Want best upconversion for my new 1080p LED screen.Does the upconversion feature in the 980 give similar pq to upconversion feature in the 83 for standard dvds?I have a huge standard def collection of concerts and films and want best player for them.Would be nice to get same standard def dvd pq on the cheaper oppo 980 than to have to move up to blu-ray oppo 83 whose upconversion is suppose to be great. Thanks

No, they are pretty different. the 980 uses the MTK decoder chip for de-interlacing and scaling. the -83 uses the ABT chip for de-interlacing and scaling. With a large library of DVD, you'd want the BDP-83 for max quality.

But with a smaller screen the differences will be less. 50" and above really beg for the better processing.

If you have no strong desire at this point to start watching or investing in a BR collection, the Oppo DV-980H would make more sense from a monetary perspective (especially if you have a screen size of less than 40"). The DV-980H does a fine job of upconverting SD DVDs. $330 is a heck of a lot of money to save.

Jeff is correct of course but if you are looking at an investment for the foreseable future, the 83 with the ABT 2010 chipset is a no brainer as compared to probably any of the OPPO dvd players. The variables of your application, as has been pointed out, may make any blu-ray player not a good idea at this time.

jsmiddleton,Do you have any suggestions for reasonably priced standard dvd player since yes I dont have any blu ray discs.My sreen is the 55 inch version of the Samsung LED 8500

At 55", you want the ABT processing that Oppo offers. Look for a used 983 or just spring for the BDP-83. Call Oppo and see if they have any refurb units available.

matt,

I have 61 inch rptv, Samsung LED.

I use a Pioneer 610 with the 3rd party firmware from Pioneer FAQ. I am very pleased with the picture.

Cost about 100 bucks and plays sacd too.

Having said that I'm not disagreeing with the advice to find an OPPO DVD used. You probably could find one from a fellow AVS Forum member who has upgraded to OPPO's 83 or some other blu-ray.

My opinion, and you know what they say about those, is at 55 inches while you want quality upscaling your need is not the same as if you were doing 110 inch screen and projector. Not saying you can put a Colby Walmart special on your 55 inch display. Just that at 55 inches you are not looking to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of a dvd.

Your TV may provide quality upscaling. Have you fed it a 480p signal and checked the results? You don't always need a dvd source to do the upscaling. Does your reciever upscale? Folks forget that their displays just might be the best upscaler in their entire system.

I know the 83 is more money. Lots more in fact. But me I do not think I could spend any money on a new sd-dvd player. If I was thinking best value, bang for the buck, great performance and support AND future application, I'd be figuring out a way to get an OPPO 83.

What dvd playback device to you have now?

Very sweet TV O.P.! With an LED of that size (and the investment you have in it) it might be time to start thinking about starting a Blu-Ray collection!;)

Im using the oppo 970 sending 480i to my 6 year old 43 inch pioneer with fantastic results.Think I just talked myself into the oppo 83