Daniel J SaitSad news as it has been announced that installer favourite Oppo Digital, creator of high-end Hi-Fi and AV products, including the popular line of universal disc players, is to close its doors.
The official statement released by the company, reads as follows.
It has been 14 years since OPPO Digital was established in the United States, and with the support of customers, technical partners, and movie/music studios, OPPO produced many award-winning Hi-Fi audio products and universal disc players, spanning three generations from DVD, Blu-ray, to 4K UHD.
As OPPO’s latest 4K UHD players reach the pinnacle of their performance, it is time to say goodbye. OPPO are proud to have made such well-regarded products and to have served the enthusiast community. Without its customers’ suggestions, encouragement, and support, OPPO could not have accomplished these achievements.
Though OPPO Digital will gradually stop manufacturing new products, existing products will continue to be supported, warranties will still be valid, and both in-warranty and out-of-warranty repair services will continue to be available. Firmware will continue to be maintained and updates released from time to time. Customers can rest assured that they will continue to receive the high-quality service and support that they have come to expect from OPPO Digital.
OPPO Digital UK will continue to trade while stocks last. However, it expects to close its doors in the Summer. Technical support, warranty claims, servicing and spares will in future be handled by a third party, with details to follow. All commitments made by OPPO Digital UK will be met.
Nigel Rich, managing director of OPPO Digital UK had this to say, “We can be very proud of our achievements over the past few years. Along with market leading products, we have provided first rate customer service and support from our offices here in Norwich.
“I am very proud of our staff and very sad that we will now be closing our doors for good. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our European distributors, retailers and, of course most importantly, the people that have purchased OPPO products in Europe. We will continue to support products in and out of warranty and we have made provisions to continue this high level of service.”
Reasons?
Never good news when a brand like this make this kind of decision, many installers considered the company’s video disc players to be the go-to system, particularly for home cinema.
CE Pro Europe has made enquiries, but so far the reason for the decision has not been released, so at this stage it is not known whether its purely a financial decision or a technical one influenced by the on-set of more streaming services/technology, or perhaps a combination of both.
It is also important to note that the phone side of the business, Oppo Mobile is growing strongly and the company may have wanted to take advantage of this side of the business and dedicate more resources in that direction.
Oppo Mobile is the biggest brand in China and India, the world’s two biggest markets for mobile phones.
Reaction has been one of disappointment and surprise, in fact the company deliberately did not release the information on April 1 to avoid people thinking it was a joke. Some have compared the decision to when the popular Kuro plasma line was ceased by Pioneer, taking away what had been a go-to product for many installers.
Ce Pro Europe would not go that far, there are other options in the high-end disc player market and high-quality streaming is an option. However, this was a very well respected and very good line up of products and the whole team here is sad to see it go. We wish all who work for the company all the best in their future endeavours and we look forward to hearing what they get up to next.