There are several of us here who own and really like the Oppo BDP-83. Mine is the 3rd Oppo player I've owned, and I've been satisfied and happy with each and every one. Though it lacks a couple of features found on some other players (no Wi-Fi for BD-Live features; lacks streaming media services like Netflix and Pandora), it is top rated by just about everybody, including CNET.
CNET's best Blu-ray PlayersOther than the picture quality, the feature that really impresses me is the (relatively) fast load times. And, so far, I've had no problem playing any Blu-ray disc. I can't say that about any other Blu-ray player I've owned (two -Sharp & Panasonic) You, pretty much, can't go wrong with the BDP-83.
However, it is expensive. I see, on the CR site, that the Panasonic DMP-BD80 has the same rating as the BD83 and costs a lot less. I've owned a Panasonic predecessor (BD55?) to the BD80 and liked it very much.
If money is no object, I suggest getting the Oppo. If you're on a tighter budget, I doubt the Panasonic would disappoint you.
EDIT: Forgot to mention another thing I really love about the Oppo. It's a true universal disc player, handling both DVD-Audio and SACD discs in addition to Blu-ray Discs, CDs, and DVDs.
