Ensure that after updating the firmware that you have turned Off the DVD player then turned it back On. This will complete the firmware processes and reset your player to full Defaults (480p/60Hz as your output resolution).

Just installing the firmware does not complete the firmware process. You need to turn it Off then back on. After turning it back on. change your output resolution to ensure it is not related to an incorrect HDMI resolution or a hot swap.

I tried the new beta firmware. It seemed to load correctly, so after the upgrade was complete I reset the region to 0, and made sure the HDMI was set to 1080P60. After this I turned off the player. Later, I turned on the player to watch a movie, but I had no picture over HDMI. I tried checking the cables, and turning the player off, and on again, but no luck. I had to re-install 07-0619 to get things working correctly. I sent an email to customer support to let them know about the issue.

In case anyone has a different experience with this firmware, I have one of two-chip models, not the newer single chip model.

Unfortunately, I have the same problem. I installed the latest beta successfully using a USB thumb drive. It seemed to work alright. I started to play a previously problematic PAL Region 2 4:3 DVD and it recognized the aspect ratio correctly. But, after turning the 983 off for several hours and actually disconnecting it from power for a while, I just turned the player back on and had a helluva time getting the splash screen to show. No video at all when connected at 1080p to my 1080p LCD display. Display at other resolutions is hit or miss. The HDMI cable connection is solid at the player. I'll check other connections to be sure they are not loose.

Dana

I just checked HDMI connections. They are tight. Changing resolutions by the button on the player and by the remote now gives me all four resolutions. Not sure what has changed. Maybe the player has warmed up?:confused:

The wonderful world of electronics. :rolleyes:

Dana

Turn on the display then access the HDMI input the DVD player is assigned to. Turn on the DVD player.

Wait about 15 seconds. If you still see no picture, press the HDMI button once. Do you see an image?

Version: DV983H-11-0910 (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/dv983h-firmware-11-0910.html)
Category: Beta Test Version
Release Date: September 16, 2008
Release Notes:

1. PAL 4:3 DVD Aspect Ratio Detection

2. Proper Aspect Ratio for Analog Video Output


This is great news. I installed the new firmware yesterday and tried it out. And I'm glad to say it seems to work. It may not be the most convenient workaround, but it works.

Just the subtitle issue left to go (DivX truncation, and SD strike-throughs).

Great work Oppo! :)


BTW, I haven't had any issues with this update yet.

Cheers

Looks like I'll load the beta up, I would like a screen saver option that doesn't drop the signal to the display device over HDMI (just have a moving oppo graphic or similar), and DIVX files to have correct AR (the wife doesn't like jumping into menus).

Turn on the display then access the HDMI input the DVD player is assigned to. Turn on the DVD player.

Wait about 15 seconds. If you still see no picture, press the HDMI button once. Do you see an image?

I appreciate your diagnostic assistance, Neuro. Unfortunately, no. The OPPO confirms the 1080p setting on its VFD window and the blue resolution indicator light, but the display reports no signal. When I press the HDMI button on the remote again (or on the player itself) and it drops back to 480p, the LCD display lights up and then I can "climb the ladder" back to 1080p.

Dana

Looks like I'll load the beta up, I would like a screen saver option that doesn't drop the signal to the display device over HDMI (just have a moving oppo graphic or similar), and DIVX files to have correct AR (the wife doesn't like jumping into menus).

I totally agree with you about the screen saver option! I called Oppo last month regarding the same issue. They told me they'd add it to their list of "fixes". If others who are bothered by this write or call them, perhaps it'll be fixed in the next f/w -- but don't look for it in the current beta...it's still the same.

:) - What's funny (at least to me) is that they moved away from the "moving OPPO logo" screen saver specifically because people complained about it. Also note that you can disable the screen saver entirely if you want to.

Electrico, you PM box won't accept responses, so here's mine to your thoughtful PM:

Thanks for the heads up Electrico. I've been busy with family priorities and work situations, so a DVD player hasn't been high on my to do list lately. I was about to buy the 983 a few months ago, but since the OPPO Blu-ray player will be here soon, I'd rather have two of those than one 983 and one Blu-Ray. ( That is of course only if the Blu-Ray player is all the 983 is and more.
Regards,
Martin Butler
martinbutlermusic.com

:) - What's funny (at least to me) is that they moved away from the "moving OPPO logo" screen saver specifically because people complained about it. Also note that you can disable the screen saver entirely if you want to.

What I really would like is to put on a CD and just listen, turning off the display altogether. When I hit the "Audio Only" button on the remote, the OPPO splash screen goes away but the 983 is still locked on the video channel. If I turn the display off, I lose the audio that is being fed by HDMI to my AVR. It's probably an HDCP issue with HDMI that can't be defeated. :(

Dana

:) - What's funny (at least to me) is that they moved away from the "moving OPPO logo" screen saver specifically because people complained about it. Also note that you can disable the screen saver entirely if you want to.

I'm puzzled why people would complain about a moving screen saver graphic as it could (and still can) be disabled. But with the 983's "screen saver" enabled, when I put a movie on pause for longer than a few minutes, it drops to blue and a large square static bar generated by my monitor appears: "HDMI 1 no longer connected" -- and sometimes the audio is lost when the movie is restarted because the HDMI handshake needs to be reactivated by changing inputs on my TV -- or turning the player off and on again (Oppo says this is not uncommon.) That's NOT a screen "saver" by any definition I know.

I'm puzzled why people would complain about a moving screen saver graphic as it could (and still can) be disabled.
I can't explain it, as I never minded the old screen saver myself and currently have it disabled entirely, but if you look at older OPPO player threads there are numerous people who didn't like it (in some cases because the graphic used was a low-res image that looked a bit rough around the edges).

Please note that I'm not suggesting that anybody refrain from offering OPPO their thoughts on what they'd like done differently - just pointing out the curious history that has led to the feature in question.

That's NOT a screen "saver" by any definition I know.

Well, if your monitor did not put up a permanent error message the screen would be blank, preventing any chance of burn-in. You could call that saving the screen.

-Bill

I appreciate your diagnostic assistance, Neuro. Unfortunately, no. The OPPO confirms the 1080p setting on its VFD window and the blue resolution indicator light, but the display reports no signal. When I press the HDMI button on the remote again (or on the player itself) and it drops back to 480p, the LCD display lights up and then I can "climb the ladder" back to 1080p.

Turn Off the player. Press the Eject button on your front panel or remote control. Wait for the tray to eject than another 5 seconds. Does the image appear?

I tried my dual chip DV-983H on several displays. Only one display would not synchronize 1080p with the new firmware. If I simply turned on the player, I would have to cycle through the HDMI resolutions. However, if I performed the Eject command when the unit was turned Off, HDMI would be resynchronized several seconds after the tray fully extracted from the player.

What I really would like is to put on a CD and just listen, turning off the display altogether. When I hit the "Audio Only" button on the remote, the OPPO splash screen goes away but the 983 is still locked on the video channel. If I turn the display off, I lose the audio that is being fed by HDMI to my AVR. It's probably an HDCP issue with HDMI that can't be defeated. :(

Dana

Sure is an HDMI issue. Don't know what avr you're using but my Onkyo 805 has an "HDMI Monitor Off" button where I can disable the HDMI video out at the receiver without losing HDMI audio. I can then listen to HDMI audio from the 983 with the display turned off. Great for SACDs and CDs where there's no reason for the display ot be on. Not an elegent solution since I have to go to the avr and hit the button twice (can't add it to my Harmony 880) but it works fine.

arkiedan

Turn Off the player. Press the Eject button on your front panel or remote control. Wait for the tray to eject than another 5 seconds. Does the image appear?

I tried my dual chip DV-983H on several displays. Only one display would not synchronize 1080p with the new firmware. If I simply turned on the player, I would have to cycle through the HDMI resolutions. However, if I performed the Eject command when the unit was turned Off, HDMI would be resynchronized several seconds after the tray fully extracted from the player.

I did as you suggested. (I didn't know that pressing the Eject button on the remote would automatically turn the 983 on. Duh.) No image sync. However, after the tray extended, the little VFD window showed 480i (!) although the blue resolution light remained at 1080p. This occurred every time I turned the player Off, then pressed Eject. I repeated it several times to be sure.

I'm running the two chip model also, from initial production run I believe.

Dana

* I later discovered that I had failed to change inputs on my AVR. The solution Neuromancer advanced did work after I had selected the proper AVR input.

It's impossible for the front VFD to show 480i. Ensure that the actual output resolution of the player has been set to 1080p.

Change the Primary Output from HMDI to Component and try the above Eject sequence again.

Sure is an HDMI issue. Don't know what avr you're using but my Onkyo 805 has an "HDMI Monitor Off" button where I can disable the HDMI video out at the receiver without losing HDMI audio. I can then listen to HDMI audio from the 983 with the display turned off. Great for SACDs and CDs where there's no reason for the display ot be on. Not an elegent solution since I have to go to the avr and hit the button twice (can't add it to my Harmony 880) but it works fine.

arkiedan

Thanks for the info. I'm using a Panasonic XR700 digital AVR. A very nice little unit but without some advanced controls. I don't believe the feature you have is on my receiver. Guess I'll look for it the next time I'm in the market. I assume there's no after market add on that will accomplish the same thing. My former cable receiver would permit the display to be turned off while listening to music channels - as does my present DirecTV receiver - but the STB hookup uses digital audio via Toslink and HDMI for video only.

Dana

It's impossible for the front VFD to show 480i. Ensure that the actual output resolution of the player has been set to 1080p.

Change the Primary Output from HMDI to Component and try the above Eject sequence again.

Well, it literally reads "480I." I just tried it twice more. It's near impossible to set it up with Component. I assume you mean run component cables from player to TV, etc. Sorry about that. The front of the player's little blue lights confirms it is set to 1080p.

Dana

* Note: I had failed to change inputs on my AVR. Once I did so, the solution Neuromancer suggested did work!

No, under Video Setup change the Primary Output to Component. You do not need to use component.

If you do not get an image at all when using HDMI, then disconnect the HDMI cable from the player completely. Connect analog so you can see an image and change this option. Turn off the player. Reconnect HDMI and then press Eject. Do you see the OPPO logo.

Well, if your monitor did not put up a permanent error message the screen would be blank, preventing any chance of burn-in. You could call that saving the screen.

-Bill

Guess I'll have to get rid of my Samsung 650 and buy another monitor...good solution.:D

I've noticed that when my samsung 40 inch LCD is set to 1:1 pixel matching, and my 983 is set to fill the screen for 4:3 content, there are still little pillars of black on the sides. I'd say, maybe 1/2 of an inch in the left, a little less on the right. What's up?

No, under Video Setup change the Primary Output to Component. You do not need to use component.

If you do not get an image at all when using HDMI, then disconnect the HDMI cable from the player completely. Connect analog so you can see an image and change this option. Turn off the player. Reconnect HDMI and then press Eject. Do you see the OPPO logo.


Forget my earlier report. I discovered that I had failed to change the input on the AVR. :o

Now your earlier solution works!

Sorry. It's the nut that's loose behind the equipment that's the real problem. That would be me.

Many thanks.

Dana

* I have annotated my earlier reports to note that your solution does work. :)

Good to hear that my previous advice of pressing the EJECT button when the player was off worked to resolve your no video output issues.

Good to hear that my previous advice of pressing the EJECT button when the player was off worked to resolve your no video output issues.

AMEN! :)

Now I'll play some more PAL Region 2 4:3 DVDs to make sure that the intended fix of the beta firmware works. I believe from my trial of the first one that it does.

Dana

I've noticed that when my samsung 40 inch LCD is set to 1:1 pixel matching, and my 983 is set to fill the screen for 4:3 content, there are still little pillars of black on the sides. I'd say, maybe 1/2 of an inch in the left, a little less on the right. What's up?

Probably encoded that way on the disc. Normally not seen on TVs with typical 3-5% overscan.

I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago and am very pleased with the picture quality. One thing that worries me though is lip sync. I've only noticed it on my R2 copies of "The Twilight Zone" (80s), but the same disc doesn't display the lip sync errors in my Panasonic BD50, or my xbox 360?

I have HDMI 1.3 from (and in) my BD player all the way to my TV (which is only 1.1). Could the lip sync feature of HDMi 1.3 just be sorting out the lip sync on the disc? I believe the Oppo 983 is only HDMI 1.2?

I tried the new beta firmware. It seemed to load correctly, so after the upgrade was complete I reset the region to 0, and made sure the HDMI was set to 1080P60. After this I turned off the player. Later, I turned on the player to watch a movie, but I had no picture over HDMI. I tried checking the cables, and turning the player off, and on again, but no luck. I had to re-install 07-0619 to get things working correctly. I sent an email to customer support to let them know about the issue.

In case anyone has a different experience with this firmware, I have one of two-chip models, not the newer single chip model.
Exactly the same issue. Everything worked fine after going back to the released firmware

Please note my followup responses to this issue:

Press Eject on either the remote control or the DVD player. Do not press the Power button, as this will cause synchronization issues with certain DV-983H and display models.

I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago and am very pleased with the picture quality. One thing that worries me though is lip sync. I've only noticed it on my R2 copies of "The Twilight Zone" (80s), but the same disc doesn't display the lip sync errors in my Panasonic BD50, or my xbox 360?

I have HDMI 1.3 from (and in) my BD player all the way to my TV (which is only 1.1). Could the lip sync feature of HDMi 1.3 just be sorting out the lip sync on the disc? I believe the Oppo 983 is only HDMI 1.2?

I'm getting some lip-sych errors - it seems to go out of synch, then back and forth - on some R2 discs; using analogue connections to my amp, but it's the same through optical. Can't say I noticed this before applying the beta firmware, but then I hadn't played many R2 discs to that point.

Has anyone had problems with the disc tray not closing by the remote?

Has anyone had problems with the disc tray not closing by the remote? No. Depending on your seating position, the extended tray (or other equipment) may be interfering with the IR signal.

Gary

Has anyone had problems with the disc tray not closing by the remote?

Do the other functions on the remote control work? For example, if the tray is out and you press Play or Power, does the tray recall itself?

Although it is inconvenient to not have the player during the repair process, I am very pleased with the technical support and customer service I've received from Oppo.

My unit has been plagued intermittently by loss of responsiveness to onboard buttons and the remote as well as bizarre color renderings (scorching magenta and fluorescent greens) since I received it. Oppo offered to repair/replace it immediately, but I chose to stick with it and see if we could work out the kinks with their troubleshooting procedures and firmware updates.

When it has been working, the picture is really wonderful on our Pioneer 6010.

I look forward to receiving a working unit in a few weeks.

Do the other functions on the remote control work? For example, if the tray is out and you press Play or Power, does the tray recall itself?

I'm not sure. It's only happened twice and I had to gentle push the tray with my finger to make it close. I think at the time I tried pressing the close button on the actual player, but this wouldn't close it either.

Oh, and while I'm here, when the resume play feature has been used is it normal not to be able to use the "menu" button on the remote? I got to the menu by pressing "Top Menu" in the end.

... (scorching magenta and fluorescent greens) ...

Sounds like what mine is doing. Did it look like this:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=119956&d=1221653898

My unit has been plagued intermittently by loss of responsiveness to onboard buttons and the remote as well as bizarre color renderings (scorching magenta and fluorescent greens) since I received it.

Did you have your Colorspace set to Auto or were you forcing a mode?

Sounds like what mine is doing. Did it look like this:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=119956&d=1221653898

Your's is a color replacement (green). If he is seeing two different colors at the same time, it is likely a colorspace issue.

Update on my earlier disc tray comment.

I've just turned on the player and pressed the eject button on the player itself. The tray opened, then closed straight away! Nearly snatched the disc out of my hand! Obviously faulty. Still, what do you expect for a £350 standard def. DVD player....

Since all this HD malarky has started I've had nothing but bad luck with my hobby.

I miss the days when you could watch a film without worrying about deinterlacing, upscaling, interlaced vs progressive debates, 720p vs 1080i, motion blur, phospher trails, and more.:(

If the tray is recalling itself, either there is an obstruction in the case which is causing the tray to snag (and thereby recall) or there is an IR signal which was sent to your DVD player which commanded the tray to recall.

Try updating your firmware to ensure that your errors are not related to a bad firmware.

There's nothing in the tray, and there can't be another IR signal going to the player at the same time? Unless someone I don't know about is stood behind me using the remote as I'm pressing the eject button on the player??

Anyway I've rang the retailer up and they told me to ring back monday. Looking like a replacement.

Inside of the unit itself there can be something the tray is catching on, or some kind of obstruction along the track of the tray or the cogs which actually move the tray forward in back.

The tray is tension designed, so if it senses tension going out, then it will recall itself automatically.

Maybe. But then again if I open the player myself I'll void my warranty.

Do the other functions on the remote control work? For example, if the tray is out and you press Play or Power, does the tray recall itself?

Since it's just happened again I can now answer this.

No. The tray doesn't close when the power button (or others) is pressed.

Have you attempted to update the firmware to ensure that the error is not related to a software defect?

I've only had the player just over a week, and the place I bought it from states that they always load the latest firmware before shipping the players out.

I'm pretty sure it's faulty. I even got severe macroblocking through "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (2003) just tonight, and as far as I'm aware the transfer on this disc is supposed to be flawless.

From what I've read an Oppo 983 should be more or less perfect with regards to picture quality. Hence the £300+ price tag, when you can get a player for £30.

I mean, I'm only watching it on a 32" LCD too! There should be no blocking on a TV this small with a player of the Oppo 983s "quality".

I can hide the artifacts by turning the players brightness setting down, but I don't see why I should have to sacrifice shadow detail for an artefact free picture. I mean, from reading around the net this player should be able to show me film perfection, then make my tea and rub my back!

The unit will be accurate to the source material. If the source material has flaws, then the final picture itself will have flaws.

If you add any additional processing to the signal patch (example. Brightness, contrast, saturation) through the player, then you will add artifacts to the signal. This is true for the display as well, so you will wan to ensure that you have done a proper calibration on your television.

I am not certain about your DVD player being defective. For one, software can degrade or not properly populate. I highly recommend upgrading the firmware on your player manually to ensure that your previous errors were not related to a bad software installation.

Second, I have not heard of defective hardware enhancing macroblocking errors. However, there can always be a first. If turning down the brightness reduces macroblocking errors, try forcing the colorspace to RGB PC and see if this does not improve your picture.

Thanks for your patience Neuromancer. If setting the colorspace to RGB PC does rid me of the macroblocking that will be great, is there any possible downsides to not setting the colorspace to "auto"? Actually the fact I have it on auto could be the reason my Oppo screen flashes green for about 3 seconds before playing a PAL disc.

On the software update note, I'm not sure how to do one to be honest.

Sounds like what mine is doing. Did it look like this:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=119956&d=1221653898

That's pretty cool, but no. Don't have a good picture though.

Sounds like what mine is doing. Did it look like this:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=119956&d=1221653898

It looks like this.

Try forcing one of the colorspace settings on the DVD player.

Also, which firmware are you currently running?

Thanks for your patience Neuromancer. If setting the colorspace to RGB PC does rid me of the macroblocking that will be great, is there any possible downsides to not setting the colorspace to "auto"?

If the colors are accurate, then there is no issue with forcing a colorspace. It may not resolve your issues, but it never hurts to try.

Actually the fact I have it on auto could be the reason my Oppo screen flashes green for about 3 seconds before playing a PAL disc.

The flash is caused by the frequency changes that the ABT solution goes through. This always happens when the player switches between NTSC and PAL. With the beta firmware it actually is a bit worse, with horizontal lines of garbage showing during the same sequence.

On the software update note, I'm not sure how to do one to be honest.

There are easy to follow instructions on the Firmware Update (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/dv983h-firmware-07-0619.html) webpage. You can either burn a CD or use a USB memory stick to upgrade the firmware on the DV-983H.

I've noticed that when my samsung 40 inch LCD is set to 1:1 pixel matching, and my 983 is set to fill the screen for 4:3 content, there are still little pillars of black on the sides. I'd say, maybe 1/2 of an inch in the left, a little less on the right. What's up?

Probably encoded that way on the disc. Normally not seen on TVs with typical 3-5% overscan.

Makes sense, and a late thanks for the reply.

Watching lately lots of European PAL movies and picture quality is better then ntsc. If you have a tv or projector who has both formats send the signal as is. Superb!
My combination of oppo 983 and optoma hd 65 produces an incredible sharp, natural looking picture. Better then anything I have seen before.

I'm really enjoying this player. The upsampling is just the best and, like heiwi, I'm really appreciating Region 2 PAL DVD's these days. Nice that the latest firmware recognizes the correct aspect ratio, too.

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

I am also facing the same problem when I use the analog connection to my processor. No issues with my sub and processor as when I use the coax connection, they work fine. I have tried bypassing Oppo's bass management by setting speakers to Large and trim/delay to zero but there's no improvement. I have also updated my firmware to the latest (08-0709).
Any suggestions?

If the speakers are set to LARGE and Subwoofer is set to On, then only LFE channels will be sent to the Subwoofer. Many SACD and DVD-Audio discs do not have a LFE channel.

If your receiver has not been designed to support bass management for a high resolution, high frequency signal, then you will get no subwoofer response. Some receivers will not do bass management over the multi-channel analog outputs.

Set the speakers to SMALL and see if there is any bass response.

Try direct connecting the subwoofer to the back of the DVD player and see if there is any response.

Neuromancer - Setting the player to colour space "RGB PC" got rid of the macroblocking!

On this setting it seems to make the blacks absolutley jet black. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad but it certainly hides the blocking!

I have to notch the brightness setting on the player up to +2 to compensate for the darker picture though. Is this OK?

My only concern is that my blacks are now too black.

Try forcing one of the colorspace settings on the DVD player.

Also, which firmware are you currently running?

Assuming you're talking to me (Jason) I'm running current firmware (DV983H-07-0619 (http://oppodigital.com/dv983h/dv983h-firmware-07-0619.html)).

Can you please expand on your suggestion to force a color space setting on the 983? I re-read page 57 of the manual and am unsure as to which alternative might have helped. Also please note the color problem I experienced was intermittent.

I don't think I changed this setting from whatever the factory setting was (on my own or at the direction of Oppo tech support).

Under Video Preference there is an option if you keep browsing down called "Colorspace". By Default it is set to "Auto". You can force it into RGB PC, RGB Video, and YCbCr and see if the errors stop occurring altogether when you force a mode.

Try also replacing your HDMI cable or ensuring that it is connected properly to the back of the DVD player and the display.

I have to notch the brightness setting on the player up to +2 to compensate for the darker picture though. Is this OK?

My only concern is that my blacks are now too black.

Adjusting the brightness on the player should not effect the picture quality.

You will want to run a calibration disc such as the THX Optimizer (found on most THX Optimized movies) to ensure that you are not clipping black of white levels when using RGB PC as your colorspace setting.

Hi all,
We noticed something strange that I wanted to share with you:
The problem is when the camera pans slowly and constantly on high contrasts, we can see horizontal "lines/cracks" between dark and bright zones, making the whole image seems choppy and painful to look at it (even my wife noticed this and complained).

This ONLY happens in 720p50 mode, thus only with PAL dvds. When we set the HDMI output to 1080i or 576p, this problem disappears completely! It's annoying since 720p is the native resolution of the Z2. There is absolutely no problem with 720p60 so NTSC disks look stunning.
The strongest example I saw so far is on the MK2 edition (region 2, PAL) of Elephant (Gus Van Sant): title 1/8, chapter 6/37, time 0:10:55 very visible on the white vertical bar created by the sunlight through the windows).

ALL our PAL DVDs exhibit this problem.

Oppo wasn't too interested in this issue. I'm wondering if it's a problem on the Z2...

Any help appreciated.

Best Regards,
Gam.

Hi

One option to try is to use one of the forced 2:2 modes for PAL. 2:2 Odd, or 2:2 Even.

Cheers

Adjusting the brightness on the player should not effect the picture quality.

You will want to run a calibration disc such as the THX Optimizer (found on most THX Optimized movies) to ensure that you are not clipping black of white levels when using RGB PC as your colorspace setting.

I believe them calibrations are only good for the film on the actual disc. And after trying one myself I can believe it. One of them put my brightness up to nearly 70, when usually it is fine on 50.

Under Video Preference there is an option if you keep browsing down called "Colorspace". By Default it is set to "Auto". You can force it into RGB PC, RGB Video, and YCbCr and see if the errors stop occurring altogether when you force a mode.

Try also replacing your HDMI cable or ensuring that it is connected properly to the back of the DVD player and the display.

Thanks; Oppo has the unit now but I'll certainly try this if I have the problem again with the repaired/replaced unit. We did do a lot of cable swapping on our own and with Oppo's direction, but weren't able to fix the color problem.

Also, I want to be clear that I love this product, can't wait to get back my unit and have found Oppo service to be excellent. This experience actually strengthened my faith in Oppo.

No one should be dissuaded by my experience; any CE product can have a problem which is why it's so critical to me that the manufacturer stand behind it.

Have to say I'm disappointed with this player. I've e-mailed Oppo and am awaiting a response.

I shouldn't be getting macroblocking on a £320 DVD player, and setting to RGB PC to hide the errors and losing shadow detail in the process is just cutting off the head to cure the headache.

Have to say I'm disappointed with this player. I've e-mailed Oppo and am awaiting a response.

I shouldn't be getting macroblocking on a £320 DVD player, and setting to RGB PC to hide the errors and losing shadow detail in the process is just cutting off the head to cure the headache.

Sorry you're having your issues with the Oppo, sounds like you are one of a miniscule minority who are -- 99.9% are thrilled with theirs. I'm puzzled about the macroblocking you're experiencing, especially as it's related more to Faroudja processing -- not found in the 983, of course. It also may be a poor synergy between your TV and the player...or a faulty player. Hope you can get it all solved, because I and my family can't get enough of watching movies on our system ... thanks to Oppo.:)

Have to say I'm disappointed with this player. I've e-mailed Oppo and am awaiting a response.

I shouldn't be getting macroblocking on a £320 DVD player, and setting to RGB PC to hide the errors and losing shadow detail in the process is just cutting off the head to cure the headache.
FWIW, true macroblocking is a result of poor encoding on the disc itself, and is not "created" by the player. Changing to RGB should not affect macroblocking. Perhaps what you're seeing is something else, and is setup related.

FWIW, true macroblocking is a result of poor encoding on the disc itself, and is not "created" by the player. Changing to RGB should not affect macroblocking. Perhaps what you're seeing is something else, and is setup related.

I know it's down to the disc encoding, but if reviews of a said disc don't mention errors anywhere then it's surely the upscaling that's the problem. If I take the disc to my parents and play it on their CRT with their non upscaling player it's fine. Perfect.

And I'm suprised at this on a player as highly recommended as the 983. I can't find a bad word about it anywhere on the net, which adds frustration to the disappointment.

I'm not saying that changing to RGB PC is getting rid of the macroblocking, it just makes the blacks that black that nothing (including the macroblocking) can be seen in them.

I feel like I'm stuck in an episode of "The Twilight Zone". I know what I'm seeing yet the whole internet is saying it's flawless:(

I believe them calibrations are only good for the film on the actual disc. And after trying one myself I can believe it. One of them put my brightness up to nearly 70, when usually it is fine on 50.

The THX Optimizers are not designed for the single film only. Most people do not recommend the THX Optimizers since they are relatively inaccurate when compared to Get Gray, AVIA, or DVE, and there are variances between discs due to different discs using slightly different revisions. But as a core (free) calibration disc, it will work in this situation.

All content devices will have different output settings. For this reason, you can't compare one source calibration to another source calibration. There will be variances.

I know it's down to the disc encoding, but if reviews of a said disc don't mention errors anywhere then it's surely the upscaling that's the problem.

That would be an incorrect assumption.

That would be an incorrect assumption.


But if a disc is flawless on a CRT TV with a standard DVD player, but when you put it in an upscaling DVD player on a LCD/Plasma you get macroblocking is this not down to the upscaling?

I'm thinking of setting the Oppo to 480/576p, and therefore using the Oppos deinterlacing but my TVs upscaling.

CRTs are a lot less prone to displaying macroblocking errors than a fixed pixel display such as a LCD or a Plasma.

You may also want to try bypassing the ABT all together. Disconnect the HDMI cable and then connect through the component cables. See if the same errors occur when using component.

CRTs are a lot less prone to displaying macroblocking errors than a fixed pixel display such as a LCD or a Plasma.

You may also want to try bypassing the ABT all together. Disconnect the HDMI cable and then connect through the component cables. See if the same errors occur when using component.

If I bypass the ABT altogether though I might as well have bought a £30 DVD player. Surely the bulk of the expense with this player is down to the quality of the upscaling and deinterlacing?

If I set to 480p at least I'll still be using the deinterlacing, and the TV upscaling might not exhibit macro-blocking.

Just waiting for it to get dark and I'll try it. Too much daylight at the moment - room too bright to check with accuracy.

Have to say I'm disappointed with this player. I've e-mailed Oppo and am awaiting a response.

I shouldn't be getting macroblocking on a £320 DVD player, and setting to RGB PC to hide the errors and losing shadow detail in the process is just cutting off the head to cure the headache. Hold your horses! Based on your posts, it would seem that you have not done a proper calibration of your display. This is especially necessary when you pick a new colorspace, such as PC RGB. Studio RGB uses digital codes 16 to 235 to represent black through white. PC RGB uses digital codes 0 to 255. Therefore you MUST recalibrate.

Yes, the THX Optimiser has been known to be flawed. You need a decent calibration disk like DVE/Avia/Getgray.

To get rid of macroblocking on a digital display, you need to set brightness AND contrast correctly, using the ENTIRE range of available contrast if possible, in order to avoid throwing away precious digital steps between black and white. CRT's tend to mask macroblocking due to their analog nature.

As others have pointed out, the 983 does NOT enhance macroblocking - it shows exactly what's on the disc.

Furthermore, just because a disc is highly rated, does not mean that there is no macroblocking on it. Macroblocking is a natural artifact of MPEG compression, and can be found on almost any DVD if you really look for it. However, when macroblocking is worse than it should be, by FAR the biggest culprit is an improperly calibrated display.

Gary

If I bypass the ABT altogether though I might as well have bought a £30 DVD player. Surely the bulk of the expense with this player is down to the quality of the upscaling and deinterlacing? Neuromancer suggested this as a diagnostic test.

Gary

That's sorted it!!

Switched to 480p and now the macroblocking has gone! Only a VERY slight wavering now which I've seen on DVDs for as long as they've been about.

Now I refuse to believe the Oppo 983 has poor upscaling, so I've come to this conclusion.

Because my TV is 1366x768 then setting the player to 720p is going to require two steps in the upscaling process. 480p-720p by the player, then 720p-768p by the TV.

Set the player to 480p and the TV upscales to 1366x768 in one sweep.

Obviously I'm thinking that scaling twice caused my problems.

I'm sure those with 1024x720 displays outputting 720p, and those with 1920x1080 displays outputting 1080p have no problems whatsoever.

:)

You might even try 1080i. Some displays like that as the input signal better than 720p.

Because my TV is 1366x768 then setting the player to 720p is going to require two steps in the upscaling process. 480p-720p by the player, then 720p-768p by the TV.

Set the player to 480p and the TV upscales to 1366x768 in one sweep.

Obviously I'm thinking that scaling twice caused my problems. Well, that is a possibility, but I had no such trouble sending 720p to my properly calibrated 1366x768 TV.

Gary

I saw very occasional macroblocking on my 971 into a 1366x768 Toshiba LCD at 720p (which was plainly the best resolution); I have yet to see any instances with my 983 (admittedly into a 1080p Samsung). Not one.

You might even try 1080i. Some displays like that as the input signal better than 720p.*raises hand*

I'm one of those. While 720p upscaled output from the 983 showed a bit of an improvement over 480p, sending my 720p projector 1080i from the 983 showed a huge leap. Of course, part of that might be the fact that sending 1080i/p forces my HK receiver to leave the signal alone, otherwise it applies video processing that you cannot disable. 1080i neatly bypasses it, since the receiver can't handle processing of any 1080 signal.

Hi all,
We noticed something strange that I wanted to share with you:
The problem is when the camera pans slowly and constantly on high contrasts, we can see horizontal "lines/cracks" between dark and bright zones, making the whole image seems choppy and painful to look at it (even my wife noticed this and complained).

This ONLY happens in 720p50 mode, thus only with PAL dvds. When we set the HDMI output to 1080i or 576p, this problem disappears completely! It's annoying since 720p is the native resolution of the Z2. There is absolutely no problem with 720p60 so NTSC disks look stunning.
The strongest example I saw so far is on the MK2 edition (region 2, PAL) of Elephant (Gus Van Sant): title 1/8, chapter 6/37, time 0:10:55 very visible on the white vertical bar created by the sunlight through the windows).

ALL our PAL DVDs exhibit this problem.

Oppo wasn't too interested in this issue. I'm wondering if it's a problem on the Z2...

Any help appreciated.

Best Regards,
Gam.
It sounds like you're experiencing an effect commonly referred to as "tearing".
Perhaps your TV TYPE is currently set to "AUTO", which would cause the 983 to send the disc-sourced format direct to your display without conversion. If so, you might try setting your TV TYPE to "NTSC", thereby forcing the PAL=>NTSC conversion. (Assuming from context that your display is NTSC).
Additionally, as per an earlier post, you can sometimes improve upon the generally excellent "AUTO" De-interlacing mode by selecting the "2:2 odd" mode for most PAL film-sourced material.
Hope this helps...

Well, that is a possibility, but I had no such trouble sending 720p to my properly calibrated 1366x768 TV.

Gary

I'm fairly sure the TV is calibrated well - I used a THX test on my R0 Anchor Bay copy of "Suspiria". Maybe your TV is just better than mine? Another thing to bear in mind is that the blocking didn't jump out at me every time I put a disc in. It was particulary bad on the title I mentioned because it contained a lot of dark scenes.

I honestly can't think of another reason that bypassing the Oppo 983's upscaling would strongly reduce my macroblocking, other than the one I gave.

My TV is the Philips 32PF9641D by the way.

Well, at least you've ruled out the player as being the problem. Now it may be a good idea to visit the forum for your TV, and ask about scaling issues. Some LCD TV's were criticised for banding/macroblocking problems (related issues).

Gary

This ONLY happens in 720p50 mode, thus only with PAL dvds. When we set the HDMI output to 1080i or 576p, this problem disappears completely! It's annoying since 720p is the native resolution of the Z2. There is absolutely no problem with 720p60 so NTSC disks look stunning. I think Pete 'n Pea hit the nail on the head. By setting the 983's "TV TYPE" to NTSC, the player does the 50Hz to 60Hz (PAL to NTSC) conversion, rather than the display. Some displays (and players) are pretty bad at this conversion, but the 983 excels at it. I have no idea why the problem would only occur at 720p on your display.

Gary

What exactly is Macro blocking? What does it look like? :confused:

What exactly is Macro blocking? What does it look like? :confused: Macroblocking is an MPEG compression artifact, similar to the blocks found in heavily compressed JPEG photos.

See this post: Macroblocking... Description and Examples (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6846236&&#post6846236) and follow the link to the photo.

Gary

Yeah, something looks fishy with these ebay 983 sales.

After your comment, I went to Ebay expecting to see a ton of 983s for sale. There were a couple for sale, and a few in the completed listings. Don't know what could be "fishy" about that.

I never said that there were many eBay OPPO 983 players for sale. Sorry if my Post was taken out of context.

What I meant, was that I would be cautious of any new (not used) OPPO player being auctioned when the consumer has no idea where it came from in the first place.

The player is likely legitimate. Some people are likely selling their players because of the OPPO Blu-Ray player which was showed at CEDIA.

Macroblocking is an MPEG compression artifact, similar to the blocks found in heavily compressed JPEG photos.

See this post: Macroblocking... Description and Examples (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6846236&&#post6846236) and follow the link to the photo.

Gary


Thank you for the link! :)

I have experienced Macroblocking, just never knew the correct terminology.

If the speakers are set to LARGE and Subwoofer is set to On, then only LFE channels will be sent to the Subwoofer. Many SACD and DVD-Audio discs do not have a LFE channel.

If your receiver has not been designed to support bass management for a high resolution, high frequency signal, then you will get no subwoofer response. Some receivers will not do bass management over the multi-channel analog outputs.

Set the speakers to SMALL and see if there is any bass response.

Try direct connecting the subwoofer to the back of the DVD player and see if there is any response.

I've tried your suggestion. It looks like the 983H will only do bass management if the speakers are set to SMALL. I was expecting it to output bass to the sub and any speakers set to LARGE. But it didn't. There is also no crossover settings for the 983H, I guess the cutoff must be at 80 Hz. This is a bit of a letdown as my front speakers are Maggies 1.6 which are capable of handling at least down to 40 Hz. I am considering getting another universal player, maybe a Denon 3930CI, which has better bass management.

Do the Oppos speaker settings only apply to analogue users? If I'm using HDMI (with sound output set to "Raw") do I still have to bother setting speaker distances etc?

The reason I ask is that there seems no difference to me when I change the speaker distances, and I'm using HDMI.

Do the Oppos speaker settings only apply to analogue users? If I'm using HDMI (with sound output set to "Raw") do I still have to bother setting speaker distances etc?

The reason I ask is that there seems no difference to me when I change the speaker distances, and I'm using HDMI. Speaker settings apply to analog outputs. Digital outputs are not affected, except as mentioned by Neuromancer below.

Gary

HDMI is effected if the DVD player is decoding the audio source. So SACD, DVD-Audio, and CD are all effected by the internal bass management of the DVD player.

Ideally you would want to mate the DVD player with a receiver which still does bass management for HDMI LPCM. That way you are not limited by the internal cross over frequencies of the DVD player.

Thanks guys. This is a knowledgable forum! Really helped me out over the last week:)

I've just had a reply from Oppo saying that if I'm not getting macroblocking at 480/576p then it IS a macroblocking enhancement error by the 983!

Now I was trying to make excuses previously by blaming the fact I was upscaling twice....but this is straight from Oppos mouth.

I've just had a reply from Oppo saying that if I'm not getting macroblocking at 480/576p then it IS a macroblocking enhancement error by the 983!

Now I was trying to make excuses previously by blaming the fact I was upscaling twice....but this is straight from Oppos mouth.

Could you post that reply?

-Bill

I made my player region 0 but it only plays in black & white. What do I do?

It plays region 1 discs in color but not discs from the UK. Discs from the UK display in black and white. I've tried two different DVDs, Mortal Kombat the Series and the Little Norse Prince. Help.

I'm connected via component to a 25" SD TV for now.

I made my player region 0 but it only plays in black & white. What do I do?

It plays region 1 discs in color but not discs from the UK. Discs from the UK display in black and white. Help.

I'm connected via component to a 25" SD TV for now.

_Ensure that you have the correct colorspace selected in the player.
_Make sure that your primary output is component within the player's menu.
_Make sure that the output resolution is 480p. You can not upscale over component output.

_Ensure that you have the correct colorspace selected in the player.
_Make sure that your primary output is component within the player's menu.
_Make sure that the output resolution is 480p. You can not upscale over component output.

What is the correct color space for my TV? Ok, I've tried several settings and had no luck. Anyone else have this problem?

_Ensure that you have the correct colorspace selected in the player. Not sure?
_Make sure that your primary output is component within the player's menu. Done.
_Make sure that the output resolution is 480p. You can not upscale over component output. Couldn't find setting?

What is the correct color space for my TV? Ok, I've tried several settings and had no luck. Anyone else have this problem?

_Ensure that you have the correct colorspace selected in the player. Not sure?
_Make sure that your primary output is component within the player's menu. Done.
_Make sure that the output resolution is 480p. You can not upscale over component output. Couldn't find setting?

Along with the other settings I posted, try setting the colorspace to AUTO and the tv type to NTSC.

Easiest way to set the res to 480p... exit menus and have Oppo splash/logo screen on tv. On the bottom of the remote there is a button labeled HDMI. Press that button muliple times till the resolution on the screen reads 480p.

Along with the other settings I posted, try setting the colorspace to AUTO and the tv type to NTSC.

Along with that, under video settings, try VIDEO 1 instead of VIDEO 2, which is only for HDMI. The setting matters only for NTSC <-> PAL conversion.

-Bill

Did all that. Still shows only B&W.

Since you're connected via component, have you checked all the cables to make sure one isn't loose?

Along with that, under video settings, try VIDEO 1 instead of VIDEO 2, which is only for HDMI. The setting matters only for NTSC <-> PAL conversion.

-Bill

Thanks you, thank you, thank you. That was it. Video 1 did the trick. Awesome picture by the way.

Good to hear... now enjoy!:D
Of course you should know, that if you want to get the best video performance out of the 983, you'll need to get an HD capable display that accepts HDMI.
Good luck to you... :)

Thanks you, thank you, thank you. That was it. Video 1 did the trick. Awesome picture by the way.

Very good! If you ever switch to an HDMI display, put it back to VIDEO 2. Also try TV type AUTO instead of NTSC when playing a PAL disc to see if the display accepts a PAL signal. Some do, some don't.

-Bill

Could you post that reply?

-Bill

How would I cut and paste that without exposing my personal e-mail account to the world wide web?

How would I cut and paste that without exposing my personal e-mail account to the world wide web?

A simple copy/paste without pasting your addy would probably work just fine.

How would I cut and paste that without exposing my personal e-mail account to the world wide web?

perhaps by deleting your email address after you cut and paste?

Mmm that just put my inbox up...

I'll try in a while.

Chris,

If the errors are not occurring at 480p/576p then the error you are seeing are scaling macroblock enhancement errors. Do you have another display to try the DV-983H on?

Also, if you change the output resolution to 1080i or 1080p (if supported) do the same errors still occur?

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.
2629B Terminal Blvd.
Mountain View, CA 94043
Tel: 650-961-1118
Fax: 650-961-1119

Here we go.

They are saying that the errors are occurring due to a scaling enhancement. What you need to do is isolate the reason for this.

This is either due to a double scale, an improper scale on by the DVD player, or the display doing enhancements at the higher resolutions but not at the lower resolutions.

This is why OPPO gave you two things to try:

1. Another display.

2. Another upscaled resolution.

If the errors occur on another display, then you might have a defective product in a manner that I have not seen in the DV-983H.

If the errors do not occur on another display, or do not occur at different upscaled resolutions, then your errors are due to a scaling problem with your current television.

I don't have another HDTV to try it on, but I can confirm that it still shows the errors at 1080i. My TV can't accept 1080p.

Without access to another display you can't fully determine what is the cause of the problem. You can have the player recalled for inspection and repair servicing, but there is no guarantee that OPPO will be able to see the same errors or diagnose your player.

Your errors can also be disc specific. The more inherent macroblocking on the disc media, the more likely it is that you will enhance these errors.

How often do you see macroblocking when scaling with the DV-983H?

I've just had a reply from Oppo saying that if I'm not getting macroblocking at 480/576p then it IS a macroblocking enhancement error by the 983!

Now I was trying to make excuses previously by blaming the fact I was upscaling twice....but this is straight from Oppos mouth. That is certainly not what OPPO's email said. They acknowledge the macroblock error, but nowhere did they say that the 983 is the source of the errors.

It is always a possiblity that you have a defective unit, but don't jump to conclusions until you have followed all of OPPO's troubleshooting suggestions.

Chris,

If the errors are not occurring at 480p/576p then the error you are seeing are scaling macroblock enhancement errors. Do you have another display to try the DV-983H on?

Also, if you change the output resolution to 1080i or 1080p (if supported) do the same errors still occur?

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.
2629B Terminal Blvd.
Mountain View, CA 94043
Tel: 650-961-1118
Fax: 650-961-1119 Gary

I have read a lot about this player to see if it might be worth upgrading from my Denon 2930 and it`s REON VX chip.

Do you guys think its worth it (ie, is it easily noticeable), when its going to be used with a projector on a 105" screen?
Is it possible, or will it perhaps be possible in the future, to move the subtitles up in to the picture on 2.35:1 movies, like some Samsung players can?

If I set to 480p at least I'll still be using the deinterlacing, and the TV upscaling might not exhibit macro-blocking.

One thing OPPO and I forgot to ask: When at 480p, is the unit properly calibrated? Just like when you were using PC RGB at 720p, you may be masking the macroblocking by using the incorrect colorspace or improper calibration.

Make sure that when 720p and 480p are compared, they look identical from a brightness, contrast, and saturation standpoint.

Neuromancer - the calibration is always the same on this input of my TV, and in the DVD player itself.

I'm pretty sure it's the double scaling issue causing my problems. I'll just leave the Oppo on 480/576p. Oppo deinterlacing, TV upscaling.

Well here's a question that is fun to ask. How good is the 983? This question is coming from a direction that might not be obvious.

I had a 971 almost from release date and upgraded to the 983 some months back. To state that I am thrilled with the 983's performance would be an understatement.

What is driving me nuts now is a comparison to BD disc PQ with a PS3. As in the 983 looks so good, and so close on so many DVD vs. BD disc comparisons.

A little background. My display is a BenQ PE7700 720p pj. Screen is a 133" Da-Lite Hi-Power. I use an Integra DTC-9.8 pre-pro. The Realta chip scales 1080p from the PS3 to 720p as it does a better job than the PS3.

The pj is well calibrated. Greyscale is within +/- 80K of 6500 from 30-100IRE. Gamma tracks well at 2.4. Primaries and Secondaries are all very close to targets.

Long story short, too often I am not seeing that much increase in PQ comparing DVD to BD. Yes, the BD almost always has an advantage, but it is often a subtle difference. Often the difference would be lost without direct comparison.

Just this past weekend I watched and compared one of my all time favorites, The Godfather. Have waited a long time for Paramount to get in the game and release this. Underwhelmed with this supposed complete restoration.

I took some heat over on another thread for pointing out this lack of enthusiasm for a long anticipated release. They did clean up the always jarring transition scene when the plane with Tom Hagen flies into Hollywood.

I won't get into the screwed up change in contrast levels in the outdoor wedding scenes at the beginning of the film.

My thought is that what is lacking in my setup is a 1080p projector.

So, 983 owners with 1080p displays, have you gone through this evaluation, your thoughts?

Waiting for a BDP-83.

OT: RIP Paul Newman, Thanks one cool hand.

Joe

Well here's a question that is fun to ask. How good is the 983? This question is coming from a direction that might not be obvious.

I had a 971 almost from release date and upgraded to the 983 some months back. To state that I am thrilled with the 983's performance would be an understatement.

What is driving me nuts now is a comparison to BD disc PQ with a PS3. As in the 983 looks so good, and so close on so many DVD vs. BD disc comparisons.

A little background. My display is a BenQ PE7700 720p pj. Screen is a 133" Da-Lite Hi-Power. I use an Integra DTC-9.8 pre-pro. The Realta chip scales 1080p from the PS3 to 720p as it does a better job than the PS3.

The pj is well calibrated. Greyscale is within +/- 80K of 6500 from 30-100IRE. Gamma tracks well at 2.4. Primaries and Secondaries are all very close to targets.

Long story short, too often I am not seeing that much increase in PQ comparing DVD to BD. Yes, the BD almost always has an advantage, but it is often a subtle difference. Often the difference would be lost without direct comparison.

Just this past weekend I watched and compared one of my all time favorites, The Godfather. Have waited a long time for Paramount to get in the game and release this. Underwhelmed with this supposed complete restoration.

I took some heat over on another thread for pointing out this lack of enthusiasm for a long anticipated release. They did clean up the always jarring transition scene when the plane with Tom Hagen flies into Hollywood.

I won't get into the screwed up change in contrast levels in the outdoor wedding scenes at the beginning of the film.

My thought is that what is lacking in my setup is a 1080p projector.

So, 983 owners with 1080p displays, have you gone through this evaluation, your thoughts?

Waiting for a BDP-83.

OT: RIP Paul Newman, Thanks one cool hand.

Joe

Careful, the fanboys will barbecue you lol. I hear you, if the differences look this small to you, imagine that on a 50" Kuro. I would love to move to BD, but the price differences in some cases for software is staggering....... $35 versus an excellent quality DVD for $10............ heck, I have purchased a large portion of my collection in the $5 to $7.50 to $10 range. Until the pricing gets real, I will enjoy the steller picture and "almost" HD quality of the 983.

John

Bronco70,
You have to realize that in this game (especially with your setup), every little difference here and there makes a difference on the screen. With your excellent setup, including your pre-pro and your 983, you're using that equipmnet to put SD almost in the same realm as HD.
Yes, the pic will look a bit better for HD on a 1080p display, and even a pinch more if you can take advantage of 24fps.
All that, plus the fact that a lot of Blu-rays just don't look that good. They can only do so much with a 30-40 film, ya know?
Of course with the best gear available, the SD can come close to the HD, BUT you are paying for all that gear ;).
Now a REAL comparison of SD vs HD, would be on a 1080p display with the SD player at 480p, and the HD player at 1080p both connected directly to the display ;):D.

hi guys i just got my 983h and set it up on my LG plasma. And the picture is OK ( i think my toshy EP10 did a better job, but i'm still fine tunning the oppo ) anyway something that is really annoying is the the screen goes black for about 2 seconds every 4-5 minutes..... i dont know why ?? i using HDMI @ 1008P-50Hz. Has anyone else had this problem ?? and know how to solve it. thanks regards Marty.

If you have an older firmware other than the 08-0709 firmware installed, then your errors are related to a software conflict with the ABT2010 chipset. Update your firmware.

Try another HDMI cable or another HDMI input on your receiving equipment.

If you have an older firmware other than the 08-0709 firmware installed, then your errors are related to a software conflict with the ABT2010 chipset. Update your firmware.

Try another HDMI cable or another HDMI input on your receiving equipment.

i have installed latest firmare, i have tried 2 HDMI cables. but i have not tried a diff HDMI port would it really make a diff regarding a diff port ?

The most common reasons for audio and/or video dropouts I have seen with the player have been related to the wrong software being installed on the player or the HDMI cable.

Outside of this is compatibility issues with certain combinations of hardware. Are you direct connected to the display, or are you going through a switch or other piece of HDMI equipment?

If you use 60Hz instead of 50Hz, do you have the same dropouts?

hi guys i just got my 983h and set it up on my LG plasma. And the picture is OK ( i think my toshy EP10 did a better job, but i'm still fine tunning the oppo ) anyway something that is really annoying is the the screen goes black for about 2 seconds every 4-5 minutes..... i dont know why ?? i using HDMI @ 1008P-50Hz. Has anyone else had this problem ?? and know how to solve it. thanks regards Marty. The general advice is to leave the OPPO's video settings at default, except for the resolution, which should be set to the native resolution of your TV. Then it is necessary to properly calibrate the TV.

Since you live in Australia (based on your previous posts) your plasma TV will be PAL (correct?) If so, you could try setting the OPPO's "TV Type" to PAL. If you watch PAL DVD's most of the time, you might want to download the European FW.

Gary

The general advice is to leave the OPPO's video settings at default, except for the resolution, which should be set to the native resolution of your TV. Then it is necessary to properly calibrate the TV.

Since you live in Australia (based on your previous posts) your plasma TV will be PAL (correct?) If so, you could try setting the OPPO's "TV Type" to PAL. If you watch PAL DVD's most of the time, you might want to download the European FW.

Gary
All TV's and projectors in NZ are Pal/NTSC so we set our Oppos to Auto, I would have thought the TVs in Australia would be the same as much of our equipment comes via Aussie.

i have installed latest firmare, i have tried 2 HDMI cables. but i have not tried a diff HDMI port would it really make a diff regarding a diff port ?BTW the latest firmware on the Oppo site really helps us guys in Pal land. Any issues we had in NZ were fixed with the latest firmware, it works nicely for both Pal and NTSC.

hi guys i just got my 983h and set it up on my LG plasma. And the picture is OK ( i think my toshy EP10 did a better job, but i'm still fine tunning the oppo ) anyway something that is really annoying is the the screen goes black for about 2 seconds every 4-5 minutes..... i dont know why ?? i using HDMI @ 1008P-50Hz. Has anyone else had this problem ?? and know how to solve it. thanks regards Marty. We had the same thing in NZ but the latest firmware completely fixed the dropout.

Careful, the fanboys will barbecue you lol. I hear you, if the differences look this small to you, imagine that on a 50" Kuro. I would love to move to BD, but the price differences in some cases for software is staggering....... $35 versus an excellent quality DVD for $10............ heck, I have purchased a large portion of my collection in the $5 to $7.50 to $10 range. Until the pricing gets real, I will enjoy the steller picture and "almost" HD quality of the 983.

John

Agreed. Without Netflix I would not be fooling with BD. I have a PS3 for 18 months now and own a grand total of 8 BD's. DVD collection is approaching 800.

Want to get barbecued? Just tell the fanboys that the 983 is superior to the PS3 in upconverting. :)

Joe

All TV's and projectors in NZ are Pal/NTSC so we set our Oppos to Auto, I would have thought the TVs in Australia would be the same as much of our equipment comes via Aussie. Thank you for your valuable input here.

One more thing to keep in mind... In countries with a 50Hz power grid, some displays may be able to refresh the panel itself at both 50Hz and 60Hz. But some displays may convert all signals to 50Hz for the panel. In that case, the 983's ABT processor may do a better job of the conversion. So it may still be advantageous to set the OPPO's "TV Type" to PAL.

The same applies to the USA... I trust the 983's ABT processor more than my display, for converting PAL to NTSC.

Gary

Agreed. Without Netflix I would not be fooling with BD. I have a PS3 for 18 months now and own a grand total of 8 BD's. DVD collection is approaching 800.

Want to get barbecued? Just tell the fanboys that the 983 is superior to the PS3 in upconverting. :)

Joe

:D Don't you love it when friends think it's an HD signal or BD, and then you tell them it's just plain ole SD.

John

Want to get barbecued? Just tell the fanboys that the 983 is superior to the PS3 in upconverting. :)

Joe

Sometimes the truth hurts! PS3 folks will have to get over it.

The Blueray format isn't doing well right now. The early adopters are done but the masses aren't jumping on the bandwagon. I've heard grumblings. You folks might think about waiting for the next format to come along. No doubt a solid state format and not a spinning media. My 2 cents.

The Blueray format isn't doing well right now. The early adopters are done but the masses aren't jumping on the bandwagon. I've heard grumblings. You folks might think about waiting for the next format to come along. No doubt a solid state format and not a spinning media. My 2 cents.

Not everyone is a member of the lunatic fringe on the subject. I love my PS3 and I really enjoy watching films on BD. In some cases the difference is marginal at best and in others, it is profound. For example, Starship Troopers on DVD in the 983 is almost indistinguishable from the BD version except during the space battle sequences where the BD is noticeably better for detail. On the scaling issue, you would have to be blind to not see how much better the 983 scales the SD version than the PS3. On the other end of the line, The Hunt for Red October in BD simply blows the SD version away even when it's scaled on the 983.

Here's the kicker...I just ordered my movies for October and the split was 5 - DVD and 2 - BD. I love the 983's output at 1080p and the price differential is simply too great to order everything on BD. Now this is coming from someone who had 1200 LDs when the format tanked, so I know that over time I will amass my share of BD movies, and it is right there that the format will likely survive regardless of the what the general public does. In my opinion, for the short term and perhaps even longer, it is the new laserdisc...:D

-Toonces

The problem I have with BD is lack of content....To purchase mindless BD movies just because they are "reference" discs,IMO,is insane...I own a ton of sd movies that will probably never make their way to BD......And to tell the truth...since I married 983 to my elite 150.....I have not purchased a single BD movie.....
To my eyes.....there just isn't a big enough difference in the price nor PQ,that would justify the expense....Sure BD has it's moments in quite a few movies....but that's all they seem to be...moments....the wow factor does'nt last thru the entire movie.....But in the long run,to me,it's more about content..

The problem I have with BD is lack of content....To purchase mindless BD movies just because they are "reference" discs,IMO,is insane...I own a ton of sd movies that will probably never make their way to BD......And to tell the truth...since I married 983 to my elite 150.....I have not purchased a single BD movie.....
To my eyes.....there just isn't a big enough difference in the price nor PQ,that would justify the expense....Sure BD has it's moments in quite a few movies....but that's all they seem to be...moments....the wow factor does'nt last thru the entire movie.....But in the long run,to me,it's more about content..

Yes, content is king! Most on this site have nice equipment that is calibrated/tweaked out. BD shows more wow factor to the average set-up, or on large screen projection displays. With the 983 and a properly set-up average size (non projector) display, the differences in picture quality are not justified by the pricing and lack of content, IMO..... ymmv

John

The problem I have with BD is lack of content....To purchase mindless BD movies just because ...

Ya mean to say you are not rushing out to buy this new Blu release....
Malice@Doll(2000) NR

Robot prostitute Malice@Doll roams a deserted city unsuccessfully looking for johns after the human race is obliterated in this adult anime tale. With no people left, the android serving class has a meaningless existence. But after a horrific tentacled beast rapes Malice@Doll, she inexplicably turns human. With a renewed purpose in life, she tries to share the gift of humanity with others of her kind.

Available Formats:
DVD and Blu-Ray
:D

Ya mean to say you are not rushing out to buy this new Blu release....

:D


Oh yeah,and I will put this in my library of BDs...right next to Norbet(or however the hell you spell it)!

I was playing an SACD last night and turned on the OSD to see the track numbers, but then couldn't turn it off. Is there a way? I know with other types of disks you press OSD a few times and it cycles to display off - but not with an SACD. Is there a way to turn it off? (Not counting the "audio only" button to turn all video off)

I have recently bought the DV-983H and when trying to connect it to my non-HR Sony Bravia 34" screen found I could not get colour connection via Scart to Component video or Scart to S-video. I receive only black and white images. The only success in colour has been with the single yellow video cable but picture quality is poor. The Sony is operating perfectly otherwise. I have followed the excellent Oppo manual but cant find any hint on what is wrong. Do I have a duff DV-938 or am I missing something obvious. Please help if you can. Steve

Have your Scart-to-Component and Scart-to-Svideo adapters worked properly with other players? Getting black and white suggests that you are losing one channel of the video signal, and my experience when dealing with component and s-video connections has been that this is usually due to a loose or damaged cable rather than a fault at either the player or TV.

I have recently bought the DV-983H and when trying to connect it to my non-HR Sony Bravia 34" screen found I could not get colour connection via Scart to Component video or Scart to S-video. I receive only black and white images. The only success in colour has been with the single yellow video cable but picture quality is poor. The Sony is operating perfectly otherwise. I have followed the excellent Oppo manual but cant find any hint on what is wrong. Do I have a duff DV-938 or am I missing something obvious. Please help if you can. Steve

Hi

For best result using analog:
Use the latest Beta Firmware, to be found on Oppo's Support page.
1. Disconnect the HDMI cable.
2. Press Setup, then under Video Setup page:
Set Primary Output to Component (default is HDMI)
3. Set Video output to Video1 (this is the one most miss, analog uses the MTK chip which is Video1).

4. TV type, try with NTSC, PAL or Auto.

5. If it's a 4:3 TV, change the display to one of the 4:3 options.

You should be good to go.

Cheers

Vagabond's notes bring up a possible culprit. As you are following the steps he lists, make sure that the TV type is set properly. If you are using a Scart connection, I'm going to guess that you likely have a PAL display, and in that case you would want to set it to PAL rather than the default of NTSC.

I am not with the machine at the moment so can't sit down to have a go at implementing the suggestions you made. I do not have the latest Firmware upgrade but will get it. The cables are new and not used in any other machine - they are pretty good quality and are obviously well made. Yes, I am in a PAL region and did set the 983H to PAL and to Component output (as opposed to the default HDMI). Steve

Yes, I am in a PAL region and did set the 983H to PAL and to Component output (as opposed to the default HDMI). Steve

If you are playing any NTSC discs you will want to set VIDEO 1 when using component.

Note that component performance on this player is about the same as the 980. You are not getting your money's worth in video quality unless you are using HDMI or DVI.

-Bill

The cables are new and not used in any other machine - they are pretty good quality and are obviously well made.
Can you hook up a different player of some sort using the same cables to see if the problem follows the cables? All it would take was a missing or crossed conductor buried inside the cables' connectors and you would get the effect you are seeing - ruling that out could be helpful.

I am not with the machine at the moment so can't sit down to have a go at implementing the suggestions you made. I do not have the latest Firmware upgrade but will get it. The cables are new and not used in any other machine - they are pretty good quality and are obviously well made. Yes, I am in a PAL region and did set the 983H to PAL and to Component output (as opposed to the default HDMI). Steve


I'm pretty sure setting it to Video1 will set you right, then. You can try it without changing firmware, if you don't want to do it (it will default to NTSC instead of PAL if you do).

Although, the Beta firmware is especially good if you're in PAL land, as it contains enhancements for playing PAL DVD's.

Let us know how you're getting along.

cheers

You should not use video 1 mode, that's when not using VRS scaling of the Oppo.

Opened my 983, it has a 1010 & XILINX chip not a VRS 2010 chip- is mine a inferior chipset?

We had the same thing in NZ but the latest firmware completely fixed the dropout.

wich firmware ?? the beta version ?? what was the release date for the firmware your using ?

When I capture a screenshot from a PAL DVD to make it the default screen in my 983 I have noticed that my 983 begins to make strange things after a while. The most noticeable effects are not smooth fast forward or rewind (it´s something like "very fragmented playback") and the normal playback is VERY corrupted showing shifted colours around objects (this effect seems like a VERY dramatic Y/C delay). This problems didn´t dissapear until I reinstalled the firmware AND unplugged the player from AC for a few minutes. If I only reinstalled the firmware the problem it´s still there. I´m using the latest beta firmware and the latest 2010 chipset. I use Auto video system and colour space output (I´m in PAL zone) but I tried several settings to avoid the problem without luck. At the end if I don´t use the screen capture I have no problems and the player´s performance it´s fine.
I haven´t tried to capture a NTSC screenshot form a NTSC DVD but I´ll try in the next days to see what happen.

Beta has bug with HDMI hand shake- blank screen on Pioneer 5090, so I'd wait until they fix that problem.

You should not use video 1 mode, that's when not using VRS scaling of the Oppo.


...unless you are using analog outputs and doing NTSC<->PAL conversion, in which case you must use VIDEO 1.

Opened my 983, it has a 1010 & XILINX chip not a VRS 2010 chip- is mine a inferior chipset?

No.

-Bill

You should not use video 1 mode, that's when not using VRS scaling of the Oppo.


Video1 -> MTK chip for Analog
Video2 -> ABT chip for HDMI

Cheers

Sometimes the truth hurts! PS3 folks will have to get over it.
Well, I own two 983s and three PS3s plus a Pioneer 95FD standalone Blu-ray player so I have some experience with all of them (not to mention a number of other Oppo players). On my 100" front projector screen (via a JVC DLA-HD1 projector) upscaled DVDs (even when played on a 983) don't look nearly as good as the BDs. The fancy upscaling/deinterlacing logic in the DVD players simply can't reliably put the pixels in the right place when projected onto a large screen at 1080p.

Don't get me wrong, I am really impressed with the Oppo DV-983H and its ability to upscale DVDs (I own about 1000 DVDs so I do care about this), especially on smaller screens (looks really good on my 46" LCD TV from about 10 feet back). I just think that unless you've compared the upscaled DVD image to the BD image on a large 1080p screen, you are really not "seeing" it at its best (BD that is).

Well, I own two 983s and three PS3s plus a Pioneer 95FD standalone Blu-ray player so I have some experience with all of them (not to mention a number of other Oppo players). On my 100" front projector screen (via a JVC DLA-HD1 projector) upscaled DVDs (even when played on a 983) don't look nearly as good as the BDs. The fancy upscaling/deinterlacing logic in the DVD players simply can't reliably put the pixels in the right place when projected onto a large screen at 1080p.

Don't get me wrong, I am really impressed with the Oppo DV-983H and its ability to upscale DVDs (I own about 1000 DVDs so I do care about this), especially on smaller screens (looks really good on my 46" LCD TV from about 10 feet back). I just think that unless you've compared the upscaled DVD image to the BD image on a large 1080p screen, you are really not "seeing" it at its best (BD that is).

That wasnt my point... I agree with you by the way.. My reference was to SD.

The OP said:
Want to get barbecued? Just tell the fanboys that the 983 is superior to the PS3 in upconverting.

That wasnt my point... I agree with you by the way.. My reference was to SD.

The OP said:
Want to get barbecued? Just tell the fanboys that the 983 is superior to the PS3 in upconverting.

I really don't know whether your original post was sarcasm or not, but the generalized nature of it is what's objectionable.

I am a "PS3 Fanboy" and an "Xbox 360 Fanboy" and I am absolutely certain that the 983 upscaling is clearly superior to both gaming consoles at either 1080p or 720p.

Now it would be okay to generalize that only an idiot...as opposed to a Fanboy...would insist that the 983 does not have superior scaling...:D

-Toonces

The world is full of idiots. I've been saying that for years. :D

Beta has bug with HDMI hand shake- blank screen on Pioneer 5090, so I'd wait until they fix that problem.

Make sure you are pressing Eject to turn the player on, and not pressing the power button.

If you have the older two chip solution, the Power button will result in a blank HDMI screen. Eject (remote or front panel) when the player is off will result in a HDMI signal.

Hi, have my 983 hoocked up with hdmi to my integra 7.8 receiver and then, to my epson projector, is there a way to have my 983 send a signal to the receiver WITHOUT having to put ON my projector, the display on the 7.8 shows "NO SIGNAL"

Thanks

Sacha

^I'm not sure about the Integra, but my Onkyo has a function called HDMI OUT. If you turn HDMI OUT to OFF, then that disables the video from the display, and allows you to listen to music/audio without having the display turned on.

Also make sure you have your Integra 7.8 upgraded with the latest firmware. I had issues with my Integra DTC-9.8 not synchronizing any HDMI audio signal unless I had first turned on my projector or disconnected the Monitor Out HDMI cable.

Also make sure you have your Integra 7.8 upgraded with the latest firmware. I had issues with my Integra DTC-9.8 not synchronizing any HDMI audio signal unless I had first turned on my projector or disconnected the Monitor Out HDMI cable.

That must have been a real PITA. I took delivery of my 9.8 01 June. Came with FW 1.07 so never experienced the problem.

What do you think about the Reon color decoder error issue? I think it is overblown.

Joe

It is overblown, but I also bypass the Integra DTC-9.8 as much as possible, just to be on the safe side.

Vagabond

I am now in front of my 983H and i have followed your suggestions and have now set the setting to Video 1, Auto in PAL/NTSC/Auto etc but there is no change at all. Remains black and white. I can get a colour picture by taking the video input jack on the front of the TV/monitor (it is a SonyKLVL32M1) which is AV5 and normally reserved for video camera inputs being an RCA style plug. Still confused and frustrated!

Stephen McLeod

Vagabond

I am now in front of my 983H and i have followed your suggestions and have now set the setting to Video 1, Auto in PAL/NTSC/Auto etc but there is no change at all. Remains black and white. I can get a colour picture by taking the video input jack on the front of the TV/monitor (it is a SonyKLVL32M1) which is AV5 and normally reserved for video camera inputs being an RCA style plug. Still confused and frustrated!

Stephen McLeod

Just to summarize, please confirm that:


You are playing a PAL disc.
Your display accepts a PAL signal.
You are using three component cables, and the color of each cable matches the sockets on both the player and the display.


The VIDEO 1 setting should matter only if you are converting between PAL and NTSC.

Do you get the same behavior no matter what the output resolution?

-Bill

I am now in front of my 983H and i have followed your suggestions and have now set the setting to Video 1, Auto in PAL/NTSC/Auto etc but there is no change at all. Remains black and white.
Have you been able to test the SCART cables with a different source to verify that there is no issue with the cables? Also, have you tried setting the player for PAL instead of Auto (although when playing a PAL disc this should not matter, as Bill's post points out)?

It is overblown, but I also bypass the Integra DTC-9.8 as much as possible, just to be on the safe side.

I calibrated my pj using the 983, Getgray, Color HCFR and an EyeOne. All parameters measure very close to targets.

I leave Reon on as it does a better job scaling 1080p BD's than my PS3 to my native 720p pj.

Watching DVD's with the 983 outputting 720p I have toggled Reon on and off and see no difference. So the ABT chip is doing all the work and the Reon is just passing the signal through unmolested? I'm not missing anything, am I?

Still enjoy fooling people into believing that what I have playing from the 983 is BD. There have been some looks of confusion when I walk up to the rack and power down the PS3 and the movie keeps playing.

As about 80% of my movie watching is DVD I am patient, can wait until oppo gets the BDP83 up to their standard and releases. Looking forward to your thread.

Thanks

Joe

Have you been able to test the SCART cables with a different source to verify that there is no issue with the cables? Also, have you tried setting the player for PAL instead of Auto (although when playing a PAL disc this should not matter, as Bill's post points out)?

I forgot about the SCART end of the cable. The connector is not used here in North America.

mcleodsd: Were you planning on getting an HDMI display? Component performance of the 983 is no better than the 980, which is quite a bit less expensive.

-Bill

I am using a PAL disc; and the screen accepts a PAL signal.

To be very clear - I currently have 3 connections in place in an attempt to solve this problem:


AV1 has the SCART to component cable - is not now showing but when connected at AV3 on screen was black & white whether Video 1 or Video 2 selected
AV2 has a SCART to S-video cable - this is showing black & white
AV5 has a video to video (yellow double-ended RCA style connector cable) connected to front of screen normally reserved for video camera. This is working in colour but the resolution is terrible.




Unfortunately there is no HDMI connection as the screen is about 4 years old. I was not intending to change Sony screen for an HDMI model as the TV quality is excellent and it is used in a secondary residence.

Can't easily verify that the cables are working for other set-ups but they (S-video and Component) were bought new in last 4 weeks.

Thanks again

Stephen McLeod

AV1 has the SCART to component cable - is not now showing but when connected at AV3 on screen was black & white whether Video 1 or Video 2 selected
AV2 has a SCART to S-video cable - this is showing black & white
AV5 has a video to video (yellow double-ended RCA style connector cable) connected to front of screen normally reserved for video camera. This is working in colour but the resolution is terrible.






Hi

Are you sure that AV2 really can handle S-video? I'd check in the TV manual. It's not uncommon that s-video can only be handled by some SCART connectors - this is not uncommonly AV1.

There can also be a setting in your TV where you have to define the signal for the different SCART connections.
For instance: AV1: RGB > Component > S-video
Maybe AV2 can only handle Composite.

SCART can be tricky with this: for instance my ol' S-video VCR only handles s-video on SCART AV1, and only composite on SCART AV2.

Try change the SCART input just to see if that may be the culprit. Also check your TV manual and see which SCART handles S-video (if at all) and if you have to define the setting.

(My girlfriend's Grundig only handles s-video on one SCART input, where I have to specifically define an s-video setting.)

Hope this helps.

Vagabond

Thanks for that information - I will certainly take another look at it when I get back this evening. Thanks again for being supportive.

Stephen McLeod

Hi

I downloaded the pdf manual for the Sony KLVL32M1, as far I can tell, only AV3 supports S-video through SCART (page 57 and page 60 (see under terminals) in the manual).
AV1 and AV2 supports RGB plus your normal composite (but please note, not Component).
AV4 Component.
According to the manual there's also an s-video connection available for AV5 but that could be different in different countries.

So maybe, the wrong SCART input has been used? Try AV3.


Cheers

Vagabond - once again, thanks - I will take a look at this as soon as i get home this evening and let you know how it goes.

Stephen McLeod

Vagabond - once again, thanks - I will take a look at this as soon as i get home this evening and let you know how it goes.

Stephen McLeod

My old S2 TiVo used to do only B/W via SVideo. I found accidently that if I shorted the yellow video to ground that S would then deliver color. Never figured out why. My brother is still using it with a shorting plug in the yellow output.

Vagabond

Success! So simple in the end. Thank you so much for you help - the manuals don't make things as clear as they might. In any event, it is now working and the end of my frustrations.

Stephen

Glad to hear that you got it working, mcleodsd. And kudos to Vagabond for finding the input limitations...

Vagabond

Success! So simple in the end. Thank you so much for you help - the manuals don't make things as clear as they might. In any event, it is now working and the end of my frustrations.

Stephen

Great that you got it working! :)

Glad I could be of help.

Cheers

dvd would either skip,freeze or pause when played on the oppo 983 , and problem could be duplicated , however, it would play perfect on my blu-ray player also , tried it on my oppo 971 and the same thing happened as on the 983. anybody else having this problem.

dvd would either skip,freeze or pause when played on the oppo 983 , and problem could be duplicated , however, it would play perfect on my blu-ray player also , tried it on my oppo 971 and the same thing happened as on the 983. anybody else having this problem.

I've played it more than once on my 983 with no problems. Maybe a bad disc.

not a bad disc, remember it played on my blu-ray player without any problems.

ratatouille is a disney movie? If so menus probably not adhering to DVD standard, have several Disney movies which have problems on DVD players.

I had the same problem with a Disney dvd on my 981 played on my other two players fine. I called Oppo and they said they had been having problems with some Disney disks. I sent my player and the disk to Oppo and got a different player back. The disk played fine on the new player.

do you know what oppo did that was different on the new player...and what is strange to me is that the same disney dvd played on the blu-ray with no issues...

The dvd would lock up right at the start of previews ever time i tried it. They said the problem could not be duplicated and replaced the player. I never did understand how it could not have had the problem since it never played for me but the new one worked ok. I just tried it on my 983 and played fine as well as all the other Disney dvds i have. Never have had a problem with any dvd in the 983. You might try a little liquid soap a wash the disk and rinse off with warm water. I have had some disk play on one player and not another and washing the disk solved the problem. Worth a try.

I'd still put the blame on Disney discs, even if it works in another player. And say the player that refuses to play the Disney is not faulty.

I had to rip a Disney DVD strip out the movie onto a DVD-R to get it to play:rolleyes: Other Disney discs takes forever navigating menu. Also previews cannot be skipped on one player.

I did skip the previews, so i will try again and not do the skip and see if this fixes the problem.thanks...and then i will try the washing of the disc.

Try entering in the title number for the main movie, or press title before menu comes up. Basically mash the buttons and maybe lucky it'll work.

Disney:mad:

results were the same.e.g. problem with playback on the 983 .when i did not skip any of the previews and then washed and still had problem.

i will now try this , but the main concern is why will the 983 not playback when the BD will

Try entering in the title number for the main movie, or press title before menu comes up. Basically mash the buttons and maybe lucky it'll work.

Disney:mad:

i will try this and report back but the real issue is why will it play properly on a Blu-ray and not on the 983?.......

i will try this and report back but the real issue is why will it play properly on a Blu-ray and not on the 983?.......

Because playing media in the 983 or a Blu-Ray box is not like dropping a needle into a groove in a piece of vinyl. These machines are basically jack-leg computers that are reading code from an optical source.

Asking why it works in one and not the other is akin to asking why a program runs well on one workstation, but not another with an entirely different architecture.

-Toonces

Because playing media in the 983 or a Blu-Ray box is not like dropping a needle into a groove in a piece of vinyl. These machines are basically jack-leg computers that are reading code from an optical source.

Asking why it works in one and not the other is akin to asking why a program runs well on one workstation, but not another with an entirely different architecture.

-Toonces

but the groove i am dropping the dvd in , is an oppo 983 which should play anything you "throw "at it. and my original ? is anybody having playback issues with Ratatouille SD DVD

Why doesn't Monsters Inc work on a Pioneer DVD player, yet plays fine on other DVD players?

I DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA , WHY IT WILL NOT PLAY ON THE PIONEER DVD PLAYER,BUT AS I HAVE STATED ...THE 983 SHOULD PLAY ANY sd dvd YOU PUT IN IT. OR I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE CASE. I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO WHY THE RATATOUILLE WOULD FREEZE AT THE START OF THE MAIN MOVIE BUT WOULD NOT DO THIS ON MY PANNY...JUST CURIOUS NOT REALLY CONCERNED BECAUS I CAN FORCE IT TO PLAY....

homer, please stop shouting, you are hurting my ears...

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn148/Sing_Melokia/Caps_Lock.jpg

A little guidance:
http://www.fade-2-black.com/caps-lock.jpg

that is funny.

No problem with signing off , have contacted oppo , they were alot more help than you guys....

I DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA , WHY IT WILL NOT PLAY ON THE PIONEER DVD PLAYER,BUT AS I HAVE STATED ...THE 983 SHOULD PLAY ANY sd dvd YOU PUT IN IT. OR I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE CASE. I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO WHY THE RATATOUILLE WOULD FREEZE AT THE START OF THE MAIN MOVIE BUT WOULD NOT DO THIS ON MY PANNY...JUST CURIOUS NOT REALLY CONCERNED BECAUS I CAN FORCE IT TO PLAY....

homer, please stop shouting, you are hurting my ears...
youse guys are all too loud!

No problem with signing off , have contacted oppo , they were alot more help than you guys....

I'd already given what I could to the topic. This is the first I have heard that Oppo claims to have a blanket incompatibility issue with all Disney dvds.
I have two small children, and besides that I enjoy alot of animation myself.
So, I have at least 100 animated dvds, including all of the major Disney and Pixar releases. I have NEVER had any type of a problem playing back Disney dvds on either my DV-980H or my DV-983H. I have owned them both since release date respectivly.
Sorry I couldn't be more help :)

i do not have any idea , why it will not play on the pioneer dvd player,but as i have stated ...the 983 should play any sd dvd you put in it. Or i thought that was the case. I was just curious as to why the ratatouille would freeze at the start of the main movie but would not do this on my panny...just curious not really concerned becaus i can force it to play....

blame disney.

Ratatouille plays fine on my 983.

Sony distribution uses a variety of copy protection schemes, different on every disc and sometimes different on different runs of the same movie. They are based on bad sectors and bogus navigation and titles that are supposed to crash the various disc ripping tools, but not bother players. The truth is that these discs are often easier to rip and copy than they are to play. There's no predicting what players might puke on one of these, but it's not unusual to see it happen. Mostly, Sony uses it's customers as beta testers for it's various protection schemes.

post 4208 by far is the best explaination so far, and as noted i read alot more on this site vs posting, and quite frankly i follow alot of what SMARTYPANTS post , i really admire his knowledge and input, but when a seldom poster like me ask for input and you get post about my "all caps" entry , well this is just a joke and that person needs to be more informative not cute..... but thanks to rdgrimes for some logical explaination for this problem..... and the main reason i posted in the 1st place is that i too have several disney dvd s and have never had a problem until this particular dvd "ratatouille"

post 4208 by far is the best explaination so far, and as noted i read alot more on this site vs posting, and quite frankly i follow alot of what SMARTYPANTS post , i really admire his knowledge and input, but when a seldom poster like me ask for input and you get post about my "all caps" entry , well this is just a joke and that person needs to be more informative not cute..... but thanks to rdgrimes for some logical explaination for this problem..... and the main reason i posted in the 1st place is that i too have several disney dvd s and have never had a problem until this particular dvd "ratatouille"

Sorry if offended you, but in my defense, my name IS Smarty-pants :).

Sorry if offended you, but in my defense, my name IS Smarty-pants :).

Now thats funny! :D

John

Page 43 of the manual has a section called Use of USB Device with the following text

This DVD player is equipped with a USB port on its back panel. You may use the USB port to play digital video, audio and picture files stored on compatible USB drives.

This unit supports “USB Mass Storage Class Bulk-Only Transport” devices only. Most USB thumbs drives, portable hard disk drives and card readers conform to this device class. Other USB devices such as MP3 players, digital cameras, and mobile phones may not be compatible. It is not possible to connect this unit to a personal computer for USB playback.

Has any tried playing a ripped DVD either from a thumb drive or, better yet, a USB hard drive? Any luck?

If it works, a 1TB drive is like a DVD jukebox with room for 130 movies! Plus, you get all the benefits of the 983 video processing, which you wouldn't from an HTPC or Apple TV etc...

You can playback VOB files, but BUP/IFO is not support. This means that you will not be able to select Menus, change audio and video streams, and there will be pauses between VOB files.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn148/Sing_Melokia/Caps_Lock.jpg

A little guidance:
http://www.fade-2-black.com/caps-lock.jpg
Touché...

Has any tried playing a ripped DVD either from a thumb drive or, better yet, a USB hard drive? Any luck? I ripped a few Superbit movies with DTS soundtracks to VOB files on a USB hard drive, and they play perfectly. A USB flash drive works too, but its read-speed has to be pretty good to support the high bit-rate.

Gary

No problem with signing off , have contacted oppo , they were alot more help than you guys....
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Ratatouille plays fine on my 983.
Ditto on both my 981 and 983!

I hope that the PAL firmware will improve soon :(
Sometimes, the player has problems to sync the subtitles with the frames. I discovered that it happens more in PAL movies then in NTSC movies.
This results in combing artifact in the subtitles.
Another bad artifact is the stripes withing the subs.

I got my 983 on Thursday. I used it a little Thursday night and again last night. No more than a few total hours. The last two nights the 983 would get really loud when playing a DVD and then calm dowm. I could really hear it spinning away. Now it will not read a disc, period. It tries to load for a minute and displays unknown disc. Is there anything I can try before I call Oppo on Monday for a replacement? I might be mistaken but I'm pretty sure my firmware is older than the newest version. I'll have to double check. It was supposed to be the latest batch from China and Oppo said it would have latest FW loaded. Is it possible Oppo would have sent me a customer return or refurb? This is a little upsetting. My main concern with Oppo was build quality and durability/reliability. I hope this is an anomoly. :confused:

I got my 983 on Thursday. I used it a little Thursday night and again last night. No more than a few total hours. The last two nights the 983 would get really loud when playing a DVD and then calm dowm. I could really hear it spinning away. Now it will not read a disc, period. It tries to load for a minute and displays unknown disc. Is there anything I can try before I call Oppo on Monday for a replacement? I might be mistaken but I'm pretty sure my firmware is older than the newest version. I'll have to double check. It was supposed to be the latest batch from China and Oppo said it would have latest FW loaded. Is it possible Oppo would have sent me a customer return or refurb? This is a little upsetting. My main concern with Oppo was build quality and durability/reliability. I hope this is an anomoly. :confused:

It may be that others here can help diagnose and respond to whatever problem exists. But, I am qualified to comment on OPPO Digital's customer service and integrity. I have owned three of its DVD players, starting with the 971, then the 981 and now the 983. (Other family members now benefit from my climb up the OPPO ladder.) I worked for nearly ten years as a customer service telephone rep and seasonal CSR supervisor for LL Bean and I am a LLB retiree. I know the difference between good and bad customer service.

OPPO Digital customer service is the best in the electronics industry I've ever known of, based on both personal experience and the anecdotes of others as told on this and other threads. World-class. Likewise, its integrity is nonpareil. I say that as a person who is 75 years ago. I have a lot of experience on which to base my comments. OPPO Digital is a class operation.

No, it is not possible that you got a refurb or return instead of a new player if you paid for new. But, why wait until Monday to call OPPO? This is not your ordinary company. If something is wrong, they will make it right. Period. Call them today! :)

Dana

I was planning on calling them today but didn't know if anyone would be taking calls. I've never heard anything but good things about their CS and I'm sure they will make it right. It is just frustrating and disapointing to have only been able to use my new 983 for less than a few hours.

I ripped a few Superbit movies with DTS soundtracks to VOB files on a USB hard drive, and they play perfectly. A USB flash drive works too, but its read-speed has to be pretty good to support the high bit-rate.

Gary

Were you able to play entire movies and did you experience pauses between .VOB files like Neuromancer mentions in #4213?

Thanks!

Sometimes, the player has problems to sync the subtitles with the frames. I discovered that it happens more in PAL movies then in NTSC movies.
This results in combing artifact in the subtitles.

Ensure that you have the latest firmware release installed and your de-interlacing, when playing a PAL film, has been forced to either 2:2 Odd or 2:2 Even modes to rule out the possibility of a cadence mismatch.

Also ensure that your Video option under Video Preference is set to Video 2 and not Video 1 if you are using the HDMI output of the player.

Another bad artifact is the stripes withing the subs.

This has been an issue with all the MTK based players which OPPO has released. Likely not going to be resolved.

I was planning on calling them today but didn't know if anyone would be taking calls. I've never heard anything but good things about their CS and I'm sure they will make it right. It is just frustrating and disapointing to have only been able to use my new 983 for less than a few hours.

OPPO only has people in their office Monday through Friday, 9:00AM to 5:30PM PST. They may still answer e-mails on the weekends, however.

I might be mistaken but I'm pretty sure my firmware is older than the newest version. I'll have to double check. It was supposed to be the latest batch from China and Oppo said it would have latest FW loaded.
OPPO will only install firmware which is Official. For this reason, the player should have the 08-0709 Firmware installed, not the 11-0910 Beta Firmware which is currently available on their website.
Is it possible Oppo would have sent me a customer return or refurb?
Impossible. If you bought new, it is new. The unit could have had an inherent defect out of box. If the player was shipped direct to the factory to OPPO, the latest firmware release and QA tests should have been performed before the receipt at OPPO Digital. Thereby, the unit would have gone out without any additional checking. Your player just happened to be DOA. It happens, as it is impossible to create a mass produced product that will always be defect free.

Thnaks for the replies.

I believe it is 08-0709.

No luck getting in touch with Oppo but it was to be expected. It isn't anything that won't keep till Monday.

I was pretty sure it was a factory defect but I had to ask. Glad to see Oppo has such loyal followers. They must be doing something right. :)

I DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA , WHY IT WILL NOT PLAY ON THE PIONEER DVD PLAYER,BUT AS I HAVE STATED ...THE 983 SHOULD PLAY ANY sd dvd YOU PUT IN IT. OR I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE CASE. I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO WHY THE RATATOUILLE WOULD FREEZE AT THE START OF THE MAIN MOVIE BUT WOULD NOT DO THIS ON MY PANNY...JUST CURIOUS NOT REALLY CONCERNED BECAUS I CAN FORCE IT TO PLAY....

Just for sh*ts and giggles, I went to my local Family Video and rented "Ratattouille" (for a buck!) and whaddya' know...it played perfectly on my 983 without a glitch. Not my kind of fare, but wanted to see if there were any problems with the Oppo. Mebbe you got a lemon...mebbe your "rat..." is defective...but the 983's been flawless with everything I've thrown at it.

I DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA , WHY IT WILL NOT PLAY ON THE PIONEER DVD PLAYER,BUT AS I HAVE STATED ...THE 983 SHOULD PLAY ANY sd dvd YOU PUT IN IT. OR I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE CASE. I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO WHY THE RATATOUILLE WOULD FREEZE AT THE START OF THE MAIN MOVIE BUT WOULD NOT DO THIS ON MY PANNY...JUST CURIOUS NOT REALLY CONCERNED BECAUS I CAN FORCE IT TO PLAY....

are you sure you are using the original dvd disc? if it's original then probably it was defect, it can play in other player very well but not in another player, if it's a pirated one then 50-50 you really experiencing freezing or pausing.

If I had had that problem I would have rented another copy of the Ratatouille to rule out which is the problem the DVD or the player... Forcing the unit to play any disc will mess it up...

If I could wish for an upgrade it would be that when you change audio format with the audio button on the remote is that when it is displayed so I can see the difference between DD5.1 and DD2.0 so you know which audio format that you have choosen. On my two other DVD players you can see that.

You can playback VOB files, but BUP/IFO is not support. This means that you will not be able to select Menus, change audio and video streams, and there will be pauses between VOB files.


One way around the pause problem is to use DVD Decrypter, and select the option to rip the VBOs as one large file. This will guarantee a nice seemless playback.

Two questions. Does anyone have an opinion of this vs the Pioneer DV-410V? And are divx files able to play off burned DVD's? I couldn't find a clear answer on that one. Thanks.

Two questions. Does anyone have an opinion of this vs the Pioneer DV-410V? And are divx files able to play off burned DVD's? I couldn't find a clear answer on that one. Thanks.

You can play DIVX from any disc, or USB. Also good to note that the 983 does not choke on high-bitrate DIVX.

Compare to the Pio 410 in what way? PQ on the Oppo 983 is unsurpassed by any player.

And are divx files able to play off burned DVD's? I couldn't find a clear answer on that one. Thanks.

Yes. You are limited to standard definition resolutions (720x480 max).

-Bill

Glad to see Oppo has such loyal followers. They must be doing something right. :)

My customer experience with Oppo service has been wonderful. I have always been connected quickly to knowledgeable tech reps and in the end they replaced my 983 which has been perfect.

One way around the pause problem is to use DVD Decrypter, and select the option to rip the VBOs as one large file. This will guarantee a nice seemless playback.

Have you confirmed this with the 983?

Thanks.

If I could wish for an upgrade it would be that when you change audio format with the audio button on the remote is that when it is displayed so I can see the difference between DD5.1 and DD2.0 so you know which audio format that you have choosen. On my two other DVD players you can see that.

That's exactly what I asked some time ago on the 980 thread, but unfortunately people there didn't get very excited with the idea. :(

Maybe if many of us are interested...

Were you able to play entire movies and did you experience pauses between .VOB files like Neuromancer mentions in #4213? Yes, I've played entire movies, and yes, the player takes a few seconds to load each .VOB file.

As videonut mentioned. you can create one large VOB file, but the drive must be formatted as FAT32, which has a maximum file size limit of 4GB (I think). If the movie doesn't fit into 4GB, you can split it in two, or compress it to fit. Size-wise, it helps to rip only the main movie, and a single audio track. Large VOB files work fine on the player.

Gary

Compare to the Pio 410 in what way? PQ on the Oppo 983 is unsurpassed by any player.

Mostly just a generalization including AQ and features. But picture and audio matter most so that's good to know. After looking at the price of this though I have started to think if it'll be smarter just to get a Blu-Ray instead. Oh well, I still have a month and a half till black friday. Thanks for the reply.

Mostly just a generalization including AQ and features. But picture and audio matter most so that's good to know. After looking at the price of this though I have started to think if it'll be smarter just to get a Blu-Ray instead. Oh well, I still have a month and a half till black friday. Thanks for the reply.

the Oppo BDP-83 would be the obvious choice, but will cost more. It'll have all the same features as the 983, plus a lot more. May not be out by the holiday though, and will not be on sale if it is.

the Oppo BDP-83 would be the obvious choice, but will cost more. It'll have all the same features as the 983, plus a lot more. May not be out by the holiday though, and will not be on sale if it is.

I was actually looking at the Panasonic DMP-BD55. To me it looks like it does everything the 983 does plus BD and it's the same price.

I was actually looking at the Panasonic DMP-BD55. To me it looks like it does everything the 983 does plus BD and it's the same price.The DVD upscaler circuitry in the OPPO 983 is superior to that in the Panasonic BD55. So I would not consider the BD55 to be "everything the 983 is plus BD". For that, you'll need to wait for the yet-to-be-released OPPO BDP-83.

I was actually looking at the Panasonic DMP-BD55. To me it looks like it does everything the 983 does plus BD and it's the same price. sremick is right. The DMP-BD55 may do all the same stuff, but does it do it as WELL as the 983? Highly unlikely.

Gary

I was actually looking at the Panasonic DMP-BD55. To me it looks like it does everything the 983 does plus BD and it's the same price.

Not even close. The Oppo is a true universal player with PQ on SD-DVD that the Panasonic can only dream about. If playback of PAL, multiregion, SACD, DVD-A and file playback are not important to you, and if SD PQ is not important, then go with the BD55.

Can dust on DVDs cause picture dropouts? It's only happened on a rental disc so far and since they've obviously been battered a bit that's why I ask.

I just got a brief flash of analogue noise whist watching a rental DVD, and it got me worried it could happen again, and again...

Can dust on DVDs cause picture dropouts? It's only happened on a rental disc so far and since they've obviously been battered a bit that's why I ask.

I just got a brief flash of analogue noise whist watching a rental DVD, and it got me worried it could happen again, and again...

In my experience the answer would be a resounding YES...I learned the hard way with rentals and wash every rented disc I play...regardless of the way it looks......and,in some instances....due to suface scratching,pixilation,dropouts,freezing,etc still occurs.

Not even close. The Oppo is a true universal player with PQ on SD-DVD that the Panasonic can only dream about. If playback of PAL, multiregion, SACD, DVD-A and file playback are not important to you, and if SD PQ is not important, then go with the BD55.

You seem to have strong convictions on this point which makes me wonder...have you personally compared DVD playback on a Panny BDXX deck with the 983 on a good calibrated display?

I have the BD30 and the 983 running HDMI to an Elite VSX-94 (no processing) and HDMI to a Pioneer PDP-6010 calibrated by umr (aka Jeff Meier).

The 983 is better at DVD playback, but not by a huge amount, especially following Panny's recent firmware update for the BD30.

In fact, I believe most people wouldn't notice the difference unless they were watching with one of us avs freaks yelling "See! See! See!" in their ears every time WE noticed a difference.

Just my 2 cents.

In my experience the answer would be a resounding YES...I learned the hard way with rentals and wash every rented disc I play...regardless of the way it looks......and,in some instances....due to suface scratching,pixilation,dropouts,freezing,etc still occurs.


Music to my ears! Thank you!

I can put up with it all day (well, to a certain extent) with rental DVDs but the thought of it happening at random on my precious collection with my newish £300 player terrified me!

Thanks again:)

Music to my ears! Thank you!

I can put up with it all day (well, to a certain extent) with rental DVDs but the thought of it happening at random on my precious collection with my newish £300 player terrified me!

Thanks again:)

This might seem like overkill,but i do wash all my purchased discs as well...i have found,in several instances in the past,i found "Gunk" on the discs that were causing problems..

This might seem like overkill,but i do wash all my purchased discs as well...i have found,in several instances in the past,i found "Gunk" on the discs that were causing problems..

I don't get that. I have opened brand new sealed discs as well, and the side the laser reads has a "film" of sorts on it. I seem to get more of these as well from orders thru amazon. Really is irritating.

John

I'm close to ordering this player this week. Everything I've read says it's definitely the best upconverting player. The best upconverting player I have is the Toshiba A1. How much better is the Oppo over that Toshiba?