Why is Oppo stopping products.

@prpixel , IMO, I  believe OPPO dropped streaming apps on 203/205 players because getting firmware updates into the apps themselves was technically challenging and or had to many copyright laws. When using a Roku 4 with 103, I found the Netflix/Pandora apps on OPPO to be older versions, and Roku 4 performed better.

Sad to see them go, I purchased my first product from them, a UDP-203, and I’ve been very happy with it.  I bought mine as soon as it was released based on their reputation.  

On the bright side the Panasonic players have been reviewed as being as good as the Oppos when it comes to video quality.  As far as audio goes, as long as it has HDMI one should be as good as any other and you just rely on your AVR to handle the DAC stuff.  

For those that were using them in 2-channel systems there may not be easy answers for replacements though. 

I’m surprised they shut down the whole audio electronics side though, headphones and DACs are a booming business, and the Oppo headphones were well regarded. 

Jeffery,

I spoke to Oppo about the reasoning for dropping the apps.  First, it was a challenge to try to keep them up to date.  The other issue was the licensing fees.  They didn't think that most people really used the apps all that much and it wasn't worth the hassle and expense.  They actually recommended that I buy a Roku.  I picked up a Roku Premiere+ for streaming duties.  It's OK, but the audio quality is disappointing. Roku does do a good job of supporting the device and keeping things up to date.  

Most TV and Blu-ray manufacturers only support the built in apps for a few years anyway.  After that, you end of purchasing a Roku anyway.  Someone goes out and buys a $10000 TV and three years later you tell them that they have to strap a $100 Roku to it for Netflix and they look at you like you're crazy.  It's either that, it toss your TV and buy a new one.  

@prpixel 

The way I look at it you should get the best device to perform the function that you're looking for it to accomplish.  Let the disc player be the best disc player it can be, and for apps get the best streaming box you can, whether that be a Roku, Apple TV, nVidia Shield, Fire TV, or whatever else your preference is.  Any of the dedicated streaming boxes will give you a much better experience than the built-in apps on a disc player, and all of the major companies offer streaming boxes with 4K HDR support these days.  

A 203 for 4K video plus a 105 for audio and video streaming is good combination. A used 105 + a new 203 cost the same as a new 205.