Oppo’s first Blu-ray 3D player is worth buying just for its 2D capability.

The BDP-93 is priced higher than most of the competition but picture purists won’t begrudge the $1350 price tag given the calibre of the extras – even if the appreciating dollar is making it harder to justify.

However, the premium’s partly due to one of the BDP-93’s most desirable features: it’s been hardware modified by NZ distributor RapalloAV so it can play back Blu-rays and DVDs from anywhere in the world, regardless of their regional coding.

This gives it a big advantage over the US model, although if you’re in the US you can use the BDP-93 for video streaming whereas here you have to be satisfied with merely its second-generation Qdeo video processing, dual HDMI outputs, wireless networking, universal audio, AVCHD and multi-media playback, 7.1/5.1/stereo analogue outputs (as well as optical and coaxial outs), eSATA and USB 2.0 ports (two)  … D’oh!!!

Everything about the BDP-93 exudes class. Even the polished packaging more befits Apple than a consumer electronics product while the substantial user manual puts Apple’s miniscule documentation to shame.

Lift the BDP-93 from the box and you’re immediately struck by its muscular heft and refined appearance.

I didn’t think a Blu-ray player could look more alluring than the 93’s predecessor, the BDP-83, but its successor is as eye-catching as its features are cutting edge.

Oppo even has managed to make its front panel more functional — and without compromising the fascia’s clean, uncluttered lines — by adding a USB port (the 83 has only one USB port, on the rear of the player that’s hard to access if rack mounted). (See comment below.)

Build quality is excellent while the solid backlit remote control is from the same mould as the 83’s, combining comprehensive functionality with a sensible configuration that makes it easy and intuitive to use.

All the most important features can be accessed with their own keys, from zoom to aspect ratio to output resolution, without having to access a multi-layered, on-screen menu.

Fire up the 93 and if the only Blu-ray 3D playback you’ve experienced is on a PlayStation 3, immediately you’ll appreciate its virtually silent operation.

Discs are quick to load and the multi-zone playback worked without a hitch. 3D playback, on Panasonic’s 50-inch VT20Z plasma, was just dazzling.

The Oppo flawlessly played Blu-ray 3Ds of Monster House, Piranha, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film, Clash of the Titans and Panasonic’s Avatar, but failed to recognise Jean-Michael Cousteau’s ocean trilogy was in 3D.

However, it’s not unusual for Blu-ray authoring to outdate Blu-ray player specifications and a firmware update is all that’s required for discs to play nicely.

It’s not only 3D playback that distinguishes the 93 from the 83: it also has different video processing — Qdeo instead of Anchor Bay — and two HDMI outs: one is for optimal Qdeo performance, using the dedicated DE2750 processor, the other for Oppo’s own processing.

Picture adjustment options are plentiful but, in my experience, should be used judiciously as it’s easy to introduce side effects that are just as unwanted as the problems you’re trying to eliminate.

The tweaking is more versatile than the 83’s Anchor Bay processor and can be customised for three different modes, which should be enough to handle the variability of DVD transfers.

The Qdeo certainly breathed new vigour into the 1972 western, The Culpepper Cattle Co, enriching it with a vividness and clarity that was breathtaking for unrestored, 40-year-old footage that wasn’t flash to start with.

But while this gave the 93 an edge over the 83’s processing, the trade-off was fleeting yet still distracting new image niggles.

With that in mind, Oppo’s 83 successor doesn’t offer enough new features or noticeably better performance to warrant upgrading.

But if you’ve yet to buy a Blu-ray player or want 3D capability, for under $1500 the BDP-93 is as close as you’ll get to one that scores nigh on 100%.

• For more in-depth appraisals, see: Home Theater Review, Soundstage, Home Theater, AVS Forum and Audio Video Revolution.

Cast: Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron, Mark Salling.
Creators: Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy.
Score: James S Levine.
Cinematography: Christopher Baffa.

It’s tempting to dub Glee a quirky High School Musical spin on Freaks and Geeks. But the series has its own, unique voice that’s fresh, funny and moving. Co-creator Ryan Murphy calls it a “reinvention” of the musical but in its witty depiction of teenage mores, Glee’s also a throwback to Popular, the series he created before Nip/Tuck. Surprisingly, Glee isn’t as exuberant looking on Blu-ray as you’d expect, improving only marginally on TV3’s HD broadcasts (which resume 7.30pm Friday from November 5). There’s also only one Blu-ray exclusive: a cast and crew screening of the extended pilot. Otherwise, the pick of the extras, some of which are carried over from Volume 1: Road to the Sectionals, a DVD-only compilation of the first 13 episodes, are the Glee Music Jukebox, in which each episode’s musical numbers can be viewed in isolation, and Murphy’s snappy deconstruction of the show.

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Cast: Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Greg Grunberg, Ali Larter.
Creator: Tim Kring.
Score: Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin.
Cinematography: Nathaniel Goodman, Charles Lieberman, John B Aronson.

Season three of the sci-fi phenomenon about freaks across America who just might be able to save the world at last is out on Blu-ray. It can be bought separately or as part of a box set with seasons one and two. In its bravura first season, Heroes’ serialised mix of breathtaking special effects, conspiratorial riddles and sensational twists made for what creator Tim Kring aptly dubs “a freight train of storytelling”. The Blu-ray compilation includes a pilot 20 minutes longer than the TV broadcast. It comes with a detailed commentary by Kring, who was driven to create an ensemble drama about the “bigger issues” facing the world and thought only the might of fledgling superheroes could tackle them. But he also acknowledges Heroes exploits the “wish fulfilment that most people have, this sense that you were meant for something greater.” Ironically, that’s also the biggest frustration of the series: subsequent seasons haven’t come close to matching the prowess of the first. Because of the Hollywood writers’ strike, only 11 episodes were produced for season two, compromising the epic storytelling that distinguished the first season. Indeed, many of the extras detail what might have been had the season not been truncated, including a provocative alternative finale.

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James Kyson-Lee (Ando Masahashi) and Masi Oka (Hero)

Cast: Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Greg Grunberg, Ali Larter, Robert Forster.
Creator: Tim Kring.
Score: Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin.
Cinematography: Nathaniel Goodman, Charles Lieberman, John B Aronson.

The cheerleader who was meant to save the world turns into a cold stone killer in the opening minutes of Heroes: Season 3. And that’s just the start of a startling U-turn against type for all of the protagonists who, in the volume entitled Villains, find their souls locked in a battle between Good and Evil. It makes for frustratingly schizophrenic and, even by this show’s standards, illogical viewing, but does introduce a Faustian character played with creepy aplomb by Robert Forster. Moreover, the writers largely redeem themselves with the much stronger Fugitives volume, which unites the heroes in a season finale with a shocking twist that sets the scene for the fourth and final season that’s due on Blu-ray in August — except here, where fans will have to wait until C4′s aired it. At least the Blu-ray of Season 3 allows you to see it in HD for the first time and it’s packaged with the best extras yet, including a picture-in-picture commentary on each of the 25 episodes. There’s also a 13-minute writers’ forum in which creator Tim Kring and his collaborators explain why they’re not the real villains of Season 3.

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Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli), Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet), Jack Coleman (HRG), Zachary Quinto (Sylar, foreground)

Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Natalie Dormer, Jeremy Northam, Sarah Bolger, Nick Dunning, James Frain, Sam Neill, Peter O’Toole.
Creator: Michael Hirst.
Score: Trevor Morris.
Cinematography: Ousama Rawi.

This was England 600 years ago, when a young Henry VIII had ascended the throne – or at least how Michael Hirst, the writer of the two Elizabeth movies, imagines it over three seasons (with a fourth to come). He reveals on the first-season Blu-ray how he initially rejected overtures to turn the Tudor dynasty into soap opera. “But it was a long lunch and by early evening I was mellowing … I wanted something that would resonate with American and contemporary audiences, even if my view of Henry and the period would exercise some English historians.” The extras on the other two seasons are of curiosity value only, the best being season three’s fascinating short on Hampton Court. But where are the commentaries, documentaries and behind-the-scenes details, such as why the role of Jane Seymour was re-cast in season three, that befit a costume drama of this calibre? The paltry extras notwithstanding, the Blu-rays are worth it for HD transfers that showcase the programme’s attention to period detail and sumptuous colours far more vividly than the upscaled TV broadcasts.

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Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Henry VIII) and Natalie Dormer (Anne Boelyn)

Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell , Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Michelle Forbes.
Directors: Daniel Minahan, Michael Lehmann, Scott Winant, John Dahl, Michael Ruscio, Adam Davidson, Michael Cuesta.
Creator: Alan Ball.
Score: Nathan Barr.

True Blood creator Alan Ball spiked his V juice with too much gay abandon in the vampire hit’s second season. It opens incredibly darkly but mid-way veers from the slyly satirical into lurid silliness, sacrificing the first season’s suspenseful finesse and romantic chemistry for campy farce and hedonistic horror. The latter is driven by Michelle Forbes (Battlestar Galactica: Homicide: Life on the Street) signing on as the ultimate she-devil who turns Bon Temps into a purgatory for paganists. At least season two looks much sharper on Blu-ray, even if the exclusive extras – two enhanced viewing modes – aren’t as compelling. There also are seven commentaries and two mockumentaries, the best being a special edition of TV’s The Vampire Report that includes a scoop about a new reality show (Daddy, I’m Dating a Vampire) and a sneak peek of the teen vampire soap, OMG! ur a vampire (:-. For a sneak peek of what to expect in season three of True Blood, which launches later this month on Prime, see this USA Today report.

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Cast: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis.
Creators: Glen A Larson, Ronald D Moore.
Score: Bear McCreary.
Cinematography: Stephen McNutt.

As commendable as this $399, 20-disc collection is, it’s not definitive. Universal Pictures Video has since released in the US the same set with the bonus of the post-series finale telemovie, The Plan, which can only be bought here separately on Blu-ray or as part of the DVD Complete Collection. Universal NZ hasn’t decided if it will re-release the Blu-ray Collection with The Plan but because it’s region-free, the US edition can be imported. This otherwise mammoth compilation includes the miniseries, seasons 1-4, and the telemovie, Razor, as well as all of the extras left off the original DVD season releases. If you’re as unfamiliar with the show as apparently Emmy voters were, it’s a post-9/11 “re-imagining” of the star dreck namesake that ran for one season in 1978. About the last remnants of human civilisation trying to reach the “mythical” planet of Earth before being intercepted by the Cylons — man-made robots that have turned against their creators — its appeal and relevance stretch beyond sci-fi to viewers who relish allegorical storytelling as sophisticated as its special effects. The extras exclusive to Blu-ray are good but being able to see this series in 1080p for the first time, complete with extended cuts of some episodes, is what makes the Blu-ray of Battlestar Galactica so spectacular — although be aware the intentionally grainy cinematography may have you wondering, “What the frak?”

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Cast: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, James Purefoy, Kerry Condon.
Directors: Michael Apted, Allen Coulter, Alan Poul, Steve Shill, Timothy Van Patten, Alan Taylor, John Maybury.
Creators: Bruno Heller, William J MacDonald, John Milius.

Rome fell after its second season. HBO hoped this sumptuous, tumultuous Sopranos-with-togas saga would expand the reach of its empire but like Deadwood, it was undone by a $US100 million budget that, while worth every denarius on screen, couldn’t be sustained by the ratings. Despite being lavishly mounted and, in the words of writer/producer Bruno Heller, “larger than life but true to life”, Rome never quite shakes off its mixed heritage of Cecil B DeMille theatrics and Monty Python parodying. However, appreciation is vastly improved on Blu-ray, where the transfer, although variable, gives the extraordinary production design and costumes 1080p pop. Warner Bros Video has released both seasons  — the first of 12 episodes, the second of 10 – as a two-volume collection. Each volume has five discs and neither is available separately. The packaging isn’t as elaborate as either the colossus DVD box sets of the series or the US Blu-ray release (which houses the discs in an embossed, book-like case complete with graphics and a ribbon bookmark). However, the no-frills presentation is reflected in the price: full retail in NZ is $120 whereas in the US it’s $US140. Moreover, all of the substantial DVD extras have been retained. These not only lend historical context to the Machiavellian machinations but also highlight Rome’s painstaking authenticity. There’s also a Blu-ray exclusive, Interactive Bloodlines, which helps you to keep track of who’s who.

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Cast: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, Scott Grimes, David Schwimmer, Simon Pegg.
Directors: Tom Hanks, Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine, Mikael Salomon, David Nutter, David Leland, Tony To, David Frankel.
Score: Michael Kamen.
Cinematography: Joel Ransom, Remi Adefarasin.

Why endure TV One’s standard definition re-run of Band of Brothers, punctuated by ads and promos, when you can watch it uninterrupted on Blu-ray? The award-winning miniseries about an elite paratroop regiment going to hell and back in wartime Europe has been given an HD tour of duty in a collector’s tin box with exclusive Blu-ray extras that lend nuance to the exciting, spellbinding narrative. Admittedly, it starts with a whimper rather than a bang — the first of 10 episodes suffers from too many boot camp basics — but the rest easily earn their stripes. The second opens with Easy Company parachuting behind enemy lines on D-Day, in a fearsome sequence reminiscent of the beach landing in Saving Private Ryan, and from thereon the series barely lets up. The powerful combat footage is more horrific than heroic, the storytelling doesn’t surrender to cliches and the acting is sublime. Extras range from an 80-minute, war-stories-our-fathers-never-told-us doco, in which the veterans of Easy Company discuss their experiences in honest, heartfelt detail, to the same survivors contributing to a picture-in-picture commentary on each of the 10 episodes. Another bonus is an “interactive field guide” that backgrounds what’s happening on screen with historical and military context. Best of all, however, is the startling clarity of an HD presentation that earns the rank of reference standard.

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