Do you have a list of the proposed fixes?

Thanks,
If you follow the link you'll be pointed to a list of the fixes. This is basically a properly working version of the 0220 firmware.

Dave

You should search the site, this has been talked about many, many times. IMHO the loss of resolution is only really spotable on test patterns, and even then I'm not so sure. But others (especially Toonces) have reported a problem with resolution (i.e., detail) loss. Personally I always use wide/squeeze at 720p and watch about 50/50 4:3/16:9 material with no problems. 4:3 through the oppo looks just great on my ae700.

Also, if I use 480p I get siginficant cropping, about 5% from all sides of the image.

Dave

Same here with regards to the Wide/SQZ and at 720p. On my 30HS420 and Z3.

With regards to the Audio sync problem, I find myself wondering if I have any audio sync issues that I just didn't notice??? lol. Paranoid.

I am still debating on purchasing this DVD player. Is the audio sync issue still a problem or has this been repaired with firmware? Any news of an updated DVD player on the horizon from OPPO?

You should search the site, this has been talked about many, many times. IMHO the loss of resolution is only really spotable on test patterns, and even then I'm not so sure. But others (especially Toonces) have reported a problem with resolution (i.e., detail) loss. Personally I always use wide/squeeze at 720p and watch about 50/50 4:3/16:9 material with no problems. 4:3 through the oppo looks just great on my ae700.

Also, if I use 480p I get siginficant cropping, about 5% from all sides of the image.

Dave

In my experience, the wide/sqz mode makes subtitles on 4:3 material slightly harder to read.

I am still debating on purchasing this DVD player. Is the audio sync issue still a problem or has this been repaired with firmware? Any news of an updated DVD player on the horizon from OPPO?


First of all, many of us have never experienced audio sync problems at all, with any firmware update. YMMV

Second - well, I didnt' have anything else :rolleyes:

Do you have a list of the proposed fixes?

Thanks,

Same as the F-0302 but with a proper A/V syncronization fix this time around (ie. no more interlacing and DivX playback errors with the F-0220 firmware).

1. Improvement to audio/video synchronization.

This version of firmware reduces the time difference between audio and video outputs. Due to the time required to decode and process the audio and video contents encoded on a DVD disc, there is usually a time difference between the audio and video outputs. In previous firmware versions the time difference could be large enough to cause noticeable "lip sync" problems under certain circumstances. In this version the time difference is reduced. This version also reduced the variation of A/V synchronization caused by playback control operations such as pausing, repeating, chapter skipping and accessing the setup menu.

In my experience, the wide/sqz mode makes subtitles on 4:3 material slightly harder to read.

Can't say I've seen the same, unless you are talking about burned in subs (ie, subs that are part of the actual video). Subtitles are processed externally from the video and is the same no matter what mode I'm in.

I've had mine since Thursday and played about a dozen movies and have seen no audio sych problem myself.

Thanks for the reply, Gary. So it sounds like either I should stick with my ancient Toshiba non-progressive SD-3109 for connecting to the Sony CRT. I was trying to move that player to the bedroom and replace it either with the Oppo or the Denon 1910 that's in the theater now. I just need to see which, if any, of these three players best marries with it's respective display. If the stupid Sony didn't letterbox everything, it wouldn't be an issue.

Thanks again,
Jeff


Hello Jeff

The OPDV971H only does 480i over component. Nothing else (and it doesn't do it terribly well either). But the OPDV970H (due to be released soon) will do 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i over HDMI and component, however, it will not be a Faroudja player.

Gary

Hey Jeff, I thought you had a Samsung DLP at one stage. The OPPO makes a perfect companion for the Sammy!

Same as the F-0302 but with a proper A/V syncronization fix this time around (ie. no more interlacing and DivX playback errors with the F-0220 firmware) The F-0316 Beta release works like a charm. As others have reported, the variability of the audio sync is GONE and the video is smooth. Dump the other FW releases... this is the one to have (until something better comes along)!

Thank you OPPO and Mediatek!

Gary

When we say loss in resolution, are we saying the picture is not as clear as if it was upconverted cleanly or are parts of the picture being clipped? No clipping. Some of the finest detail becomes fuzzy in resolution patterns. Even though my TV allows me to pillar-box 4:3 material with no loss of resolution, I often let the OPPO squeeze it, because the difference is not so noticable in most movies.

Gary

Gary,

Yep.. that's me. Here's my setup right now.

Upstairs Theater Room:
Samsung HLP-5685 with brand new light engine
Samsung TS-160 STB set at 720p via component
Denon DVD-1910 set at 720p via DVI

Living Room Theater:
Sony 36" HS510 CRT HDTV
Toshiba Interlaced SD-3109 Dual Tray DVD player via Component 480i
Hughes HR10-250 HD DirecTIVO set to 1080i or 480i depending on channel via HDMI->DVI

Bedroom:
Ancient Toshiba 27" SDTV
Hughes DirecTIVO

I'm thinking of snagging the Oppo to connect to the Sammy, moving the Denon to the Living Room and the Toshiba to the Bedroom. The issue was whether I use the Oppo or the Denon in the living room. I was thinking that the component output connections and how they deal with the Sony's "anything higher than 480i is letterboxed" issue would make that determination as I only have the one DVI jack on the Sony there. You see my dilemma?

Thanks again,
Jeff


Hey Jeff, I thought you had a Samsung DLP at one stage. The OPPO makes a perfect companion for the Sammy!

Ah... sounds logical.

I am still debating on purchasing this DVD player. Is the audio sync issue still a problem or has this been repaired with firmware? Any news of an updated DVD player on the horizon from OPPO? Its time to end the debate and buy the darn player! Just do it! The sync error is now a constant. IF you notice it, you can always compensate by using the analog outputs and the audio delay feature.

Gary

Oppo has refurbs on the site again, $160... for domestic orders, only.

The F-0316 Beta release works like a charm. As others have reported, the variability of the audio sync is GONE and the video is smooth. Dump the other FW releases... this is the one to have (until something better comes along)!

Thank you OPPO and Mediatek!

Gary

Is Divx A/V synch ok as well?

Just watched a Divx movie, and no problems.

This fixed some minor problems, but I should say I've never had A/V sync problems!

I have a Sammy HLP 5674 DLP, and this firmware is great.

Can't wait for the Russians to put up a FW with the user prohibited operations removed:)

Just watched a Divx movie, and no problems.

This fixed some minor problems, but I should say I've never had A/V sync problems!

I have a Sammy HLP 5674 DLP, and this firmware is great.

Can't wait for the Russians to put up a FW with the user prohibited operations removed:)


Yes a no UPO of this firmware would rock, now its time to beg the right person :)

No clipping. Some of the finest detail becomes fuzzy in resolution patterns. Even though my TV allows me to pillar-box 4:3 material with no loss of resolution, I often let the OPPO squeeze it, because the difference is not so noticable in most movies.

Gary


I just received the player today. The 4:3 material looks good to me so I am not dissatisified. The normal 16:9 media seemed good also but I don't have another player to compare it to besides my computer. I also played DIVX files with no issues.

When we say loss in resolution, are we saying the picture is not as clear as if it was upconverted cleanly or are parts of the picture being clipped? Thanks.


I watch a lot of 4:3 material recorded OTA on a DVD recorder, then played back on the OPPO. I leave my OPPO set on wide sqz. I think it gives a much better 4:3 pic qulailty than my previous DVD player (non-upconverting Onkyo). I'm watching these on a 65in screen, and am pretty satisfied with the 4:3 quallity. I have just a few comercial 4:3 DVD's but to me, they look just fine.

Rick

F-0316 Beta (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html) is now accessable on the OPPO website.

This is best firmware yet from oppo. This version seems to fix NR setting to keep off even with trueflife disabled. I've tested few dvd's under 0316 beta version and even the Harry Potter Goblet of Fire looks better with this firmware. Now, if they only add 1080p24 output option, that would make this Oppo a perfect upconverting DVD player all around, not that I'm not happy with current 1080i performance.

Anyway, I'm just surpised that no one seems to be excited about the 0316 beta release.

I installed the new beta firmware, and after testing a few DVDs the audio sync issue seems to have been resolved. I did a lot of pausing, chapter skipping, and going in and out of the menus and am glad to see no lip sync issues.

Thank you, Oppo Digital! :)

No clipping. Some of the finest detail becomes fuzzy in resolution patterns. Even though my TV allows me to pillar-box 4:3 material with no loss of resolution, I often let the OPPO squeeze it, because the difference is not so noticable in most movies.

Gary

Just to clarify, Gary, clipping can occur (5% on all four sides) on an ae700 if you set the oppo to 480p wide and let the pj scale. This does not occur using wide/squeeze @720p. However, this is a problem with the ae700 rather than with the oppo (thanks Gary!)--or, better, with the combination of the two.

Dave

Anyway, I'm just surpised that no one seems to be excited about the 0316 beta release.


Thanks oppo! spins does handstand, etc! :D

This is best firmware yet from oppo. This version seems to fix NR setting to keep off even with trueflife disabled. I've tested few dvd's under 0316 beta version and even the Harry Potter Goblet of Fire looks better with this firmware. Now, if they only add 1080p24 output option, that would make this Oppo a perfect upconverting DVD player all around, not that I'm not happy with current 1080i performance. I agree... except for NR...

I've confirmed that the the image retention/ghosting problem still exists. When Truelife is OFF, the NR circuit appears to default to LOW, even though the menu says it's OFF. Turning on Truelife fixes that issue, but increases the likelihood of macroblock-enhance.

Gary

Just to clarify, Gary, clipping can occur (5% on all four sides) on an ae700 if you set the oppo to wide and let the pj scale. Yes, my Samsung happens to do this too... but to clarify the clarification (for others)... that is a display issue, not an OPPO issue.

Gary

Same as the F-0302 but with a proper A/V syncronization fix this time around (ie. no more interlacing and DivX playback errors with the F-0220 firmware).

1. Improvement to audio/video synchronization.



Thanks as usual! :D

This player with the SDI card rocks!!!!!!!! I had it hooked up to my 1080p JVC with DVI but I decided to try installing the SDI (was going to use the SDI on my panny RP91, but the traces are too small to solder to on it). I saw a thread about the oppo with SDI and figured I would try it. It works great! The oppo thru an Iscan HD+ set to 1080i looks significantly better than the oppo thru DVI (720p, which is better than 1080i on dvi) to the JVC. It is a noticeable improvement. The image has a more lifelike appearance and less noise.


I can't imagine a cleaner dvd image. This is the best dvd picture I have ever seen!


Now if we can only get the firmware with the UPO's removed from our Russian friends.....

Jon

I agree... except for NR...

I've confirmed that the the image retention/ghosting problem still exists. When Truelife is OFF, the NR circuit appears to default to LOW, even though the menu says it's OFF. Turning on Truelife fixes that issue, but increases the likelihood of macroblock-enhance.

Gary

Does the new firmware look as good or better than previous versions (I think I'm on 220) at 720p or just an improvement on 1080i?

I have a Samsung DLP and run it at 720p. Generally happy w/ the PQ so I don't want to make it worse.

Do you run the Oppo at 720p to your Samsung?

I prefer to leave True Life and all of the other features Off. Never realized that this actually meant NR was set to Low instead of Off. Do you still recommend leaving everything on Off, except for really poor transfers where you may want to up the NR?

Does the new firmware look as good or better than previous versions (I think I'm on 220) at 720p or just an improvement on 1080i?

I have a Samsung DLP and run it at 720p. Generally happy w/ the PQ so I don't want to make it worse.

Do you run the Oppo at 720p to your Samsung?

I prefer to leave True Life and all of the other features Off. Never realized that this actually meant NR was set to Low instead of Off. Do you still recommend leaving everything on Off, except for really poor transfers where you may want to up the NR?

There is no noticable--or intended--difference in 720p PQ on the latest firmware. The only real difference is in a working a/v sync fix, so if you are using the 0220 fw and have noticed any de-interlacing errors, screen freezing or dropped frames this will be corrected in the 0316.

Dave

There is no noticable--or intended--difference in 720p PQ on the latest firmware. The only real difference is in a working a/v sync fix, so if you are using the 0220 fw and have noticed any de-interlacing errors, screen freezing or dropped frames this will be corrected in the 0316.

Dave

Haven't really noticed these problems but I'd prefer the latest and greatest FW as long as PQ hasn't gotten worse at 720p, which I'm assuming it hasn't.

I agree... except for NR...

I've confirmed that the the image retention/ghosting problem still exists. When Truelife is OFF, the NR circuit appears to default to LOW, even though the menu says it's OFF. Turning on Truelife fixes that issue, but increases the likelihood of macroblock-enhance.

Gary

Gary,

Is there a particular DVD title or scenes you recommend to test NR issues?... From few dvd's I've observed, I wasn't experiencing retention/ghosting as once seen. I actually saw this most on oppo screen saver mode. Atleast, the effect is either minimized or I've not look into the right scene. BTW, I got a replacement unit couple of weeks ago with later serial# and also seems to have different powersupply version v2.6 where the older unit had v2.9. Not sure what else was changed, but the DVI board also have likely gone through revision as reported earlier.

This is an odd issue that I've avoided bringing up, but thought I'd mention now that we're talking about resolutions.

I watch everything at 720p, whether it's on my Z3 or the KV30HS420.

On my KV30HS420, if I change the resolution to 480p, or 1080i, I start noticing that the picture on the CRT tends to .. vibrate, I guess is the best way to put it. It seems to shake slightly. And if I change it to the PAL res, I don't see anything.

If I change the resolutions while watching my Z3, I don't recall having an issue with any resolution.

Does that make sense for my CRT? Because I watch HD from my Motorola DCT6200 cable box, which outputs DVI just like my Oppo, and HD cable will come in at 720p or 1080i with no problems.

FinalHeaven -

When using the HS420 series at 480p, you will need to do the following:
This can only be remedied through the service menu of the TV. While viewing the DVD player in 480p mode, enter the Sony service menu. Go to the MID3 category, then find the entry called VSTT. Change the value from 0 to 1. This modifies a phase-locked loop start value and stabilizes the shaking at the top of the screen. If you are not familiar with the Sony service menu, I would recommend sticking with 1080i, even though this means losing Wide Zoom capability. Mistakes made in the service menu can ruin your TV. Also, the ISF calibrator who calibrated my system said that there was some attenuation evident in 480p that was not evident in 1080i.

1080i will always jitter as the Faroudja chipset is not designed for interlaced output.

Just wanted to get some feedback - this is the best place to read and talk about the Oppo!

1. Has anybody noticed jerkiness in the PAL->NTSC real-time playback conversion. I'm very impressed that this player will output the converted video at the full 1080i (as my Tosh 65HDX82 prefers - 720p looks too soft on my setup), but I must say I notice a "jump" in frames every now and again - I assume this is an artifact of the conversion method. I updated to the new F316b firmware last night (to see if the lip-sync issues have gone which I admit I've run into occasionally on domestic NTSC material) and although I haven't watched too much yet, I thought I saw even more PAL "frame-skipping" than normal - but maybe this only happens after a pause/restart - like I said, I need to watch more PAL material to decide - it just looked noticeable on this release compared to what I've seen before.

2. Is there any way to switch the flourescent display to show time remaining (disc or chapter) WITHOUT it being permanently on the screen - this seems like something the player SHOULD be able to do - after all it manages it with the elapsed disc time no problem, and other players I've had allow this.

Thanks for your feedback - this is the place to be :-)

m

2. Is there any way to switch the flourescent display to show time remaining (disc or chapter) WITHOUT it being permanently on the screen - this seems like something the player SHOULD be able to do - after all it manages it with the elapsed disc time no problem, and other players I've had allow this.

Thanks for your feedback - this is the place to be :-)

m

Would love to be able to do that too but unfortunately I don't think you can.

2. Is there any way to switch the flourescent display to show time remaining (disc or chapter) WITHOUT it being permanently on the screen - this seems like something the player SHOULD be able to do - after all it manages it with the elapsed disc time no problem, and other players I've had allow this.

I'll try something out when I get home, but this wouldn't be a bad question to ask Oppo. See if they work something in in the next firmware. Assuming it's not possible at the moment.

Gary,

Is there a particular DVD title or scenes you recommend to test NR issues?... Yes, I use Finding Nemo. I don't have any exact times, but there are numerous closeups of the clownfish rapidly flicking his tail and darting about in the bright blue water. The black and white outline of the tail and fins leave ghost trails when NR is set any higher than OFF. Another very easy place to see ghost trails is at the beginning of the chapter where the clownfish wakes up on the back of the turtle (after the jellyfish encounter). The side view of the turtle shows trails whenever the turtle moves his head or flippers quickly. When he does a spin, the trails make quite a mess.

Setting Truelife ON, (with NR still OFF) completely cures the trails.

Currently, the trails look identical with any of the following settings:
Truelife=OFF, NR=OFF
Truelife=OFF, NR=LOW
Truelife=ON, NR=LOWGary

I have a Canon SX-50 projector and would like to show my 4:3 films and TV shows on the Oppo with the settings at 1080i and my anamorphic lens, but 1080i is always on letterbox mode. The Oppo isn't designed for wide/stretch which would be ideal for the lens and naturally a sharper picture. I believe the 480p doesn't take advantage of the upscaling (I could be wrong). Any suggestions, please?

Does the new firmware look as good or better than previous versions (I think I'm on 220) at 720p or just an improvement on 1080i?

I have a Samsung DLP and run it at 720p. Generally happy w/ the PQ so I don't want to make it worse.

Do you run the Oppo at 720p to your Samsung?

I prefer to leave True Life and all of the other features Off. Never realized that this actually meant NR was set to Low instead of Off. Do you still recommend leaving everything on Off, except for really poor transfers where you may want to up the NR? Yes, I use 720p for my Samsung. PQ is exactly the same as with previous FW on all output resolutions. The advantage of the new FW is the sync fix with no frame-dropping in normal playback.

Yes, I still recommend leaving everything OFF. I dont even fiddle with NR, because it is currently set to LOW (even though the menu says its OFF). That makes for a very smooth-looking picture, but occasionally shows ghost trails.

Gary

This player with the SDI card rocks!!!!!!!! I had it hooked up to my 1080p JVC with DVI but I decided to try installing the SDI (was going to use the SDI on my panny RP91, but the traces are too small to solder to on it). I saw a thread about the oppo with SDI and figured I would try it. It works great! The oppo thru an Iscan HD+ set to 1080i looks significantly better than the oppo thru DVI (720p, which is better than 1080i on dvi) to the JVC. It is a noticeable improvement. The image has a more lifelike appearance and less noise.

I can't imagine a cleaner dvd image. This is the best dvd picture I have ever seen!

Now if we can only get the firmware with the UPO's removed from our Russian friends... Way to go Jon! Have fun.

Gary

The Oppo isn't designed for wide/stretch which would be ideal for the lens and naturally a sharper picture. I believe the 480p doesn't take advantage of the upscaling (I could be wrong). Any suggestions, please?I know what an anamorphic lens is all about, but I haven't a clue what you're asking here. The OPPO has a WIDE mode, a Wide/SQZ mode and a Normal/PS mode (4:3 TV Pan and Scan). Have you tried all these?

What do you mean by "480p doesn't take advantage of the upscaling"?

Gary

"I know what an anamorphic lens is all about, but I haven't a clue what you're asking here.
The OPPO has a WIDE mode, a Wide/SQZ mode and a Normal/PS mode (4:3 TV Pan and Scan). Have you tried all these?"

Thanks for your reply. Keeping the "DVI" mode on 1080i, all the above mentioned settings project a letterboxed image on my movie screen. I do get a smaller 4:3 ratio image on wide/squish though. My goal is to have the image 4:3 using 1080i so the upscaling is most effective. On my PC I can 'stretch' a widescreen image to 4:3, then, use the anamorphic lens to 'bend' the image exactly as it would 35mm film, so it would be 16:9. In doing this, the pixels from the projector are also smaller (heightwise any way) thus making a better image. The Oppo only gives a 4:3 image when the DVI mode is on 480p.


"What do you mean by "480p doesn't take advantage of the upscaling?"

The tech suport at Oppo told me the 480p mode is still 480 resolution. (It was meant for 480 standard TVs and wouldn't need the reduntant higher output since it wouldn't show).


Ultimately... I would like to get a full stretched image on 1080i (other than the smaller screen that the wide/squish makes)

Tahnks again!

Just decided to purchase this player after much deliberation (I was going to wait for the new model, but it just seems to be pushed back and back)...hopefully this will be the one I am happy with.... I will be using it with my Vizio P42HDTV....
Wish me luck

I haven't posted here before but this thread has provided much information. Thanks to all.

I thought I would post a strange problem I'm having with the Oppo (I apologize if this has been posted previously but a search turned up nothing.)

When I load certain DVD's the tray closes and it appears the loading process is going normally however after a few seconds the display reads 'No Disc'. So far I have noticed this on five DVD's that I own:

Beverly Hills Cop - Special Collectors Edition
Apocalypse Now - Redux
Ronin (flipper disc - Standard\Widescreen)
High Fidelity
Uncle Buck

The Oppo consistently fails on these discs (it's not like it works sometimes and then not others.) Other DVD's play without problem. Pressing Play or opening and closing the tray again does not help.
The really strange part is that Ronin does not work on Widescreen but does work on the flip side (Standard picture)

I've emailed Oppo and they are looking into it but I thought I'd see if anybody here with one of these discs could give it a try. It may be just my player though....

This is disappointing as this is my second player in 3 months - the first went back because the drawer eventually would not open. I really like this player for the PAL/NTSC conversion and region-free but I'm really wondering about quality control...

"I know what an anamorphic lens is all about, but I haven't a clue what you're asking here.
The OPPO has a WIDE mode, a Wide/SQZ mode and a Normal/PS mode (4:3 TV Pan and Scan). Have you tried all these?"

Thanks for your reply. Keeping the "DVI" mode on 1080i, all the above mentioned settings project a letterboxed image on my movie screen. I do get a smaller 4:3 ratio image on wide/squish though. My goal is to have the image 4:3 using 1080i so the upscaling is most effective. On my PC I can 'stretch' a widescreen image to 4:3, then, use the anamorphic lens to 'bend' the image exactly as it would 35mm film, so it would be 16:9. In doing this, the pixels from the projector are also smaller (heightwise any way) thus making a better image. The Oppo only gives a 4:3 image when the DVI mode is on 480p.


"What do you mean by "480p doesn't take advantage of the upscaling?"

The tech suport at Oppo told me the 480p mode is still 480 resolution. (It was meant for 480 standard TVs and wouldn't need the reduntant higher output since it wouldn't show).


Ultimately... I would like to get a full stretched image on 1080i (other than the smaller screen that the wide/squish makes)

Tahnks again!

Using DVI on 1080i may not stretch due to your projector, not the Oppo. For instance, using DVI on my TV I can not stretch 4:3 material at 1080i, the option for resizing grays out in the tv menu. So regardless of what you set the Oppo on, it might be your projector.

Thanks again for the replies... Yes, I'm sure it is my projector. My PC had a "Full Screen" setting so I could have a 'streched ' image going out of the player and into the projector. I wonder if Oppo would ever put such an option in the DVD player so us projector users could use an anamorphic lens for an even better image!

Yes, I use Finding Nemo. I don't have any exact times, but there are numerous closeups of the clownfish rapidly flicking his tail and darting about in the bright blue water. The black and white outline of the tail and fins leave ghost trails when NR is set any higher than OFF. Another very easy place to see ghost trails is at the beginning of the chapter where the clownfish wakes up on the back of the turtle (after the jellyfish encounter). The side view of the turtle shows trails whenever the turtle moves his head or flippers quickly. When he does a spin, the trails make quite a mess.

Setting Truelife ON, (with NR still OFF) completely cures the trails.

Currently, the trails look identical with any of the following settings:
Truelife=OFF, NR=OFF
Truelife=OFF, NR=LOW
Truelife=ON, NR=LOWGary

I just did the testing, but mine shows very faint ghost trails and it's really hard to tell even with all the combination of settings. I've also tested the EAC turtle scene on my Denon 2900 (progressive scan player via component) and it also shows similar faint smear, but not too noticeable unless you're looking for it. However, it's interesting that the faint ghosting on the same scenes was more pronounced at 720p dvi output than the 1080i using current 0316 beta. Can you try 1080i mode on your display and see if you see the same result?... I'm thinking it might be the actual DVD mastering since it's also showing the same type of ghosting on my denon dvd player at 480p via component. I have everything off on my Oppo currently and it's just hard to say whether it's my eyes or the movie, cuz it's so fast and so faint.

Does anybody have an experience of the smoothness-of-playback of PAL material on their NTSC display devices, with reference to a particular firmware version?

I will update here as to what I see over the coming days with this new F-316b ver. Like I said in my post earlier today, I have seen 2-3 dropped frames (perceived jerkiness) within the first few seconds of playback when first un-pausing after a search/chapter-fwd on PAL material.

m

I have seen 2-3 dropped frames (perceived jerkiness) within the first few seconds of playback when first un-pausing after a search/chapter-fwd on PAL material. This is quite likely with PAL and NTSC when using the 0316 firmware. The new MTK code may make a couple of A/V sync adjustments after a stop or skip, but then it settles, instead of making continuous adjustments the way 0220 FW did.

Mediatek is evidently working on another very low-level sync fix for the future, but this may take a while, because it requires a major overhaul of their core code.

Gary

...it's interesting that the faint ghosting on the same scenes was more pronounced at 720p dvi output than the 1080i using current 0316 beta. Can you try 1080i mode on your display and see if you see the same result?... I'm thinking it might be the actual DVD mastering since it's also showing the same type of ghosting on my denon dvd player at 480p via component. I have everything off on my Oppo currently and it's just hard to say whether it's my eyes or the movie, cuz it's so fast and so faint. I'll check 1080i tonight.

The trails in that scene are very pronounced on my DLP (although it is extremely fleeting). I do not think it is the DVD mastering, because I see it on other disks, and when I turn on Truelife, the trails are gone - completely.

Gary

Cheers Gary,

I had an inkling this was the sort of thing going on, as I tried to watch for more dropped frames in quick succession if I left it running for a while and it didn't seem to be so noticeable - again, I haven't really watched NTSC "in anger" yet since I only did the FW upgrade last night and that little thing called work keeps getting in the way of everything else :-)

anyway, it'll be good if in fact this 316 version and its officially release successor eradicate the very occasional/drifting lip-sync!

m

This is quite likely with PAL and NTSC when using the 0316 firmware. The new MTK code may make a couple of A/V sync adjustments after a stop or skip, but then it settles, instead of making continuous adjustments the way 0220 FW did.

Mediatek is evidently working on another very low-level sync fix for the future, but this may take a while, because it requires a major overhaul of their core code.

Gary

I haven't posted here before but this thread has provided much information. Thanks to all.

I thought I would post a strange problem I'm having with the Oppo (I apologize if this has been posted previously but a search turned up nothing.)

When I load certain DVD's the tray closes and it appears the loading process is going normally however after a few seconds the display reads 'No Disc'. So far I have noticed this on five DVD's that I own:

Beverly Hills Cop - Special Collectors Edition
Apocalypse Now - Redux
Ronin (flipper disc - Standard\Widescreen)
High Fidelity
Uncle Buck

The Oppo consistently fails on these discs (it's not like it works sometimes and then not others.) Other DVD's play without problem. Pressing Play or opening and closing the tray again does not help.
The really strange part is that Ronin does not work on Widescreen but does work on the flip side (Standard picture)

I've emailed Oppo and they are looking into it but I thought I'd see if anybody here with one of these discs could give it a try. It may be just my player though....

This is disappointing as this is my second player in 3 months - the first went back because the drawer eventually would not open. I really like this player for the PAL/NTSC conversion and region-free but I'm really wondering about quality control...

Hmm. Strange. I own Apocolypse Now Redux, Beverly Hills Cop and High Fidelity and they all play fine. In fact I've never found a disc this player won't play. Are the region settings set properly? Preferably to zero for all regions.

I haven't posted here before but this thread has provided much information. Thanks to all.

I thought I would post a strange problem I'm having with the Oppo (I apologize if this has been posted previously but a search turned up nothing.)

When I load certain DVD's the tray closes and it appears the loading process is going normally however after a few seconds the display reads 'No Disc'. So far I have noticed this on five DVD's that I own:

Beverly Hills Cop - Special Collectors Edition
Apocalypse Now - Redux
Ronin (flipper disc - Standard\Widescreen)
High Fidelity
Uncle Buck

The Oppo consistently fails on these discs (it's not like it works sometimes and then not others.) Other DVD's play without problem. Pressing Play or opening and closing the tray again does not help.
The really strange part is that Ronin does not work on Widescreen but does work on the flip side (Standard picture)

I've emailed Oppo and they are looking into it but I thought I'd see if anybody here with one of these discs could give it a try. It may be just my player though....

This is disappointing as this is my second player in 3 months - the first went back because the drawer eventually would not open. I really like this player for the PAL/NTSC conversion and region-free but I'm really wondering about quality control...


Sounds like you might have gotten a dud unit. Try updating the firmware - it might have gotten a bit corrupted when it was being loaded; otherwise, return the unit to Oppo, they'll issue you another one.

It's important to remember that, even with the most strenous quality control, there will be dud units out.

Hmm. Strange. I own Apocolypse Now Redux, Beverly Hills Cop and High Fidelity and they all play fine. In fact I've never found a disc this player won't play. Are the region settings set properly? Preferably to zero for all regions.

Thanks for checking. That's what I'd heard as well - that this thing can play anything (even a donut) :)
The region is set to 0 - I did that as soon as I received the player from Oppo. The problem is not region-related - I have many R2 PAL discs which play fine. I should note that the five discs that I have encountered problems with so far are R1, however all of my other R1 discs play fine.

Sounds like you might have gotten a dud unit. Try updating the firmware - it might have gotten a bit corrupted when it was being loaded; otherwise, return the unit to Oppo, they'll issue you another one.

It's important to remember that, even with the most strenous quality control, there will be dud units out.

The firmware version is set to 0220 which I haven't touched since I received the player. Maybe I'll update to 0302 although I'm leaning to just leaving it until I hear back from Oppo. If I upgrade/reload the firmware and it fixes the problem then it could potentially mask a real issue with the player. If I send it back as is they can possibly learn something about the problem which may help us all.

I understand duds happen but two in 3 months ? For comparison, I've bought 4 previous DVD players since 1999 and they are all still working fine and have never required any repair.

Thanks for checking. That's what I'd heard as well - that this thing can play anything (even a donut) :)
The region is set to 0 - I did that as soon as I received the player from Oppo. The problem is not region-related - I have many R2 PAL discs which play fine. I should note that the five discs that I have encountered problems with so far are R1, however all of my other R1 discs play fine.



The firmware version is set to 0220 which I haven't touched since I received the player. Maybe I'll update to 0302 although I'm leaning to just leaving it until I hear back from Oppo. If I upgrade/reload the firmware and it fixes the problem then it could potentially mask a real issue with the player. If I send it back as is they can possibly learn something about the problem which may help us all.

I understand duds happen but two in 3 months ? For comparison, I've bought 4 previous DVD players since 1999 and they are all still working fine and have never required any repair.

I was having this problem pretty frequently. I checked with OPPO and they had me blow out the DVD with compressed air and leave unplugged for 15 min. That seemed to take care of it. SInce then it's only happened once. I expect at some point, it'll happen again.

Oh, one thin i found was if I had a VDD that reproted no disc, then put in a dvd that I recorded, and that loaded ok, immediately ejected it and put in "problem" DVD, it would usually load.

Shrugs, no explanation.

In any event, the unplugging and cleaing out the cobwebs (literally and figuratively), seemed to take care of it for now.

Rick

...
When I load certain DVD's the tray closes and it appears the loading process is going normally however after a few seconds the display reads 'No Disc'. So far I have noticed this on five DVD's that I own:

Beverly Hills Cop - Special Collectors Edition
Apocalypse Now - Redux
Ronin (flipper disc - Standard\Widescreen)
High Fidelity
Uncle Buck

.....

I had the same problem, but different titles... Batman Begins, The Simsons (certain discs), others I don't recall. I own three of the mentioned titles but never played them when I had the defective player. Oppo replaced the unit, and they paid shipping even though I had the unit for over 90 days. Unfortunately it took a while to get the replacement. After waiting two weeks I inquired and was told they "lost" the unit (it was supposed to be repaired, not replaced). They sent a brand new one. The previous problem discs play but with the new unit I get fairly frequent complete lock-ups... (everything frozen) that requires a power cycle to fix. To be honest I regret the purchase. The picture is great when it is working, but I have never had a DVD player give me problems like this one.

I understand duds happen but two in 3 months ? For comparison, I've bought 4 previous DVD players since 1999 and they are all still working fine and have never required any repair.

The likely cause of your error is a bad MTK board. However, the loader can also be causing this same issue. Depending on what OPPO did to your unit to begin with, a defective part could still remain in your unit.

When you look at your results, it is not uncommon to have errors in a unit, even after returning for inspection and repair. 5 titles out of your library is a small number, and when you think about how much time OPPO has with your unit, they will not beable to catch everything. Testing can only get you so far.

I would personally send OPPO a disc or two for inspection, try updating the firmware, clean the DVD player, and do anything else which might be suggested, before getting your unit fixed again, as it will be yet another money and time sink for you and OPPO.

I had the same problem, but different titles... Batman Begins, The Simsons (certain discs), others I don't recall. I own three of the mentioned titles but never played them when I had the defective player. Oppo replaced the unit, and they paid shipping even though I had the unit for over 90 days. Unfortunately it took a while to get the replacement. After waiting two weeks I inquired and was told they "lost" the unit (it was supposed to be repaired, not replaced). They sent a brand new one. The previous problem discs play but with the new unit I get fairly frequent complete lock-ups... (everything frozen) that requires a power cycle to fix. To be honest I regret the purchase. The picture is great when it is working, but I have never had a DVD player give me problems like this one.

Why didn't you complain to OPPO and have them replace the unit again/retest it?

Yes, I use 720p for my Samsung. PQ is exactly the same as with previous FW on all output resolutions. The advantage of the new FW is the sync fix with no frame-dropping in normal playback.

Yes, I still recommend leaving everything OFF. I dont even fiddle with NR, because it is currently set to LOW (even though the menu says its OFF). That makes for a very smooth-looking picture, but occasionally shows ghost trails.

Gary

Thanks - very helpful.

I'll echo others, I've never had a problem with any disc. Last week my Russian mother in law brought us a boatload of Russian TV shows in multiple formats (Pal, Divx, home burnt, bought on the street, etc etc) and everything played flawlessly. Frustrating for those who have problems, hope OPPO gets them resolved for you.

The pal performance was great, I was suprised. A friend had tried to play the disc in a supposedly pal friendly DVD player and it choked at startup.

Good luck.

I haven't posted here before but this thread has provided much information. Thanks to all.

I thought I would post a strange problem I'm having with the Oppo (I apologize if this has been posted previously but a search turned up nothing.)

When I load certain DVD's the tray closes and it appears the loading process is going normally however after a few seconds the display reads 'No Disc'. So far I have noticed this on five DVD's that I own:

Beverly Hills Cop - Special Collectors Edition
Apocalypse Now - Redux
Ronin (flipper disc - Standard\Widescreen)
High Fidelity
Uncle Buck

The Oppo consistently fails on these discs (it's not like it works sometimes and then not others.) Other DVD's play without problem. Pressing Play or opening and closing the tray again does not help.
The really strange part is that Ronin does not work on Widescreen but does work on the flip side (Standard picture)

I've emailed Oppo and they are looking into it but I thought I'd see if anybody here with one of these discs could give it a try. It may be just my player though....

This is disappointing as this is my second player in 3 months - the first went back because the drawer eventually would not open. I really like this player for the PAL/NTSC conversion and region-free but I'm really wondering about quality control...


I don't know if this might work or not. But many,many pages back some one wrote that some REGION 1 disc's did not play on the OPPO unless it was set to REGION 1 not 0. Might be worth a try.

Mark

I don't know if this might work or not. But many,many pages back some one wrote that some REGION 1 disc's did not play on the OPPO unless it was set to REGION 1 not 0. Might be worth a try.

Set for Region 0, the Oppo should play any Region 1 disc, even those with RCE encoding. However, it's worth a try if those discs really won't play.

Set for Region 0, the Oppo should play any Region 1 disc, even those with RCE encoding. However, it's worth a try if those discs really won't play.

I set it to Region 1 but those discs still didn't play - I still get 'No Disc' when they are loaded. I then decided to go ahead and reflash the firmware (to the same version - 0220) but the discs still do not play.

So if there are no discrete power codes, and play will not turn it on.....What do most of you with pronto type remotes do to automate this player?

On other players without discrete power codes we often set them up as switched power with the receiver. Has anyone had their oppo switched power without issues? Will the oppo loose any settings (besides maybe last position which I will never use) if I hard power it off when not using my system (switched outlet)?

Thanks,

Jon

I have had my OPPO 971H since February and I have changed the firmware at least 5 times. Now with the latest release from OPPO I'm going to stop with the tweaking for awhile and start back enjoying some movies.

My custom OPPO boot screen: :D

OPPO Boot Screen (http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/20503/cat/500/ppuser/7548967)

I just got my OPPO today and immediately checked the version. Mine has version 0302B. Does this mean is the Beta version of 0302?

I noticed that the picture is a little soft using my projector (HP vp6320) and every so often I noticed a soft flash in the middle of the film, like someone taking a picture with a flash, is a very quick soft flash, but is there. Have anyone else experience this issue? is this a known issue that can be fixed with a different firmware version?

I have had my OPPO 971H since February and I have changed the firmware at least 5 times. Now with the latest release from OPPO I'm going to stop with the tweaking for awhile and start back enjoying some movies.

My custom OPPO boot screen: :D

OPPO Boot Screen (http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/20503/cat/500/ppuser/7548967)

Ooooh. Hook me up. How do I change my boot screen. :)

Ooooh. Hook me up. How do I change my boot screen. :)

Nice boot screen, I'd like to know what was done as well.




jwd

Actually, I have found that this service menu change is no longer necessary after the F-0302 firmware update. The "improvement to DVI timing" of this update has completely fixed the 480p problem on my Sony CRT set (KD-34XBR960). 480p now works perfectly, and I never touched the VSTT service menu setting.

Really Jason? Are you connecting with DVI and component? Or just DVI?

Because I'm connecting with both now. So with non-anamorphic DVD's I play through component, which are far and few between for me.


On another note, I have most of the DVD's mentioned previously that have been causing Oppo users issues (EG High Fidelity, Ronin, Batman Begins, etc.) and just wanted to state that I haven't had any issues with any of those DVDs in my Oppo. No, I'm not trying to be one of those guys that just says "working perfectly here. you're broken." I just mean to say that the Oppo itself can handle nearly everything you throw at it. If you can't play DVDs like the ones mentioned previously, take the steps mentioned, like firmware updating, cleaning of the unit, etc., because normally the Oppo should play most everything just fine.

yeah, i'd like to change mine as well :)

yeah, i'd like to change mine as well :)

For those wishing to change the OPPO bootscreen, please have a look at this post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6825203&highlight=mklogo#post6825203

If you follow the links, and read the directions, you *should* be fine. You must remember that if you screw up, you can turn your Oppo into a boat anchor. In other words, assume the risk!

Like Monk, I found the best way to get a nice screen was to use MKLOGO and c2bin, then use MKRemaker to put the new image created by c2bin in place of the original Oppo OSD file.

Helpful hint: You must boot to DOS or use a Command Prompt window in order to run MKLOGO and C2bin. MTKRemaker runs in Windows.

This should probably get its own thread, as the potential for many questions are sure to arise. I could put together some screen capture with step by step instructions if there is a lot of interest. If you are not comfortable with the procedure, you probably don't want to attempt this.

I just bought the Vizio P50HDM and am thinking about getting the Oppo. Does anyone have this tv and the Oppo?

For those wishing to change the OPPO bootscreen, please have a look at this post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6825203&highlight=mklogo#post6825203

If you follow the links, and read the directions, you *should* be fine. You must remember that if you screw up, you can turn your Oppo into a boat anchor. In other words, assume the risk!

Like Monk, I found the best way to get a nice screen was to use MKLOGO and c2bin, then use MKRemaker to put the new image created by c2bin in place of the original Oppo OSD file.

Helpful hint: You must boot to DOS or use a Command Prompt window in order to run MKLOGO and C2bin. MTKRemaker runs in Windows.

This should probably get its own thread, as the potential for many questions are sure to arise. I could put together some screen capture with step by step instructions if there is a lot of interest. If you are not comfortable with the procedure, you probably don't want to attempt this.

I've done much worse to more expensive machines, so as far as risk, I'm sure a lot of us are prepared for it.

That being said, assigning it it's own thread is a great idea. Perhaps you should consider the undertaken; AND you'll get your name in big lights! (well, that last part isn't true).

I've done much worse to more expensive machines, so as far as risk, I'm sure a lot of us are prepared for it.

That being said, assigning it it's own thread is a great idea. Perhaps you should consider the undertaken; AND you'll get your name in big lights! (well, that last part isn't true).

I will see what I can put together tonight, unless someone beats me to it :)

All credit will go to Powered Monk, as I just followed his lead. There may be other ways to skin this cat, but by reading all the references he linked makes it pretty straight forward.

Follow the directions for using MKLogo and C2bin to create your new bootscreen bin file. http://www.nerd-out.com/darrenk/Backgrounds/Background.htm
Make sure the file you create is under 41k. (just to be safe)

Start MTKRemaker, Use the File/Open to the firmware version that you want to modify (935.bin). If you did this correctly, then you should see all sorts of neat stuff in the upper left window of MTKRemaker.

Under Data Part, expand the Skin, and select MPEG 0. If you click on the image button on the right screen, and you should see the original Oppo Screen. Then select Item/Replace from the menu at the top. Open your newly created bkground.bin file. You can see what the new screen will look like on the left. Save the file using the File/Save CD menu at the top.

Burn this new version of firmware to a CD using your CD burner software following the standard Oppo firmware update procedure. When the update completes you will either have a awesome new bootscreen, or your player will be smoked. Could go either way.... just so you know!

I just received my oppo yesterday and in my first try with default settings I noticed a flicker/flash in the middle of the movie (5th element). I played with the settings, disabled truelife and the flicker disappeared.

I noticed that the revision of the FW is 0302B is this a betta version?

I'm getting sort of a soft picture, any settings I should changed to make the picture better? I'm using an HP vp6320 projector by the way. Should I use a different FW revision like the 0302 final version? or the new 0316 betta version?

Go for it bakpakva! We look forward to your new thread.

Basilisk, very cool!

Gary

I just received my oppo yesterday and in my first try with default settings I noticed a flicker/flash in the middle of the movie (5th element). I played with the settings, disabled truelife and the flicker disappeared.

I noticed that the revision of the FW is 0302B is this a betta version?

I'm getting sort of a soft picture, any settings I should changed to make the picture better? I'm using an HP vp6320 projector by the way. Should I use a different FW revision like the 0302 final version? or the new 0316 betta version?
Since I asked the same question when I got my player: the 0302B is not beta, it's a firmware version which only has the IR codes for the newer, black remotes. The only difference between 0302B and the 0302 you can download from the website is that 0302 also has the codes for the old silver remote that originally shipped with the player.

Thanks Dixie for the reply.

What about the settings to make the picture less soft?

I just received my oppo yesterday and in my first try with default settings I noticed a flicker/flash in the middle of the movie (5th element). I played with the settings, disabled truelife and the flicker disappeared.

I noticed that the revision of the FW is 0302B is this a betta version?

I'm getting sort of a soft picture, any settings I should changed to make the picture better? I'm using an HP vp6320 projector by the way. Should I use a different FW revision like the 0302 final version? or the new 0316 betta version? No need to post twice. The B in the firmware version refers to the black remote.

The flash you describe is not a known issue, but can be caused by a bad DVI connection. Check the connectors and make sure they do not have any stress on them, such as a tight cable radius against a wall. If the issue continues, contact OPPO.

The OPPO does not artificially sharpen edges like some other DVD players. By comparison it might appear softer, but the OPPO has every bit as much detail. If you prefer edge enhancement, turn up the Sharpness control, but it spoils the OPPO's beautiful picture. Without the artificial sharpening, the picture is more film-like.

Remember to use the output resolution that matches your display's native resolution - or trust your eyes and use the one that looks best. The OPPO is better with detail at 720p or 1080i, than at 480p.

Gary

Thank Gary, the flicker was gone after I disabled truelife. Sorry for the double posting I was not sure if I was clear in my original posting.

I will play with the sharpness control to see if I get a more vibrant picture. Dont take me wrong the picture is super but I tested other players with my settings like the toshibas and the picture was a bit more vibrant but had to return because of their freezing issues.

I'm sure I can change the seeting to obtain a better picture and I was looking for some suggestions on what have worked for other people.

Thanks again,

Dont take me wrong the picture is super but I tested other players with my settings like the toshibas and the picture was a bit more vibrant but had to return because of their freezing issues.

I'm sure I can change the seeting to obtain a better picture and I was looking for some suggestions on what have worked for other people. Hold it... the word vibrant sounds an alarm bell. To be fair when comparing players, you need to properly calibrate your display for each player you test. That is ESSENTIAL for getting the best out of any player.

Perhaps you could improve the OPPO's picture by doing a basic display calibration. But remember, you are looking for the most accurate and film-like picture, not necessarily the most vibrant.

Gary

Anyone else having problems with their Oppo freezing up or not reading discs? In the last 1 1/2 weeks, it has frozen up on 2 different discs (Nosferatu, Narnia) and wouldn't read Jacob's Ladder until the second or third try, even though these discs were fine on my Neuneo player. I've only had it 5 months, and wouldn't think it would have problems this fast. I e-mailed support, and they said to blow compressed air into it and clean the discs-that didn't help.
J

Connected my brand new Oppo to my Vizio P42HDTV, and of course, with my luck, I am experiencing the green sparklie issue with 720/and 1080...I have read some reccomendations that the cable might not be good, but noone as ever replied saying that this actually fixed the problem....
I called Oppo, and he told me they have been getting a lot of complaints especially with people with my TV, and that I should probably return it... Is this the end of my Oppo experience? Should I return it and hold out for the newer model, or perhaps purchase something else?
Thanks for all your help...
Matt

:) Go for it bakpakva! We look forward to your new thread.

Basilisk, very cool!

Gary

Ok, two questions. Would anyone like to review the document I made on Changing the OPPO background? PM me with your email if you can help. Once it looks ok, I will post it. Does anyone know how to post a file for download on AVS?

Thanks!

Edit: I figured out how to post..d'uh. The new thread is here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=669815)

Connected my brand new Oppo to my Vizio P42HDTV, and of course, with my luck, I am experiencing the green sparklie issue with 720/and 1080...I have read some reccomendations that the cable might not be good, but noone as ever replied saying that this actually fixed the problem....
I called Oppo, and he told me they have been getting a lot of complaints especially with people with my TV, and that I should probably return it... Is this the end of my Oppo experience? Should I return it and hold out for the newer model, or perhaps purchase something else? Bummer. The cable change really only works for long cable lengths. The OPPO cables are fine. It may be some signal incompatibility between the Vizio and this player. Have you asked others on the Vizio threads? Have you tried moving your equipment around, keeping it (and the cables) away from possible sources of interference?

Gary

Anyone else having problems with their Oppo freezing up or not reading discs? In the last 1 1/2 weeks, it has frozen up on 2 different discs (Nosferatu, Narnia) and wouldn't read Jacob's Ladder until the second or third try, even though these discs were fine on my Neuneo player. I've only had it 5 months, and wouldn't think it would have problems this fast. I e-mailed support, and they said to blow compressed air into it and clean the discs-that didn't help.
J Yes, others have reported this in the last few pages. You'll have to do some reading and contact them if they don't reply here.

Originally posted by GSB
Anyone else having problems with their Oppo freezing up or not reading discs? In the last 1 1/2 weeks, it has frozen up on 2 different discs (Nosferatu, Narnia) and wouldn't read Jacob's Ladder until the second or third try, even though these discs were fine on my Neuneo player. I've only had it 5 months, and wouldn't think it would have problems this fast. I e-mailed support, and they said to blow compressed air into it and clean the discs-that didn't help.

Yes, others have reported this in the last few pages. You'll have to do some reading and contact them if they don't reply here.

I reported problems with five discs so far that will not play. The display reads 'No Disc' when the discs are inserted. So far though I've not had any problems with discs freezing. I've flashed the FW to 0316 as suggested by Oppo however the problem remains.

I've got the 0302 firmware. The problem is, when the disc freezes up, it sounds like its still spinning, and it won't stop, and it won't eject. It takes about 5 minutes just to get the disc out. The discs are clean, and don't appear to be defective.
J

The firmware comes in .iso format. How do I get the bin file out? I tried removing the bin file with winrar and it seems to work. However after doing all the mklogo stuff, etc, how do I convert it back to .iso format. I tried just burning the 935.bin file with Nero and when I put it in the player it says unknown disc. I think I'm missing a step somehwere. Also, the 41k size you speak about, what file would that be? The original pic or finalized pic? Thanks.

Just burn the .iso file, it is a disc image after all.

If you read the instructions on the OPPO site, they explain how its done. The ISO file is a disk image. You have to burn the ISO file with software that can handle ISO burning. If you dont have Nero or Easy CD Creator, you can use the free BurnAtOnce program.

Gary

I didn't go through all 5000+ posts, so please forgive me if this has already been answered...

I am hooking up my equipment for the first time. I have my Oppo running to my Pioneer VSX72-TXV via DVI/HDMI cable, and then an HDMI out from my receiver to a Panny AE900U. At first I wasn't able to get a picture via the DVI/HDMI cable, but I eventually founf the DVI button on the Oppo remote, and got a picture. Now, I am just wondering how I can confirm what the output is. Or, can I assume that it is 720p, since that is what my Panny displays? There are several outputs that get scrolled through on the Oppo, according to the manual, and I am not sure which one, or ones, are giving me a picture.

Or, will I also need to check something on my receiver and/or projector?

Thanks for the help, this is the first "real" system I have ever had to rig up.

Andy

I didn't go through all 5000+ posts, so please forgive me if this has already been answered...

I am hooking up my equipment for the first time. I have my Oppo running to my Pioneer VSX72-TXV via DVI/HDMI cable, and then an HDMI out from my receiver to a Panny AE900U. At first I wasn't able to get a picture via the DVI/HDMI cable, but I eventually founf the DVI button on the Oppo remote, and got a picture. Now, I am just wondering how I can confirm what the output is. Or, can I assume that it is 720p, since that is what my Panny displays? There are several outputs that get scrolled through on the Oppo, according to the manual, and I am not sure which one, or ones, are giving me a picture.

Or, will I also need to check something on my receiver and/or projector?

Thanks for the help, this is the first "real" system I have ever had to rig up.

Andy

I think I found it. I found a signal section on the projector, and kept hitting the DVI button on the Oppo til it said 720p/60 for the input signal, and I had a picture. So I assume this is where I want to keep it set...

On a side note, I did notice a lot of "dancing pixels" in the bright scenes in Lord of War. Is this normal, or should I adjust something? Was especially noticeable in the bright blue sky scenes.

Thanks again,
Andy

On a side note, I did notice a lot of "dancing pixels" in the bright scenes in Lord of War. Is this normal, or should I adjust something? Was especially noticeable in the bright blue sky scenes. That may be film grain or compression noise. Nothing to worry about, unless it occurs on ALL your reference-quality DVD transfers as well.

You should also do a basic display calibration to get the best picture.

Gary

That may be film grain or compression noise. Nothing to worry about, unless it occurs on ALL your reference-quality DVD transfers as well.

You should also do a basic display calibration to get the best picture.

Gary

Thanks Gary. Yeah, we are just finishing the room, carpet comes next week and then it'll be 100% done. So, I haven't done any adjustments to anything yet, just trying to get it all hooked up and working at this point. Hopefully after I have made some adjustments, and updated the Oppo firmware, things will look better.

Andy

If you read the instructions on the OPPO site, they explain how its done. The ISO file is a disk image. You have to burn the ISO file with software that can handle ISO burning. If you dont have Nero or Easy CD Creator, you can use the free BurnAtOnce program.

Gary

The problem is the program mklogo etc won't edit a iso file. It only edits .bin files. To get around that I pulled out the bin file with winrar and was able to edit and change the picture on 935.bin, however it's no longer in iso format. I tried buring the 935.bin file to disk but it didn't work when I tried to update. I'm thinking I need to convert back to .iso? Can someone do a step by step from begining to end?

The firmware comes in .iso format. How do I get the bin file out? I tried removing the bin file with winrar and it seems to work. However after doing all the mklogo stuff, etc, how do I convert it back to .iso format. I tried just burning the 935.bin file with Nero and when I put it in the player it says unknown disc. I think I'm missing a step somehwere. Also, the 41k size you speak about, what file would that be? The original pic or finalized pic? Thanks.

Open NERO >Applications> Nero Burning ROM
New Applications> Cancel
Nero Burning ROM>Recorder>Burn Image
OPEN PAGE>choose Firmware (from DESKTOP)>OPEN
Burn Compilation>BURN (CD IMAGE is in left corner)

I think thats right only did it twice. Used Nero 6.

Mark

The problem is the program mklogo etc won't edit a iso file. It only edits .bin files. To get around that I pulled out the bin file with winrar and was able to edit and change the picture on 935.bin, however it's no longer in iso format. I tried buring the 935.bin file to disk but it didn't work when I tried to update. I'm thinking I need to convert back to .iso? Can someone do a step by step from begining to end?

I started a new thread, so as not to clutter this one with information on changing the background.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=669815

But to answer your question, you need to use a program like Nero Burning ROM to get the bin file back into the appropriate ISO file. You can download a free trial if you don't already own a copy of Nero. It is a good program, and well worth the price.

Anyone else having problems with their Oppo freezing up or not reading discs? In the last 1 1/2 weeks, it has frozen up on 2 different discs (Nosferatu, Narnia) and wouldn't read Jacob's Ladder until the second or third try, even though these discs were fine on my Neuneo player. I've only had it 5 months, and wouldn't think it would have problems this fast. I e-mailed support, and they said to blow compressed air into it and clean the discs-that didn't help.
J

My first Oppo had the "No Disc" problem... This was replicatable- i.e. certain discs would never be recognized. My replacement unit has never had the "No Disc" problem, but I do get complete freeze-ups that require a power cycle to fix. My first unit never exhibited the freeze issue. The freeze thing is not replicatable... we watched two "Harry Potter" movies back-to-back (about five hours) with no problem; another day I got a freeze about 45 minutes in to "The Mummy". I am not a tech by any means, but my past experience with intermittent problems like this often point to heat as the culprit. I may have a component in the Oppo that is not as tolerant as it should be. Witness the fact that I never get a freeze until at least 45 minutes in to a disc (not related to layer change, BTW). I had a similar problem a few years ago with my Panny RP-56 when I re-arranged my gear and had it on a shelf above my audio amp. My current Oppo is sitting where the previous one functioned without freezing, but I am going to see if I can re-arrange things to keep it cooler.

The problem is the program mklogo etc won't edit a iso file. It only edits .bin files. To get around that I pulled out the bin file with winrar and was able to edit and change the picture on 935.bin, however it's no longer in iso format. I tried buring the 935.bin file to disk but it didn't work when I tried to update. I'm thinking I need to convert back to .iso? Can someone do a step by step from begining to end?


Choose Nero Burning ROM from the list. When the new compilation window opens, choose CD-ROM (ISO). Select no multi-session. Under ISO tab de-select Joliet. Under LABEL tab, type F302 or whatever version you have modified. Click NEW button. Drag your modified 935.bin file to the 2nd pane. Click on BURN icon. You should be good to go. Typing a label should rid you of the UNKNOWN DISC problem.

First post of thread to reflect current defect/wish list as well as a link to the updated user manual as well as a few other minor changes. Thanks Gary!

Paul

can someone please help me?? 5 or so months ago Mikesrc (I think or one of the other all knowing ones) posted the tweak settings for the Oppo paired with the panny 900 with no filters and I think cinema 1-- I cannot find it anywhere. I went to the panny tweak site but I couldn't find where he had mentioned specifically the Oppo paired with the panny. All that I saw was for the Panny...in the post I saw way back it mentioned both. help please I am at wits end!!

First post of thread to reflect current defect/wish list as well as a link to the updated user manual as well as a few other minor changes. Thanks Gary! You're welcome Paul, and thanks for posting it.

For everybody's information, the updated defect list applies to the highly recommended 0316 beta firmware. Please feel free to post comments or suggestions.

Gary

First post of thread to reflect current defect/wish list as well as a link to the updated user manual as well as a few other minor changes. Thanks Gary!

Paul

Can we add to the wishlist:

Ability to display remaining chapter and title time on the LED display without having it appear on the screen.

Thanks

I haven't posted here before but this thread has provided much information. Thanks to all.

I thought I would post a strange problem I'm having with the Oppo (I apologize if this has been posted previously but a search turned up nothing.)

When I load certain DVD's the tray closes and it appears the loading process is going normally however after a few seconds the display reads 'No Disc'. So far I have noticed this on five DVD's that I own:

Beverly Hills Cop - Special Collectors Edition
Apocalypse Now - Redux
Ronin (flipper disc - Standard\Widescreen)
High Fidelity
Uncle Buck

The Oppo consistently fails on these discs (it's not like it works sometimes and then not others.) Other DVD's play without problem. Pressing Play or opening and closing the tray again does not help.
The really strange part is that Ronin does not work on Widescreen but does work on the flip side (Standard picture)

I've emailed Oppo and they are looking into it but I thought I'd see if anybody here with one of these discs could give it a try. It may be just my player though....

This is disappointing as this is my second player in 3 months - the first went back because the drawer eventually would not open. I really like this player for the PAL/NTSC conversion and region-free but I'm really wondering about quality control...

I have the same "RONIN" tried the widescreen side yesterday it played fine.

Mark

A few questions:

Does the 202 firmware totally fix the DVI/Audio Sync problem? Also are the PQ problems that that fix initiated also what was causing improper Divx playback? I just upgraded to the 302 didn't notice any playback problems with DIVX files.

I wanted this cleared up also, but does the Audio Delay only effect Analog outs? I've been using digital coax to my good Sony ES reciever that's about 5-6 years old...

Should I switch and use the the Analog outs to my Reciever???

Thanks guys...

Does the 202 firmware totally fix the DVI/Audio Sync problem? Also are the PQ problems that that fix initiated also what was causing improper Divx playback? I just upgraded to the 302 didn't notice any playback problems with DIVX files.

I wanted this cleared up also, but does the Audio Delay only effect Analog outs? I've been using digital coax to my good Sony ES reciever that's about 5-6 years old...
Should I switch and use the the Analog outs to my Reciever???


1. I haven't notice any Divx problem.

2. Yes, the problem of A/V sync with RAW digital output is still there, there's annoying video lag at 720p but intolerable at 1080i.

3. Switching to analog/PCM out on the Oppo solves the A/V sync issue but it means I lose the Dolby Digital / DTS output to the receiver (this is unacceptable).

4. My receiver doesn't have a DELAY function.

My question is, is it worth it to buy a brand new $500-$600 receiver just to get rid of this A/V sync issue or buy a different DVD upconversion HDMI DVD player?!!!!!!

As a new owner of a projector that scales to 1080p I'd hoped that my Oppo might one day be capable of scaling to this level. I asked and received the following from customer support. As always, a forthright and balanced view:

Thank you for your support to our products and service, and congratulations to your projector upgrade!

At this moment we cannot commit to make 1080p work on the OPDV971H model. The up-scaling chip Genesis FLI2310 is said to support 1080p on its product brochure. However we we recently checked with Genesis on 1080p support, we were told it might over-clock the chip and nobody has done it before. Samsung has announced two products with 1080p support. It is still unknown whether the same FLI2310 is used in those product. Of course we will keep an eye on this topic and try every possible way if it can happen.

We are planning to release a DV-970HD model DVD player in May. It does not have the Faroudja/Genesis scaler chip but the picture is still excellent. This model will output 480i over HDMI. Since your Sony SXRD projector has a very good internal de-interlacer/scaler, I agree with you it's probably better to feed 480i directly instead of using an external scaler.

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.
453 Ravendale Dr, Suite D
Mountain View, CA 94043

So, I'll be acquiring the 970HD as soon as it becomes available as I suspect using a 480i from this player may prove a better option than using the Samsung's 1080p scaling. If anyone has insights into either approach, I'd like to sound you out

I'm also looking forward to 1080p output support when it's possible. Maybe, 1080p output can also be placed under the wish list.

Just curious how 1080p24 would over work the chipset, since 1080p24 requires less stream data than the 1080i60. Either way, my Oppo will eventually get replaced by HD Format DVD player that can also upscale SD DVD to 1080p. I'm sure I can use oppo in my daughter's play room at later time.

Maybe, 1080p output can also be placed under the wish list. 1080p support is already on the wishlist.

Gary

My question is, is it worth it to buy a brand new $500-$600 receiver just to get rid of this A/V sync issue or buy a different DVD upconversion HDMI DVD player?!!!!!! I would love to have such a receiver, but I'm not prepared to spend that much money. So the best thing to do, is use the analog outputs, because you have to use them for DVD-A in any case. If it is at all possible, OPPO will eventually delay the "RAW" output too. Its on the wishlist.

Gary

A few questions:

Does the 202 firmware totally fix the DVI/Audio Sync problem? Also are the PQ problems that that fix initiated also what was causing improper Divx playback? I just upgraded to the 302 didn't notice any playback problems with DIVX files.

I wanted this cleared up also, but does the Audio Delay only effect Analog outs? I've been using digital coax to my good Sony ES reciever that's about 5-6 years old...

Should I switch and use the the Analog outs to my Reciever??? Heliosphann, you should be using the 0316 beta firmware. It fixes audio sync without judder, AND contains all the 0302 improvements.

If the new (consistent) sync error still bothers you, then switch to the analog audio outputs to use the delay feature.

Gary

Can we add to the wishlist:

Ability to display remaining chapter and title time on the LED display without having it appear on the screen. OK, I'll add this to the wishlist (and make any other adjustments) in a couple of days.

Gary

I would love to have such a receiver, but I'm not prepared to spend that much money. So the best thing to do, is use the analog outputs, because you have to use them for DVD-A in any case. If it is at all possible, OPPO will eventually delay the "RAW" output too. Its on the wishlist.

Gary

Gary, if you use the analog outputs from the oppo and connect to your receiver, do you get the same quality and range of decoding options verses the digital "RAW" signal?

I might try this if I can still apply the THX, Surround back decoding funtions my Pioneer receiver offers for the digital input etc.

Thanks,

A few questions:

Does the 202 firmware totally fix the DVI/Audio Sync problem? Also are the PQ problems that that fix initiated also what was causing improper Divx playback? I just upgraded to the 302 didn't notice any playback problems with DIVX files.

Thanks guys...

I've had some issues with Divx playback since the upgrade. From time to time the video will slowdown then it'll catch up with itself after 20 seconds or so.

Added to the wishlist today!

Paul

OK, I'll add this to the wishlist (and make any other adjustments) in a couple of days.

Gary

Added to the wishlist today!

Paul

thanks

Has anyone purchased and compared the new HD-DVD Toshiba A1? How good is the deinterlacer of the A1 vs the Oppo at Upconverting SD? Will it match the Oppo's Faroudja? Would love to hear some comparisons.

The Toshiba A1 does a rather good job at de-interlacing. In real world playback it is on par with the OPDV971H. In synthetic benchmarks (HQV) it does not perform as well.

The Toshiba A1 does a rather good job at de-interlacing. In real world playback it is on par with the OPDV971H. In synthetic benchmarks (HQV) it does not perform as well.
Really?

This is significant. You have the HQV Benchmark DVD and the Toshiba HD DVD player fares worse than the Oppo (I know the Oppo scored very, very well when I tested it)?

Like I said, this is very significant. I had no plans to get an HD type DVD Player anytime soon, but this could at least make me feel even better about my Oppo, knowing it's still one of the best players out there, including HD types.

Would you be so kind as to elaborate a little about the HQV Benchmark tests and the performance of the Toshiba player? Did it fail most tests, or just some. Or did it score say half-way on the tests?

Just curious... ;)

Really?

This is significant. You have the HQV Benchmark DVD and the Toshiba HD DVD player fares worse than the Oppo (I know the Oppo scored very, very well when I tested it)?

Like I said, this is very significant. I had no plans to get an HD type DVD Player anytime soon, but this could at least make me feel even better about my Oppo, knowing it's still one of the best players out there, including HD types.

Would you be so kind as to elaborate a little about the HQV Benchmark tests and the performance of the Toshiba player? Did it fail most tests, or just some. Or did it score say half-way on the tests?

Just curious... ;)


Havn't bothered scoring the unit yet (been incredibly busy as of late - check my post history and see how little I have been doing recently) but I plan on running some tests tonight or tomorrow and see how it scores. Just based off of the response I got from it, it should be in the 70~80 catagory.

This is significant. You have the HQV Benchmark DVD and the Toshiba HD DVD player fares worse than the Oppo (I know the Oppo scored very, very well when I tested it)?

Like I said, this is very significant. I had no plans to get an HD type DVD Player anytime soon, but this could at least make me feel even better about my Oppo, knowing it's still one of the best players out there, including HD types.

Would you be so kind as to elaborate a little about the HQV Benchmark tests and the performance of the Toshiba player? Did it fail most tests, or just some. Or did it score say half-way on the tests?

The HD-A1 scored very strangely on the HQV Benchmark. It passed some difficult tests like the waving flag, racetrack and most of the cadence tests, but failed the diagonal line filtering and scrolling text tests (really, really badly on this last one).

The Faroudja deinterlacing in the Oppo seems to be better overall on the test patterns, but the HD-A1 does very well with real-world trials (especially using film based content).

Josh Z is right. The Toshiba HD-A1 is one of the first sub-500 players I have used which did very well on the waving flag, racetrack, and cadence testings, but behaved rather poorly in the de-interlacing and scrolling tests.

But it does a very good job on films. I have not watched a full movie yet, but I ran through a couple of my favorites and could not notice any major errors which were not inherent to the source.

Havn't bothered scoring the unit yet (been incredibly busy as of late - check my post history and see how little I have been doing recently) but I plan on running some tests tonight or tomorrow and see how it scores. Just based off of the response I got from it, it should be in the 70~80 catagory.
Thanks for the info you have been able to share. ;)

just a followup fyi

I have watched a bit more PAL material on my NTSC Tosh 65HDX82 with Oppo's latest 316 FW and not noticed any exceptional amount of frame skipping - the odd dropped frame here and there but I think that happened with 302 also

only after ffwd/skipping around and then resuming do you occasionally get about 2 or 3 skipped frames in quick succession

other than that, I've not noticed any lip sync errors so far, so that is a good sign

as for DivX, the only time I see video/audio sync/slowdown/speedup is if I leave a video on pause for a minimum period of time (i.e. long enough to engage the screensaver) then resume playback - usually there are a few seconds where major speed variations in both video and audio take place before everything is back to normal

I still see the occasional glitch in DivX video with 316 - a whole area or rectangle can suddenly appear on the screen as a bright or light colour - it is generally not repeatable, so I don't know what causes it - I've never seen this phenomenon on my PC with any of a number of media players/codecs - perhaps the DivX firmware can be updated at some point?

Finally, I've noticed that although 1080i DVI output gives me the crispest picture on my Tosh (presumably because everything the TV does internally is 540p based), credits and end-titles on films looks quite fuzzy/smeared for some reason - there's a shimmering effect which is particularly noticeable if you have something like a very thin horizontal line scrolling up the screen in credits - don't know why this should be when the rest of the movie seems quite so crisp - any ideas? I have all enhancements turned off on the Oppo except TrueLife (which I've read should be on in order to defeat NR)...

The subtitle label for Portuguese language is currently misspelled: PROTUGUESE, when the correct word is: PORTUGUESE.

Could this be included on defects list on the first post? It's a really simple patch to be done :)

The subtitle label for Portuguese language is currently misspelled: PROTUGUESE, when the correct word is: PORTUGUESE.

Could this be included on defects list on the first post? It's a really simple patch to be done :)Sure, I'll add it.

...Finally, I've noticed that although 1080i DVI output gives me the crispest picture on my Tosh (presumably because everything the TV does internally is 540p based), credits and end-titles on films looks quite fuzzy/smeared for some reason - there's a shimmering effect which is particularly noticeable if you have something like a very thin horizontal line scrolling up the screen in credits - don't know why this should be when the rest of the movie seems quite so crisp - any ideas? I have all enhancements turned off on the Oppo except TrueLife (which I've read should be on in order to defeat NR)... Good review.

The Faroudja chipset doesn't handle 1080i as well as it should. That could be the reason, but check the source too. Do the credits look OK at 720p? Have you tried turning off Truelife?

Gary

This is significant. You have the HQV Benchmark DVD and the Toshiba HD DVD player fares worse than the Oppo (I know the Oppo scored very, very well when I tested it)? This should not come as a big surprise. The HD players will be designed with HD performance in mind, but to add excellent SD upconversion performance as well, requires the extra effort and expense of a chipset like the Faroudja. That brings up all the same old issues as before. So for SD DVD, I'm sure we will still be using our OPPO's for a long time to come.

Gary

This is sorta off-topic, but I wanted to say (as someone who reads this forum almost daily) that I *really* appreciate how everyone on here is civil, and most people answer even the silliest questions with a little humanity. I say this because another forum I was on, is the complete opposite, and it's amazing how much it made me appreciate this one. (I'm not going to bother with the other one anymore).

It amazes me on that other forum (and many others) how the people with information hoard the information, as if it makes them feel a twinge of superiority, and maybe if you grovel enough at their greatness, they'll let you in.

Okay, emotional outburst completed :)

SV

Gary, if you use the analog outputs from the oppo and connect to your receiver, do you get the same quality and range of decoding options verses the digital "RAW" signal? Same quality... yes. Same range of decoding options... probably not, but that depends on your receiver.

Gary

This is sorta off-topic, but I wanted to say (as someone who reads this forum almost daily) that I *really* appreciate how everyone on here is civil, and most people answer even the silliest questions with a little humanity. I say this because another forum I was on, is the complete opposite, and it's amazing how much it made me appreciate this one. (I'm not going to bother with the other one anymore).

It amazes me on that other forum (and many others) how the people with information hoard the information, as if it makes them feel a twinge of superiority, and maybe if you grovel enough at their greatness, they'll let you in. Yes, you're right about the self-important hoarding of knowledge on some forums. It seems insulting and immature. I too, am impressed by the respectful and co-operative spirit on this forum. We are generally pulling together, not against one another. We also have some impressively qualified engineering minds collaborating here.

Openly sharing information is beneficial to the common good, and is so much more productive. It also makes people more willing to share with you in return!

Gary

cheers Gary,

I'll check 720p again tonight, but from what I remember the last time I checked it
1) the credits were OK on 480p and 720p
2) the 720p picture was way too soft on my Tosh

btw, what's the skinny on this MediaTek sizing thing - it's been said here that the picture is not "full-frame" and that there's a border of a few pixels around the outside - does this mean the picture is scaled to something other than 720x480 (or whatever the equivalent XxY values are for 720p, 1080i) - wouldn't this produce some artifacts in the fine picture detail, particularly for things like thin horizontal lines...

how easy is it for Oppo to remedy this if it is indeed a problem?

m


Good review.

The Faroudja chipset doesn't handle 1080i as well as it should. That could be the reason, but check the source too. Do the credits look OK at 720p? Have you tried turning off Truelife?

Gary

Just got the Toshiba myself. I would have to say on my display - Sony KDE50XBR950 - the Toshiba looks better upconverting than the Oppo. Just moved the Oppo to my LCD in my bedroom to replace my cheaper player. HD DVD looks incredible, by the way.

1) the credits were OK on 480p and 720p
2) the 720p picture was way too soft on my Tosh Pity. The OPPO's 720p output is fantastic.
btw, what's the skinny on this MediaTek sizing thing - it's been said here that the picture is not "full-frame" and that there's a border of a few pixels around the outside - does this mean the picture is scaled to something other than 720x480 (or whatever the equivalent XxY values are for 720p, 1080i) - wouldn't this produce some artifacts in the fine picture detail, particularly for things like thin horizontal lines... The Faroudja chip is still putting out the full resolution (720x480 or 1280x720), but the MTK chip seems to be feeding it a slightly downscaled image. And yes, the border causes a slight loss of detail resolution, particularly visible with the 480p output. Once that is fixed, I'm sure the image will be even crisper than it currently is!

how easy is it for Oppo to remedy this if it is indeed a problem? I am convinced that this issue is related to the pixel-cropping fix that OPPO did in one of the first firmware upgrades. They may have taken it a little bit further than they needed to (perhaps even intentionally, to compensate for display overscan). Unfortunately, though, it negatively impacts the picture detail. Now, if you use the OPPO zooms, the border instantly disappears, because the MTK chip fills the entire 720x480 frame. I reported this to OPPO and they are looking into it.

If it is indeed related to pixel-cropping, the fix could be really simple (in theory), but I know that in practice, it can turn out to be a nightmare (if, for example, they get different results for each output resolution).

Gary

Hi all,

I have recently experienced some slight lip-sync issues, I tried both the commonly used 'pause>play' and 'stop>play' methods, but they didn't help a bit. So I went into scene selection etc. to solve the problem. Was I doing anything wrong?

I rarely get noticeable lip-sync problems, but when such issues arise it seems that those recommended quick fix just don't work on mine for some strange reason.

Thanks.

This should not come as a big surprise. The HD players will be designed with HD performance in mind, but to add excellent SD upconversion performance as well, requires the extra effort and expense of a chipset like the Faroudja. That brings up all the same old issues as before. So for SD DVD, I'm sure we will still be using our OPPO's for a long time to come.

Gary

I have followed and read the Toshiba A1 thread from the beginning and from what I have read, the majority of Oppo, Panny S97, Denon 3910 and Pio 59avi owners prefer the A1 for SD DVD. As a matter of fact most of them have already dumped their players on ebay.

If the quick fix does not work, then I would recommend downloading the F-0316 A/V Sync Firmware (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html) instead.

I have followed and read the Toshiba A1 thread from the beginning and from what I have read, the majority of Oppo, Panny S97, Denon 3910 and Pio 59avi owners prefer the A1 for SD DVD. As a matter of fact most of them have already dumped their players on ebay. Maybe the picture is great for high-quality movies, but what happens when you feed it poorly encoded material? If it fails the HQV and other deinterlacing tests, it won't do well with such material. That's the whole reason we buy Faroudja/HQV players - to make everything look good.

Gary

I have followed and read the Toshiba A1 thread from the beginning and from what I have read, the majority of Oppo, Panny S97, Denon 3910 and Pio 59avi owners prefer the A1 for SD DVD. As a matter of fact most of them have already dumped their players on ebay.
Being dumped on Ebay? I see only 5 units on all of ebay. Not what I would consider a dumping

Hi all, just another post in a big thread, but wanted to throw a big "Thanks!" out to this illustrating the benefits of this player. I just received my Oppo from Amazon today. It came with the latest firmware 0302B, the new remote, but most surprisingly no just the DVI cable, but a DVI to HDMI cable! Wasn't expecting that.

Just got it setup, and plugged into to my Sony KDFE50A10 and will get try it out tonight. Initial view already show a noticeably better picture than my older Sony 480i player. No big surprises there, but I am happy to note that even my wife saw the difference. :)

Sorry for a question which may have been answered in this gigantic thread -- I've read about the 30 most recent pages of the 86 pages that show up with my foum settings, and still am not certain of the answer (after running many searches, too!).

I am considering upgrading my older non-progressive DVD player and my attention has focused on the Oppo. I have a 720p native LCD display with an available HDMI input. I have an A/V receiver as part of my surround system with available optical and coaxial digital audio inputs. However, my receiver does not have any audio delay function. I would plan on connecting the Oppo to my display via DVI-HDMI cable and to my receiver via digital audio out.

I realize after plowing through a good chunk of this thread that many owners have experienced little or no lip-sync problems. I also realize that there are instances of two types of audio delay problems for some owners -- (1) a variable problem that tended to occur with much pause - restart or menu accesses and which may have successfully been addressed with the latest firmware update; and (2) a non-variable problem that tended to remain consistent throughout a disc run, and that can be addressed through an audio delay function on one's receiver, or through the Oppo unit's native audio delay function, but which apparently doesn't work with digital audio out?

So, a couple of questions, recognizing that quite a number of owners have never experienced any audio delay problems:

(1) Has the variable audio delay problem that some have experienced seemingly been corrected in the latest firmware update?

(2) Is there a decent chance of experiencing a non-variable audio delay issue that is corrected only if using analog digital outs or at the receiver level? (I really want to preserve the ability to output audio digitally to my digital receiver but without an audio delay function in the receiver, I obviously couldn't do so at the expense of creating an out-of-sync video / audio experience).

I'm ready to upgrade my DVD player and the Oppo looks like a fantastic option, but I'm not at all interested by the prospect of trying to solve potential audio sync issues when, at least in the case of non-variable delays, I don't have an easy via a receiver-based audio delay function, and I don't currently experience any audio issues with my older-model DVD player.

If this has already been covered in this monstrous thread, I couldn't find it on my own -- appreciate any input you all might have to offer.

Wow... Thanks guys, I didn't even know about the 316 beta firmware until you guys mentioned it to me. Just upgraded and noticed a difference IMMEDIATELY. I watched Rushmore CC the other day and noticed when I had it in 480p the main menu had this weird flickering/movement on the top of the picture. Popped the DVD in today and on 408p the shimmer/flicker crap was GONE! I'm running through the DVD as we speak to see if the A/V sync has been fixed since I noticed numerous problems while I was watching it at 1080i.

catt99

1) I do believe most are reporting the variable lip sync is fixed with the 316 firmware (I know I haven't seen a problem yet, fingers crossed!)

2) I use digital output (RAW) to my (few years old now Yamaha rxv596) receiver and I don't have a problem with audio delay (constant), though some seem to, possibly because of the nature of their respective display units causing a video delay for which they then need to compensate by delaying the audio - anyway, I guess you'll never know until you try - like I said, my digital audio output is just fine and perfectly in sync with my DVI video from the Oppo on 1080i into my Tosh 65HDX82 CRT rptv - but if your specific display causes a delay, there is no Oppo delay option on digital output, so you currently would require a receiver to do that (or use the analogue outs)

hope this helps

m

Can the loosing frames issue be described like a qucik blank screen, sort of like a flash?

I just got this player a week ago and playing some movies like LOR, 5th element.. and I noticed when the whole movie area was moving i was getting these flashes. Last night I played the Scorpion King and there were no flashes at all. In fact is the best PQ I have got from this player while watching this movie. Very impresive I may say. The only setting I changed recently was to disabled CC. Not sure if that did the trick.

I was wondering if 0316 will fix this issue? And If I update the firmware, I lose my rights to return the player within the 30 days return policy?

Thought I'd share this interesting little "quirk" that showed up tonight. I was watching Mrs. Henderson Presents tonight, and I followed my usual procedure of loading the disc, and hitting the "menu" button when "DVD-Video" appeared on the screen. I do this to check on the audio options available. This disc had none. So, I hit "play movie," and was a bit surprised to get the audio in PLII and with the director's commentary.

I knew the disc was supposed to be in DD 5.1 and without any commentary. Back I go to the menu to look for an audio option offering the director's commentary so I can shut it off. Nada. After checking the Oppo's setup, I gave up and loaded it into my Denon 2910. BINGO! Played normally with DD 5.1

After the movie I wanted to further investigate to see if the Oppo had developed a problem, so I loaded the movie back into it, followed the same procedure and got the same results. In trying various options, I happened to load the disc and hit play without going to the menu. VIOLA! Audio in DD 5.1, and no commentary. Each time I loaded the disc and went to the menu, I got PLII with commentary. Each time I loaded it and hit "play," I got DD 5.1 and no commentary.

Anybody ever have anything similar happen with a disc?

No but I rarely use menus to setup audio - I just use the audio button on my remote to cycle through options, same with subtitles if I need them. I usually let a disc menu load and just hit "play" or the play movie thing in the menu.

Anybody ever have anything similar happen with a disc? No. I always use the menu to set up audio options and I have never run into such a problem, even though I have loaded hundreds of movies. It must be specific to that DVD. Interesting though. I'll monitor it.

Gary

Can the loosing frames issue be described like a qucik blank screen, sort of like a flash?

...I was wondering if 0316 will fix this issue? And If I update the firmware, I lose my rights to return the player within the 30 days return policy? No. A dropped frame looks like a quick skip, or juddering playback - not flashes. 0316 may not make any difference. Better call OPPO. But did you try my suggestions about eliminating interference by moving cables and equipment? Also make sure there is no stress on the connectors, caused by cable bends against the back wall, or anything else. Obviously, you should also be certain that its not a disk problem - fingerprints, scratches, etc

Gary

(1) Has the variable audio delay problem that some have experienced seemingly been corrected in the latest firmware update?

(2) Is there a decent chance of experiencing a non-variable audio delay issue that is corrected only if using analog digital outs or at the receiver level? (I really want to preserve the ability to output audio digitally to my digital receiver but without an audio delay function in the receiver, I obviously couldn't do so at the expense of creating an out-of-sync video / audio experience). I agree with magic144. The variable delay is gone. Whether you experience the contant delay or not, depends on other factors too... like the sync error on the DVD, the error in the display, and your personal threshold of tolerance for sync error. Future firmware should be able to reduce the player's delays even further.

Gary

quick question...is the dvi cable supplied from oppo good enough or are the "high quality" ones from monoprice better?

The Oppo cable is very good so is the Monoprice cable. If you have the one from Oppo and you don't need a longer cable you can use it with great results.

I've had to go back to the 1111B firmware. 0220 was very inconsistent on PAL playback. Some DVDs (The Incredibles for example) played well but others (When Harry Met Sally) had dropped frames all over the place. Very noticeable. 1111B isn't quite as sharp as 0220 on my Z3, but the frame dropping was too distracting.

OK
so last night I was perusing the menus and wondering what this Video1/Video2 business was all about.

A quick review of the internet and I find some website(s) saying that Video2 is to optimise PAL playback by using the Faroudja chipset for cadence processing. I also discover the Oppo update user manual has been updated since the last time I saw it!

I found this statement:
"Video 1 and Video 2 determine which chipset will do the 2:2 Cadence support. In Video1 mode, 2:2 Cadence is handled by the MTK chipset, whereas Video2 has the Faroujda chipset doing all 2:2 Cadence support. 2:2 Cadence support is only necessary for PAL playback."

Anyway, not had long to test, but it looks like the dropped frames (skipped frames) I had been experiencing on PAL playback have totally disappeared :-)

Since some people have just been talking about this (dropped frames) again, might I suggest if you've not already, to try the Video2 setting - btw, it only works over DVI so I've read. It just might clear everything up for you. I'm also not sure if this setting is only relevant for playback on NTSC equipment (which I have).

I suspect it is only engaging a difference on PAL material, since when I stop and start a PAL disc, my TV looks to be resyncing the DVI input - this does not happen on the same Video2 setting with an NTSC disc, so I guess with NTSC it is not engaging the alternate (Faroudja) chipset for this cadence processing.

I wonder if the Faroudja chipset could be engaged for NTSC (3:2) cadence processing too? (is this possible or even a worthwhile exercise??) Perhaps it might clean up the smeary closing titles I've seen on 1080i. I stared at NTSC closing titles a lot last night on 480p, 720p, 1080i - I think I've convinced myself that the jerkiness is present on all 3, but for some reason is most pronounced on 1080i playback (perhaps because 720p is so soft on my Tosh - the regular picture is not good, the Tosh manual recommends 1080i as the optimum input source). Does anybody know if the Faroudja could be used for NTSC too??? (or am I talking gibberish...)

BTW, I also noticed in this thread that some had noted a "juddering" on the vertical starfield pan in Star Wars (Ep ?) after the opening "a long time ago" business... I wonder if this is a related phenomenon... anyhoo, I've not had time to look at that on my setup yet... the evil of work keeps me from playing too much!

m

It must be specific to that DVD. Interesting though. I'll monitor it.

Gary Definitely DVD specific, and a healthy dose of "pilot error" to boot. :rolleyes: I took the time this morning to go back to the disc and duplicate what I experienced last night. Same story. BUT, this time I explored the menus in more depth.

In the "Special Features" menu I found the "Director's Commentary" option which I failed to find last night. :eek: Assuming that selecting that option would merely turn it on, and since I already was getting the director's commentary, I didn't select it . After thoroughly exploring the menus, I returned to that choice, selected it, and got a screen offering me the option of turning the commentary on or off. AHA!

Had I found this last night, there would've been no problem, and I wouldn't be here this morning looking like a horse's posterior. :o However, it's still interesting that, when loading the disc, hitting the "Menu" button with "DVD-Video" on the screen would automatically select the director's commentary PLII track, rather than the regular DD 5.1 track. :confused:

I've had to go back to the 1111B firmware. 0220 was very inconsistent on PAL playback. Some DVDs (The Incredibles for example) played well but others (When Harry Met Sally) had dropped frames all over the place. Very noticeable. 1111B isn't quite as sharp as 0220 on my Z3, but the frame dropping was too distracting.

Run the F-0316 firmware (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html), as this does not have the MPEG2 playback error. Otherwise, you will not beable to use any of the modern firmware, as all the modern firmware have a pixel clocking which is different from last year (1111B and below).

I wonder if the Faroudja chipset could be engaged for NTSC (3:2) cadence processing too?

As long DCDi is engaged, then the Faroudja chipset is doing 3:2 pulldown. It used to be that you could turn off DCDi by turning off TrueLife, but this is no longer an issue.

hmm,

I wonder what the player is doing differently with PAL material then (in Video2 mode), if the Faroudja stage is enabled for both PAL and NTSC
since when I go to play a PAL disc, the DVI signal seems to go through a reset every time I play/stop - this doesn't happen with NTSC material

As long DCDi is engaged, then the Faroudja chipset is doing 3:2 pulldown. It used to be that you could turn off DCDi by turning off TrueLife, but this is no longer an issue.

It is very common for DVD manufacturers to use a video setting that is designed specifically for NTSC and then again for PAL format. 2:2 Cadence is directly inherent to PAL dsics (though it still can occur on NTSC masters), so it is generally ignored or downplayed by the internal chipsets. Because the OPDV971H uses two chipsets, the default chipset for processing 2:2 Cadence is the MTK decoder. OPPO in the summer changed it to allow for the Faroudja chipset to do 2:2 Cadence support by enabling a menu toggle.

Therefore, when you set Video 2, you are forcing the Faroudja chipset to do the 2:2 Cadence support.

hmm,

I wonder what the player is doing differently with PAL material then (in Video2 mode), if the Faroudja stage is enabled for both PAL and NTSC
since when I go to play a PAL disc, the DVI signal seems to go through a reset every time I play/stop - this doesn't happen with NTSC material

Most likely you set your TV Type to Auto in the preference page of the OPPO (fifth tab in setup menu). In this case when playing PAL disc, DVI output will be 720p50Hz or 1080i50Hz, and when you stop playback DVI output for the background screen will be 720p60Hz or 1080i 60Hz, and your TV will need to re-sync.

If you fix the TV type to NTSC, the re-sync will not happen, but there might be slight quality loss due to PAL-NTSC conversion.

I understand that Video2 is forcing the Faroudja chipset to do the 2:2 Cadence support - I'm just wondering why the DVI signal seems to glitch quite so much when stopping and starting PAL playback (and not for NTSC playback) - if, in Video2 mode, BOTH PAL and NTSC cadence handling is done by the same Faroudja chipset...?

...Therefore, when you set Video 2, you are forcing the Faroudja chipset to do the 2:2 Cadence support.

I'd be more than a little surprised if my North American TV would even attempt to render a 50Hz signal, since it generally chokes on anything 'foreign' - I seriously doubt that's what's going on, but I'll check it - North American hardware is pretty insular...

Most likely you set your TV Type to Auto in the preference page of the OPPO (fifth tab in setup menu). In this case when playing PAL disc, DVI output will be 720p50Hz or 1080i50Hz, and when you stop playback DVI output for the background screen will be 720p60Hz or 1080i 60Hz, and your TV will need to re-sync.

If you fix the TV type to NTSC, the re-sync will not happen, but there might be slight quality loss due to PAL-NTSC conversion.

With the new firmware, the OPDV971H defaults to NTSC, which does not contain the 2:2 Cadence support. So every time you Stop or initiate DVD playback using a PAL disc, the unit needs to switch from its current state to another (resync). Additionally, due to the implimentation of shutting on and off the 2:2 support, there will be a disruption in the DVI output as the signal generation interupted as the stream is being redirected.

Magic and GSB - thanks for the responses to what was probably a repetitive question! Cheers.

well, whatever it's doing under the covers
it seems better for PAL in Video2 mode on NTSC equipment
so I can definitely live with that :-)

This should not come as a big surprise. The HD players will be designed with HD performance in mind, but to add excellent SD upconversion performance as well, requires the extra effort and expense of a chipset like the Faroudja. That brings up all the same old issues as before. So for SD DVD, I'm sure we will still be using our OPPO's for a long time to come. As someone with only one HDMI input, this will increase my delay in trying HD-DVD. So the manufacturers do have an incentive to do SD upconversion well, since they will make fewer sales without it.

okay, so here's a question


if you primarily (or even if you ONLY) use DVI/HDMI to connect to the TV/Display,
why/when would you NOT want to use Video2 mode...???
what is the point of keeping Video1 mode?

Hi Everyone,

Need some advice. Love the OPPO but can not figure out what is the best firmware to use. I have searched and it get's somewhat confusing. With all the versions mentioned and the hacked Russie stuff, well I'm lost. OPPO's site only has the 302 FW and the back-up for PAL users. (or is it DIVX issues).

OK: Simple: DVI out from the OPPO to HDMI in on pj. 720p resolution. I have no need for DIVX play and have only had an issue with lip sync/timing twice in four months. My player has the 1111B FW. Would the latest and greatest improve things.

Thanks,

okay, so here's a question


if you primarily (or even if you ONLY) use DVI/HDMI to connect to the TV/Display,
why/when would you NOT want to use Video2 mode...???
what is the point of keeping Video1 mode?

No reason at all--except for those who run the components. It's a legacy thing at this stage.

Dave

Hi Everyone,

Need some advice. Love the OPPO but can not figure out what is the best firmware to use. I have searched and it get's somewhat confusing. With all the versions mentioned and the hacked Russie stuff, well I'm lost. OPPO's site only has the 302 FW and the back-up for PAL users. (or is it DIVX issues).

OK: Simple: DVI out from the OPPO to HDMI in on pj. 720p resolution. I have no need for DIVX play and have only had an issue with lip sync/timing twice in four months. My player has the 1111B FW. Would the latest and greatest improve things.

Thanks,

I think it's generally accepted by those who've had problems that the 0316beta firmware is the best oppo has yet put out. But if you aren't having any problems then you don't need to change.

The hacked russion stuff is a nice idea but it's buggy and botches up subtitles and creates annoying angle marks. If they can produce a clean version of 0316beta then they're talking.

FYI changing and rechanging the firmware is pretty easy.

Dave

Run the F-0316 firmware (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html), as this does not have the MPEG2 playback error. Otherwise, you will not beable to use any of the modern firmware, as all the modern firmware have a pixel clocking which is different from last year (1111B and below).

Excellent, thanks for that and to everyone else here. I'll use the new firmware tonight and set it to Video 2.

I live in Australia and bought an Oppo DVD player last year through the local distributor. I've had minor problems with sparklies at anything over 576P but of late it has become unwatchable. The Australian distributor doesn't sell Oppo any more and just ignored my problem, so two weeks ago, as a last resort, I sent an e-mail to Oppo customer support.

Well I'm astounded because today I received a new DVI board in the post with easy instructions and changed the PCB as per those instructions. Problem fixed! 720P looks awesome.

I thought that this level of customer support no longer existed, but Oppo proved me very wrong. I am one happy customer

I live in Australia and bought an Oppo DVD player last year through the local distributor. I've had minor problems with sparklies at anything over 576P but of late it has become unwatchable. The Australian distributor doesn't sell Oppo any more and just ignored my problem, so two weeks ago, as a last resort, I sent an e-mail to Oppo customer support.

Well I'm astounded because today I received a new DVI board in the post with easy instructions and changed the PCB as per those instructions. Problem fixed! 720P looks awesome.

I thought that this level of customer support no longer existed, but Oppo proved me very wrong. I am one happy customerWow! Incredible customer service once again. We appreciate you joining AVS Forum to share your experience with us.

Gary

A very well-written and informative essay on "The Many Benefits of an Upconverting DVD Player" has been posted here by Connected Home http://www.connectedhomemag.com/Visual/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=50124 . The author, apparently Scott Taves, suggests that even on the eve of the new HD DVD era, there are still "compelling" reasons to buy an upconverting DVD player. And the one player recommended by Connected Home is -- the Oppo OPDV971H!

I stumbled onto the Oppo a little over a year ago while looking for a decent Region 2 capable DVD player. I continue to think that Oppo's capability to be Region Free on top of all of its other terrific attributes makes it very competitive. As far as I know, none of the emerging HD players is so flexible.

Finally, using the latest F-0316 firmware with a Sony 34XBR910 1080i capable direct view CRT display, I find no problems whatsoever. What a player.

Dana

Yeah, I did the firmware upgrade last night and have no more problems with dropped frames. Thanks again guys.

I am selling my Oppo and Zenith DVB318 and I have two DVI cables, one balck and one light grey/silver. I don't know which one goes with which player since I haven't used the cables and have just been sitting around. Does the Oppo comes with black or light grey/Silver DVI cable?

Alex Solomon -

Light Grey/Silver DVI-DVI Cable.

Yeah, I did the firmware upgrade last night and have no more problems with dropped frames. Thanks again guys.

Good to hear.

Has anyone checked the "a long time ago galaxy far away" part in Star Wars III with the new firmware? Even at 0316, mine still stutters. It is extremely annoying. It does it at both 1080i and 480p. Haven't tried 720p.

thanks to thread originator... lots of good info here.

Has anyone checked the "a long time ago galaxy far away" part in Star Wars III with the new firmware? Even at 0316, mine still stutters. It is extremely annoying. It does it at both 1080i and 480p. Haven't tried 720p.


This is, I think, now considered to be an irresolvable problem due, I suppose, to some branching issues--I don't think that the oppo is the best player at handling seamless branching (I had numerous problems with Alien in this regard)--though it is the best player at practially everything else. The best solution, all other things being well, is a well timed blink--or just don't watch that bit over and over again ;)

Dave

Does anyone else have a problem with squished picture while upconverting? I have a 4:3 crt hdtv and the picture always gets squished vertically more than it should. When watching WS DVD's I see 2 black bars on top and bottom rather than 1 on top and bottom. In the OPPO setup I have adjusted my TV type to 4:3 LB. I would like to be able to watch DVDs at higher resolution than 480p but not when they are squished.

Ok, i was hoping someone could save me the time of reading over 5,000 posts in this thread. I am getting the Oppo and need to know the ideal settings for the player. I tried a search but still could not filter out what I needed. I will be running 720p to a Syntax Olevia LT42HVI LCD TV. If 1080i would be better, then please help me out with those settings too. I want to make sure I get the best quality picture. FYI, it will have the latest firmware.

THANKS!

I ordered the OPPO a week or so ago and hadn't heard anything. Called yesterday and they said they hope to start shipping again today. The csr made it seem that they are stuck at customs. Odd.

Same thing they told me. They are held up in customs and they do not know when they will be here. Maybe about a week.

Same thing they told me. They are held up in customs and they do not know when they will be here. Maybe about a week.

I've been working on my Home theater room since January and research components since well before then. The room will be done in 2 weeks, now this is on hold and my Aperion Sub and rear channel speakers are backorder until late May.

Anyway, I had narrowed my choice down to the OPPO and the Panasonic S97S, which I can get for only about $10 more. Anyone do any comparison's between these two models? If they don't get it sent out today I'm thinking about canceling my order and going with the S97S

Hi Everyone,

I'm Eman from Hungary (moderator of a hungarian Mpeg4-players-site)
I've been helping by the developments of Oppo modded firmware by Andy (known as a russian modder).
I've already made two basic re-modds of Andy firmware modds:
- 1022 based modd (Has sitll the DVD-subtitle bug by 10% of videos)
- 0302 NO UOP's modd (is great but has only No UOP - no more extra features by Andy - which is applied by 1022 modd)

Now I'm helping by the testing of 0220 Andy modd.
The main issue is: by 10% of DVD-Videos the subtitles recognized but are't displayed! (except of english sub) (for examlpe: SW3, Gladiator - hungarian subs - and any other non-english subs - aren't displayed)

The main thing is: Andy (the russian modder) HASN'T GOT an Oppo OPDV971H!
Andy has a BBK DV985S. (Oppo is the clone of BBK - but ALMOST the same)

The two models FW are not so compatible as I had thought!

Not only the remote codes of BBK and Oppo are different!
I think BBK has no DVD-Video sub bug with Andy FW modds (as I know)! But OPPO DOES!
Last memory function (modded by Andy 0220 vF2) works properly with BBK! (by 2x stop, power off, and after eject, too)
But it has "deep" bugs with Oppo! (as I've tested)

By the 0220 fw modd Andy uses the ARM of the BBK 965. It means: no choppy videos (DVD, MPEG4) and no A/V sync problems (the 0220 original has these issues)

Has anybody ideas? Could someone (who has an Oppo, cable & knowledge to modify the Oppo fw) "cure" these problems, please?
The MP3 display is much nicer by the Andy modd (as teh original FW) but it could be better.

I'll HOPE there's someone who can help...

Someone clear something up for me. If I get the OPPO and the Denon 2807(7.1 receiver) will I be able to get 7.1 sound? How would I hook up the audio to get the best sound?

I ordered the OPPO a week or so ago and hadn't heard anything. Called yesterday and they said they hope to start shipping again today. The csr made it seem that they are stuck at customs. Odd.

Whenever you go into a port of entry, your cargo is checked against your itemization. About 25% of all cargo is supposed to be scanned either visually (exhuasted) or through X-ray or other device. Homeland Security has stepped up their cargo inspections, and OPPO's units just happened to be the "lucky ones".

Not only the remote codes of BBK and Oppo are different!

There are three remote codes (rather than 2) when it comes to the BBK/OPPO Europe firmware.
The first is the Silver remote control (don't know if the IRs are different between the US and the BBK/European OPPO).
The second is a proprietary "FAT" Black BBK remote. This shares no commands.
The third is for the Blue remote (black remote for the US).

I think BBK has no DVD-Video sub bug with Andy FW modds (as I know)! But OPPO DOES!

This could very well be, but with my experience with many of the MTK MT1389FE chipset (at least through other BBK products) it is still there. Could just be a programming problems associated to BBK, or something inherent to the MTK MT1389FE chipset that other developers (Pioneer, Toshiba, so forth) were able to patch.

By the 0220 fw modd Andy uses the ARM of the BBK 965. It means: no choppy videos (DVD, MPEG4) and no A/V sync problems (the 0220 original has these issues)

Have him do another firmware using the F-0316 as its bases, as it has the A/V Fix but without the errors associated to stuttering or interlaced playback

Someone clear something up for me. If I get the OPPO and the Denon 2807(7.1 receiver) will I be able to get 7.1 sound? How would I hook up the audio to get the best sound?

I think so. My JVC receiver recognized DTS Matrix and Dolby Digital ES when I connect it with OPPO using "Raw" output for SPDIF setting on the OPPO. So OPPO just send whatever compressed audio stream on the disc to the receiver, and the receive decodes it to 5.1 or 7.1.

Jeffhdz is right on the money. When using RAW, the compressed audio stream is sent to the receiver for decoding. Because there is no interpretation by the OPDV971H, the limiting factor is the capabilities of your receiver.

...I had narrowed my choice down to the OPPO and the Panasonic S97S, which I can get for only about $10 more. Anyone do any comparison's between these two models? If they don't get it sent out today I'm thinking about canceling my order and going with the S97SBoth are excellent players, but the OPPO does better in a few areas, like responsiveness, layer change, image cropping and cadence/flag detection. See the SECRETS DVD Player Benchmark (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=DVD+Player&manufacturer=0&maxprice=300&deInt=Genesis&mpeg=0). This link filters the results to display only Genesis players below $300. The OPPO comes with free cables that can save you quite a bit too.

Gary

Ok, i was hoping someone could save me the time of reading over 5,000 posts in this thread. I am getting the Oppo and need to know the ideal settings for the player. I tried a search but still could not filter out what I needed. I will be running 720p to a Syntax Olevia LT42HVI LCD TV. If 1080i would be better, then please help me out with those settings too. I want to make sure I get the best quality picture. FYI, it will have the latest firmware. See this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6722751&&#post6722751), and the first post in this thread.

Gary

Does anyone else have a problem with squished picture while upconverting? I have a 4:3 crt hdtv and the picture always gets squished vertically more than it should. When watching WS DVD's I see 2 black bars on top and bottom rather than 1 on top and bottom. In the OPPO setup I have adjusted my TV type to 4:3 LB. I would like to be able to watch DVDs at higher resolution than 480p but not when they are squished.Nobody else has reported this, so it is likely a problem with your TV. I don't have a 4:3 TV with DVI/HDMI input, so I wouldn't be able to test this.

Anyone else?

Gary

Does anyone else have a problem with squished picture while upconverting? I have a 4:3 crt hdtv and the picture always gets squished vertically more than it should. When watching WS DVD's I see 2 black bars on top and bottom rather than 1 on top and bottom. In the OPPO setup I have adjusted my TV type to 4:3 LB. I would like to be able to watch DVDs at higher resolution than 480p but not when they are squished.

If you CRT is a Sony, you will be out of luck in terms of getting a non-squished image when using the HDMI input and higher resolutions, thanks to Sony's ingenius "16:9 Enhancer".

Whenever you go into a port of entry, your cargo is checked against your itemization. About 25% of all cargo is supposed to be scanned either visually (exhuasted) or through X-ray or other device. Homeland Security has stepped up their cargo inspections, and OPPO's units just happened to be the "lucky ones".

That all makes sense. Of course, as a customer all I really care about is that they can't send me one and really don't know when they might be able to. That's not good.

Jeffhdz is right on the money. When using RAW, the compressed audio stream is sent to the receiver for decoding. Because there is no interpretation by the OPDV971H, the limiting factor is the capabilities of your receiver.


Awesome. Thanks both of you.

That all makes sense. Of course, as a customer all I really care about is that they can't send me one and really don't know when they might be able to. That's not good.

This morning their website indicated that the units were at port awaiting customs clearence. Now it says "in stock / available" so presumably the container cleared customs.

I just sent an email about availability (I am picking my unit up locally) and expect to hear back shortly (with the tremendous customer service these guys routinely offer). I am hoping to pick it up this afternoon for a planned audition this evening before I go out of town for the weekend.

That all makes sense. Of course, as a customer all I really care about is that they can't send me one and really don't know when they might be able to. That's not good.

As a company it is more frustrating because it is your entire business.

OPPO is sending out all their orders this afternoon.

This morning their website indicated that the units were at port awaiting customs clearence. Now it says "in stock / available" so presumably the container cleared customs.

I just sent an email about availability (I am picking my unit up locally) and expect to hear back shortly (with the tremendous customer service these guys routinely offer). I am hoping to pick it up this afternoon for a planned audition this evening before I go out of town for the weekend.

Less than 20 minutes after I sent the email and confirmed that I can pick up the unit any time this afternoon. Very nice customer service!

As a company it is more frustrating because it is your entire business.

OPPO is sending out all their orders this afternoon.

If that's true, awesome!

Well, you guys went and did it. Just ordered the Oppo from Surf Audio Video. Got some 4 m DVI and HDMI cables and an MX-800 to boot. Thanks for helping me blow $500+... jerks. :)

A little lighter in the wallet,
Jeff

See this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6722751&&#post6722751), and the first post in this thread.

Gary


Thanks GSB!

Gary, I blame you totally! Can you send me some money for a pack of Ramen noodles so I can feed my family? :)

Thanks again for the heads up on this player... can't wait to get it in my grubby little hands,
Jeff

If that's true, awesome!

I picked up my unit a little while ago. They were busy unpacking the shipment and packing the outgoing units!

Gary, I blame you totally! Can you send me some money for a pack of Ramen noodles so I can feed my family? :)

Thanks again for the heads up on this player... can't wait to get it in my grubby little hands,
JeffSnigger, snigger! I'm sure you'll find it worth all the noodles it cost you!

Gary

I picked up my unit a little while ago. They were busy unpacking the shipment and packing the outgoing units!


Just checked online. Mine shipped about 40 minutes ago. :p

Hi gt, I think it's because it might have seamless branching with the opening scroll having different language options. I have noticed a hiccup in this and SW:ANH right after the scroll finishes and the camera pans.

:)

Just go my unit. They had tons of boxes of these things just sitting on the sidewalk in front of the office. They said that over 90% were already accounted for. They had hundreds of them. Get'em while there hot!

Hi gt, I think it's because it might have seamless branching with the opening scroll having different language options. I have noticed a hiccup in this and SW:ANH right after the scroll finishes and the camera pans.

:)

It's the one thing that still drives me nuts about this player. My 4 year old Panasonic RP82 has no issues at all with it, so I don't see why the oppo shouldn't be able to with a new, better faroudja chip and a top quality mpeg decoder. To me, this is a big error in playback. I really want to love this player, but to me this is a bad issue.

I tried one DVD-R DL (Verbatim) and I ran into this problem, but got the disc to work in a weird way. If I kept chapter skipping to past the Layer switch it was unable to read the 2nd layer, but if I went to right before the chapter layer break and let it play through it worked. IIRC it would even fast forward over the layer break but not chapter skip. I just thought it was a weird glitch but I never tried it again.
Just burned a DVD-R Dual layer myself and ran into this same issue, with Verbatim media. I'll have to try again with a DVD+R DL and/or another brand of -R.

TOONCES T. CAT'S DUAL LAYER BURN:
Yes, I now have great success with +R DL burns on the OPPO. For me, the key was in getting two very specific things right:

1. The book-type...set in the burner itself...needs to be set to DVD-ROM. Most burners have utilities available to set the book-type. IMGBurn, a free download, will do it for virtually all burners. Non DVD-ROM DL burns will NOT play in my OPPO.
2. The layer-break must be in the correct place or it is highly likely that the OPPO will choke on it. Here is my guaranteed method that has yet to fail me: Rip the DVD as an ISO file with DVD Decrypter. The program will automatically create an MDS file with the same name as the ISO you create. Then burn the DL disc using IMGBurn. When you browse to the file, just select the MDS, and not the ISO, for a DL disc and it will place the layer-break in exactly the right place.

This is the process I have found that ALWAYS maintains the precise integrity of the original image. Nero, DVD Fab, DVD Shrink, and every other program I have used all move the layer-break and create problems during the transition. It may not be the case for every unit, but my OPPO is quite sensitive to moving the break.

-Toonces

just wanted to add to a post from a few days back

been using Video2 mode now for PAL playback for a week

the detail quality is clearly superior in Video2/DVI mode, and there is no noticeable frame skippage whatsoever - if you watch PAL on NTSC equipment over DVI, I highly recommend you use Video2 if you're not yet...!

m

Magic-

As long as you not using the Oppo SDI with pal. On my iscan with the oppo connected SDI I get no picture with video2 on PAL movies. Works fine with video2 on NTSC discs.

yeah Jon,
I've read Video2 only works with DVI (which is lucky for me at least)

I've never even heard of SDI - I guess I'm not techie enough yet!? - is this a special mod you have to have on the player to get the output??

I just plug DVD player into TV, no other sci-fi grade video processing involved! I gather SDI is specific to using external video processors???

so far the Oppo is a good buy indeed
tho I've not yet tested me Star Wars disc, which I gather doesn't playback smoothly

hopefully, the good folks at Oppo can fix whatever the problem is there with seamless branching???

personally, I reckon DVDs should just be made more region-centric (especially since they wasted so much time and energy on stupid Region Codes, they could at least produce a disc without any 27-language ILVU segment variants!!!...)

I have had my OPPO since last year and have enjoyed it a lot. I noticed the other day when playing a music CD that the audio levels on the analog out were really low while the audio levels on the digital coax are fine. I am on the 2/20 firmware and have checked the settings on the receiver and the OPPO.

Any one else have this issue or a suggestion?

If i use the HDMI input on my Sony KV-30HS420 do i half to use the audio coming from the HDMI or can it be set so i can use optical and HDMI at the same time?

If i use the HDMI input on my Sony KV-30HS420 do i half to use the audio coming from the HDMI or can it be set so i can use optical and HDMI at the same time?

You can use either optical or coax with HDMI.

Dave

Thanks Dave!

It's the one thing that still drives me nuts about this player. My 4 year old Panasonic RP82 has no issues at all with it, so I don't see why the oppo shouldn't be able to with a new, better faroudja chip and a top quality mpeg decoder. To me, this is a big error in playback. I really want to love this player, but to me this is a bad issue.

for me it's the silly bug with the newest DVD-A titles that keep me from retiring the '82... last firmware change I found reduced the EP III hiccup a bit, but it's still not perfect.

So many little changes to make, and I've noticed quite a drop in the frequency of firmware updates... disapointing, especially when we got used to such regular fixes.

Although it has been said numerous times before, I just have to say that having just finished hooking up my new Oppo to my Optoma H31 projector via DVI how impressed I am with the pictue quality!

Previously was using a Panasonic S77 via component (which was no slouch) but the difference amazed me.

I was hoping for an improvement and judging by many posts here I was expecting something but am completely blown away but the out of the box picture quality! I am not even going to calibrate the new input and risk screwing something up!

I finally went ahead and loaded the 0316 Beta FW. I had been using the 0302 release. Main problem is occasional random, (rare) audio-video sync problems. Stuttering of all home recorded DVD's (TV shows) from an Emerson DVD recorder, and a left image shift noticeable on 4:3 images. The stuttering problems do not occur on DVD's recorded on Pio 531 DVD recorder, or on comercial DVD's.

Since updgrading to the 0316 Beta, I've watched a few DVD's recorded on a Pio DVD recorder and one or two commercial DVD's, (none from Emerson). I'm connected via DVI to a RP-CRT. I have it set to wide/sqz mode.

I know everyone so far has posted that 0316 is best FW yet. Not to be contrary, but that hasnt been my experience.

I have experienced juddering on two DVD's recorded on the Pio. It is somewhat random, on one it started with credits (this was actually the first DVD I tried ater the upgrade. Just for kicks, I ejected the DVD then reloaded it. It played fine then. The seond time was after a pause in playing a recorded DVD, after perssing play, it start juddering (by judeering I mean the 'strobe light type picture'). This time I paused again, restrated, still had problem, so paused again and restarted. 3rd time it stated playing ok.

Image is still shifted to left.


I dont know if I'll revert back to an earlier FW or not.

Rick.

[QUOTE=sharksharkI've noticed quite a drop in the frequency of firmware updates... [/QUOTE]

To me that seems a bit unfair :eek: . Oppo has done loads over the last few months to sort out PAL issues and a/v synch including both major firmwares and several patch firmwares. The latest 0316 firmware is a real treat for my set up. Of course we'd all like this player to be better in different ways (for me its using faroudja to zoom/pillar box and audio delay over RAW), but it seems as though the newer firmwares are as coming in as often and proving as useful as ever. Good work oppo :) .

Dave

Recently I have read a few posts asking about the quality of the cables that come with the Oppo. This is my experience with them:

I received my Oppo three months ago and connected it using the DVI-DVI cable to an Optoma H31 projector. After powering up the Oppo I saw sparklies which gradually decreased until they were completely gone (after 20 to 30 minutes). This happened every time I turned on the Oppo. I needed a longer cable anyway so I bought a 30' single link DVI-DVI cable from Blue Jeans Cable and I'm happy to report no more sparklies.

BTW I'm very impressed with the Oppo. My only wish is that they would fix the underscan, but its a minor problem.

I have had my OPPO since last year and have enjoyed it a lot. I noticed the other day when playing a music CD that the audio levels on the analog out were really low while the audio levels on the digital coax are fine. I am on the 2/20 firmware and have checked the settings on the receiver and the OPPO.

Any one else have this issue or a suggestion?The OPPO has a menu setting called Channel Trim (on the Audio Setup Page). The analog audio levels are low because the Trim for each channel is set to mid-way by default. Boost them if you want to. Otherwise, just turn up the volume on the receiver.

Gary

So many little changes to make, and I've noticed quite a drop in the frequency of firmware updates... disapointing, especially when we got used to such regular fixes.

Emphasis is on "minor". The problem is, nothing is perfect. OPPO has made great strides in ensuring that the major problems have been sorted out. There are still some major issues which need addressing (suspect DVD-R and Stand Alone DVD Recorder support, proper subtitles, so forth), but for the most part, the DVD player is working at its peek.

They are on the eve of two new product launches, and much of the support that was going exclusively towards the OPDV971H is now going into these two products. Most of the problems inherent to the OPDV971H will also be inherent to the two future products, which means that any fixes for these products will trickle down to the OPDV971H. As such, there is still room for improvement, and improvements will be made.

Greetings,
Any timeline as to when the 0316 beta firmware will be cleared for general release?
Also, what are the two new product launches as I had only heard about the new dvd player?
b.

My first Oppo is out for dleivery today from Extremephono-can't wait.

I'm thinking I should probably put the 0316 firmware on right away. I'll be using the DVI-DVI cable into my Tosh 57H83's DVI input with coaxial out for the audio.

Timing is great, as my usual ISF guy is going to be in town next week to fine tune the set.

I'll definitely report my results.

The OPPO has a menu setting called Channel Trim (on the Audio Setup Page). The analog audio levels are low because the Trim for each channel is set to mid-way by default. Boost them if you want to. Otherwise, just turn up the volume on the receiver.

Gary


Thanks,

But they were not low until I updated the firmware.

So what firmware should one be using if you watch nothing but commercial DVD's via DVI. Lip sync issues would be my number one concerned followed by picture studdering. Question, is the studdering issue a problem on commercial DVD's or just home burnt ones?

Studdering is mainly an issue (now) with DVDs which have been mastered on a Stand Alone DVD Recorder. It should not effect normal backups (PC).

You will want to use the F-0316 firmware.

I haven't tried any standalone recorder material on my Oppo yet - I have a Panasonic DMR-E80H, but I don't use it that much anymore since getting an integrated Motorola cable box/PVR unit

Am I right in guessing that the stuttering problem being described is therefore symptomatic of the DVD VR format used by standalone recorders? (hence PC-generated DVD Video is unaffected)?

That is correct, and OPPO has not been able to isolate the problem, as some users experience no issue, while others have constant problems with proper playback. I think it mainly has to do with the DVD VR and DVD-R media people are using, as DVD-R support is very suspect on the OPDV971H.

I have an Oppo and recently downloaded and installed the 0316 firmware. This past weekend, I rented Traffic and King Kong. There is a lot of Spanish language scenes in Traffic. I had to change the subtitle setting to "Auto" before the Spanish parts were translated (the English dialogue correctly did not show). Unfortunately, I had to change the setting to "Off" to keep all of the dialog from being shown while watching King Kong.

Is there something I am missing or do you have to constantly change the subtitle setting of the Oppo to fit particular movies?

I picked up my Oppo on Friday. I had posted a week or so prior (before ordering the Oppo) worrying about potential audio delay issues since my receiver does not have an audio delay feature, and wouldn't be prepared to tolerate sync issues. Just thought I'd report back that I have encountered no audio-video sync issues at all after experimenting with a number of DVDs (all mass-produced consumer DVD-Video disks from major distributors). I'm using a Philips 37PF320A LCD display and a Panasonic XR-55 receiver, with DVI-HDMI video connection and digital coaxial audio (haven't yet played with optical audio, and not sure if the few reports of possible sync issues were limited to optical audio out). Happy to have no problems!

I have had only limited time to play with the Oppo, but did notice some picture improvement on some disks compared to my older non-progressive non-upscaling DVD player from Sony when comparing them back and forth. I have encountered one real issue which Oppo CS reports is a known issue -- occassionally, with Disney or Disney-subsidiary releases on DVD, the Oppo will show brief instances of subtitles even though the subtitles feature on the Oppo and the DVD options menu are both set to "off." According to CS, it may be necessary to manualy select "off" on the DVD audio set-up menu (even if the default is already set to "off") to prevent this. I'll only report back if, after doing so, I still encounter the occassional subtitle.

So far pleased with the Oppo!

Emphasis is on "minor". The problem is, nothing is perfect. OPPO has made great strides in ensuring that the major problems have been sorted out. There are still some major issues which need addressing (suspect DVD-R and Stand Alone DVD Recorder support, proper subtitles, so forth), but for the most part, the DVD player is working at its peek.

They are on the eve of two new product launches, and much of the support that was going exclusively towards the OPDV971H is now going into these two products. Most of the problems inherent to the OPDV971H will also be inherent to the two future products, which means that any fixes for these products will trickle down to the OPDV971H. As such, there is still room for improvement, and improvements will be made.

Fair enough, and I'm certainly not slagging Oppo, but one person's minor is another person's dealbreaker.

Me, I need rock solid DVD/DivX/Region free playback with all DVD-A issues sorted out. I've not had any major synch issues, nor macroblocking. I'm not saying that improvements in these areas aren't tremendous, that they aren't working hard, etc., etc. I'm simply noting that the frequency has decreased (as suggested by the move to newer players) and that for me an absolute necessity (DVD-A support) isn't being addressed at all.

I'm of course the great minority here, but literally that's all that's stopping me from removing my '82 from my rack. Sad, but true...

That is correct, and OPPO has not been able to isolate the problem, as some users experience no issue, while others have constant problems with proper playback. I think it mainly has to do with the DVD VR and DVD-R media people are using, as DVD-R support is very suspect on the OPDV971H.


Explain "very suspect." I would say 80% of what I watch on my Oppo is burned movies from my Macs, DVD-R media, and I've had zero problems. That's not including the occasional bad encoding job, which I blame on the internet, and not Oppo :rolleyes:

I have an Oppo and recently downloaded and installed the 0316 firmware. This past weekend, I rented Traffic and King Kong. There is a lot of Spanish language scenes in Traffic. I had to change the subtitle setting to "Auto" before the Spanish parts were translated (the English dialogue correctly did not show). Unfortunately, I had to change the setting to "Off" to keep all of the dialog from being shown while watching King Kong.

Is there something I am missing or do you have to constantly change the subtitle setting of the Oppo to fit particular movies?

You will experience issues with wrong subtitles on Disney and affiliate DVDs. Please go through the DVD Title's menu system and manually deselect subtitles as either "None" or "Off". This will correct your subtitle issue.

Explain "very suspect." I would say 80% of what I watch on my Oppo is burned movies from my Macs, DVD-R media, and I've had zero problems. That's not including the occasional bad encoding job, which I blame on the internet, and not Oppo :rolleyes:

Although the OPDV971H supports DVD-R media, the amount of support varies greatly from person to person. Person A experiences no problems, whereas Person B experiences only occassional problems. Meanwhile Person C can't for the life of them get DVD-R media to read on the OPDV971H. Dubious I say, dubious.

But they were not low until I updated the firmware. That's odd. Has anyone else noticed the analog audio levels drop after updating the firmware?

jhixson, are you sure the channel trim wasn't boosted before you updated the firmware? (A FW reflash resets the user menu to defaults). Which FW version were you using before and after your update? You should be using the 0316 beta version now.

Gary

That's odd. Has anyone else noticed the analog audio levels drop after updating the firmware?

jhixson, are you sure the channel trim wasn't boosted before you updated the firmware? (A FW reflash resets the user menu to defaults). Which FW version were you using before and after your update? You should be using the 0316 beta version now.

Gary


I had actualy checked the trim level before and had boosted them to +1 but now even +10 seems much lower. I think I was using the FW from last November before I updated.

Was just kind of waiting for 0316 to be final to update again but maybe I should just to see what happems. The dark bar down the left of my Samsung TV is on my mind now as I have to give them a call and actually use a warantee.

Just hooked mine up.


Wow.

I still need to adjust my settings for DVI on the Tosh, as the brightness is a little high, but the image is crisp, clear and gorgeous. Granted I used to awesome looking discs I am familiar with, SW:ROTS and Fifth Element SB. Both easily surpassed the image quality I've been getting from my Pioneer DV-563A over component. And I like the Pioneer.

Can't wait to have my set ISF'd next week and really see this thing shine.

One note, I did check out the opening of ROTS, and while I could detect a slight "judder" in the pan down, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I also didn't see any jumping or juddering at all on "A long time ago..."

Are certain displays more susceptible than others?

My gear:

Toshiba 57H83 with the Oppo connected DVI-to-DVI.

Audio sync looked fine, and I was jumping around a bit.

For the life of me I can't understand why Toshiba's new SD-4990 upconverter looked so bad out of the box when connected. I had it set to 1080i, and even though it was playing brighter than it should, the picture was fuzzy and blocking like mad.

The Oppo looked fabulous right out of the box. The only difference I can think of besides the player is that I had to convert HDMI-to-DVI from the SD-4990. I don't know why or if that would cause a problem, but hopefully that won't give me problems when I eventually dip into HD or BD. Although, with the way SD is going to look through the Oppo, I doubt I'll be in a big rush until some big titles come out on HD.

i can't seem to find the link to the website with the modded and beta firmware....can someone place a link?

i can't seem to find the link to the website with the modded and beta firmware....can someone place a link?

www.opd971h.com - mods

http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html - beta

Enjoy!

Just one follow up, I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but just to verify, Brightness at 0 on the Oppo is now studio level correct? No more +5 or similar offset?

TIA

yes.