The incredibles is reference quaility but he still needs to calibrate his display and the player. Until then I don't think to many people here will be able to help.

The "magic settings"

Sharpness: 0
Brightness: 0
Contrast: 0
CCS: off
TrueLife: off
Noise Reduction: 0

OP971-1111B or later firmware (Default brightness level set to studio level.)

Brightness, and Contrast calibrated so as to avoid crush.

The "magic settings"

Sharpness: 0
Brightness: 0
Contrast: 0
CCS: off
TrueLife: off
Noise Reduction: 0

OP971-1111B or later firmware (Default brightness level set to studio level.)

Brightness, and Contrast calibrated so as to avoid crush.
are the sharpness, brightness and contrast not defaulted to zero from the start?

Maybe. It's trivial to check. It's trivial to run through Optimode. It's less trivial to verify the firmware, but:


Eject the Tray
Press the "OSD" button on the remote control
A menu will pop up to show the firmware version of the Oppo Player. If you do not see the firmware version, this means that you have an older firmware installed.

It has the latest firmware.

Everything is correct with a new firmware, but if you have changed anything in an attempt to "fix" the issue, then your settings would have migrated, which is why Jerwin just re-affirms the "Optimode" for the OPDV971H.

Okay well at this point I can't do anymore tests. I may exchange it and try a new one. I shall update with more info if that happens.

I have searched the forum, but am still confused about how to get the optimal resolution out of my setup. I have an Oppo DV971H (just got it) and want to hook it up to my NEC HT1000 projector that also sports a panamorph lens. I am projecting to 16:9 screen. What settings are the most appropriate on either side? I would assume that I should use 4:3 settings on the NEC to use all of the 768 vertical resolution, since the HT1000 is a native 4:3 projector and the panamorph will then squeeze those down. But what is the best setting on the Oppo? TIA for any suggestions or observations if anyone has the same setup.

Hmm. You could try 576p (PAL), and use a spherical lens. The projector will letterbox, but this might give a perfect pixel for pixel map.

(I suspect that my display-- a 1366x768p lcd that also offers a 1280x720p non-zoomed mode-- is small enough that any benefits associated with "pixel for pixel" are lost on me. Nevertheless I find that 720p gives a better image than either 1080i or 480p.)

In my experience, the 971H is best set for 720p even if that's not a perfect 1:1 pixel map with your display.

Armadillo, yes if you're using a Panamorph you want to set the HT1000 for 4:3 mode and the Oppo for 16:9 or "Wide/Sqz".

I got my Oppo 971H and have been using it for a few days. I have no real complaints. I think that the image quality is as good as I had with a HTPC, but the Oppo doesn't need as much tweaking to get me there.

I will miss having my HTPC for other reasons (106" gaming for instance) but the Oppo does a good job with my DVDs. I plan to go back to a HTPC once I can get HD-DVD on board, but this is a good temporary solution.

I have the Samsung LN-S3251d LCD and am interested in the Oppo 971H. Is this a good dvd player for my display? Is the macrocblocking an issue for all tv's or only certain ones? I am also looking at the Sony DVPNS75H. Comments?

Received my new OPPO today and here are my first impressions. Packaging is great and setup is a breeze. Did not have to configure the digital outputs other than to plug the coaxial cable from my Denon AVR and hook up the supplied DVI cable to the HDMI input of my Philips plasma. Next I wanted to check the firmware version. The OPPO was shipped with version F-0302. The remote I believe is the second version of the remote that being the silver/black remote. Been to OPPO looking for the third version of the remote but can not locate this remote on their website.

From the factory these settings are as follows, Sharpness-OFF, Brightness-00, Contrast-00, Saturation-00, True-life-ON, CSS-OFF, Noise Reduction-OFF.

Currently I have the 971H set at 1080i as 720p does not fill the entire screen. At 720p I noticed that the image is slightly to the right much like when I watch 4:3 through my SA8300HD DVR or through the Samsung OTA receiver. The Samsung receiver gives me the ability to move the image left or right and up and down to center it.

Next was to test the player. One of the biggest concerns for me was the audio getting out of sync. After playing the entire Eagles Farewell DVD I did not notice any sync. problems as the disc neared the end. In my opinion the PQ is outstanding.

I have both AVIA and Digital Video Essentials disc’s to calibrate my Philips plasma. I want to get the best out of my 971H and Philips plasma. As I have not used either of these two setup discs which is better at setting up my plasma?

DVE is better as Avia was created in 1998 before 16 x 9's and Plasma's

See a comparison at http://www.hdtvsupply.com/diviesdvd.html

I have the Samsung LN-S3251d LCD and am interested in the Oppo 971H. Is this a good dvd player for my display? Is the macrocblocking an issue for all tv's or only certain ones? I am also looking at the Sony DVPNS75H. Comments?

I asked OPPO and they have not received any units back which were mated with your Samsung LN-S3251D LCD. Macroblocking is likely not a concern for that display device.

The OPPO was shipped with version F-0302. The remote I believe is the second version of the remote that being the silver/black remote. Been to OPPO looking for the third version of the remote but can not locate this remote on their website.

If the OPDV971H shipped with the F-0302 firmware, then you have the latest remote. You can consult this image of the currently shipping R3 remote (http://www.oppodigital.com/proddetail.asp?prod=971Remote).

If the OPDV971H shipped with the F-0302 firmware, then you have the latest remote. You can consult this image of the currently shipping R3 remote (http://www.oppodigital.com/proddetail.asp?prod=971Remote).

That is the remote I have. Now as for firmware the latest firmware is F-0316 but this thread has not been updated showing it nor is it listed at OPPO as the latest. What does this firmware fix or repair?

The F-0316 Firmware (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html) is listed on the website, but it is slightly burried. It is the same as the F-302 firmware, but with the built in Audio-Video Syncronization scheme which was removed from the F-0302 due to errors with DivX files.

Neuromancer, if I buy the 971H with the F-0302 firmware as listed on the site, would it be beneficial for me to do a DIY upgrade tp the F-0316 firmware? This is for a Samsung 3251d.

Also, I see people talking about the native resolution of their tv's. How do I find out what mine is? And how am I to know if my tv's internal scaler is any good compared to the dvd players?

All the DVD's connected to these Panels (4270,4360,D90 and 5060) were connected via HDMI.

I agree that the chances of the issue being fixed by a new unit with a "good" DVI board are highly dubious.

All I can say about the quality of the Incredibles is if it works on 7 out of 8 players then I blame player number 8, by deductive reasoning :).

I am all for calibrating a TV set but once again when 7 out of 8 combinations work well and I know for sure that the TV's weren't calibrated (took many off torch mode) I blame the new entry into the mix that stops the picture from looking great.
Well as I previously suspected calibrating the hardware for such obvious issues was not the problem. Plugged this into a Sharp D90 with ZERO CHANGES and voila no crawling sky or massive banding. This is not to say I am happy with the picture yet but now I am doing some serious calibrating with THX and DVE.

So the moral of the the story I think is 4270 and 971 don't work well together.

Neuromancer, if I buy the 971H with the F-0302 firmware as listed on the site, would it be beneficial for me to do a DIY upgrade tp the F-0316 firmware? This is for a Samsung 3251d.

If you are suffering from syncronization errors, then yes, you will want to upgrade your firmware. If you are not having problems with audio syncronization, then it is something that is encouraged, but not required.

Also, I see people talking about the native resolution of their tv's. How do I find out what mine is? And how am I to know if my tv's internal scaler is any good compared to the dvd players?

Both questions usually require reading the internet forums for specific information. Sometimes the native resolution is stated in the user manual or the companies website.

For testing the scaler, you can basically use the OPDV971H at 480i (component), 480p, and 720p and note the differences between them. If 480 is better, then you have a good scaler/de-interlacer. If 480p is better, likely your scaler is better than the OPDV971H. If 720p is better, then it is likely that the OPDV971H is the better de-interlacer/scaler.

What ever happened to the promised firmware updates? We have not had anything since March.

Still being finalized. I've been using it over the weekend.

Do you have a link to the beta you're using by chance? I'm dying to get this angle icon thing fixed.

No, there have only been two beta releases to the public, and one of them became the official release (F-0302). You will have to wait for the official release.

Still being finalized. I've been using it over the weekend.

What issues do the Beta firmware you are using address?

At the risk of asking another "asked-and-answered" question, I think I have a significant twist on an old question:

History: When I bought my original display (Samsung HL-P6163, 720P) and my Toshiba SD-V592 player, the player had a significant macroblocking issue (Faroudja chipset) that was resolved (at least to my satisfaction) with a firmware update from Toshiba. Since then, Samsung has replaced my display with a HL-R6168, 1080P (yes, for free) and I am extremely happy with the improved picture quality. No noticeable macroblocking from the Toshiba and no "underscan" issues. Lately, however, the Toshiba has started acting up with annoying freezes during playback and occasionally refusing to play at all. It seems I will need to replace it.

Questions: Will the Oppo DV971H be a good replacement for the Toshiba? Will the macroblocking issue it reports to experience be similar to what I (don't) see now with the Toshiba or what I saw before the firmware update (it was terrible and unacceptable)? Do others with the HLR 1080P displays see the "underscan" on their displays?

Fixed Angle Mark (havn't confirmed)
Fixed Subtitle Bug (forced/unforced subtitles show correctly now)
Fixed "Commentary Disclaimer" errors (some Sony discs would get stuck at the Commentary disclaimer).
Fixed Compatibility with some older Nero DVDs (don't know how far this extends in increased compatability).
Added Audio/Video Syncronization (same as F-0316)
Added DivX Font control (can change the font size; does not effect clipping due to bad breaks)
Added Light Control (now you can DIM and turn Off the LCD).
Added Backward/Forward support for MP3 (Skip buttons during playback now skip tracks, rather than paging the screen).
Added Random for Image playback (I believe this is actually in the current firmware)
Added OSD and LCD resolution feedback (pressing the DVI button once will tell you what resolution you are using on screen as well as the front LCD).

Is there anyway to check what current firmware your player is using. I just set one of these up and can't find a menu option that will tell me. Just wondering if it would have shipped with the latest firmware.

Also, probably been answered in the topic, but I'm not sure if this changes with the firmware - what should TrueLife be set to? I have it set to on with the two associated options under it set to off, but should TrueLife itself be off completely?

Press Eject then press OSD. Your Batch Number is the current firmware revision.

Alternatively, you can press Setup then "9210".

Leave TrueLife to On, as it will cause DNR to be turned on to Low when turned Off, which can negatively impact your picture by causing ghosting and image retention.

Thanks for the info Neuromancer.

Press Eject then press OSD. Your Batch Number is the current firmware revision.

Alternatively, you can press Setup then "9210".

Leave TrueLife to On, as it will cause DNR to be turned on to Low when turned Off, which can negatively impact your picture by causing ghosting and image retention.

Do you know when Oppo will address the DNR default setting to off with TrueLife off? Or is it a hardware problem like Samsung BR player?

Don't know. The engineers have been battling the DNR and underscanning problems since day one.

Leave TrueLife to On, as it will cause DNR to be turned on to Low when turned Off, which can negatively impact your picture by causing ghosting and image retention.

I've seen this mentioned several times, funny thing is while DNR causes image retention for everyone else on my Sanyo Z2 projector I get a noticable amount of noise with True Life off and DNR off. When I set True Life to On and DNR to low or medium the noise goes aways and the image is jaw dropping and very clean with no noise. With these settings I don't get any ghosting or image retention unless I stop the DVD and go to the blue Oppo screen then you can see a little image retention, but none that's noticable when playing a DVD. If I set DNR to High you can see a trailing effect on some fast moving images though, but with DNR set to low or medium and True life set to ON the picture on my display is a lot better than True Life Off and DNR Off.

Not sure why :confused:

...with DNR set to low or medium and True life set to ON the picture on my display is a lot better than True Life Off and DNR Off. The whole idea is to find the settings that look the best on your particular display. Truelife ON can cause macroblock-enhance on a few display-types. If you have no macroblocking, and the picture looks jaw-dropping to you, leave it ON.

Gary

Will the Oppo DV971H be a good replacement for the Toshiba? Will the macroblocking issue it reports to experience be similar to what I (don't) see now with the Toshiba or what I saw before the firmware update (it was terrible and unacceptable)? Do others with the HLR 1080P displays see the "underscan" on their displays?The Oppo DV971H is a fantastic replacement for the Toshiba. I've compared them both, but before Toshiba's firmware update. The OPPO was significantly better, and with all of OPPO's firmware updates, it has continued to improve since then. Samsung DLP's tend to be more susceptible to macroblock-enhance than most, but I was able to eliminate it with calibration. If you don't see macroblock-enhance with the Toshiba, I'm sure you won't see it with the OPPO.

The HLR 1080P displays overscan, and therefore do not show the tiny amount of OPPO underscan.

Gary

Regarding the "image retention" when TrueLife is set to off, I am noticing on my setup a slight difference between the two causes. With Truelife off the image retention eventually dissipates into the next scene and is less prominent. If I use the DNR setting to "on," the image retention stays on the screen until a new bright image refreshes it. This can be best seen if you take a high contrast scene like the illuminated fountains at the very end of the "audio/video demonstration" on the DVE program. With Truelife set to off if you stop the player on that scene you can see the residue of the fountain lights over the Oppo splash screen, but this will quickly dissipate. Doing the same thing with DNR "on" the image retention is much more prominent and never goes away until a new scene or image is introduced. Any comments from anybody?

Regarding the "image retention" when TrueLife is set to off, I am noticing on my setup a slight difference between the two causes. With Truelife off the image retention eventually dissipates into the next scene and is less prominent. If I use the DNR setting to "on," the image retention stays on the screen until a new bright image refreshes it. This can be best seen if you take a high contrast scene like the illuminated fountains at the very end of the "audio/video demonstration" on the DVE program. With Truelife set to off if you stop the player on that scene you can see the residue of the fountain lights over the Oppo splash screen, but this will quickly dissipate. Doing the same thing with DNR "on" the image retention is much more prominent and never goes away until a new scene or image is introduced. Any comments from anybody?

Just curious if this has been corrected in the newer units or is it still an issue with all production of 971H?

All production units. It is a bug that OPPO has not yet isolated.

The Oppo DV971H is a fantastic replacement for the Toshiba.

Thanks Gary for relating your first hand experience. Since posting my questions my research brought up another, which I do not seem to be able to resolve:

IF my Samsung display (HL-R6168) indeed has the Faroudja chipset, which I cannot seem to confirm, how would the OPPO DV-970HD opperating @ 480i over HDMI compare to the results I would see using the DV971H @ 1080i? I suspect that the mere fact that Oppo is providing firware updates and Samsung is not, that the DV971H is still likely to produce the better picture. Has anyone compared the two in this regard?

Anyone using this player on a Toshiba 57h84 rptv? How does it compare with your prior dvd player?
TIA,
Eben

It also depends on the implimetnation of the hardware, as well as user control over the functionality. Just having a Faroudja DCDi chipset does not mean you will be creating a quality picture. The implimentation between the hardware and software will determine the final capabilities. In most cases, a dedicated device (DVD player) will be much better designed than an all-in-one solution (television) because the dedicated device relies soley on its functionality.

Regarding the "image retention" when TrueLife is set to off, I am noticing on my setup a slight difference between the two causes. With Truelife off the image retention eventually dissipates into the next scene and is less prominent. If I use the DNR setting to "on," the image retention stays on the screen until a new bright image refreshes it. This can be best seen if you take a high contrast scene like the illuminated fountains at the very end of the "audio/video demonstration" on the DVE program. With Truelife set to off if you stop the player on that scene you can see the residue of the fountain lights over the Oppo splash screen, but this will quickly dissipate. Doing the same thing with DNR "on" the image retention is much more prominent and never goes away until a new scene or image is introduced. Any comments from anybody?

I've seen the same thing with the image retention, but on my display (Sanyo Z2 projector)it's only noticable when I go to the Oppo blue screen, it's not noticable when watching a movie I guess things change to much for the retention to take effect.

Thanks Gary for relating your first hand experience. Since posting my questions my research brought up another, which I do not seem to be able to resolve:

IF my Samsung display (HL-R6168) indeed has the Faroudja chipset, which I cannot seem to confirm, how would the OPPO DV-970HD opperating @ 480i over HDMI compare to the results I would see using the DV971H @ 1080i? I suspect that the mere fact that Oppo is providing firware updates and Samsung is not, that the DV971H is still likely to produce the better picture. Has anyone compared the two in this regard? To begin with, you need to confirm that your TV supports 480i HDMI. My Samsung HLP model does not, and I'm TICKED, because I also have the DV-970HD.

I agree with Neuromancer that the 971 has a better implementation of the Faroudja processor, with the exception of the NR circuit. Samsung's is excellent.

One more thing: Setting the DV971H (or any other player) to 1080i is probably not the best option for your 1080p TV. Check out this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7407251&&#post7407251).

Gary

To begin with, you need to confirm that your TV supports 480i HDMI. My Samsung HLP model does not, and I'm TICKED, because I also have the DV-970HD.

I agree with Neuromancer that the 971 has a better implementation of the Faroudja processor, with the exception of the NR circuit. Samsung's is excellent.

One more thing: Setting the DV971H (or any other player) to 1080i is probably not the best option for your 1080p TV. Check out this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7407251&&#post7407251).

Gary

GSB, how do you confirm if your tv supports 480 HDMI? I have a Samsung LN-S3251d and am looking at the 970 or 971.

I guess I've seen this question asked, however; I haven't seen a definite answer.

I'd like an Oppo 971, however; I'm tempted to wait for the next version with HDMI.

Other than the sound over HDMI, is there anything else I'd be lacking if I went with the current DVI model? I'm talking specifically about the connection... not the features (I think the new oppo will have SACD).

Are there downsides to DVI?

Can someone please share with me their settings on this player?

The more I use it, the softer the picure seems.

I watched Kill Bill (1 and 2) and there were times when the picture seemed unfocused (at best) or all digital and blocky in places (at worst).

I am projecting from a HDPJ52 onto a 106" screen. I formerly used a HTPC and loved the clear and sharp picture that I obtained.

I have played with my settings on the OPPO but could not remedy the basic problem. Perhaps Kill Bill is just not a very good transfer?

I guess I've seen this question asked, however; I haven't seen a definite answer.

I'd like an Oppo 971, however; I'm tempted to wait for the next version with HDMI.

Other than the sound over HDMI, is there anything else I'd be lacking if I went with the current DVI model? I'm talking specifically about the connection... not the features (I think the new oppo will have SACD).

Are there downsides to DVI?

No. A DVI-HDMI cable is a straight pin-2-pin equivalent. There is no other active(or passive) circuit used, or other type of 'conversion'. I have the 971 and am pleased with the performance on my Westy 1080p panel.

redjr... :)

Lawguy,

As far as settings go you should read the first post on this thread. Basically leave the Oppo settings at 0 and adjust settings on your display to the correct levels. I watched part 2 of Kill Bill a month or two ago and I don't remember it being blurry or out of focus, but if you have a particular scene that was bad I'd be willing to check to see if its just you with the problem. Of course I only have a 55" display so problems may not be as apparent on my display.

To begin with, you need to confirm that your TV supports 480i HDMI. My HLP also did not support 480i over HDMI but my HLR does (verified with my HDTiVo).
Check out this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7407251&&#post7407251).Very interesting, thanks again. As I write this, my son is downstairs watch "Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius" and says he has had no issues. I swtiched the Toshiba to 720p for his viewing pleaseure. ;)

No. A DVI-HDMI cable is a straight pin-2-pin equivalent. There is no other active(or passive) circuit used, or other type of 'conversion'. I have the 971 and am pleased with the performance on my Westy 1080p panel.

redjr... :)

Sometimes, HDMI supports YPrPc color spaces. DVI is strictly RGB.

Jeffs2,

Thanks. One scene in particular that I recall is toward the end of Kill Bill 2 when Bill and the Bride are talking, the camera is focused in the foreground on Bill's back, which is mostly in focus but Uma's face is in the background. As it is not intended to be in the cameras focus, it should be blurry, but instead, it is almost blocky and almost misshapen.

Another scene with a similar effect is during the same general part of the movie. The camera is focused on Uma's back and Bill's faces is blocky. As a side note, Tarantino appears to loves to set up scenes like there where the focus of the camara is away from the person where you want it to be focused on and on the person who is talking, even if the person who is talking is not prominently pictured in the scene.

Also, close-ups of faces in general are just plain kind of soft and while the coloring of skin is very natual looking, it seems like details are missing or soft, like wrinkles or skin detail.

I will have to go back to a movie that I watched a lot on my HTPC and see if the OPPO does the same things with those.

By the way, I am upconverting to 720p and my projector is 720 native.

Regarding the "image retention" when TrueLife is set to off, I am noticing on my setup a slight difference between the two causes. With Truelife off the image retention eventually dissipates into the next scene and is less prominent. If I use the DNR setting to "on," the image retention stays on the screen until a new bright image refreshes it. This can be best seen if you take a high contrast scene like the illuminated fountains at the very end of the "audio/video demonstration" on the DVE program. With Truelife set to off if you stop the player on that scene you can see the residue of the fountain lights over the Oppo splash screen, but this will quickly dissipate. Doing the same thing with DNR "on" the image retention is much more prominent and never goes away until a new scene or image is introduced. Any comments from anybody?

Wondering if some of the IR issues may be display dependent? I just hooked up a 971H (updated with the beta 316 f/w) to my system to compare it to my 970HD, and with Truelife "OFF", I see no signs of image retention when stopping the player during that DVE "fountains" scene you mention. Nor do I see it with Truelife "ON" and NR set to "OFF" or "LOW". They all seem to look the same on my Fujitsu P50XHA40US plasma.

/steve

I have just ordered one of these players. Without having to go through all the pages (I've looked about 1/4) can someone please tell me:

on p1 only DVD+R (plus CD-R) is listed as being able to play divX on the 971. I thought I saw elsewhere I could also use DVD-R. Could someone please answer this for me?

You can use DVD+-R/RW/DL media, but the OPDV971H is most compliant with DVD+R/RW/DL variants.

Thanks for that

Lawguy,

I checked over the end of part 2 again last night. I think I know the scenes you are talking about, but I don't see the same behavior you do. The one scene with Uma in the background, her face is only about .5" by .5" on my 55" screen. You can see her, she is out of focus, but its hard to see any blocky artifacts. I really looked too. My guess this could be something that would only be seen on a really big screen. I know I have a problem going to the movie theaters now because the movies seem too soft and even a little blurry. I couldn't believe how many details seemed to be missing from the Cars trailer the last time I saw it in the theater. I walked away with the impression that the movie theater projector really sucked. When I watched the same trailer at home in HD I realized that I was complaining about things that you couldn't even see on a TV.

Are you sure that the blocky-ness and softness isn't caused by projecting such a large image?

jeffs2,

Thanks for checking

I think that you are right. Last night I went throught some other titles that I know were very sharp and they looked very good on the OPPO.

I think that maybe Kill Bill is just a little soft at times. Still a great movie (or movies) though. I am not sure if it is the transfers or the film itself. In this case it is magnified because you are trying to focus on something that is out of focus to begin with!

One thing that I saw on another title that alarmed me was in the movie the Island. In the opening sequence where Lincoln is dreaming about being on the boat, there are pans of the water and the sky. In the sky, there is an irregular horizontal band where the blue sky looks very different from the sky around it, almost as if someone photoshopped something out. Anyone see anything like this?

Thanks again.

Anyone using this player on a Toshiba 57h84 rptv? How does it compare with your prior dvd player?
TIA,
Eben

Eben,

I'm using my OPPO 971 with a Toshiba 65HX93 RP-CRT. A model year older than your 84. I'm pretty happy with the OPPO. Pic quality is better than with my previous player (Onkyo DVD changer).

Customer support for Oppo has been much better than any other electronic device I've had.

I've had some issues with player-TV. Early on I had some rare audio-sync issues, thouse have pretty much disappeared with the latest FW. I have some juddering on DVD's recorded on a standalone DVD recorder (just one of two recorders I have, the other plays fine). The juddering is improved by switching from 1080i to 720p.

I did have to make some minor tweaks to the white and black (not set at the default or at the setting recommneded here in order to pass both blacker than black and peak white settings).

But I really like this player matched with my Toshiba.

Rick

Have the lip synch issues been fixed yet.

They were fixed back in March with the F-0316 Firmware (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html). You can either download the F-0316 firmware or wait for the official release of the 10-0720 firmware.

They were fixed back in March with the F-0316 Firmware (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0316_download.html). You can either download the F-0316 firmware or wait for the official release of the 10-0720 firmware.


Thanks! I am trying to decide between the OPPO 971 and the Samsung HD960.

Well, I am still a bit unsure about this player. Almost all the featurse, firmware updatse and everythign on the first page sounds fantastic. I've also quickly reviewed searched the AVS Forums for the keyword MX195 and 917H hoping for details on who this dvd player would work with me tv.

I've reviewed the "Screts of home theatre benchmarks" and it appears as though the macro-blocking issues was described by them as being very display dependant. So I would like to make a call out there to particularly Toshiba 72MX195 users, but also other MX195 users and dlp-tv users in general how their macro block experiences have been?

I read a Samsung HLxxsomething member's experience and he described on movies like Pirates of the Caribean(spelling?) it being quite quite bad. I guess because that movie has a lot of long dark scenes at night? Not sure.

Anyways, I am bit afraid to get this because of ...the macro-blocking... and at least the samsung dlp has it. How about my 1080p(upconverted from 1080i) Toshiba 72mx195 tv?

If it is prone to Macro-blocking, I think I will take another member's advise which basically was paraphrased " Get a Toshiba A1. Its a great upconverting DVD Player and you get HD DVDs right away no matter who wins the dvd format war, you'll always have a good upconverting dvd player and player for those old HD-DVDs. Not to mention, if a format dies man are the beta-tapes cheap in their final days. Get every movie on HD-DVD at rock bottom-out prices :) "

That also made sense to me because toshiba tv + toshiba dvd player. Can't go wrong?

Alllthough, a1 = no dvx, more expensive and I am still on the fence regarding the dvd-war and would almost rather save the 200-300 in price difference towards a ps3 and/or future dvd player.

It really comes down to if macro blocking is bad on a Toshiba 72MX195 with the OPPO or if macro blocking would still occurs on a dvd via the Toshiba A1(because maybe ti uses the fourjida(spelling) chipset too for its upconverting??

Please reply back if anyone can give any input in different areas mention in this post to the thread. Thank you.

I think that maybe Kill Bill is just a little soft at times. Still a great movie (or movies) though. I am not sure if it is the transfers or the film itself.

Like many Buena Vista discs, the video on the Kill Bill DVDs has been excessively filtered and then artificially sharpened with edge enhancement. This process tends to destroy fine object detail.

Eben,

I'm using my OPPO 971 with a Toshiba 65HX93 RP-CRT. A model year older than your 84. I'm pretty happy with the OPPO. Pic quality is better than with my previous player (Onkyo DVD changer).

Customer support for Oppo has been much better than any other electronic device I've had.

I've had some issues with player-TV. Early on I had some rare audio-sync issues, thouse have pretty much disappeared with the latest FW. I have some juddering on DVD's recorded on a standalone DVD recorder (just one of two recorders I have, the other plays fine). The juddering is improved by switching from 1080i to 720p.

I did have to make some minor tweaks to the white and black (not set at the default or at the setting recommneded here in order to pass both blacker than black and peak white settings).

But I really like this player matched with my Toshiba.

Rick
I realize that every display-dvd combo, combined with the varying properties of the quality of disc tranfers, will have some issues, but your post gives me confidence. Considering the cost of the oppo, I've got little to lose.
Thanks for sharing! :)

Looks like the subtitle/angle mark issue is fixed with the new firmware. Tried it out briefly today with a Disney DVD.

um... where did you get it? I just don't get why this beta wasn't made available like the 0316 firmware.

Looks like the subtitle/angle mark issue is fixed with the new firmware. Tried it out briefly today with a Disney DVD.

Where did you get the new firmware?
I just checked the oppo site and newest one was:
MVer: 05.00.01.07 Batch: F-0302
Release Date: March 15, 2006

Thanks
Northern Paladin

10-0720 Firmware (http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_firmware_0720.html) officially released to the public.

Release Note

The following new features and improvements are included in this version:

1. Improved handling of "forced subtitle" for DVD discs

This version improves the handling of "forced subtitle" for DVD discs. For certain DVD discs that contains foreign "forced subtitle" tracks, foreign subtitle text will no longer erratically appear when there is english text in the picture. Additionally, when the dialog is in a foreign language and the DVD disc contains a corresponding English "forced subtitle" track, English subtitle will automatically show.

2. Improved disc compatibility

This version resolves the playback problem with certain Sony DVD discs that contains a "Commentary Disclaimer" screen. It also improves compatibility with DVD-Video disc recorded using older version of Nero Burning ROM program.

3. Improved audio/video synchronization (previously included in the F-0316 beta firmware)

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.

Special thanks to Gary Bosman for his contribution to this improvement.

4. Eliminated Chroma Up-sampling Error (CUE) for component output

Chroma Up-sampling Error is a problem that could happen when the reduced resolution Chroma data (color information) on the DVD discs are up-sampled to create full resolution color image. When it happens, edges, especially diagonal edges of saturated color will have a "staircase" or "mini-blind" effect. The OPDV971H does not have CUE with its DVI output. This version eliminates CUE on its component output.

5. Improved resume play function

This function works for DVD-Video discs only. To save a playback position so that you can resume later, press the "EJECT" button on the remote while the video is playing. The player will show "Saving Breakpoint…" on screen and eject the disc tray. Next time when the same DVD disc is loaded into the player, it will automatically resume from the saved playback position. You may cancel this automatic resume playback and start play from the beginning by pressing the "STOP" button on the remote control.

The memory function can remember 1 breakpoint only. Any new "EJECT" operation will overwrite the previous breakpoint with a new one.

6. Improved DivX video playback functions

This version of firmware properly supports DivX video files larger than 2GB. Fast forward and reverse speed are improved. It also improved compatibility with DivX video files that contains incomplete or corrupted index. With previous firmware version, these files may not play completely. With this firmware version the player will try to play the entire program despite the missing or corrupted index. However fast forwarding or reverse may not work in this case. For DivX files with associated text subtitles, the font size of the subtitle can be adjusted using the DVD player's setup menu.

7. Output resolution display

When the "DVI" button on the remote control is pressed, the current DVI output resolution will be displayed on the screen as well as the on the player's front panel. To actually switch the output resolution, stop playback so the OPPO logo screen is shown. Press the "DVI" button once to display the current resolution. Press it again to switch to the next available output resolution. The new resolution will also be displayed on both the screen and front panel.

8. Enhanced front panel dimmer control

The "Light Control" setup menu option has been expanded to support 4 modes:

* On - Both the Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) window and the button LED lights are on.
* LED Off - Button LED lights are turned off; VFD window is on.
* Dim - Button LED lights are turned off; VFD window is at reduced brightness.
* All Off - All front panel lights and displays are turned off. This setting resumes back to "On" after the player is turned off to avoid user confusion.

9. Skip function for digital music files

When playing digital music files, the "Skip Prev" (|<<) and "Skip Next" (>>|) buttons on the remote control can be used to skip to the the previous or next track. This function enables the user to skip tracks without using the navigation menu on the video screen. When playback is stopped, these buttons can still be used to turn pages for the the on screen navigation menu, just like with the previous firmware version.

Thanks Neuromancer!

Just an FYI, the new firmware is now officially out on Oppo's support page for the 971 :)

Touche, Nueromancer... that's what I get for always hitting "Last New Post"

points tmeader two posts up ;)

Hmm so when can we expect the next firmware :)

I know SOMEONE had to ask.

LOL

Hmm so when can we expect the next firmware :)

I know SOMEONE had to ask.

LOL

haha.... Oppo covered most on my wishlist... just two more left, undscan and 1080p24.

I should be getting my 971 soon and plan to use the component out to my projector. I was dissapointed to read somewhere that the 971 doesn't pass blacker than black through the component outputs. I have a couple questions in regards to this:

Is this still an issue?

Will I even notice a difference through a DLP projected 100" screen? (blacks aren't all that black at times anyhow)

Thanks,
lennon

haha.... Oppo covered most on my wishlist... just two more left, undscan and 1080p24.

Underscanning is their next target, as well as the TrueLife Off/DNR On bug.

1080p24 requires a metric buttload of calculations, and somehow I doubt this will ever be supported in any of the current OPPO products. Hell, they can't even get 1080p.

I should be getting my 971 soon and plan to use the component out to my projector. I was dissapointed to read somewhere that the 971 doesn't pass blacker than black through the component outputs. I have a couple questions in regards to this:

Is this still an issue?

Will I even notice a difference through a DLP projected 100" screen? (blacks aren't all that black at times anyhow)

Thanks,
lennon

I don't believe the 071H passes any of the component output of the 971H through the Faroudja circuitry, so you might as well save $50 and get the 970HD, which does pass BTB both over component and HDMI. Both players use the same Mediatek circuitry.

Whether or not you need BTB is another question. If, like me, you like the DVD standard black to be "black" and not "charcoal gray" and you calibrate your black level "by the book", the picture should look the same whether the player passes below black or not. DVD's that encode black below the standard are rare (and out of spec.)

Just my .02.

/steve

I just inquired of Oppo customer service about the CIE color space used in the DV971H for 720p output. Here is the response I received:

You will use RGB REC. 601. If you have a Sharp display, you can leave this option at Auto.

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.

I have read elsewhere that this player converts to REC. 709 for upconverted output. Does anyone have any further information on this: REC. 601 or REC. 709 for 720p output?

Hmmm...a little bit of weirdness here, and I really can't tell if it's the 0720 firmware or not. I just upgraded from the 0316, and then watched the widescreen version of "S1M0NE". New firmware looks great, but I accidentally found two spots in Chapter 12 of the disc where, for a period of exactly eight seconds, the pause button simply refuses to work, and nothing appears onscreen when I push it. The first is at the beginning of the chapter, from 1:12:25 to 1:12:33, and the second is in the middle (but right at a scene change), from 1:14:45 to 1:14:53. Those are the only places I found; everything else works fine, and if I flip the disc over and try the fullscreen version, the problem doesn't occur. Also doesn't occur on my el-cheapo Toshiba player from Costco.

So, since this is the first disc I've watched on 0720, and I've never watched the disc before -- has anyone seen anything like this? Either the same problem happening on other discs with 0720, or previous firmware versions doing it with the same disc?

I'm not quite excited enough about this to try switching back to 0316 (unless it happens with other discs), but I'm curious to see if it rings any bells for anyone.

I got my 971H today... Needless to say, I was very pleased with the player's performance. Even using component connectors. it performed far better than the other players that I have auditioned. I was so please, I ended up watching 3 movies back to back.

Thanks for all the info supplied in this forum. It really helped me to make the decision.

Next week's project, hooking up the dvi & digital audio connections. :)

Underscanning is their next target, as well as the TrueLife Off/DNR On bug.

1080p24 requires a metric buttload of calculations, and somehow I doubt this will ever be supported in any of the current OPPO products. Hell, they can't even get 1080p.

That's a great news on underscan and DNR. As for 1080p, it really doens't matter becasue I'll be getting it soon either via G2 HD-DVD player or the BR Player.....

I was still on the 302 firmware and just didnt want to go to the 316 beta, but had been experiencing alot of the audio sync problems. Loaded up the new firmware and all is well, spot on. Great job Oppo.

Just an FYI for anyone playing DVD-R recorded on stand alone Panasonic recorders. The new firmware has completely cleared up the occasional studdering problem. Way to go Oppo! I think we should nominate the Oppo engineers to the UN and let them fix the mess in the Mideast.

All of us that own the OPPO should feel very fortunate that we purchased a player that the company stands behind reads these forums, and make adjustments to their products. Furthermore we should be so lucky that this product line is sold only online. Had the big box companies gotten a hold of this player we would not be enjoying the rewards of company willing to listen to the end user. Companies today want to roll out their product line each year having not perfected the product that the new line is replacing. It’s all about the $$$. OPPO is cutting their cost in not having to re-tool a new product each year, but have their engineers make their adjustments through firmware updates.

Let’s hope that OPPO continues this line of thinking and does not get so big that the end user becomes the end loser…

Just an FYI for anyone playing DVD-R recorded on stand alone Panasonic recorders. The new firmware has completely cleared up the occasional studdering problem. Way to go Oppo! I think we should nominate the Oppo engineers to the UN and let them fix the mess in the Mideast.


Briny,

That's good to hear. I've had stuttering problems from my Emerson DVD recorder since day 1. I havent loaded the new FW yet, but I"ll post on how it does as soon as i do. (and as soon as i can verify it).

Rick

All of us that own the OPPO should feel very fortunate that we purchased a player that the company stands behind reads these forums, and make adjustments to their products. Furthermore we should be so lucky that this product line is sold only online. Had the big box companies gotten a hold of this player we would not be enjoying the rewards of company willing to listen to the end user. Companies today want to roll out their product line each year having not perfected the product that the new line is replacing. It’s all about the $$$. OPPO is cutting their cost in not having to re-tool a new product each year, but have their engineers make their adjustments through firmware updates.

Let’s hope that OPPO continues this line of thinking and does not get so big that the end user becomes the end loser…

Just received my 971 this week, missing the latest firmware update by a few days. Customer support via email is outstanding. I recieved two quick esponses on a Saturday. Packaging is first rate, the unit looks great, BUT I was underwhelmed by the three or four DVDs I tried. I had higher hopes for upconverting.

I have two glitches as well. My unit's EQ defaults to ROCK at power off (standby) no matter where I set it. Same holds true for the outpout setting, I set it to 720P but it reverts back to 1080i. I am using their DVI>HDMI cable. A new Samsung DLP HL-S4266W completes the setup. No other A/V gear yet.

Where did you get the new firmware?
I just checked the oppo site and newest one was:
MVer: 05.00.01.07 Batch: F-0302
Release Date: March 15, 2006

Thanks
Northern Paladin


The Oppo website now has the latest firmware. SOunds like you missed it by only hours.

BUT I was underwhelmed by the three or four DVDs I tried. I had higher hopes for upconverting.

I'm afraid that your TV is already UpConverting the images Sam42. You didn't need the player as I don't need one either on my 34XBR970 from Sony. Any progressive DVD play will give you good results. Maybe you can eBay it. There going for about $165.00 there.

But surely it depends on whether the scaler in the TV is better than that in the Oppo. If the Oppo is better then the DVD playback would be better.

But surely it depends on whether the scaler in the TV is better than that in the Oppo. If the Oppo is better then the DVD playback would be better.

well since the playback quality wasn't any better then I assume that it wasn't.

That is disappointing...I've just ordered on to use with my 72" Toshiba DLP, taking a chance on macro-blocking. Oh well, I'll just use it at 576p if that happens....I also particularly wanted a divX player so that should be OK.

I am having some difficulty upgrading the firmware. Specifically, I don't think I am able to burn the cd as an iso image file. When I put it in the player, I get an "unknown disk" error. Are there detailed instructions in this thread how to do it? I have done several searches and have yet to find anything. I am using drag and drop copying software, so maybe that is a problem. Anything out there that is downloadable that will do the job??

Thanks,
Dan

Dan,

Are you using a Mac? I can help if you are. :)

For folks using PCs, there are some helpful hints at the bottom of OPPO's DIY Instructions reposted below.

General instructions on working with ISO image files

Note: These are general instructions on how to burn the firmware CD with common CD burning software. Please consult your CD burning software's help/instruction manual for more detail.

* In Nero Burning Rom version 6 or 7 , go to the 'Recorder > Burn Image…' menu and select the ISO image you downloaded.
* In Nero Burning ROM version 5 or earlier, just go to Nero Burning ROMs 'File > Burn Image' option and select the ISO image you downloaded.
* In Nero Express select the option for 'Disc Image or Saved Project' to select the ISO image file you downloaded and burn to CD.
* In Easy CD Creator, go to 'File > Record CD from CD Image' and select the ISO image you downloaded.

Dana

Thanks Dana,
I am using a pc and don't have the software they mention. Before I go out and spend $50 for software...

Dan

Thanks Dana,
I am using a pc and don't have the software they mention. Before I go out and spend $50 for software...

Dan

Use a program called "Burnatonce" it's free- here's the URL:

Burnatonce (http://www.burnatonce.net/downloads/)

It's easy to use- do a search in this thread for details how to use.

Wes

Use a program called "Burnatonce" it's free- here's the URL:

Burnatonce (http://www.burnatonce.net/downloads/)

It's easy to use- do a search in this thread for details how to use.

Wes

If for some you can't use Burnatonce, there's also a "free" version of another program called Deepburner here:

http://www.deepburner.com/?r=download

/steve

I used ISOBurn I just Googled it and then went to Free- Codecs.com. It was easy to use and free.

Mark

[...]BUT I was underwhelmed by the three or four DVDs I tried. I had higher hopes for upconverting.
[...]

Might be a few reasons for this... hopefully not (A), below! :)

A) Your display's electronics are not state of the art, and are negating any improvements the 971HD Faroudja upconversion is providing.

B) You are using a front or rear projector, in which case the inherent softness of this technology (compared to LCD or plasma) might be making any improvement you see more subtle than dramatic.

C) You are using a "small" (37" or less display), in which case it might be very difficult to see a difference in picture quality and detail.

D) Your display electronics are as good as the 971H Faroudja circuitry already, in which case you should be very happy!

Just my $.02.

/steve

Looks like the subtitle/angle mark issue is fixed with the new firmware. Tried it out briefly today with a Disney DVD.

I am still getting the angle bug with this new firmware. Its still showing up at the end of Jackie Brown. When Pam Grier is driving off... Anyone else? Also Im getting an occasional stuttering problem with this new firmware during Jackie Brown.

I don't mean to hijack or anything. I just need a quick assessment. Sometimes I turn on the OPPO and all the setting reset to default for no apparent reason. I never unplug it from the outlet.

It still works great, except I have to redo all the settings and that takes me a minute or two. Is something wrong with my beloved DVD player?

I would re-instate the firmware to ensure that there is not a memory leak which is causing the unit to reset itself.

OK. I just installed the new one today. If it still happens, I'll let you guy sknow. Thanks.

Has anyone had a chance to compare the 971/970 with the Denon 1920? I did search but didn't anything relevant except one report that the Oppo 971's analog outputs are very inferior compared to its digital output.

Cheers!

GSB, how do you confirm if your tv supports 480 HDMI? I have a Samsung LN-S3251d and am looking at the 970 or 971. Hopefully your TV's documentation will tell you what it supports. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a clear answer on my TV until I plugged in a 480i HDMI player, and got a "NOT SUPPORTED MODE" message.

Gary

...the unit looks great, BUT I was underwhelmed by the three or four DVDs I tried. I had higher hopes for upconverting. Sam42, pietro99,

There are 4 important considerations that should not be overlooked when evaluating player performance:
Calibrate the display to the new player!
Pick a reference-quality DVD. Many movies are poorly mastered, and that's no fault of the player.
When making comparisons, know what you are looking for. Visit the SECRETS of Home Theater and HiFi (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi) website as a start.
Don't listen to bad advice. Some people THINK they know what they are talking about, but simply do not.
By the way, Steve L brought up some good points too.

Gary

I am still getting the angle bug with this new firmware. Its still showing up at the end of Jackie Brown. When Pam Grier is driving off... Anyone else? Also Im getting an occasional stuttering problem with this new firmware during Jackie Brown.


I just watched Jackie Brown last night for the first time. I liked it a lot. I didn't notice any problems at all other than defects in the source material. No stuttering.

I am still getting the angle bug with this new firmware. Its still showing up at the end of Jackie Brown. When Pam Grier is driving off... Anyone else? Also Im getting an occasional stuttering problem with this new firmware during Jackie Brown.

I spot checked my copy of Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" which was notorious for the angle mark problem and didn't notice it at all.

Might be a few reasons for this... hopefully not (A), below! :)

A) Your display's electronics are not state of the art, and are negating any improvements the 971HD Faroudja upconversion is providing.

B) You are using a front or rear projector, in which case the inherent softness of this technology (compared to LCD or plasma) might be making any improvement you see more subtle than dramatic.

C) You are using a "small" (37" or less display), in which case it might be very difficult to see a difference in picture quality and detail.

D) Your display electronics are as good as the 971H Faroudja circuitry already, in which case you should be very happy!

Just my $.02.

/steve

I, too, was underwhelmed by the performance of an upscaling DVD player. I recently won a 46" S2000 BRAVIA LCD. I got tired of reading about upconversion and picked up a Sony NS75 player. My old DVD player (roomates actually) was a Pioneer that we're running in 480i. I can tell a slight difference but barely. The color saturation looks a little better (I think). Other than that it isn't spectacular. I don't know if spending the extra cash and going with an Oppo would make the difference, however; I'm hesitant to try that because the sony supposedly is a decent upconverting player.

I've tried good transfers (lord of the rings) to medium ones (matrix) to very poor ones (older movies). I calibrated everything with Avia...

I doubt the TV is THAT good that upconversion wouldn't matter.

Is there something (a movie scene) I could watch at 480i vs. 720p/1080i that might convince me of the magic of upconversion?

I, too, was underwhelmed by the performance of an upscaling DVD player. I recently won a 46" S2000 BRAVIA LCD. I got tired of reading about upconversion and picked up a Sony NS75 player. My old DVD player (roomates actually) was a Pioneer that we're running in 480i. I can tell a slight difference but barely. The color saturation looks a little better (I think). Other than that it isn't spectacular. I don't know if spending the extra cash and going with an Oppo would make the difference, however; I'm hesitant to try that because the sony supposedly is a decent upconverting player.

I've tried good transfers (lord of the rings) to medium ones (matrix) to very poor ones (older movies). I calibrated everything with Avia...

I doubt the TV is THAT good that upconversion wouldn't matter.

Is there something (a movie scene) I could watch at 480i vs. 720p/1080i that might convince me of the magic of upconversion?

It wouldn't surprise me if your Bravia has the same deinterlacing and upconversion algorithms built-in to it as the NS75, so I wouldn't expect to see much of a difference, if any.

The player I would try to audition on your display would be an Oppo 970HD feeding native 480i over HDMI to your Sony electronics.

/steve

The player I would try to audition on your display would be an Oppo 970HD feeding native 480i over HDMI to your Sony electronics.

Good point on the sony circuitry...

In theory I'd like to try the Oppos but I'm hesitant to try something I can't return to best buy/circuit city. I might do some searching for anything else that does the 480i over hdmi.

I went into this experiment thinking "If I like the Sony... I'll REALLY like the Oppo and probably buy it." Right now I'm not sure what to think.

[...]Calibrate the display to the new player![...]


Couldn't agree more. I should have mentioned this at the top of my post as well.

Especially "Sharpness", which many people don't get right. Most display manufacturers default sharpness is set too high, which can lead to a "video-like" appearance on DVD playback. As an example, my Fujitsu panel's sharpness range is "-16 to +16", with "0" being the factory default setting. After calibration with AVIA and DVE, I find the proper setting to be "-14"!

/steve

Good point on the sony circuitry...

In theory I'd like to try the Oppos but I'm hesitant to try something I can't return to best buy/circuit city. I might do some searching for anything else that does the 480i over hdmi.

I went into this experiment thinking "If I like the Sony... I'll REALLY like the Oppo and probably buy it." Right now I'm not sure what to think.

Save your time searching. The 970HD is arguably the best 480i HDMI transport out there that you are going to find for under $1000. Also, Oppo has a 30-day return policy, if you weren't aware.

/steve

Save your time searching. The 970HD is aruably the best 480i HDMI transport out there that you are going to find for under $1000. Also, Oppo has a 30-day return policy, if you weren't aware.

/steve

Point taken... I'm just to cheap to pay shipping. I'm assuming that isn't included in the return policy.

Get it from Amazon then. The Oppo guy on the phone told me that it doesn't matter from who, since they both have the latest cables and such and Amazon shipping is free.

Get it from Amazon then. The Oppo guy on the phone told me that it doesn't matter from who, since they both have the latest cables and such and Amazon shipping is free.

The one from amazon comes with a Dvi-hdmi cable too?

Get it from Amazon then. The Oppo guy on the phone told me that it doesn't matter from who, since they both have the latest cables and such and Amazon shipping is free.

The 970HD from Amazon, sold directly by oppodigital, does NOT have free shipping. From the checkout page: "This item is from a seller other than Amazon.com and is not eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping."

Which oppo for me?

I would be pairing it with a 50 inch Vizio Plasma...I belive the vizio alreay has a
Faroudja Chip for some type of conversion.

I would be hooking up the DVD player Via, HDMI since the vizio doesn't have DVI.


Thanks.

Normally I would say the OPDV971H for your display, but I have had a very hit and miss relationship with the Vizio 50" plasma line. From my experience, the picture will either look good, or will be mared by sparkling.

On the other hand, I would not recommend the DV-970HD unless you know for a fact that the Vizio will do a good job at either scaling or de-interlacing, as the vertical compression at 720p/1080i can cause premature burn in on your display.

My bad, I thought you were looking at the 971

The 970HD from Amazon, sold directly by oppodigital, does NOT have free shipping. From the checkout page: "This item is from a seller other than Amazon.com and is not eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping."

I am having some difficulty upgrading the firmware. Specifically, I don't think I am able to burn the cd as an iso image file. When I put it in the player, I get an "unknown disk" error. Are there detailed instructions in this thread how to do it? I have done several searches and have yet to find anything. I am using drag and drop copying software, so maybe that is a problem. Anything out there that is downloadable that will do the job??

Thanks,
Dan


Got it now, thanks to all who helped!!!

Just received Rome Season 1 Region 2 from Amazon UK and it WILL NOT play on my Oppo.

The image is scrambled and scroling. I can't begin to explain how pissed I am that the apparent copyright protection seems to be cheating me out of a superior release in this case. Not only because of the higher resolution, but the british release has more features.

Any firmware updates or setting hints for this? I've tried setting the region to 0 and 2.

EDITED

Sorry... changed the TV type from Auto to NTSC. Now it works. Sorry for the tirade.

Got it now, thanks to all who helped!!!

I also upgraded from the latest beta to the full release last night. I used Nero Express to burn the image and followed the supplied instructions. Went without a hitch.

MAJOR IMPROVEMENT: DVD-Rs recorded on my Panasonic E80H (in -R format), now play without what I would call "strobing". Very smooth.

Lipsync is largely not a problem, as it was vastly improved with the last beta and that was compiled into the full release I just upgraded to.

Way to go OPPO!!!

Just got my yesterday. First impressions are pretty good. I don't think it has the newest firmware in it - it shipped the same day as the firmware came out. Got ti from Amazon, with free ground shipping.

Decktard - if you buy the Sony at BB/CC, then you'll have to buy an HDMI cable, which will total more than the Oppo which includes the cable.

LIke it so far, its a big difference from my old toshiba dvd player that was only 480i, from about 6 years ago

hey craig, did it come with a dvi-hdmi cable from amazon?

hey craig, did it come with a dvi-hdmi cable from amazon?

I received mine from Amazon yesterday and it included a dvi-hdmi and a dvi-dvi cable.

The first thing I did was install the new firmware and calibrate the display with Avia. Everything works just great. No problems whatsoever.

I'm starting to see very small areas of sparkling white dots on all of my DVD's when I play them through my oppo. I'm using the DVI/HDMI cable that came with the player so no super long runs or anything like that. These dot's don't show up on HDTV (HDMI connection from set top box) or on my XBOX 360 (component connection). TV is an HP 5880. Do you think this is the cable itself or the player? Unfortunately my TV doesn't have a DVI input so I can't try the other cable.

Thanks,
Steve

Try another cable if you have one available. Or, try another DVI/HDMI based display device such as an LCD monitor.

Try dropping the resolution and see if the sparkling occurs at 480p.

Try reclibrating your display to ensure tha the sparkling isnt cause by some settings being too hot.

My son has been working his way through our collection of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVDs using the Oppo, and as I casually watch with him I've begun to notice what looks to me like stuttering, perhaps frame dropping. I'm currently using the 0316 Beta, about to upgrade to the latest release firmware. The problem is most noticeable at the beginning of pan shots of the station against the black background of space. It looks like the pan barely begins and then there is the loss of a frame or two. These are regular commercial DVDs, not something burned at home. Is this a known problem of the Beta firmware? This may be happening with other discs, but it is most noticeable on DS9 because (I believe) of the high percentage of content with very dark frames. I'm wondering if this is a flaw in the mastering of the discs or, if the fault of the Oppo, the new release firmware will help.

My son has been working his way through our collection of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVDs using the Oppo, and as I casually watch with him I've begun to notice what looks to me like stuttering, perhaps frame dropping. I'm currently using the 0316 Beta, about to upgrade to the latest release firmware. The problem is most noticeable at the beginning of pan shots of the station against the black background of space. It looks like the pan barely begins and then there is the loss of a frame or two. These are regular commercial DVDs, not something burned at home. Is this a known problem of the Beta firmware? This may be happening with other discs, but it is most noticeable on DS9 because (I believe) of the high percentage of content with very dark frames. I'm wondering if this is a flaw in the mastering of the discs or, if the fault of the Oppo, the new release firmware will help.

same here. With the latest firmware I've been getting this stuttering problem. I try several discs - Rounders, Enemy of the State (Korean Verison), and Jackie Brown. Never had a issue before, Im planning to go back to the previous firmware. It looks like Im the only one having this issue with the latest firmware.

I've noticed something similar too lately.

interesting...

I just took delivery of my Oppo V971H and immidiately upgraded the firmware to the just released Most Current Firmware before watching anything. I have seen this same thing which does seem to happen with Pans as well. Looks like slight stuttering(Frame Dropping). I originally thought it must be in the original content DVD but if I notice it and then replay the exact scene, it does not always occur again! So, perhaps its really an issue with the Oppo or new Firmware. Perhaps I will give the older Firmware a try.
DVD titles I have watched thus far and noticed it include:

Lord of the Rings: The Two towers
Seven Years in Tibet: Superbit version
The Fifth Element: Superbit version

In all cases, the stutter was noticed when a vast landscape was panned.

I have also noticed more stuttering with the 0316 firmware (and subsequently 0720) than with 0302.

However, I would say that this issue is rare enough that I can live with it, and I would not want to give up the subtitle and angle icon fixes in 0720.

I am still getting that angle icon bug on Jackie Brown. Pulp Fiction was another movie that had the angle icon bug. I will check Pulp tonight.

I sort of figure this may be the final firmware update for the 971 so in spite of the fact that my 1022 works perfectly, I thought I'd give it a shot. The same problem I had with the 2 previous releases and the beta reoccurred.

1080i locks up perfectly, but 480p (which I absolutely must have for 1.37:1 and 1.33:1 material) pops up about 1 in every 10 cycles of the DVI button. With the 0720 version, I am having a similar issue with the 720p resolution as well. Finally, I also saw just a bit of the image jitter return...It was very rare, but present nonetheless... :eek:

As I have no problem with the subtitles, angle marks, or audio sync, I reverted back to the 1022 version and all is well again... :D

I have the OPPO set to Video Mode 2 and it's connected DVI to DVI to a 50" Sony GWII...I am now convinced that it is a compatibility issue with my monitor.

-Toonces

I have the OPPO set to Video Mode 2 and it's connected DVI to DVI to a 50" Sony GWII...I am now convinced that it is a compatibility issue with my monitor.

-Toonces

I've got the same monitor (50xbr800) as you, so maybe we should compare notes sometime.

I just took delivery of my Oppo V971H and immidiately upgraded the firmware to the just released Most Current Firmware before watching anything. I have seen this same thing which does seem to happen with Pans as well. Looks like slight stuttering(Frame Dropping). I originally thought it must be in the original content DVD but if I notice it and then replay the exact scene, it does not always occur again! So, perhaps its really an issue with the Oppo or new Firmware. Perhaps I will give the older Firmware a try.
DVD titles I have watched thus far and noticed it include:

Lord of the Rings: The Two towers
Seven Years in Tibet: Superbit version
The Fifth Element: Superbit version

In all cases, the stutter was noticed when a vast landscape was panned.

Is anyone else experiencing this stuttering with the latest firmware? I'm waiting for my 971 to arrive in the mail (purchased refurb) sometime thursday.

I have two of the three DVDs mentioned above, and neither of them stutter. (Fifth Element & Two Towers)

SV

I received mine from Amazon yesterday and it included a dvi-hdmi and a dvi-dvi cable.

The first thing I did was install the new firmware and calibrate the display with Avia. Everything works just great. No problems whatsoever.

What kind of display?

What kind of display?

Infocus IN76

I just upgraded from the 316beta to the 1022 and noticed a few things right off the bat. When watching THE DEAD ZONE S4, I no longer got some combing on quick cuts. Sweet.

But, when I put in Curb Your Enthusiasm S5 at the beginning of each episode when the HBO logo comes up, I'm not getting any sound. But, if I chapter back to the beginning when the logo comes up, it plays fine... Werid.

Hi
I have BT656Pro SDI DVD Modification DIY Kit and a Oppo 971H.
My Oppo is not same (small difference) as the oppo i have sin on the net.
If you look on the Photo you know what i talking about.

Can you help me and say what to do.

From
Henning Nilsen

Photo

http://www.fotoknudsen.no/archive35/210502145803Pn6Cq4xO584hC5cksLNl4N/web/02082006123106kjh24GeDBl4u.jpg?40

Just to add some more of my experiences thus far, I re-installed the older 302 Firmware and watched a few of the scenes which I had noticed the slight stutter. I do think the older firmware results in smoother motion with regard to this issue. It could be my imagination as I don't have two Oppos on two screens side by side to do an exact comparison, but from memory I think the older 302 Firmware results in slightly more noise and MB blockiness in black and dark areas. I notice this most in the beginning of The Fifth Element in the Space scene. Now heres the strange part, it also seems like the older Firmware gives more saturated color which is slightly warmer. I particularly noticed this with Seven Years in Tibet which looked slightly cool in color temp with the newer Firmware and looked more natural with the older. Perhaps I'm just watching too many DVD's. I'm leaving the older firmware on for now though the additional MB noise is annoying.

I have the OPPO set to Video Mode 2

I can't change my Video Mode in the setup menu. How do you do it?

Stop the player first... then try it. You might even have to eject the disc first actually. Either way, the mode cannot be changed while a disc is loaded at all (just like DVI output resolution)

Thanks tmeader!

What kind of display?

The display is a Samsung LT-P227W. It is on a table top outside on my Lanai (Naples, FL) so viewing is under a variety of light conditions. Soon I'll be replacing it with a wall mounted Syntax 537H as I definitely need a larger display. If there is any change in the Oppo's performance I'll report it.

Just to add some more of my experiences thus far, I re-installed the older 302 Firmware and watched a few of the scenes which I had noticed the slight stutter. I do think the older firmware results in smoother motion with regard to this issue. It could be my imagination as I don't have two Oppos on two screens side by side to do an exact comparison, but from memory I think the older 302 Firmware results in slightly more noise and MB blockiness in black and dark areas. I notice this most in the beginning of The Fifth Element in the Space scene. Now heres the strange part, it also seems like the older Firmware gives more saturated color which is slightly warmer. I particularly noticed this with Seven Years in Tibet which looked slightly cool in color temp with the newer Firmware and looked more natural with the older. Perhaps I'm just watching too many DVD's. I'm leaving the older firmware on for now though the additional MB noise is annoying.

I agree with your observations. I have also noticed the difference in color saturation between the 302 and later 316 beta, and latest firmware. However I prefer the color saturation in the 302 firmware. Greens and Blues seem especially muted in the latest firmware. Color saturation improves when I turn on CCS or enable the DNR. It also improves with TrueLife off. This will be the perfect player if the engineers at Oppo can fix the Image Retention side effect with TrueLife off; this truly gives the overall best looking picture in my situation.

Just received my OPPO and hooked it up to my Vizio and am having problems with green sparklies and green horizontal lines especially at 720p. Have latest firmware installed. Called OPPO and they said to return the player for a refund, it is not compatible with the Vizio P50HDM. Anybody else experienced this and is there a fix. I have not tried a different cable, using the DVI to HDMI that came with unit. Should I try a DVI adaptor with a regular HDMI cable? Thanks in advance for any help.

As I stated previously in another response, the compatibility with the Vizio line of plasma displays is very hit or miss. You may be the lucky one that has a perfect picture, or you may be the unlucky one that sees sparkles, noise, and green horizontal lines.

You can try another cable, or try another digital display device such as a LCD monitor, that it is not the DVD player which is defective.

Thanks very much for the response. I think I'll try another cable and see if that fixes it.

I know that the 971 is supposed to have serious MB problems with Panasonic plazmas, but just how bad would it be with a TH-42PHD9UK, or a PWD8UK ? It looks like I may be waiting for some time for the JVC-FH97 that is slated for our den bookcase, and I had already decided that the 971 would be the best bang for the buck in that application. Now I am thinking that I might just buy a 42" plazma to put there until the 56" arrives and then move the plasma to the bedroom. The question then is would it be better to get the 970, which will work better with the Panasonic, and then use it with the JVC, or get the 971 to use short term with the Panasonic and then long-term have the better machine for the JVC...???

The problem with the DV-970HD is that it has vertical compression at the upscaled resolutions. For this reason, you may burn in your plasma due to extra black bars at the top and bottom of your display for all content.

Macroblocking will be more evident with the OPDV971H, but with careful calibration, you can pretty much supress and eliminate most macroblocking errors.

Hi
I have BT656Pro SDI DVD Modification DIY Kit and a Oppo 971H.
My Oppo is not same (small difference) as the oppo i have sin on the net.
If you look on the Photo you know what i talking about.


The wire that goes to that pin is the 5v power. I have the same Oppo board and the same kit.

I just soldered mine to that large lump of solder and everything worked fine on the first try. I was expecting trouble but it worked without problem.

I'm guessing that all those pins in the original picture which are now lumped together were equivalent.

Has anyone seen a russian mod of the 316? I'm mostly interested in getting around UPOs. I just bought a handful of PAL discs and they have an unskippable "piracy is a crime" movie at the beginning of a couple of them and it drives me bonkers.

SV

I agree with your observations. I have also noticed the difference in color saturation between the 302 and later 316 beta, and latest firmware. However I prefer the color saturation in the 302 firmware. Greens and Blues seem especially muted in the latest firmware. Color saturation improves when I turn on CCS or enable the DNR. It also improves with TrueLife off. This will be the perfect player if the engineers at Oppo can fix the Image Retention side effect with TrueLife off; this truly gives the overall best looking picture in my situation.

Two issues I have noticed with the older 302 Firmware which have been fixed witht the most recent update relate to both DNR and subtitle display. I noticed both issues yesterday. They are: DNR - if one turns it on, then I see a sort of motion blur - persistant image issue. I noticed this while watcing the original Superman DVD(4th chaper about 11min 27 seconds into it). Not a big deal to me as I don't use DNR but the issue has been fixed with the recent Firmware. This DVD also shows extreme MB issues in the opening scene with the comic book on my Oppo 971 regardless of Firmware.
The Subtitle issue wa noticed while watching "Clean" with Nick Nolte. This movie is in both English and French but when French is spoken, the english subtitles do not show up automatically with the 302 Firmware but do with the newest Firmware(this is without choosing or specifing any subtitle choice on the DVD or OPPo. I found that if I choose Auto for the OPPo subtitle settings and then use the subtitle button on the remote, this issue goes away with the 302 Firmware. Of course, thats a bit of a hassle and one must remember to do this with any dual language DVD's or the subtitles will not show up automatically as they should by default. Again, I noticed this fixed with the most recent Firmware update. All this said, I still think the color is better on the older firmware(both depth and saturation). It really makes no sense to me but I swear there is a difference. To me, the picture quality, including color looks best with TrueLife set to On and everything else Off using the old 302 Firmware. Setting TrueLife to On with the current Firmware does something to the Color. My setup is the Oppo V971H connected via DVI-HDMI cable to a new Syntax-Olevia 532H LCD TV. I'm outputting the Oppo at 540P to this screen which I think may give slightly better quality than 720P.

The problem with the DV-970HD is that it has vertical compression at the upscaled resolutions. For this reason, you may burn in your plasma due to extra black bars at the top and bottom of your display for all content.

Macroblocking will be more evident with the OPDV971H, but with careful calibration, you can pretty much supress and eliminate most macroblocking errors.

Hi Neuromancer. I have a new Oppo V971H connected to my new Syntax-Olevia 532H 32" LCD TV. I have noticed the macroblocking error/issue on a numver of DVD's such as the opening scenes of The Fifth Element and Superman as well as other newer DVD's and it always shows up in fairly mid dark even tone scenes, particularly space scenes. What sort of settings/calibration are you referring to which might eliminate macroblocking? Other than that issue, I love this player but when it does show up, its very annoying.

Has anyone seen a russian mod of the 316? I'm mostly interested in getting around UPOs. I just bought a handful of PAL discs and they have an unskippable "piracy is a crime" movie at the beginning of a couple of them and it drives me bonkers.

SV
Which encourages more ripping. I just rented "The Matador" and it has a bunch of previews that I couldn't get past. If I owned the disk, I'd rip it and get rid of that crap. I would love a modded 316 FW to get past the UPOs.

If it's any help, while the SKIP buttons usually don't work on that crap at the beginning of a DVD, the FF and REW usually do... so I just FF through them. The Disney DVD's my daughter watches over and over and over and over and over.... are notorious for having 2 billion ads before getting to the damn movie.

Regs,
Jeff

Hi Neuromancer. I have a new Oppo V971H connected to my new Syntax-Olevia 532H 32" LCD TV. I have noticed the macroblocking error/issue on a numver of DVD's such as the opening scenes of The Fifth Element and Superman as well as other newer DVD's and it always shows up in fairly mid dark even tone scenes, particularly space scenes. What sort of settings/calibration are you referring to which might eliminate macroblocking? Other than that issue, I love this player but when it does show up, its very annoying.

This really has halted me in my tracks with regards to purchasing either Oppo. You'll remember that earlier I posted my Toshiba used to produce macroblocking quite noticable on my uncalibrated Samsung DLP. I also pointed out that Toshiba corrected this with a firmware update and I no longer see any macroblocking at all and the picture is quite remarkable (the transport sucks however). This leads me to believe it is NOT a calibration issue, though I suppose it is possible that the firmware update performed in the player might somehow be equivalent to whatever display calibration reduces the problem. If Toshiba can fix this with a firmware update, why can't Oppo?

Hi Neuromancer. I have a new Oppo V971H connected to my new Syntax-Olevia 532H 32" LCD TV. I have noticed the macroblocking error/issue on a numver of DVD's such as the opening scenes of The Fifth Element and Superman as well as other newer DVD's and it always shows up in fairly mid dark even tone scenes, particularly space scenes. What sort of settings/calibration are you referring to which might eliminate macroblocking? Other than that issue, I love this player but when it does show up, its very annoying.

You will want to purchase a professional grade calibration disc such as AVIA or DVE, then turn them through the OPDV971H to your Syntax Olevia during your optimal viewing conditions (such as at night). The key is to calibrate to the studio levels are prescribed by the test patterns, while still tailoring your settings to your viewing environment.

You may want to read the television forums and see what people are saying about the Syntax Olevia in terms of calibration, user settings, and helpful hints.

If Toshiba can fix this with a firmware update, why can't Oppo?

all you can do is try them... they have a 30 day guarantee... I for one am really impressed with the Oppo

I just checked my Fifth Element superbit, and did not see any macroblocking, or skipped frames, etc. Using the latest firmare, on a new oppo 971H with my Sony 42a10 rp lcd.

You will want to purchase a professional grade calibration disc such as AVIA or DVE, then turn them through the OPDV971H to your Syntax Olevia during your optimal viewing conditions (such as at night). The key is to calibrate to the studio levels are prescribed by the test patterns, while still tailoring your settings to your viewing environment.

You may want to read the television forums and see what people are saying about the Syntax Olevia in terms of calibration, user settings, and helpful hints.

Yes, I have been reading that Forum and posting about eh superb out of box calibration of this new Syntax. It reportedly is calibrated to 6500 K DVE and Avia standards. I'm a photographer and work with images daily and most of that work involves color matching and proofing. The color on this tv is spot on. it does suffer from the same dynamic range and weak black levels as almost all LCD displays do. I have adjusted it for optimal detail in both shadows and highlights while still maintaining a decent black level. This did involve increasing the contrast slightly which will show slightly more detail in the blacks(which is counter intuitive somewhat). Anyway, I'm sure if I crushed the Blacks with less contrast and brightness, the macroblocking would be less evident or visible but at the major expense of the rest of the picture quality! In my SuperBit version of the Fifth Element, the macroblocking is evident in the very beginning of the very first scene with the falling rocks through space. Its fairly subtle and not too bad. A rear projection LCD may not be quite as revealing as a direct view LCD and or you may not be seeing all the details in the blacks. IF you have or can rent the first Superman DVD(the improved Special Edition version), you will see tremendous macroblocking in the opening scene when the comic book shows up out of blackness. That could be a poor transfer, I don't know. Thats with both the new and older Firmware. If you have the Lord of the Rings: Two Towers DVD, macroblocking can also be seen in the beginning where Gandolf is being pulled down behind the monster or whatever into the abyss. Its definately there and no calibration will get rid of it without also degrading the picture quality. One can only "mask" it or cover it up at the expense of detail.

Sometimes it is not a matter of masking, but a matter of tuning your display to properly decoder the signal. Some displays will not be properly set to do 7.5 IRE (what the OPPO uses for Black) which can cause false contouring and enhanced macroblocking errors. For DLP displays, it may mean using the full red spectrum, rather than white, for calibration.

In most cases it is a matter of reducing the steps to correspond with the Studio RGB output of the OPDV971H, rather than masking errors.

Sometimes it is not a matter of masking, but a matter of tuning your display to properly decoder the signal. Some displays will not be properly set to do 7.5 IRE (what the OPPO uses for Black) which can cause false contouring and enhanced macroblocking errors. For DLP displays, it may mean using the full red spectrum, rather than white, for calibration.

In most cases it is a matter of reducing the steps to correspond with the PC RGB output of the OPDV971H, rather than masking errors.

Thanks for your reply. Thats interesting and I will look into it and report back on my findings. Kind Regards.

This really has halted me in my tracks with regards to purchasing either Oppo. You'll remember that earlier I posted my Toshiba used to produce macroblocking quite noticable on my uncalibrated Samsung DLP. I also pointed out that Toshiba corrected this with a firmware update and I no longer see any macroblocking at all and the picture is quite remarkable (the transport sucks however). This leads me to believe it is NOT a calibration issue, though I suppose it is possible that the firmware update performed in the player might somehow be equivalent to whatever display calibration reduces the problem. If Toshiba can fix this with a firmware update, why can't Oppo?

I do not think the Oppo has a problem it is just the way the chips work. If you adjust your TV the microblocking should be minimal. Just throw in a Star Wars film and use the thx optimizer if you have nothing else. I seldom see microblocking on my 67" Samsung DLP and the picture is really great. I have been using the Oppo since last August and was bothered by the lip sync at first but it is no longer an issue.

I did have Microblocking before I adjusted the TV, contrast seems to have a big effect on this.

Edit: I did have an issue when the light engine in the TV was replaced and had to go into the setup menu and increase the default contrast.

In most cases it is a matter of reducing the steps to correspond with the PC RGB output of the OPDV971H, rather than masking errors. The OPDV971H correctly has a STUDIO RGB output.

So "Calibrating" in this case simply means turning down the Brightness to acheive a lower Black level which has the affect of decreasing shadow detail on an LCD display(which has a limited Dynamic range to begin with). Killing that detail would get rid of most of the MB I guess but thats not really a solution. NTSC in North America is standarized at 7.5 IRE I gather and so my TV would also be at this, particularly if its DVE calibrated to begin with. The MB is minimal in most cases its just that my LCD shows up every tiny flaw or detail, both good and bad.

The OPDV971H correctly has a STUDIO RGB output.

Bah, a pox on your correction abilities.

Bah, a pox on your correction abilities.

:)

And for those who who may be wondering what Studio RGB is, it means that on a scale of 0-255, standard DVD black is pegged at 16, and standard white at 235, for a total of 220 steps from black to white, as opposed to up to 256 steps from black to white for a PC RGB display.

Players that can pass "blacker than black" to the display have the ability to show standard black on DVD's that aren't properly mastered to the Studio RGB standard, meaning 100% black may actually be located somewhere between 0 and 15 ("The Talented Mr. Ripley" is an example of such a DVD). If you calibrate your display for one of these DVD's, however, you'll wind up with standard black on properly mastered DVD's being charcoal gray instead. As a result, I personally am not hung up on a player's inability to pass BTB, because I prefer "black" blacks! I will concede, however that being able to pass BTB does give you the option to readjust the black level on a per DVD basis if you believe a DVD you want to watch has been improperly mastered.

Lastly, unlike the DVI out, the Oppo 971H's component out will NOT pass BTB. This means that if black was properly calibrated using AVIA or DVE, when using component out on the 971H and viewing an improperly mastered DVD, any shadow detail in the 0-15 range will be "crushed" to 100% black.

/steve

I have searched the forum but I am unable to find a solution to my problem. I am having trouble getting sound to come through when connecting my Oppo OPDV971H to my Panasonic XR57. I am connecting via HDMI and Digital Coaxial. In addition I have the XR57 HDMI output going to my display and I am able to get the video feed fine. Has anyone had success with this setup? If so, what were you setting for the XR57 and OPPO?

Thanks for your help in advance.

I'm considering getting a Sony KDS-R60XBR2 when they become available. I currently own an Oppo 971H. I have in this thread that it is best to set the DVI to 720p and let the TV upscale the picture to 1080p. I have also read in this thread that Oppo said that the SXRD TV's have excellent deinterlacers and scalers and that, in the case of the 970, the HDMI could be set to 480i and the television would give a better picture than an externally scaled picture being converted to 1080p.

Would it be better to set my 971's DVI to 480p (DVI doesn't handle 480i) and let the TV's scaler do most of the scaling to 1080p or set the 971 to output 720p and let the TV do less of the scaling?

I upgraded my FW to the 0720 version yesterday and thought I'd share my observations. I've only watched two commercial DVD's and one DVD recorded on an Emerson standalone recorder, so these are pretty prelimininary obs.

First, for commercial DVD's had no probably (froze at one point on one of them, but it was a rental and that happens occasionally).

Recordings on the Emerson have always been problematic. My best results were with the 0316beta, but still had trouble whenever I would fast forward to skip commercial. I've been running at eitehr 1080i or 720p, but 720p seemed to have the problem a little less often, so have stayed at that lately.

With the new FW, 0720, I moved output back to 1080. Watching the one DVD it appears to have improved the problem of stuttering after a fast forward. I did notice it once, so far it looks like an improvement.

I'll also recheck my color settings, and black and white levels. I'm running 971 via DVI to a Tosh 65HX93, RP-CRT.

Rick

I have searched the forum but I am unable to find a solution to my problem. I am having trouble getting sound to come through when connecting my Oppo OPDV971H to my Panasonic XR57. I am connecting via HDMI and Digital Coaxial. In addition I have the XR57 HDMI output going to my display and I am able to get the video feed fine. Has anyone had success with this setup? If so, what were you setting for the XR57 and OPPO?

Thanks for your help in advance.


Have you re-assigned a digital audio input (coaxial/digital) to the HDMI input that the OPDV971H is hooked up to?

Would it be better to set my 971's DVI to 480p (DVI doesn't handle 480i) and let the TV's scaler do most of the scaling to 1080p or set the 971 to output 720p and let the TV do less of the scaling?

I would recommend trying both. I recently ran the DV-970HD and the OPDV971H on a Sony SXRD (1 gen) and noticed a severe loss of resolution when using 480i/p with the two players. The resolution loss was not present at 720p and 1080i. I personally found 720p on both units to look better than 1080i, due to a lack of aliasing.

Have you re-assigned a digital audio input (coaxial/digital) to the HDMI input that the OPDV971H is hooked up to?

I have setup the receiver so HDMI is on DVD and the digital input for DVD is set to Coaxial 1 where I have the cable from the dvd player coming in. I was wondering if it had something to do with the type of audio ouput the oppo is sending out. Right now it is RAW 48k but there are a lot of setting on the oppo for audio that I am not familiar with.
Also, I thought maybe I have to setup something on the XR57 to tell it not to look for audio from the HDMI input. I am guessing that is what the digital input setting does though.

Thanks for your help.

As long as the OPDV971H is set to RAW for the S/PDIF output, your receiver should be recieving, and decoding, all of your audio.

I am not familiar with the Pansonic XR57, so I do not know what extra steps are required to get coaxial audio to work with the HDMI input. On all other receivers I have used, as long as re-assing the digital input to the HDMI input, and tell the receiver to look for it, it should work.

Try to see if there is not a button or a toggle to change the priority of the audio. Most receivers allow you to select Optical, Coaxial, HDMI, or Auto audio priorities. Ensure that the receiver is doing Coaxial rather than HDMI (usually the front LCD will display what audio input is currently being used).

The one thing that I wonder about the Oppo 971. The player has all these features like TruLife etc but most seem to suggest turning it off. If all these things according to the manual are supposed to increase picture quality then why are they suggested to be turned off?

Do they actually make the picture worse?

Thanks to any replies as I have wondered about this for awhile.

Cheers

Si

For some users, the extra features become a visual disturbance. TrueLife, on some levels, can cause macroblocking errors.

DNR can cause ghosting and image retention.

CCS is pretty much useless with modern films.

When it comes down to it, what looks best to you are the settings that you should be using.

I went ahead and purchased this player also. They are backordered until the 8th of this month. I am switching from the IODATA AvelLinkplayer2. I found myself watching more DVDs than I did the networked stuff, so I figured might as well buy the Oppo. The IODATA player was Sigma based, so going to the Oppo's Faroudja should be a lot better (not to mention all-digital signal) for my movie watching. At least I hope that's the case :) In any event, I'll let you guys know what I think after I've broken the player in.

I'm considering getting a Sony KDS-R60XBR2 when they become available. I currently own an Oppo 971H. I have in this thread that it is best to set the DVI to 720p and let the TV upscale the picture to 1080p. I have also read in this thread that Oppo said that the SXRD TV's have excellent deinterlacers and scalers and that, in the case of the 970, the HDMI could be set to 480i and the television would give a better picture than an externally scaled picture being converted to 1080p.

Would it be better to set my 971's DVI to 480p (DVI doesn't handle 480i) and let the TV's scaler do most of the scaling to 1080p or set the 971 to output 720p and let the TV do less of the scaling?
It's been reported many times previously that the XBR1 applies heavy filtering to 480p digital inputs, so it's almost certainly better to go with 720p or 1080i. I've gone back and forth between the two, but I think I've settled on 720p as looking a little better on my XBR1. The best thing is to try it and see what you like best.

Bah, a pox on your correction abilities. HEH! correction (noun): Something offered or substituted for a mistake or fault.
Punishment intended to rehabilitate or improve. Gary

On all other receivers I have used, as long as re-assing the digital input to the HDMI input, and tell the receiver to look for it, it should work. Say what? More punishment intended to rehabilitate or improve!

I received my Oppo 971 on 8/4/2006. Since ordering last Sunday I have read everything I could find on this forum about this unit. However in doing the setup last night I was at a lost trying to decide which setup options to set to work best with my new Pioneer 5070. The manual does not explain enough about many of the options or I am to dumb to understand the options. I did hours worth of special searches last night on the standard DVD player forum looking for which options I should set using the DVI interface to my plasma. I know that during the past week I read recommended setup for using the Oppo 971 somewhere. I know that going to a good plasma display that one response was that 720P was better then 1080I. I just cannot find the recommended setup procedures for DVI doing the special searches.

Can anyone point to a post that has the recommended setup setting using the DVI interface?
Could someone who have had the Oppo 971 for a long time tell me their setup settings that they think does a good job working with any Pioneer plasma?

I am sorry if I am out of line by asking for something that has been discussed before but there so many threads about the Oppo 971 that I just cannot find the answers. I plan to only use the Oppo 971 DVI interface to watch DVD's on the Pioneer 5070 HDMI interface using 5.1 sound to my Sony 935 receivers. Pioneer 5070 only allows PCM sound when using a HDMI interface.

Just a quick note to mention that I borrowed a copy of the first Star Wars DVD which includes the THX calibration for both sound and video. I used it on both the Oppo V971H which I have tweaked endlessly before using this utility and also on an older, cheap Sanyo DVD player. Turns out my Brightness was set perfectly(by me, just by watching many DVD's) for the THX drop shadow black level test. What did impress me was that the first test with the white squares was also spot on showing the 4 varous shades of high key white. On the Sanyo, forget about it! The whites were completly blown out and all one continuous tone. In fact, there was absolutely no way to calibrate the Sanyo so that it could pass both the white box test AND the THX drop shadow test. I guess the brightness output on the Sanyo is set for Sunburn or something. So, in conclusion, with my LCD sreen, the macroblocking issue is real but rears its nasty head only on a very very few DVD's the worst being the original Superman DVD(where it does not show up at all on the older Sanyo). Most of the time, its a non issue. I do seem to be having a very difficult time getting the Oppo to output correct Dolby encoded two channel signals from the RCA Audio outputs for decoding from my Yamaha receiver. I have read the manual and set the Downmix mode to LT/RT but the THX audio test reveals that the signal is not going to the correct speakers in the front. On the Sanyo, this works perfectly. I will try the Optical output which will probably fix this problem.

Can someone please answer this question? I have the Oppo 971H connected via DVI (DVI -> HDMI adapter... HDMI to projector)

I also have the Digital Video Essentials calibration disc. During the brightness settings there are the 4 vertical boxes and the the left and right are a series of vertical lines used to set the brightness.

According to DVE, if I see 3 bars on the left right (of varying brightness, the outside bar being the darkest) then my dvd player passes "blacker than black"

I do NOT see these outermost lines. I just see two on either end (even when I jack up the brightness)and have calibrated my player regardless.. Can anyone offer any insight?

Thanks,

Just a quick note to mention that I borrowed a copy of the first Star Wars DVD which includes the THX calibration for both sound and video. I used it on both the Oppo V971H which I have tweaked endlessly before using this utility and also on an older, cheap Sanyo DVD player. Turns out my Brightness was set perfectly(by me, just by watching many DVD's) for the THX drop shadow black level test. What did impress me was that the first test with the white squares was also spot on showing the 4 varous shades of high key white. On the Sanyo, forget about it! The whites were completly blown out and all one continuous tone. In fact, there was absolutely no way to calibrate the Sanyo so that it could pass both the white box test AND the THX drop shadow test. I guess the brightness output on the Sanyo is set for Sunburn or something. So, in conclusion, with my LCD sreen, the macroblocking issue is real but rears its nasty head only on a very very few DVD's the worst being the original Superman DVD(where it does not show up at all on the older Sanyo). Most of the time, its a non issue. I do seem to be having a very difficult time getting the Oppo to output correct Dolby encoded two channel signals from the RCA Audio outputs for decoding from my Yamaha receiver. I have read the manual and set the Downmix mode to LT/RT but the THX audio test reveals that the signal is not going to the correct speakers in the front. On the Sanyo, this works perfectly. I will try the Optical output which will probably fix this problem.

Thanks. I used the THX video setup from Monsters, Inc. to adjust the plasma to what the Oppo 971 was sending across the DVI/HDMI interface last night.

Per your instructions today I used the THX video to adjust the Oppo 971 settings to get the best setting of what Oppo 971 is sending across. So setting the Pioneer to its best settings then adjusting the Oppo 971 to improve the Pioneer best settings is all that I can do in the movie mode.

Thanks. I used the THX video setup from Monsters, Inc. to adjust the plasma to what the Oppo 971 was sending across the DVI/HDMI interface last night.

Per your instructions today I used the THX video to adjust the Oppo 971 settings to get the best setting of what Oppo 971 is sending across. So setting the Pioneer to its best settings then adjusting the Oppo 971 to improve the Pioneer best settings is all that I can do in the movie mode.

Well, I'm glad that helped you out. I actually did not adjust any of the Oppo Menu settings but instead would have adjusted the settings on my TV to reach calibration. I think the Avia calibration disc is the most mentioned here but I'm too cheap to fork out the $40+ bucks for it personally. Someone else mentioned this Free THX utility and another person who had used the Avia disc first and then tried out the free THX utility has said that the THX gave him the exact same settings. Just an idea, but could the "Movie Mode" of your set be causing your problem?

Well, I'm glad that helped you out. I actually did not adjust any of the Oppo Menu settings but instead would have adjusted the settings on my TV to reach calibration. I think the Avia calibration disc is the most mentioned here but I'm too cheap to fork out the $40+ bucks for it personally. Someone else mentioned this Free THX utility and another person who had used the Avia disc first and then tried out the free THX utility has said that the THX gave him the exact same settings. Just an idea, but could the "Movie Mode" of your set be causing your problem?

Thanks I now set the Plasma to User mode and use the THX to adjust User mode. I am trying to stay near Plasma form member (D-Nice) 200 hours break in settings to break in the Plasma. I will readjust all settings after 200 hours.
Thanks again for your help

Say what? More punishment intended to rehabilitate or improve!

Spell checking and proof reading is for people who have time on their hands. I am no such man!

I received my Oppo 971 on 8/4/2006. Since ordering last Sunday I have read everything I could find on this forum about this unit. However in doing the setup last night I was at a lost trying to decide which setup options to set to work best with my new Pioneer 5070. The manual does not explain enough about many of the options or I am to dumb to understand the options. I did hours worth of special searches last night on the standard DVD player forum looking for which options I should set using the DVI interface to my plasma. I know that during the past week I read recommended setup for using the Oppo 971 somewhere. I know that going to a good plasma display that one response was that 720P was better then 1080I. I just cannot find the recommended setup procedures for DVI doing the special searches.

Can anyone point to a post that has the recommended setup setting using the DVI interface?
Could someone who have had the Oppo 971 for a long time tell me their setup settings that they think does a good job working with any Pioneer plasma?

I am sorry if I am out of line by asking for something that has been discussed before but there so many threads about the Oppo 971 that I just cannot find the answers. I plan to only use the Oppo 971 DVI interface to watch DVD's on the Pioneer 5070 HDMI interface using 5.1 sound to my Sony 935 receivers. Pioneer 5070 only allows PCM sound when using a HDMI interface.

Mike,

The very first post in this thread as a quick setting guide that goes through typical setting for this unit. The output for DVI should be matched to your display make and model, I auume you'll want either 720p or 1080i. To be honest, on MY dispaly they are very very close, so not sure it matters (if I were doing a blind test, Im not sure I could tell which I was watching). But check it and see, it's easy enough to switch.

My setting are Bright 01, Contrast -01, Sat 00, TrueLife on, CSS off, DNR off, display mode set to wide/sqz. But these are what works best for me with my dispaly (Tosh, 65HX93 - RP-CRT).

Rick

Can someone please answer this question? I have the Oppo 971H connected via DVI (DVI -> HDMI adapter... HDMI to projector)

What is the manufacturer and model number of your plasma display?

Also, who is the manufacturer of your HDMI adapter?

I have read the manual and set the Downmix mode to LT/RT but the THX audio test reveals that the signal is not going to the correct speakers in the front.

This is a problem with the THX Optimizer and the OPDV971H. The speakers are receiving the proper information, but the visual confirmation is going to be off by one channel. For instance, when you are hearing audio from the Right Front speaker, the visual confirmation is for the Center channel. This is due to the THX Optimizer on most discs being buffered for video, and not audio, which causes the speaker identifications to be off by one channel, despite the audio being properly decoded.

Can someone please answer this question? I have the Oppo 971H connected via DVI (DVI -> HDMI adapter... HDMI to projector)

I also have the Digital Video Essentials calibration disc. During the brightness settings there are the 4 vertical boxes and the the left and right are a series of vertical lines used to set the brightness.

According to DVE, if I see 3 bars on the left right (of varying brightness, the outside bar being the darkest) then my dvd player passes "blacker than black"

I do NOT see these outermost lines. I just see two on either end (even when I jack up the brightness)and have calibrated my player regardless.. Can anyone offer any insight?

Thanks,

Sonic,

In order to pass blacker than black to my display, I have to have Brightness set to +01, I also have set the Contrast to -01. I know this isn't the commonly recomended values, but they are what works for my setup. I tried other setting using GetGrey DVD for checking BTB and Peak Whites and found this was what I needed.

My display is a Tosh 65HX93 RP-CRT. and I dont know if these setting on Oppo will work for your set, but try them.

For my set, I actually set the OPPO to make sure I get peak whites and BTB, using Get Grey (and couple of other test DVD's), then actually use AVIA to do my final setting on the TV itself rather than the OPPO.

NOTE: I havent re-checked these yet with the 0720 FW update, I'll be doing that somtime this weekend.

Rick

This is a problem with the THX Optimizer and the OPDV971H. The speakers are receiving the proper information, but the visual confirmation is going to be off by one channel. For instance, when you are hearing audio from the Right Front speaker, the visual confirmation is for the Center channel. This is due to the THX Optimizer on most discs being buffered for video, and not audio, which causes the speaker identifications to be off by one channel, despite the audio being properly decoded.

Thanks Neuromancer. That is Exactly what was happening. The Visual display was always one step beyond what I was hearing. Strange it works properly on my dirt cheap old Sanyo.

The latest firmware made a MAJOR improvement in my PQ
OPPO is the greatest! I no longer get “ghosting” during the picture saving mode, and blacks never looked better!!
my two cents

JJ

The latest firmware made a MAJOR improvement in my PQ
OPPO is the greatest! I no longer get “ghosting” during the picture saving mode, and blacks never looked better!!
my two cents

JJ

I noticed the same thing with my philips 30pw9110. I watched the cave last night and, i know the underwater sequences were actually filmed in HD, and it was grand. i had some issues with the blacks, but i believe that to be my tv more than the player since it occurs when my dvr is playing as well.

Way to go Oppo...Way to go!!

for those of you using the 971 w/ Optoma H31, what kind of settings are you running with the player and projo? i've been playing around with mine but can't seem to get it right. right now i am just running default on both.

Just a FYI - I just applied the 0720 firmware last night and I got intermittant horizontal bluish streaks appearing on menues and movies. I had the problem on the two discs I put in, De-Lovely and Saw. I reverted back to the 0302 firmware and the issue disappeared. I am using 1080i on a Toshiba 57HDX82 CRT rear projection TV. I can't really use 720P on the Toshiba. This model doesn't really do upconversion that well.

Has anyone reported on the results of using the 971 with the Panasonic 9UK's??? Is this a deadly combination as far as the MB issue?

I applied the 0720 firmware a week or so ago, and last night, while viewing some old episodes of Desperate Housewives I recorded on Verbatim DVD+Rs using a Panasonic DMR-ES10 DVD recorder, I noticed frequent juddering. I was able to re-stabilize the viewing only by jumping around (chapter forward and back, and/or rewinding and resuming).

I don't know if this would have occurred with previous firmwares, and I have not noticed this issue with any store-bought or other personally burned DVDs that I own.

Has anyone else seen anything like this? If so, is it new to the 0720 f/w, or has it been there all along? I'm wondering if I should revert back, and thought I would post here before just doing it on my own. I'm hoping this is an issue specific to this single DVD, rather than something more systemic. Thanks!

Most studdering should be related to the previous firmware releases as well, as it is a decoding problem with the MTK chipset and DVDs recorded on Stand Alone DVD Recorders. However, you are more then welcome to revert back to a previous release and see if the juddering is caused by the Audio/Video Syncronization fix or the Nero enhanced support addition.

Just a FYI - I just applied the 0720 firmware last night and I got intermittant horizontal bluish streaks appearing on menues and movies. I had the problem on the two discs I put in, De-Lovely and Saw. I reverted back to the 0302 firmware and the issue disappeared. I am using 1080i on a Toshiba 57HDX82 CRT rear projection TV. I can't really use 720P on the Toshiba. This model doesn't really do upconversion that well.

I'm pretty sure Oppo monitors this forum, but if you haven't already done so, you might also report your issue to "service@oppodigital.com" so they can work with you on a fix.

/steve

Just a FYI - I just applied the 0720 firmware last night and I got intermittant horizontal bluish streaks appearing on menues and movies. I had the problem on the two discs I put in, De-Lovely and Saw. I reverted back to the 0302 firmware and the issue disappeared. I am using 1080i on a Toshiba 57HDX82 CRT rear projection TV. I can't really use 720P on the Toshiba. This model doesn't really do upconversion that well.

How did you test for this error? Did you run the DVD player for the same amount of time and look at the same sequence, or did you just change the firmware, load up the area that had a problem, and notice no problem?

I've been using this firmware for about 3 weeks now and have not seen any of the visual anomalies reported, which is why I am interested in your testing procedures.

How did you test for this error? Did you run the DVD player for the same amount of time and look at the same sequence, or did you just change the firmware, load up the area that had a problem, and notice no problem?

I've been using this firmware for about 3 weeks now and have not seen any of the visual anomalies reported, which is why I am interested in your testing procedures.


Don't know how scientific the test was, but here is what I did:

The player had been on for about an hour and a half when I applied 0720.

After the update I put in De-Lovely. As soon as it started playing the previews I saw the streaks. It did it in the menu, and into 5 minutes of the main feature. Since this was a rental I thought I would try another disc.

I put in Saw and got the same thing. Streaks appeared in the menu and main feature. I kept it going about 5 minutes in the main feature.

I re-applied 0302, and repeated the above. Both De-Lovely and Saw. No streaks.

The streaks were intermittent on the 0720. One would appear every 5-10 seconds. Never more than one at a time. When it appeared it looked like it started from the center and moved toward the right side of the screen.

The 0302 firmware is working for me, so there is no hurry to switch. If you have any recommendations with the 0720 firmware I would be glad to test them.

After weeks of reading the mind boggling number of posts regarding the different standard units it was clear to me that ALL of them had one problem or quirk or another. After all, we are looking for the best image with the least number of problems for the cheapest price. I finally decided that $200 wasn't enough to get a spectacular image with my projector. So I bought the Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player that also upconverts.

I can directly compare it to my Cyberhome 655 in terms of upconverting. It literally is night and day in terms of image quality. I seriously doubt that an Oppo can match it and moreover, there are zero image issues. Absolutely no macroblocking is there at any projected size.

I bought the unit to play standard DVDs, but it also plays HD DVDs. I had the unit three weeks before I went out and bought an HD DVD title. My jaw dropped when I saw it. I have never seen an HD broadcast on an HD TV receiver that could touch the image quality of the HD DVD. What a bonus!!

So for $450 I am one happy guy.

John

Just an FYI to all of you that a modified firmware of 0720 is out at opdv971h (add a com). I can't post URLs yet...

Changes from original 10-0720:

+ UOP removed
+ MPEG4 subtitles menu changed


This is not my work.

Jeremy

I can directly compare it to my Cyberhome 655 in terms of upconverting. It literally is night and day in terms of image quality. I seriously doubt that an Oppo can match it

Cyberhome is literally as low as you can get on the DVD player spectrum. Just about anything else at all would be night & day in comparison.

The HD-A1 is a very good upconverting DVD player, but comparing it to a Cyberhome says nothing at all about Oppo.

I can directly compare it to my Cyberhome 655 in terms of upconverting. It literally is night and day in terms of image quality. I seriously doubt that an Oppo can match it and moreover, there are zero image issues. Absolutely no macroblocking is there at any projected size.
[...]
So for $450 I am one happy guy.

Thanks for posting a Toshiba review in the Oppo thread. Glad you're happy with it. A search of the forums shows that others who purchased it aren't as thrilled with it.

+ MPEG4 subtitles menu changed


Oddly enough, this menu was in the beta firmware. It was removed due to some QA problems. I would be interested in knowing if he muxed this feature from another ARM, or if this menu is still in the official firmware, but is just hidden from the public.

Just an FYI to all of you that a modified firmware of 0720 is out at opdv971h (add a com). I can't post URLs yet...

Changes from original 10-0720:

+ UOP removed
+ MPEG4 subtitles menu changed


This is not my work.

Jeremy

MVer: 05.00.01.07 Batch: 10-0720
Release Date: July 28, 2006

Before I d/l, is this the latest 10-0720? Thx.

/steve

Yes, it is the latest firmware release.

Yes, it is the latest firmware release.

Sorry. I meant the F/W referenced a couple of posts ago (with the UOP's removed). I ask, because I thought 7/28 was the date for the original 10-0720. I'm confused!

/steve

Just an FYI to all of you that a modified firmware of 0720 is out at opdv971h (add a com). I can't post URLs yet...

The modified firmware is here: www.opdv971h.com (http://www.opdv971h.com/)

The modified firmware is here: www.opdv971h.com (http://www.opdv971h.com/)

Doh! One of these days I'll learn how to read carefully. :)

Thanks!

/steve

They have the date listed as the date of the firmware release of the 10-0720, and not the date that the hack was released. So yes, I was confimring that it is the latest firmware release.

I applied the latest upgrade yesterday and have no problems. I reset my personal player settings and optimized with THX ( I hate my DVE disc -- it sux).

I checked several of the films listed on previous pages, including LOTR:TTT and saw no stuttering with panning wide shots. I also looked at key scenes in War of the Worlds, The Incredibles, Revenge of the Sith and Alexander (DC). Everything looked great. Colors looked spot on, image was clear and lip sync was perfect ( a big problem for me with the last firmware upgrade). In addition, the "Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." at the beginning of ROTS did not jitter at all -- I'm very pleased.

I did see some speckling in a wide shot during the "elephant attack" sequence in Alexander so I tweaked the Picture control and it went away.

My suggestion to those who are having problems:

1. Watch several minutes of a film of your choice before upgrading and take notes.

2. Upgrade and reset PQ with whatever (THX, DVE, Avia, etc).

3. Check the same sequence and tweak as necessary.

Also, I felt like I was being very hard on the new firmware. I should have just upgraded instead of reading this forum!

If you see a lot of changes, my guess is some of it is in your mind. Upgrade and go to bed and do the comparison after sleeping on it.

Oppo is in our corner. I have never liked a piece of A/V equipment like this Oppo player. Until HD/Blue-Ray works out the bugs and gets cheaper, it can't get much better than this.

By the way, I watch movies on my Sony 51" rear projection 16x9 set with DVI hookup.

Good luck Oppo Gang!

Cyberhome is literally as low as you can get on the DVD player spectrum. Just about anything else at all would be night & day in comparison.

The HD-A1 is a very good upconverting DVD player, but comparing it to a Cyberhome says nothing at all about Oppo.

Like most people I can only "honestly" make a comparison with something I have owned and used. Also like most people I didn't buy six different models for comparison. I don't know how many people feel comfortable comparing one unit to another unit if they never owned it based upon "someone elses" opinion of the unit, but I am not one of them.
The Cyberhome was OK. It upconverted both HDMI and Component, but not in a stunning way for sure. The Toshiba most certainly does. I posted this back here because I was considering the Oppo 971 but didn't like all the complaints I read. For slightly more I am really happy with my choice.

John

Thanks for posting a Toshiba review in the Oppo thread. Glad you're happy with it. A search of the forums shows that others who purchased it aren't as thrilled with it.

Steve,

I would hardly call my post a "review".

I posted this here because of all the time I spent reading this thread. I almost bought the Oppo 971 except that I FELT there were too many caveats to ignore for $200. Perhaps someone else who is reading this extroadinarily long thread might be interested in checking out the Toshiba unit for consideration along with the Oppo. After all we are all here to help each other. That certainly is my motivation and I am sure it is yours as well.

Also,

A search of the forums does NOT reveal a general unhappiness with the Toshiba unit as indicated by this poll:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=696555

Poll: HD-A1/XA1 Owners: Did you decide to keep your unit or return it?

549 said "I am very satisfied with the HD-A1/X1 and keeping it "

Only 25 said no.

A "few" people seem to have had a problem after updating the firmware. Mine came with the latest so I haven't had a problem. I may not update to a newer firmware if released because this one seems fine.

John

I posted this here because of all the time I spent reading this thread. I almost bought the Oppo 971 except that I FELT there were too many caveats to ignore for $200. Perhaps someone else who is reading this extroadinarily long thread might be interested in checking out the Toshiba unit for consideration along with the Oppo. After all we are all here to help each other. That certainly is my motivation and I am sure it is yours as well.

Help may have been your motivation, and I may be in the minority by believing you went about it the wrong way. If so, I apologize.

That being said, a comment like "I seriously doubt that an Oppo can match it...", from someone who doesn't own an Oppo and have the ability to directly compare it to the Toshiba side by side, can easily be misconstrued by some of the multitude of 971H owners who read this thread as "you bought the wrong player, but I didn't". Again, perhaps I overreacted to your post, and it's my bad, and not yours.

Regarding satisfied Toshiba owners, I would rather not point to specific posts and put others on the spot, but I have also privately corresponded with a couple of owners that are ready to drop their A1's off the roof. For instance, I've heard it takes close to a minute to power on the unit, insert a disk, hit play and see an image on the screen.

And in their review, HTS felt the "SD picture quality could be better". Their unit also had difficulty navigating the Avia menus. Perhaps your unit has newer firmware than the model they reviewed, however. If not, I'm hopeful for your sake that Toshiba customer service will be as responsive with firmware updates as Oppo has been.

/steve

Steve,

I posted this here because of all the time I spent reading this thread. I almost bought the Oppo 971 except that I FELT there were too many caveats to ignore for $200. Perhaps someone else who is reading this extroadinarily long thread might be interested in checking out the Toshiba unit for consideration along with the Oppo. After all we are all here to help each other. That certainly is my motivation and I am sure it is yours as well.


John

Thanks as I do appreciate your post and opinion. I purchased the Oppo V971H and while I was very impressed with both the actual build quality and the company, I just could not get past both a slight stutter here and there and worse, Macroblocking on my direct view LCD sreen. I just returned the Oppo for a refund. The macroblocking(beginning of Superman) and image break up(Gandolf falling with the beast through fire in opening scene of Twin Towers) only show up on a few scenes from the DVD's I watched so far(and mentioned earlier in this thread), but when it does, it drives me crazy. I would have kept the Oppo if not for this one issue. So, I have been also considering the Toshiba also as it appears to be great for Standard Def DVD's also.

By the way, I watch movies on my Sony 51" rear projection 16x9 set with DVI hookup.

Good luck Oppo Gang!Brett -

What model Sony do you have? Have you seen any macroblocking on your display?

I ask because I have the KDP-51WS655 (RPTV CRT) and have been considering this player.

Thanks!

That being said, a comment like "I seriously doubt that an Oppo can match it...", from someone who doesn't own an Oppo and have the ability to directly compare it to the Toshiba side by side, can easily be misconstrued by some of the multitude of 971H owners who read this thread as "you bought the wrong player, but I didn't". /steve
I didn't think of that when I posted it, but I do see your point.



For instance, I've heard it takes close to a minute to power on the unit, insert a disk, hit play and see an image on the screen./steve

That is true, but only with HD DVD discs. It's worth the wait though. Those discs look incredible. And you can pull up the menu at the bottom of the screen WHILE the movie is playing.



And in their review, HTS felt the "SD picture quality could be better". Their unit also had difficulty navigating the Avia menus. Perhaps your unit has newer firmware than the model they reviewed.
/steve

For the life of me I don't understand why they would say that SD quality could be better. But I do have the latest firmware. What is universally accepted is that the remote control really sucks. I bought a programmable Sony remote (RM-VL600) for $25 at Walmart that solved the problem. Enabling the "beep" sound in the Toshiba setup menu makes the unit more responsive to remote commands. The "down" button was unresponsive until I enabled the beep sound. Now it works perfectly. How did I learn that? From helpful forum members, of course!

As far as Toshiba support goes, I hope I don't have to call them.......knock on wood. So far so good. Smaller companies are generally more customer oriented than larger ones like Toshiba and Panasonic (one of the worst in that respect).
The reports by Oppo owners of Oppo's undying tech support was one of the reasons I was considering the Oppo 971.

I don't really get all this product loyalty anyway. Seems like it clouds objectivity. I have seen it in other threads regarding other products as well. I have some Sony products I love and others I hate. Same with Panasonic, Toyota, Honda, and General Electric. People like feedback from owners when it comes to a purchase. The more the better so they don't feel they are taking a risk with their hard earned cash. That is what is so nice about Consumer Reports especially when it comes to cars. Their Frequency of Repair records that appear in their April issue log eight years worth of owner satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a particular model. And they break it down by section of the car (drivetrain, electrical, etc). When you read it it is clear that there have been lemon models of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, etc as well as good ones. Brand loyalty would cloud objectivity for the consumer. Opinions and data are much more helpful. The more the better. After the success of the Frequency of Repair records for automobiles they began (many years ago) to do the same for appliances, etc. It has been equally helpful to the consumer. And these forums are a goldmine in the same vein. With so many opinions and so much data and so many links a consumer has a wealth of information here at his or her disposal. The more the better.

Regards,

John

Thanks as I do appreciate your post and opinion. I purchased the Oppo V971H and while I was very impressed with both the actual build quality and the company, I just could not get past both a slight stutter here and there and worse, Macroblocking on my direct view LCD sreen. I just returned the Oppo for a refund. The macroblocking(beginning of Superman) and image break up(Gandolf falling with the beast through fire in opening scene of Twin Towers) only show up on a few scenes from the DVD's I watched so far(and mentioned earlier in this thread), but when it does, it drives me crazy. I would have kept the Oppo if not for this one issue. So, I have been also considering the Toshiba also as it appears to be great for Standard Def DVD's also.
That is pretty much what made me decide against taking a chance on the Oppo. All the posts in this thread regarding the macroblocking issue. In my case I am using an LCD projector so any macroblocking would be blown up even larger. With the Toshiba I don't see any artifacts at all and with the HD DVDs my jaw drops. And the unit is made in Japan and weighs a ton. It is actually has a P4 motherboard and runs Linux. Definitely not your average DVD player. If you do decide to try one out make sure you buy it from a vendor that won't give you a hard time if you want to return it. I bought mine from Crutchfield, but Value Electronics is at least as good and offers special deals to AVS forum members of which the owner is one of them. The HD DVD Players forum has more details.

John

Brett -

What model Sony do you have? Have you seen any macroblocking on your display?

I ask because I have the KDP-51WS655 (RPTV CRT) and have been considering this player.

Thanks!


I have model KP-51WS500. To be honest, I see macroblocking mostly on overly compressed HDTV signals. It is a rare occurrence on DVDs unless the film itself is not mastered very well (pre-1998).

I have noticed macroblocking on certain titles, such as Revenge of The Sith (on Palpatine's red office wall), after reading forums such as this one or the Oppo thread at Home Theater Forum. Again, I think reading these threads makes people, me included, overly critical of their displays. With a bit of tweaking and some patience, issues like macroblocking on certain titles can be fixed.

Overall, I have not had the problems that many other users have had. I attribute this to the excellent Sony display. I have never regretted buying the Oppo player. Not only does it deliver an awesome picture via DVI, the customer support is second to none.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion - and I do not intend to discuss the merits of the two High-def DVD formats or the High-def DVD players on this (or any other) forum.

But, Consumer Reports published an article in its August 2006 issue entitled "High-def DVD: Why you should hit ‘pause’" which can be accessed free on the web here http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/high-definition-dvd-8-06/overview/0608_hi-def-dvd_ov.htm?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=1&searchTerm=High-Def%20DVD
which makes the interesting point that only about 50 high-def DVD titles are currently available in each format. And other sources of HD movies are growing.

CR concludes "The upshot: Viewing movies at home in HD has nowhere to go but up, but it’s an open question how many of those movies you’ll get on DVD. Having waited so long for high-def DVD, we may eventually discover we don’t really need it."

Compare that with the multitude of DVDs in all Region codes that are playable in high quality on the Oppo and I'm glad I bought mine.

Dana

I have model KP-51WS500. To be honest, I see macroblocking mostly on overly compressed HDTV signals. It is a rare occurrence on DVDs unless the film itself is not mastered very well (pre-1998).

I have noticed macroblocking on certain titles, such as Revenge of The Sith (on Palpatine's red office wall), after reading forums such as this one or the Oppo thread at Home Theater Forum. Again, I think reading these threads makes people, me included, overly critical of their displays. With a bit of tweaking and some patience, issues like macroblocking on certain titles can be fixed.

Overall, I have not had the problems that many other users have had. I attribute this to the excellent Sony display. I have never regretted buying the Oppo player. Not only does it deliver an awesome picture via DVI, the customer support is second to none.

I have a Sony KP-57WS520 which is well calibrated and ISF'd. I was getting some macroblocking in dark scenes with the 971. I followed the calibration tips offered by a member on how to remove MB from the Oppo 971, but no luck on completely removing it. Finally, I switched to the 970 which has no MB and a sharper image - I'm happier, as a result.

Does anyone here know of any issues with the Oppo displaying on a Panny TH50PHD8UK via the DVI-HDMI cable? I ask this because I previously bought a Toshiba SD-V592 DVD/VCR because it had HDMI out to use with my Panny TH50PHD7 and the display was all green and generally messed up. I ended up using the component input on the Panny for the DVD and using the HDMI input on the Panny for my set top box. I'd like to avoid any problems this time around.


I'm having this same problem and wonder if there's a solution? I called Oppo and described the problem they said to change the input to rgb which can't be done with the Panny TY-FB7HM HDMI blade I'm using. I have no problems with my DirecTV h10-250 via the hdmi input.

Any help would be appreciated.
Ed

...CR concludes "The upshot: Viewing movies at home in HD has nowhere to go but up, but it’s an open question how many of those movies you’ll get on DVD. Having waited so long for high-def DVD, we may eventually discover we don’t really need it."

Compare that with the multitude of DVDs in all Region codes that are playable in high quality on the Oppo and I'm glad I bought mine.

Dana

"....how many of those movies you’ll get on DVD...."

I may be a little dense, but just what does that mean? Their conclusion is, that the vast majority of SD-DVDs won't ever be available in a hi-def format so why bother with a new player? :confused: Explain.

BTW, I love my Oppo, but it's not the same as true HD.

redjr... :)

I have a Sony KP-57WS520 which is well calibrated and ISF'd. I was getting some macroblocking in dark scenes with the 971. I followed the calibration tips offered by a member on how to remove MB from the Oppo 971, but no luck on completely removing it. Finally, I switched to the 970 which has no MB and a sharper image - I'm happier, as a result.

Care to share some simple hints on reducing macroblocking?

BTW, I love my Oppo, but it's not the same as true HD.

Curious what your HD source is. I have a DirecTV HDTivo connected both to sat and to an over the air antenna mounted on my roof, so I am able to view uncompressed HD signals from the four major networks. On a scale of 1-10, when viewing properly calibrated 480p from both the 971H and the 970HD, here's how I would currently rate source picture quality on my 50" Fujitsu plasma display:

Over the air HD: 10
DirecTV HBO: 9
971H: 8.75
970HD: 8

I'm mostly basing my critique on an HBOHD Tivo'd version of "Robots" that I compared to the DVD version of the same movie on the two players. Aside from just watching, I froze several key frames at the same spots to check both fine detail and de-interlacing performance. When I first got the 970HD tweaked a couple of months ago, I rated it higher than 8, but since I've had the opportunity to A/B it with the 971H, I now clearly see the superiority of the Faroudja de-interlacer over the Mediatek on shapes with curved edges, along with CUE and 3:2 pulldown recognition response time.

My Fujitsu's AVMII processor has an awesome scaler, which I actually prefer to the 971H's Faroudja or the 970HD's Mediatek scaling to 720p. I think it's because my display is native 768p, so I'm saving one more upconversion step by feeding my display pure 480p, instead of upconverted 720p or 1080i which then has to be scaled once again to 768p.

My Fujitsu was manufactured using Panasonic glass, but macroblocking doesn't seem to be an issue for me, so I guess it's the Panny electronics that must not interact well with the Faroudja's.

/steve

There are no less than 5 forums on this site to discuss the new HD video disc formats and another to discuss broadcast HDTV Programming. This is the standard DVD Players forum, and this specifically is the Oppo 971H thread. If you want to discuss the merits of buying an HD DVD or Blu-ray player, please stop cluttering this thread and move it to one of the appropriate forums.

Thanks.

There are no less than 5 forums on this site to discuss the new HD video disc formats and another to discuss broadcast HDTV Programming. This is the standard DVD Players forum, and this specifically is the Oppo 971H thread. If you want to discuss the merits of buying an HD DVD or Blu-ray player, please stop cluttering this thread and move it to one of the appropriate forums.
.

Boy, you are a cranky member! I thought my post was basically about Oppo 971H image quality. Granted it took me a while to get there... :)

/steve

Josh Z has been to the end of the internet and back. Of course he is cranky!

as a fellow bostonian I know why he is crancky, F!@#$#$ traffic :mad:

Hey, I just got my hands on the 971 and I have a simple question for everyone.

Anyway, Microsoft just released an update for Xbox360 that allows consoles connected via VGA to upscale DVD's to 720p (in effect doing what the 971H does). There has been a lot of debate about which picture will be better, and I'm curious to hear your opinions. I haven't actually opened my Oppo from Amazon and I won't until I hear some definitive opinions.

By the way, I own a Samsung HL-S5686W DLP set. Thanks!

Hey, I just got my hands on the 971 and I have a simple question for everyone.

Anyway, Microsoft just released an update for Xbox360 that allows consoles connected via VGA to upscale DVD's to 720p (in effect doing what the 971H does). There has been a lot of debate about which picture will be better, and I'm curious to hear your opinions. I haven't actually opened my Oppo from Amazon and I won't until I hear some definitive opinions.

By the way, I own a Samsung HL-S5686W DLP set. Thanks!

As my children would say, "Hey Dude, try it and see what you think" Actually they are just at the point of understanding why their dad is a nut case over this hobby. The oppo in my system is providing an amazing picture. From the recent off topic posts it would seem that a wait and see approach is intruding on this thread. HD/BD time will tell. Trust the users here the 971H rocks.

Joe

All I gotta say is that when I finally get a new HD or BD player, (waiting to see what happens although VERY tempted...) I will still keep my oppo as I have many PAL and R2 NTSC discs that I will not give up. The oppo plays PAL beautifully. My new Space 1999 remastered set from England is jaw-dropping.

;)

g35 stud, I tried to start a thread on this and no one cared. Here's the link

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705794


Hey, I just got my hands on the 971 and I have a simple question for everyone.

Anyway, Microsoft just released an update for Xbox360 that allows consoles connected via VGA to upscale DVD's to 720p (in effect doing what the 971H does). There has been a lot of debate about which picture will be better, and I'm curious to hear your opinions. I haven't actually opened my Oppo from Amazon and I won't until I hear some definitive opinions.

By the way, I own a Samsung HL-S5686W DLP set. Thanks!

Hey, I just got my hands on the 971 and I have a simple question for everyone.

Anyway, Microsoft just released an update for Xbox360 that allows consoles connected via VGA to upscale DVD's to 720p (in effect doing what the 971H does). There has been a lot of debate about which picture will be better, and I'm curious to hear your opinions. I haven't actually opened my Oppo from Amazon and I won't until I hear some definitive opinions.

By the way, I own a Samsung HL-S5686W DLP set. Thanks!
Upscale to 720P? Wouldn't you want to go into the 360 system setup and set it to 1360x768. or as close to your set's native resolution as possible? One to one pixel mapping is the holy grail I thought? That's how I've got mine connected to my Visio PD50.

Doing and A/B side by side comparison, after calibrating with Avia, I'd still have to give the edge to the Oppo. I don't know what chips are in the 360, but I'm assuming the Oppo's are better. Also, as VGA is analog, using the DVI out from the Oppo avoids the D/A/D conversion. The one point the 360 has for it in my case is that the Visio only allows color temp to be controlled on the VGA port. You can adjust it through the service menu for HDMI and other inputs, but the settings don't stick, and revert to default whenever you change inputs or shut the set down.

As an OT aside, the 360 is also very crappy at playing DVD -Rs, and chokes on DVD +R DL disks. Probably built in due to MS DRM paranoia.

I have some issues with PAL and subtitles. I reported it to OppoDigital already. I just want to know if others are experiencing the same or with what firmware it does not happen.

It is the sync sub to frame issue, I have looked up the description of the issue on the next page:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_1/dvd-benchmark-guide-to-progressive-scan-shootout-1-2003.html

Subject "Sync Subtitle to Frames"

Although testing shows that 2:2 pull down is working ok, this subtitle synching is off (aka, a problem) most of the time with many bought new PAL video's.
On many machines I have tried. What is your experience? I tried every setting (like all off or at zero) and none has the solution.

I have some issues with PAL and subtitles. I reported it to OppoDigital already. I just want to know if others are experiencing the same or with what firmware it does not happen.

It is the sync sub to frame issue, I have looked up the description of the issue on the next page:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_1/dvd-benchmark-guide-to-progressive-scan-shootout-1-2003.html

Subject "Sync Subtitle to Frames"

Although testing shows that 2:2 pull down is working ok, this subtitle synching is off (aka, a problem) most of the time with many bought new PAL video's.
On many machines I have tried. What is your experience? I tried every setting (like all off or at zero) and none has the solution.

I have only one PAL disk with subtitles (ENCHANTED APRIL, region 4) and I don''t see combing on the subtitles. I'm using firmware 10-0720, just recently released.

-Bill

I've tried 0720 too, also has the problem on 3+ players and reg 2 PAL disk, you have too look for some time, sometimes it takes a while.

Last night I watched Havana which is 1.85. It displayed like 2.35. I've seen this on a couple of other movies whose titles I don't remember. It doesn't do it with all 1.85s. Any ideas?

Last night I watched Havana which is 1.85. It displayed like 2.35. I've seen this on a couple of other movies whose titles I don't remember. It doesn't do it with all 1.85s. Any ideas?

I think your looking at a LBX movie NOT "Enhanced For Widescreen".

Mark

Last night I watched Havana which is 1.85. It displayed like 2.35. I've seen this on a couple of other movies whose titles I don't remember. It doesn't do it with all 1.85s. Any ideas?

The Havana DVD is non-anamorphic letterbox. See explanation here:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/welcome.html

Didn't you notice that the picture was stretched and all the actors looked short and fat?

Assuming you have a widescreen TV, set the Oppo for "Wide/Sqz" mode to restore proper proportions, then Zoom to fill the screen.

Does my 971 play .ts files? If not will it ever do so via firmware upd8s? I archive alot of files off my DCT 6412 Moto DVR and it's all done via "CapDVHS" in .ts format. I'm having problems with various converter software to bring it over to mpeg format. Various software converters will work but with either stuttering video or sound. I can't seem to find one that'll convert it over without anomalies of some sort.

TS files are too bandwidth restricted for the OPDV971H. You might just want to look into the Pixel Magic for TS transport.

Just updated with latest firmware. All I can say is wow! This is a NOTICEABLE improvement in PQ and lip sync. Without tweaking anything for a split second I thought I had HD! ok - maybe not that good, but there was a crisp clarity without EE that really brought more life like images (and this is with sharpness off!).

I am floored. Never expected anything so nice. I actually have less of a desire to go to HD now (and yes, I have seen HD and know that this really isn't the same.. but for now, I can live without it!).

Thank you OPPO!