Neuromancer, you are always such a 'defender' of Oppo. It may serve you better to maybe try to be a bit more objective. Are you on the payroll? It appears that way some/most times.

I'm a defender of OPPO because I have been using their products in some form or another for the past 3 years. I have interacted with the community for the past 3 years. I know what their culture is like, and OPPO is not a culture of laziness or customer negligence.

As stated, this is a simple case of someone not putting in the proper energy to ensure that a replacement unit was sent out last week when new stock became available. It is a ****-up, simple as that.

I bought the Oppo 970HD some time ago so that I could do upconversion of SD DVD's via component inputs. But I'm going to be upgrading to HDMI fairly soon and was wondering whether I should replace the 970HD with the Oppo 983H. Does the Oppo 983H do a better job of upconverting SD DVD's via HDMI than the 970HD, or should I just stay with the 970HD? It is a great DVD player.

Cal68

Yes, the DV-983H is much better than the DV-970HD. How much performance increase will greatly depend on your propensity to seeing errors (currently) and the lack thereof in the future with the DV-983H.

I bought the Oppo 970HD some time ago so that I could do upconversion of SD DVD's via component inputs. But I'm going to be upgrading to HDMI fairly soon and was wondering whether I should replace the 970HD with the Oppo 983H. Does the Oppo 983H do a better job of upconverting SD DVD's via HDMI than the 970HD, or should I just stay with the 970HD? It is a great DVD player.

Cal68

THe OPPO 970 scored 86 out of a possible 100 on the Secrets DVD Benchmark tests. The OPPO 983 scored 100.

Dana

As stated, this is a simple case of someone not putting in the proper energy to ensure that a replacement unit was sent out last week when new stock became available. It is a ****-up, simple as that.

I get that. I followed up, they responded....problem solved. I guess what bothers me more than the screw up is the way you immediately dismiss my legitimate complaint. I'm real glad you are not the CS mgr at Oppo.:cool:

I never dismissed your claims. I gave a counter argument that they ARE trying. You purported that they were NOT trying at all.

I also agreed with you that the technician in charge of your unit should have initiated something before they left. Then again, we do not know what circumstances led to their absence (ie. pre-determined or an emergency).

FWIW, my HT open air stack of standalone STB disc player/recorders has 4 that play redbook CDs: A3 and A35 HD-DVD players are very poor for that, my OPPO 981 does a much better job, and a 2 year old Panasonic DVD recorder is surprisingly close to my OPPO 981!



I'll be surprised if they do. You're one of the few.

Anyway, I went thru quite a lot of this prior thread posting(!), and found the ref to Kal's recent comments on the 983, and that cemented it for me. (Hey, I subscribe to StereoPhile, so I get the hardcopy mags, but I hadn't read his May column) i.e. in May '08 StereoPhile; see h t tp: / / stereophile . com/ musicintheround /508mitr/

Sorry for the spaces but this is only my 3rd post as a new AVS member, and I'm not permitted to give web refs.



FWIW my best SACD surround disc is the Telarc Carmina Buriana. I also rather like the non-multichannel SACD Zenph re-performance of Gould's '55 performance.

I've also recently gotten 4/5 DVD_audio discs(all pop), and I'm thinking about what I've heard.

My initial thought is that SACD sound is "better" than that of DVD-A, but now that remains an open question to me.

Cheers


habnab:

Like you, when Kal speaks, I listen...

Here's what he said about 983:

>>It was also less tizzy in the extreme HF than its elder brother, although still bright when compared with the Bel Canto. Furthermore, the DV-983H's bass was more solid and defined. Yet the Bel Canto PL-1a revealed still more detail in the bass, and more precise positioning of instruments across its generous soundstage. <<

I am also finding some brightness in the 983, although others might just call it "very detailed". My NHT speakers are very analytical (some call them bright), so the 983/NHT combo certainly is not "sweet" sounding, but not harsh, either. I'd call it "detailed".

I am very happy - darn, for $400 you get one of the best PQs on the market and a very respectable sound...

I get that. I followed up, they responded....problem solved. I guess what bothers me more than the screw up is the way you immediately dismiss my legitimate complaint. I'm real glad you are not the CS mgr at Oppo.:cool:

He said they screwed up. I don't see how that is defending them really. I think maybe your head is a little clouded right now. You're upset at Oppo, so maybe taking that frustration out on Neuromancer. Seems to me that he is just trying to offer additional support and explanation. It sucks that your "case" got goofed up, but stuff happens and it seems as though everything is going better now. Hopefully you'll still be able to enjoy your player.

Then again, we do not know what circumstances led to their absence (ie. pre-determined or an emergency).

see above 'defender' comment:rolleyes:

ENOUGH ALREADY! Man! We've heard it and HEARD it now. At the rate you are going, you'll turn all of us into "defenders", because your single bad experience is extremely rare, and does not mean that OPPO's CS is terrible.

Gary

OK, just look for my all praise review once the AR unit arrives - happy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bwillcox
The 983 works fine with my RX-V2700 as well (which I suspect also does the "clipping"). The thought (in my mind at least) wasn't that the clipping might be causing the problem, but that because even in HDMI "Conversion Off" mode the Z11 may still be passing the video through its ABT1018 chip to implement the clipping (the Z11 is the only Yamaha receiver with this chip as far as I know) and that the back to back ABT1018s may be the problem (that was originally suggested to me by an engineer at Oppo that I talked to).

It seems as thought the ABT 1018 renders colours between 16-235, however wouldn't this also affect jpeg images saved from computers/cameras which were converted from raw files ? the full digital 8 bit gamut is from 0-255, so this couldn't just be a simple issue..


++++
Any takers ? It seems to me that this player may have difficulty showing a jpeg properly.

If they'd only finally get these back in stock somewhere...

Trust me when I tell you that this isn't going to make it happen any faster.

Yes, the DV-983H is much better than the DV-970HD. How much performance increase will greatly depend on your propensity to seeing errors (currently) and the lack thereof in the future with the DV-983H.

THe OPPO 970 scored 86 out of a possible 100 on the Secrets DVD Benchmark tests. The OPPO 983 scored 100.

Dana

Thanks guys. Neuromancer, could you please explain what you meant by "seeing errors (currently) the lack thereof in the future"? I'm not sure if you are trying to say that the Oppo 983 has some bugs in its current state that I should be concerned about. Thanks.

Cal68

I think what he meant how much performance gain depends on your ability to pick out video errors - whether you see some video errors with your current DVD player, and whether you can see the elimination of such errors once you have the DV-983H.

I think what he meant how much performance gain depends on your ability to pick out video errors - whether you see some video errors with your current DVD player, and whether you can see the elimination of such errors once you have the DV-983H.

Gotcha! Thanks for the explanation. I do not see any video errors with the Oppo 970HD using component video cables. My current set-up does not support HDMI, so I have not used those cables.

Cal68

ENOUGH ALREADY! Man! We've heard it and HEARD it now. At the rate you are going, you'll turn all of us into "defenders", because your single bad experience is extremely rare, and does not mean that OPPO's CS is terrible.

Gary

I would think: case closed & debate over.

Now what time will that mostly white truck show up tomorrow? With my new toy.

Some of us remember back when OPPPO began shipping a new style remote (what was the difference "glow" buttons? it's been awhile) for the original 971 model. Anyone who requested the new remote to replace the perfectly functioning old one got one. They might have charged $5 to cover S&H.

Just an example. I won't even get into the FW updates and ease of doing those.

Anyway my HQV discs are sitting next to the rack. Reon or Anchor Bay? Who will win? My guess is that it will be as if Tiger was playing against an identical twin.

Joe

Hey guys. Is there a way to tell the date of manufacture of a 983H player? Does the serial number reveal this?

Folks,
Is anyone here using this combination OPPO DV-983H + Toshiba REGZA 46LX177 HDTV with successful audio over 1080P? Connection: direct HDMI, nothing else.
Thanks.

Like you, when Kal speaks, I listen...

Here's what he said about 983:

>>It was also less tizzy in the extreme HF than its elder brother, although still bright when compared with the Bel Canto. Furthermore, the DV-983H's bass was more solid and defined. Yet the Bel Canto PL-1a revealed still more detail in the bass, and more precise positioning of instruments across its generous soundstage. <<

I am also finding some brightness in the 983, although others might just call it "very detailed". My NHT speakers are very analytical (some call them bright), so the 983/NHT combo certainly is not "sweet" sounding, but not harsh, either. I'd call it "detailed".

I am very happy - darn, for $400 you get one of the best PQs on the market and a very respectable sound...

Best PQ and v.r.sound is exactly what I'm thinking. :)

Bass lovers should get a CD of Mickey Hart's "Planet Drum"

Cheers

Can anyone comment on how well the 983 handles less than perfect discs?
I am on the verge of ordering one and - having 4 little children who can't keep their sticky mitts of the DVDs no matter how much their parents tell them to - we have several favorite discs that skip, lock or generally misbehave due to minor scratching etc.
Would love to know if the Oppo 983 can handle this with the apparent ease that it brings to everything else.

Gotcha! Thanks for the explanation. I do not see any video errors with the Oppo 970HD using component video cables. My current set-up does not support HDMI, so I have not used those cables.

Cal68

Note that when using component the 983 has no advantage over the 980, which is quite a bit cheaper.

-Bill

Can anyone comment on how well the 983 handles less than perfect discs?
I am on the verge of ordering one and - having 4 little children who can't keep their sticky mitts of the DVDs no matter how much their parents tell them to - we have several favorite discs that skip, lock or generally misbehave due to minor scratching etc.
Would love to know if the Oppo 983 can handle this with the apparent ease that it brings to everything else.

I've have not noticed that it is any different than the previous Oppos in this regard.

I use a cheap motorized disc repair product (Xinix) for discs with bad scratches.

There was some discussion about the 983 being more sensitive to flaws on burned media, but I haven't been able to verify this yet. The bad writeable media I am finding is bad everywhere; on all players and on the computer.

-Bill

Note that when using component the 983 has no advantage over the 980, which is quite a bit cheaper.

-Bill

A great catch - that I missed. :o

Dana

Can anyone comment on how well the 983 handles less than perfect discs?
I am on the verge of ordering one and - having 4 little children who can't keep their sticky mitts of the DVDs no matter how much their parents tell them to - we have several favorite discs that skip, lock or generally misbehave due to minor scratching etc.
Would love to know if the Oppo 983 can handle this with the apparent ease that it brings to everything else.

My local library system carries a huge selection of dvds. They get all of the popular new movies when they are released for sale plus lots of great foreign films that I would have never known of otherwise. They have a huge kids section that my 4 year old takes advantage of.

Most of these dvds look like someone slid them up and down the sidewalk by the time I get them,you have to get on a waiting list for new movies. I also have to clean off all the peanut butter and jelly,literally!

Of the dozens of movies we have gotten from the library,since using the 983,only one with very deep gouges had any problems. The 983 performs amazingly well with scratched discs,sooo much better than my previous Sony 9100es and Arcam DV29 ever did,and at least as well as if not better than the 981 that is now my 4 year olds movie machine.

Note that when using component the 983 has no advantage over the 980, which is quite a bit cheaper.

-Bill

A great catch - that I missed. :o

Dana

Thanks for the tip. The reason I am looking at the Oppo 983 is because I will be upgrading to HDMI very soon. How does the Oppo 980 compare to the 983 over HDMI?

Cal68

My sister went ahead and bought a 980 direct from Oppo yesterday since she's kind of tired of waiting. ;)

She figures if the 980 gets the job done then great otherwise she's got 30 days to decide whether or not to make the exchange for a 983, which obviously would have to show up at some point within 30 days.

If what she is looking for is something to "get the job done", then she'll most likely be satisfied with the 980. I consider myself somewhat picky, as my family and friends are always reminding me of it :rolleyes:. I have a 983 and a 980, and if I didn't have the 983, I'd still be pleased with the 980 on my projection system. If she's an "anal retentive videophile type", she may want to just get on the mailing list for the 983 and CONSIDER buying one when it becomes available. In the meantime, enjoy the 980 and put it thorough it's paces. :)

If what she is looking for is something to "get the job done", then she'll most likely be satisfied with the 980. I consider myself somewhat picky, as my family and friends are always reminding me of it :rolleyes:.

Me, too. If this were me up at bat for a play I'd be waiting for a 983.

Basically what she's going to do is use the Oppo 980 as her "import" region free player to complement the PS3 that she uses for "regular" DVD watching, BD watching, and the occasional game.

I have a 983 and a 980, and if I didn't have the 983, I'd still be pleased with the 980 on my projection system. If she's an "anal retentive videophile type", she may want to just get on the mailing list for the 983 and CONSIDER buying one when it becomes available. In the meantime, enjoy the 980 and put it thorough it's paces. :)

Agreed. She's more of a videophile than I think she wants to believe or give herself credit for, but I'm not sure it's to that extent. I guess I'll know for sure if she runs through the 980 and decides to go for a 983. ;)

I'm a defender of OPPO because I have been using their products in some form or another for the past 3 years. I have interacted with the community for the past 3 years. I know what their culture is like, and OPPO is not a culture of laziness or customer negligence.

As stated, this is a simple case of someone not putting in the proper energy to ensure that a replacement unit was sent out last week when new stock became available. It is a ****-up, simple as that.


Neuromancer,

If I send you a routing # to my bank account will you please send me a piece of your side action with Oppo? :D:rolleyes:

I'm retiring my A2 and going back to straight DVD and BluRay rather than all 3 (I only have 20 or so HDDVD's, but I have hundreds and hundreds of DVD's so it makes more sense to use a player than handles them the best.)

I can never catch this friggin' thing when it's in stock.

Patience isn't my thing, I guess.

I'm retiring my A2 and going back to straight DVD and BluRay rather than all 3 (I only have 20 or so HDDVD's, but I have hundreds and hundreds of DVD's so it makes more sense to use a player than handles them the best.)

I can never catch this friggin' thing when it's in stock.

Patience isn't my thing, I guess.

Patience grasshopper! If you placed all of your present day good and bad life issues on a continuum I would think obtaining an Oppoo disk player would fall all the way on the left side.

How does the Oppo 980 compare to the 983 over HDMI?



Have you read any of the posts in this thread? Compare the HDMI processor between the two. Compare the prices. Now, which provides the better picture over HDMI?

P.S. The 983 has replaced my 980, and it wasn't for the audio.

Neuromancer,

If I send you a routing # to my bank account will you please send me a piece of your side action with Oppo? :D:rolleyes:

Inside joke, correct?

Besides the best upscaled video from DVD, I'm into sound (all kinds: CD, SACD, multichannel from DVD-Video), and suspect the 983 will provide some minor improvement over my current OPPO 981 and that the 5.1 analog-out sound will likely be slightly better with the 983. My current AVR is a Denon 3808, with 5 decent cone speakers and 2 identical subs.

I suppose this is the placebo effect with gear: pay more money and it must sound better. :)

If anyone cares to comment on how their 983 sounds, I'll be interested.

As of 6/14/2008, I see that oppodigital is backordered on the new 983 player, and that no one else seems to have them for sale (yet).

How long is the wait time?

Am I correct in thinking that those who've bought a *new* 983 player, have bought it from oppodigital?

Does anyone have a clue as to when the 983 units may become available at other on-line stores?

Does anyone have a clue as to what extent older OPPO player units (981/980/971, etc.) have seen minor *hardware* refinement(s) during their 1st 9 months on the market?

I mean, I don't have to get this thing right away, and saving $30 or $40 on shipping would be another small attraction.

Thanks In Advance

Check my Mini review on the 983 audio section :)

The new replacement DV-983H showed up yesterday around noon. I did the swap, packaged the "old" one and sent it off.

I managed to use it for one music DVD video and one movie last night and so far it's perfect. No issues. Perfect picture, just like the other one.

My audio is via HDMI and it's only multi-channel confined to mostly the music from a music DVD or movie. Sound is fantastic, I think the Dolby stuff is better than my 980H but that may be because for some reason the sound level is a bit louder.

For pure music (SACD or DVD-A) I use my 980H since I prefer DSD over HDMI. With both stock units I'd be hard pressed to declare one head and shoulders better than another. The differences are subtle. My 980H was sent to ASi for a transport upgrade mod to hopefully upgrade it's music playback abilities. We'll see how that pans out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bwillcox
The 983 works fine with my RX-V2700 as well (which I suspect also does the "clipping"). The thought (in my mind at least) wasn't that the clipping might be causing the problem, but that because even in HDMI "Conversion Off" mode the Z11 may still be passing the video through its ABT1018 chip to implement the clipping (the Z11 is the only Yamaha receiver with this chip as far as I know) and that the back to back ABT1018s may be the problem (that was originally suggested to me by an engineer at Oppo that I talked to).

It seems as thought the ABT 1018 renders colours between 16-235, however wouldn't this also affect jpeg images saved from computers/cameras which were converted from raw files ? the full digital 8 bit gamut is from 0-255, so this couldn't just be a simple issue..


++++
Any takers ? It seems to me that this player may have difficulty showing a jpeg properly.
I don't know the Oppo 983, but I do know that the HDMI video clipping in the newer Yamaha AVRs is happening in the Silicon Image HDMI transmitter and/or receiver chips (SiI9134 and SiI9135), not in the ABT chip.

I know that because it also happens in the RX-V663/863/1800/3800, and in these models the SiI9134 and 9135 are just connected directly together with no other chips in the path.

So the Yamaha clipping issue should not be relevant to the Oppo at all.

My 980H was sent to ASi for a transport upgrade mod to hopefully upgrade it's music playback abilities. We'll see how that pans out.

Why mod the 980 and not the 983?

The 980H supports DSD via HDMI and in my system and that makes a difference. It's basically in the rack for audio only and the occasional DVD-A or music video. SACD use will be 90% of it's chores and I think that the 980H has as good a DSP/Digital section if not better than the 983H.

I can tell you that having the ASi 980H unit plugged in and working, the sound quality is much better than I expected. I'm still testing but the sound is cleaner, much more detailed and that provides a "fullness" I just didn't expect. Bass is a tad deeper but yet still very natural and tight not boomy.

The 980H was sort of a test to see how effective the mods were. I might send in the 983H but given its use as the video mule in the system, I don't know. I'll have a talk with Doug Jesse of ASi and see what he recommends. Thats future stuff anyway.

I would like to ask if someone has Oppo 983 together with Jvc RS2. Sorry if I ask again, but its impossible to read all pages to find such answer. How is the picture? Are any artifacts insome DVDs?

The 980H supports DSD via HDMI and in my system and that makes a difference. It's basically in the rack for audio only and the occasional DVD-A or music video. SACD use will be 90% of it's chores and I think that the 980H has as good a DSP/Digital section if not better than the 983H.

I can tell you that having the ASi 980H unit plugged in and working, the sound quality is much better than I expected. I'm still testing but the sound is cleaner, much more detailed and that provides a "fullness" I just didn't expect. Bass is a tad deeper but yet still very natural and tight not boomy.

The 980H was sort of a test to see how effective the mods were. I might send in the 983H but given its use as the video mule in the system, I don't know. I'll have a talk with Doug Jesse of ASi and see what he recommends. Thats future stuff anyway.
Care to share what the upgrade to the 980H cost? Also, any pointers to ASi? A quick google search on asi came up with more irrelevant stuff than I was inclined to wade through.

Finally, are you certain you aren't experiencing a placebo effect? Have you A/B tested the updated 980 with a stock one? I must admit that I'm something of skeptic when it comes to the real value of transport upgrades. I wouldn't mind being convinced otherwise though. ;)

Care to share what the upgrade to the 980H cost? Also, any pointers to ASi? A quick google search on asi came up with more irrelevant stuff than I was inclined to wade through.

Finally, are you certain you aren't experiencing a placebo effect? Have you A/B tested the updated 980 with a stock one? I must admit that I'm something of skeptic when it comes to the real value of transport upgrades. I wouldn't mind being convinced otherwise though. ;)


http://www.asi-tek.com/

They quote all their prices and mods right on the site.

Care to share what the upgrade to the 980H cost? Also, any pointers to ASi? A quick google search on asi came up with more irrelevant stuff than I was inclined to wade through.

Finally, are you certain you aren't experiencing a placebo effect? Have you A/B tested the updated 980 with a stock one? I must admit that I'm something of skeptic when it comes to the real value of transport upgrades. I wouldn't mind being convinced otherwise though. ;)

It's as terrific as using green magic markers around your CDs...the differences are amazing!

How is a different power cord going to improve the AQ and VQ? What a load of nonsense. Reverse polarity AC input??????

How is a different power cord going to improve the AQ and VQ? What a load of nonsense. Reverse polarity AC input??????

Its Magic......

The 980H supports DSD via HDMI and in my system and that makes a difference. It's basically in the rack for audio only and the occasional DVD-A or music video. SACD use will be 90% of it's chores and I think that the 980H has as good a DSP/Digital section if not better than the 983H.

I can tell you that having the ASi 980H unit plugged in and working, the sound quality is much better than I expected. I'm still testing but the sound is cleaner, much more detailed and that provides a "fullness" I just didn't expect. Bass is a tad deeper but yet still very natural and tight not boomy.

The 980H was sort of a test to see how effective the mods were. I might send in the 983H but given its use as the video mule in the system, I don't know. I'll have a talk with Doug Jesse of ASi and see what he recommends. Thats future stuff anyway.

I have both a stock 983 and a fully ASi modded 983 for about 3 months now. I've been able to switch between the two, and there is a difference in performance between the two. The video did improve but not as dramatic as the audio. Probably because the video performance was very good to begin with and the limitations of standard dvd's, so the perceived change was not as dramatic. But the audio improvement alone was well worth the cost of admission, IMO.

The stock 983's audio is decent and a definate improvement over my stock 981. And for most, that would be acceptable. But if you're looking for 'hi-end' audio attributes, particularly 2 ch audio, (Hdmi audio ain't too shabby either), to go along with the terrific video performance of the 983, then modding would be good way to go. Considering you can spend $2k on up (way up), for a hi-end machine and not get the overall performance of a modded 983. You can spend $8k(?) for a Classe CDP-502 and probably get better audio but only average video capabilities. A modded 983 looks better and better.

For the skeptics (I'm one of them), I'd like to see the tech on all this. As an engineer, if I can't measure the difference, there isn't one. The site is lacking any meaningful data as to what is being fixed and why, and the measured differences in performance. Just a lot of vague nonsense.

And there is simply no way that a power cord is going to do anything except making your wallet lighter. IF you were in an electrically noisy environment, and IF that noise happened to not be filtered by the power supply, and IF you could actually hear (or measure) that noise in the output, then MAYBE a shielded power cable would help. Interesting that shielding is never mentioned!

All those ifs are very unlikely. And polarity? Pulllease. The first thing that power sees is a power supply transformer; there is no polarity. It's AC!

-Dave

For the skeptics (I'm one of them), I'd like to see the tech on all this. As an engineer, if I can't measure the difference, there isn't one. The site is lacking any meaningful data as to what is being fixed and why, and the measured differences in performance. Just a lot of vague nonsense.

-Dave

As an EE, I share your skepticism except for the replacement of the capacitors. I don't know the actual grade or characteristics of OPPO's originals or of the replacements, but it is very common for consumer grade hardware manufacturers to use the low bidder for electrolytics. Even more than better filtering traits, really high quality caps are far more stable over time as they rarely leak and can hold their design values within a fraction of a percentage point for many, many years.

Other than that, however, I'm on your side...:D

-Toonces

I have both a stock 983 and a fully ASi modded 983 for about 3 months now. I've been able to switch between the two, and there is a difference in performance between the two. The video did improve but not as dramatic as the audio. Probably because the video performance was very good to begin with and the limitations of standard dvd's, so the perceived change was not as dramatic. But the audio improvement alone was well worth the cost of admission, IMO.

The stock 983's audio is decent and a definate improvement over my stock 981. And for most, that would be acceptable. But if you're looking for 'hi-end' audio attributes, particularly 2 ch audio, (Hdmi audio ain't too shabby either), to go along with the terrific video performance of the 983, then modding would be good way to go. Considering you can spend $2k on up (way up), for a hi-end machine and not get the overall performance of a modded 983. You can spend $8k(?) for a Classe CDP-502 and probably get better audio but only average video capabilities. A modded 983 looks better and better.


If the ASI mods, for the OPPO 983 were less expensive, I'd agree at once.

see: http://www.asi-tek.com/Oppo6.html


Why not buy both the 983 ($399), as well as a 2nd unit that costs ~$600, plays SACD, DVD-A, and CD, and does it very very well. i.e. where the focus is on 1st rate sound.

I'll be the 1st to admit that I'm making the assumption that a great sounding combo SACD/DVD-A/CD player costing ~$600 is still available on the USA market.

Just an idea, Cheers

The Pioneer Elite DV-58 just received a very nice review from Kal Rubinson in Stereophile magazine. In the review he also compares the Pioneer favorably to the OPPO line. The Pioneer sells for about 500 USD. Now, whether or not it sounds as good as a modded OPPO 983(or whether the differential in cost between a modded OPPO vs. a non-modded OPPO plus a Pioneer lies on one side or other) are questions to be sorted out.
- Esau

The Pioneer Elite DV-58 just received a very nice review from Kal Rubinson in Stereophile magazine. In the review he also compares the Pioneer favorably to the OPPO line. The Pioneer sells for about 500 USD. Now, whether or not it sounds as good as a modded OPPO 983(or whether the differential in cost between a modded OPPO vs. a non-modded OPPO plus a Pioneer lies on one side or other) are questions to be sorted out.
- Esau


Stereophile did their (yearly?) Recommended Components issue April this year.

For $450-to-$900, the 2 players that catch my eye are Onkyo 7555 (CD only, rated in Stereophile's class B, which can be had for $457.98 at Amazon), and especially the Marantz 8001 (SACD (2 channel only) and CD), rated in Stereophile's class A, which can be had for $900). See pp. 78 and 79 of the April '08 issue.


Cheers

I have both a stock 983 and a fully ASi modded 983 for about 3 months now. I've been able to switch between the two, and there is a difference in performance between the two. The video did improve but not as dramatic as the audio. Probably because the video performance was very good to begin with and the limitations of standard dvd's, so the perceived change was not as dramatic. But the audio improvement alone was well worth the cost of admission, IMO.

The stock 983's audio is decent and a definate improvement over my stock 981. And for most, that would be acceptable. But if you're looking for 'hi-end' audio attributes, particularly 2 ch audio, (Hdmi audio ain't too shabby either), to go along with the terrific video performance of the 983, then modding would be good way to go. Considering you can spend $2k on up (way up), for a hi-end machine and not get the overall performance of a modded 983. You can spend $8k(?) for a Classe CDP-502 and probably get better audio but only average video capabilities. A modded 983 looks better and better.

bearchan,

Save your breath discussing modified components:eek:

There are too many "ENGINEERS" on the forum who think they are A/V component designers.:confused:

You might as well be talking to a wall:D

Hey now, I resemble that remark! ;)

Seriously, I hate to see people taken for a ride. I could be wrong - there really could be improvements in performance with these changes. All I want to see is the before and after performance data to see the effect of these mods. Since that is not available, I smell a rat.

As an EE, I share your skepticism except for the replacement of the capacitors. I don't know the actual grade or characteristics of OPPO's originals or of the replacements, but it is very common for consumer grade hardware manufacturers to use the low bidder for electrolytics. Even more than better filtering traits, really high quality caps are far more stable over time as they rarely leak and can hold their design values within a fraction of a percentage point for many, many years.

Other than that, however, I'm on your side...:D

-Toonces

Yes, better capacitors are, well, better. But it depends on the application. For example, let's say a specific circuit design requires a certain minimum capacitance, say, 50uf. As an engineer I have a lot of choices. I could use a 'cheap' 100uf capacitor, that under conditions the end product is exposed to, could drop to 50uf. Or I could use an ultra-stable 50uf capacitor that holds that value over a military temperature range that costs 5 times as much. Yet they work the same in this example. Guess which one I'll pick? And putting in an expensive capacitor as a 'mod' would not improve performance in this case. This also applies to other capacitor parameters like voltage range, power, and ESR.

Only if the original design and component selection is somehow deficient in some way would a change make any difference. We can't know if that's the case without a detailed circuit analysis and some detailed measurements to back it up.

-Dave

Hey now, I resemble that remark! ;)

Seriously, I hate to see people taken for a ride. I could be wrong - there really could be improvements in performance with these changes. All I want to see is the before and after performance data to see the effect of these mods. Since that is not available, I smell a rat.



Yes, better capacitors are, well, better. But it depends on the application. For example, let's say a specific circuit design requires a certain minimum capacitance, say, 50uf. As an engineer I have a lot of choices. I could use a 'cheap' 100uf capacitor, that under conditions the end product is exposed to, could drop to 50uf. Or I could use an ultra-stable 50uf capacitor that holds that value over a military temperature range that costs 5 times as much. Yet they work the same in this example. Guess which one I'll pick? And putting in an expensive capacitor as a 'mod' would not improve performance in this case. This also applies to other capacitor parameters like voltage range, power, and ESR.

Only if the original design and component selection is somehow deficient in some way would a change make any difference. We can't know if that's the case without a detailed circuit analysis and some detailed measurements to back it up.

-Dave

I would be very interested to know what the system of an engineer consists of? How did you choose the components and speakers based on your engineering knowledge? Thank you

I've had four different Pioneer DVD players over the years. Each one was top of the line in its' day. They were ALWAYS a disappointment in some way. Even the 9500's glorious audio quality wasn't enough to compensate for the second rate video quality. In my opinion, they'll never top or even equal OPPO, just too corporate I guess.

I would be very interested to know what the system of an engineer consists of? How did you choose the components and speakers based on your engineering knowledge? Thank you

Speaking only for myself, and certainly not for Dave or anyone else, my engineering background has little to do with how I assess A/V equipment for my personal use. I spent 11 years working in close proximity to jet aircraft without much in the way of ear protection and now I'm paying the price that bit of testosterone fueled foolishness.

As a result, all audio is like voodoo to me. If I can hear the voices clearly and distinctly and feel the bass, then I'm pretty happy. Music is just there...I can't tell the difference between a $500 audio system and $50,000 system.

Video, on the other hand, is not subjective for me. My only criteria is that I want the best possible "film-like" image at a reasonable price point. I sat on my 971H and my Sony 50" GW II for years. It wasn't until I saw the incredible blacks (In my opinion, they're almost as good as a Pioneer Kuro.) on the Samsung A650's. That triggered my jump to a 52" A650 and the 983H as I could finally take advantage of the 1080p output.

On equipment that we buy for the university for both classroom and research purposes we do apply different standards mainly depending on the environment the equipment will reside in. For example, we're responsible for a Lambda ring that covers most of South Texas. Much of the gear is co-located in points of presence that are owned by common carriers. For those applications, I want mil-spec equipment if we can find it. For gear that will sit in an air conditioned comm closet 24 x 7, I'm far less picky.

Does that answer your question?

-Toonces

Toonces, Thank you for that reply. I am sorry that your hearing has been so damaged. Your response makes perfect sense to me. Apparently you used a subjective manner in choosing your tv, your own eyes!

What rubs me about people saying that they are an engineer is that they use it to try and prove that any noticed difference in components must be a placebo effect or these people making the observations must be dillusional. After all, they are an engineer and how could my eyes or ears be a better judge than their engineering knowledge.

Toonces, Thank you for that reply. I am sorry that your hearing has been so damaged. Your response makes perfect sense to me. Apparently you used a subjective manner in choosing your tv, your own eyes!

What rubs me about people saying that they are an engineer is that they use it to try and prove that any noticed difference in components must be a placebo effect or these people making the observations must be dillusional. After all, they are an engineer and how could my eyes or ears be a better judge than their engineering knowledge.

That's precisely correct and I never intended my comments to mean that it affected my personal equipment selection. By "not subjective" I meant that I believe, that unlike sounds, I can distinguish one image from another and make a fairly clinical decision as to which one most closely mimics what I saw in the theater. It is a type of criteria...just not engineering criteria...:D

-Toonces

Stereophile did their (yearly?) Recommended Components issue April this year.

For $450-to-$900, the 2 players that catch my eye are Onkyo 7555 (CD only, rated in Stereophile's class B, which can be had for $457.98 at Amazon), and especially the Marantz 8001 (SACD (2 channel only) and CD), rated in Stereophile's class A, which can be had for $900). See pp. 78 and 79 of the April '08 issue.

I can attest to the Marantz 8001 as a fabulous sounding CD player, with both conventional CDs and SACDs. I've had a number of "high end" units, but the instant I played my first discs (a few of the "references" I use to audition a player), I was blown away by the positive differences I heard. Higher frequencies are way more open, natural and lack the brittleness and glare many associate with digital audio. Staging was amazingly realistic, bass very tightly controlled. With the 8001, I've rediscovered my 3000+ CD collection of classical & jazz. It's all subjective, I know -- but as a long-time "tweak" who was a late-adopter to digital, I love what I hear (current stereo-only system consists of Kef Reference 205 monitors, Bryston 4B amp & PB 16 preamp).

BTW, the street price on the Marantz 8001 is now under $800.

That's precisely correct and I never intended my comments to mean that it affected my personal equipment selection. By "not subjective" I meant that I believe, that unlike sounds, I can distinguish one image from another and make a fairly clinical decision as to which one most closely mimics what I saw in the theater. It is a type of criteria...just not engineering criteria...:D

-Toonces

You Sir are a rare engineer in deed! My post wasn't directed for you though,I had quoted Dbower in a hope that he would share his system with us and how he chose his components. Thank you for you input.

1. The ABT may not have inherent HUE controls built into it. For this reason, the MTK would have to use its own HUE adjustments, which could potentially increase visual errors down the pipeline. This is the same story with the OPDV971H and DV-981HD and the Faroudja FLI2310 chipset.

2. Will likely never get resolved. This is a standard MTK error that has been there since the OPDV971H. The error does not rely on a specific cull, making it impossible for OPPO to diagnose. They could pressure their hardware vendor (MTK) to help them, but OPPO does not have that kind of sway.

Additionally, the error only occurs on "yellow" subtitles. It does not occur on any other subtitles, which is why Dana (below) likely has never seen it.
An update to my observation of the 983. Perhaps others can share their experience on some of the anomalies to get a sampling of the frequency of occurrence:

* As reported before, there is a subtitle display corruption issue that occurs on almost every other disc I watch with subtitles on. Neuromancer reports that it occurs on Yellow subtitles only and most of that is on animi titles particularly Bandai/Honneamise. Well, I don't know what Bandai/Honneamise is but I do have Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service) and I cannot say I saw the effect on those two before. However, last night I just watched "No Country for Old Men" for the first time. Since I am not particularly fond of Texan accents, I watched the entire movie with subtitle on. At around 54:20, the corruption showed up on one dialog line. As before, this cannot be duplicated by rewinding. If someone has not seen that movie or is willing to sit through it once again, I turned on the player and watched only that movie by itself during that power cycle so you may be able to replicate it if you start it like a normal movie without trying to skip chapters etc. I'm not saying it will happen to you but at least worth observing.

* Before I turned off the player, I watched the BONUS FEATURES and was unable to finish it so I hit the OFF button, which automatically SAVES the last position for me (a great feature by the way). However, this morning when I turned the player back on, it did resume where it left off. BUT...when you try to go back to the MAIN MENU of the movie by pressing MENU, or TITLE, both returned an INVALID SELECTION SYMBOL. The menuing system was rendered unusable. This was easily fixed by PRESSING STOP and cancelling the MEMORY SAVE and then PLAY (which then started the movies back at the beginning as if you just inserted the disc for the first time). This is apparantly a bug and can be duplicated by repeating the same procedure on my player. Perhaps someone can tell me if they have the same problem? I suspect this bug is not limited to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

* I've had the unit for about 30 days now and one time it powered up and my display says "NO SIGNAL". Since my display was also recently purchased I thought it was the display or my HDMI cables, but turned out untrue in both cases. It was the OPPO. The OPPO was powered on, I use HDMI @ 1080P and you can see the OPPO display COUNTING THE TIME as if everything was normal and that it was playing the DISC (from a resumed point) but the screen had no signal whatsoever. I ended up turning off the OPPO and turning it back on using the power switch on it and the screen came back on. This is not a big issue but worth noting if only for the sake of knowing how frequently it happens to others as well. I just never had this happen to my 970 in the few years I've owned it so it came as a real surprise to me.

* I tried to play some XVID files and they played nicely. Looks like OPPO also does not support Global Motion Compensated XVID AVI files. The bigger issue however, is that SRT subtitles are chopped off to the right of the screen in those cases where the same subtitle file played perfectly everywhere else. It looked like there was room to show the rest of the text so not sure why it was chopped off prematurely.

As stated previously, OPPO delivers on the video performance front bar none. The decision always is a balance between the benefits and cost.

As a company OPPO has stood behind improving its products and this information hopefully contributes positively in that regard.

* Before I turned off the player, I watched the BONUS FEATURES and was unable to finish it so I hit the OFF button, which automatically SAVES the last position for me (a great feature by the way). However, this morning when I turned the player back on, it did resume where it left off. BUT...when you try to go back to the MAIN MENU of the movie by pressing MENU, or TITLE, both returned an INVALID SELECTION SYMBOL. The menuing system was rendered unusable.

That's a known bug, said to have a high priority to be fixed.

As I've said before, I see broken subtitles once or twice an hour on many discs. This has been true on all of the Oppo models so is probably a fault of the Mediatek decoder chip, which indeed is responsible for subtitles.

-Bill

I apologize in advance if this has been discussed before, but a search of the thread yielded no results.

On my 971H if I press the "Menu" button on the remote as soon as the OSD displays "DVD-Video" the 971H will, in most cases, go directly to the DVD's main menu. Has this feature (albeit undocumented) been removed from the 983H?

I've also noticed that even skipping through trailers on many DVDs, which the 971H would do, is not possible with the 983H. Has anyone else noticed these differences, and is there a work-around...or the possibility of a firmware fix in the future?

Thanks!

-Toonces

Now that I have a 983 (second unit) with analog audio output, I'd like to solve this little problem.

I send HDMi to an Integra 9.8 for 5/7.1 audio in the HT. I also send component and L/R audio to a zone2 LCD. When I watch/listen to the 983 on the LCD, I have to go thru the menus to set it to stereo and then back to 5.1 for use in the theater.

Is there any way (short of a remote macro) to leave the 983 set to 5.1 yet get 2 ch L/R stereo audio from the analog outputs.... or some creative way to use the Integra to down mix the audio for me so I can hear dialog, etc. on the Z2 LCD? Could I take the 5/7.1 outs to the integra, assign it to say phono (unused) and then have it downmix it to one of the Integra analog outs?

I can prob write a macro to flip it back and forth, but this only solves the problem if I am only watching in one room. If say I want to have both displays on, I'd have to settle for 2 ch in the HT.

It seems like Oppo missed a simple L/R downmix output on the 983 IMO. The 981 has it, why did they drop this from the 980/983 models.

* I tried to play some XVID files and they played nicely. Looks like OPPO also does not support Global Motion Compensated XVID AVI files.

My only experience with this is with one file on the test disc from divxtest.com. From my notes:

This divx file plays warp 0,1,3 ok, but warp 3 shows temp message: "video
GMC not supported":

VID-3G MPEG4 ASP GMC 1 WP & 3 WP + MP3 CBR (GMC 1 & 3 warp point (DivX &
XviD) compatibility test)


The bigger issue however, is that SRT subtitles are chopped off to the right of the screen in those cases where the same subtitle file played perfectly everywhere else. It looked like there was room to show the rest of the text so not sure why it was chopped off prematurely.


My tests from the same disc showed a maximum of 3 lines, 33 characters each for .srt subtitles. Are you seeing less than that?

-Bill

You Sir are a rare engineer in deed! My post wasn't directed for you though,I had quoted Dbower in a hope that he would share his system with us and how he chose his components. Thank you for you input.

Ok - I'll take a shot at this. I'm an engineer in the telecom industry, primarily involved with analog line cards.

Before 2006, I've never had anything resembling a nice HT system. I did have a 32" Sony XBR, tied to a 1980's era Fischer stereo, but that was about it. Four kids will do that to you! And I'm not a die-hard audio/videophile (my primary hobby is cars after all), but I wanted a nice system that would make going the the theater pointless.

In mid-late 2006, it was time to do a full HT system, finally. My choices were made by research, research, research. I was looking for bang for the buck, but also looking for longevity (I hate things that break!). I wanted 99% of the performance for 90% of the price, because I really doubt anyone can hear or see that last 1%, and the price starts to rise extremely fast.

So, I ended up with a Denon AVR4306, a set of Axiom speakers (Axiom M60 with QS8 surrounds and VP150 center) and a SVS PB12 sub. The display is a Pioneer 50" plasma Elite.

I've been using a 1999 vintage Sony DVD player until recently. The HD and Blu-ray debacle was preventing any desire to go there and besides I have about 200 DVDs. I was considering the 980, but it just never really caught my full attention. The upconverting features of the Denon and the Pioneer were 'ok', but nether scored very high on the typical tests. But I rarely saw any artifacts as a result.

Then the 983 came along, and given the great reviews and the age of the Sony, I decided to get one. The picture difference is quite awesome! It makes even poorly mastered DVDs look and sound pretty good.

As far as the modified Oppo goes: I'm not saying there is no difference. I am saying that until someone can specify why a part is being upgraded and provide measurements supporting that claim, then I remain skeptical. A shotgun replacement of parts is no guarantee of improved performance, and that is all it appears to be.

And unless you do a blind A/B test, the placebo affect can not be easily dismissed. A clean car seems to run better, right? When I was looking at displays, a side by side viewing using the same source material and with the same (as much as possible) settings was the only was to break a tie between two competitors. Memory is a fickle thing when it comes to hearing and seeing.

-Dave

Does any one know the list of supported resolutions for AVI XVID/DIVX files? Ran into a few that played fine elsewhere but did not play on OPPO. One of them has 736x400 as the resolution.

Does any one know the list of supported resolutions for AVI XVID/DIVX files? Ran into a few that played fine elsewhere but did not play on OPPO. One of them has 736x400 as the resolution.

720x480 is the max.

-Bill

Well, I don't know what Bandai/Honneamise is but I do have Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service) and I cannot say I saw the effect on those two before.

There are two corruptions.

Yellow Corruption: Subtitles will become completely unreadable as the entire subtitle string is corrupted. Subtitles may also appear as several pixels at the bottom of the screen (have not seen this occur with Standard subtitles)

Standard Corruption: You may notice a line going through one section of the subtitles, or several pixels offset through the middle of subtitles. This will occur once every half hour to hour (if it occurs at all). Subtitles are completely watchable.

* I've had the unit for about 30 days now and one time it powered up and my display says "NO SIGNAL".

This is a classic synchronization handshake error. Instead of turning Off the player, try changing inputs on your display then going back to the input which the DVD player is assigned to. This will force a re-handshake of the HDMI signal.

I see this happen a lot with my cable box, though it has occurred on my PS3 and OPPO players as well.

* I tried to play some XVID files and they played nicely. Looks like OPPO also does not support Global Motion Compensated XVID AVI files.

GMC and QPEL are only supported for DivX. This has been true since the OPDV971H. Don't really know why this is, but it is.

The bigger issue however, is that SRT subtitles are chopped off to the right of the screen in those cases where the same subtitle file played perfectly everywhere else.

Known bug. Some subtitles will be truncated incorrectly to 40 characters (regardless of line population). OPPO has subtitle samples of this problem. Do not know when or if this will be addressed.

Note: this bug is shared with the DV-980H, so it is likely related to the MTK1389OP2 solution.

On my 971H if I press the "Menu" button on the remote as soon as the OSD displays "DVD-Video" the 971H will, in most cases, go directly to the DVD's main menu. Has this feature (albeit undocumented) been removed from the 983H?

The OPDV971H was more forgiving with some UPOs. With the DV-983H I still find I can skip most UPOs. If I can't skip them, I can still fast forward through them.

The OPDV971H was more forgiving with some UPOs. With the DV-983H I still find I can skip most UPOs. If I can't skip them, I can still fast forward through them.

Neuromancer,

I did a couple more searches in the thread and found a post that Gary (GSB) put up under "Playback Control" that suggested hitting Stop first and then Menu when the DVD-Video OSD appears on-screen. Sure enough, that did the trick. I'm just going to create a "mini-macro" on my Harmony One and that should take care of it.

Thanks Gary...if you happen to read this...:D

-Toonces

Stop + Menu only works if you are not UPO to press the Stop button.

Stop + Menu only works if you are not UPO to press the Stop button.

I only tried it on Be Kind, Rewind which I justgot and it worked fine. I'll try a few other titles later today and report back.

Thanks!

-Toonces

Not all discs will allow you to press Stop during a UPO (like the FBI warning), so it is not a 100% working solution. When this happens, just hit Skip and keep trying to press Stop until you find a UPO which allows for the Stop command to be issued.

720x480 is the max.

-Bill


That is rather disappointing given the OPPO is marketed to the HD segment and has the ability to upscale. Over 25% of my collection of DVDs are above 720x480.

I believe I have found a good way for OPPO to debug the subtitle corruption. On NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, BONUS FEATURES, DISC STOCK # 56939 (imprinted on the DISC) UPC # 786936746754, LOCAL BLOCKBUSTER RENTAL, WORKING WITH THE COHENS, TIME STAMP 6:04, you will see the corruption consistently IF AND ONLY IF YOU START PLAYING FROM THE BEGINNING OF THAT FEATURETTE. If you see the corruption and then rewind back to it a few seconds before, and then play, you will NOT see the corruption. As a professional programmer, I think this is likely due to:

* SUBTITLE being cached and exhausted (limited space) and switching to loading the next segment of the SUBTITLE, and this switching is where the corruption occurs.

This is based on the observation that on the main movie the incident does not occur until about 55 minutes into the movie and there is MUCH LESS DIALOG than the featurette. So, the corruption will occur based on how much DIALOG is in the feature. The more dialog the faster and more frequently you see it. Once you interrupt the viewing by SKIP/REWIND the unit probably flushes the cache and reloads so the issue does not surface at the same point.

My 2 cents.

Not all discs will allow you to press Stop during a UPO (like the FBI warning), so it is not a 100% working solution. When this happens, just hit Skip and keep trying to press Stop until you find a UPO which allows for the Stop command to be issued.

That's pretty much how my 971H behaved...C00l!...:)

-Toonces

That is rather disappointing given the OPPO is marketed to the HD segment and has the ability to upscale. Over 25% of my collection are above 720x480.

They make a standard definition player. Standard definition, is by design, 720x480 60Hz or 720x576 50Hz. They are supporting exactly what the hardware was designed for.

I believe I have found a good way for OPPO to debug the subtitle corruption.

Send them an e-mail.

* SUBTITLE being cached and exhausted (limited space) and switching to loading the next segment of the SUBTITLE, and this switching is where the corruption occurred.

There is no evidence of this. I have seen subtitle corruption occur within the first couple of seconds of an animation, and sometimes not at all (if you have ever seen Excel Saga, you should know how much dialogue that show contains).

No I have not seen that show however the fact the issue is duplicable should help assist them in troubleshooting it, especially on a domestic blockbuster movie like NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

If the subtitle corrupts immediately within seconds of starting, was it repeatable at that point by restarting the feature? If not it is possible that the cache was not actually flushed from the last "point of viewing" and the actual flushing may be dependent on some other variable.

In all my viewings on the 970 and 983, I have never seen subtitle corruption within seconds of starting the feature.

In all my viewing on the 970 and 983, I have never seen subtitle corruption within seconds of starting the feature.

Yes, but have you tried using the No Country for Old Men disc which you find exhibits the error consistantly?

Not sure what you are saying?

Sorry, misread what you said. I thought you said you used the DV-970HD and DV-981HD, and never noticed corruption within starting a feature. This eludes to your error with No Country For Old Men being restricted to the DV-983H.

bearchan,

Save your breath discussing modified components:eek:

There are too many "ENGINEERS" on the forum who think they are A/V component designers.:confused:

You might as well be talking to a wall:D

I should know better. But I don't think all was lost. Just wanted to give those who were on the fence about modding or not, a personal experience with a modded 983, FWIW.

Thanks for the wise words. Maybe next time....:D

I purchased a 983 when they first came out and I just recently purchased a 25.5" NEC LCD2690WUXi monitor for my computer. Last week I was watching the Criterion Collection edition of "Solaris" at 1080P and I noticed that the subtitles are very jagged (aliased). Is this an issue with the player, or the way the DVD is encoded?

I purchased a 983 when they first came out and I just recently purchased a 25.5" NEC LCD2690WUXi monitor for my computer. Last week I was watching the Criterion Collection edition of "Solaris" at 1080P and I noticed that the subtitles are very jagged (aliased). Is this an issue with the player, or the way the DVD is encoded?

I own the same edition (superb film by a true master) and cannot recall the subtitle quality being as poor as you describe. Have you tried using a different subtitle font?
Subtitle Font can be accessed via the setup menu (General Setup), and I've found Font 3 to be the most consistently pleasing to the eye. It seems to emulate the Helvetica font.
Worth a try...

Peter

I own the same edition (superb film by a true master) and cannot recall the subtitle quality being as poor as you describe. Have you tried using a different subtitle font?
Subtitle Font can be accessed via the setup menu (General Setup), and I've found Font 3 to be the most consistently pleasing to the eye. It seems to emulate the Helvetica font.
Worth a try...

Peter

The font was already set to Font 3, and the sharpness is set to -1. Perhaps it's just that I'm watching from a distance of about 1.5' to 2' away, so I notice all the aliasing that I didn't notice before. Do you have noise reduction turned on, or anything else that might smooth out subtitles?

No, the 983 settings are all neutral, though I do sometimes force the deinterlacing mode depending on the source. Admittedly, it has been a while since I've viewed the film, and considering I frequently undergo an "attitude adjustment" prior to viewing Tarkovsky, it is very possible I'd not noticed the inferior quality of the subs (which would not be consistent with Criterion's general excellence in production value). However, as Solaris was a fairly "early" Criterion it may be, as you had speculated, an encoding issue.
Nonetheless, I hope your were still able to enjoy the film....
Peter

I own the same edition (superb film by a true master) and cannot recall the subtitle quality being as poor as you describe. Have you tried using a different subtitle font?
Subtitle Font can be accessed via the setup menu (General Setup), and I've found Font 3 to be the most consistently pleasing to the eye. It seems to emulate the Helvetica font.
Worth a try...

Peter

Great film, I own it as well.

John

Hi all,
Just received my 983 Thursday after using the 981 for about the past year and a half (it will now go to the bedroom). Screen is a Panasonic PZ46800U and sound is an Adcom surround processor based 5.1 system. I have to say I am amazed. I purchased this because I have an enormous SD DVD collection (including a bunch of PALs). After watching Saving Private Ryan, Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End, and Brotherhood I am stunned at the quality of this player. Owning both I feel this player is as close to BD as you are going to get in a SD player. I found everything about this player profoundly satisfying. This player has great overall PQ, wonderful color reproduction, excellent transitions, that immersive almost 3-D quality that is typically lacking in SD, and a surprisingly accurate and well balanced soundstage. I’ll admit I was a little reluctant forking over 4 c-notes for another player but there is no question that this work of art does a better job with my SD DVDs than my BD player and since I have such a large collection I am happy I did. Thanks to all of you who have posted for helping me make a decision I am thrilled with. And I again tip my hat to OPPO.

Yes, I'm happy with the European player.. originally coded as region 2 on the back of it. ;)
The setup menu is always PAL 50 Hz.
PAL discs (and NTSC!) are superb to watch with fantastic fluently panning in al directions. No moire.
Especially concert discs are very good deinterlaced.
I compared S-video and HDMI via beamer and tv at the same time.
Don't neglect the discussion for the analog part my friends.
Analog is superb also :D

Sadly, the VRS test disc is not included with European players. :(

If you ask Oppo, they may send you one.

720x480 is the max.

-Bill

No wonder I can't play HD files downloaded from torrent.. :confused::confused:

I seem to be getting mixed results using component output to a LCD for Zone2.

The 983 often does not playback in widescreen and gives me a 4:3 image, I flip to HDMI and I get WS with the same disc. I've tried both wide and wide/Auto settings.

I also do not always get upscaled output over component for some discs. I know it does not upscale for copy protected content, but these are backup copies w/o cp.

Are these known bugs, normal operation, or do I have something set wrong on the 983?

The problem with the analog outputs is that the DV-983H was designed to be used with the HDMI output. The ABT solution was set to do all the aspect ratio controls. The ABT solution is bypassed when using the analog outputs. For this reason, the AR resets itself every time you change chapters/titles for a non-widescreen video, or when you are trying to display the proper aspect ratio on a 4:3 display when using the analog outputs.

The problem with the analog outputs is that the DV-983H was designed to be used with the HDMI output. The ABT solution was set to do all the aspect ratio controls. The ABT solution is bypassed when using the analog outputs. For this reason, the AR resets itself every time you change chapters/titles for a non-widescreen video, or when you are trying to display the proper aspect ratio on a 4:3 display when using the analog outputs.

OK, but I am using a WS display, not 4:3 and I'm not changing the AR at all. It's just not correctly displaying the disc/movie in the first place.

I put a disc in, play it via HDMI and get WS. While playing I switch to Component on the display and it shows up as 4:3. I'm not changing the AR at all. It appears the 983 component output is somehow detecting it's 4:3 content when it's not.

Is the film Anamorphic Widescreen 2:35:1, 1:85:1, or is it a full screen movie?

Are you using 16:9 or 16:9/Auto?

Have you tried using the INFO button to force a re-detection of the aspect ratio?

EDIT: Also note that when connected with HDMI at all, the component output is set to 480i only. This can cause flag detection errors on your display, which assumes that the signal is 4:3 instead of widescreen.

Is the film Anamorphic Widescreen 2:35:1, 1:85:1, or is it a full screen movie?
WS 1:85

Are you using 16:9 or 16:9/Auto?

I tried both... no difference, that I have seen.

Have you tried using the INFO button to force a re-detection of the aspect ratio?
No, was not aware of this feature - thx I'll give it a try.

EDIT: Also note that when connected with HDMI at all, the component output is set to 480i only. This can cause flag detection errors on your display, which assumes that the signal is 4:3 instead of widescreen.
OK, this explains a lot. I am beginning to understand this player more with this kind of info. I think the player is just not suitable to feed main via HDMi and Z2 via component as I had planned. This is disappointing, but I'm slowly accepting these quirks/design limits. I will just use an old/second dvdp to feed the Z2 LCD and enjoy the 983 for HDMI output to the main room alone. Not a big, big deal, but kinda throw all my system plans out the window. I can adapt.

BTW, I essentially got the same explanation from Oppo moments ago. Here is their reply for others to reference.
If you have HDMI connected while using component, the output resolution will always be restricted to 480i. The reason for this is that when HDMI is connected, the ABT solution needs a 480i decode from the MTK processor.. The component output is thereby restricted to 480i, as the component is controlled by the same MTK decoder. When HDMI is disconnected (physically from the back of the player) you can upconvert up to 1080p/60Hz for non-copyprotected media.

When using component the output feed may be classified as 4:3 by your display device, this is due to the ABT solution being used for all Aspect Ratio controls. Try pressing the Info button to correct the aspect ratio, or ensure that your display is not doing any additional squeezing.

Interesting about the info button.... I must have stumbled onto this because the dvd that played last night that showed as 4:3, is showing correctly in 16:9 today.

I've just plugged my 983H in the bedroom setup, connected to a Sony 40W400 (1080p) - it replaced a 970, which is back connected to the VP50 in the lounge setup...

all I can say is... the PQ is stunning.. I was very happy with using the 970 and sending 576i/480i to the Sony.. I thought the Sony did a good job... but comparing the 970/sony to the 983 ..... the 983 is awesome.... seriously rivalling Blu Ray discs on my setup for PQ .....

the physical quality of the 983 is also miles above the 970/971 ..... similar in look and feel as the DVDO VP30/VP50 .....

I'm really impressed... and I already have a VP50 on my other setup in the lounge..... really recommend the 983 if you are looking for the best bang for your buck for DVD and audio performance.... truly great.

Woohoo, I received an email from OPPO this afternoon after having signed up to be notified of the OPPO DV-983H's availability and I was able to order the DV-983H from OPPO today :)

Can't wait to get it, but since they won't ship until the 27th at the earliest... it looks like a bit more waiting :(

According to the email, OPPO is expecting to fulfill orders for the DV-983H from June 27th to June 30th. I have no idea how many DV-983H's are available - the email mentioned a "limited supply" so it appears that you still have to receive the email notification to order one.

Woohoo, I received an email from OPPO this afternoon after having signed up to be notified of the OPPO DV-983H's availability and I was able to order the DV-983H from OPPO today :)


How long have you been on their waiting list?

I got the same email along with the order link.

I ordered one.

I go the e-mail too. Does the VRS Test Disc still come with the US version of the player? I'm in the UK and am weighing up the pros and cons of importing from the US or using Opposhop.

It is still shipping with US models.

OK Thanks Neuromancer :)

Ordered! :D

Not sure if this review has been mentioned before but here it is:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/oppo-dv-983h

Got my my 983h last month.Pq is awsome,switched from a Sony DVP-NS90V and there is no comparison.I have hooked up thru hdmi to Onkyo 805.Question that I'm confused about is will I get better 2.1 cd audio thru hdmi or analog red & black? and who's dac's are doing decoding?Thanks.

Question that I'm confused about is will I get better 2.1 cd audio thru hdmi or analog red & black?
You might want to try it both ways, but if you want bass management you are probably best off staying with HDMI (so the signal stays digital all the way through the 805's DSP).
and who's dac's are doing decoding?Thanks.
If you use the analog output of the 983H, then the 983H's DAC is being used, but the receiver will most likely convert the signal back to digital and then again to analog. You can avoid that by using a "bypass" mode, but it will also bypass receiver's bass management (no sub unless you use the receiver's 7.1 analog input and the 983H's bass management, in which case you'll need to connect the left and right - red and black - plus the subwoofer).

Not sure if this review has been mentioned before but here it is:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/dvd-players/oppo-dv-983hInteresting that their their suite of various tests show the DV-983H failed on both noise and Motion adaptive Noise Reduction? (Avia Pro, Digital Video Essentials (DVE) Pro, Silicon Optix HQV)

Two parts from the review:
"Anchor Bay is no slouch when it comes to video processing and Oppo's implementation of it is very good, save for their lack of configurable Noise Reduction."

"Noise reduction was almost nonexistent and we did notice a touch of edge enhancement that showed up when viewing high contrast test patterns. The default Sharpness setting of 0 shows this edge enhancement, but also creates a nice contrast. If you absolutely hate any enhancement, then backing it down to -1 will help quite a bit (this is the setting I preferred as I felt it was most natural). A Sharpness setting of -2 will remove artificial edge enhancement entirely, but the image softens significantly. Note that these settings don't have anything to do with material encoded onto the disc with edge enhancement artifacts."

Oppo has not denied that their implementation of Noise Reduction is mediocre at best. Personally, I don't know why they even included it. If it sucks, why use it.

The ABT 102/1018 solution, unlike the HQV Realta or REON, has no built in Noise or Mosquito Noise Reduction. Noise Reduction is handled by the MTK, not the ABT. This is why the difference between it being On and it being Off is marginal, at best.

Well I ordered my 983H this morning. I've had a PS3 for a while now and I've been amasing several Blu-Rays, but TV seasons of Buffy, Nikita, Highlander, Seaquest and classic movies like Sword and the Sorceror or Flash Gordon are not likely to ever get the Blu-Ray treatment. So the Oppo was a must have. Especially for region free abilities to play the UK's Mortal Kombat Conquest series, the Little Norse Prince or DVR type titles like Doctor Mordrid and Archer: Fugitive from the Empire.

I bought my Harmony One two weeks ago and my wife ordered me an Entertainment Center last week. I just need to decide on the TV.


My thoughts so far? With the Pioneer 111fd I spend a lot and risk getting a cracked panel and the varible buzzing, not to mention burn in potential.

Then there's Panasonics but the blacks appear grey to me.

And Samsung, but the motion thing still makes me dizzy.

Any suggestions?

My thoughts so far? With the Pioneer 111fd I spend a lot and risk getting a cracked panel and the varible buzzing, not to mention burn in potential.

Then there's Panasonics but the blacks appear grey to me.

And Samsung, but the motion thing still makes me dizzy.

Any suggestions?

I've never recommended a monitor before, so this is a first for me. I am incredibly happy with my Samsung LN52A650 LCD panel using the 983H as my primary HDMI source. I have the AMP control turned off on all but one input that I use for my old cable box. It seems to like it on medium. Instrumentation might say something different, but the black levels on the A650 are, to my eye, indistinguishable from a high-end plasma unit.

Here's a link to some sceen images I photographed:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14076042#post14076042

...and here's a link to my calibration settings where you'll see that I'm not even using the AMP feature at all on the 983H:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14083448#post14083448

Hope this is helpful...:)

-Toonces

Anyone here have experience comparing specifically the XA2 to the 983H?
Which does better for upconversion of standard DVDs to 1080p?
Cost, loading time and any other factors are not of any interest to me.
I am only interested in quality of upconversion of SD discs.

Other issues aside (as you already stated), the 983 is better for SD... especially on bigger screens. The implementation of the ABT scaling and deinterlacing combo is the key.

Anyone here have experience comparing specifically the XA2 to the 983H?
Which does better for upconversion of standard DVDs to 1080p?
Cost, loading time and any other factors are not of any interest to me.
I am only interested in quality of upconversion of SD discs.

The Toshiba HD-XA2 did very well in the Secrets DVD Benchmark tests, scoring 95 on the same tests the OPPO 983 scored 100. More on the XA2 here http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=133#ToshibaHD-XA2%20(Component)

Dana

How long have you been on their waiting list?

Hi Ron

I ordered a 983 this week as well and it was shipped out two days ago. I was on the waiting list for about one week before Oppo contacted me by E-Mail. I thought that it would take at least a month before I would get a unit, so a week was a very pleasant surprise. I must have signed up at the right time!

Cal68

Version: DV983H-07-0619 (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/dv983h-firmware-07-0619.html)
Category: Minor Update
Release Date: June 25, 2008
Release Notes:

1. SACD Priority
With this version, when a user selects an SACD layer (Multi-channel, Stereo, CD Mode) using the "AUDIO" button during SACD playback, the selection is no longer permanently stored as the "SACD Priority" setup menu choice. The change also resolves a problem of inadvertently changing "SACD Priority" when an SACD disc without a certain layer is played. Users can use the "SACD Priority" setup menu to specify a general preference of which layer to play by default, and can temporarily change the selection by pressing the "AUDIO" button during SACD playback.

2. Sample Rate for 176.4kHz DVD-Audio Discs
Previous firmware versions down-samples 176.4kHz DVD-Audio to 44.1kHz. This version no longer does it. When a connected HDMI receiver can handle 176.4kHz sample rate, the audio is sent over HDMI at 176.4kHz sample rate. Other sample rates do not have the down-sample problem, and are not affected by this version. DVD-Audio discs using 176.4kHz sample rate are rare but a few titles were released this way.

NICE solution to the SACD priority!

Gary

The 983 uses two Anchor Bay chips, the ABT102 and the ABT1018. Precision Deinterlacing, Precision Video Scaling, AutoCUE-C, and RightRate Framerate Conversion are all supported technologies using this solution.
Fine Detail Enhancement and Edge Enhancement are technologies that are exclusive to the ABT2010.

The user manual and the paper card says that you get Fine Detail and Edge Enhancement.
What are the differences between them used in the Oppo and that where Josh@dvdo talked about?

I remember that Josh said the Fine Detail and Edge Enhancement in VP50 and VP50 Pro are not available in the OPPO 983H. 983H uses an older generation of detail and edge enhancement, also from ABT, similar to the VP30.

Does anyone know if a USB-LAN device can be installed in the DV-983H USB port to give it network connectivity?

Will not work, as there is no driver/software relationship to make the hardware function.

Does anybody know if Oppo sells the remote-mine suffered a rather "ahem" nasty accident and I can't find remotes listed seperately on their site.

Will not work, as there is no driver/software relationship to make the hardware function.

Sorry Neuromancer , what I meant to say is:

Is there a device available that doesn't require driver/software to function as an USB-LAN device?

Unfortunately there are none that I know of.

Does anybody know if Oppo sells the remote-mine suffered a rather "ahem" nasty accident and I can't find remotes listed seperately on their site.

E-mail OPPO. They can send you a form which you will fit out for a replacement remote. You just have to pay them $5.00 (this covers the cost of the remote and shipping)

Sadly, this latest firmware does not fix two problems I reported to Oppo (that they confirmed) a while back.

Some of the early James Bond releases pixelate badly as soon as the actual movie starts. These same DVDs play flawlessly on my Pioneer 95 and Toshiba A35.

Also, a SACD of Rimsky Korsakov's Sheherazade produces no sound when track 4 is played. Oppo theorizes this problem may be related to the length of the title of this track.

I sure hope Oppo can fix these issues and release a new firmware in the very near future.

Other issues aside (as you already stated), the 983 is better for SD... especially on bigger screens. The implementation of the ABT scaling and deinterlacing combo is the key.

I was on the fence about the Oppo,owning both the XA-2 and Sammy 1200.
I PM'd several very knowledgeable people on these forums and all agreed that there is a very slight,if any,difference between the chipsets...
To solidify this,I called Oppo this PM and asked the CSR if I could expect to see any difference in the anchor bay vs. the reon chips...He confirmed what the other AVS forum members advised in that there is not a discernible difference between the two...
That being the case......I am standing pat.....and 400 dollars + to the good..
Take the above for what it is worth...it did get me off the fence.

I was on the fence about the Oppo,owning both the XA-2 and Sammy 1200.
I PM'd several very knowledgeable people on these forums and all agreed that there is a very slight,if any,difference between the chipsets...
To solidify this,I called Oppo this PM and asked the CSR if I could expect to see any difference in the anchor bay vs. the reon chips...He confirmed what the other AVS forum members advised in that there is not a discernible difference between the two...
That being the case......I am standing pat.....and 400 dollars + to the good..
Take the above for what it is worth...it did get me off the fence.

I disagree with the above statements,.. kindof.
IMO, there definately is a disernable difference in a side by side comparison between the two. As I have said in the past, they look "different".
I like the look of the 983 more because it looks more natural and film-like. The general concenses as a whole regarding the look of the picture that players like the 1200, the XA2, and another that I own personally... the BD-UP5000, is that among other things the skin tones can look fake or even "plasticy" if you will.
Now one also has to keep in perspective that these are the most subtle differences, AND that it can be argued that anyone willing to obtain only the best, even if only by the smallest percentage, are those who are anal retentive in nature :D. In other words, for some, only the BEST will do :).
If you are looking for THE BEST in standard definition quality, sacd/dvda, external usb connectivity... the 983 IS a no brainer. These are the features that push the competition over the edge.
Of course no one is going to say the previous players I mentioned are not worthy. They most certainly are, but they can not do the things that the 983 can.
However if one is intersted in dvd playback only, it may very well be most adventagous to make their money work better in other ways ;).

...I called Oppo this PM and asked the CSR if I could expect to see any difference in the anchor bay vs. the reon chips...He confirmed what the other AVS forum members advised in that there is not a discernible difference between the two... This is only true for less discerning viewers. Some people struggle to see any difference between their $19 Walmart special, and the better upconverting players.

When you get to the level of the Reon and ABT solutions, their performance is close, and possibly more difficult to differentiate, but once you become familiar with their differences, they are easily discernible.

OPPO is modest enough not to create any false-impressions that would lead you on, but serious testers and reviewers readily uncover the shortcomings of these players. The 983 is the first player ever to score 100% in the rigorous "DVD Player Benchmark" tests on the "SECRETS of Home Theater and HiFi" website.

Aside from such test results, and other unique capabilities of the 983, various posters have commented on the "plastic" look of the Reon image, in comparison with the more natural and film-like image in the 983. The Reon is also an excellent processor, but to say that there is no discernible difference, isn't telling the whole story.

Gary

Some of the early James Bond releases pixelate badly as soon as the actual movie starts. These same DVDs play flawlessly on my Pioneer 95 and Toshiba A35.

Not isolated. You will have to wait to see if they can resolve it through firmware.

Also, a SACD of Rimsky Korsakov's Sheherazade produces no sound when track 4 is played. Oppo theorizes this problem may be related to the length of the title of this track.

Have you sent them this disc for testing purposes? Theorizing and actually having the disc for testing are two completely different things.

I sure hope Oppo can fix these issues and release a new firmware in the very near future.

Even if they know about a problem, doesn't mean they are obligated to fix it. There are many things which we have reported about the player, and some of them have not been fixed. OPPO sets a priority for all fixes, so the best you can do is hope that your two problems are high in importance.

OPPO is modest enough not to create any false-impressions that would lead you on...

Beyond this, it is about selling the right product to the right person. For someone who already has a Reon or Realta enhanced DVD player, they may feel that the extra $399.00 you have to pay is redundant. I personally would never recommend replacing the a Toshiba HD-XA2 if the main goal was simply higher picture quality.

Well I ordered my 983H this morning. I've had a PS3 for a while now and I've been amasing several Blu-Rays, but TV seasons of Buffy, Nikita, Highlander, Seaquest and classic movies like Sword and the Sorceror or Flash Gordon are not likely to ever get the Blu-Ray treatment. So the Oppo was a must have. Especially for region free abilities to play the UK's Mortal Kombat Conquest series, the Little Norse Prince or DVR type titles like Doctor Mordrid and Archer: Fugitive from the Empire.

I bought my Harmony One two weeks ago and my wife ordered me an Entertainment Center last week. I just need to decide on the TV.


My thoughts so far? With the Pioneer 111fd I spend a lot and risk getting a cracked panel and the varible buzzing, not to mention burn in potential.

Then there's Panasonics but the blacks appear grey to me.

And Samsung, but the motion thing still makes me dizzy.

Any suggestions?
I also got the 983 for my huge SD DVD collection, I have a BD30 which I am very happy, but for BD and of course no PAL or multi region. I moved my 981 to the bedroom. After having the 983 for a couple for about 2 weeks now I am totally thrilled with the purchase. It will get the most out of my SD collection and any future ones I buy for sure. The PQ and soundstage are stunning. I have it matched to a Panasonic 46PZ800U. That set is simply out of this world. You should check out the thread on the PZ800U series. You'll see that just about everyone is blown away by the series.

I purchased my first OPPO player, the 970, back in September 2006. During the first year, it was used on a regular basis and the last several months use, was down to a minimum. Well, it quit working and I had to bury it. I'm hopeful, with the built quality being higher, that my 980/983 purchases will last longer.

I purchased my first OPPO player, the 970, back in September 2006. During the first year, it was used on a regular basis and the last several months use, was down to a minimum. Well, it quit working and I had to bury it. I'm hopeful, with the built quality being higher, that my 980/983 purchases will last longer.

I thought the standard warranty on Oppo's players was 1 year. If your player failed within that time frame, it should have qualified for repair under warranty.
Also, I hear that repair service costs for players out of warranty is very reasonable.

In general, the percentage of failing units within Oppo's entire line of players is VERY low. So with their high standards of quality control and quility bulid, you can buy with confidence that a new player will perform to it's full potential for a very long. In the unlikely event that something does fail, there is the warrany to fall back on. That combined with Oppo's impecable customer service, it's a no brainer. :)

Where can I buy this player? I notice a couple of you guys purchased it within the last few days.

-D

Where can I buy this player? I notice a couple of you guys purchased it within the last few days.

-D

You have to call or email Oppo to get on the waiting list. When they are available again, Oppo will send you an email and you can then order one. You have to get on the list though.

You have to call or email Oppo to get on the waiting list. When they are available again, Oppo will send you an email and you can then order one. You have to get on the list though.

I know that...I meant are they currently being sold anywhere else? I saw a brand new one on Ebay for a Buy it now price of $350...Like an idiot I missed out.

Nowhere right now.

Where can I buy this player? I notice a couple of you guys purchased it within the last few days.

Sign up for the E-Mail Notification (http://www.oppodigital.com/notifyme.asp) list. You will have first priority on units when they are made available if you do so.

Where can I buy this player? I notice a couple of you guys purchased it within the last few days.

-D

I signed up for the e mail notice. Was told on 6.16 the order would ship in ealry July. It shipped 6.16 got it two days later. Typical OPPO CS. I would definitely sign up if you want one.

I'm trying to figure out what will give me better PQ for SD DVDs on the Pio 111-FD that I have coming soon, an OPPO 980 using 480i out (unconverted) on HDMI that relies on the 111's internal scaler for upconversion or the 983 deinterlacing and scaling the signal to 1080P and bypassing the TV's internal scaler? First off, am I lining up a comparison that makes sense with the equipment in question and the settings/connections that are possible? I realize there aren't many Pio 111-FD owners out there yet, but I'm hoping somebody has already done this comparison with a Pio 110-FD or other Kuro panel. Thanks, anybody, for your help here.

Is it possible to run the analog outs from the 983 directly into an amp, and use the volume control of the Oppo? And get 5.1 decoded sound? Has anybody tried this? i.e. not using an external processor (or receiver) to decode the audio?

Only reason I ask this is because I would like to wait a few months before purchasing a pre/pro but will have an 5 channel amp in a week or two. As far as I can tell this should work... right? or no?

Thanks

Yes, you can use the volume controls on the DVD player to control the volume of the multi-channel analog outputs.

Sadly, this latest firmware does not fix two problems I reported to Oppo (that they confirmed) a while back.

Some of the early James Bond releases pixelate badly as soon as the actual movie starts. These same DVDs play flawlessly on my Pioneer 95 and Toshiba A35.

Also, a SACD of Rimsky Korsakov's Sheherazade produces no sound when track 4 is played. Oppo theorizes this problem may be related to the length of the title of this track.

I sure hope Oppo can fix these issues and release a new firmware in the very near future.

Which James Bond movies?

Which James Bond movies?

Curious also. I know Goldfinger played fine, and looked incredible! I have a bunch of old Bond movies coming in from Netflix soon.

Curious also. I know Goldfinger played fine, and looked incredible! I have a bunch of old Bond movies coming in from Netflix soon.

I just watched Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Goldfinger (slowly watching the whole series) over the past week and they all played fine. I don't have the latest versions of the films but the generation before the latest one. Transfers are not the best but the 983 did a good job of cleaning them up and really brought out the colors in these old Bond films. I was surprised at how well they looked.

I attached a picture of the Series I have. I believe the latest ones are remastered and with better audio but I am not about to replace them all again. Maybe (and its a big maybe) I will replace them on Blu Ray when available.

Which James Bond movies?

I believe they were Dr. No and From Russia With Love. I sent them to Oppo for testing as I replaced them with newer versions. The ones that had the problem when the actual movie started were the original releases in the cardboard case. They had the same problem playing on my 980 and Oppo confirmed the problem. Later releases of these movies did not have the problem.

These problematic movies played fine on my Pioneer BD 95 and the Toshiba A35.

Is it possible to run the analog outs from the 983 directly into an amp, and use the volume control of the Oppo? And get 5.1 decoded sound? Has anybody tried this? i.e. not using an external processor (or receiver) to decode the audio?

Only reason I ask this is because I would like to wait a few months before purchasing a pre/pro but will have an 5 channel amp in a week or two. As far as I can tell this should work... right? or no?

Thanks

This is the way I've been using my OPPO players (980/983) for the past year. I'm told I could lose some digital bits of information but with my testing, I have had no problem whatsoever with any loss of resolution that I could detect, to hinder my overall enjoyment of the music.

I'm trying to figure out what will give me better PQ for SD DVDs on the Pio 111-FD that I have coming soon, an OPPO 980 using 480i out (unconverted) on HDMI that relies on the 111's internal scaler for upconversion or the 983 deinterlacing and scaling the signal to 1080P and bypassing the TV's internal scaler? First off, am I lining up a comparison that makes sense with the equipment in question and the settings/connections that are possible? I realize there aren't many Pio 111-FD owners out there yet, but I'm hoping somebody has already done this comparison with a Pio 110-FD or other Kuro panel. Thanks, anybody, for your help here. Look for the review and other posts in this thread by Miata. He has a Kuro, and he did the tests you are contemplating. He settled on the 983, because it out-performed the Kuro.

Gary

Does anyone have a 9th generation kuro and the 983? I checked Miata's review and it was a 6010. My 151 is arriving this week and I am trying to get some questions out of the way. My understanding of reading the 983 manual is that if I want to pass 480i unconverted to the 151 I would have to use component. I just can't tell from reviews if the player or the tv will have the best scaler. I am going to try both for my own conclusions, but wanted to know what was the general consensus so far.

My understanding of reading the 983 manual is that if I want to pass 480i unconverted to the 151 I would have to use component. I just can't tell from reviews if the player or the tv will have the best scaler. I wouldn't even consider the 480i option if you have to use a component connection. The digital signals on the DVD would have to go through a digital-to-analog conversion in the player, then pass through an analog cable and connections, then go through an analog-to-digital conversion in the TV, before any of the deinterlacing and scaling takes place. Each of those steps is susceptible to noise and distortion, so the resulting image wouldn't be anywhere near the quality of the 1080p HDMI image from the 983.

Gary

I believe they were Dr. No and From Russia With Love. I sent them to Oppo for testing as I replaced them with newer versions. The ones that had the problem when the actual movie started were the original releases in the cardboard case. They had the same problem playing on my 980 and Oppo confirmed the problem. Later releases of these movies did not have the problem.

These problematic movies played fine on my Pioneer BD 95 and the Toshiba A35.

Its hard to say if its a real fault with the 983 and if it is fixable. Some DVD's from when DVD's first came out had improper coding and don't work on all players. Especially newer players. I had a few older movies from when DVD first came out and they did not play in all of my players either. I replaced them with newer pressings and those work fine. It kind of sucks but its the way it is. I imagine Blu Ray will be the same in about 5 or 6 years. They are constantly changing the coding on those. Sounds like a real nightmare in the future for that format.

I wouldn't even consider the 480i option if you have to use a component connection. The digital signals on the DVD would have to go through a digital-to-analog conversion in the player, then pass through an analog cable and connections, then go through an analog-to-digital conversion in the TV, before any of the deinterlacing and scaling takes place. Each of those steps is susceptible to noise and distortion, so the resulting image wouldn't be anywhere near the quality of the 1080p HDMI image from the 983.

Gary

I agree with Gary. You might want to test 480p vs 1080p from the 983 to see if there is any scaling difference.

Yes, or borrow a DV980H to test 480i over HDMI.

Gary

Look for the review and other posts in this thread by Miata. He has a Kuro, and he did the tests you are contemplating. He settled on the 983, because it out-performed the Kuro.

Gary

I can't remember the member, but I read another post from someone with an 8G Pioneer, and they did the same test and also felt the 983 won, although it is not by leaps and bounds, as the PIO scales very well. I intend to let the 983 de-interlace and scale to 1080P, using the Pio in Dot by Dot mode, should be a phenominal picture, no double scaling/less processing.

John

Just received an e-mail from OPPO that the DV-983H is available for purchase, with orders shipping July 8th to July 14th. Placed an order for one.

Jon

Dont post the URL, as it is unfair to those who are on the waiting queue.

EDIT: Thanks.

Ordered after I recieved my email notification.

""or the 983 deinterlacing and scaling the signal to 1080P and bypassing the TV's internal scaler?""

I am a little confused here{i only a 1080I -- NECxr5 plasma} how do you test to see if the 983 or the TV should be doing either the scaling or delacing? Is There a feature in these 1080p tv that lets switch it on or off. Can anyone explain.
Thanks,
db

""or the 983 deinterlacing and scaling the signal to 1080P and bypassing the TV's internal scaler?""

I am a little confused here{i only a 1080I -- NECxr5 plasma} how do you test to see if the 983 or the TV should be doing either the scaling or delacing? Is There a feature in these 1080p tv that lets switch it on or off. Can anyone explain.
Thanks,
db

It's determined by the signal sent by the player. If you send an interlaced signal (480i, 1080i) the display must deinterlace. If you send a progressive signal (480p, 720p, 1080p) the display does not deinterlace.

If you send any signal that is not the native resolution of the display, it must also scale.

-Bill

Thanks, Bill, I never realized that before. I have not seen any difference in PQ w/ my 970 or 983 & NEC when i used the 720p or 1080i. but know i no what is actually happening.
db

It's determined by the signal sent by the player. If you send an interlaced signal (480i, 1080i) the display must deinterlace. If you send a progressive signal (480p, 720p, 1080p) the display does not deinterlace.

If you send any signal that is not the native resolution of the display, it must also scale.

-Bill

Also it is perhaps worth mentioning that a good rule of thumb with a high-end player like Oppo is to send a progressive signal to your display at resolution closest to the display's native resolution, for example send a 720p signal into a 768p display.

The display will scale the input to 768p, hopefully with minimal scaling artifacts.

I find that sending 720p from my Oppo 983 to my Pioneer Elite 1150 display gives me the best picture.

You might want to try it both ways, but if you want bass management you are probably best off staying with HDMI (so the signal stays digital all the way through the 805's DSP).

If you use the analog output of the 983H, then the 983H's DAC is being used, but the receiver will most likely convert the signal back to digital and then again to analog. You can avoid that by using a "bypass" mode, but it will also bypass receiver's bass management (no sub unless you use the receiver's 7.1 analog input and the 983H's bass management, in which case you'll need to connect the left and right - red and black - plus the subwoofer).

----------------------------------------------------------------

I'm interested in the 983H or the 980H for both video and also playing multi-channel SACDs. I will be using an NAD 175 pre-pro, which can receive and process audio (from SACDs) in LPCM format via HDMI.

Can someone verify that with either the 983 or the 980, I would have the option of performing all audio processing (bass management, EQ, etc.) in the pre-pro and NOT in the Oppo? It's my understanding that if this is desired, I should set all the speaker settings to "large," in which case the Oppo player would pass the SACD signal to the pre-pro WITHOUT performing any processing. - Is this correct? Also, has anyone done any "semi-rational" (level matched) listening tests comparing the audio response of the two units? - I understand that the 983 includes some upgrades of the power supplies and capacitors, which might benefit the audio response of the 983H compared with the 980H. Also, have the bugs been substantially worked out on both units?

I'm going to make a decision within the next few days, so I will appreciate any inputs or suggestions.

Thanks,
Jim Cate

Also, has anyone done any "semi-rational" (level matched) listening tests comparing the audio response of the two units? - I understand that the 983 includes some upgrades of the power supplies and capacitors, which might benefit the audio response of the 983H compared with the 980H. Also, have the bugs been substantially worked out on both units? If you are using the digital audio outputs (optical/coax/HDMI) the audio response of the 980 and 983 is identical. However, most would agree that the analog audio is better in the 983 due to the upgrades you mentioned.

Gary

Can someone verify that with either the 983 or the 980, I would have the option of performing all audio processing (bass management, EQ, etc.) in the pre-pro and NOT in the Oppo? It's my understanding that if this is desired, I should set all the speaker settings to "large," in which case the Oppo player would pass the SACD signal to the pre-pro WITHOUT performing any processing. - Is this correct?
To disable bass management, you have it exactly right for both players - set all speakers to "large" and the sub to "on". I'd also make sure all the speaker distances are 0 and the speaker trims are left at 0. The player will still do some processing, as it has to convert the DSD to PCM, but you will be leaving the receiver or processor to do the rest.
Also, has anyone done any "semi-rational" (level matched) listening tests comparing the audio response of the two units? - I understand that the 983 includes some upgrades of the power supplies and capacitors, which might benefit the audio response of the 983H compared with the 980H. Also, have the bugs been substantially worked out on both units?
Unfortunately, the best I could do is what is in my 983H review (http://www.prillaman.net/oppo983_review.html) and my 98x player comparison (http://www.prillaman.net/oppodvd_review.html). I am running multichannel analog to my processor, and while I've used all three 98x players in that way I couldn't switch between them quickly. The 983H was better by a small margin to my ears. In your setup, though, you'll be using HDMI for audio output, and that will negate my observations as well as the 983H's advantage.

I have used both players quite a bit, and am quite pleased with their stability and minimal bugginess. It's hard to achieve perfection if you are really looking closely, of course, but I wouldn't warn anyone off of either player.

snip....The player will still do some processing, as it has to convert the DSD to PCM, but you will be leaving the receiver or processor to do the rest.....snip I thought the 980 could send DSD unconverted, but the 983 can only send DSD convertd as PCM?

You are exactly right, the 980H can send DSD, but he indicated that his processor needed PCM.

I thought the 980 could send DSD unconverted, but the 983 can only send DSD convertd as PCM?
True. The 980 can optionally send the SACD signal as DSD (defaults to PCM) but the 983 will only send it as PCM.

Note also, for multi-channel audio over HDMI you must set the output HDMI video resolution to higher than 480i as well (I don't remember for certain, but I think you want to set it to at least 720p).

Thanks for the confirmation - just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something....other than Jim's system needing PCM only.

I have had a 983 for several months, and while I am very pleased with the picture quality, I have had ongoing remote control issues. The 983 will, intermittently, not respond to remote commands. Normally, my system utilizes a HOT LINK repeater and a Harmony One remote. I find that I have the same issues when I use the Oppo remote and point it directly at the player. I have written Oppo but they have been of no help. Has anyone else experienced this type of intermittent problem? Any solutions?

I haven't run into that with my 983H, but I know that sometimes equipment will get confused when receiving "duplicate" signals (seeing both the IR signal from the remote and the IR signal from an emitter). You might try adjusting emitter placement or using a non-pass through emitter (one that doesn't allow external IR signals to pass through it to the sensor).

Don't know if it's the same issue as you have - I had a problem with an IR Blaster. The remote functions were intermittent at best. Though I didn't have any problems with the provided remote, I didn't use it very much. The solution was to block the IR receiver on the Oppo with a piece of black electrical tape, with a small slit in the middle. It seems the IR receiver is easily overloaded (not uncommon with IR blasters, though).

-Dave

I have the following two Euro firmware files:

BES983-02-0521.bin
BES983-01-0523.bin

I presume the one with the 02 in the middle of it would be 'newer'?

When they are loaded in the machine the Firmware version screen reads the same, so perhaps they are the same file with different names?

I am guessing the middle number is the version number and the for digit number is the revision (related to date or something?)

With the US firmware, the first digits are the revision number, while the second set of digits are the release date (month/day) from the engineers (not the actual date it is released to the public).

For example, DV983H-07-0619 is the 7th revision of the DV-983H firmware and was released June 19 from the engineers (actual date for the website was June 25, 2008).

I have the following two Euro firmware files:

BES983-02-0521.bin
BES983-01-0523.bin



Where did you get the Euro firmware from, I'm in Oz should I be using the Euro or US FW?

I didn't realize that they allowed you to have your own dvd player in prison now :confused:... :D.
http://www.hbo.com/oz/

Where did you get the Euro firmware from, I'm in Oz should I be using the Euro or US FW?

Well the Euro firmware is setup for PAL and, as we are also PAL here, I figure its probably the more relevant one to use for us over here.

You should find it down the bottom of this page:
http://www.opposhop.com/en/article/50/oppo_dv_983h_dvd_player_1080p_hdmi

You can keep track of European firmware releases over at the OPPOShop.com DV-983H Firmware (http://www.opposhop.com/en/help/58/oppo_dv_983h_firmware_release) website.

I can't remember the member, but I read another post from someone with an 8G Pioneer, and they did the same test and also felt the 983 won, although it is not by leaps and bounds, as the PIO scales very well. I intend to let the 983 de-interlace and scale to 1080P, using the Pio in Dot by Dot mode, should be a phenominal picture, no double scaling/less processing.

JohnThe Pio falls short with deinterlacing 480i. Don't know about 1080i, don't have ("torture") test clips at 1080i.

larry

Hey, anyone know where I can buy one of these pups? They're sold out on Oppo.com and other online sites I checked..

What's a typical lead time to get a 983H?

TIA..

- B

Hey, anyone know where I can buy one of these pups? They're sold out on Oppo.com and other online sites I checked..

What's a typical lead time to get a 983H?

TIA..

- B

You have to get on the pre-order list. Sign up to be notified when they are again available for sale. Oppo will then send you an email with a link to place your order (if you want to).
http://www.oppodigital.com/notifyme.asp

Well the Euro firmware is setup for PAL and, as we are also PAL here, I figure its probably the more relevant one to use for us over here.

You should find it down the bottom of this page:
http://www.opposhop.com/en/article/50/oppo_dv_983h_dvd_player_1080p_hdmi

Annoying if you have a collection of various regions, like I do. Why can't they implement NTSC & PAL optimisatons for a single firmware release?

You have to get on the pre-order list. Sign up to be notified when they are again available for sale. Oppo will then send you an email with a link to place your order (if you want to).
http://www.oppodigital.com/notifyme.asp

Thanks..I saw that, so signed up for the notify..

What I'm wondering is how far they're running behind in shipping. (What's a reasonable "ETA" to get one in your guys experience?)

Is it there was just too much demand and not enough made? These have been shipping for a while now, right?

Is there anyone else (eg: AVS?) with these "in stock?" I'm kind of a "gotta have it now" type..

Thankx..

Thanks..I saw that, so signed up for the notify..

What I'm wondering is how far they're running behind in shipping. (What's a reasonable "ETA" to get one in your guys experience?)

Is it there was just too much demand and not enough made? These have been shipping for a while now, right?

Is there anyone else (eg: AVS?) with these "in stock?" I'm kind of a "gotta have it now" type..

Thankx..

Don't know when they are slated for in-stock status again. Maybe Neuromancer will chime in and let us know. You could also e-mail or call Oppo and ask them.

Thanks..I saw that, so signed up for the notify..

What I'm wondering is how far they're running behind in shipping. (What's a reasonable "ETA" to get one in your guys experience?)

Is it there was just too much demand and not enough made? These have been shipping for a while now, right?

Is there anyone else (eg: AVS?) with these "in stock?" I'm kind of a "gotta have it now" type..

Thankx..

Friends signed up and got the email about 10 days later indicating they could proceed with their order.

Annoying if you have a collection of various regions, like I do. Why can't they implement NTSC & PAL optimisatons for a single firmware release?

I am in the same boat, maybe I'll keep both copies of firmware on disc next to the player and flash it before I play either format. :)

Annoying if you have a collection of various regions, like I do. Why can't they implement NTSC & PAL optimisatons for a single firmware release?

Just force one of the PAL 2:2 Modes on the player when playing a PAL disc. If OPPO changes the way PAL 2:2 is negotiated under Auto, it can break some common NTSC media. As OPPO is primarily selling to NTSC territories, they will not be adjusting the Auto timings.

Changing modes is a bit of a hassle, I leave it in auto for display output (50/60hz no conversion) and also auto for de-interlace mode.

Most of my collection is NTSC.

I just brought it to Europe, do you think I have to arrange a special set up?

Have received my 983 from Oppo Digital:)

There was no sign of the disc that was supposed to come with it though:( Have they stopped offering it with the 983 or should I have received it?

I'm stuck using component until my new TV comes on Friday (HDMI slot is knackered on my current one). One thing I noticed during my quick test last night was that on a 2.35:1 movie the Oppo seemed to display the image a bit farther up the screen than my other player (Philips 5980). The black bars at top and bottom were of roughly equal size with the image pretty much centre of the screen on the 5980. Watching the same disc (King Kong region 2) on the 983 the top black bar was thinner and the bottom one larger with the image pushed up the screen slightly. Has anyone else experienced this? I had the player set to PAL mode as it was a PAL disc. Is this normal and if so is there a reason for the 983 doing it? I can't compare it with my 981 as it doesn't have component out.

Any help appreciated:)

Has anyone else experienced this? I had the player set to PAL mode as it was a PAL disc. Is this normal and if so is there a reason for the 983 doing it? I can't compare it with my 981 as it doesn't have component out.

Any help appreciated:)

Some DVD players have a "Subtitle Mode" that moves the image up to allow for below the movie's subtitles. I had a Phillips WS CRT model TV that did it as well. Could that be what's going on here?

-Toonces

Component 2:35:1 will be offset with the bottom being up to an inch larger than the top depending on screen size..

Some DVD players have a "Subtitle Mode" that moves the image up to allow for below the movie's subtitles. I had a Phillips WS CRT model TV that did it as well. Could that be what's going on here?

-Toonces

I had wondered if that was anything to do with it.

Component 2:35:1 will be offset with the bottom being up to an inch larger than the top depending on screen size..

If you don't mind me asking, why is that? Is this something that only occurs on the 983? As I said the same disc over component on my Philips 5980 doesn't offset the image like the 983 does. Also does that mean that this won't happen over HDMI?

Thanks:)

Neuromancer will have to give the technical answers, but I can tell you that it does not happen over HDMI.

Hi

Just a tip for viewing DivX files where the aspect is stretched, for instance a 4:3 TV series episode:

The easiest way to get a correct aspect if it shows up incorrectly (as DivX stuff sometimes can be oddly encoded) is to change the HDMI resolution.

If one is using any of the HD resolutions 720p or 1080i/p you'll be limited to only a few aspect controls. As the 983 is a SD player only, maximum resoultion for Divx is 720x576 (PAL) and 720x480 (NTSC). Higher than that and it won't play.

However, if one tries to upscale a 4:3 DivX file (with the above SD max resolutions) the file may be stretched if using HDMI output to 720 or higher.

However most displays only allow a limited set of aspect controls for 720p and 1080i/p, although the oppo 983 provides a very good 16:9 Wide/Auto mode for SD DVD's. That feature may not work for your DivX 4:3 file.

As you want to take advantage of the brilliant ABT solutions, the easiest way is to simply change the output HDMI resolution from the Oppo 983 to 576p (PAL) or 480p (NTSC). This will almost certainly open up a whole bunch of aspect controls on your display.

As the DivX file resolution is most commonly lower than even the highest allowable SD resolution for the 983, the ABT will work it's deinterlacing magic and leave the scaling to the display. I also found that even if the Noise reduction has very little to no effect on standard DVD's, it actually cleans up DivX files a bit, not a lot, but still.

Through this workaround I actually get a whole heap of aspect controls for my DivX files on my display (panny AX100). For retail DVD's there's no need and one can safely use 720p or 1080i/p depending on best results for the display, as the 16:9 Wide/Auto mode handles most 4:3 aspects.

Remember that most DivX files are really low resolution from the start so what you get from the 480/576p mode is pretty optimal as it is.

Cheers

Thanks Smarty-pants :)

If you don't mind me asking, why is that? Is this something that only occurs on the 983?

This happens with the DV-980H as well. It is related to the MTK1389OP2 chipset.

Has anyone else noticed that the latest FW (07-0619) wreaks havoc with the auto-aspect ratio control again? I seem to be having a lot of instances of DVDs not displaying in their proper AR (both PAL and R1 NTSC). A push of the "Info" button usually corrects it, but it's still a bother (and not family-friendly). The previous FW seemed to have corrected it, but now it's back.

I have had no issues with the Automatic AR controls.

Have you tried reverting to the previous firmware and trying the same discs which exhibit your errors?

I am thinking about upgrading my OPPO 970, and I have a few questions.

I have a 42” display that offers 1080i. With the OPPO 983, will I see an improved picture? I’m using HDMI for picture only.

My AVR has component inputs for 5.1-surround sound (SACD – DVD-A). Will the 7.1 outputs on the OPPO cause any loss in SQ?

My AVR receives its signal for DVD and Redbook CD’s via an optical cable. Will I be able to hear an improved SQ?

Sorry if these questions have been asked before, I read back about 40 pages. Thanks.

I am thinking about upgrading my OPPO 970, and I have a few questions.

I have a 42” display that offers 1080i. With the OPPO 983, will I see an improved picture? I’m using HDMI for picture only.

My AVR has component inputs for 5.1-surround sound (SACD – DVD-A). Will the 7.1 outputs on the OPPO cause any loss in SQ?

My AVR receives its signal for DVD and Redbook CD’s via an optical cable. Will I be able to hear an improved SQ?

Sorry if these questions have been asked before, I read back about 40 pages. Thanks.


With the current display and receiver that you have, the 983 is not a good recommendation for you. The premium cost would not be worth the minimally perceived improvement. The DV-980H may be a better option for you.

I, too, have a Panny 42" 720P (1080i) plasma television.

I went from using the 980 to a 983 in my living room setup and noticed a perceivable difference between the two right away.

I watched Van Helsing (one of my favorite movies) and Spiderman over the weekend and it was like I was at the theater. The picture from the 983 is that good!

I have a 42” display that offers 1080i. With the OPPO 983, will I see an improved picture? I’m using HDMI for picture only. Yes, the picture will be better, but as Smarty-pants mentioned, is it worth the price premium to you? For a flat panel display, which is natively progressive, you should be using a progressive output from your player (probably 720p).

My AVR has component inputs for 5.1-surround sound (SACD – DVD-A). Will the 7.1 outputs on the OPPO cause any loss in SQ? No loss. Set the OPPO's downmix to 5.1.

My AVR receives its signal for DVD and Redbook CD’s via an optical cable. Will I be able to hear an improved SQ? Not likely.

Gary

For a flat panel display, which is natively progressive, you should be using a progressive output from your player (probably 720p).

Gary

That will vary among displays. 1080i is sharper than 720p on my 768p display, and I don't notice any more artifacts. I assume my display deinterlaces fairly well.

I have had no issues with the Automatic AR controls.

Have you tried reverting to the previous firmware and trying the same discs which exhibit your errors?

No I haven't yet. I'm still experimenting and trying to see if the results are repeatable, which they do not seem to be. It might be some kind of HDMI handshake-related issue. I will revert to the previous firmware if the issue persists. Thanks.

Keep poking at the player and see what doesn't fall out of it. If the problems exist only in the new firmware, update OPPO with the name of the movies so they can get the AR controls working properly again.

About to get this player, any thoughts on what cables to use for multichannel audio, can I just use good quality 2 channel cables.. any recommendations ?

Harmonic Technology makes a great sounding all-in-one cable for multi-channel analogue and it's very reasonably priced for the quality. If that's too expensive, try Blue Jeans Cable, very well made, low priced cable.

So I notice the 983 is picky playing back some of my odd DVD-A's on DVD-R. For example I have PF DSOTM 4.0 quad mix (widely circulated) and it does not play on the 983. I have several other upconvert/Faux mixed DVD-A (BT: Area51) and it's hit or miss on the 983. All of these played fine on my 981 and cheapo Ssung DVDp. this is unfortunate as I now have to keep my SS player in the rack just to playback these handful of DVD-As.

Update - I sent these DVD-Rs to Oppo, they copied them to a TDK DVD+R, sent the originals to their manufacturer, and the TDKs back to me. Nice job Oppo. :) I hope to hear why the originals will not play on my 983. I'm sure Oppo will pass this along once they find out.

About to get this player, any thoughts on what cables to use for multichannel audio, can I just use good quality 2 channel cables.. any recommendations ?

Harmonic Technology makes a great sounding all-in-one cable for multi-channel analogue and it's very reasonably priced for the quality. If that's too expensive, try Blue Jeans Cable, very well made, low priced cable.

I purchased 7 interconnects directly from Outlaw Audio to use with my 983. The reason? I own a pair of Harmonic Technology Interconnects and speaker cables but did not want to pay the price. The cables offered at OA are basically the same technology without the high pricing.

I am about to pull the trigger on this player and want to confirm if there any limitations to the type of DIVX files it can play (PAL/NTSC, resolutions, audio streams etc.)?

I am about to pull the trigger on this player and want to confirm if there any limitations to the type of DIVX files it can play (PAL/NTSC, resolutions, audio streams etc.)?

It is limited to resolutions no greater than 720x480 NTSC, 720x576 PAL.

-Bill

720x480@60Hz 720x576@50Hz. 8000kbps. GMC and QPEL not supported for XviD.

Thanks Guys, can the player perform any scaling on these files?

All input files the player decodes will be scaled. There is no real benefit from scaling DivX and XviD, however.

Has anyone else noticed that the latest FW (07-0619) wreaks havoc with the auto-aspect ratio control again? I seem to be having a lot of instances of DVDs not displaying in their proper AR (both PAL and R1 NTSC). A push of the "Info" button usually corrects it, but it's still a bother (and not family-friendly). The previous FW seemed to have corrected it, but now it's back.

I have not noticed anything aspect ratio-wise with current firmware (although I have given up watching scratched Netflix dvds on the oppo as they freeze up like crazy--lately I just go straight to the ps3 for netflix discs.) On the previous firmware I came home one night to find my wife watching a netflixed title, "The Exorcist", in the wrong aspect ratio though. :rolleyes:

I have not noticed anything aspect ratio-wise with current firmware (although I have given up watching scratched Netflix dvds on the oppo as they freeze up like crazy--lately I just go straight to the ps3 for netflix discs.) On the previous firmware I came home one night to find my wife watching a netflixed title, "The Exorcist", in the wrong aspect ratio though. :rolleyes:

Gotta ask how that "Flat-squished- head" spinning scene looked??:)

Oh, I did NOT watch this movie with her...I am scared of these horror films! I fixed her aspect ratio problem, demonstrated how to use the zoom key that I had mapped on the harmony one, and ran away screaming like a little girl. :)

I have not noticed anything aspect ratio-wise with current firmware (although I have given up watching scratched Netflix dvds on the oppo as they freeze up like crazy--lately I just go straight to the ps3 for netflix discs.) This does not sound normal. Except for a disk that was cracked, I've never had a Netflix movie freeze in the 983. I think you should contact OPPO... Your loader may need adjustment/replacement.

Gary

mhatter,
I second what GSB says. I've been playing netflix movies in the 983 since I received the player in March with no problem.

A little update for everyone. Previously I have been running my Oppo 983 with a 9 year old Toshiba 40inch RPTV. The tv could do 1080p over component, and I was really happy with the picture, except I was having some intermittent problems with brightness that I know suspect have more to do with my old tv guns going dim than the 983. Anyway, I received my new Pioneer Elite Pro 151 plasma last Thursday, and using HDMI and letting the 983 upscale to 1080p, I have never seen my dvd collection look better. The 983 is truly a great dvd player pared with this display. I did not know what I was missing before. Can't recommend the 983 more highly. If you have a new display, you owe it to yourself to check out the 983s playback quality.

Have received my 983 from Oppo Digital:)

There was no sign of the disc that was supposed to come with it though:( Have they stopped offering it with the 983 or should I have received it?

Hi. Can anyone give me an answer to this one? Should I contact Oppo about it?

Hi. Can anyone give me an answer to this one? Should I contact Oppo about it?

It should have come with one. Just ask them about it and I'm sure they'd be happy to send you one.

A little update for everyone. Previously I have been running my Oppo 983 with a 9 year old Toshiba 40inch RPTV. The tv could do 1080p over component, and I was really happy with the picture, except I was having some intermittent problems with brightness that I know suspect have more to do with my old tv guns going dim than the 983. Anyway, I received my new Pioneer Elite Pro 151 plasma last Thursday, and using HDMI and letting the 983 upscale to 1080p, I have never seen my dvd collection look better. The 983 is truly a great dvd player pared with this display. I did not know what I was missing before. Can't recommend the 983 more highly. If you have a new display, you owe it to yourself to check out the 983s playback quality.

Vonbek777 - I think your 9 year-old 40" Toshiba's RP guns likely had no capability to resolve 1080p; just (amazingly) your electronics handled 1080p and displayed it at the CRT tube's resolution (my understanding it that only 9" CRT tubes found in the biggest RPTVs truly resolved 1080p).

I agree, though - a 983 pic combined with a hi-rez flat panel display is very nice, very film-like - worth every penny.

Yes I agree as well. I have my 983 connected to a Panasonic 46PZ800U. I am really glad I bought it because I have a huge SD DVD collection which looks absolutely awesome now with this combo. My 981, which is also a great unit, is now moving to the bedroom and my LCD. Definitely worth every penny!

Yes I agree as well. I have my 983 connected to a Panasonic 46PZ800U. I am really glad I bought it because I have a huge SD DVD collection which looks absolutely awesome now with this combo. My 981, which is also a great unit, is now moving to the bedroom and my LCD. Definitely worth every penny!

The 971H is now in our den while the 983H is providing signal to our Samsung LN52A650...It is an incredible combination!

Here are three screen images from the A650 calibration thead:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14076042#post14076042

I mean you can see every speck of the film grain the Raging Bull shot. I know, I know BD has higher res, but how do you go beyond the grain of the film?...:D

-Toonces

I believe they were Dr. No and From Russia With Love. I sent them to Oppo for testing as I replaced them with newer versions. The ones that had the problem when the actual movie started were the original releases in the cardboard case. They had the same problem playing on my 980 and Oppo confirmed the problem. Later releases of these movies did not have the problem.

These problematic movies played fine on my Pioneer BD 95 and the Toshiba A35.

Well, I just got Dr. No in from Netflix and it plays fine and looks great. Do youo have the remastered special edition movies or old versions? Netflix sends the special editions.

Nevermind, I just saw this - "Later releases of these movies did not have the problem." I haven't tried the older DVD's.

Actually Wojtek I had a 40 inch 16:9 TW40X81, and it was one of the first sets to use 1080p. The sad thing is that I didn't know about it until almost two years ago because I used the set exclusively for progressive scan dvd playing. When I bought the Toshiba XA2 last year and when I checked the manuals for the tv and player, found out it could do 1080p. I could not however use the 1080p for playback of dvd over component. The set (I thought) looked phenomenal playing hddvds in 1080p. However, since upgrading my tv, I can see how very much I have been missing in terms of pq and color accuracy. My old set was ISF calibrated, but the 151 out of the box blows away the TW40X81.

Actually Wojtek I had a 40 inch 16:9 TW40X81, and it was one of the first sets to use 1080p. The sad thing is that I didn't know about it until almost two years ago because I used the set exclusively for progressive scan dvd playing. When I bought the Toshiba XA2 last year and when I checked the manuals for the tv and player, found out it could do 1080p. I could not however use the 1080p for playback of dvd over component. The set (I thought) looked phenomenal playing hddvds in 1080p. However, since upgrading my tv, I can see how very much I have been missing in terms of pq and color accuracy. My old set was ISF calibrated, but the 151 out of the box blows away the TW40X81.

Hah, I was thinking about buying the TW40X81 way back when.

Great set, tweakable - remember the black liner that people were putting into the box to improve the Contrast Ratio?

Still, I think that the CRT guns on that TV were too small to fully resolve 1080p.

But that's a moot point - enjoy your flat panel!

Just force one of the PAL 2:2 Modes on the player when playing a PAL disc. If OPPO changes the way PAL 2:2 is negotiated under Auto, it can break some common NTSC media. As OPPO is primarily selling to NTSC territories, they will not be adjusting the Auto timings.

Neuromancer,
Could you possibly elaborate on the benefits of forcing the PAL 2:2 modes?
What improvements or enhancements might be achieved?
Would any benefit/enhancement be realized during a conversion (NTSC display), or would it be limited to a native PAL display?
Any possibility that the occasional audio synch issues I've experienced playing PAL discs may be related to the 2:2 cadences?
Thank you in advance...
Peter

The Auto negotiation for PAL 2:2 may not provide the best solution for de-interlacing and scaling PAL media, so you may notice things like aliasing and scaling errors. If you force one of the 2:2 Modes you will likely never see any visual errors as the player is always locked into the proper cadence.

Forcing one of the PAL modes even as a conversion should produce better visual results, as the player is decoding and processing in PAL and converting framerates on the scaler side.

Audio syncing issues can be caused by the disc being sped up rather than frame insertion (flag controlled) or video processing set to high on the player or display (delaying video).

This question may have been asked before but I couldn't find it in the threads.
I have both the Integra 9.8 and the Oppo 983. When watching a DVD through HDMI to the Oppo which unit is doing the processing and is one really better at processing than the other?
This may be obvious to some but I am still learning.
Thanks in advance.

This question may have been asked before but I couldn't find it in the threads.
I have both the Integra 9.8 and the Oppo 983. When watching a DVD through HDMI to the Oppo which unit is doing the processing and is one really better at processing than the other?
This may be obvious to some but I am still learning.
Thanks in advance.


Depends on how you have both set up. If you have the Oppo set up as 1080p then the heavy lifting processing is being done by the Oppo. If you have the 9.8 set to 'through' with 'immediate display' off then you are in the best situation. If you have the Reon enabled and likely set to 1080p then it will be messing up the colorspace unless you set the Oppo to RGB.

Woo Hoo, just got my e-mail confirmation that OPPO has shipped my 983! Should be here for the weekend!

John

Woo Hoo, just got my e-mail confirmation that OPPO has shipped my 983! Should be here for the weekend!

John


I received a shipping notice as well, however I'll have to wait until next Tuesday, as CA to FL takes 5 business days. Very much looking forward to its arrival.

Hello,

I know that my question is answered in one of the posts in this forum, but I can't take the time to read 12,000+ messages to find that answer!

Which of the Oppo DVD players, regardless of price, will give me the best SD-DVD picture over HDMI to my 1080p Toshiba DLP HDTV?

OK, now which will give me the 2nd best picture at a more reasonable price?

Note at this time that I am interested only in picture, not sound. Note also that I only have Region 1 DVD's, so a Universal player is nice but not a requirement.

Thanks!!

DV-983H will give you the best picture.

The best picture to price DVD player would be the DV-980H.

Hello,

I know that my question is answered in one of the posts in this forum, but I can't take the time to read 12,000+ messages to find that answer!

Which of the Oppo DVD players, regardless of price, will give me the best SD-DVD picture over HDMI to my 1080p Toshiba DLP HDTV?

983 at $399.

OK, now which will give me the 2nd best picture at a more reasonable price?

980 at $169.

We steer DLP owners away from the 981 at $229.

Note also that I only have Region 1 DVD's, so a Universal player is nice but not a requirement.


They are all universal players.

-Bill

DV-983H will give you the best picture.

The best picture to price DVD player would be the DV-980H.
I've been searching all over the net but everyone seems to be out of stock for the 983. Is this a discontinued item?

How do the 983/980 pictures compare to each other?

Thanks for the help and not griping at me since these questions have been answered before! :D

It is a highly sought after player. Sign up for the E-Mail Notification (http://www.oppodigital.com/notifyme.asp) for priority on new stock.

As for performance difference, it depends on the media. For most film based media the differences between the two players is fairly small at most seating distances.

Oppo only offers limited runs of the 983. If you go to their website, you will find a sign-up page to be notified when the 983s are available again. Sign up to be notified, and when they are available, Oppo will send you an email to order one. You can only get one by signing up.

It is a highly sought after player. Sign up for the E-Mail Notification (http://www.oppodigital.com/notifyme.asp) for priority on new stock.

As for performance difference, it depends on the media. For most film based media the differences between the two players is fairly small at most seating distances.

I've signed up - thanks for the information.

It might be interesting to note that I have a $150 credit with Amazon.com, who is asking $169 for the 980 with free shipping. It is very tempting for me to get the 980, although I think that I might be kicking myself later for not getting the "best of the best". To quote John Travolta in "Face/Off", "What a dilemma"! :)

Buy the 980 from Amazon. Sell it on Amazon/Ebay/Craigslist. Use the money made toward a 983. :)

Buy the 980 from Amazon. Sell it on Amazon/Ebay/Craigslist. Use the money made toward a 983. :)

That's a good suggestion but too much hassle IMHO. My plan was to use the $150 credit towards a 980 or 983 DVD player . . . OR . . . use it to get some Blu-ray DVD's!

Right now I think I'll just wait until Oppo responds to my E-mail request and tells me that I can get a 983 from them. Does anyone know how long this normally takes?

They replied to me the next day. That could have just been good timing, or this waiting list might be a marketing method to generate more interest in a $399 SD DVD player...

OPPO has received more stock of the DV-983H. If you look at previous discussions, some people in the past had been on the list for almost a month before they got their notification e-mail. Others were generally on it for 2 weeks.

Oppo has shipped my 983 today. Arrive on Monday to FL (Fedex 3 day).

Bye

Hello,

I know that my question is answered in one of the posts in this forum, but I can't take the time to read 12,000+ messages to find that answer!

Which of the Oppo DVD players, regardless of price, will give me the best SD-DVD picture over HDMI to my 1080p Toshiba DLP HDTV?

OK, now which will give me the 2nd best picture at a more reasonable price?

Note at this time that I am interested only in picture, not sound. Note also that I only have Region 1 DVD's, so a Universal player is nice but not a requirement.

Thanks!!

Undoubtedly the 983H by far is the best. I own the 981H (moved it to my bedroom) and am now running the 983H on my 46PZ800U. The difference in the Anchor Bay VRS processing is really incredible. I have a huge SD DVD collection and for me this is a no brainer, the 983 is reference quality from every aspect, from PQ to sound stage

E-mailed Oppo about the missing disc. They replied very quickly and after taking my details are now sending me a copy:)

Excellent service:)