I owned both V880 and Oppo.
With my PJ Sanyo Z3 HDMI mode set to standard(I believed it is video level),Oppo must set brightness level to +5 to differentiate the brightness test patterns with DVE.If I use the default setting of brightness 0,then I can't calibrate the brigtness level correctly in DVE with whatever gamma,iris,or contrast level set from Z3. But in V880 ,the factory default setting can let me easily to calibrate the brightness with DVE.

I would set the Oppo for 480p/576p ("Auto") and let the HD+ do all of the scaling. The Oppo's scaling is pretty good, but the iScan's is better, and you really want to do all of your scaling in one place. Scaling twice in separate devices can introduce artifacts.

So far after extensive testing I can find no added artifacts by using the Oppo at 720p and the iScan at 1080i. In fact for my system, macroblocking is tamed down using 720p instead of 480/576p. The Oppo really seems to be optimized for 720p and 1080i, not 480/576p. And the better the quality of the image going into the iScan, the better the output as far as I can tell. But ultimately, each system is different and to determine the best image, you have to play around with the settings and try everything until finding the right combination for your system. The iScan HD+ is a nice option to have with the Oppo.

The Oppo does lose detail when you output 480P. It really shines at 720P and 1080i. The detail is definitely there at those resolutions. Just use a resolution pattern and you will see the lines run together using the 480P output. At the higher resolutions each line is distinct, it's very close or equal to the output of my SDI RP82 running through my iscanHD+.

Setting the Oppo's Brightness control to +5 (leave the Contrast at 0) on the DVI output, sets the player's output to match the DVI Video signal standard. All devices using DVI/HDMI outputs should match this standard. The Oppo's factory default settings should meet this standard, but they don't.

I determined the correct setting for the Oppo by comparing the Oppo's output to the output from my Accupel signal generator and to the outputs of several other DVI/HDMI equiped sources that use the correct signal standard.

Set the Oppo to +5, then set the Brightness and Contrast controls on your display with a test pattern from Avia or DVE.

Glenn

Thanks Glenn for doing the great work to confirm.

Folks don't argue with him. If you want your Oppo to output a proper black level, set it to +5.

Thanks Glenn for doing the great work to confirm.

Folks don't argue with him. If you want your Oppo to output a proper black level, set it to +5.

I second this statement. I calibrated my Toshiba 52HMX94/Oppo combination before reading the recommendations on this thread. I immediately realized that the Oppo was "off" in the Brightness department. I was hesitant to believe that my settings were correct (+5 on the Oppo), but after catching up with the posts on this thread I now know I was right on the money.

The Oppo is a great player. Just fix the audio sync issue!! I noticed the sync issue on Gangs of New York, Alien Resurrection and maybe one or two more. I am playing with the audio delay settings (20ms) to see if this helps.

I owned both V880 and Oppo.
With my PJ Sanyo Z3 HDMI mode set to standard(I believed it is video level),Oppo must set brightness level to +5 to differentiate the brightness test patterns with DVE.If I use the default setting of brightness 0,then I can't calibrate the brigtness level correctly in DVE with whatever gamma,iris,or contrast level set from Z3. But in V880 ,the factory default setting can let me easily to calibrate the brightness with DVE.

Whose PQ (film material) did you prefer?

Quick question- I read the Oppo is DVI- non HDCP compliant, so if i bought a newer LCD set with DVI-HDCP complaint I would not be able to use the Oppo over DVI?

it will work...it will *also* work with devices that are *not* HDCP compliant (if it were and they were not...it would't work...but it should work with compliant devices as well...it just transmits the video as open-access if I understand it correctly).

Hi,

What does [Portugeuese and Korean are not labeled "on screen" for subtitles]

I just bought this player and tried to get Korean subtitle and menu to work, but failed...

it will work...it will *also* work with devices that are *not* HDCP compliant (if it were and they were not...it would't work...but it should work with compliant devices as well...it just transmits the video as open-access if I understand it correctly).

OK, so it will work with a HDMI HDCP complaint set, thanks :) Tough call between this and the S97.

Hi,

What does [Portugeuese and Korean are not labeled "on screen" for subtitles]

I just bought this player and tried to get Korean subtitle and menu to work, but failed...

I think it means when you're cycling through the subtitles while a movie is playing, it'll show "subtitle 01/07: English" for english and if its korean, it'll show "subtitle 02/07: " which is blank.

I would set the Oppo for 480p/576p ("Auto") and let the HD+ do all of the scaling. The Oppo's scaling is pretty good, but the iScan's is better, and you really want to do all of your scaling in one place. Scaling twice in separate devices can introduce artifacts.
The Oppo does lose detail when you output 480P. It really shines at 720P and 1080i. The detail is definitely there at those resolutions. Just use a resolution pattern and you will see the lines run together using the 480P output. At the higher resolutions each line is distinct, it's very close or equal to the output of my SDI RP82 running through my iscanHD+.
Josh, could you look into this please? There have been conflicting reports about loss of resolution at 480p. I also notice this, but I can't eliminate my display from the equation.

Gary

With my IF 4805 native 480p PJ, I can affirm 480p gives the best picture. Just looked again at the Oppo splash page: when set at 720p, there's some dots in the letters and 1080i introduces some shakink. 480p is just the best. But I'm waiting for the 854x480 resolution.... Like MANY of us !

Anyone have an electronic verson of the owners manual for the Oppo? Didn't see it on their site or in the first post.

Thanks

With my IF 4805 native 480p PJ, I can affirm 480p gives the best picture. Just looked again at the Oppo splash page: when set at 720p, there's some dots in the letters and 1080i introduces some shakink. 480p is just the best. But I'm waiting for the 854x480 resolution.... Like MANY of us !

If your display is native 480p then I would think you would expect to get the best picture at 480p. It's likely the artifacts you're seeing from 720p and 1080i are caused by your display, not the Oppo. My display downrezs 720p to 480p and does not look good at all that way, it looks worse than just straight 480p. I still use the Oppo at 720p, but I get away with that by letting my iScan HD+ scale 720p to 1080i (by far the best resolution for my display).

Anyone have an electronic verson of the owners manual for the Oppo? Didn't see it on their site or in the first post.
The manual is available on Oppo's website. The link is provided below to save you the effort of finding it...
http://www.oppodigital.com/Download/OPDV-971H_Manual.pdf

The manual is available on Oppo's website. The link is provided below to save you the effort of finding it...
http://www.oppodigital.com/Download/OPDV-971H_Manual.pdf

Thanks! Not sure why I couldn't find that.

Josh, could you look into this please? There have been conflicting reports about loss of resolution at 480p. I also notice this, but I can't eliminate my display from the equation.

I'll try to do some tests later this week or this weekend. My initial observations when I wrote my DVDTalk review was that 480p into my scaler gave a better picture than 720p upscaled, but I will compare again with specific emphasis on resolution patterns.

I'll try to do some tests later this week or this weekend. My initial observations when I wrote my DVDTalk review was that 480p into my scaler gave a better picture than 720p upscaled, but I will compare again with specific emphasis on resolution patterns.

I'd like to look myself. What test patterns from DVE/AVIA should I be referencing?

I'd like to look myself. What test patterns from DVE/AVIA should I be referencing?Avia has 2 or 3 resolution patterns to choose from - in the "Resolution" and "Widescreen Enhanced" menus. Check them all.

BUT... be sure to turn the Oppo's sharpness off and set it Wide, not Wide/SQZ mode. The patterns will be stretched, but the vertical and horizontal wedge patterns should look nearly perfect (they're excellent at 720p). Wide/SQZ mode is known to reduce resolution on 4:3 material, for a different reason.

Gary

I have scanned most of this thread and not found aparticualr answer to my questions.

Those of you with a Samsung HLR-5067... how is the macroblocking issue and li sync using the DVI HDMI cable? The Macroblocking issue is the main reason for me wanting to steer away from this player, but if anyone can tell me they don't get it with this HDTV combo I'm all in.

I feel so defeated over the different quirks of the players I'm interested in with all the farouja players haveing Macroblocking issues, and the Sony having a higher price and potential tray locks...

Any help???

I went ahead and ordered the OPPO, so if no one else has input, at least I will try to post my findings when it arrives. I am currently running the Samsung HD850. It's been buggy to say the least.

I received my Oppo player yesterday here are my comments:

1) I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean and almost immediately (about 10 minutes in) got horrible audio/video synch. This was fixed by fast forwarding and rewinding a couple times. That seemed to resynch the signals.
2) The picture quality on my KDF-E42A10 wasn't great. Skin tones look pretty crummy. I am chalking this up to my tv not being adjusted properly. I am going to get DVE or AVIA and see if I can make it better.

Questions:

1) Is buying a higher quality DVI->HDMI cable likely to make the PQ much better? I am using the one provided by OPPO and I am not sure about its quality. I don't really want to spend $100 on a cable but if there is a big difference I am all for it.

I think that this player will work for me overall once I get it setup with my tv correctly so I am definitely going to keep messing with it.

-cyrus

I received my Oppo player yesterday here are my comments:

1) I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean and almost immediately (about 10 minutes in) got horrible audio/video synch. This was fixed by fast forwarding and rewinding a couple times. That seemed to resynch the signals.
2) The picture quality on my KDF-E42A10 wasn't great. Skin tones look pretty crummy. I am chalking this up to my tv not being adjusted properly. I am going to get DVE or AVIA and see if I can make it better.

Questions:

1) Is buying a higher quality DVI->HDMI cable likely to make the PQ much better? I am using the one provided by OPPO and I am not sure about its quality. I don't really want to spend $100 on a cable but if there is a big difference I am all for it.

I think that this player will work for me overall once I get it setup with my tv correctly so I am definitely going to keep messing with it.

-cyrus

Were you messing with picture settings (brightness, contrast, etc.) during playback right before you ran into sync problems? I've been able to attribute my a/v sync problems to changing picture settings while the movie is playing. Stop the playback, make adjustments, then start playback again and maybe you won't have any problems any longer. As others have noted, many other players actually force the playback to stop when you try to adjust picture settings. It is certainly a nice feature to be able to adjust picture settings while playback continues so you can instantly see the results of your tweaking without having to recall what it looked like before the tweak, but maybe they should institute an automatic stop and then resume playback once the adjustment has been concluded (e.g., when you press setup again to exit the setup menus, stop playback and immediately start it up again...momentary hiccup is worth it in my book).

Pirates of the Carribean dvd is known to have disappointing picture quality to begin with.

Those of you with a Samsung HLR-5067... how is the macroblocking issue and li sync using the DVI HDMI cable? The Macroblocking issue is the main reason for me wanting to steer away from this player, but if anyone can tell me they don't get it with this HDTV combo I'm all in.

I feel so defeated over the different quirks of the players I'm interested in with all the farouja players haveing Macroblocking issues, and the Sony having a higher price and potential tray locks... Yes, I'm afraid there's no holy grail. Every player has it's issues and quirks. Macroblocking is inevitable with Faroudja players.

I don't have the same model as you, but I've owned two different Samsung DLP models and they both suffer with the macroblocking bug. BUT... I have to emphasize... the DEGREE (or severity) of macroblocking is highly dependant on the level of calibration of your set. A good grayscale calibration, selecting the correct gamma curve, and using the FULL range of the display's contrast, goes a LONG way to eliminating this problem.

Gary

Cool, sounds like I should switch DVDs that I judge the player by and stop fiddling with meny settings while the player is going.

Totally reasonable.

how do u find out what firmware my oppo is?

and my buttons dont glow in the dark?

Since my oppo is hooked up to my 52hm94 Dlp Toshiba, do i still have to keep these settings?

sharpness= off
ccs= off
truelife= on

and the brightness, contrast, etc to 0?

This is being hooked into my tv through DVI-HDMI with dvi option to 720p;

IS there any thing else i need to turn off?

Some reason my oppo wont read Sound & Visions cali disk.


Any fix to that problem, cause my older apex dvd player reads it just fine.

A question... if my display is 1024x576, what resolution should I use on the Oppo?

Thanks!

A question... if my display is 1024x576, what resolution should I use on the Oppo?

Thanks!

540P

and my buttons dont glow in the dark?




Neither do mine, but I use a Harmony remote so it doesn't really worry me.

Steve.

I own a Panny TH-37PX50U as well as a Fujitsu P42HHA40US. I purchased the Oppo DV971H which has worked great. I ended up leaving it hooked up to the Panny.

Several people in the Panny forum asked whether I have seen any evidence of macroblocking. I can't say I have, but in the interest of testing the set up, I want to know where to look.

I did read somewhere that the opening scene of Monster's Inc is notorious for showing it. People refer to the wall near the clock. I watched the begining several times. Near the childs bed is a round analog alarm clock. No sign of it there. A few minutes later there is a scene with a digital clock. I didn't see it there either. Am I looking in the right spot?

Are there any other well known scenes where I might look for this? My DVD collection is not too extensive, so the more suggestions of where to look, the better.

I am just trying to help others. I am already convinced that the oppo/panny is a winning combination.

How do I set the resolution on my Oppo. I have a Tosh 46hm84 and was told to set the Oppo to 480p and let the chip in my Tosh do the upscaling. How do I know what it is set at. I have read through the manual and can't find it. I am using the DVI-HDMI cable. Sorry if this a stupid question, still learning :D

How do I set the resolution on my Oppo. I have a Tosh 46hm84 and was told to set the Oppo to 480p and let the chip in my Tosh do the upscaling. How do I know what it is set at. I have read through the manual and can't find it. I am using the DVI-HDMI cable. Sorry if this a stupid question, still learning :D

With the player STOPPED, press the DVI button (lower left of the remote) to cycle through the DVI output options.

With my Sony E50A10, the screen blanks out while the change is being made, so I miss the Oppo's resolution notice, but I use the Sony's DISPLAY button to check the results.

With the player STOPPED, press the DVI button (lower left of the remote) to cycle through the DVI output options.

With my Sony E50A10, the screen blanks out while the change is being made, so I miss the Oppo's resolution notice, but I use the Sony's DISPLAY button to check the results.


Thank you very much :D Off to the tv :D

Very quick question. Has anyone tried a DivX 6 file on this. I know is supports 5.1 but has anyone actually tried it with 6?

A question... if my display is 1024x576, what resolution should I use on the Oppo?

There is no surefire answer to this. Whatever resolution you set the Oppo for, the display is going to have to rescale it to 1024x576 anyway. The only way to tell what works best is to try each of the resolution settings and decide for yourself.

Finally at the stage of setting up my equipment and I'm having some problems. I want the Oppo to upscale but I can't seem to find resolutions for the Oppo. All I seem to have is Wide/PS, Wide/LB, and two others I can't recall but I don't think these have anything to do with resolution. There is a menu item in setup at the far right that is grayed out for me. Anyone know why this menu would be unaccessable.

Currently I am running DVI out of the OPPO to DVI in at a Denon 4806 and HDMI out of the 4806 to DVI in on an H-77 using a HDMI to DVI adaptor. As I explained in the h-7x thread, the image is not correct. I know I'm susposed to be running 720p from the Oppo and Native on the PJ for 1:1 Scaling. But I guess I'm not doing that since if I run native on the pj I get a large postcard size image. I do have the latest firmware on the Oppo.

I don't know if going through the 4806 is causing any problems but as soon as I get another HDMI to DVI adaptor I will try direct to the pj.

Tom answered my changing resolution question in the h-7x thread. He gets around!

how do u find out what firmware my oppo is?

SETUP-9-2-1-0 on the remote.

Since my oppo is hooked up to my 52hm94 Dlp Toshiba, do i still have to keep these settings?

sharpness= off
ccs= off
truelife= on

Those are the settings that most people recommend (myself included).

and the brightness, contrast, etc to 0?

Brightness should be +5. Leave the others at 0.

IS there any thing else i need to turn off?

I would change subtitles to "Off" as well. However, if the movie you're watching is in English but has selected scenes in a foreign/alien language with subtitles that are supposed to automatically pop up (ex. Kill Bill, Star Wars), before you start the movie go into the disc menus and turn the subtitles to "None" there as well. I know, that doesn't sound like it makes sense, but it's what you have to do, otherwise those subtitles won't pop up.

Some reason my oppo wont read Sound & Visions cali disk.

My copy of that disc definitely works in the Oppo.

Josh, its really good to have you in this thread! Your responses are always clear and technically accurate. We appreciate that.

BTW, any update on the 480p resolution thing?

Gary

He a positive for the Oppo. I bought a S97, it's not my display causing this but the S97 shows definite stepping lines (contouring) in gray ramps patterns, the Oppo is smooth a glass. Chalk another one up for the Oppo. :)

Somebody can explain me what the CCS function does ?

Somebody can explain me what the CCS function does ?

from the faroudja page

"Cross Color Suppression
Cross color is an artifact produced by the imperfect decoding of composite video. High frequency luma components are incorrectly decoded as chroma signals, causing colorization where there should be none. This colorization can be detected in many types of “busy” scenes including tiled rooftops, herringbone patterned clothing, leafy scenery, etc. The most common and visible cross color artifacts are flickering that occurs at 15 Hz rate, flashing colors or rainbow patterns. The artifact can be eliminated in still images by using temporal averaging of the chroma signals, the same methodology that is used in a 3-D comb filter. However, this cannot be done wherever there is motion because of the motion artifacts created, just as with deinterlacing using field weaving. Faroudja’s Cross Color Suppression uses the motion detector to selectively perform the temporal filtering only where there is no motion in the image and to use the already existing frame memory for the chroma storage required. Even cross-color that has been encoded onto a DVD recorded from a composite source can be suppressed using this technology.
"

Thank you.

If I trust has what is written, this function is to improve the PQ then why the majority here suggests putting it has "off" in the settings of the oppo?

...this function is to improve the PQ then why the majority here suggests putting it has "off" in the settings of the oppo?Cross Color Suppression is a feature that has value for analog connections, but introduces other artifacts that are often clearly visible in a fully digital (and upconverted) connection.

Gary

When I talked to technical support at OPPO they told me CCS should be set to off for my setup which is using the DVI output.

I did read somewhere that the opening scene of Monster's Inc is notorious for showing it. People refer to the wall near the clock. I watched the begining several times. Near the childs bed is a round analog alarm clock. No sign of it there. A few minutes later there is a scene with a digital clock. I didn't see it there either. Am I looking in the right spot?

Are there any other well known scenes where I might look for this? My DVD collection is not too extensive, so the more suggestions of where to look, the better.
I can think of a few off the top of my head. I popped them in to reverify and check the times. These are examples of DVDs that show macroblock enhancement on the OPPO, but not on a Sony DVP-NS975V, Pioneer DV-59AVi, or various software players.

Note that calibrating black level with MB in mind will reduce visibility of MB dramatically. Before I had DVE, I calibrated my OPPO's input to the THX Optimizer with a preference for seeing maybe a tiny amount of BTB data. Many dark or deep solid-colored scenes (e.g. space in Star Wars, skies in LOTR, walls in AOTC) would crawl with very visible MB. Keeping blacks just dark enough mostly obliterates MB in dark solid colors, but it will still creep in in lighter-colored smoke, fog, or metal.

I'll put these examples in spoiler tags, to avoid ruining movie scenes for anyone here that doesn't care to read about them. I really suggest not reading it if you're not having problems. :) There are probably better examples, these are just what I remember. Maybe there should be a separate thread for this sort of thing.

Note that all these scenes inherently have macroblocking in them. If you look close enough, you'll see it on any player, but it will definitely stand out on the affected Faroudja players, rather than appear as noise blended into the scene. It helps to have a reference, like a software player on your computer. I'm viewing the OPPO on a Samsung HL-R6168W.


Harry Potter 1, opening scene with Dumbledore in the fog

This is one of the more extreme examples, for me. MB didn't bother me a whole lot until I saw this scene. Now, it's certainly not reference material; there's a high degree of compression in this scene. But even seeing it several times, I'd never noticed the degree of MB until I viewed it on the OPPO and Panasonic S77. It's really bad. Because of this I see the artifacts on ALL players, now.

The Fifth Element SE, Ch09 00:38:53, "into the fog", when the fog fades

Edit: This shows pretty heavy MB on the OPPO for me; when I originally posted I had re-viewed it in a brighter room and it looked better. The OPPO shows MB here, while the source material seems to have more of a 'film grain' appearance in motion.

Star Wars II: AOTC, Ch03 00:02:58, base of ship while touching down
Star Wars II: AOTC, Ch03 00:03:07, base of ladder while R2 descending, smoke/background behind R2 in next shot

Through this scene, the smoke and metal have good bit of MB even with an "MB safe" black level, again easier to see with another player for reference. The chapter after this, in Palpatine's chamber, seems to be a frequently cited MB scene. From what I can tell, the noise on the walls in this scene is present on any player. It doesn't look much worse on the OPPO, to me.

LOTR: ROTK EE: Disc 1, Ch18, smoke/dimness in the beginning of this chapter
LOTR: ROTK EE: Disc 2, Ch01 00:00:00, smoke and lake
LOTR: ROTK EE: Disc 2, Ch27 01:04:27, dust blowing through the brighter-lit rocks

The Disc 2 samples here are probably my favorite of these examples. Even knowing where the noise is and searching for it on another player, it's not noticeable or distracting, without the Faroudja processing. It blends well. On the OPPO I see light purple/green blocks sparkling around.

The very beginning of Disc 1, Ch18, a slowly moving dark scene with fog over the river, seems noticeably clearer on a non-Faroudja player. This is an example where you might not see what you're missing until you see it on another player.


Something seems to be doing a good bit of sharpening in the OPPO, even with Sharpness off. I'm not sure if it's TrueLife, or something else (haven't examined it a lot), but I wonder if the macroblocking would be less apparent if there was less of this.

I finally had my Sony fp VPL-HS20 calibrated with the Oppo player. Watched a good hour of Pirates of the Caribbean, SW Ep.II, Fifth Element without noticing any lip synch issues. I am guessing at this point that it is definitely display dependant, or source dependant, or a combination of both. Of course, I also have my receiver set at 20ms delay to help with any disc that might have sync errors. A friend of mine, who is an audio calibrator informed me that many disc have been mastered poorly and he has seen numerous dvds with audio issues.
This plus the outstanding pic quality of the oppo makes these issues more noticeable.

Just my two cents.


Mark

Ok Draper, how'd you do that (spoiler tags)?

Ok Draper, how'd you do that (spoiler tags)?
With the [spoiler] tags. There's a list of tags on this page (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/misc.php?do=bbcode).

With the [spoiler] tags. There's a list of tags on this page (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/misc.php?do=bbcode).

Thanks!

hmmmm

I just got a new Oppo DV971H and was really surprised by it's slow power on sequence. (Do they put MS Windows there :)
It takes 7-8 seconds for the player's internal display to light up after I press power on button and about 14 seconds before I can even open the tray. It's buy far the longest time I've ever seen on any DVD player. Does anyone else have the same issue or did I get a defective unit?

Ev

That is the same as my unit.

I checked those dvd scenes mentioned for MB and compared the scenes between the SOny 975 and the Oppo. The Sony definitely doesn't exibit the MB in those scens. It is a big difference in those scenes between the two players.
I'm still trying to decide which player I will use when I get my calibration next week. I'm leaning toward the Sony, mainly because of the 40 disc memory, 480i HDMI output(For possible use with the VP30), and being able to change the display to show the time remaining on a disc. Both players produce an excellent picture but they each have their own quirks.

Aaron, I'm very interested in your results and findings. I am going to basically evauluate the Oppo when mine arrives and see if it exhibits any of the MB and sync issues. If I don't see any of the problems then all fine, but if I do, I'm very curious to see what you think since the SONY or amybe a Panasonic S97 are the only other options I want to consider.

Keep us informed please. :)

Very quick question. Has anyone tried a DivX 6 file on this. I know is supports 5.1 but has anyone actually tried it with 6?


To answer my own question, it worked fine when I tried it last night.

I checked those dvd scenes mentioned for MB and compared the scenes between the SOny 975 and the Oppo. The Sony definitely doesn't exibit the MB in those scens. It is a big difference in those scenes between the two players.
I'm still trying to decide which player I will use when I get my calibration next week. I'm leaning toward the Sony, mainly because of the 40 disc memory, 480i HDMI output(For possible use with the VP30), and being able to change the display to show the time remaining on a disc. Both players produce an excellent picture but they each have their own quirks.

the sony didn't but what about the oppo?

The Oppo did show MB in those scenes. I adjusted both players using the THX shadow test for BTB, so they were both set approximately at the same level. You could see a difference between the two, especially in the fog scenes.

Something else for the wishlist. MPEG-4 video streams can contain aspect ratio flags but I think they are being ignored (I made some 720x480 files from a DVD to test the flags, but they all ended up displaying as 4:3 regardless). That's not that surprising, since most Divx files are not using this feature. It's useful if you're interested in making highest quality backups.

There are codes for 1:1, 4:3 PAL, 4:3 NTSC, 16:9 PAL, 16:9 NTSC, and custom. My guess is this could be fixed in the already listed Divx resizing bug.

BTW, any update on the 480p resolution thing?

Yes, I tested this out last night. There's something to these claims, but I'm not sure what to make of it just yet.

Using Avia resolution patterns, the 6.75 MHz circle does indeed exhibit strange banding at 480p that is not present at 720p. I tested this on two separate displays (one DLP, one LCD) and got the same results.

However, I have to note that my other DVD player is a Denon 1600 connected by SDI. The Denon does not do any scaling at all, yet it also exhibits some banding in the 6.75 MHz circle (not exactly the same, but similar). I first noticed this after I had the SDI modification done, because the banding is present only when using SDI but not analog component. I asked an engineer friend of mine if I got screwed, but he said the artifact was normal and not unexpected. I'm not an engineer and didn't totally understand his explanation, but he told me not to worry about it. The next time I see him I'll ask him what he makes of the Oppo.

I'm going to try to watch more movie content at 720p output to see if I notice much difference, though I am not thrilled with the idea of scaling a video image twice (my projector is 1024x768).

I'll also note here that on my LCD TV I can definitely see the "underscan" problem that others have mentioned (on actual DVD content, not just the Oppo splash screen). It's about 2-3 pixels wide at all output resolutions. I never noticed this before because it's harder to see with front projection (edges of the screen are not as defined).

Something else for the wishlist. MPEG-4 video streams can contain aspect ratio flags but I think they are being ignored (I made some 720x480 files from a DVD to test the flags, but they all ended up displaying as 4:3 regardless). That's not that surprising, since most Divx files are not using this feature. It's useful if you're interested in making highest quality backups.

There are codes for 1:1, 4:3 PAL, 4:3 NTSC, 16:9 PAL, 16:9 NTSC, and custom. My guess is this could be fixed in the already listed Divx resizing bug.

It seems to affect all video files including mpg files. This should also be added to the fix list. Not too big of a deal for me, I just use my display to resize, though not all displays are capable of doing this.

[QUOTE=

I'll also note here that on my LCD TV I can definitely see the "underscan" problem that others have mentioned (on actual DVD content, not just the Oppo splash screen). It's about 2-3 pixels wide at all output resolutions. I never noticed this before because it's harder to see with front projection (edges of the screen are not as defined).[/QUOTE]

I would say the underscan is more than that in width, and it's something that they can easily fix, but they are sitting on it and doing nothing about. :mad:

People are getting fed up with the problems this Oppo is filing on. The ratings at Amazon are going down quickly. If they don't pick up the pace and release firmware to correct the problems they deserve all these low marks.

I would say the underscan is more than that in width, and it's something that they can easily fix, but they are sitting on it and doing nothing about.People are getting fed up with the problems this Oppo is filing on. The ratings at Amazon are going down quickly. If they don't pick up the pace and release firmware to correct the problems they deserve all these low marks.OK thanks. You deserve really high marks... your posts have been so helpful.

Aaron, I'm very interested in your results and findings. I am going to basically evauluate the Oppo when mine arrives and see if it exhibits any of the MB and sync issues. If I don't see any of the problems then all fine, but if I do, I'm very curious to see what you think since the SONY or amybe a Panasonic S97 are the only other options I want to consider. Scottjua, aaronwt, and everyone else, do keep in mind, that to evaluate these players fairly, you really need to calibrate the TV for each one (and set the Oppo's brightness to +5 to satisfy some displays).

Depending on your level of calibration, macroblocking can range from mildly (and occasionally) noticeable to wildly (and frequently) unacceptable.

Gary

Yes, I tested this out last night. There's something to these claims, but I'm not sure what to make of it just yet.

Using Avia resolution patterns, the 6.75 MHz circle does indeed exhibit strange banding at 480p that is not present at 720p. I tested this on two separate displays (one DLP, one LCD) and got the same results.

However, I have to note that my other DVD player is a Denon 1600 connected by SDI. The Denon does not do any scaling at all, yet it also exhibits some banding in the 6.75 MHz circle (not exactly the same, but similar).Fascinating. Thanks Josh. Keep us posted.

Gary

OK thanks. You deserve really high marks... your posts have been so helpful.

What a helpful post. Just what I needed. People in glass houses should not throw stones.

The Oppo is overrated and it's picture is no better than a $29.00 Apex DVD that you can get at Walmart. Of course the picture is better than SD regular channels. All DVDs are. That is not the Oppo doing anything, it is the fact that DVD quality falls in between HD and SD channels.
I suspect that some of the cheerleaders here are actual Oppo's employees posting as they are always trying to diminish Oppo's shortfalls.

I would suggest that you return your POS $200 DVD player then and just buy the Apex. If you can't tell the difference between the Apex and the Oppo maybe you should pick up a Fisher Price player for a back-up. They must be making DVD players now.

The Oppo is overrated and it's picture is no better than a $29.00 Apex DVD that you can get at Walmart. Of course the picture is better than SD regular channels. All DVDs are. That is not the Oppo doing anything, it is the fact that DVD quality falls in between HD and SD channels.
I suspect that some of the cheerleaders here are actual Oppo's employees posting as they are always trying to diminish Oppo's shortfalls.
If you actually think the image quality of a $29 Apex DVD player is the same as the Oppo, you clearly don't care about image quality at all. Which begs the question why you are even on a message board like this. It would seem you aren't interested (or are incapable of seeing) the difference a good deinterlacing/scaling chip makes over a cheaper/crappier chip. Have you run the HQV benchmark DVD on the Apex and Oppo? Have you calibrated either using Avia or DVE? The quality difference can be easily seen.

-Terry

The Oppo is overrated and it's picture is no better than a $29.00 Apex DVD that you can get at Walmart. Of course the picture is better than SD regular channels. All DVDs are. That is not the Oppo doing anything, it is the fact that DVD quality falls in between HD and SD channels.
I suspect that some of the cheerleaders here are actual Oppo's employees posting as they are always trying to diminish Oppo's shortfalls.

Posts like this are just sad, if not pathetic. It adds nothing to this discussion. I've owned 15 or so DVD players, and have had a chance to view numerous others, and nothing can touch the Oppo for image quality at the sub-$200 price range (not much can touch it at the sub-$800 pirce range). The fact is, all players have flaws. I'm almost ashamed to even respond to this kind of post, but something needs to be said. Only someone with very poor eyesight or poor quality equipment to use with the Oppo could make a statement such as this. My sympathies in either case.

Secret's review... (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=122) :confused:

That person must have used the component outputs which are supposed to be terrible since it isn't using the 2310 chip when using the component outputs. I only use digital outs for my main viewing on my DVD players.

If you actually think the image quality of a $29 Apex DVD player is the same as the Oppo, you clearly don't care about image quality at all. Which begs the question why you are even on a message board like this. It would seem you aren't interested (or are incapable of seeing) the difference a good deinterlacing/scaling chip makes over a cheaper/crappier chip. Have you run the HQV benchmark DVD on the Apex and Oppo? Have you calibrated either using Avia or DVE? The quality difference can be easily seen.

-Terry

Yes the Apex is BETTER AS IT FILLS THE WHOLE SCREEN. This Oppo crap permanently burned in my Plasma as it does not fill the whole screen on DVI and component is even worst quality. No quality control by this company and total disregard for image burn in on Plasmas. I know all of you InFocus users don't care about burn in problems, as projectors don't have a burn in problem. But there are people out there that have different setup. It is selfish and selfcentered to not realize that this product damages Plasmas TVs over DVI. Maybe Oppo should put a warning that their product should not be used with plasmas over DVI

Don't you have any provisions in your plasma's user menu to fill the screen?

I got my Oppo right before leaving town yesterday. I hooked it up immediately to see the PQ and right out of the box the picture was stupid awesome compared to my Samsung HD850. It was very apparent to my eye immediatly without going through a ton of material. I'll do more testing of course when I get back home but the image was... WOW. Perhaps part of this COULD be that it was hyped up in my mind, and I'm believing my own hype, but I honestly think I can see an immediate difference.

Unfortunately I also immediately had audio sync issues. I played with the delay levels and with my receiver but nothing I could do would cure it. (5th Element Superbit, and Master Commander : Dolby Digital and DTS). At 50ms it was getting close to being fixed, but not close enough... very very frustrating.

I looked for what has been described as macroblocking in the fog scenes of Master Commander, but I didn't see anythign that was objectionable or even noticeable as a PQ problem. So... on intial test run, I had no MB problems, and I guess since I really don't know what I was looking for specifically anyway it may be a moot point. I'll test more of course when Ig et home.

So far, my only issue is the sync problems... and I hope I can get that dialed in when I get back home and have some time to test more discs. Otherwise I may have to just return it and try either the Sony 975 or Panasonic S97. I'd LIKE to keep the Oppo... but I can't deal with the sync. And occasional MB issue I could probably live with if it even showed up, but the audio sync is very noticeable and more than likely would be a deal breaker. Unless Oppo releases a new firmware in the next week the next couple of days of testing will reveal how bad this issue is for me.

BTW:

Samsung HLR-5067 (included DVI>HDMI cable from Oppo)
Pioneer Elite 45TX (Digital Coax by Rhino Cables)

Scottjua, regarding the synch problem, did you try the often-posted recommendation of hitting the stop button during play and then the play? I found the desynch tends to happen when I fastforward and haven't seen the problem when I play the DVD straight through without any ff or chapter skipping.

Oppo should address this problem in their next firmware update, if it can be.

Dan

Don't you have any provisions in your plasma's user menu to fill the screen?

Yes, I can zoom with the TV but then I lose half of the subtitles in foreign films. Zooming with Oppo does nothing to fill the black border. This is something that Oppo can easily fix but they are sitting on it. And the cult members of this board that are blinded by a marketing review of the player think that Oppo can do no wrong. That is the annoying part.

WOW. Perhaps part of this COULD be that it was hyped up in my mind, and I'm believing my own hype, but I honestly think I can see an immediate difference.
Very astute observation on your part. Too bad others are swayed by reviews so much

Secret's review... (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=122) :confused:

Marketing, MARKETING, and the blind herd sees what the manufactures tells them to see. Fact is if your TV upscales to HD, you dont need all this crap. IT IS JUST MARKETING HYPE

Marketing, MARKETING, and the blind herd sees what the manufactures tells them to see. Fact is if your TV upscales to HD, you dont need all this crap. IT IS JUST MARKETING HYPE

Unfortunately, that single statement is strife with "lack of understanding" ... for lack of a "softer" phrase...no need to respond as i will speak no more; not sure why you feel the need to continue, everyone got your message.

Yes, I can zoom with the TV but then I lose half of the subtitles in foreign films. Zooming with Oppo does nothing to fill the black border. This is something that Oppo can easily fix but they are sitting on it. And the cult members of this board that are blinded by a marketing review of the player think that Oppo can do no wrong. That is the annoying part.
Have you tried adding overscan to the HDMI or DVI input on your display that the Oppo is using (which would be the job of your display)? Did your plasma burn-in because you left something onscreen for too long a time? Have you tried to get a refund from Oppo?

Most importantly, do you think it might be possible that while you, specifically, are having problems getting the player to work correctly with whatever display you are using, that a majority of Oppo users are getting good results?

I tried two Samsung 941s before giving up on them in conjunction with my display. Some people are doing fine using them, however.

I think people do get the fact that the Oppo didn't work for you and your specific display. That's unfortunate.. and noted. But like BenDover said... we get the point.

-Terry

Yes, I can zoom with the TV but then I lose half of the subtitles in foreign films. Zooming with Oppo does nothing to fill the black border. This is something that Oppo can easily fix but they are sitting on it. And the cult members of this board that are blinded by a marketing review of the player think that Oppo can do no wrong. That is the annoying part.

Many of the "cult" fans here bought the Oppo long before the Secret's review came out or any other professional reviews, myself included, and I don't know of anyone who is saying the Oppo is the god of DVD players.

Sorry about the indignities you've suffered with your beloved plasma, but maybe it's time to move on. The Oppo obviously is not for you and you should have seen that and returned it well within the 30 day return period, before it had a chance to cause burn-in, as I can't imagine anyone who regularly visits these forums or spends the kind of money plasmas cost would not be familiar with this flaw of the plasma species.

Many of the "cult" fans here bought the Oppo long before the Secret's review came out or any other professional reviews, myself included, and I don't know of anyone who is saying the Oppo is the god of DVD players.

Sorry about the indignities you've suffered with your beloved plasma, but maybe it's time to move on. The Oppo obviously is not for you and you should have seen that and returned it well within the 30 day return period, before it had a chance to cause burn-in, as I can't imagine anyone who regularly visits these forums or spends the kind of money plasmas cost would not be familiar with this flaw of the plasma species.

The flaw is with your beloved Oppo, not my TV, but you just cannot admit that the DVI output is flawed and does not cover the whole screen. A $29.00 Apex does, and the TV does a better upscaling job then your beloved Oppo, which is worthless TO ME AND DAMAGED MY TV AS EARLER POSTED

Just got my Oppo yesterday to hopefully replace my S97. So far I am very pleased w/ the PQ and many of the scenes I was having issues w/ on the S97, the Oppo handles much better.

Few quick questions:

1) Do the setup options in the audio menu have any relevance if I'm not using the 5.1 outputs? I'm using the optical digital audio out and do not plan to listen to DVD-Audio. So do my Downmix and SPDIF, etc settings matter? If so how shoudl they be set.

2) I can't seem to access the rightmost menu in the setup screens, I thnk it's the initial setup screen. I can only access the leftmost menus (I think there are 4).

I really wish there was a way to show the remaining time in the title on the LED display w/o showing it on screen as well. Other than that and the lack of a position memory feature, it's an extremely user friendly player so far.

BTW, I set brightness to +6 and contrast to -5 and my reverse gray ramps look excellent on my Samsung DLP (ISF calibrated 2 weeks ago).

Just got my Oppo yesterday to hopefully replace my S97. So far I am very pleased w/ the PQ and many of the scenes I was having issues w/ on the S97, the Oppo handles much better.

Few quick questions:

1) Do the setup options in the audio menu have any relevance if I'm not using the 5.1 outputs? I'm using the optical digital audio out and do not plan to listen to DVD-Audio. So do my Downmix and SPDIF, etc settings matter? If so how shoudl they be set.

2) I can't seem to access the rightmost menu in the setup screens, I thnk it's the initial setup screen. I can only access the leftmost menus (I think there are 4).

I really wish there was a way to show the remaining time in the title on the LED display w/o showing it on screen as well. Other than that and the lack of a position memory feature, it's an extremely user friendly player so far.

BTW, I set brightness to +6 and contrast to -5 and my reverse gray ramps look excellent on my Samsung DLP (ISF calibrated 2 weeks ago).

For #2 you need to have the player stopped to access the rightmost menu. Hit stop on the remote a couple of times and the menu will be available.

As far as #1 goes, I never had to adjust anything in the menu to use the opitcal out. If you're getting sound from the optical audio output, you probably don't need to worry about changing any other settings unless you decide to listen to DVD-Audio (I use another player for that).

The flaw is with your beloved Oppo, not my TV, but you just cannot admit that the DVI output is flawed and does not cover the whole screen. A $29.00 Apex does, and the TV does a better upscaling job then your beloved Oppo, which is worthless TO ME AND DAMAGED MY TV AS EARLER POSTED

Agreed, the flaw is with the Oppo, but it is also the flaw of your plasma, as well as your lack of knowledge about burn-in. Quite frankly, all three of you are to blame (and perhaps the manufacturer of your plasma if they didn't warn of burn-in in the owner's manual). My CRT RPTV also is subject to burn-in, but because I'm aware of this, I've been careful to never allow burn-in to happen. You just need to move on, having learned a hard lesson, and leave the rest of us to enjoy the Oppo, warts and all.

Yes, I can zoom with the TV but then I lose half of the subtitles in foreign films. Zooming with Oppo does nothing to fill the black border. This is something that Oppo can easily fix but they are sitting on it. And the cult members of this board that are blinded by a marketing review of the player think that Oppo can do no wrong. That is the annoying part.

How about a service menu adjustment on the plasma to help. You could probably expand to a smaller exact point. You wouldn't be missing much with HDTV over scanned a little.

How many pixels is the Oppo dropping? Secrets stated P/C passed but that could mean not too many. The last time I looked at the Avia pixel crop test it showed zero on all four sides. What am I missing?

i have a smasung dlp and no pixals missing at all

The Oppo passes the pixel cropping on my 4805, but it just doesn't fill the screen, which is why I call it underscan. Using overscan on the 4805 fixes the issue.

For #2 you need to have the player stopped to access the rightmost menu. Hit stop on the remote a couple of times and the menu will be available.

As far as #1 goes, I never had to adjust anything in the menu to use the opitcal out. If you're getting sound from the optical audio output, you probably don't need to worry about changing any other settings unless you decide to listen to DVD-Audio (I use another player for that).

Thanks - that worked.

One other interesting thing I noticed - when I first hooked up the Oppo via the included HDMI/DVI cable to the Samsung's HDMI input, my Sci. Atlanta 8300HD STB (also connected via HDMI/DVI to the Samsung's DVI input) gave me HDCP errors when I switched back to the DVI input. Simply removing the HDMI cable on the 8300 STB and reseating fixed the problem and it's only happened one other time since. Just wondering if this is a problem I can expect to have going forward? Is the fact that the Oppo doesn't require HDCP a problem for displays that have other HDCP compliant devices connected?

How about a service menu adjustment on the plasma to help. You could probably expand to a smaller exact point. You wouldn't be missing much with HDTV over scanned a little.

How many pixels is the Oppo dropping? Secrets stated P/C passed but that could mean not too many. The last time I looked at the Avia pixel crop test it showed zero on all four sides. What am I missing?

I tried to find out how to get into the TV service menu but do not have the knowledge. I don't think the manufacturer of the TV would make the service menu available. Is not pixel cropping, is the other way around, is an unlit border all around the image on DVI output from Oppo, I would say about 5 pixels on left, top and bottom, and about 8 pixels on the right on 540P. On 720p the border is about 5 pixels on all 4 sides. On 1080i, the Oppo is unwatchable as it flickers like crazy. 1080i is there for show because in practice it cannot be used. If the Oppo was cropping pixels it would not cause burn in, the problem is the black unlit borfer.

The Oppo and your particular display do not appear to get along...I use mine with my Qualia 006, via DVI, set on 1080i, without any flicker or "unlit borders" ... I would definitely not hold onto your Oppo any longer and get a different player, or continue using whatever it is you had before.

I was ready to toss in the towel on my Oppo due to lip sync when I discovered all I had to do to avoid issues was not monkey with picture settings during playback.

I recently used the service menu on my Panasonic plasma to adjust its' overscan on the HDMI input. What I noticed when I did these adjustments was that the Oppo had the smallest image of four different players that I used to arrive at my final setting. My Panasonic S97 and Denon DVD-1920 were basically identical in image size, but the Pioneer DV-59AVi and the Oppo were very far apart. The Pioneer has quite a bit of overscan, so much so that when I reduced it to a 2-1/2% border on all sides using the overscan pattern of DVE, the Oppo did not fill the screen when fed the same test pattern. Additionally, the Oppo image was not centered relative to the outputs of the other three players. In the end, I increased the horizontal and vertical size of the plasma image to accomodate the Oppo's underscan. It is slightly left of center compared to the other players I used for the adjustment.

Two observations:

1- This reduced image size, or underscanning, of the Oppo does tend to increase perceived (and actual) detail when the player is first connected, compared to a player that fills a slightly larger portion of the display area with the same level of content. After reducing my plasma's overscan, my Pioneer 59AVi appeared more detailed. If the Oppo's underscan was changed (corrected?) via firmware to where the player's generated image was identical in size to some of the other models it is compared against, the PQ differences would get a little smaller, IMHO.

2 - Despite my findings that the Oppo generates an underscanned image compared to other players, I have never gotten an unlit border on the edges of my plasma display. My plasma actually had quite a bit of overscan out of the box, as well as not being centered vertically. If it had been minimal, I might have experienced problems similar to wwwin. I guess I was lucky.

On my Samsung DLP, I use the "Expand" picture mode which provides 1:1 pixel mapping for 720p sources. I don't see any underscanning on my display FWIW - the picture goes all the way to the edges.

I recently used the service menu on my Panasonic plasma to adjust its' overscan on the HDMI input. What I noticed when I did these adjustments was that the Oppo had the smallest image of four different players that I used to arrive at my final setting. My Panasonic S97 and Denon DVD-1920 were basically identical in image size, but the Pioneer DV-59AVi and the Oppo were very far apart. The Pioneer has quite a bit of overscan, so much so that when I reduced it to a 2-1/2% border on all sides using the overscan pattern of DVE, the Oppo did not fill the screen when fed the same test pattern. Additionally, the Oppo image was not centered relative to the outputs of the other three players. In the end, I increased the horizontal and vertical size of the plasma image to accomodate the Oppo's underscan. It is slightly left of center compared to the other players I used for the adjustment.

Two observations:

1- This reduced image size, or underscanning, of the Oppo does tend to increase perceived (and actual) detail when the player is first connected, compared to a player that fills a slightly larger portion of the display area with the same level of content. After reducing my plasma's overscan, my Pioneer 59AVi appeared more detailed. If the Oppo's underscan was changed (corrected?) via firmware to where the player's generated image was identical in size to some of the other models it is compared against, the PQ differences would get a little smaller, IMHO.

2 - Despite my findings that the Oppo generates an underscanned image compared to other players, I have never gotten an unlit border on the edges of my plasma display. My plasma actually had quite a bit of overscan out of the box, as well as not being centered vertically. If it had been minimal, I might have experienced problems similar to wwwin. I guess I was lucky.

Thank you very much. An objective post. I am glad that not all posters here are cheerleaders. As to paragraph 1, I agree. Maybe they are doing this on purpose so people perceive a better PQ, because it would be so easy for them to fix but they just delay fixing it.

With the iscanHD+ I need to use the underscan feature to get the picture to .5% overscan. Prior to using the iscanHD the OPPO picture is at the same 3% overscan that the Sony 975, SDI RP82, and my Denon 2200 is. They are all within .5% overscan of each other displayed on my Samsung1080P set. But using the iscanHD you can get it down to 0% overscan if you like, but I set it at .5% overscan.

wwwin, I suspect that you are a troll and have never actually owned or used an Oppo.

If the Oppo really did cause burn-in on your plasma screen, please post a photograph that clearly shows the damage.

wwwin, I suspect that you are a troll and have never actually owned or used an Oppo.

If the Oppo really did cause burn-in on your plasma screen, please post a photograph that clearly shows the damage.

Another cheerleader that cannot face the truth. I can see that you are shooting from the hip, never owned a plasma and have no idea what burn in is. I doubt that you could actually see burn in on a pic. You just can't face the fact that DVI output is not correct, attacking people that you don't know, calling them liars, for the sake of your beloved Oppo. My suspicion that Oppo employees are posting here has increased.

Another cheerleader that cannot face the truth. I can see that you are shooting from the hip, never owned a plasma and have no idea what burn in is. I doubt that you could actually see burn in on a pic. You just can't face the fact that DVI output is not correct, attacking people that you don't know, calling them liars, for the sake of your beloved Oppo. My suspicion that Oppo employees are posting here has increased.
You've stated over and over that you are clearly unsatisfied with the way the Oppo is working with your display. But fella... the Oppo I am using is displaying the normal amount of overscan/underscan using the DVI output (converted to HDMI) on my Sony LCD RP. It also works at 1080i. It's been quite a good player with my display (and I have used others.)

You are accusing people who are not having problems with their Oppo as being employee shills. And people are accusing you as being a troll. Since I doubt anyone is going to go to the trouble of actually proving either case... how people are behaving here that what is most important. In that light, to be honest, your posts are bordering on troll-like in that they assume that if you are having problems with the Oppo than EVERYONE MUST be having a problem, and that the Oppo MUST not working with every display on the market... and that is definitely not the case. It works fine for some, and not for others.

I'm not sure why you just haven't returned the Oppo... or sold it and gone with something else. There really isn't a need for an angry crusade against a $200 dvd player that most consumers don't even know about.

-Terry

I just wanted to hear more input on the audio sync issues... I want to fix that and this player will stay. Otherwise it's gotta go.

Anyone want to talk audio sync?

Another cheerleader that cannot face the truth. I can see that you are shooting from the hip, never owned a plasma and have no idea what burn in is. I doubt that you could actually see burn in on a pic. You just can't face the fact that DVI output is not correct, attacking people that you don't know, calling them liars, for the sake of your beloved Oppo. My suspicion that Oppo employees are posting here has increased.

Josh Z is the owner/curator of dvdtalk.com, he is well respected in the community. Kris Deering, who runs Secrets Of Home Theater is also a very respected member here.

Stop trolling here.

I just wanted to hear more input on the audio sync issues... I want to fix that and this player will stay. Otherwise it's gotta go.

Anyone want to talk audio sync?

Scott,

I've had the oppo for a couple of months now. The very first 3 DVDs I watched had intermittent audio synch problems. The key word being intermittent, which means that delay settings don't help. However, since then, I experience the problem very rarely, it still happens, but maybe 1 out of every 10-15 dvd's.

I've been pretty happy with the oppo. The PQ is great, and the customer service is top notch.

Rick

Hello,

Screen shoot of DV971H from Panasonic TC-22LH1.

DVE, 1080i, via DVI->HDMI cable.

Note the "triangles" at the edges of the picture.

Paul

I've bene watching it all morning... also with intermittent problems. However, I'm curious as to what actually causes this since after a week of viewing on my Samsung HD850 I had zero sync problems that I noticed. What causes one player to have problems and one not? Or maybe I should say, why is it more apparent with some players than others?

Hello,

Screen shoot of Sony DVP-NS975V from Panasonic TC-22LH1.

DVE, 1080i, via HDMI cable.

Note the "triangles" at the edges of the picture.

Paul

While the Panasonic direct view LCD has some overscan, comparison of the pictures may help in understanding the screen cropping issues, maybe not.

Paul

Josh Z is the owner/curator of dvdtalk.com, he is well respected in the community.

Just for clarification, I only write for DVDTalk. I don't own or run it. Geoffrey Kleinman is the owner and editor.

I can see that you are shooting from the hip, never owned a plasma and have no idea what burn in is. I doubt that you could actually see burn in on a pic. You just can't face the fact that DVI output is not correct, attacking people that you don't know, calling them liars, for the sake of your beloved Oppo.

Paul has stepped up to the plate and provided screenshots of the Oppo's video output on his screen. Let's see you do the same. Put up or shut up.

Paul,
Excellent screen shots. They display what I have seen on my plasma. The Oppo image is slightly smaller with more picture content on the screen than your Sony 975, however both players fill the screen.

BTW, have you done anything with your LCD regarding overscan in its' service menu? I'd post some pics of my plasma with the same patterns, but as I have reduced overscan using the service menu, it does not currently reflect how a signal would be displayed with the factory overscan settings.

i also think the person who says the pq is the same for apex and oppo has a pos tv. The differences between my cheap dvd and oppo are incredible.As for filling the whole screen my dlp has no pixals missing, you sure you know how to use your tv?

AlieniceT,

Thanks! There are no adjustments to adjust screen width/height/centering for the Panasonic LCD. From experience with other screens with the same players, the Panasonic display has some overscan.

I've never seen a problem with any device not filling this display's screen with 480i/p & 1080i, whether it be via component or HDMI.

Paul

While the Panasonic direct view LCD has some overscan, comparison of the pictures may help in understanding the screen cropping issues, maybe not.

Paul
I see no difference except more of the picture seems to be cut off with the Sony. The Oppo seems to have less overscan which is more desireable. Neither one seems to be centered on the screen. This is easily remedied with an external scaler and I prefer to set the overscan to .5% and center the picture for each input device.

Another cheerleader that cannot face the truth. I can see that you are shooting from the hip, never owned a plasma and have no idea what burn in is. I doubt that you could actually see burn in on a pic. You just can't face the fact that DVI output is not correct, attacking people that you don't know, calling them liars, for the sake of your beloved Oppo. My suspicion that Oppo employees are posting here has increased.

He's a cheerleader & you are trolling.. I think we know how you feel about the oppo.. Why don't you move on.. & to blame your plasma problems all on the oppo is pretty lame.. I don't own a oppo YET, nor do I work for them.. :)

arronwt,

I've never seen anything *perfectly* centered/sized with the Panasonic display. I wish it did have some screen size/centering adjustments -- oh well. Still, I haven't become annoyed with any loss of picture content in "real life" viewing. This may be one of the reasons why this TV is not recommended for computer use.

Paul

I've bene watching it all morning... also with intermittent problems. However, I'm curious as to what actually causes this since after a week of viewing on my Samsung HD850 I had zero sync problems that I noticed. What causes one player to have problems and one not? Or maybe I should say, why is it more apparent with some players than others?

I quote myself to maybe get more feedback onthis issue.

scottjua,

Don't know. The only consistency seems to be no consistency.

I would suggest limiting setup menu naviagation and general disc navigation to try to reduce the problem but, again, results would vary.

Paul

Don't know. The only consistency seems to be no consistency.
Paul


It's a riddle wrapped in an enigma, enclosed in a quandry with a creamy conundrum sauce. :p

My mystery with the angle icon continues as well. I saw it again a few nights ago at the very beginning of the anime film "Grave of the Fireflies". Very odd. It's my second player too and they both have done it at various times, even though I've turned it off. No big deal really, just strange that it still comes on at these rare times.

Hey all. I currently have a Bravo D2. Well its being RMA'd but I do own one. I like the Bravo, even though it has many flaws. The biggest flaw to me though is the jailbars I see on 1080i. I have a Toshiba 51H83. Has anyone tried the Oppa on a 51H83? If so, do you get the jail bars? How about 720p, do you get the large horizontal center line?

Thanks.

I have the Oppo and a 65H83, and I get jailbars at 1080i (which are pretty bad on my set). I keep the Oppo at 720p which does show better resolution that 480p. The horizontal line at 720p is visible only on a solid black screen for the most part.

The flaw is with your beloved Oppo, not my TV, but you just cannot admit that the DVI output is flawed and does not cover the whole screen. A $29.00 Apex does, and the TV does a better upscaling job then your beloved Oppo, which is worthless TO ME AND DAMAGED MY TV AS EARLER POSTED

Then throw the OPPO in the trash and go with what works for you. And please get off this thread as you are now getting annoying.

We have a few here who are ruining this thread for everyone else. If the arguing dos not stop this thread will be closed or worse someone will be baned.

I got my Oppo in via FedEx last Thursday (and coincidentally got electricity back the same evening (I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana)). I tuned the 720p output with Avia on my Sony WF655. I'd like to play with the resolution a little more on my TV with this input, but I'm very impressed with the Oppo. I saw no flaws and no macroblocking. I played ROTK and watched the aparitions appear in the mountain... no MB to my eyes and the closeup of Aragorn in that scene was VERY close to the HDStarz broadcast. Once Upon a Time in Mexico was a better comparison since LOTR on DVD had a greater aspect ratio than 16:9 and the HD broadcast was 16:9. I played the scene with Johnny Depp in the street with smoke blowing around him and saw no MB and thought the detail was too close to call between that and the HD broadcast.

I have all enhancments turned off except for Truelife. I'm debating CCS, I need to check AVIA for a Color problem necesitating it.

Is there a DVD (or more) that macroblocking is evident in? I'll check it out if I have it. I haven't even played one of my Superbits and I love this thing.

Question: I want to pick up a few PAL titles. I know this player can output PAL. I don't know if my TV will read it. Any clues?

Same here... I haven't seen one instnce of Macroblocking.

The audio sync on the other hand... watched some of SW EPII and it was really bad. I hope the next firmware release has more delay options.

I set the Oppo to 50ms and the Pany S97 to 60ms and neither ever have any lip sync delays. Could be my equiptment, Optoma H79, Harmon Kardon 7200. I don't use any but most new amps have there own sync adjustments. Maybe that will help.

digibal235,

You asked about playing PAL titles. I left my Oppo on its default TV Type setting of NTSC. My Oppo came set to Region 0 but if yours came set to Region 1, you can change it. Anyway, I popped in the UK Region 2 DVD and Oppo did the rest. It played beautifully.

Dana

I am really impressed with the quality of video on Oppo, but I also notice the lip sync even with 50ms setting on some DVDs. I wonder if it can be fixed with a firmware update at all. Could they be limited by the speed of their video converter (108MHz) or the size of an audio buffer their hardware has? Even if there is no hardware limitation, it seems pretty annoying having to adjust the delay for every DVD you watch since some DVDs don't have the sync problem with zero delay.

My mystery with the angle icon continues as well. I saw it again a few nights ago at the very beginning of the anime film "Grave of the Fireflies". Very odd. It's my second player too and they both have done it at various times, even though I've turned it off. No big deal really, just strange that it still comes on at these rare times.

Are these DVD's originals or backup copies? One thing you might try is to pause the Oppo and go into setup and change the setting of the Angle to On and then to OFF and see if that solves it. Sort of akin to the lip sync problem we've been "seeing".

Are these DVD's originals or backup copies? One thing you might try is to pause the Oppo and go into setup and change the setting of the Angle to On and then to OFF and see if that solves it. Sort of akin to the lip sync problem we've been "seeing".


Interesting you mention that. I tried that very thing. Unfortunately it didn't work and the angle marker remained on. I do have some duplicates, but it seems not to matter because I've seen it on both b/ups and originals. Fortunately it has been a rare occurrence lately.

Again, I am not saying that the issue does not exist, but I really wish people would post what they are running the player through(receiver, monitor etc.) The lip synch issue could be caused by a number of issues, and not just the DVD player. As for SW Ep. II- There are some synch issues with this movie. I have noticed this with other DVD players as well. Very slight, but they are there(remember, most of the dialogue is re-recorded in SW films in Post Production). That coupled with the fact that you are now seeing the movie more clearly and are looking for lip sync issues due to the various post leads you to see the issue even more.

I have watched several movies without any lip sync issues. I am running the DVD Player through a Denon 3805(with audio calibration by Lee Richman) who set my delay at 15ms), a Sony LCD front Projector VPL-HS20, and of course an Oppo dvd player.

I truly believe a lot of these issues are a combination of display device, audio setup, and possibly mass hysteria(ok, maybe not mass hysteria :) )


Mark

My Set up is DVI>HDMI to Samsung DLP HLR5067, and audio going straight from Oppo to my Elite 45TX via digital coax. My receiver has no master delay in MS, so I can't simply add more on the receiver end.

We watched Gladiator in DTS ES tonight and I didn't notice one instance of audio sync problems... weird.

Hey all. I currently have a Bravo D2. Well its being RMA'd but I do own one. I like the Bravo, even though it has many flaws. The biggest flaw to me though is the jailbars I see on 1080i. I have a Toshiba 51H83. Has anyone tried the Oppa on a 51H83? If so, do you get the jail bars? How about 720p, do you get the large horizontal center line?

Thanks.

alex

I have an oppo with a 65HX93. I have no jailbars at 1080i. I also used the oppo at 720 for a while, pic quality at 720 was pretty much same as 1080 to my eye, though i decided to stick with the 1080. No horizontal or vertical center line problem with my set.

Rick

Hi all -

Got my Oppo yesterday, hooked it up to my system (Runco CL-510 projector, Integra 9.1U2 rec.) and watched "Jurassic Park". No lip sync noticed till about 1/2 through movie, after I had stopped player and played with a couple of settings. Did the "pause then play" routine and all was well. I have never noticed lip sync before on my system, and this is about the 4th DVD player I have used. Picture looked terrific, and IMO player looks and feels really good. Hooked up the 5.1 outputs for DVD-A, haven't tried it yet.

I hope the lip sync is fixed with a firmware upgrade, because this is really a sweet little player.

alex

I have an oppo with a 65HX93. I have no jailbars at 1080i. I also used the oppo at 720 for a while, pic quality at 720 was pretty much same as 1080 to my eye, though i decided to stick with the 1080. No horizontal or vertical center line problem with my set.

Rick

Are you sure you just dont notice them. I have never seen a Toshiba that didnt have a slight center white line. The jailbars are only noticable on dark scenes.

I have a 57hx93 and can't see jailbars or the white line. I did have a 65H80 that had jailbars (rastor ringing) on the left side only and no white line.

There's a fix for the models that have the white line, it takes a tech to cross circuit a couple of transistors on a board. Research it if you need it.

Sri for the OT. I don't use the Oppo with the Tosh.

I recently had my Panasonic PE700 PJ replaced with a brand new one on warranty. I have also purchased the "recommended" B&W filter and recalibrated the projector using DVE. I have done the Oppo suggested +5 Brighteness before calibration with DVE.

I must say the image is stunning.

I look forward to the next firmware installment. For me, if Oppo can fix Lip Sync and over/under scan issues I will be satisfied. If they can reduce the macro blocking bug to tolerable levels I will be in heaven.

On the macro blocking, I think it is the rapid movement of individual pixels that should be stationary and manifests mainly in dark scenes. IF this is not the macro blocking bug, it is something I would like reduced and is definately introduced by the Oppo.

I bauked at other players because of their cost. If there's one that does better for the money then please let me know what it is.

Just bought an Oppo to use with my Sanyo Z2 projector. Installed and calibrated it last night - picture on 720p via DVI is stunning. No issues with lipsync slipping or macroblocking (yet!) but I have a couple of other interesting picture effects on different disks.

1. The size of the image on 720p seems to be smaller than the total panel width of the Z2. There is a border of at least 5 pixels around the whole picture. It doesn't bother me particularly and I didn't get the impression that I was losing image info - it seemed more as if the image was just slightly small on the panel, but I could be wrong about it and it may be cropped. I will look into it a bit further.

2. On LOTR TT:EE (Region 2) I had a weird pair of horizontal lines, one near the very top of the screen and one the same distance away from the bottom. They are like 3 pixel wide areas of lower brightness, rather than hard lines of any particular colour. I only got this on this DVD and it was more subtle than it sounds but still not right (unless the transfer is bad). I only watched the first half dozen scenes so I don't know whether this continues throughout the DVD.

3. On Bladerunner Director's Cut (R2) the blacks were really good with no macroblocking in evidence. No sign of the LOTR lines either. The picture was grainy but that is the natire of the film and the high resolution of the Oppo. The one weird effect was at the extreme left and right edges of the picture where the fringe seemed to be a bit jittery/ragged. Never seen this before although it may be something that is normally hidden by underscan (or is it overscan?). Anyone else notice that? Again it was pretty subtle but clearly there.

4. Toy Story (R1) was mind-blowingly good with no problems. It was the best picture I have ever seen on any display... yes, really.

5. Eagles:Hell Freezes Over was fine with no lines and no funny fringes, although there was a moment in the title sequence where the prog scan flag things seemed to be off since there was a little bit of jaggies in some of the text, briefly.

Overall I am very pleased with the picture. I also think the sound is significantly better (clarity and channel separation) than my previous player (Sony NS730P which ran over Canare/Belden component leads and used the same optical digital lead as the Oppo).

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has seen similar issues to the ones above. I've only had a couple of hours to experiment so don't take these problems as definitive.

Andrew

PS. I'm using a 7.5m Lindy dual DVI lead. I may experiment with different leads including the stock one at some point. But since Toy Story was essentially perfect and the problems differed from DVD to DVD, I don't think it is a lead problem.

AndrewB, I'm just about to get an oppo to replace exactly the same sony player to go with my AE 700. I'm glad you've reported an improvement in pq. I can put your mind at ease about the R2 Bladerunner it is very grainy and has ragged edges that on a TV would be hidden by overscan. This also suggest, I suppose, that you aren't losing too much information at the edges.

Thanks dgkp for the Bladerunner info.

The picture quality on the Oppo is miles ahead of the Sony, and I was running the Sony through a very high quality lead. You won't be disappointed if the AE700 is anything like the Z2 (which I believe it is).

I don't know whether anyone would be interested in my picture settings but I went for the following, after the Avia calibration:

Oppo - Brightness +5, sharpening off, TV type auto, audio delay 20ms
Z2 - sharpness -7, blue 0, green +2, red +12 (!) and contrast and brightness were both well down but I don't remember exactly what they were. The Z2 confirmed 720p coming in but was also able to sync to all the other modes of the Oppo, they just looked less sharp. I watch on low light mode with the aperture fully open and on a screen with a gain of 1.

Picture is very "filmic" without seeming soft. Good detail in the blacks and in the highlights. Skin tones are natural.

Great value DVD player!

Andrew

Andrewb,

I get the same border around the picture. I've been waiting patiently for a fix but am starting to wish I had returned it. It's too bad because it's a great picture, and it is a very responsive player.

I see lipsync occasionally, but not very often. I have yet to see any macroblocking either. The only other thing I get is this deal with certain homemade dvd's where the picture goes into slo-mo and then speeds up seemingly to re-sync with the audio.

Something about the remote makes me try to use it upside-down every time. I guess that's just me though.

Ihope you have good luck with it.

jeff



Just bought an Oppo to use with my Sanyo Z2 projector. Installed and calibrated it last night - picture on 720p via DVI is stunning. No issues with lipsync slipping or macroblocking (yet!) but I have a couple of other interesting picture effects on different disks.

1. The size of the image on 720p seems to be smaller than the total panel width of the Z2. There is a border of at least 5 pixels around the whole picture. It doesn't bother me particularly and I didn't get the impression that I was losing image info - it seemed more as if the image was just slightly small on the panel, but I could be wrong about it and it may be cropped. I will look into it a bit further.

2. On LOTR TT:EE (Region 2) I had a weird pair of horizontal lines, one near the very top of the screen and one the same distance away from the bottom. They are like 3 pixel wide areas of lower brightness, rather than hard lines of any particular colour. I only got this on this DVD and it was more subtle than it sounds but still not right (unless the transfer is bad). I only watched the first half dozen scenes so I don't know whether this continues throughout the DVD.

3. On Bladerunner Director's Cut (R2) the blacks were really good with no macroblocking in evidence. No sign of the LOTR lines either. The picture was grainy but that is the natire of the film and the high resolution of the Oppo. The one weird effect was at the extreme left and right edges of the picture where the fringe seemed to be a bit jittery/ragged. Never seen this before although it may be something that is normally hidden by underscan (or is it overscan?). Anyone else notice that? Again it was pretty subtle but clearly there.

4. Toy Story (R1) was mind-blowingly good with no problems. It was the best picture I have ever seen on any display... yes, really.

5. Eagles:Hell Freezes Over was fine with no lines and no funny fringes, although there was a moment in the title sequence where the prog scan flag things seemed to be off since there was a little bit of jaggies in some of the text, briefly.

Overall I am very pleased with the picture. I also think the sound is significantly better (clarity and channel separation) than my previous player (Sony NS730P which ran over Canare/Belden component leads and used the same optical digital lead as the Oppo).

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has seen similar issues to the ones above. I've only had a couple of hours to experiment so don't take these problems as definitive.

Andrew

PS. I'm using a 7.5m Lindy dual DVI lead. I may experiment with different leads including the stock one at some point. But since Toy Story was essentially perfect and the problems differed from DVD to DVD, I don't think it is a lead problem.

Andrewb,

I get the same border around the picture. I've been waiting patiently for a fix but am starting to wish I had returned it. It's too bad because it's a great picture, and it is a very responsive player.

I see lipsync occasionally, but not very often. I have yet to see any macroblocking either. The only other thing I get is this deal with certain homemade dvd's where the picture goes into slo-mo and then speeds up seemingly to re-sync with the audio.

Something about the remote makes me try to use it upside-down every time. I guess that's just me though.

Ihope you have good luck with it.

jeff

I was checking the underscan today and counted just one pixel short on the top and bottom, no underscan on the sides. It's the same way with the Pany S97. One pixel on a 720p machine is very small, I just zoom a 1.85 dvd and fill the image.

1. The size of the image on 720p seems to be smaller than the total panel width of the Z2. There is a border of at least 5 pixels around the whole picture. It doesn't bother me particularly and I didn't get the impression that I was losing image info - it seemed more as if the image was just slightly small on the panel, but I could be wrong about it and it may be cropped. I will look into it a bit further.


Yes, that is what I have been posting here, but be careful b/c you will be called a liar for posting that the image does not cover the whole screen over DVI.

Andrewb,

I get the same border around the picture. I've been waiting patiently for a fix but am starting to wish I had returned it. It's too bad because it's a great picture, and it is a very responsive player.



Another one has the same problem. They will try to discredit you too. Be careful if you are using the Oppo with a plasma display, as that border will cause permanent image burn in.

The Oppo and my Samsung 67" are a excellent match...now if they can upgrade the firmware for the Lip synch delay to be around 100ms this unit will be perfect for my situation.

Just got home from Fry's with a Panasonic S97S and will compare and contrast the Oppo and it tomorrow on my SAmsung HLR-5067 when I get some free time. I will post my opinions if any one is interested in direct comparisons.

I will evaluate on a non-scientific scale: Macroblocking instances, Audio Sync problems, Perceived color and sharpness, motion artificating, ease of use, convenience features, etc. etc.

Hi everyone, I joined just to add my 2 cents worth, since this thread was a big factor in how I came to own an Oppo.
It arrived 2 days ago and I am using a JVC-HD-61z886 (native 720p) with a Sony STRNE925 receiver. My old dvd player was a Toshiba SD3860.
So far I have played about 7 or 8 DVDs and the picture and sound is even better than I had hoped. I don't own AVIA or DVE so the whole setup is pretty much as things came out of the box (the Oppo is set to +5 brightness and +2 saturation as per this? thread). I know that the JVC upconverts, but not as well as the Oppo, given the huge difference between the Oppo and Toshiba players, but I don't know if the digital input to the JVC is converted to analogue and then back to digital after upconverting - anyone have any info?
At present it really doesn't matter to me given the great picture quality. No lip sync issues with any movie.
My biggest peeve is with Master and Commander with purple splodges on the bow of the ship in the first battle scene. I don't know if this is Macroblocking or the need for me to properly calibrate the TV with one of the above programs. Any advice?
Sorry to be longwinded but I wanted to let anyone with a JVC know how well the Oppo works with my setup.

The Oppo and my Samsung 67" are a excellent match...now if they can upgrade the firmware for the Lip synch delay to be around 100ms this unit will be perfect for my situation.

I emailed Oppo support a few days ago requesting a greater audio delay option, and they said they should have up to 120ms as an option in a firmware update at the end of this month.

My biggest peeve is with Master and Commander with purple splodges on the bow of the ship in the first battle scene. I don't know if this is Macroblocking or the need for me to properly calibrate the TV with one of the above programs. Any advice?

Even with everything set up through AVIA I see hints of that purple splotchiness... on both the Oppo and the new S97.

I emailed Oppo support a few days ago requesting a greater audio delay option, and they said they should have up to 120ms as an option in a firmware update at the end of this month.

That is a good thing that they are telling a date for a firmware update. Earlier they had indicated that no specific date was available when the update would come about

I emailed Oppo support a few days ago requesting a greater audio delay option, and they said they should have up to 120ms as an option in a firmware update at the end of this month.No other company responds to customers like OPPO does...Great News!

Oppo has been very resonsive to me as well.

I just got a Oppo DVD players from Amazon, but when I trued to play a DVD, it would show the loading logo for a short period, and then it would say that there was no disc.

I tried 3 different movies, but I was unable to get it to work, so I called Oppo for some technical help. Within 5 minutes, they figured out it was a defective players, and rather than return it to Amazon, they are sending me a replacement DVD player, and paying for me to return the defective one.

I wasn't happy that it didn't work, but at least they have been quick to respond.

Oppo has been very resonsive to me as well.

I just got a Oppo DVD players from Amazon, but when I trued to play a DVD, it would show the loading logo for a short period, and then it would say that there was no disc.

I tried 3 different movies, but I was unable to get it to work, so I called Oppo for some technical help. Within 5 minutes, they figured out it was a defective players, and rather than return it to Amazon, they are sending me a replacement DVD player, and paying for me to return the defective one.

I wasn't happy that it didn't work, but at least they have been quick to respond.
That's good. My player started making grinding noises about three days after I got it and went from playing periodically to not at all. Tech support said that it sounded like the decoder board was shot so I sent it in for RMA. Right after I mailed it off they said if I could wait till after the weekend they would send a pick up for it so I wouldn't have to pay, doh! But I agree that their customer support is very professional.

Are you sure you just dont notice them. I have never seen a Toshiba that didnt have a slight center white line. The jailbars are only noticable on dark scenes.


Yes I'm sure. I'm well aware of the white line issue and the jail bars issue (to a lessor degree) from following another board. And I guess I should say that if it's on my set, I dont see it, and in that event, it doesnt matter.

Perhaps I'm one of the lucky ones, or perhaps it just hasnt started on my set yet. In event I'm happy, and if it does appear, I'll call in for a repair since I have an extended warranty and the have a tech service bulletin on it.

Thanks,
Rick

Andrewb,

I get the same border around the picture. I've been waiting patiently for a fix but am starting to wish I had returned it. It's too bad because it's a great picture, and it is a very responsive player.

I see lipsync occasionally, but not very often. I have yet to see any macroblocking either. The only other thing I get is this deal with certain homemade dvd's where the picture goes into slo-mo and then speeds up seemingly to re-sync with the audio.

Something about the remote makes me try to use it upside-down every time. I guess that's just me though.

Ihope you have good luck with it.

jeff

In fact, I rechecked this "cropping" phenomenon last night using Avia test patterns and with my PJ set to "True" (which doesn't attempt to stretch the input to match the screen). There seems to be no cropping at all - I can see the white line all the way round the screen. I suspect my border was an accurate representation of what was on the DVD, with no over/under scan, using a non-anamorphic set of disks.

Still very pleased with the picture quality.

Andrew

...................My biggest peeve is with Master and Commander with purple splodges on the bow of the ship in the first battle scene. I don't know if this is Macroblocking or the need for me to properly calibrate the TV with one of the above programs. Any advice?...............


Calvin,
I would copy your post into an email and send it to Oppo. You can go to their website and get the address. They literally thrive on feedback........and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at their ability to respond.
Javry

i also for some reason would initially try to use the remote backwards.

Hello all,

A fair and balanced albeit conservative review (IMHO) of the Oppo (4.5 out of 5 stars) from Robert Silva at Hometheater.about.com has been posted here http://hometheater.about.com/od/dvdproductreviews/fr/oppo971full.htm I have sent him an email advising how to change the Oppo from Region 1 to region free. I think the only reason he didn't give it five stars was the lack of a progressive scan output via the component video outputs.

I think Silva's column is aimed mainly at consumers (like me) not videophiles, so it may give the Oppo more exposure to the consumer market.

Dana

Is SACD firmware upgradable?

Calvin,
I would copy your post into an email and send it to Oppo. You can go to their website and get the address. They literally thrive on feedback........and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at their ability to respond.
Javry

Thanks javry, I did just that and had a reply almost within 24 hrs. One suggestion was to try a better (shorter) DVI cable, apparently the Oppo has a slightly weaker signal than some other equipment.
The second was, as I suspected, to set up the JVC with proper calibration, but in the meantime to adjust blue levels and alter the sharpness to see if that helps.

Can someone please comment on the build quality of the Oppo player and how well it plays burned dvds? I recently sold a momitsu V880 since I was fed up with its flimsy craftsmanship and inability to play a wide range of different brands of dvds.

Thanks

Is SACD firmware upgradable?

No.

So.....why does the Iodata Linkplayer get a sticky and the Oppo don't? :)

I emailed Oppo support a few days ago requesting a greater audio delay option, and they said they should have up to 120ms as an option in a firmware update at the end of this month.

Wow, that'd be perfect. I'm running into the same issue with my new 61" Samsung (and like others have mentioned, 50ms isn't enough to fix it).

Can someone please comment on the build quality of the Oppo player and how well it plays burned dvds? I recently sold a momitsu V880 since I was fed up with its flimsy craftsmanship and inability to play a wide range of different brands of dvds.

Thanks

the build quality is a' la the pani xp-30 or RP-82...which is pretty good. It's not a battleship mind you like a Sony SCD-1 but it's just good enough. I lost a disk in mine once but it was pretty easy to take the cover of and retrieve it. I played a couple of burned DVDs the other night from here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=470529) and it played them without a fuss.
Javry

So um, after almost 40 pages of posts..

My tv doesnt have a DVI port on it but has one of those HDMI jobs.

Can I get this thing hooked up via that or should I go with a DVD player that has native HDMI?

Yes, you can use a DVI to HDMI adaptor cable which is included with the DVD player if you request it when ordering.

hubrec,

The Oppo is built quite nicely for a $200 player. There is liberal use of metal and screws. It feels solid. The front panel is brushed aluminum and looks nice, simple, and classy, in my view.. The DVD tray is somewhat flexible when pressed and to some, initially, that is a cause for concern. In practice, however, the tray is quite tough -- resistant to breakage, and because it does flex a bit when pressed can take a bit of abuse without breaking.

As was expressed in this forum, the Oppo can probably play anything but a pizza. I have a small collection of "problematic" DVDs that some players have problems loading. The Oppo loads and plays them all.

LordJezo,

As dusterscott states, the DVI->HDMI cable should work just fine -- no loss in picture quality.

Paul

What DVI -> HDMI cable do I want? Is there a good brand out there I should look for with a good price?

What DVI -> HDMI cable do I want? Is there a good brand out there I should look for with a good price?
If you buy from Oppo's website, you can get a DVI -> HDMI cable for free.

-Terry

If you buy from Oppo's website, you can get a DVI -> HDMI cable for free.

-Terry

Also get that if ya buy from Surf A/V. Not too mention, the shipping is much cheaper and quick! Even with a CC problem (not their fault) I had it within 3 days.

Great place!

I would also say that it's a pretty classy looking piece. I'm no videophile by any stretch of the imagination, but even uncalibrated it displays a gorgeous picture on my 55" RPTV.

Down,

The Oppo uses good internal hardware from the start and that's puts it on solid footing for a good picture. While there is the ability to tweak and match to the display, the default settings (with the latest firmware) are pretty good, with maybe (depending upon the display) the "Brightness" needing a tweak or two for optimum setting.

Paul

Woo.

Just ordered my player from Oppo direct.

So what do I need to do about the whole firmware issues? How do I get it updated to the newest one? If it comes with the newest one how would I do it anyway to get ready for future releases?

Woo.

Just ordered my player from Oppo direct.

So what do I need to do about the whole firmware issues? How do I get it updated to the newest one? If it comes with the newest one how would I do it anyway to get ready for future releases?

Read the support page on the Oppo website for information about the firmware. If you bought it from Oppo directly, then it will ship with the latest firmware.

http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_support.html

Can someone explain the sync issue more?

I'll be hooking it up via the dvi->hdmi cable. Will everything be out of sync or what?

I am used to just putting in a movie and watching it.. will I be adjusting sync problems on the fly with every movie I watch and be unable to just sit back and enjoy things?

My old dvd player starting locking up on me doing strange things so I went ahead and ordered the Oppo. Got it yesterday and put in a dvd and it locked up as well. I finally realized that it had to be because I rest my dvd player on top of the pro amp I use for my sub. The amp has a very large torroidal transformer in it, I assume that was causing some interference. I moved the amp to the other side of my entertainment stand and then the Oppo worked fine.

Right now, only using a 27" tv with component input, but there was a very noticable improvement in color with The Lion King.

Can someone explain the sync issue more?

I'll be hooking it up via the dvi->hdmi cable. Will everything be out of sync or what?

I am used to just putting in a movie and watching it.. will I be adjusting sync problems on the fly with every movie I watch and be unable to just sit back and enjoy things?

Some people are having lip sync problems, and some people don't. It seems to vary by displays. I have yet to have any lip sync problems.

Vary on display?

I have a Sony 36" HDTV CRT... think I will have problems?

Vary on display?

I have a Sony 36" HDTV CRT... think I will have problems?

I'd try searching this thread or the other Oppo thread and see if anyone has a similar setup. I only know that I get no lip sync with my Infocus 4805 projector.

Vary on display?

I have a Sony 36" HDTV CRT... think I will have problems?


A CRT will probably work well. The big plasmas and DLPs are the worst offenders. I have the DLP and there is a noticable lipsync with the Oppo and probably any DVD player, I am considering upgrading to a new Dennon receiver so I can delay audio by individual inputs.

Can someone explain the sync issue more?

I'll be hooking it up via the dvi->hdmi cable. Will everything be out of sync or what?

In most likelihood, everthing will be fine. On random occassions, the Oppo's audio may slip slightly out of sync with the video. Pausing and restarting the movie will fix it. It's generally a rare occurrence.

Messing around with the player's set-up menus while a disc is running seems to trigger the problem more often than not, so it's best to make your settings beforehand and not interrupt the movie.

Staring fixedly at the lips of all the actors may make you over-sensitive to lip sync. Try not to fixate on it. What most people don't realize is that approximately 80% of the dialogue in any Hollywood production is re-recorded through ADR looping in post-production. The editors match the lip movements as much as possible (sometimes by manipulating the speed of the audio frame-by-frame), but a little bit of variance is not unusual.

Vary on display?

I have a Sony 36" HDTV CRT... think I will have problems?

I have xbr 36" CRT and I dont have any lipsync at all. Had the player for about a month now.

OK, I bought my Oppo on August 1st and after about three days it started making horrible grinding noises and eventually refused to play any disc format at all. I sent it out for RMA on the 3rd and just recieved it back today. Now, for some reason, when using either the digital coax or opitcal outs the volume level is way too low. I usually have my PIO reciever set to about -55 for normal TV viewing and around -45 for DVD's. At -45 I can barely hear anything even when standing close to the speakers and attempting to raise the volume makes my PIO shut itself off with a "Overload" message. I hooked my Motorola 6412 to the same optical and coax inputs that the Oppo was using and the audio is fine. I know there isn't anything wrong with the reciever and I've adjusted every available audio setting in the Oppo's menu to no avail. I've already emailed Oppo about it and am waiting a response. Has anyone else had any issues like this with their Oppo? I won't be happy if I have to send this thing back for another RMA.

I know there isn't anything wrong with the reciever and I've adjusted every available audio setting in the Oppo's menu to no avail. I've already emailed Oppo about it and am waiting a response. Has anyone else had any issues like this with their Oppo? No, that does sound a little strange. Just make sure you have the digital output set to "Raw" in the menu.

Gary

See this interesting article on lip-sync errors (http://lipfix.com/technical_details.html) at the Felston website.

Be sure to read the first link: Tutorial on the causes of lip-sync error within the broadcast industry (http://www.pixelinstruments.tv/5ProfesArticles/Lip%20Sync%20Errors%20-%20A%20Short%20Tutorial.pdf). See the fascinating graph, showing the typical number of FRAMES of video delay that are accumulated throughout the processes of recording, compression, encoding, transmission, decoding, and display of a broadcast signal. Note that the error ranges from approximately 2.5 to 8.5 frames, with instant jumps of more than 3 frames at some instances.

DVD recording and playback goes through much the same process, but an upconverting player would add the extra steps of de-interlacing and scaling into the mix as well!

The best a user can do then, is pick an AVERAGE delay to compensate for the huge range of variance (which is definitely also display-dependant). The player would have to provide quite a LARGE delay to compensate for that average. Even then, some instances of lip-sync error would still be noticed from time to time. The Pixel Instruments (not Felston) unit claims to be able to compensate for such variance on-the-fly.

(Just to be clear, we are also aware of the very large and intermittent Faroudja delay that crops up on rare occasions in normal operation, and which is certainly triggered by accessing the player's setup menu while the disk is playing).

Gary

No, that does sound a little strange. Just make sure you have the digital output set to "Raw" in the menu.

Gary
Thanks for the reply, and yes I do have it set to "Raw" as I did before I sent the unit out for RMA. I have recieved a reply back from Oppo support stating that they have not seen this "issue" before and asked if I had the Oppo's volume set to 20. I do only because that is the default setting out of the box but if I understand correctly that particular volume adjustment is only applicable when using the analog RCA outs and not digital outs. There is no difference when I have the volume set to 20 or 1.

(...which is certainly triggered by accessing the player's setup menu while the disk is playing).

Gary
I've noticed that I can induce lip synch by messing with my display's (Visio P50) menus during playback as well. While switching from "Wide" to "Normal" say, or between any of the picture ranges such as "Vivid" "User", etc. Episodic DVDs of TV shows seem to be more prone than theatrical releases.

The audio goes straight to my receiver, an HK DPR-2500, so I'm thinking that changing things on the display creates a hickup, while the audio goes merrily along.

Also, as this is the biggest, highest resolution display I've owned, it's easier to focus on the talking heads and watch their lips move. So, I'm going to stare at their foreheads from now on :D

I haven't noticed any delay issues when I leave things alone and let the disks run un-interrupted. When there have been synch delays, fast forwarding and reversing have seemed to fix them for the most part. I've used the Oppo's delay on a couple of occasions just to try it, but haven't had to add any additional delay from the HK, maybe I'm just not as sensitive to it.

Thanks for the reply, and yes I do have it set to "Raw" as I did before I sent the unit out for RMA. Was the sound working OK before you sent it in? I'd imagine, though, that the grinding noises may have prevented you from checking it. Hang in there, Oppo will make it right. It will be worth the wait.

Gary

Was the sound working OK before you sent it in? I'd imagine, though, that the grinding noises may have prevented you from checking it. Hang in there, Oppo will make it right. It will be worth the wait.

Gary
Yes the sound was working fine before I sent it out. However, I just now noticed that the reciever overloaded again while I was watching TV so it looks like the problem could be my reciever :( Out of all the components in my setup that is the last thing I need dying since it's not under warranty anymore. Oh well, at least I have probably ruled out the Oppo.

I've noticed that I can induce lip synch by messing with my display's (Visio P50) menus during playback as well. While switching from "Wide" to "Normal" say, or between any of the picture ranges such as "Vivid" "User", etc. Episodic DVDs of TV shows seem to be more prone than theatrical releases.

The audio goes straight to my receiver, an HK DPR-2500, so I'm thinking that changing things on the display creates a hickup, while the audio goes merrily along. How bizzarre! I'm sure that the extra delay induced by messing with your display's menus would be entirely display-related. I can't think of any reason why the Oppo's video delay would increase. Lip-sync is obviously a nightmare for the entire home-theater industry.

Also, as this is the biggest, highest resolution display I've owned, it's easier to focus on the talking heads and watch their lips move. So, I'm going to stare at their foreheads from now on :D Hahaha! I agree. Most often, when I see a bad case of lip-sync error on a DVD, I put the DVD in my 480i player (connected to an old CRT TV) and sure enough, I see the same errors. BUT... what you said is true... it is MUCH easier to notice it on a big-screen HDTV with a spectacular picture.

I haven't noticed any delay issues when I leave things alone and let the disks run un-interrupted. When there have been synch delays, fast forwarding and reversing have seemed to fix them for the most part. I've used the Oppo's delay on a couple of occasions just to try it, but haven't had to add any additional delay from the HK, maybe I'm just not as sensitive to it. No need to fast forward, just back up a few frames. If you see the delay again, chances are, its on the disk.

Gary

Gary, thanks for the interesting information and links you provided today regarding lip-sync. I just may end up buying one of these Felston units if Oppo can't fix this problem within the next couple of firmware versions. I like the idea that you can set delay 'on-the-fly' without having to stop the disc. I wonder if Oppo could add that feature too?

Gary, thanks for the interesting information and links you provided today regarding lip-sync. I just may end up buying one of these Felston units if Oppo can't fix this problem within the next couple of firmware versions. I like the idea that you can set delay 'on-the-fly' without having to stop the disc. I wonder if Oppo could add that feature too? By 'on-the-fly', I meant that Pixel Instruments (not Felston) claims to automatically compensate for variable delays. There is no way that the Oppo, or any other player, for that matter, could do that without major redesign.

What Oppo will hopefully be able to do, is significantly increase the user-selectable AVERAGE delay, and correct the intermittent Faroudja delay.

Gary

Another one has the same problem. They will try to discredit you too. Be careful if you are using the Oppo with a plasma display, as that border will cause permanent image burn in.

Them what about other DVD players and movie sources that are 2:35:1? I guess I better stop watching the Extended Editions of Lord of the Rings, because I don't want to burn in my plasma...

By 'on-the-fly', I meant that the Felston claims to automatically compensate for variable delays. There is no way that the Oppo, or any other player, for that matter, could do that without major redesign.

What Oppo will hopefully be able to do, is significantly increase the user-selectable AVERAGE delay, and correct the intermittent Faroudja delay.

Gary

I didn't see any indication that the Felston automatically corrects anything. It looks like a simple box to delay the audio by an amount that you can control with an IR remote. The user would be responsible for adjusting the delay settings anytime that a change in delay occurs. It's no different than the built-in functionality in the Oppo or in many other DVD players and receivers except that it might offer a larger amount of delay and it's easier to adjust.

--
Steve

I find it difficult to understand how the Felston unit could automatically adjust for variable delay. From what I understood, only audio passes through the delay box. It doesn't 'know' what's going on with the video.

Them what about other DVD players and movie sources that are 2:35:1? I guess I better stop watching the Extended Editions of Lord of the Rings, because I don't want to burn in my plasma...

For those you know you have to zoom. But you should never have to zoom 1:85:1 material

I didn't see any indication that the Felston automatically corrects anything. It looks like a simple box to delay the audio by an amount that you can control with an IR remote. The user would be responsible for adjusting the delay settings anytime that a change in delay occurs. It's no different than the built-in functionality in the Oppo or in many other DVD players and receivers except that it might offer a larger amount of delay and it's easier to adjust. Steve and Scott, You're both right. I saw that explanation in the Pixel Instruments Corp. white paper, linked from the Felston site. Sorry... wrong company! I'll edit my post.

Here's a quote from the paper:
"With a small rate of delay change, the amount of time required to make large delay changes is correspondingly large, and the audio will be out of sync for a long time while the delay is catching up. For example, assuming a .5% rate of delay change is used, and an MPEG encoder generates a quick 6 frame change of video delay when a commercial is switched in. The audio delay will not be able to catch up to the new video delay for 6÷.005 or 1200 frames. That is 40 seconds and the lip sync will be way off for an entire 30 second commercial! Audio delays used for tracking video delays must have fast rates of change to keep up with the video, which leads to a noticeable pitch change in the audio.

In order to both minimize perceptible pitch shifts during normal small delay changes, and to allow rapid audio delay change after large video delay changes, it is necessary that the audio synchronizer incorporate a pitch correction circuit. With pitch correction capability, it is possible to make rapid delay changes with the pitch correction circuit reducing corresponding audio pitch artifacts to a level where the viewer will not notice them. The Pixel Instruments AD 3000 and AD 3100 audio synchronizers provide a high performance pitch shifting capability as part of the audio synchronizing function. As of the writing of this tutorial, they are the only audio synchronizers on the market with this capability."Gary

I'd try searching this thread or the other Oppo thread and see if anyone has a similar setup. I only know that I get no lip sync with my Infocus 4805 projector.

Really ? I get a lot with my 4805 ! Are you using 1.02 or 1.13 firmware ? I'm sure my Onkyo SR501 (510?) receiver doesn't help a lot either.

What happens with the A/V sync if the analog outputs are used?

While maybe this method doesn't result in the best sound it may be good test by removing digital items from the path.

I've tried both mixed L/R RCA output of the Oppo as well as optical digital to a Panasonic SA-XR10. The sure-fire way of introducing an A/V sync problem was to enter and exit the Oppo setup screen *rapidly*. However, with both RCA and optical, while the initial A/V was out of sync, the picture and audio would tend to get back in sync without having to pause/play.

Paul

What happens with the A/V sync if the analog outputs are used?

While maybe this method doesn't result in the best sound it may be good test by removing digital items from the path.

I've tried both mixed L/R RCA output of the Oppo as well as optical digital to a Panasonic SA-XR10. The sure-fire way of introducing an A/V sync problem was to enter and exit the Oppo setup screen *rapidly*. However, with both RCA and optical, while the initial A/V was out of sync, the picture and audio would tend to get back in sync without having to pause/play.

Paul

For most users, it does not matter. In some cases, doing a analog connection will be worse because they can't extend their audio-delay beyond 50ms. This is especially true for DLP users (Samsung, I am looking at you). In my experience, I have not found that using optical or analog brought about more, or less, audio-sync issues.

I've been waiting for the opportunity to see if lip sync problem would apply over composite/svideo/component. Unfortunately, I have not see any lip sync occur over dvi for me to switch to the analog components. I have the Oppo connected to my projector via dvi and my pc tv input via svideo and it does output both simultaneously. Though there is a very very very very small delay(probably unnoticeable for most people) between dvi and svideo.

I've been waiting for the opportunity to see if lip sync problem would apply over composite/svideo/component. Unfortunately, I have not see any lip sync occur over dvi for me to switch to the analog components. I have the Oppo connected to my projector via dvi and my pc tv input via svideo and it does output both simultaneously. Though there is a very very very very small delay(probably unnoticeable for most people) between dvi and svideo.

Any audio delay through the analog video outs should be from the DVD media, and not the DVD player, since the Faroudja chipset does not opperate through these connections. The MTK board should pretty much just spit out the video with the audio.

The best a user can do then, is pick an AVERAGE delay to compensate for the huge range of variance (which is definitely also display-dependant). The player would have to provide quite a LARGE delay to compensate for that average. Even then, some instances of lip-sync error would still be noticed from time to time.

Gary,

If I understand this A/V sync problem correctly, the amount of video delay that is occuring can fluctuate during playback and depends on many factors. To compensate for this, the viewer must select a suitable amount of audio delay so that, on average, the audio and video will be synchronized. There will be times when synchronization will be a little 'off'. It would seem to me that as we continue to strive for better PQ, we are handling a much greater volume of bits than we have in the past, and our video equipment can't process it fast enough. I watched a Fleetwood Mac DVD last night. With the Oppo set at 50 ms audio delay I could see the slight variation of delay occuring. It looked like 60 or 70 ms would have been just about right. I've begun to affix a small label to the inside of my DVD cases so I remember what to set the audio delay to prior to watching a DVD. I'm looking forward to the next firmware version.

Perhaps a stupid question, but are there any downsides to keeping the LCPM output at 128k, even if regular audio cds will be used most of the time?

For those you know you have to zoom. But you should never have to zoom 1:85:1 material

You zoom 2.35:1 movies to fill your screen?

Your credibility in this argument is shot. The rest of us are trying to discuss issues of actual substance here.

I never compromise OAR to fill the screen...however can this zoom be used like the one on the Momitsu to take non-anamorphic lbx material to properly display in 16x9???

I never compromise OAR to fill the screen...however can this zoom be used like the one on the Momitsu to take non-anamorphic lbx material to properly display in 16x9???

Yes, it can. It doesn't work as well as the results I get using my HTPC with TT (for non-anamorphic discs) but it does a decent job.

The Oppo uses the MediaTek chip to zoom and it's "ok." Using my projector's aspect ratio control (by faroudja presumably), gives much better results.

If I understand this A/V sync problem correctly, the amount of video delay that is occuring can fluctuate during playback and depends on many factors. To compensate for this, the viewer must select a suitable amount of audio delay so that, on average, the audio and video will be synchronized. There will be times when synchronization will be a little 'off'. Scott, that's a perfect explanation.

The graph in the Pixel Instruments white paper shows how constantly-changing delays are introduced in every single step of the recording and playback process. Therefore, the line representing the final, cumulative video delay is very stepped, never constant.

The user must therefore find an average audio delay that works for his equipment in most instances. Unfortunately, that average MAY be quite a bit more than 50ms, especially if you own a Samsung DLP!!

Gary

i also for some reason would initially try to use the remote backwards.

So did I, and after reading your post and the previous one, I picked up the remote and figured out why. The logo "Oppo" looks very similar upside down as it does rightside up (that is, if "oddo" looks simliar to "oppo" to you as it does to me). Too late to change the name, but maybe on the next rev of the remote they can capitalize the "O" and/or make its shape a little asymmetrical so the top is wider than the bottom. (This should be the biggest problem we have with the equipment, right?)

Too late to change the name, but maybe on the next rev of the remote they can capitalize the "O" and/or make its shape a little asymmetrical so the top is wider than the bottom.

In all of its official documents, the company spells its name "OPPO Digital". Capitalizing just the "O" probably isn't something they want to do, but perhaps your second suggestion about a change in logo style could achieve the same result.

For me it's not the logo but the physical shape of the remote. When I pick it up, for some reason, I want to hold it upside down in my hand. I guess it feels better in an ergononic way holding it that way. Too bad it doesn't work that way. :)

For me it's not the logo but the physical shape of the remote. When I pick it up, for some reason, I want to hold it upside down in my hand. I guess it feels better in an ergononic way holding it that way. Too bad it doesn't work that way. :)

It would if you rewired the IR so it was facing backwards.

I am hoping they come out with a much better remote whenever they release a new DVD unit. Though I would much prefer a new remote now.

For me it's not the logo but the physical shape of the remote. When I pick it up, for some reason, I want to hold it upside down in my hand. I guess it feels better in an ergononic way holding it that way. Too bad it doesn't work that way. :)

Got to agree I seem to use it backwards as often as frontwards although the results are not as good.

I am hoping they come out with a much better remote whenever they release a new DVD unit. Though I would much prefer a new remote now.

I assume you mean a new remote separate from the 2 they already have?

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/116/1118422567.jpg

I assume you mean a new remote separate from the 2 they already have?

That is correct. The black/silver remote is horribly laid out, the buttons are too small, and their clear, jewel design makes finding some of the buttons hard late at night with the lights out.

Yes, this is really not an issue because I have already programmed the remote in my Pioneer controller, but it would be nice to have a functional remote to go back to from time to time.

The user must therefore find an average audio delay that works for his equipment in most instances. Unfortunately, that average MAY be quite a bit more than 50ms, especially if you own a Samsung DLP!!

Gary

Which is exactly my problem. I am daily evaluating the Panny S97 vs my Oppo and the picture is a toss up so far, but the Panny doesn't have Syn problems for me at all... well... it DOES exhibit it, but the Panny has a video delay option that makes everything come out fine in the end. Where as w/the Oppo I still have major sync problems.

I am viewing on a Samsung HLR-5067

There's something to these claims, but I'm not sure what to make of it just yet.

Using Avia resolution patterns, the 6.75 MHz circle does indeed exhibit strange banding at 480p that is not present at 720p. I tested this on two separate displays (one DLP, one LCD) and got the same results.

However, I have to note that my other DVD player is a Denon 1600 connected by SDI. The Denon does not do any scaling at all, yet it also exhibits some banding in the 6.75 MHz circle (not exactly the same, but similar). I first noticed this after I had the SDI modification done, because the banding is present only when using SDI but not analog component. I asked an engineer friend of mine if I got screwed, but he said the artifact was normal and not unexpected. I'm not an engineer and didn't totally understand his explanation, but he told me not to worry about it. The next time I see him I'll ask him what he makes of the Oppo.
Hi Josh. Did you get around to asking your engineering buddy about the 6.75 MHz banding you saw at 480p on both of your players? I'm very curious.

Gary

Which is exactly my problem. I am daily evaluating the Panny S97 vs my Oppo and the picture is a toss up so far, but the Panny doesn't have Syn problems for me at all... well... it DOES exhibit it, but the Panny has a video delay option that makes everything come out fine in the end. Where as w/the Oppo I still have major sync problems.

I am viewing on a Samsung HLR-5067 Interesting. The Panasonic doesn't do anything different, except that it gives you more audio delay to play with. The Oppo should hopefully be able to do the same eventually. Your TV is known for adding a considerable amount of video delay into the mix.

I hope you know not to make any menu adjustments on the Oppo while the DVD is playing.

Gary

My stupid newb question for the day-

When you delay the audio to counteract lip sync issues due to video delay, aren't you causing another lip sync problem during passages when the sync would be correct W/O the audio delay on?


If that question was correctly worded to make sense....

You zoom 2.35:1 movies to fill your screen?

Your credibility in this argument is shot. The rest of us are trying to discuss issues of actual substance here.

That is your opinion which I do not value. You are on ignore from today forward so do not reply to any of my posts.

You zoom 2.35:1 movies to fill your screen?

Your credibility in this argument is shot. The rest of us are trying to discuss issues of actual substance here.

Yes, I own a Plasma. Why don't you learn about burn in before sounding so ignorant on the subject of Plasma TVs? Not everone owns a projector.

Not to change the subject, but I just received my new Oppo today and all I can say about the picture is WOW! I have a CRT RPTV (Panasonic PT 47wx53) and this combination exhibits none of the macroblocking and noise that I suffered through with two S97 incarnations. Both had the latest firmware (541 and 362) but never really improved on the noise in the picture. Noise being macroblocking and edge enhancement. With my setup the picture is smooth as silk with absolutely no additional settings needed on the player. I also think BTB and WTW are better with my setup. Excellent color is also maintained with any scaling (480p to 1080i). There were always color issues with the S97 at 480p. Audio quality is very similar, if not slightly better on the Oppo.

Hi Josh. Did you get around to asking your engineering buddy about the 6.75 MHz banding you saw at 480p on both of your players? I'm very curious.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to talk with him recently.

I never compromise OAR to fill the screen...however can this zoom be used like the one on the Momitsu to take non-anamorphic lbx material to properly display in 16x9???

Don't know about Momitsu zoom b/c never owned one. The zooming that I do to completely fill is from the TV zoom, not the Oppo zoom, as zooming from the Oppo does not resolve the 5 pixel border over DVI.

Yes, I own a Plasma. Why don't you learn about burn in before sounding so ignorant on the subject of Plasma TVs? Not everone owns a projector. wwwin, thank you for pointing out that the Oppo has a small border around the image. However, it is a known condition, that was posted in the defect list long before you discovered it. The border is 3 or 4 pixels wide, but some displays with an unusual native resolution (like yours), may exaggerate it. OPPO is already aware of this issue, and should be able to correct it in a future firmware release.

We understand that you are very concerned about burn-in... so much so, that you zoom any movies that have an aspect ratio wider than 16:9. A properly adjusted plasma display is not burned-in quite as easily as you may believe. Still, you have a valid point, and we are happy that you have a way to reduce the likelihood.

This thread has been a great place for Oppo owners to share information and to collaboratively help OPPO Digital to make this a better player. A few respected members, including Josh Z, have done a lot of work in this regard.

The defect list in the first post of this thread was compiled shortly after release of the player. It is regularly maintained and communicated to OPPO. They are extremely grateful for our continuing feedback. They have already made some huge improvements to the player, and they have assured us that they will continue to do so. In the mean time, if any of those defects bother you, you have two choices: Return the Oppo, or wait for a fix. What's the use of trashing the player?

You have stated that; "A $29.00 Apex [fills the whole screen] and the TV does a better upscaling job than your beloved Oppo, which is worthless TO ME...". If you truly believe that, why not return the Oppo?

If you decide to keep it, your constructive and respectful comments will be very welcome here.

Gary

Hi - I just got the Oppo. I use a brand new Sony KV 36xs955,
and I noticed that when playing 4:3 dvds the very upper part of the
screen has a noticeable flickering; does anybody know why?
I dont know if this has been discussed already,
in this case I would appreciate any pointer to the discussion...

Thanks !

Carlo

wwwin, thank you for pointing out that the Oppo has a small border around the image. However, it is a known condition, that was posted in the defect list long before you discovered it. The border is 3 or 4 pixels wide, but some displays with an unusual native resolution (like yours), may exaggerate it. OPPO is already aware of this issue, and should be able to correct it in a future firmware release.

We understand that you are very concerned about burn-in... so much so, that you zoom any movies that have an aspect ratio wider than 16:9. A properly adjusted plasma display is not burned-in quite as easily as you may believe. Still, you have a valid point, and we are happy that you have a way to reduce the likelihood.

This thread has been a great place for Oppo owners to share information and to collaboratively help OPPO Digital to make this a better player. A few respected members, including Josh Z, have done a lot of work in this regard.

The defect list in the first post of this thread was compiled shortly after release of the player. It is regularly maintained and communicated to OPPO. They are extremely grateful for our continuing feedback. They have already made some huge improvements to the player, and they have assured us that they will continue to do so. In the mean time, if any of those defects bother you, you have two choices: Return the Oppo, or wait for a fix. What's the use of trashing the player?

You have stated that; "A $29.00 Apex [fills the whole screen] and the TV does a better upscaling job than your beloved Oppo, which is worthless TO ME...". If you truly believe that, why not return the Oppo?

If you decide to keep it, your constructive and respectful comments will be very welcome here.

Gary

Thanks, I appreciate your remark. I do not appreciate some posts by Josh Z which are always putting down whatever I have to say down for no reason at all. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe this thread is only for people that own a projector. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that both the good points and the points that need to be corrected about the Oppo are to be posted? Every day people post about lip synch issues, which I do not have, and I dont tell them that they don't exist. My concern is the border and I get attacked and called a liar b/c I bring that up. I never called anybody a liar for bringing up the lip sinch issues, eventhough I have not have those. It seems to me that one member here has it againts me b/c that member does not own a plasma. If owing a plasma is a distraction to this thread, perhaps a plasma thread should be opened, and I will post in that thread and not here.
You indicate that the border is a known issue, so is the lip synch problem. So what is the difference b/t the two? They are both known. It seems that every other post is about lip synch which appears to be fair game, but the border rubs the wrong way the people that are not subject to it b/c they own projectors. Both issues are to be corrected, and they affect different people, depending on their equipment. What is the difference b/t the 2 isssues and the need to call me a liar and discredit me for bringing in the border issue? I have never called a liar anybody that posts about lip synch problems even though I have not have those.
Thank you.

I just purchased the Oppo DVD player. I can only get it to output in 720p on my Wal-mart Sanyo 32" HDTV. When I tried the 1080i, I get vertical flickering of the images. Does anyone know what's going on? My TV is not a widescreen, am I still supposed to set it to Widescreen-Squeeze mode? Thank you.

I just purchased the Oppo DVD player. I can only get it to output in 720p on my Wal-mart Sanyo 32" HDTV. When I tried the 1080i, I get vertical flickering of the images. Does anyone know what's going on? My TV is not a widescreen, am I still supposed to set it to Widescreen-Squeeze mode? Thank you.

I think you have to set it to 720p as I also get flickering at 1080i, no matter what aspect ratio I set it to. If your TV is not widescreen, set to Squeeze, but that will not fix the flickering at 1080i.

I purchased the Oppo from Amazon about 2 months ago. It took about 2 weeks to get to me, but it was definately worth it!!

My Setup:
This player is in my bedroom and connected to an Aquos 32" Costco version (DA5U equivalent, I think). It's connected using the provided DVI -> DVI cable. The TV has been tuned to the specs recommended by fellow avsforum members. The DVD player was tuned to my personal taste (looked slightly drab w/o any adjustments) and suggestions from this Oppo brain-dump =]

My previous players used on the Aquos:
Playstation 2 (older version w/o progressive scan capabilities) (Component)
Phillips Progressive Scan player (one of their first models... lol) (Component)
Daewoo (lol) from Costco, about 2 years old... (Composite)

Stating the obvious:
In comparison, the Oppo would obviously win. The Digital to Digital definately beats the digital - analog - digital conversion. 480i (PS2 and Daewoo, Daewoo actually had better quality) vs 480p (Phillips and Oppo, the Oppo is more vibrant due to 'pure digital' signals) vs upscaling to 720p (Oppo), obviously the 720 wins. Is it worth replacing that older 480p capable player? (Continued in next useless section)

The Review: (720p mode)
The colors were more defined on the Oppo. The "lip sync" issue was non-existant UNTIL I do changes during playback. Stoping and playing again alleviates the problem, though. Artifacts do randomly show up (rewinding and watching the same part will NOT show an artifact again) but it's not that often. It's been about 200+ hours of video I've watched and I've only seen about 5 artifacts. Macroblocking/clay facing happens on certain DVDs, but it's problem due to the DVD quality... blacks actually look black using the Oppo. The Phillips showed a very dark gray... so I assume it's the DVD player 'fixing' this LCD issue. I mainly watch action and comedy movies. Scene transitions are flawless about 70% of the time. Sometimes it'd skip a frame or 2 while the audio continued w/o error. It's definately an improvement over my 480p capable player and was worth the $200.

The unheard-of brand did make me apprehensive about purchasing the player. I was leaning toward the S77 / H850 / H950 (this no-namer was priced ABOVE the brand name competition!) until I read this "BRAIN DUMP" thread. After researching (and hearing great reviews AND horror stories) I decided to try it out. It's definately a great product full of the features I desired (DIVX playback is awesome!!) and hasn't let me down yet.

The only things I wish were fixed (hopefully by their next product) are:

Loading Tray Quality... I know it's not breaking-off w/ proper usage, but it does feel a bit flimsy

Centering the picture... (this actually may be a fault w/ my display). The DVI output (at any resolution) is offset to the left. The right side of the picture will be at the right side of the screen while the left side is cut off. I adjust it via display each time, but memory on the player for moving the picture would be awesome (display doesn't have it/I've yet to find it on either piece of equipment).

Great first product Oppo. It worked out for me. =]

NOTE: I am in no way/shape/form an videophile. I'm just a mobile audiophile ( :evilgrin: )
_Jeff

The only things I wish were fixed (hopefully by their next product) are:

Loading Tray Quality... I know it's not breaking-off w/ proper usage, but it does feel a bit flimsy



I actually find the flexibility and therefore high quality (IMHO) of the tray among the best features of the Oppo. I think it's a myth that because something is heavier it has higher quality and better durability. (Anyone else remember those days when Ford touted the quality of it's vehicles by saying they had "more road-hugging weight"?) I wish my other DVD players had the same kind of tray. The tray may bend easily but it is not flimsy as in Webster's definition of flimsy: "1 thin and easily broken or damaged; poorly made and fragile; frail"

It was mentioned way back in either this thread or the other, that similar dvd players in china/japan also use the tray and they are labeled as "children" friendly for a good reason.

I agree. The tray is too flimsy, and it's just a disaster waiting to happen. I just hope it doesn't break, but it most likely will. I just hope when it does, it will still be under warranty, otherwise, I'll be looking at another purchase.

I think it would be less likely to break, since it isn't as rigid as a normal tray. If you bump into a normal tray it might crack or break, but this tray has alot of give and is more flexible, so it would be more likely to survive something falling on it. Although in 20 years of listening to Cds and 7 years of watching DVDs, I've never had a disc tray break

The tray seems flimsy and it does give. But, it doesn't seem to break even when flexed a fair amount. Other trays, if flexed the same amount, would snap or crack. Flexibility, while unusual in a DVD tray, is not necessarily a bad thing in my view. I've had absolutely no tray issues at all since acquiring the Oppo in January.

Paul

The tray on the panasonic S97 is very similar. It doesn't flex as much, but it's made from seemingly the same materials and feels like a close match. I don't have a problem with either really, except the Panasonic tray seems to extend out a tad bit more allowing easier insertion of the disc.

(shrug) The tray is the least of my worries. In fact the sync is my ONLY concern, as it's not something I can live with. Luckily Oppo gave me an extension on my return policy so I can see if the new firmware actually fixes my problem when they release it. (They gave no date) That's very cool of them. That alone makes me want to return the Panny and have more faith in the Oppo.

However the last hurtle for me is sound quality... I am trying with much trouble to evaluate the sonic characteristics between the two machines. I'll update with all my findings when I am done of course.

I Centering the picture... (this actually may be a fault w/ my display). The DVI output (at any resolution) is offset to the left. The right side of the picture will be at the right side of the screen while the left side is cut off. I adjust it via display each time, but memory on the player for moving the picture would be awesome (display doesn't have it/I've yet to find it on either piece of equipment).

It sounds like your display is not properly syncing with the 720p signal of the Oppo. Do you have this problem with any other 720p sources? Does the set have an Auto Adjust function?

Yes the Apex is BETTER AS IT FILLS THE WHOLE SCREEN. This Oppo crap permanently burned in my Plasma as it does not fill the whole screen on DVI and component is even worst quality. No quality control by this company and total disregard for image burn in on Plasmas. I know all of you InFocus users don't care about burn in problems, as projectors don't have a burn in problem. But there are people out there that have different setup. It is selfish and selfcentered to not realize that this product damages Plasmas TVs over DVI. Maybe Oppo should put a warning that their product should not be used with plasmas over DVI

Quite frankly, that sounds like a display problem and not an input device problem. Plasma burn-in is well-documented. Why did you continue to use the setup without looking for an adjustment before it became a problem?

wwwin, thank you for pointing out that the Oppo has a small border around the image. However, it is a known condition, that was posted in the defect list long before you discovered it. The border is 3 or 4 pixels wide, but some displays with an unusual native resolution (like yours), may exaggerate it. OPPO is already aware of this issue, and should be able to correct it in a future firmware release.

Gary

There is NO pixel border displayed on my Visio P50 PLASMA when connected to the Oppo via DVI->HDMI at 720p. As screen shots previously posted have shown, there is in fact a slight overscan, but less than on the Panny S97 which I returned.

Also, I finally got around to calibrating my P50 with Avia a couple of nights ago, and MB is virtually gone. I watched "Underworld" Superbit edition, which is a very dark flick, both before and after calibration and the difference was amazing. Before calibration the dark scenes had the horrid MB black and purple blotches, after the calibration they were gone and you could see every detail in Selene's (Kate Beckinsale) black leather and vinyl outfit :D

My biggest gripe about the Oppo is it's lack of disk recall, which seems like a pretty simple feature to have implemented. :o

Quite frankly, that sounds like a display problem and not an input device problem. Plasma burn-in is well-documented. Why did you continue to use the setup without looking for an adjustment before it became a problem?

Because if I zoomed on foreign films would lose 1/2 of the subtitle. I do not believe it is a display problem as all other input thru DVI properly filled the whole screen. The border is documented and is on the defect list at the beginning of this thread. I am not the only one that has reported this. Look back about a week and you will see similar complaints.

The flaw is with your beloved Oppo, not my TV, but you just cannot admit that the DVI output is flawed and does not cover the whole screen. A $29.00 Apex does, and the TV does a better upscaling job then your beloved Oppo, which is worthless TO ME AND DAMAGED MY TV AS EARLER POSTED

Here's an idea. First, post your problem on the appropriate avsforum for your specific plasma device asking for help (in other words, no one can offer a solution if we don't know what you have). Second, stop your bitching and whining. No one wants to help a loser. Everybody on these boards knows all about plasma burn-in. It happened because you let it happen. Take responsibility for your own error. You sound like the mayor of New Orleans or the governor of Louisiana. Suck it up and fix the problem and stop scapegoating!

The tray seems flimsy and it does give. But, it doesn't seem to break even when flexed a fair amount. Other trays, if flexed the same amount, would snap or crack. Flexibility, while unusual in a DVD tray, is not necessarily a bad thing in my view. I've had absolutely no tray issues at all since acquiring the Oppo in January.

Paul

I would agree with the train of thought that a flexible tray is less likely to crack. After all, football players stretch to have more fexibility and avoid injuries.
What I would like to see fixed about the tray is the slow response time from the remote contral command until the trays actually opens.

Here's an idea. First, post your problem on the appropriate avsforum for your specific plasma device asking for help (in other words, no one can offer a solution if we don't know what you have). Second, stop your bitching and whining. No one wants to help a loser. Everybody on these boards knows all about plasma burn-in. It happened because you let it happen. Take responsibility for your own error. You sound like the mayor of New Orleans or the governor of Louisiana. Suck it up and fix the problem and stop scapegoating!

I believe this is the appropriate thread as the border is caused by the Oppo not the TV. I cannot fix the problem until Oppo fixes the border issue over DVI. The rest of your post are personal derogatory remarks which violete TOS and have been reported.

If there is nothing intelligent to respond to, why respond :confused: It only encourages idiots :)

I believe this is the appropriate thread as the border is caused by the Oppo not the TV. I cannot fix the problem until Oppo fixes the border issue over DVI. The rest of your post are personal derogatory remarks which violete TOS and have been reported.

What model plasma TV do you have? Maybe someone else has the same display and has come up with a solution.

I would agree with the train of thought that a flexible tray is less likely to crack. After all, football players stretch to have more fexibility and avoid injuries.
What I would like to see fixed about the tray is the slow response time from the remote contral command until the trays actually opens.
Not to complain, but... what the $%*@ are you guys doing with your dvd players in order to be sooo concerned about this disc tray breaking. It's not as pretty as per say the S97, however I think it feels very solid. I especially like stable feel when it ejects and retracts. It's very quiet and smooth in its operation compared to the S97.

My stupid newb question for the day-

When you delay the audio to counteract lip sync issues due to video delay, aren't you causing another lip sync problem during passages when the sync would be correct W/O the audio delay on?


If that question was correctly worded to make sense....

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