Panasonic, Sony, or Pioneer will be able to identify the drop in Blu-ray player sales that this announcement is likely to create, but there will be a drop and there will be a respectable number of people who will postpone Blu-ray hardware purchases specifically for the BDP-83 because of this prototype's appearance.

What I like most is the potential for this to be the player that gives us a real, justifiable, and practical upgrade solution for people who don't want to spend money on a new processor. I know more than one person with a 990 who has no interest in moving to a next-generation product (and even a few 950 owners in the same boat, for that matter).