Official OPPO DV-983H w/ ABT VRS FAQ/Dump [Text View] - Page 14

Pete 'n Pea

07-24-08, 06:20 PM

hanwedge,
I'm using the US version, and have achieved consistently excellent results using 2:2 odd for my PAL discs that are film-sourced (sincere thanks to Neuromancer for the advice). This setting seems appropriate for a number of regions (2,4,5 so far...). As such, I'm tending to think that 2:2 even may apply to PAL video-sourced materials. This scheme would appear to correspond to the available forced NTSC de-interlacing modes of film bias mode and video mode. As such, I'm guessing you'd only be required to "manually" set the mode when switching between film or video sources, though I've no PAL video material on hand to confirm this.

As per Bill and Gary, the auto mode is generally excellent for well-mastered discs, but the forced 2:2 odd mode has virtually eliminated any artifacts I've encountered on lesser quality transfers.

Peter

GSB

07-24-08, 06:43 PM

I am still trying to decide if it is worth $400 for a very slight improvement in SD DVD playback. In most cases the difference was indiscernible but in some cases the improvement was slight. In my limited testing I did not find a scenario where the XA2 provided a better picture than the 983, so I would have to say the 983 is the better player by a small margin. I still have some HD-DVDs, so I will be giving that up, however I am gaining the capability for DVD-Audio.

Now if the other features (SACD, DVD-Audio, ect) are of any interest and HD-DVD playback is not, than I would definately recommend the 983. And if you dont already own a XA2 or 5910 or comparable player, and you want to bring life back to your DVD collection, I highly recommend the 983. Both the XA2 and the 983 do extremely well with de-interlacing and scaling, so the results will naturally be close. However, aside from detail, another improvement to watch for in the 983 is the rendering of smooth textures, like faces, for example. The Reon-based players tend to create a slightly "plastic" look, whereas the ABT processor in the 983 is more natural and film-like.

One more killer advantage to the 983 is its region-free capability. My PAL collection looks absolutely stunning.

Gary

Neuromancer

07-24-08, 07:03 PM

The Reon-based players tend to create a slightly "plastic" look ...

That is usually associated to a slight amount of noise reduction always being preset for Reon/Realta products.

Smarty-pants

07-24-08, 07:06 PM

That is usually associated to a slight amount of noise reduction always being preset for Reon/Realta products.

My Onkyo DV-HD805 (XA2 twin) has all the noise reduction features available in the menus. Are you saying that even with all of those options turned off, that there is STILL NR implemented in the processing?

Neuromancer

07-24-08, 07:15 PM

At least with the Integra 9.8 it seems that some degree of Noise Reduction is applied to the input signal when I use it for de-interlacing and scaling incoming signals.

miata

07-24-08, 08:41 PM

This is my first mini-review so bear with me.:D
This is on a 92" screen with the Panny AE2000 1080p projector.

I did some comparisons between the XA2, 983H and the PS3. I have the settings set as recommended by the manual and even tried turning the sharpness up to +1. I started with it at 0, but wanted to add a little more detail. I have the noise reduction OFF. If anyone has found certain settings to perform better than others, what are those settings? I would be eager to try them out.

So, I started out using the first Lord of the Rings in the beginning where Frodo is sitting under the tree. I have always used that scene for panning and details on the bark of the tree trunk. My wife and I did some blind tests(well, I knew which player was playing, but she didnt). I had her rate the three players, PS3 included, in order of preference. The first time around it was (best to worst) XA2, 983, PS3 and the second time 983, XA2, PS3. I personally couldnt choose which was better, it was so close. I did notice, however, some jutter as the camera was panning across the hillside in the following chapter after the tree scene. This was a little disappointing. I didnt get a chance to see if the XA2 performed the same during that scene.

Dont get me wrong the picture on the 983 is very very good, its just that everyone kept saying it was better, so I assumed I would see a difference. Not a huge one, but a difference. At this point though, it was between the XA2 and 983.

I then popped the first Spiderman in the 983 and man I was surprised at how close some of the footage looked to bluray. The detail during the field trip in the beginning was amazing. I was all excited that this new player was providing such a great picture but then i tried the XA2 and it looked just as good.

So I then tried Star Wars Episode One at the podrace and that is when I felt the 983 provided a slightly better picture than the other players. It just seemed that there was a little more detail. I even noticed little fibers on Anakin's shirt/vest that I didnt with the XA2.

I am still trying to decide if it is worth $400 for a very slight improvement in SD DVD playback. In most cases the difference was indiscernible but in some cases the improvement was slight. In my limited testing I did not find a scenario where the XA2 provided a better picture than the 983, so I would have to say the 983 is the better player by a small margin. I still have some HD-DVDs, so I will be giving that up, however I am gaining the capability for DVD-Audio.

Now if the other features (SACD, DVD-Audio, ect) are of any interest and HD-DVD playback is not, than I would definately recommend the 983. And if you dont already own a XA2 or 5910 or comparable player, and you want to bring life back to your DVD collection, I highly recommend the 983.

I will be testing some more tonight and if i find any results to be different than already shared I will report.
FoSheezy,

You might want to try the 983 at -1 for sharpness. That has been the ideal setting for the vast majority of users. In my experience, increasing the sharpness only adds noise artifacts. The biggest single difference I saw between the 983 and the HD-XA2 was that the 983 was a more natural image with less artifacts. I did my comparison with the -1 sharpness setting on the 983 which I arrived at through calibration. I guess what I am saying is that at some point less "sharpness" gives you more natural detail.

nexus77

07-24-08, 10:46 PM

[QUOTE=DigVid;14359005]One thing I notice about some forum equipment threads that once a momentum is started either pro or con it is sometimes hard to get reliable info on more finite details of a particular product. However, I think enough people have used the 983H long enough to offer some info on the effects of layer change delay. This used to be a common problem in all but a handful of DVD players, however, my PS3 has spoiled me in that mine seems to not have the problem (must utilize onboard memory or something). So, does the 983H have a terribly noticable layer change in practice?

After playing about 30 DVD's, I've only seen one layer change!
Generally, you don't see them at all.

wojtek

07-25-08, 07:49 AM

I just popped in an NTSC Pulp Fiction DVD.

I gotta tell you that to me, on a 50" Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK plasma, the PQ improvement is quite apparent compared to Skyworth 1050p DVD player (w/Faroudja FLI-2200 deinterlacer).

A smoother, film-like, yet a better-defined picture.

But the biggest improvement, by far, was in the DTS sound. I was hearing background sounds, whispers, sighs, you name it, that I never heard on the Skyworth. I was amazed.

I think that while everyone is focusing on 983 PQ, its excellent sound is being quite underrated.

philby

07-25-08, 08:17 AM

I just popped in an NTSC Pulp Fiction DVD.

But the biggest improvement, by far, was in the DTS sound. I was hearing background sounds, whispers, sighs, you name it, that I never heard on the Skyworth. I was amazed.

I think that while everyone is focusing on 983 PQ, its excellent sound is being quite underrated.

Is this using the Oppo on board decoder or a receivers decoder? Thanks

wojtek

07-25-08, 09:18 AM

Is this using the Oppo on board decoder or a receivers decoder? Thanks

Using the Oppo decoder - sending the 5.1 analog outs into a Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver, and using an "external decoder" input mode in the Yamaha, which presumably does not do any further processing to the audio signal.

FoSheezy

07-25-08, 11:28 AM

FoSheezy,

You might want to try the 983 at -1 for sharpness. That has been the ideal setting for the vast majority of users. In my experience, increasing the sharpness only adds noise artifacts. The biggest single difference I saw between the 983 and the HD-XA2 was that the 983 was a more natural image with less artifacts. I did my comparison with the -1 sharpness setting on the 983 which I arrived at through calibration. I guess what I am saying is that at some point less "sharpness" gives you more natural detail.

I will try that out tonight.
Is the edge enhancement in the XA2 similar to the sharpness in the 983?
Is there an equivalent or is it just taking place in the ABT chips and theres no setting for it.

miata

07-25-08, 11:38 AM

I will try that out tonight.
Is the edge enhancement in the XA2 similar to the sharpness in the 983?
Is there an equivalent or is it just taking place in the ABT chips and theres no setting for it.
In my set-up I went back and fourth between 0 and 1 for "edge enhancement," which Toshiba should have called sharpness. I generally liked 1 for well mastered DVDs and 0 for one that had real "edge enhancement" mastered in. It is relatively easy to switch between the video setting menu on the XA1.

John Hodson

07-25-08, 05:17 PM

Using the Oppo decoder - sending the 5.1 analog outs into a Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver, and using an "external decoder" input mode in the Yamaha, which presumably does not do any further processing to the audio signal.

You think the Oppo processes sound better than the Yamaha via the co-axial connection?

GSB

07-25-08, 05:45 PM

You think the Oppo processes sound better than the Yamaha via the co-axial connection? Not likely. If you are using the digital outputs and set the SPDIF output to "RAW", the player does not process the sound at all - it passes the raw audio stream on the disk, untouched, to the receiver.

wojtek is using the analog outputs.

Gary

wojtek

07-25-08, 05:46 PM

You think the Oppo processes sound better than the Yamaha via the co-axial connection?

Absolutely, 100%, not even close.

I was piping multichannel DTS thru the coax from the Skyworth into the Yamaha and the sound quality I was getting is not even comparable to that of the 5.1 analog from the Oppo into the Yamaha.

That statement is about the sound quality is valid for pretty much all sources - Redbook CDs, DTS multichannel CDs, DTS DVDs, etc.

wojtek

07-25-08, 05:57 PM

Not likely. If you are using the digital outputs and set the SPDIF output to "RAW", the player does not process the sound at all - it passes the raw audio stream on the disk, untouched, to the receiver.

wojtek is using the analog outputs.

Gary

In my post I was comparing Oppo's 5.1 analog outputs into the Yamaha DSP-A1 to Skyworth coax (digital) output into the DSP-A1 on a DTS Pulp Fiction DTS soundtrack.

The former is so much better that there is really no comparison - sorry if I confused the decoders in my excitement.

John Hodson

07-25-08, 06:07 PM

Absolutely, 100%, not even close.

I was piping multichannel DTS thru the coax from the Skyworth into the Yamaha and the sound quality I was getting is not even comparable to that of the 5.1 analog from the Oppo into the Yamaha.

That statement is about the sound quality is valid for pretty much all sources - Redbook CDs, DTS multichannel CDs, DTS DVDs, etc.

That's fascinating; I'd pretty much assumed that a digital connection to my venerable, but excellent Yamaha would easily outclass the analog sound from the Oppo - my 983 arrives imminently and it looks like I'll have to think again. Thanks for that.

GSB

07-25-08, 06:59 PM

bwillcox

07-25-08, 07:26 PM

In my post I was comparing Oppo's 5.1 analog outputs into the Yamaha DSP-A1 to Skyworth coax (digital) output into the DSP-A1 on a DTS Pulp Fiction DTS soundtrack.

The former is so much better that there is really no comparison - sorry if I confused the decoders in my excitement.
Ah, but the DSP-A1 is a rather old amp/processor. I remember years ago when I replaced my DSP-A1s with RX-V1s how much better the V1s sounded. Of course the RX-Z1 did better than that, then there was the Z9 and now the Z11.

Really, not a good comparison. How about as compared to something not quite so obsolete? (You're 4 generations back with the A1) :D

RolandOG

07-25-08, 08:22 PM

My 983 arrived last night. I'm really looking forward to getting it installed in the rack and testing it out. Incidentally, even the packaging speaks of quality. I've never seen a component wrapped in a cloth sleeve before. Nice touch.

philby

07-25-08, 09:25 PM

wojtek

07-25-08, 09:42 PM

Ah, but the DSP-A1 is a rather old amp/processor. I remember years ago when I replaced my DSP-A1s with RX-V1s how much better the V1s sounded. Of course the RX-Z1 did better than that, then there was the Z9 and now the Z11.

Really, not a good comparison. How about as compared to something not quite so obsolete? (You're 4 generations back with the A1) :D

I cannot disagree with you, bwillcox, regarding the comparison. :-)))

The A1 as a processor *is* quite obsolete. But the 983 still sounds very good via its analog 5.1 with the A1 as just an amp (no processing). I did have a Sony DVP-NS755V DVD/SACD player connected via analog 5.1 to the Yamaha and the Oppo does sound better.

Are you telling me that my system would sound even better if I used coax or HDMI out of the 983 into a NEW amp/processor?

Any suggestions regarding the above? ;-)

Thanks!

rdgrimes

07-26-08, 12:13 AM

Fired up my new 983 today, replacing the 980. Difference in PQ is very noticeable, though not huge. But the quality image processing is very apparent.

Good to note that it does not have the finicky behavior towards 8x +RW that the 980 has. I fed it some really crappy 8x +RW discs and it ate them right up. So unless it develops an attitude, that issue is solved.

I'll admit that I got so involved in the films I was watching that I failed to properly gage the PQ. I guess that's a good sign.

GSB

07-26-08, 02:45 AM

Can I just confirm that a calibration DVD comes with the unit? If I am going to use the on board decoder of the Oppo and connect to the receiver (Denon AVR-3805) what sort of RCA leads should I be looking for (short lengths, molded together, gold plated, etc)? Additionally is the HDMI cable 1.3? Thanks No. The DVD that comes with the unit is not a calibration disk... its a test disk, containing particularly challenging video/film clips that show up less capable players. It does have a section for basic calibration of brightness and contrast.

Gary

philby

07-26-08, 03:21 AM

No. The DVD that comes with the unit is not a calibration disk... its a test disk, containing particularly challenging video/film clips that show up less capable players. It does have a section for basic calibration of brightness and contrast.

Gary

Thanks for the clarification on the disc.

wmcclain

07-26-08, 08:41 AM

Additionally is the HDMI cable 1.3? Thanks

As far as I know there is no physical difference between HDMI cables for different versions, it is a matter of compliance testing. See http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/hdmi-spec-versions.htm.

I don't know if the Oppo-supplied cables have a compliance rating. DVD players don't use any 1.3 features. Or any 1.2 features, apart from DSD on the 980.

-Bill

bwillcox

07-26-08, 12:26 PM

I cannot disagree with you, bwillcox, regarding the comparison. :-)))

The A1 as a processor *is* quite obsolete. But the 983 still sounds very good via its analog 5.1 with the A1 as just an amp (no processing). I did have a Sony DVP-NS755V DVD/SACD player connected via analog 5.1 to the Yamaha and the Oppo does sound better.

Are you telling me that my system would sound even better if I used coax or HDMI out of the 983 into a NEW amp/processor?

Any suggestions regarding the above? ;-)

Thanks!
I can't say for sure, however I will say that I noticed a marked improvement over the years as I went from one Yamaha flagship amp/receiver to the next. I noticed the biggest difference when I replaced the Z1 with a Z9. Going from the Z9 to my current Z11 wasn't as big of difference in terms of surround decoding, but having the multi-channel lossless digital audio over the HDMI was a significant step up (when playing Blu-ray discs) and was the principle driving force for me to upgrade (I wanted support for the lossless codecs in the receiver to eliminate any need for unnecessary A/D conversion when adding DSP modes).

Drem

07-26-08, 12:47 PM

Is there any way I can let my projector do the upscaling bit when connecting the 983H via HDMI?

Smarty-pants

07-26-08, 12:59 PM

Is there any way I can let my projector do the upscaling bit when connecting the 983H via HDMI?

Why would you want to? That's the whole point of the 983 is it's stellar upconversion and deinterlacing. You could do 480p out... or you could just get a DV-980H which has 480i out via HDMI feature.

miata

07-26-08, 01:01 PM

Is there any way I can let my projector do the upscaling bit when connecting the 983H via HDMI?
You could sent the projector 480p over HDMI and get a great image assuming you r projector has a good scaler.

Drem

07-26-08, 01:03 PM

Why would you want to? That's the whole point of the 983 is it's stellar upconversion and deinterlacing. You could do 480p out... or you could just get a DV-980H which has 480i out via HDMI feature.

I know, I was just curious and wanted to see how good the gennum scaler in my projector is. I´ll try 480p and see what it does, thanks.

Smarty-pants

07-26-08, 01:04 PM

I know, I was just curious and wanted to see how good the gennum scaler in my projector is. I´ll try 480p and see what it does, thanks.

Got it :). Please post back your findings.

jerryg25

07-26-08, 05:59 PM

Got my 983 in at noon and have been doing some comparing of different players. I did not see much difference between the 983 and xa2, pretty close to each other. I did put the test disk in my a30 which has the same scaler but different di chip and the 983 on the rotating line jaggies test blew the a30 away. The 983 compared to my other players is superior. I had trouble with some image retention on dark scenes with my 981 that are not there with the 983. So far i am pleased with the 983 picture at times it looks near hd in quality. Picture details are excellent.

Bill Mullin

07-26-08, 10:56 PM

I received my 983 a couple of days ago and have been comparing it to my memories of my XA2 which was recently sold on eBay. As far as I can tell, the picture is about the same as the XA2 with 2 notable exceptions:

- Bright points of light would get a blue halo around them with the XA2, not so with the 983 . . . I think this is called the chroma effect?

- There is a sharpness control on the 983 which was missing on the XA2. By setting this control at +1 the picture is crisper (more crisp?) than the XA2.

So I'm definitely happy I got the 983 and have no regrets getting rid of the XA2, although I regret that HD-DVD lost the format war!

BTW - my wife normally can't tell HD from SD and really doesn't care, but the first SD DVD we upconverted to 1080p got a big WOW from her . . . I believe that's proof positive that the 983 is an impressive unit! :D

I've read the manual cover to cover and have tested every feature. The only question I have remaining is: How can I tell what version firmware I have on the 983? :confused:

20 minutes later . . . I figured it out, according to the first post in this thread you just have to press the OSD button. I had done this 100 times, but always with a disc playing. Pressing OSD with an no disk in the drawer showed me that I had:

MVER: 05.00.01.07
Batch: DV983H-08-0709

I have no idea what the MVER line is telling me, but the 2nd line says that as of today I have the latest/greatest version loaded in the player!

Neuromancer

07-26-08, 11:13 PM

Press Eject then OSD. The Batch Number at the lower left hand corner of your display is the Firmware Version.

Bill Mullin

07-26-08, 11:16 PM

Press Eject then OSD. The Batch Number at the lower left hand corner of your display is the Firmware Version.

I was editing my message as you were typing the above quote! :) Do you have any idea what an MVER is?

Neuromancer

07-26-08, 11:38 PM

Macrovision Version number. It does not mean anything to you.

gelich

07-27-08, 01:50 AM

A minor problem with the 983 not initially recognizing the correct aspect ratio of some 4:3 PAL Region 2 DVDs, easily remedied as a work-around by pressing the INFO button on the remote. OPPO Digital is well aware of the issue and since the problem is not present on the 981, I am confident it will be corrected in due time.

Dana

Dana,
I just want to express my thanks to you for posting this information. I was greatly frustrated with the 983 when it came to viewing non-anamorphic PAL discs. The zoom feature was worse than useless, as it only distorted the picture. The problem was bad enough to cause me to consider returning what is in all other ways a superb player. Without your posting, I would never have stumbled upon the solution.
Thanks again,
Greg

Drem

07-27-08, 08:36 AM

What do you guys think about the problem with horizontal lines sometimes appearing through the subtitles? If this really is a mediatek chipset problem, shouldn't other players also display the problem? I think it's annoying to see those lines, even if they only appear once or twice during a movie.

Is Oppo aware of the problem? How can I report it back to them, do they have a special email or something for their technical department?

wmcclain

07-27-08, 08:44 AM

What do you guys think about the problem with horizontal lines sometimes appearing through the subtitles?

Me? I think it is a minor issue.

If this really is a mediatek chipset problem, shouldn't other players also display the problem?

Is it an Oppo-specific problem? I don't follow other player threads so I really don't know.

-Bill

wmcclain

07-27-08, 08:47 AM

do they have a special email or something for their technical department?

As shown on the main web page: Service@oppodigital.com. Let us know what they say.

-Bill

Drem

07-27-08, 09:59 AM

I have sent an email to Oppo. I'll let you know what they answer.

jerryg25

07-27-08, 10:58 AM

I read somewhere how to use the test disk that comes with the 983. I can not find it now, does anyone know what post it was?

Pete 'n Pea

07-27-08, 11:14 AM

jerry,
this should help you:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13363146#post13363146

Peter

drbonbi

07-27-08, 11:33 AM

Dana,
I just want to express my thanks to you for posting this information. I was greatly frustrated with the 983 when it came to viewing non-anamorphic PAL discs. The zoom feature was worse than useless, as it only distorted the picture. The problem was bad enough to cause me to consider returning what is in all other ways a superb player. Without your posting, I would never have stumbled upon the solution.
Thanks again,
Greg

Glad my post was helpful. That's what this thread is all about.

Dana

John Hodson

07-27-08, 11:56 AM

I wonder if Neuromancer would consider updating his first post with known issues and workarounds, including the above? :) It would be extremely helpful.

El_Kabong

07-27-08, 01:09 PM

I use thumb drives as my video source. The player reads them just fine. But it won't read USB hard drives. It finds them and spins them up. It then says they're empty when they are not.

Ideas?

Smarty-pants

07-27-08, 01:34 PM

I use thumb drives as my video source. The player reads them just fine. But it won't read USB hard drives. It finds them and spins them up. It then says they're empty when they are not.

Ideas?

The HDD needs to be externally powered. The USB drive in the 983 is not strong enough to power a HDD.

rdgrimes

07-27-08, 01:51 PM

The HDD needs to be externally powered. The USB drive in the 983 is not strong enough to power a HDD.

Also need to be FAT32 formatted.

El_Kabong

07-27-08, 02:04 PM

Also need to be FAT32 formatted.

Bet that's it! It reads the drive fine it just thinks it's empty. It's NTFS. Thanks!

jerryg25

07-27-08, 04:47 PM

Bronco70

07-27-08, 04:53 PM

I was trying the capture function for fun. I was playing a dvd and hit the button but it did not capture the scene it said capturing logo and put the start page on instead. Has anyone else tried to set the background with this button?

I have. Had the Godfather disc in, paused at a wedding picture frame and hit capture. Worked fine.

Think I'll use it as a seasonal deal. It is a fun feature.

Joe

Bronco70

07-27-08, 04:55 PM

Oh I think you have to go into the menu to choose the captured image.

jerryg25

07-27-08, 04:57 PM

That is what i was thinking to do with it but maybe its my disk because i paused the picture i wanted but it gave me the logo. I will try it again on another disk. Also would it be worth my effort to hook up the 7.1 analog audio to my receiver if i only watch dvds and dont use it for music? I am not an audio buff but like good sound with my shows.

jerryg25

07-27-08, 05:10 PM

When you hit your capture button what does it say on top? Mine said capturing logo and that is the background that i had. I reset to Oppo ok.

jerryg25

07-27-08, 09:07 PM

Just to follow up on the capture feature it does work but not on all disks. I was watching Spiderman in superbit and it would not allow it. Starwars worked ok. By the way Spiderman in superbit looked like hd, really great.

slybasil

07-28-08, 01:13 AM

Hey guys

Could use a little help here if possible. I went to play a movie and I cant get a picture. I do get the sound. I have had no problems at all with 983 before this. I thought it might be the hdmi hookup so I switched it with the sat box and the sat worked fine on both hdmi connections. I switched out the cable and still no problem with the sat box and still no picture with the Oppo. So the problem must be with the 983. Any suggestions?

Neuromancer

07-28-08, 01:40 AM

What resolution are you currently set to? (press Eject then the HDMI button once)

Have you tried changing HDMI resolutions?

Have you tried an alternate input on your display?

Drem

07-28-08, 02:36 AM

Here is Oppo's reply regarding the corrupted subtitles problem:

"
We are aware of the random subtitle corruption error which occurs on our products. We have not used other MTK DVD players, so we can't comment on their likeliness of causing the same errors.

The subtitle corruption errors are still being investigated, but no solution has been developed yet.

Best Regards,
"

Vagabond

07-28-08, 07:36 AM

Hi

I've used a Philips 5260 which uses an MTK chip. It has no problems at all with the subtitles.

The Oppo 983 has problems with both white and yellow subs, and it occurs at least once every DVD we watch. We use the subs quite a lot as we're living in a flat and don't want to disturb our neighbours when playing late. So for us it's a big issue.

The Oppo 983 and DivX subs is another sad ad hoc chapter as it sometimes clips the subs no matter the sub size chosen. The Phi 5260 has no problems with same DivX film, so, yes, I've stopped using the Oppo 983 for Divx and am instead using either the Phi 5260 or my PS3, as also the way Oppo 983 is handling DivX aspect ratios is below the Phi 5260 and the PS3 with regards to that. (You can't use the Info button work around on DivX.)

Not to mention the aspect ratios over analog, but hopefully they're working on that known bug...

Cheers

btiltman

07-28-08, 07:40 AM

I switched out the cable and still no problem with the sat box and still no picture with the Oppo. So the problem must be with the 983. Any suggestions?

Check you havent accidentally changed the Primary Output off HDMI in the Video Setup page of the Setup Menu? (If its got changed to component sometimes the HDMI connection wont get detected.)

geared4me

07-28-08, 08:01 AM

Voz

07-28-08, 11:52 AM

What do you guys think about the problem with horizontal lines sometimes appearing through the subtitles?

Personally I think it's pretty distracting. I don't have a 983H, but I've seen it on other OPPO models.

I hope they nail that little bugger.

Neuromancer

07-28-08, 12:19 PM

The Oppo 983 and DivX subs is another sad ad hoc chapter as it sometimes clips the subs no matter the sub size chosen.

This is related specifically to the new MTK decoders in the DV-980H and the DV-983H. OPPO is aware of this truncation, but the priority for fixing this is lower compared to some of the enhancements and bug fixes which need to go into the DV-980H and DV-983H.

Blacklac

07-28-08, 12:29 PM

This is related specifically to the new MTK decoders in the DV-980H and the DV-983H. OPPO is aware of this truncation, but the priority for fixing this is lower compared to some of the enhancements and bug fixes which need to go into the DV-980H and DV-983H.

Speaking of that, any word on the 983 supporting output of more resolutions? Plasma resolutions like 1366x768, 1365x768, 1360x768?

Neuromancer

07-28-08, 12:50 PM

Blacklac

07-28-08, 01:12 PM

The timings for these custom resolutions are not inherent to the ABT solution. OPPO could try to implement individual custom resolution support, but during the beta phase of the player this kind of implimentation was dropped due to too many visual errors becoming apparent when they tried to manually create a resolution.

Ah. I read a ways back that it was a possible firmware update. I have no idea if that is even possible by firmware. I was just curious what came of this since I am a 768p plasma owner. Thanks. :)

Neuromancer

07-28-08, 01:15 PM

This was OPPOs original response (and is in the first post of this thread):

The ABT1018 scaler has some potential to support custom resolution. A major limitation is that the video timing clock must be derived from the input video clock using a PLL, which has a limited range. Due to the variation of custom resolution timing in different display devices, we will not officially offer custom resolution support. The DV-983H will initially offer no custom resolution support. After we get the standard features released, we will work with ABT to develop output timing for a limited set of custom resolution. Some custom resolutions may not be support due to the PLL cannot generate the required clock. The DVDO VP30/50 series video processor uses an external clock synthesizer chip to generate clock for custom resolutions. The external clock synthesizer solution is too expensive to put into the DV-983H. It is also too difficult to set up for non-expert users.

Neuromancer

07-28-08, 02:14 PM

Heads up, it seems that the DV-983H is available as normal stock (http://www.oppodigital.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DV983H).

John Hodson

07-28-08, 03:04 PM

I wonder if Neuromancer would consider updating his first post with known issues and workarounds, including the above? :) It would be extremely helpful.

Bad idea Neuromancer? :) No matter...

My 983 arrived today and you chalk me up as another very happy customer. I was steeling myself for only a small improvement over the 971 on my 52" Samsung, but I am absolutely blown away.

First DVD I slapped in there was 'The Searchers', the first BD I have vowed to buy when I do finally get a Blu-ray player. It's just incredible how much better the picture is; the urge to dash out and buy BD is ebbing away...

Just fantastic Oppo.

GSB

07-28-08, 05:15 PM

...chalk me up as another very happy customer. I was steeling myself for only a small improvement over the 971 on my 52" Samsung, but I am absolutely blown away.

First DVD I slapped in there was 'The Searchers', the first BD I have vowed to buy when I do finally get a Blu-ray player. It's just incredible how much better the picture is; the urge to dash out and buy BD is ebbing away...

Just fantastic Oppo. The 983 does wonders for older, poorer DVD transfers too. "Hotel Rwanda", for example, is so heavily compressed, that many scenes turn into macroblock-soup on Faroudja DCDi players. They look fantastic on the 983.

Gary

hodedofome

07-28-08, 06:21 PM

wmcclain

07-28-08, 06:25 PM

bwillcox

07-28-08, 07:00 PM

Bad idea Neuromancer? :) No matter...

My 983 arrived today and you chalk me up as another very happy customer. I was steeling myself for only a small improvement over the 971 on my 52" Samsung, but I am absolutely blown away.

First DVD I slapped in there was 'The Searchers', the first BD I have vowed to buy when I do finally get a Blu-ray player. It's just incredible how much better the picture is; the urge to dash out and buy BD is ebbing away...

Just fantastic Oppo.
Well, as a happy owner of a 983 (with another on its way, I have lots of DVDs that I don't intend to/can't replace) and owner of several PS3s and a Pioneer BDP-95FD Blu-ray player, I humbly suggest that a good BD beats the best DVD hands down in PQ (esp on large screens) even with the 983; and the lossless audio is simply icing on the cake. Of course, this is just my opinion...take if for what it's worth. :)

John Hodson

07-28-08, 07:14 PM

I'm absolutely sure that's true; but like yourself I have far too many DVDs to even consider replacing (even if they appear on BD), and the 983 means not only new life for that collection, but I can hold out a while longer until, well, prices come down a tad, or even for Oppo to produce a BD player.

Probably :)

GSB

07-28-08, 08:48 PM

Does anyone know the file types you can use on the usb hard drives? Was wondering if I could store my dvd's on an external hard drive and use that to take advantage of the nice video processing. VOB files on a USB drive are supported, and will give you the best A/V quality with the 983's legendary de-interlacing. The only catch is that the player takes a few seconds to load each VOB, so you can either create a single huge VOB, or put up with the breaks when the player switches VOB's.

I select only the main movie (uncompressed) and one soundtrack (DD or DTS) to save space when creating the VOB, and I have never had any issues during playback. In fact, the playback is downright awesome!

Gary

drbonbi

07-28-08, 09:34 PM

Well, as a happy owner of a 983 (with another on its way, I have lots of DVDs that I don't intend to/can't replace) and owner of several PS3s and a Pioneer BDP-95FD Blu-ray player, I humbly suggest that a good BD beats the best DVD hands down in PQ (esp on large screens) even with the 983; and the lossless audio is simply icing on the cake. Of course, this is just my opinion...take if for what it's worth. :)

While what you say may be true technically - and I own both a 983 and a Blu-ray player - most of the titles offered on Blu-ray I wouldn't buy at a garage sale.

Dana

slybasil

07-29-08, 01:07 AM

Smarty-pants

07-29-08, 01:20 AM

Still no picture through HDMI. I tried changing inputs on display, check "audio only" switch, reset set up menu, tried viewing with different resolutions. Still nothing. I did hook up an rca line from Oppo since it was the only way to view the setup menu. I can view a dvd but while watching a movie the sound is distorted. Like its not tracking correctly or not clearly decoding the sound. Not sure were to even go with all this. I think I will give Oppo a call and see what they have to say.

If any one has had something like this happen let me know.

Sounds like maybe it just broke. It does happen sometimes, othewise there wouldn't be any reason for a warranty. The good news is that this is Oppo we are dealing with. This is where their impecable service and support comes into play. I have no doubt that they will take care of you. Hang in there... :).

hodedofome

07-29-08, 08:54 AM

VOB files on a USB drive are supported, and will give you the best A/V quality with the 983's legendary de-interlacing. The only catch is that the player takes a few seconds to load each VOB, so you can either create a single huge VOB, or put up with the breaks when the player switches VOB's.

I select only the main movie (uncompressed) and one soundtrack (DD or DTS) to save space when creating the VOB, and I have never had any issues during playback. In fact, the playback is downright awesome!

Gary

That's all I needed to hear. I already use DVD Decrypter to make 1 large .vob file, then I rename it to .mpg and stream it through my xBox 360. The fact that it can play DTS alone makes it worth it, my 360 won't stream the DTS track. It may not have a nice interface like My Movies from Media Center, but oh well.

bwillcox

07-29-08, 09:03 AM

While what you say may be true technically - and I own both a 983 and a Blu-ray player - most of the titles offered on Blu-ray I wouldn't buy at a garage sale.

Dana
Ah, but the PQ of the ones that you would buy/watch! :rolleyes:

Anyway, what movies we like to watch must be one of the the most subjective things in this world, so YMMV.

John Hodson

07-29-08, 09:28 AM

drbonbi

07-29-08, 11:19 AM

Instant benefits; I have the R2 of Powell & Pressburger's 'Battle of The River Plate', it's non-anamorphic but open-matte and the Oppo zooms it beautifully near as damn it to OAR widescreen. Not only that, it's a title that, on the 971, suffered a large degree of banding; on the 983, no banding and I get a faithful representation of what should be - and now is - a gorgeous example of VistaVision.

BTW, that tip a while back about the Oppo being a better decoder than my Yamaha DSP-A1 seems to be paying off - sounds great. Thanks for that. :)

Ah. A discerning videophile with impeccable taste. ;)

My experience in playing this stirring, fact-based film about a 1939 British-German naval battle on a digitally remastered PAL Region 2 DVD on my 983 is the same as yours. Superb play back. I also had previously played it on a 971 on a smaller screen which didn't do it justice.

The film was titled Pursuit of the Graf Spee for original release in the USA in 1956. If thread readers don't know about this film, there's more info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_the_River_Plate_%28film%29 and about the actual battle here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_River_Plate The US Navy lent the use of the heavy cruiser USS Salem to play the role of the Admiral Graf Spee and the Royal Navy used several of its ships in the film including two that were in the original battle. With one exception, no models were used and the film predated the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imagery

In many ways, this film is a poster child for why the OPPO 983 is so valuable - 'way beyond its retail cost. I dare say we will never see this film on Blu-ray. It isn't even available AFAIK on Region 1 DVD! We're lucky to have it on a digitally remastered DVD of any kind. It was the last film made in collaboration by Powell and Pressburger and was important enough at the time to merit its initial screening before HM Queen Elisabeth.

Without the 983, I don't think anyone today could really tell just how good this film is both as cinematography and as a telling of important history not long after the battle was fought.

Filming started on the sixteenth anniversary of the battle. The HMS Ajax and River Plate Association reportedly sent a message to the producers: "Hope your shooting will be as successful as ours." (From the first link above.)

Dana

jerryg25

07-29-08, 11:51 AM

for just watching movies would i notice any quality improvement over coaxial or optical outputs to go to the trouble of running the cabling? I am not an audiophile just like good sound.

DAB

07-29-08, 12:21 PM

Once again, our visual enjoyment of many movies comes down to; good content and the quality of cameras and then the transfer to the medium( DVD). I was given a Japanese DVD which is a made for ( something like HBO- i think) Soap opera.
Anyway it has to be the best looking DVD i have every seen-in SD.
The colors and depth of field the 983 creates is spectacular. My Japanese friend who has region free DVD player looked at this and said we live in two different (DVD player) worlds. If all DVDs were made like this quality-BD would have a harder time getting in the door.
db

Drem

07-29-08, 12:23 PM

I'm trying to test the internal scaler (gennum) in my projector by putting the dvd player in 480p mode but things aren't working. The projector recieves the signal and displays it unprocessed at 480p. Am I doing something wrong?

As a side note, I also tried 480i from my BD player with the same result. Picture is displayed unprocessed at 480i in the projector.

Am I missing something here? Everything is connected using HDMI :confused:

Smarty-pants

07-29-08, 12:39 PM

Vagabond

07-29-08, 12:46 PM

This is related specifically to the new MTK decoders in the DV-980H and the DV-983H. OPPO is aware of this truncation, but the priority for fixing this is lower compared to some of the enhancements and bug fixes which need to go into the DV-980H and DV-983H.

I agree, the aspect ratio bug over analog is way more annoying.

Cheers

John Hodson

07-29-08, 01:40 PM

for just watching movies would i notice any quality improvement over coaxial or optical outputs to go to the trouble of running the cabling? I am not an audiophile just like good sound.

Depends very much on your amp/receiver; mine is getting on a bit (the DSP-A1 was a flagship product but is now over 10 years old), and the difference between my Yamaha's decoder via digital coax and the Oppo's over analogue is quite marked. Surprised me, TBH.

I agree, the aspect ratio bug over analog is way more annoying.

Cheers

This the bug involving PAL discs (it happens over digital too)? Or is this another bug? If it's the former, another thank you to this thread for the 'info button' workaround.

Neuromancer

07-29-08, 01:54 PM

No, the analog AR bug is a completely separate issue. Right now the DV-983H has been designed with the ABT solution handling all AR controls. The ABT solution is not used over the analog outputs.

So, when you try to apply a AR for the analog outputs, it will not work properly when you interrupt disc playback (Skip, load menus, etc).

John Hodson

07-29-08, 01:59 PM

GSB

07-29-08, 02:12 PM

wojtek

07-29-08, 02:15 PM

BTW, that tip a while back about the Oppo being a better decoder than my Yamaha DSP-A1 seems to be paying off - sounds great. Thanks for that. :)

John - no problem.

Ever since I got the Oppo (which is not so long ago) my DSP-A1 has been serving as an amplifier only - its processing days are oficially OVER!

:)

John Hodson

07-29-08, 02:31 PM

John - no problem.

Ever since I got the Oppo (which is not so long ago) my DSP-A1 has been serving as an amplifier only - its processing days are oficially OVER!

:)

26 hours an Oppo 983H owner and I've run through four films and parts of another eight (known problem discs, now no longer a problem). Surprisingly it wasn't the DTS track on the R2 'Seraphim Falls' that highlighted the big difference between the Oppo's decoding and the Yamaha's, but the surround track on the R1 'The Great Race' which was just astonishing (and astonishingly different to the Yammy) via the Oppo.

Incidentally, I know something similar has been mentioned by other owners but I was gobsmacked when it happened to me; without prompting, Mrs H commented on the picture quality and said how much better the 983 was than the 971 - and this from a woman who (a) can't tell the difference between broadcast SD and HD, and (b) normally couldn't give a hoot... :D

FoSheezy

07-29-08, 04:23 PM

rdgrimes

07-29-08, 04:34 PM

Im a new owner of the 983 and i had a couple questions.
Im interested in backing up my current SD collection/home video/ect. on an external hard drive and accessing it through the USB on the back of the 983.
I assume this is possible, based on the manual and some discussion here.

My questions are:

Are all the upconverting/scaling goodies used when watching a file from the USB port or only off actual DVDs. In other words, if I can get a VOB file off a disc, should it look the same being read as a VOB from the drive as it would from the disc.

I dont know much about getting the files from the disc onto a hard drive, but I did notice the drive must be formatted to a FAT or FAT32. What is the best file format to store the movies on the external hard drive? I would assume the less compression the better.

What programs or methods are people using to do this?

I understand some of this may be found elsewhere, but I wanted to know if anyone is doing this with the 983 specifically.

Thanks in advance!
Use whatever tool you like for ripping the movies to the hard drive. Suggest creating a single VOB file with only the audio and subtitle streams that you desire. Use of other file types is certainly possible, and can save a lot of drive space, but if you stick with VOB files, you will retain all available quality.

Popular free ripping utilities for backing up DVDs are DVDShrink and DVDDecryptor, either of which can be set to create single VOB files. However some newer titles will require additional tools due to copy protections.

FoSheezy

07-29-08, 04:37 PM

And is the quality the same as if on a DVD? Are the ABT chips still in effect?

GSB

07-29-08, 04:56 PM

And is the quality the same as if on a DVD? Are the ABT chips still in effect? Yes, for uncompressed VOB files on a HDD, the quality is the same as from a DVD, with full ABT deinterlacing and scaling. See this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14387725#post14387725) from yesterday. I use DVDShrink, and select the "No Compression" option.

The HDD must be formatted with FAT32. If the HDD will be dedicated to large files, like VOB's, format with the largest cluster size you can, for more efficient use of the disk.

Gary

rdgrimes

07-29-08, 05:10 PM

Yes, for uncompressed VOB files on a HDD, the quality is the same as from a DVD, with full ABT deinterlacing and scaling. See this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14387725#post14387725) from yesterday. I use DVD Shrink, and select the "No Compression" option. The HDD must be formatted with FAT32.

Gary

Just a side note to add that you can do this with the DVD extra features too, just name the VOB's appropriately so you can find them on the HDD. DVDShrink is a wonderful tool.

DAB

07-29-08, 05:17 PM

Sorry, what is a- analog AR bug-? I searched but did not find the answer.

Neuromancer

07-29-08, 05:48 PM

antennahead

07-29-08, 07:16 PM

If all SD dvds were created to their fullest potential, BR or HD would not even exist.

Very true!!!

FoSheezy

07-29-08, 07:29 PM

Neuromancer

07-29-08, 07:42 PM

Depends on the size of the original movie.

VOB files are split no larger than .99GB each, but a film can be made up of multiple VOB files. An average movie will be between 3.5GB and 9GB total in size.

videonut

07-29-08, 09:04 PM

While what you say may be true technically - and I own both a 983 and a Blu-ray player - most of the titles offered on Blu-ray I wouldn't buy at a garage sale.

Dana

Amen!

GSB

07-29-08, 09:15 PM

How big is a VOB?
Again I am new at this.
If I bought a 2 TB hard drive, would that be sufficient to contain say 300 DVDs?
How many DVDs would a 1 TB drive hold? I don't need all the extras, I would just need the video files. I'm not sure how big you can go with a FAT32 drive. There is a limit.

When reauthoring a DVD, some programs allow you to specify the size of the VOB files you create. To avoid a delay while the 983 loads the next VOB file from a HDD, you can create a single large VOB. The 983 will play it just fine.

Gary

rdgrimes

07-29-08, 11:30 PM

How big is a VOB?
Again I am new at this.
If I bought a 2 TB hard drive, would that be sufficient to contain say 300 DVDs?
How many DVDs would a 1 TB drive hold? I don't need all the extras, I would just need the video files.

A VOB file is as large as it needs to be. For DVD-Video, they are split at 1 GB size for various reasons, but there's no upper limit on how large they can be for direct file playback. Typical DVD movies are from 3GB to 7GB in size with extras and unneeded audio tracks removed. An average would be close to 5GB. The upper limit for FAT32 formatted drives is 4GB.

bwillcox

07-30-08, 08:35 AM

If all SD dvds were created to their fullest potential, BR or HD would not even exist.
Wow. I'm glad that's not true. Well done BDs are significantly better than well done DVDs, especially on large screens. And then there's the lossy compression of the audio channels that BDs don't suffer from. I'm afraid I simply can't agree with you.

Ted_K

07-30-08, 08:37 AM

When using the analog outputs, the Aspect Ratio (TV Type) settings always default to 16:9 when you access menus or skip chapters.

This primarily a problem if you have an older 4:3 display or are playing back 4:3 contents over analog.

It's not only the analog outputs. I'm still having an occasional problem with AR detection through HDMI. Torchwood Season 1 is one example (NTSC). It defaults to 4:3 until I press "Info". I'm using the latest firmware. Why can't Oppo fix this problem once and for all? I'm not bashing the player; on the contrary, I love it!

Bill Mullin

07-30-08, 10:21 AM

Is Oppo a Japanese company? American? Finnish? What? The only information I found concerning this was on the outside of the box where it said, "Assembled in China". Somehow I doubt this great player is Chinese design though . . .

wmcclain

07-30-08, 10:24 AM

rdgrimes

07-30-08, 11:06 AM

It's not only the analog outputs. I'm still having an occasional problem with AR detection through HDMI. Torchwood Season 1 is one example (NTSC). It defaults to 4:3 until I press "Info". I'm using the latest firmware. Why can't Oppo fix this problem once and for all? I'm not bashing the player; on the contrary, I love it!

+1. I've seen AR mix-ups here too over HDMI.

wmcclain

07-30-08, 11:16 AM

Why can't Oppo fix this problem once and for all?

They depend on your reports. Have you sent them a list of titles and a description of the problem?

-Bill

Neuromancer

07-30-08, 12:28 PM

It's not only the analog outputs. I'm still having an occasional problem with AR detection through HDMI. Torchwood Season 1 is one example (NTSC). It defaults to 4:3 until I press "Info". I'm using the latest firmware.

These issues are unrelated. With the HDMI output, there are times, particularly with PAL media, where the Anamorphic flag is not warranted by the player. This is why some contents require that you press the "INFO" button to resolve the proper aspect ratio negotiation.

With the analog outputs, there is no AR negotiation. It is a complete lack of AR control on the analog stage.

Why can't Oppo fix this problem once and for all? I'm not bashing the player; on the contrary, I love it!

Because it is not an isolated error. They still need to figure out why it is only certain contents, and what is the cause of the failure to negotiate.

FoSheezy

07-30-08, 01:13 PM

A VOB file is as large as it needs to be. For DVD-Video, they are split at 1 GB size for various reasons, but there's no upper limit on how large they can be for direct file playback. Typical DVD movies are from 3GB to 7GB in size with extras and unneeded audio tracks removed. An average would be close to 5GB. The upper limit for FAT32 formatted drives is 4GB.

So then for movie files greater than 4GB are people using two VOB files instead of one or how are people using only one large file? Different file type?

rdgrimes

07-30-08, 01:34 PM

So then for movie files greater than 4GB are people using two VOB files instead of one or how are people using only one large file? Different file type?

There's no one way to go about this, it's whatever you like to do. The only issue with splitting VOBs is that the Oppo will pause for a few seconds when changing from one VOB to the next. If your movie is larger than 4GB, then you do have to split the file because of the FAT32 limitation on file size. You can choose to go with DIVX or MPEG4, but you will lose some quality and audio formats might be limited- (software and format dependent). It also involves the conversion process, which takes time and know-how. It does have the advantage of saving huge amounts of drive space.

Personally, I keep everything on my PC, then use an 8GB thumb drive to transport files to the Oppo.

GSB

07-30-08, 02:16 PM

While we're speaking about formatting FAT32 drives for the OPPO, here's a valuable quote from SirDracula on the 980 thread:
Note that Windows XP cannot format a FAT32 partition larger than 32GB, but there are tools out there to do it:

SwissKnife (great overall tool for managing a drive, partition, format, etc.):
http://www.compuapps.com/download/Swissknife/swissknife.htm

fat32format (very fast FAT32 format tool, no size limit):
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm I used fat32format, with excellent results.

FAT32 partitions have a theoretical limit of 2TB. Not sure if anyone has actually tested this limit. And yes, FAT32 has a maximum file size limit of 4GB.

Gary

GSB

07-30-08, 02:24 PM

Personally, I keep everything on my PC, then use an 8GB thumb drive to transport files to the Oppo. I'm curious... Does your USB flash drive have a data transfer rate fast enough to support uncompressed superbit VOB's with DTS soundtracks? If so, what type of drive are you using? My hard drives are fast enough, but my flash drives are too slow.

Gary

Persil

07-30-08, 03:42 PM

These issues are unrelated. With the HDMI output, there are times, particularly with PAL media, where the Anamorphic flag is not warranted by the player. This is why some contents require that you press the "INFO" button to resolve the proper aspect ratio negotiation.

Because it is not an isolated error. They still need to figure out why it is only certain contents, and what is the cause of the failure to negotiate.

I guess the thing that makes it difficult for us to understand why this bug persists is the fact that the Info button workaround exists. Why can't the player just do whatever the Info button does to figure out the Aspect Ratio in the first place?

rdgrimes

07-30-08, 04:39 PM

I'm curious... Does your USB flash drive have a data transfer rate fast enough to support uncompressed superbit VOB's with DTS soundtracks? If so, what type of drive are you using? My hard drives are fast enough, but my flash drives are too slow.

Gary

I have no such discs. I can tell you that on my PC, read rates from the thumb drive are around 17 MB/sec average on sustained large file transfers. This far exceeds any video requirements. It's a PNY Attache drive. Maybe yours is really USB-1?

ortegus

07-30-08, 05:01 PM

When using the analog outputs, the Aspect Ratio (TV Type) settings always default to 16:9 when you access menus or skip chapters.

This primarily a problem if you have an older 4:3 display or are playing back 4:3 contents over analog.

As long as Oppo is working on this issue thats the main thing. Even though the player is designed around the ABT chipset the MTK chipset should also function correctly.

Right now its like having a finely tuned sports car with the latest digital gear that works flawlessly but basic function like steering that only works when the digital radio is on and tuned to a specific station.

Neuromancer

07-30-08, 05:06 PM

I guess the thing that makes it difficult for us to understand why this bug persists is the fact that the Info button workaround exists.

What should have you perplexed is that the INFO button fixes the issue. The INFO button was never designed for this kind of functionality. It is precisely because this odd inconsistency of Auto AR controls that OPPO needs to spend some time sorting things out.

Besides, OPPO has already released two firmware updates which have made the Auto AR controls more accurate and robust. You will just need to give them time to implement an even better solution.

Neuromancer

07-30-08, 05:07 PM

As long as Oppo is working on this issue thats the main thing. Even though the player is designed around the ABT chipset the MTK chipset should also function correctly.

Current idea is to change all AR controls to the MTK when HDMI has been disconnected and Primary Output has been set to Component. There has been no solution, yet.

GSB

07-30-08, 06:28 PM

...on my PC, read rates from the thumb drive are around 17 MB/sec average on sustained large file transfers. This far exceeds any video requirements. It's a PNY Attache drive. Maybe yours is really USB-1? Yes, that transfer rate should be more than enough. I think the data rate cap on DVD VOB's is around 10MB/s. My drive really is USB2, but it uses older flash technology with slower read/write rates.

Gary

sjschaff

07-30-08, 06:56 PM

While we're speaking about formatting FAT32 drives for the OPPO, here's a valuable quote from SirDracula on the 980 thread:
I used fat32format, with excellent results.

FAT32 partitions have a theoretical limit of 2TB. Not sure if anyone has actually tested this limit. And yes, FAT32 has a maximum file size limit of 4GB.

Gary

Oppo is suggesting that the partition size be limited to 120GB due to some issues the 983 has had with larger partitions. I'm about to try using Vista's own exFAT (replacement for FAT32). Hopefully the drive (120GB of the 500GB externally powered Seagate) will work.

rdgrimes

07-30-08, 06:59 PM

Yes, that transfer rate should be more than enough. I think the data rate cap on DVD VOB's is around 10MB/s. My drive really is USB2, but it uses older flash technology with slower read/write rates.

Gary

The 10Mb (not MB) data rate cap is for DVD-Video, and shouldn't (in theory) affect VOB file playback. 10Mb is close to the minimum data rate for DVDs at 1X speed playback (11 Mb) . But I have DVDs with higher rates that play OK from disc.

GSB

07-30-08, 07:50 PM

The 10Mb (not MB) data rate cap is for DVD-Video Right. I believe the 10Mb/s cap is for the video and audio stream combined.
10Mb is close to the minimum data rate for DVDs at 1X speed playback (11 Mb) . But I have DVDs with higher rates that play OK from disc. Not sure what you mean by this... Do you mean DVD-Video with higher than 11Mb/s average data rates? Does this violate the DVD-Video standard?

Gary

sjschaff

07-30-08, 07:58 PM

I'm not sure how big you can go with a FAT32 drive. There is a limit.

When reauthoring a DVD, some programs allow you to specify the size of the VOB files you create. To avoid a delay while the 983 loads the next VOB file from a HDD, you can create a single large VOB. The 983 will play it just fine.

Gary

Is there some limitation on the size of a single file in FAT32? Would it be smaller than the single VOB of a typical film?

Persil

07-30-08, 08:51 PM

What should have you perplexed is that the INFO button fixes the issue. The INFO button was never designed for this kind of functionality. It is precisely because this odd inconsistency of Auto AR controls that OPPO needs to spend some time sorting things out.

Besides, OPPO has already released two firmware updates which have made the Auto AR controls more accurate and robust. You will just need to give them time to implement an even better solution.

Yes, I agree, it is wonderful that the Info button has the desired side-effect that it does. I was simply making the point that one part of the firmware is already implementing a detection process that seems to work flawlessly, but happens to be attached to the Info button code. It seems reasonable to imagine that the code that is not succeeding 100% of the time could be modified using the "Info button" code as a base. It has to bode well for a final solution that the system already behaves the way it does.

GSB

07-30-08, 09:41 PM

Is there some limitation on the size of a single file in FAT32? Would it be smaller than the single VOB of a typical film? rdgrimes answers here:
A VOB file is as large as it needs to be. For DVD-Video, they are split at 1 GB size for various reasons, but there's no upper limit on how large they can be for direct file playback. Typical DVD movies are from 3GB to 7GB in size with extras and unneeded audio tracks removed. An average would be close to 5GB. The upper [file size] limit for FAT32 formatted drives is 4GB.

Gary

rdgrimes

07-30-08, 10:53 PM

Right. I believe the 10Mb/s cap is for the video and audio stream combined.
Not sure what you mean by this... Do you mean DVD-Video with higher than 11Mb/s average data rates? Does this violate the DVD-Video standard?

Gary

The data rate of a DVD at 1x speed is near to 11Mb, and is fixed by the rotational speed of the DVD. That's why the 10Mb standard exists. In order to play video with a higher bitrate from a DVD, the player must be able to spin the disc faster than 1x and buffer the video. That is not part of the DVD-Video standard. Some players will do it, many will not. Files on physical storage do not have that limitation be they VOB, MPG or otherwise. Files on a DVD may be similarly limited, again depends on the player.

ortegus

07-30-08, 11:40 PM

Current idea is to change all AR controls to the MTK when HDMI has been disconnected and Primary Output has been set to Component. There has been no solution, yet.

This is a logical idea but I can see how getting the MTK chipset to handle the AR controls would be tricky. Even if they had a software (menu) switch for this (instead of auto detect) that would be sweet.

Is AR part of the design of the MTK chipset itself or is it a matter of passing the chipset the correct AR information?

However they do it I am sure it will be an excellent solution. I have faith in Oppo.

Neuromancer

07-31-08, 01:10 AM

SeeMoreDigital

07-31-08, 04:34 AM

AR is a part of the MTK design. This is why the DV-970HD and DV-980H do not have the same issue. The problem with the DV-983H is that they want to have all AR controls to be handled by the far superior ABT solution. This has caused some detection errors over HDMI, and a complete lack of AR controls over analog.

So if they can just find a way of enabling AR for the MTK (for analog only) then at least one of the problems is solved.I have a Pioneer MPEG-4/DVD player, which is fitted with the same MediaTek MT1389xx chip-set. It can detect the correct level of aspect ratio signalling embedded within the MPEG-4 video stream and display the image accordingly.... So it can be done!

GSB

07-31-08, 05:23 AM

In order to play video with a higher bitrate from a DVD, the player must be able to spin the disc faster than 1x and buffer the video. That is not part of the DVD-Video standard. Some players will do it, many will not. OK, now I'm with you.

Gary

Neuromancer

07-31-08, 12:27 PM

I have a Pioneer MPEG-4/DVD player, which is fitted with the same MediaTek MT1389xx chip-set. It can detect the correct level of aspect ratio signalling embedded within the MPEG-4 video stream and display the image accordingly.... So it can be done!

And I noted this already. The DV-980H uses the same MTK solution found in the DV-983H. The issue becomes is appropriately enabling and disabling the MTK solution for AR controls. It is this appropriate implementation that is causing OPPO issues.

SeeMoreDigital

07-31-08, 03:04 PM

The issue becomes is appropriately enabling and disabling the MTK solution for AR controls.From what I understand about MTK's chip-set, the aspect ratio signalling detection firmware is coded in-conjunction with the players GUI options.

Neuromancer

07-31-08, 04:08 PM

You are missing the point. The player has been designed to use the ABT for all aspect ratio controls. For this reason, the analog outputs have no proper AR controls associated to them. If OPPO were to enable the MTK solution for AR controls all the time, you will lose resolution when using the pillarbox function.

At this time, there is no intelligent way to enable AR controls for Analog only setups, while honoring the ABT solution for digital only displays. So OPPO has weighted AR for digital (the primary output) only.

It is not a GUI issue. It is completely an issue on getting the DVD player working properly for both analog and digital outputs.

Aqxea

07-31-08, 04:37 PM

Neuromancer

07-31-08, 04:44 PM

Right now you can pretty much order from OPPO Digital direct, or some resellers like ProjectorPeople.com. Amazon.com does not carry the product.

Smarty-pants

07-31-08, 04:46 PM

The 983 can only be purchased direct from Oppo right now.
http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/

Amazon is one of the few select places that is authorized to sell Oppo's other products.

dcbii

08-01-08, 08:33 AM

I bought a Philips DVP5982 because it supports Divx and it has USB but after using it for the first time yesterday I wasn't very impressed with the divx playback via USB. I guess you get what you pay for? I was trying to watch some divx tv shows that I copied to a PNY 4GB flash drive and it was very choppy and the audio was way out of sync. It played just fine on my PC.

I also have a 5982 that I use for Divx/Xvid/mp4/etc. playback, and like you, I am not impressed with it. Even from a burned DVD, you can see some choppiness in the video, though not nearly as bad as over USB. The reason I still use it over the 983 is that the 983 still has the "blue tint" issue with many of those files -- i.e. the video looks kind of like the Matrix looks except blue instead of green. I understand that Oppo has found and fixed some of the causes of blue tint, but they are not all fixed yet. So, until the firmware is upgraded and these problems go away, I still keep the Philips for video file playback, while the Oppo 983 gets all the regular DVDs. I can also use my hacked AppleTV to play video files, so I'm not in any hurry. It would just be nice to have a player that "does it all."

Aqxea

08-01-08, 10:16 PM

The 983 can only be purchased direct from Oppo right now.
http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/

Amazon is one of the few select places that is authorized to sell Oppo's other products.

$400? Who would pay that much for a dvd player when they could buy a blue ray player AND a gaming system for the same amount?

westgate

08-01-08, 10:22 PM

$400? Who would pay that much for a dvd player when they could buy a blue ray player AND a gaming system for the same amount?

let me guess. not you.
:)

Smarty-pants

08-01-08, 10:30 PM

$400? Who would pay that much for a dvd player when they could buy a blue ray player AND a gaming system for the same amount?

The 983 is ONLY for those sophisticated enough to appreciate what it does :cool:.

pgwalsh

08-01-08, 10:50 PM

$400? Who would pay that much for a dvd player when they could buy a blue ray player AND a gaming system for the same amount?

I would and I have a blu-ray player and a gaming system. The whole point is to get the absolute best quality picture out of your existing SD DVD collection. Of course it helps if you have a substantial collection and don't want to replace them with Blu-ray, but would like to have the best possible picture on your HDTV.

antennahead

08-01-08, 10:50 PM

The 983 is ONLY for those sophisticated enough to appreciate what it does :cool:.

You mean make a well shot and well authored/transfered DVD look almost HD on a good 50" plasma at 10 feet? ;)

John

antennahead

08-01-08, 10:51 PM

I would and I have a blu-ray player and a gaming system. The whole point is to get the absolute best quality picture out of your existing SD DVD collection. Of course it helps if you have a substantial collection and don't want to replace them with Blu-ray, but would like to have the best possible picture on your HDTV.

+1

hodges69

08-01-08, 11:12 PM

why would some one pose a question like that in a thread dedicated to the 983??
I suspect the inquirer did not readthe entire thread..:rolleyes:

totallytweeked

08-01-08, 11:21 PM

+2
My Mits. has never looked better

Toonces T. Cat

08-01-08, 11:47 PM

why would some one pose a question like that in a thread dedicated to the 983??
I suspect the inquirer did not readthe entire thread..:rolleyes:

Never, ever, feed the trolls!

-Toonces...:p

antennahead

08-01-08, 11:53 PM

why would some one pose a question like that in a thread dedicated to the 983??
I suspect the inquirer did not readthe entire thread..:rolleyes:

Hey dude how's it going? Ready for that plasma? :)

John

antennahead

08-01-08, 11:55 PM

Never, ever, feed the trolls!

-Toonces...:p

Amen, they have to really get to me to start feeding them. It is the classic old country saying: "never wrestle with a pig, you'll both get dirty and the pig will enjoy it" :)

John

hodges69

08-02-08, 12:19 AM

Hey dude how's it going? Ready for that plasma? :)

John

John..

Does the Pope wear a funny little Red Hat??:)
Still no bites on the JVC61" I need to sell before I can take delivery on the 150!However,I can put it up for sale (consignment) in a Mom and Pop operation here in winston Salem..Owner is vacationing next week...If I can't sell it, on his return...it's Consignment City and a big,welcome hello to the elite!

antennahead

08-02-08, 12:31 AM

John..

Does the Pope wear a funny little Red Hat??:)
Still no bites on the JVC61" I need to sell before I can take delivery on the 150!However,I can put it up for sale (consignment) in a Mom and Pop operation here in winston Salem..Owner is vacationing next week...If I can't sell it, on his return...it's Consignment City and a big,welcome hello to the elite!

Your JVC, that is the HD-ila? or whatever? The 3 chip thingy that one uped the color wheel Samsung DLPs? If my memory serves me correctly, they had a great picture for their time and were much better than the DLPs (I had a Samsung DLP for two weeks before my first Pio Plasma, I saw rainbows BAD)
I would think you could move the JVC pretty easily.

John

gonk

08-11-08, 10:56 AM

The whole debate about the possibility of the 983H being discontinued soon sort of got wiped away with the database hiccup, but for anyone who was following it and didn't see yesterday's resolution - here's the recap:

One or two dealers made comments late last week indicating that the next production run of 983H's would be the last, and that after they were gone there would be no more. This was not something that anyone had heard about from OPPO Digital, and since Amazon.com had just added the 983H to their site it seemed a bit unlikely. Several folks asked for an official response from OPPO Digital. Since OPPO doesn't have direct representation on the forum, a couple of us sent e-mails to them notifying them of the debate. I sent my e-mail yesterday afternoon, and by the evening I had an answer.

OPPO Digital is not discontinuing the 983H. They have built a very large batch that they suspect may be sufficient for the remaining life of the product, but if sales are strong and they sell out before the 983H is ready for retirement they will build more of them. It appears that a couple dealers misunderstood and thought that they were stopping after this batch no matter what.

drbonbi

08-11-08, 11:02 AM

bobve3rens

08-11-08, 11:17 AM

raymate

08-11-08, 11:25 AM

Got this player a week or so ago, great PQ.

But I have a problem with audio, I'm using the coax digital output which works great.

Grabbed myself some SACD and DVDA discs to see how much better they are, connected the analogue cables to config the 5.1 output, all the channels are fine but I hear no bass.

Moved the audio trim level to max for the subwoofer channel, I can hear some bass from my sub but nothing like when hearing the same audio via digital connection.

What is it I'm doing wrong.

The cable is OK but the subwoofer channel is so low using the analogue.

Ray

GSB

08-11-08, 11:25 AM

Well Sam, your posts were wiped out, but I was working on a reply when the database went down. Here it is...So that means the colors on every DVD upscaled by the Oppo (assuming the were properly authored as Rec.601) are going to be wrong? Absolutely not!
...My old set has proper Rec.709 decoding on the 1080i component inputs, and Rec.609 on the 480p component inputs. You always know what you're getting, and where to send it for the desired results. The way I'm understanding it, going with any upscaling DVD player, my SD-DVDs are now all going to be "wrong" as detailed in the image chart above (lower left quadrant). :( No. All TV's must use the Rec.609 colorspace for SD resolutions (480i/480p), and switch to the Rec.709 colorspace for HD resolutions (720p and higher). The TV eventually converts that colorspace to RGB for the display panel.

The color-bar charts demonstrate that you have to MATCH the colorspace of the source device, to the colorspace of the TV. So, if a player outputs 480p, it must send 601 (no conversion from DVD required) and the result can be seen in the top left bars. If the player outputs 720p, it must send 709 (conversion from DVD 601 required), and the result can be seen in the top right bars (color decoding still correct). If the player fails to convert to 709, the resulting mismatch can be seen in the bottom left bars.

If the TV incorrectly uses 601 for HD resolutions, the resulting mismatch can be seen in the bottom right bars.

OPPO players do the conversion correctly.

Gary

Bronco70

08-11-08, 11:27 AM

Good news.

wmcclain

08-11-08, 11:31 AM

OPPO Digital is not discontinuing the 983H. They have built a very large batch that they suspect may be sufficient for the remaining life of the product, but if sales are strong and they sell out before the 983H is ready for retirement they will build more of them. It appears that a couple dealers misunderstood and thought that they were stopping after this batch no matter what.

I missed last night's discussion, so thanks for posting this. I recall a dealer claimed Oppo was losing money on the 983. Did they respond to that?

-Bill

Sam S

08-11-08, 11:41 AM

Gary,

Good save on my posts, and thanks for the response!

I understand your post, but I guess I am still confused about the subject. I understand that the Oppo sends out Rec.709 at the HD resolutions, and there won't be a problem with my display decoding that resolution using the Rec.709 standards.

The problem I have is with the DVD source material being mastered with a different color space than HD material. For example, Rec.601 yellow is obviously different than Rec.709 yellow. So, somehow, the Oppo must convert the DVD's yellow to Rec.709 yellow, which is a different color. The internal "conversion" of SD to HD colorspace is I think (thought?) lead to all those folks who suffered "green push" and other anomolies with upscaling players.

wmcclain

08-11-08, 11:46 AM

The internal "conversion" of SD to HD colorspace is I think (thought?) lead to all those folks who suffered "green push" and other anomolies with upscaling players.

No, the problem is when you don't convert color standards, or do so improperly. The proper conversion matrix is well-documented.

-Bill

Neuromancer

08-11-08, 12:38 PM

I missed last night's discussion, so thanks for posting this. I recall a dealer claimed Oppo was losing money on the 983. Did they respond to that?

They are not losing money on each unit built. Being in the black is a completely different topic, but in terms of actually making money off of each unit sold, OPPO does.

gonk

08-11-08, 12:38 PM

I missed last night's discussion, so thanks for posting this. I recall a dealer claimed Oppo was losing money on the 983. Did they respond to that?

-Bill
EDIT: Leave it to neuromancer to give a simple answer while I'm typing away...

I didn't even ask about that.

I remember from comments around March that there seemed to be a number of folks talking about OPPO getting advice "behind the scenes" to set the 983H's price at or above the $400 point, and some comments from neuromancer about ABT chip prices (particularly the deinterlacer) suggested that their manufacturing costs run a lot higher than for other OPPO players. Combine that with what the development costs had to be, and I wouldn't doubt that they may still not have recouped their initial cost - but I don't have any proof of that. Of course the best ways to fix such a condition (if it exists) would be to keep selling the player - discontinuing wouldn't have helped. Also, I've always thought that part of the point of the 983H was to make a statement, not to create a top-seller. Discontinuing their flagship would not do anything particularly positive for that statement... ;)

Sam S

08-11-08, 12:50 PM

No, the problem is when you don't convert color standards, or do so improperly. The proper conversion matrix is well-documented.

-Bill

Bill,

For example, if the color of "green" on a standard DVD program is supposed to look like the green in the upper left-hand chart in this image, then how will it ever look that on a 1080p TV? Even though the Oppo sends out Rec.709, and the display properly applies Rec.709 decoding, the resulting green is a different shade than the original Rec.601 image?

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z36/BeatCrazy/colormatrix.jpg

drbonbi

08-11-08, 01:03 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I also just spoke with Oppo and they confirmed what you related here. The person with whom I spoke also added that they would continue to issue firmware updates for the 983H as they're developed.

So much for the panic peddlers...:D

There's no point in rehashing this incident further except to say, as someone who taught organization management and was a CAO, CEO, etc., in organizations larger than OPPO Digital, this was not its finest hour.

Dana

sremick

08-11-08, 01:33 PM

OPPO Digital is not discontinuing the 983H. *sigh* Well color me a sucker. Ordered mine yesterday in a panic, heh.

Oh well. Good news is I got it for a incredible deal. I'll just try to suck it up, cross my fingers, and hope I got my money's worth.

wmcclain

08-11-08, 01:36 PM

Bill,

For example, if the color of "green" on a standard DVD program is supposed to look like the green in the upper left-hand chart in this image, then how will it ever look that on a 1080p TV? Even though the Oppo sends out Rec.709, and the display properly applies Rec.709 decoding, the resulting green is a different shade than the original Rec.601 image?

The two upper examples are the same, right? If a 601 standard color signal is recognized as such, and a 709 signal is recognized as such, then the pictures will be equivalent.

The bottom examples show what happens when you mistakenly think a 601 standard image is encoded as 709, and vice-versa.

The examples do not (explicitly) show a 601 standard picture that has been converted to 709 and interpreted correctly, although that may have happened between the upper left and upper right.

-Bill

Sam S

08-11-08, 01:52 PM

wmcclain

08-11-08, 01:58 PM

Bill, as I understand it, the top left and top right sets of color bars are different. This accounts for the wider color gamut of Rec.709.

So, even though the decoding is done properly, the (potential) error is occuring because you are converting one set of color standards to another within the Oppo. That's why I have been so adamant about keeping SD DVD at Rec.601 from DVD player output, all the way to display decoding. Once you start shifting it to Rec.709, you have altered the color points irreversably.

I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, but I don't think 709 does have a wider color gamut than 601. They are just slightly different standards within YCrCb.

With the Oppo, your choices are: stick with 480p or use RGB color space. Using RGB does mean a color space conversion in the player, but this would happen inside the display anyway.

I'm not aware of dvd players that allow you set the color standard within YCrCb. Everyone (who does it correctly) uses 601 for SD and 709 for HD.

-Bill

Sam S

08-11-08, 02:06 PM

wmcclain

08-11-08, 02:13 PM

Bill,

I did a search... I think my concerns are being discussed in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13713419

See post number 10.

The "twist" from 601 to 709 is what is concerning me.

I remember that thread and it seems to confirm what I've been saying. All the Oppo players perform 601->709 color standard conversion at upscaled resolutions, which is THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

This is not really an Oppo-specific concern, so I would suggest pursuing it in the Calibration forum.

-Bill

Sam S

08-11-08, 02:32 PM

Will do. If my research over there leads to a way to get a more accurate Oppo->display combination, I will post that info here.

Foxbat121

08-11-08, 02:34 PM

The "twist" from 601 to 709 is what is concerning me.

I remember one of the early upconversion DVD player, either Samsung or Sony, didn't do 601 to 709 twist, and the green comes out totally wrong. The problem is that majority of HDTVs does not allow you to select color space (601 or 709) in HD signal mode. If a player is sending 601 encoded DVD picture directly to TV which decodes them using 709, the colors will be different than expected and very noticeable on green channel. If your TV has that option, that's another story but I haven't encounter any such TV. Most TVs I own let you pick color space only on 480p mode.

EDIT: found this in archive http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=465186. Check out the post #1.

Sam S

08-11-08, 02:55 PM

I remember one of the early upconversion DVD player, either Samsung or Sony, didn't do 601 to 709 twist, and the green comes out totally wrong. The problem is that majority of HDTVs does not allow you to select color space (601 or 709) in HD signal mode. If a player is sending 601 encoded DVD picture directly to TV which decodes them using 709, the colors will be different than expected and very noticeable on green channel. If your TV has that option, that's another story but I haven't encounter any such TV. Most TVs I own let you pick color space only on 480p mode.

EDIT: found this in archive http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=465186. Check out the post #1.

Right. The improper decoding of Rec.601 to Rec.709 is not a problem with the 983H, my concern is the "twist" that occurs to change 601->709 inside the 983H. Even though the 983H does this part "right", the actual process of doing the color twist leads to an inaccurate picture, from how I understand it. I recommend following this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13713419), where I have posted this same concern.

Foxbat121

08-11-08, 03:12 PM

Right. The improper decoding of Rec.601 to Rec.709 is not a problem with the 983H, my concern is the "twist" that occurs to change 601->709 inside the 983H. Even though the 983H does this part "right", the actual process of doing the color twist leads to an inaccurate picture, from how I understand it. I recommend following this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13713419), where I have posted this same concern.

I still don't understand what's your concern is. A DVD upconverter is supposed to covert 601 encoded video into 709 encoded video for YCbCr output. Yes, there maybe some slight inaccuracies during the conversion. But it is defintely better than your TV decode a 601 input using 709 matix. The former is an accuracy issue. The later is totally wrong. I'd take the slight accuracy issue than wrong color any day. If by any chance you have a TV that allows you to pick color space for HD signals, that's another story.

GSB

08-11-08, 03:44 PM

Bill, as I understand it, the top left and top right sets of color bars are different. This accounts for the wider color gamut of Rec.709.

So, even though the decoding is done properly, the (potential) error is occuring because you are converting one set of color standards to another within the Oppo. That's why I have been so adamant about keeping SD DVD at Rec.601 from DVD player output, all the way to display decoding. Once you start shifting it to Rec.709, you have altered the color points irreversably.
...my concern is the "twist" that occurs to change 601->709 inside the 983H. Even though the 983H does this part "right", the actual process of doing the color twist leads to an inaccurate picture, from how I understand it. I recommend following this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13713419), where I have posted this same concern. No, that's not true. The source video data was likely RGB to begin with (CCD camera, or film scanner) and it does not matter how many YCbCr conversions are done in between, as long as they are done correctly, and output colorspaces match input colorspaces. Once the display converts the data back to RGB, it will look identical to the source RGB (on a properly calibrated display). So the top left and top right sets of color bars will look identical.

Gary

CHG

08-11-08, 03:57 PM

*sigh* Well color me a sucker. Ordered mine yesterday in a panic, heh.

Oh well. Good news is I got it for a incredible deal. I'll just try to suck it up, cross my fingers, and hope I got my money's worth.

I did the same thing. Was looking for a new player that could play PAL DVD's, anyway. Hope it lives up to all the hype.

Sam S

08-11-08, 04:07 PM

I still don't understand what's your concern is. A DVD upconverter is supposed to covert 601 encoded video into 709 encoded video for YCbCr output. Yes, there maybe some slight inaccuracies during the conversion. But it is defintely better than your TV decode a 601 input using 709 matix. The former is an accuracy issue. The later is totally wrong. I'd take the slight accuracy issue than wrong color any day. If by any chance you have a TV that allows you to pick color space for HD signals, that's another story.

My concern is that a DVD mastered in Rec.601 will not look accurate when it is upscaled by the 983H. The Rec.601 and Rec.709 color primaries are different:

Y = (+.2990R +.5870G +.1140B) ----> Rec.601
Y = (+.2126R +.7152G +.0722B) ----> Rec.709

I'm not saying that the problem is using one set of parameter to decode the other, rather, converting 601->709 within the 983H "moves" the primary color points from what the original intent was.

No, that's not true. The source video data was likely RGB to begin with (CCD camera, or film scanner) and it does not matter how many YCbCr conversions are done in between, as long as they are done correctly, and output colorspaces match input colorspaces. Once the display converts the data back to RGB, it will look identical to the source RGB (on a properly calibrated display). So the top left and top right sets of color bars will look identical.

Gary

I understand it starts as RGB, but if you master a SD-DVD in Rec.601, you're never going to get it back to the Rec.601 color primaries if you upscale it (unless you send it out RGB??).

You may have answered my question..... basically, as long as your display converts the Rec.709 output to RGB, then it gets back to the original color primaries?

John Hodson

08-11-08, 04:08 PM

I did the same thing. Was looking for a new player that could play PAL DVD's, anyway. Hope it lives up to all the hype.

Well, at least some good came out of it; trust me - you guys will be astounded...

Had my first instance of the AR bug in reverse tonight. The other instances have involved 4:3 PAL discs being displayed in widescreen, but this was the R1 anamorphic widescreen disc of Hitch's 'Family Plot' which came up in 4:3 - hitting the info button sorted it, as usual.

Sam S

08-11-08, 04:21 PM

OK, I feel dumb. I think I got it now. The RGB color primaries of both Rec.601 and Rec.709 both add up to 1.00. As long as the Oppo is properly adding/subtracting the correct values to each Rec.601 primary to make it Rec.709, the display knows how to convert 709 back to RGB.

Y = (+.2990R +.5870G +.1140B) ----> SD/Rec.601
Y = (+.2126R +.7152G +.0722B) ----> HD/Rec.709
--------------------------------------
0 = (+.0864R -.1282G +.0418B) ---> difference between systems

So, in my color bar matrix a few posts above, both top left and right sets of color bars should be identical.

GSB

08-11-08, 05:02 PM

OK, I feel dumb. I think I got it now. The RGB color primaries of both Rec.601 and Rec.709 both add up to 1.00. As long as the Oppo is properly adding/subtracting the correct values to each Rec.601 primary to make it Rec.709, the display knows how to convert 709 back to RGB.

So, in my color bar matrix a few posts above, both top left and right sets of color bars should be identical. That's correct.

For the benefit of others, Rec.709 has different priimaries to Rec.601, but the whole idea of "twisting" colorspace, is to keep the color of interest in the source, at the SAME position on the CIE cromaticity diagram when being viewed on a display with different primaries.

To use a simple illustration: If one bottle is 100% full, a larger bottle might be 80% full to represent the same volume of fluid. A "twist" matrix would be required to calculate how full the larger bottle needs to be, to represent any given volume in the small bottle.

So, SD-DVDs that are authored at Rec.601 will be "twisted" correctly to Rec.709 for HD resolutions. Then NO color shift occurs when displaying the final result on a properly calibrated display.

Gary

FoSheezy

08-11-08, 05:39 PM

This is for anyone with experience with both the 983 and a HTPC:

Can a high end video card preform as well or better than the 983 as far as scaling and deinterlacing goes?

I was looking at building a HTPC and selling my 983. What would be a good card that is comparable/better than the 983?

SeeMoreDigital

08-11-08, 05:52 PM

I'm yet to find any graphics card that can output interlaced video correctly. Not to mention many video decoder filters!

zrdb

08-11-08, 06:18 PM

$400? Who would pay that much for a dvd player when they could buy a blue ray player AND a gaming system for the same amount?
THEN DON'T BUY ONE!! No one's holding a gun to your head saying you have to.

yarrumc

08-11-08, 07:03 PM

My concern is that a DVD mastered in Rec.601 will not look accurate when it is upscaled by the 983H. The Rec.601 and Rec.709 color primaries are different:

Y = (+.2990R +.5870G +.1140B) ----> Rec.601
Y = (+.2126R +.7152G +.0722B) ----> Rec.709

I'm not saying that the problem is using one set of parameter to decode the other, rather, converting 601->709 within the 983H "moves" the primary color points from what the original intent was.

I understand it starts as RGB, but if you master a SD-DVD in Rec.601, you're never going to get it back to the Rec.601 color primaries if you upscale it (unless you send it out RGB??).

You may have answered my question..... basically, as long as your display converts the Rec.709 output to RGB, then it gets back to the original color primaries?

This is all above my head, but I can tell you my TV has been calibrated along side this player and my calibrator never stated that there was an issue and I know he manually set the color space on the player to YCbCr 4:4:4 (I believe). I think he only did this on the outside chance that Auto didn't work properly.

shodulik

08-11-08, 11:19 PM

$400? Who would pay that much for a dvd player when they could buy a blue ray player AND a gaming system for the same amount?

what a stupid question...none of the movies i watch are available on blue-ray and the last video game system i owned was a coleco vision, you're a complete idiot

CHG

08-12-08, 02:15 AM

$400? Who would pay that much for a dvd player when they could buy a blue ray player AND a gaming system for the same amount?

From what I have seen and heard, none of them will play standard DVD's as well as the Oppo. With over 1,000 DVD's, standard DVD performance is pretty important. Hope the Oppo does as well as my Pio 59. Also, because I already have a PS3, Panny BD30, as well as, a Pio 51 on order.

hodges69

08-12-08, 11:02 AM

ewelty

08-12-08, 11:27 AM

Anxiously awaiting to see how the OPPO performs in conjunction with the
Pioneer elite Pro 150FD....Getting it delivered later this evening...I am quite sure it will be jaw dropping....If anyone is interested in the results,I will be happy to pass along my observations.....but strictly from an amateurs point of view......and a pair of senior citizens eyes and ears!;)

I've mated a 983 with a Kuro 6020 with jaw dropping results. Just make sure that the 983 is scaling to 1080p and the Pioneer is in "dot-by-dot" mode so you bypass the Kuro processing. Throw in something like The Incredibles or Star Wars Episode III and even those senior eyes will be amazed.

CHG

08-12-08, 12:09 PM

Sam S

08-12-08, 01:16 PM

I have an Oppo 983H on the way, will be connected to Pioneer Elite Pro-151HD (also en route).

pgwalsh

08-12-08, 01:22 PM

what a stupid question...none of the movies i watch are available on blue-ray and the last video game system i owned was a coleco vision, you're a complete idiot
Not a stupid question at all. It's a great question and one that can easily be answered by the enthusiasts on this board. People really need to see it to understand. :D

miata

08-12-08, 01:43 PM

Not a stupid question at all. It's a great question and one that can easily be answered by the enthusiasts on this board. People really need to see it to understand. :D
The original question was related to spending $400 on a DVD player when you can get a PS3 that plays Blu-ray for the same price. Well, first the 983 produces an phenomenal image with DVD. So, the $400 instantly improves your viewing experience without needing to purchase a whole new collection to benefit. Sure the PS3 is not a bad DVD player, but it does not touch the 983. On top of image quality the OPPO is region free, does some nice stretching of non-anamorphic titles and plays SACD/DVD-A. There are a lot of people that appreciate that over the game playing capabilities of the PS3. There are also a lot of people like me who will get the 983 for DVD and the PS3 for Blu-ray.

Mantas

08-12-08, 02:04 PM

Yes, please keep us updated. Very interested in how the Oppo does with the Pioneers.

Also someone could give us some opinion on Oppo 983H working with Samsungs Series 6 LCD (LN46A650 or similar). My Oppo is also on its way.

By the way, could someone here (Bill, Gary, Neuro maybe) do a resume on the issues are still left to be solved by Oppo. I read some about subtitles and other about the wrong display that menu button usually fixes. But a proper list done by you experts may be usefull, for us and for the Oppo Techies.

Mantas.
(Remember me? Pal N/M/B topic a couple of months ago?. I will see for myself when machine finally arrived)

Sam S

08-12-08, 02:15 PM

There are also a lot of people like me who will get the 983 for DVD and the PS3 for Blu-ray.

I have a PS3 for Blu-ray, and ordered the Oppo 983H. The SACD/DVD-A audio playback was important for me as well, in addition to the improved video performance over the PS3.

Neuromancer

08-12-08, 02:16 PM

By the way, could someone here (Bill, Gary, Neuro maybe) do a resume on the issues are still left to be solved by Oppo. I read some about subtitles and other about the wrong display that menu button usually fixes.
Proper Automatic Aspect Ratio support still needs to be addressed. Some discs are not properly negotiated with the ABT VRS solution, so they appear as 4:3 letterbox when they are in fact Anamorphic Widescreen, or vice versa. Pressing the Info button resolves this issue.

Proper Aspect Ratio for the analog outputs. Currents AR controls are handled by the ABT VRS solution. Thereby, the analog outputs do not adhere to the aspect ratio of the disc. There is no solution for this issue.

Subtitle Corruption. This occurs at least once during a movie when watching subtitles, and generally occurs with Yellow subtitles. White subtitles seem less susceptible, but it still occurs.

John Hodson

08-12-08, 02:26 PM

Also someone could give us some opinion on Oppo 983H working with Samsungs Series 6 LCD (LN46A650 or similar). My Oppo is also on its way.

My Oppo is hooked into a 52" Samsung Series 6 (the A656, the European equivalent to the A650), and it is absolutely fantastic. You are going to love it.

Toonces T. Cat

08-12-08, 03:31 PM

I have a PS3 for Blu-ray, and ordered the Oppo 983H. The SACD/DVD-A audio playback was important for me as well, in addition to the improved video performance over the PS3.

I also have a PS3 along with the 983. I recently did a pretty thorough comparison of Batman Begins and Starship Troopers in both SD DVD and in Blu-Ray.

To make a long story short, the BD discs clearly make the superior image in specific scenes. Most notably in Batman Begins at the beginning of the film during the mountain sequences. The added detail was really apparent to me. The same is true for the space battles involving the Roger Young in Starship Troopers. The level of detail on the ships is vastly greater in BD. Having said that, however, I have to add that my wife, who is also a serious film buff, could barely tell the difference until I pointed it out to her.

On the other hand, comparing the SD DVD performance of the PS3 vs. the 983 is absolutely no contest. The 983 set at 1080p just simply blows the PS3 image away! Even my wife was stunned at the difference. If you have a large SD DVD collection, then the 983 is a must-have player...:D

-Toonces

bobve3rens

08-12-08, 03:45 PM

Also someone could give us some opinion on Oppo 983H working with Samsungs Series 6 LCD (LN46A650 or similar). My Oppo is also on its way.

By the way, could someone here (Bill, Gary, Neuro maybe) do a resume on the issues are still left to be solved by Oppo. I read some about subtitles and other about the wrong display that menu button usually fixes. But a proper list done by you experts may be useful, for us and for the Oppo Techies.

Mantas.
(Remember me? Pal N/M/B topic a couple of months ago?. I will see for myself when machine finally arrived)

I have a Samsung LN-T4671. Combined with the 983H it's absolutely amazing! My brother-in-law who has an older 50" Panny plasma (forgot which model) and a PS3 "congratulated" me for getting Blu-ray when he was over a few weeks ago -- we were watching Silverado & Starship Troopers, great demos for showing off virtually any system. I had to show him the actual DVD before he believed we were watching non-BD material. Go figure...

As for subtitles, I watch tons of foreign flicks and have yet to run into any of the problems with the 983 described here. A few examples have been "1900 (Novecento", "All About My Mother", "The Best of Youth" -- you get the drift. Flawless with no menu tweaks.

Enjoy your Oppo and report back with your own feedback.

sremick

08-12-08, 03:49 PM

Geez guys, stop it!

Beforehand, I would have appreciated the info to help me make a purchasing decision.

Now you're just making the wait until my 983 arrives more-agonizing! :D

PS: Is there no market for my Panasonic RP-82? I would've thought they'd have SOME resale value, but one was listed on eBay recently (not by me) starting at $50 and didn't get any bids. :( So now I don't know what to do with mine.

Sam S

08-12-08, 03:53 PM

RP-82 was one of the best 480p players ever. Do you have a bedroom TV or someplace else to put it?

hodges69

08-12-08, 03:56 PM

Having a set of "senior ears".and about a 30% hearing loss in one ear..I rely on subtitles to enjoy my movie watching experience to the fullest....Those little straight,thin lines that crop up from time to time,do not,in any way,detract
from my getting the ultimate experience...They are very intermittent and sometimes do not pop up at all....
In short,I would rather deal with this very minor nuance than owning ANY other upscaling player that is currently on the market......At any price...
This player is simply amazing .."wart(which,IMO,are trivial) and all!

sremick

08-12-08, 04:04 PM

RP-82 was one of the best 480p players ever. Do you have a bedroom TV or someplace else to put it?Nope. I live by myself. One fully decked-out movie-watching room is plenty. :D

I worry that eBay might not be the best place to try and offload it. Would your average eBayer even realize what they're getting?

Would love to get a few bucks for it to offload the sting of the 983. :eek: Breaks my heart to have it gathering dust. I even upgraded the firmware.

drbonbi

08-12-08, 04:27 PM

Just to add to the chorus of applause for the 983, I just watched a recent release on Region 1 DVD of The Cruel Sea, a British B&W 4:3 1953 film about the "Battle of the Atlantic" in WW II. Gripping in its realism. (I have read that it is still shown at Dartmouth College maybe on video tape - where it gets initial hoots and howls from the students as archaic - until the story grabs them and the room goes silent.)

Anyway, you know where I'm going. The film used for the DVD apparently was in excellent shape as the transfer seems flawless. And the 983 brings this gem to life superbly.

I hope Dartmouth gets a 983. ;)

Dana

drbonbi

08-12-08, 04:38 PM

Nope. I live by myself. One fully decked-out movie-watching room is plenty. :D

I worry that eBay might not be the best place to try and offload it. Would your average eBayer even realize what they're getting?

Would love to get a few bucks for it to offload the sting of the 983. :eek: Breaks my heart to have it gathering dust. I even upgraded the firmware.

Maybe a nursing home or senior center could use it. It would get appreciated - and you might be able to take a tax deduction equal to its real worth. (I hasten to add - consult your tax adviser.)

Dana

rdgrimes

08-12-08, 05:01 PM

Nope. I live by myself. One fully decked-out movie-watching room is plenty. :D

I worry that eBay might not be the best place to try and offload it. Would your average eBayer even realize what they're getting?

Would love to get a few bucks for it to offload the sting of the 983. :eek: Breaks my heart to have it gathering dust. I even upgraded the firmware.

There's a lot of very savvy and experienced people lurking on eBay looking for vintage and high-end equipment. Question is whether there's much of a market for used players at all. But you can list it with a reserve price and take it off if it doesn't sell. Points for presenting it with original box/packing, manuals, etc. SELL it!

geared4me

08-12-08, 08:41 PM

Is there no market for my Panasonic RP-82? I would've thought they'd have SOME resale value, but one was listed on eBay recently (not by me) starting at $50 and didn't get any bids. :( So now I don't know what to do with mine.

You could try videogon or audiogon.

townofturley

08-12-08, 08:46 PM

I have an Oppo 983H on the way, will be connected to Pioneer Elite Pro-151HD (also en route).

congrats

townofturley

08-12-08, 08:48 PM

Anxiously awaiting to see how the OPPO performs in conjunction with the
Pioneer elite Pro 150FD..

the oppo looks great on my 150. Clearly not HD looking (and not "near HD"), but the best SD upconversion I've seen.

Blackrose666

08-12-08, 10:02 PM

Well I've had my 983 for 5 days now and I am very happy, I don't have my Plasma yet so can't take advantage of the superior image, but that will be soon hopefully.

Audio quality is great for DVD-Audio and SACD, definite improvement over my Yamaha DVD-S1500, functionality is also excellent and much better than the Yamaha, I like you can turn Pro-Logic on or off in the menu on the Yamaha it was linked to the analogue outs if you had it set to 5.1, pro-logic was auto engaged for all stereo sources the speaker settings are also much better the Yamaha was quirky in that regard.

Layer change is flawless I have yet to notice it on any DVD, and some of the one's I have tried were quite bad on the Yamaha (1/2 sec to change).

Also the drive is so quiet some DVD's that were rather noisy on the Yamaha are dead quiet on the OPPO I had to turn the volume off and put my ear next to the player to be able to hear it working.

I have only tried the USB functionality a little bit but it has worked very good so far with an 8gb USB drive, I like how it can read .vob's from USB a very handy feature for me as I do some authoring of concert DVD's

One thing I was wondering as it has a fixed crossover point for bass management, what is the crossover point applied by the 983 when speakers are set to small?
I know I have read it previously somewhere in this thread and have searched though pages but can not find it.
Also would it be possible for OPPO to add a adjustable crossover to bass management in a future firmware upgrade?

Blackrose666

08-12-08, 10:08 PM

Proper Aspect Ratio for the analogue outputs. Currents AR controls are handled by the ABT VRS solution. Thereby, the analogue outputs do not adhere to the aspect ratio of the disc. There is no solution for this issue.

Yes I have this problem using S-video for the output to a 4:3 TV where Anamorphic Widescreen DVD's would display in incorrect AR, a DVD with 16:9 AR would display as full screen 4:3 and DVD's with 2.35:1 AR would display in approx 16:9 AR on the 4:3 TV with the output on the 983 set to "4:3 Letterbox" however I have found a work around that seems to work for about 75% of the DVD's I have tried.

When playing a DVD I went into the "General setup page" selected the "TV Display" and changed it from "4:3 Letterbox" to "4:3 Pan/Scan" and the image changed to it's correct 16:9 AR, even though the "TV setting" was now set to "4:3 Pan/Scan", I then skipped forward a chapter and it went back to fullscreen image, so I went back into the menu and changed the setting back from "4:3 Pan/Scan" to "4:3 Letterbox" and it was back to it's correct 16:9 AR. I also stopped and resumed playback and the same happened the image reverted back to fullscreen, I reset it back to it's correct 16:9 AR by changing the "TV setting" back to "4:3 Pan/Scan". I then paused playback and resumed from pause and it retained the correct AR ratio when using the pause function.
So it does not seem to matter if you have it set to "4:3 Letterbox" or "4:3 Pan/Scan" but you need to switch from one to the other to get the correct AR.

The workaround also works for DVD's with a 2.35:1 that incorrectly display in 16:9 AR to enable them to be displayed in the correct 2.35:1 AR.

However as noted it only seems to work with about 75% of the DVD's that I have tried.

Bronco70

08-12-08, 10:16 PM

I also have a PS3 and the 983. Agree with Toonces. The 983 stomps the PS3 in upconverting SD DVD. I have a 971 also and the contest there was fairly close. Spent hours back when comparing the two. Pretty much a toss-up.

Did not even bother comparing the PS3 with he 983. The difference is too obvious to waste the time.

With a collection of at least 800 DVD's I am enjoying titles, and seeing details that I had not seen before. No longer bothered by a lack of BD titles worth putting in the Netflix queue.

With a 133" screen and the 983 SD DVD will live on.

Joe

jephdood

08-12-08, 10:42 PM

Neuromancer

08-12-08, 10:44 PM

The workaround also works for DVD's with a 2.35:1 that incorrectly display in 16:9 AR to enable them to be displayed in the correct 2.35:1 AR.

However as noted it only seems to work with about 75% of the DVD's that I have tried.

The AR will also revert to the incorrect setting when you skip chapters/titles or otherwise interrupt playback. There is no 100% workaround. This is why I said there is no fix, as at least with the HDMI error you simply have to press a button twice and you are golden for the rest of the play session.

Smarty-pants

08-12-08, 11:16 PM

Hmm.. if the 983 vs. 971 was a 'toss up', it doesn't really convince me that a 980 to 983 upgrade is really worth it...

Do others feel that the 983 in comparison to their previous players is that close?

Depends on your display, resolution, setting, screen size, ect... ect... ect...
Fact of the matter is that the 983 is the best sd dvd player on the market. It will beat out any other player with $1000 of it's price point. A lot of the different criteria I mentioned above will determine how much better picture quality you will see.

Toonces T. Cat

08-12-08, 11:21 PM

Hmm.. if the 983 vs. 971 was a 'toss up', it doesn't really convince me that a 980 to 983 upgrade is really worth it...

Do others feel that the 983 in comparison to their previous players is that close?

That's not what he said...He was comparing the 971 to the PS3 as a toss-up. The 983 vs. the 971 is not a toss-up. For me the difference was very noticeable.

-Toonces

jephdood

08-12-08, 11:22 PM

jephdood

08-12-08, 11:30 PM

That's not what he said...He was comparing the 971 to the PS3 as a toss-up.

Ah, gotcha. Misinterpretation then. My bad. That's good news for me then, pondering the 983 as an upgrade to the 980.

Thanks for clarifying.

Blackrose666

08-12-08, 11:51 PM

The AR will also revert to the incorrect setting when you skip chapters/titles or otherwise interrupt playback. There is no 100% workaround. This is why I said there is no fix, as at least with the HDMI error you simply have to press a button twice and you are golden for the rest of the play session.

Yes as noted in my post all functions except the "pause" button cause it to revert back to the incorrect AR.

Unfortunately this is my only option until I get my new Plasma.:(

hodges69

08-13-08, 12:00 AM

Okay...I will probably get slammed or this.....But after hooking up my 983 to my newly acquired Elite 150fd..... and viewing the results there from.... My wife and I vowed to purchase select Hi def discs only....and be truly selective in that ...and take it from me...she is not nearly as affected by the PQ virus as I..
The upscaling is fantastic....It's a match made in"picture-quality Slut"heaven!
I will save my comments as far as HD PQ and SD PQ for another forum..But you might venture a guess as to what that might be:)
Sufficeth to say that the deal I got on this TV as a floor sample,coupled with the OPPO,is the best electronic marriage money I've ever spent!!

antennahead

08-13-08, 12:08 AM

Smarty-pants

08-13-08, 12:48 AM

Cool..

Panny AE900U (LCD) @ 720p onto a 92" Carada 'classic white' screen. Viewing distance approx. 12 ft, completely dark room.

Have a 980H now, and it does OK.

Since I have ~450-disc SD collection I'll 'upgrade' if it's worth it..

Do it! I have 720p lcd pj as well, and the 983 looks great. The only thing that would be better, is if your display was 1080p, but it still looks mighty good. The only thing that comes close is something with a Reon processor (which I have 2 players that have it), and the 983 still looks quite a bit better when blown up on the big screen.

jiwright

08-13-08, 01:34 AM

I must say that I humbly disagree that the difference between the 981 and 983 is a toss up. I have a 46PZ800U and while I loved the PQ of the 981 have moved that to my LCD in the bedroom. The 983 is a world apart. I have a collection of more than 500 SD DVDs and the 983 provides color accuracy, overall detail as well as shadow detail, so far beyond the 981 that I truly put it in the '"reference" category. I also have a BD player and I enjoy watching MY SD DVDs just as much on the 983. While I love the 981 and think it is great the 983 is a work of art. For anyone who has a large collection of SD DVDs this is the player period. An added bonus, the soundstage is as awesome as the PQ. Is it worth the money? Look at your collection and you are the judge. I am thrilled I made the decision to purchase one.

Vagabond

08-13-08, 06:27 AM

So it does not seem to matter if you have it set to "4:3 Letterbox" or "4:3 Pan/Scan" but you need to switch from one to the other to get the correct AR.

Hi

I have a similiar setup for casual viewing and came across this bug fairly instantly when I got it end of May.

Unfortunately the workaround only seem to work for some DVD's (as you noted), Oppo says that as soon there's a chapter break or similiar it'll revert to the default AR (16:9 Wide), and you'll have to repeat the process. I reported this to Oppo early June and this is part of the reply I got on the 4th of June:

"There is currently a known bug which is causing the aspect ratio of the analog outputs to be flagged incorrectly, as the current implementation of aspect ratio controls is handled by the ABT solution, which is completely bypassed when using the analog outputs. We hope to fix this in a future firmware release. Currently you can change the aspect ratio to one of the 4:3 modes, but once there is a title or chapter change, or you manually disrupt the playback of the film, the aspect ratio will be reset to the Default "16:9 Wide"."

"The player will default back to 16:9 Wide internally. The Setup of the Menu of the DVD player will still show the selected 4:3 modes, as these modes are still active for the ABT solution. So whenever the aspect ratio changes for a 4:3 analog content, you will have to manually change the TV Type in General Setup to one of the 4:3 modes again. There is no other solution at this time."

I haven't gotten it to work with DivX yet (so using the PS3 for that instead), so it's still very much a hit and miss thing. As Neuromancer commented, at least for HDMI you have the Info button work around that gets you through the play session.

I'm not sure they'll ever be able to fix this, although I hope so.

Cheers

Toonces T. Cat

08-13-08, 08:34 AM

Okay...I will probably get slammed or this.....But after hooking up my 983 to my newly acquired Elite 150fd..... and viewing the results there from.... My wife and I vowed to purchase select Hi def discs only....and be truly selective in that ...

I don't know why anyone would slam you for saying that as many of us are in the same place. Between now and the end of the year I have 22 announced titles on my "to buy" list...Only five of them will be BD discs. Of the 22 films, another five are not being offered in BD and the rest do not justify the price differential incurred for moving them up from the SD to BD format. At a price difference of between $10 to $15 per title, the 983 will have recovered a substantial portion of it's cost by the time 2009 rolls in...;)

-Toonces

John Hodson

08-13-08, 09:27 AM

...and besides, it wil be a loooong wait for Fox to offer the 'Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection' on BD.

wmcclain

08-13-08, 09:34 AM

Do others feel that the 983 in comparison to their previous players is that close?

To me, the differences between better-quality players is most evident when doing A/B comparisons. When watching actual movies the differences fade away.

The 983 is certainly better; whether it is worth $399 of your A/V budget is something you have to decide for yourself. Oppo has a 30-day return period.

-Bill

Blackrose666

08-14-08, 08:52 AM

Hi

I have a similiar setup for casual viewing and came across this bug fairly instantly when I got it end of May.

Unfortunately the workaround only seem to work for some DVD's (as you noted), Oppo says that as soon there's a chapter break or similiar it'll revert to the default AR (16:9 Wide), and you'll have to repeat the process. I reported this to Oppo early June and this is part of the reply I got on the 4th of June:

Yeah pity it does not work with all discs, but when it does work it seems to hold the correct AR for the length of the feature as long you don't break play back and use the pause button only.

I haven't gotten it to work with DivX yet (so using the PS3 for that instead), so it's still very much a hit and miss thing.

Cheers
I've just been playing around with a DIVX test CD http://divxtest.surdvd.com/sommaire.php3?lang=en and hit the "zoom" button while playing a .divx file from the "I_CONTAINERS" folder and it set the zoom to "scale 1:1" and displayed the video in the correct 16:9 AR, this worked for all .avi .divx .mp4 and .wmv files that the 983 was able to play from the test disc from the "I_CONTAINERS" folder, it did not seem to work as well with the files in the "H_VIDEO_CODECS" folder.

GSB

08-14-08, 02:20 PM

I've just been playing around with a DIVX test CD http://divxtest.surdvd.com/sommaire.php3?lang=en and hit the "zoom" button while playing a .divx file from the "I_CONTAINERS" folder and it set the zoom to "scale 1:1" and displayed the video in the correct 16:9 AR, this worked for all .avi .divx .mp4 and .wmv files that the 983 was able to play from the test disc from the "I_CONTAINERS" folder, it did not seem to work as well with the files in the "H_VIDEO_CODECS" folder. Yes, I found that by playing with the "Zoom" button and the "TV Display" Menu setting, I could fix any aspect ratio problem in my DIVX collection. That's what those settings are for.

Gary

sremick

08-14-08, 02:22 PM

wmcclain

08-14-08, 02:47 PM

If anyone has recommendations for good movies/scenes to use for comparing DVD player quality, my list is here (http://www.dvdspot.com/frontpage.php?member=sremick).

I'd try the superbit AIRFORCE ONE and FIFTH ELEMENT. Or MASK OF ZORRO.

I've lost track of the LEON editions. Mine says "superbit" in small print on the back cover but I see nothing on the disc itself. There is so much edge enhancement the picture "glitters".

RUN LOLA RUN is a good test of different film cadences.

The original SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE had a monster layer change on my pre-Oppo players. I don't know if the collectors edition is the same.

-Bill

Smarty-pants

08-14-08, 02:52 PM

Yay, my 983 arrived today. Can't wait to get home tonight and compare to my Panasonic RP-82.

If anyone has recommendations for good movies/scenes to use for comparing DVD player quality, my list is here (http://www.dvdspot.com/frontpage.php?member=sremick).

A few from that list that are my favs and should look pretty darn good too are...

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (it may not be "reference" quality, but for a movie this old, it's amazing how good it does look)

Back To The Future (another classic that looks really good for it's age)

Cast Away (one of my fav movies of all time :))

The Fifth Element: Superbit (this disc is reference quality for SD, some scenes will look almost HD)

The Green Mile (WB did a nice transfer with this one too)

Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: EE (unbeliveable PQ!, I can wait for this on HD because the PQ is too dawn good. I started to "test" one of these at 1am one night with the intentions of a 10-15 view. Needless to say, I didn't get to bed till 4am :))

Pirates Of The Caribbean: AWE (very nice PQ)

Spider-man: Superbit (fantastic PQ)