Good info. Thanks. Will this still occure with 480i over component? Thanks again.No, this is a specific problem with 480i/576i HDMI only. Component has no known issues. However, I'm not certain if the quality of the component output is considered "high end".

However, I'm not certain if the quality of the component output is considered "high end".
it is.... :D

it is.... :D
It is indeed! Don't be fooled by the HDMI mumbo jumbo. The image produce by using HDMI cables is not so much better as it is a force of the powers that be. It's just a fact that it's getting harder and harder to pass any type of upscaling and HD content in anything but an HDMI connection. I'm keeping my Oppo for upscaling and will have to concede to HDMI for my HD DVD's.

Chris

Please note that if you plan to use 480i HDMI there is a pending issue (explained here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12330946#post12330946) and here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12353908#post12353908)). Net result using some scalers is loss of resolution. According to this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12764872#post12764872) post Oppo's still working on this.

Good news and bad news I guess . I'm glad OPPO is still working on this . I'm using 480i over HDMI into a DVDO HD+ and I don't think I'm seeing the problems Dale identified . I'll have to pay a little more attention to it . I wonder if the problem has any effect on the HDCP Handshaking as it has been problematic with the 970HD.

Looking forward to the fix .

Scott...............

i have now burned 3 disks, and was careful to do everything right. still get -unknowen disk

any help.
db
http://www.box.net/shared/ak0jg6gbc0
I believe this is the correct site.
i have burn a disk twice- each time the tv shows-- unkown disk
and just sit there
Am i doing some wrong[/QUOTE]

No, this is a specific problem with 480i/576i HDMI only. Component has no known issues. However, I'm not certain if the quality of the component output is considered "high end".

Hello. I confirm this a specific problem with 480i/576i HDMI only. Actually I use my oppo with component 480i/576i because HDMI does not work with my sclaer vantage HD.

HDMI is better than component on 970hd.

I hope oppo digital will fix this issue quickly.

i have now burned 3 disks, and was careful to do everything right. still get -unknowen disk

any help.
db
http://www.box.net/shared/ak0jg6gbc0
I believe this is the correct site.
i have burn a disk twice- each time the tv shows-- unkown disk
and just sit there
Am i doing some wrong[/QUOTE]
what software are you using to rip and burn the disc that you burn must have dvd files on it in order for a dvd player to play the disc also what brand of blank media are you using

I am using th same disks[tec dvd+rw dv w58e] and software that i have used to up firmware from the Oppo site, for the other 970 up grade patch(from Oppo site). I went to :http://www.box.net/shared/ak0jg6gbc0
2. download to a file - a window 970.exe came up
3. brought - the burnatonce software file up
4. transfered file into burnatonce and burned it to disk
5. open 970 tray closed and pushed play>>
unknowen disk
I do not burn disk often - but have successfully burned 0ppo's upgrade patch's.

I am using th same disks[tec dvd+rw dv w58e] and software that i have used to up firmware from the Oppo site, for the other 970 up grade patch(from Oppo site). I went to :http://www.box.net/shared/ak0jg6gbc0
2. download to a file - a window 970.exe came up
3. brought - the burnatonce software file up
4. transfered file into burnatonce and burned it to disk
5. open 970 tray closed and pushed play>>
unknowen disk
I do not burn disk often - but have successfully burned 0ppo's upgrade patch's.
I had the same problem. does anybody know why this is occuring?

Sounds like you need to burn the *contents* of 970.exe.

No, you open the 970.EXE. You then Load the BIN file (extract the BIN from the downloaded ISO). This will create a new BIN file.

You will then use a burning program to master this to a CD using Mode 1/ISO 9660 Only (Non-Joliet)

Was the "no" directed at me? I said the same thing as you, just not in as a verbose manner ;)

ETA: Never mind Neuro, I see that the .EXE they were talking about is the utility that mods the regular .bin. I shouldn't have jumped in like this.

PS. Although the utility is 970FMT.exe but 970.exe mentioned, so I dunno.

Will we ever see official firmware that gets rid of the "squeeze" problem?

No. OPPO does not like the reduction in picture quality.

No. OPPO does not like the reduction in picture quality.
Me neither. I think the 970 is headed to the bedroom TV where I can't tell the difference. Can't wait for the 983.

Hey, maybe Oppo can focus on Blu Ray now that HD DVD is over and done with. The 990 series?

Hey, maybe Oppo can focus on Blu Ray now that HD DVD is over and done with. The 990 series?Of course that decision has already been made -- It's BluRay all the way (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=997188) for oppo's next effort.

A couple of questions for you 970HD experts..
First, i have read quite a few pages of this giant thread but still have a few question but first some general info on my setup..
Mver 05.00.01.07 Batch: 3A-0916
Mitsubishi WS-55811 connected over component to the 1080i input

questions if you please:
1) How do i know if it is upconverting?.. the picture looks pretty bad imo and compared to my other non upconverting dvd, may even look worse.. definetly not better. when i press "info" on the TV during a movie. it just says "480 standard".. when i do this watching verison fios HD, it says 1080i HD or just 1080i. the tv only has 1 1080 input so just to test the dvd (which i just bought recently used on this forum), i unplugged fios but am buying a component switch soon.

2) If i upgrade to the newest oppo batch:4A-0111 will that still upconvert over component? thank you for your help!

Bill.

btw, i tried two different dvd's in case the newer one (death sentence) was somehow coded.. the other i tried is a DTS version of U-571.. both standard def DVD's of course. thanks.

ok, re-read the thread above and did the 970fmt.exe thing. modified the most current bin and created an iso disc.. burned and installed the firmware... still getting "480i standard" when watching dvd's.. modified the bin again (just to make sure that i burned the right bin onto the disc), and this time when i put in the DVD player got the unknown disc message.. :)
not sure what's going on.. so still need help with the above post if possible. thanks! Bill

ok, re-read the thread above and did the 970fmt.exe thing. modified the most current bin and created an iso disc.. burned and installed the firmware... still getting "480i standard" when watching dvd's.. modified the bin again (just to make sure that i burned the right bin onto the disc), and this time when i put in the DVD player got the unknown disc message.. :)
not sure what's going on.. so still need help with the above post if possible. thanks! Bill
Save the headache and hook it up to HDMI.

I read in the front page of this thread the following
When the HDMI output is connected to an A/V receiver or audio processor with HDMI v1.1 or above specifications, please use the following settings:

Speaker Setup Page:
Down-mix: 5.1 CH
Front Speaker: Large
Center Speaker: Large
Rear Speaker: Large
Subwoofer: On
Audio Setup Page:
Digital Output: Raw
HDMI Audio: Auto
With the above settings, the DVD player will send CD, Dolby Digital and DTS audio signals as raw bit streams to the receiver for decoding. For high resolution stereo or multi-channel audio contents such as DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD, the DVD player will send multi-channel PCM audio signals with the highest available sample frequency and bit numbers to the receiver. Depending on the original audio content, the format could be 44.1kHz - 192kHz, 2 - 6 channels. Setting all speakers to "Large" allows bass management to be handled by the receiver or audio processor.

I tried this and was not happy with the sound I was getting so I switched the speaker settings in the player to Small. The sound was a 100% better compared to the settings @ Large.
Does anybody disagree with this?

ok, re-read the thread above and did the 970fmt.exe thing. modified the most current bin and created an iso disc.. burned and installed the firmware... still getting "480i standard" when watching dvd's.. modified the bin again (just to make sure that i burned the right bin onto the disc), and this time when i put in the DVD player got the unknown disc message.. :)
not sure what's going on.. so still need help with the above post if possible. thanks! BillDid you try changing resolutions by pressing the HDMI button? I believe one press shows you the current resolution, subsequent ones change it.

Yes, try pushing the HDMI button on the remote. I believe that changes the resolution from the oppo.

Save the headache and hook it up to HDMI.


lol, the reason i bought this DVD is because my older TV doesnt have HDMI. thanks.

Did you try changing resolutions by pressing the HDMI button? I believe one press shows you the current resolution, subsequent ones change it.

nope, haven't tried that! will give it a shot when i get home.. duh! .. thanks.
bill.

i've noticed a diagonal scrolling on the screen.
it's most obvious when the player is stopped and the oppo blue screen is on.
i figured it might be intentional to prevent burn-in. but now i'm starting to notice it while watching dvd's: where a part of the image on the screen is close to being a solid, lighter color.
has anyone else noticed this?
is it a ground loop issue?
is there a fix?

i use the hacked firmware to upconvert via component to my panasonic 9uk plasma.
this is not an issue when watching cable or another source.

i've noticed a diagonal scrolling on the screen.
it's most obvious when the player is stopped and the oppo blue screen is on.
i figured it might be intentional to prevent burn-in. but now i'm starting to notice it while watching dvd's: where a part of the image on the screen is close to being a solid, lighter color.
has anyone else noticed this?
is it a ground loop issue?
is there a fix?

i use the hacked firmware to upconvert via component to my panasonic 9uk plasma.
this is not an issue when watching cable or another source.I do not see this on mine. Image is rock solid. I'd call oppo support.

Do you see this on any other sources? I had the same type of scrolling line on my plasma. It turned out to be a bad power board.

Chris

The main board on my 970 did go out also. It took a lot of convincing to get Oppo to look at the machine. But there you are!

make sure you hit the hdmi button when at the oppo screen to cycle through the different resolutions

no, this happens only with the oppo.
my only other source is my cable box; and that's fine.
i switched cables and that didn't make a difference. then i used the s-video output and didn't see the scrolling, but maybe it's too subtle for s-video to display.
i did the hdmi button cycle and it made no difference.
i got an rma from oppo, but the tech didn't think that there's anything wrong with the box.
but both of you had scrolling that turned out to be an issue with the oppo?
what was the turn around time?

Do you see this on any other sources? I had the same type of scrolling line on my plasma. It turned out to be a bad power board.

Chris

the power board on your oppo or your plasma?

I had some sort of diagonal scrolling artifact when I first used my oppo but figured out that I didn't have my component cables seated well in the back of my projector. You might double check your connections.

Has there been a firmware update for the 970HD?

None that have been released to the public.

the power board on your oppo or your plasma?
On my plasma.

None that have been released to the public.


Thanks.

Does the oppo 970 play mp3 format? Sorry if it has been asked before.



Tony

Does the oppo 970 play mp3 format? Sorry if it has been asked before.



Tony
Yes.

Does the oppo 970 play mp3 format? Sorry if it has been asked before.



Tony
Yep, does about anything you want it to do. SD cards, USB, you name it. Great player.

Does the oppo 970 play mp3 format? Sorry if it has been asked before.



Tony

I put a disc in that has many directories (folders) and it didn't do anything. Do I have to specify a directory in that disc?


Tony

Did it not show you the directories?

Did you get an No Disc, Unknown Disc, or other error on the player?

It seems OPPO has pulled all reference to the 970 from their Web site to make room for the 983 . Is there any way to get to then firmware update page for the 970 anymore ?

Scott...................

Go to the support page (http://www.oppodigital.com/support.htm) for links to the 970HD and 971H firmware update pages (near the top of the page).

Thank you Gonk . I knew it was probably there , just didn't hit enough buttons.

Scott................:)

MP3's burned to CD or USB flash drive all play fine in other players and devices. But I only get *garbbled* MP3 playback via the OPPO 970 by both CD and USB.

All other format playback on 970 is flawless! CD, SACD, DVD, DVD-A, .jpg

Am I missing some obscure setting in the 970 to play back MP3's??

The entire 970 manual only makes just one reference to MP3 and that's just a reference to USB 1.1 and "some MP3 players may not be compatible"

Any ideas? Thanks. :)

UPDATE: I put the following on a USB flash drive and tried playing on the OPPO via USB:

Formats that played fine: WMA (lossy), OGG, MP3Pro

Formats not playing:
WAV = file not even seen by 970
MP3 = garbbled
WMA (lossless) = file seen but would not play


Maybe it's my MP3 ripping/encoding that the OPPO does not like?
Are the remaining results normal (WAV & WMA Lossless not playable via USB)?

WMA Lossless and WAV are not supported. WMA Lossless and MP3 are fully supported.

Try updating the firmware on your player to ensure that your errors are not software related.

WMA Lossless and WAV are not supported. WMA Lossless and MP3 are fully supported.

Try updating the firmware on your player to ensure that your errors are not software related.

Thanks Neuro. It shipped with the latest FW as listed on their site as the "updated" FW. Guess I'll have to give OPPO a call monday. :(

Update to the beta firmware. Your problem is most likely software related.

Update to the beta firmware. Your problem is most likely software related.

Thanks. I didn't even know there was a beta. :)

Update to the beta firmware. Your problem is most likely software related.

As it turns out it WAS the damn mp3 encoding! I dl the OPPO Beta FW, installed with no problem, but CD and USB still played *garbbled* MP3's on the OPPO.

I was using an encoder called SWITCH which encoded the *garbbled* MP3's for OPPO playback. But these same MP3's played fine on any other MP3 device? Maybe some oddball compatibility between OPPO and how SWITCH encodes the files?

I went back to EAC for encoding and the same extracted CD song plays fine on the OPPO as an MP3.

I have noticed that when I play DVD material on the Oppo the picture in general seems darker than with other media sources. Is it that this device perhaps has a wider color range available, or is it actually possible that the overall brightness level from the 970 is lower than from other video pieces. If it is the 970, is there an on board setting to correct this (to bring it up to the same levels as my other pieces)?

I have noticed that when I play DVD material on the Oppo the picture in general seems darker than with other media sources. Is it that this device perhaps has a wider color range available, or is it actually possible that the overall brightness level from the 970 is lower than from other video pieces. If it is the 970, is there an on board setting to correct this (to bring it up to the same levels as my other pieces)?

Are you using a calibration disc?

-Bill

I have used calibration discs in the past, but not currently. My monitor is set up using recommended settings from the relevant Sony Bravia thread (s).

I have used calibration discs in the past, but not currently. My monitor is set up using recommended settings from the relevant Sony Bravia thread (s).

The oppo can be calibrated independently from the Monitor. Recommend you get a calibration disk, but you will then need to decide what you are going to calibrate, the Monitor or the DVD player. If your are happy with the monitor settings for other sources, then adjust the settings in the DVD player (brightness, contrast etc).

The Oppo is different from many DVD players (at least that I previously owned) in that the Oppo has adjustable settings for brightness, contrast, and gamma.

Previously I only had the option of calibrating the TV for my component input, and if the DVD player and DVR (both used the same component input) had different "source levels", than I either had to live with it, or make adjustments on the fly depending on the source. Having the options in the DVD player give you more options.

My ~2 yr old 970HD has developed an unfortunate habit -- it won't load DVDs. It still loads and plays CDs (and SACDs) fine, but anything DVD (DVD-V, DVD-Audio, Dualdiscs, homemade DVDR) gets the 'No Disc' indicator after about 15-20 seconds of trying.

As per Oppo suggestion, I tried reloading the firmware, but that didn't help. I'm going to try spritzing the innards with compressed air, as best I can, but I'm not hopeful.
Fortunatley Oppo has offered to fix it for a nominal fee, plus shipping, but I may opt to go with a newer model instead.

Anyway. Just wondering. Has this happened to anyone else yet? Any known fixes?

My ~2 yr old 970HD has developed an unfortunate habit -- it won't load DVDs. It still loads and plays CDs (and SACDs) fine, but anything DVD (DVD-V, DVD-Audio, Dualdiscs, homemade DVDR) gets the 'No Disc' indicator after about 15-20 seconds of trying.

As per Oppo suggestion, I tried reloading the firmware, but that didn't help. I'm going to try spritzing the innards with compressed air, as best I can, but I'm not hopeful.
Fortunatley Oppo has offered to fix it for a nominal fee, plus shipping, but I may opt to go with a newer model instead.

Anyway. Just wondering. Has this happened to anyone else yet? Any known fixes?

Hi Krabapple ;

Sorry to hear your troubles with the Oppo . Have you tried re-entering the region free hack ? It's possible that it reverted to a non-region 1 code . That would explain it being able to play CD's but not DVD's . It's worth a try .

Scott......................:D

Hi Krabapple ;

Sorry to hear your troubles with the Oppo . Have you tried re-entering the region free hack ? It's possible that it reverted to a non-region 1 code . That would explain it being able to play CD's but not DVD's . It's worth a try .

Scott......................:D

Good idea...I'll give it a shot....

No good. Region was already 1 (probably because I'd reloaded the firmware already). I even tried setting it to 0, but that didn't help.

I have used calibration discs in the past, but not currently. My monitor is set up using recommended settings from the relevant Sony Bravia thread (s).

This rarely works. It may be better then the default Vivid settings, but I can improve on those with my eyes.

Forum members need to use a calibration disc or pattern. Especially with DVD players and if comparing amongst dvd players.

At least use a THX DVD and get the contrast and Brightness somewhere close. Turn Sharpness down using lettering and Skintones for color and tint.

But just buy a test pattern DVD.

I mean, do you really like home theater?!

My ~2 yr old 970HD has developed an unfortunate habit -- it won't load DVDs. It still loads and plays CDs (and SACDs) fine, but anything DVD (DVD-V, DVD-Audio, Dualdiscs, homemade DVDR) gets the 'No Disc' indicator after about 15-20 seconds of trying.

DVD and CD use different lasers. For this reason, CDs may load without an issue, but DVDs do not. It is completely possible that your laser assembly needs to be replaced.

Quite so. I'm thinking I may ebay/craigslist the 970H for parts (if anyone here is interested, just PM me), and move on up to the 983....which I've been looking for an excuse to do anyway :)

Been a while since I looked at this thread for "updates". I noticed today that my 970 has those annoying audio dropouts or "gaps" on some DVD-A high resolution layers. Yoshimi battles the Pink Robots being the one I noticed tonight. I'm using the latest beta FW (actually just installed it a few weeks ago, gave up waiting for an official release).

I haven't played this particular disk on the 970 in a while (I use my old Pioneer 563 a lot still), so I was surprised this occurred - for some reason I thought the beta or latest official firmware update was going to fix this.

Searching this thread, I can't see that Oppo has resolved this in any way, and I'm doubting any new FW will get released now that the 970 has transitioned to "support mode" only.

Does anyone remember offhand which FW update introduced this issue? Did Oppo trade the SACD gaps for DVD-A gaps? I'm trying to find the one firmware that might play both seamlessly, even if it means the SACD track number is displayed wrong, etc.

Thanks in advance...

shinksma

Shinksma
I have latest non-beta firmware on my unit.
It does not skip with that disc. Great album too.

Shinksma
I have latest non-beta firmware on my unit.
It does not skip with that disc. Great album too.

OK, Thanks. I guess I'll go back to that version and try it out. Tonight, if I have time.

EDIT: yes, indeed, reverting to the official FW release from Feb 2007 has restored proper DVD-A playback (no gaps).
I assume the SACD track number display will be messed up again, but I can live with that, as long as the audio is as it should be.

EDIT 2: OK, the display of SACD track numbers seems fine. Makes me wonder why I didn't have this FW before...I evidently don't pay enough attention to this thread.

shinksma

New to this forum. I have my oppo for 2 years now love it,plays everything. But tried today video mpeg4 it didn't like it any sugestions is there a patch or fancy firmware ???

New to this forum. I have my oppo for 2 years now love it,plays everything. But tried today video mpeg4 it didn't like it any sugestions is there a patch or fancy firmware ???

Divx/xvid is the only supported mpeg4 format. No WMV or Quicktime.

-Bill

Is there any place to still get this player new? Legit. :)

My dad is looking for a new DVD player and I think if I could find one of these new, I may be able to talk him into it. Price is his main concern. He just bought a $40 dvd player from Best Buy, I told him to take it back! :eek:

Is there any place to still get this player new? Legit.It's been discontinued model for quite a while now, so not much chance of a new player anywhere. e-mail or call Oppo and see if they have a refurb. Best bet is the used market. You could post a WTB on A/V forums (AVS, audioholics, etc.) and see what you get. Or try craigslist, audiogon, etc.

Just to follow up my story, in the end I sent my 970HD in for the $38 repair, and it was fixed and on its way back to me one day after it was received by Oppo. I have it back now, with a new 'optical unit' (according to the Oppo report included with the repair) and it now works like a charm. So, I guess I'll wait for Oppo's Bluray player after all....

Just to follow up my story, in the end I sent my 970HD in for the $38 repair, and it was fixed and on its way back to me one day after it was received by Oppo. I have it back now, with a new 'optical unit' (according to the Oppo report included with the repair) and it now works like a charm. So, I guess I'll wait for Oppo's Bluray player after all....Fortunately I haven't had to have my 970 repaired, but it's great to hear of your very positive experience. Thanks for sharing it.

I continue to be amazed by the video and audio quality of this "low end" player.

For an amazing experience in both audio and video I highly recommend the DVD of "Alison Kraus and Union Station Live." in DTS -- especially tracks 22 and 23, but the whole thing is great -- especially from track 22 to the end.

I have also recently started to use the 5.1 analog outs via my Pio Elite 72 AVR for 2.0, 2.1 and 5.1 audio and am getting seriously hooked on this great crisp and clear sound.:D

Judging by the quality/value delivered by the "lowly" 970 -- I'm definitely with you all the way wanting to get my hands on whatever Oppo comes up with for their Blu-ray player. In the meantime I'm REALLY enjoying my 970 -- and "lovin' every minute of it." -- (apologies to Lover Boy -- who also sounds great in 2.1 stereo and/or Dolby PLII Music on this rig.)

It's been discontinued model for quite a while now, so not much chance of a new player anywhere. e-mail or call Oppo and see if they have a refurb. Best bet is the used market. You could post a WTB on A/V forums (AVS, audioholics, etc.) and see what you get. Or try craigslist, audiogon, etc.

It's one of the few players that I could get my dad to use. Since it has the hack for upscaling over component. I'm hoping it should be at a reasonable price, if I can find one. Maybe I'll just have to find him a nice 480p player though. :(

Just to follow up my story, in the end I sent my 970HD in for the $38 repair, and it was fixed and on its way back to me one day after it was received by Oppo. I have it back now, with a new 'optical unit' (according to the Oppo report included with the repair) and it now works like a charm. So, I guess I'll wait for Oppo's Bluray player after all....

Hey Krabapple,

As someone (like you) who has stayed with this thread since it's inception, THANKS for the positive thoughts.

While I have been fortunate (although I would like to believe that OPPO planned it that way, as opposed to luck:cool:) like you, I will also await the coming of the Bluray player from OPPO when it is time for me to migrate to the next level.

Continue to enjoy~
..Mark:)

It's one of the few players that I could get my dad to use. Since it has the hack for upscaling over component. I'm hoping it should be at a reasonable price, if I can find one. Maybe I'll just have to find him a nice 480p player though. :(It's a longshot, but call or email Oppo to see if they have a refurb available. I believe they warrantee their refurbs as new.

Also -- there are quite a few AVS members upgrading to the new 983 model, so the availability of a used 970 that has been well cared for is probably pretty good.

Good luck.

It's a longshot, but call or email Oppo to see if they have a refurb available. I believe they warrantee their refurbs as new.

Also -- there are quite a few AVS members upgrading to the new 983 model, so the availability of a used 970 that has been well cared for is probably pretty good.

Good luck.

They are actually tough to find on the used market. Most people who had a 983 were probably upgrading from 981 not the 970, but who really knows. There is a used one on Amazon for $289 and S/H. He claims it will be a collector's classic and it is highlighted by Component Video and Dual Analog Audio . :rolleyes:
Maybe I should sell mine, except silver matches my equipment in that room.

Refurbs at OPPO have long since been sold. Your best bet is finding it used on places like Amazon.com and eBay.

I have a 970 for sale - PM. if we can make it a simple transaction.
If not I'll keep for a 2ch set up. Why-fs- i have a 983.
db

Just to follow up my story, in the end I sent my 970HD in for the $38 repair, and it was fixed and on its way back to me one day after it was received by Oppo. I have it back now, with a new 'optical unit' (according to the Oppo report included with the repair) and it now works like a charm. So, I guess I'll wait for Oppo's Bluray player after all....

$38 ??? I can't remember a time when any kind of repair only cost $38 ! Great .

Curious...what version of firmware did it come back with ? :D

Scott..........

$38 ??? I can't remember a time when any kind of repair only cost $38 ! Great .

Yes, great. The actual cost was higher because I had to pay for shipping to (but not from) California. But the quote for the repair itself was $38. You pay in advance, on Oppo's website, and they issue you a Return Authorization number.


Curious...what version of firmware did it come back with ? :D


It came back with the last 'official' firmware, from Feb 12 2007 (the one before the final beta):

MVer: 05.00.01.07 Batch: 4A-0111

And everything else set to factory default.

Hello,

I have had the Oppo 970HD for some time now and I just recently discovered something strange and I wanted to ask your opinion about it.

I have DVD-A disc titled "A brand New Day" by Sting and when playing it via Oppo 970HD player and I cannot get it to play in its highest resolution wich is 96/24 - it is only diplaying 48 kHz on my reciever. It is connected to Denon AVR-988 reciever which is HDMI 1.3a compliant and I would hope that the Oppo would be able to output 96/24 and not only 48 kHz. The only higher resolution that I have seen from Oppo was the 88.2 when I play SACD via HDMI. Why 88.2 resolution , is that the highest from SACD that there is available ?

So I am not sure what I do wrong but perhaps there are settings that impact that 48 kHz limit ? Can someone help me with those settings ?

Also, if I had DVD-A that is done in 192/24 would I be able to output that via HDMI to my reciever ? Would it be 5.1 channels or just stereo. I don't have any material that is done at 192 but I was just wondering ?

Thanks in advance,
Nikonowski

SACD is sampled from DSD to PCM at 88.2Khz.

Ensure that the output resolution of the DVD player has been set to at least 720p. The DVD player will not be able to send out a 96KHz/192KHz signal when you are sending a 480i/p signal.

Hello,

I have had the Oppo 970HD for some time now and I just recently discovered something strange and I wanted to ask your opinion about it.

I have DVD-A disc titled "A brand New Day" by Sting and when playing it via Oppo 970HD player and I cannot get it to play in its highest resolution wich is 96/24 - it is only diplaying 48 kHz on my reciever. It is connected to Denon AVR-988 reciever which is HDMI 1.3a compliant and I would hope that the Oppo would be able to output 96/24 and not only 48 kHz. The only higher resolution that I have seen from Oppo was the 88.2 when I play SACD via HDMI. Why 88.2 resolution , is that the highest from SACD that there is available ?

So I am not sure what I do wrong but perhaps there are settings that impact that 48 kHz limit ? Can someone help me with those settings ?

Also, if I had DVD-A that is done in 192/24 would I be able to output that via HDMI to my reciever ? Would it be 5.1 channels or just stereo. I don't have any material that is done at 192 but I was just wondering ?

Thanks in advance,
Nikonowski

These are smpling rates I've taken:
Source: OPPO 970
AVR: Yamaha RX-V2700
Connection: HDMI


- CD WAV PCM 2-ch 44.1
- DVD-A PCM M-ch 96
- DVD-A PCM 2-ch 192
- SACD (not DSD) PCM M-ch 88.2
- DVD DD DD 5.1 48 (448-kbps)
- DVD DPL DPL 2.0 48 (192-kbps)
- DVD DTS DTS 5.1 48 (768-kbps)

SACD is sampled from DSD to PCM at 88.2Khz.

Ensure that the output resolution of the DVD player has been set to at least 720p. The DVD player will not be able to send out a 96KHz/192KHz signal when you are sending a 480i/p signal.

Great, thanks for your response! I really appreciate it.

I will check the resolution later today but I thought that I had it on 720p or 1080i already but will double check. So it is totally possible to send out 96KHz/192KHz signal from 970HD ? That's great to hear :) Do you know if I need to be concerned with other settings ( in case my DVD resolution is already at 720p or 1080i) Do I need to have HDMI audio disabled or enabled ? What settings do I use for "Digital Out" - is it RAW or PCM and if the latter do I select 96 kHz or 192 kHz as my setting ?

I would like to use single HDMI cable to play both DVD-A and SACD from my Oppo 970HD - is that possible and if so , what setiing do I need to enabled. Currently I also have Coaxial SPIDIF cable going into Denon Reciever.

And lastly, is the 88.2 kHz the highest I can get from SACD ?

Sorry about all these questions but I am splitting hairs to find out why my Denon reciever does not display 96 or 192 when playing content from the Oppo.

Thanks,
Nikonowski

These are smpling rates I've taken:
Source: OPPO 970
AVR: Yamaha RX-V2700
Connection: HDMI


- CD WAV PCM 2-ch 44.1
- DVD-A PCM M-ch 96
- DVD-A PCM 2-ch 192
- SACD (not DSD) PCM M-ch 88.2
- DVD DD DD 5.1 48 (448-kbps)
- DVD DPL DPL 2.0 48 (192-kbps)
- DVD DTS DTS 5.1 48 (768-kbps)


Thanks! Where are you getting these reading on, are they from your Yamaha reciever ?

What are your settings in the oppo menu ? Can you share them ? I was never able to get 96 or 192 from DVD-A on my Denon reciever only 48 but I did get the SACD display 88.2 with M-ch. You mention it is not DSD when it comes SACD but rather DSD converted to PCM - this is what you mean I assume ?

What would DSD look like (is it higher rate ?) and why can we not get the DSD via HDMI on this Oppo 970HD player ?

Thanks,
Nikonowski

[QUOTE=toby10;14189922]
- DVD-A PCM 2-ch 192QUOTE]

One more thing, is there such a thing as DVD-A PCM multi-ch ?

Thanks,
Nikonowski

Thanks! Where are you getting these reading on, are they from your Yamaha reciever ?

What are your settings in the oppo menu ? Can you share them ? I was never able to get 96 or 192 from DVD-A on my Denon reciever only 48 but I did get the SACD display 88.2 with M-ch. You mention it is not DSD when it comes SACD but rather DSD converted to PCM - this is what you mean I assume ?

What would DSD look like (is it higher rate ?) and why can we not get the DSD via HDMI on this Oppo 970HD player ?

Thanks,
Nikonowski

- the AVR has a Signal Info section on it's GUI
- I don't recall the OPPO settings off hand, but it's in the manual
- as suggested by Neuromancer, make sure you have your OPPO set to "High Res" i.e. 720p or 1080i
- my AVR is capable of DSD decoding but the 970 does not send DSD, 970 decodes DSD and sends as PCM
- if you want DSD bitstreaming you will need a different player, whether their would be an audible difference I dunno
- DVD-A Multi-channel: I'm just reporting what my AVR is telling me. It may be that higher res audio (192) is only availible in 2-Ch and M-ch is limited to 96, but just guessing
- I have limited SACD and DVD-A experience, SACD via DSD may offer higher res audio, I dunno

So it is totally possible to send out 96KHz/192KHz signal from 970HD ? That's great to hear :) Do you know if I need to be concerned with other settings ( in case my DVD resolution is already at 720p or 1080i) Do I need to have HDMI audio disabled or enabled ? What settings do I use for "Digital Out" - is it RAW or PCM and if the latter do I select 96 kHz or 192 kHz as my setting ?

If you are using HDMI for audio, all you need to do is set the HDMI to Auto (Audio Setup) and use an upscaled resolution. The LPCM rate will be grayed out, as this setting is auto negotiated with your receiver.

Currently I also have Coaxial SPIDIF cable going into Denon Reciever.

If you are using coaxial, you will have to turn HDMI to Off and change the LPCM rate to 192KHz. Note that you will only get 2.0 Stereo from a DVD-Audio source, and you will not be able to pass SACD at all.

And lastly, is the 88.2 kHz the highest I can get from SACD ?

Yes, as this the optimal sampling rate for DSD to PCM.

If you are using HDMI for audio, all you need to do is set the HDMI to Auto (Audio Setup) and use an upscaled resolution. The LPCM rate will be grayed out, as this setting is auto negotiated with your receiver.



If you are using coaxial, you will have to turn HDMI to Off and change the LPCM rate to 192KHz. Note that you will only get 2.0 Stereo from a DVD-Audio source, and you will not be able to pass SACD at all.



Yes, as this the optimal sampling rate for DSD to PCM.


Neuromancer,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions so promptly - much appreciated!

I think that there is something wrong with my unit potentially as I did try LPCM rate at 96 and 192 kHz already and that did not seem work with coaxial output. It still would show 48 kHz when playing 96/24 material. Do I need to have 720p or 1080i enabled as well when using coaxial and LPCM ?

The funny thing is that I ultimatelly want to use only HDMI as it is very convienient to have on cable that does all: video and audio as well as playing DVD-A and SACD along with bass management. However, HDMI did not work as well but as I said before, I still need to make sure that 720p or 1080i is selected ( I am not at my unit currently) So I am hoping that this problem is that simple :)

What firmware version should I be running ?

Thanks,
Nikonowski

The LPCM rate for coaxial and optical are tied to the HDMI output resolution on the DV-970HD. The resolution has to be set to 720p or higher.

You should be running the 4A-0209 Beta Firmware.

The LPCM rate for coaxial and optical are tied to the HDMI output resolution on the DV-970HD. The resolution has to be set to 720p or higher.

You should be running the 4A-0209 Beta Firmware.

OK - I need to upgrade then. Is it safe to use Beta release though ???

OPPO would not make the firmware available if they thought it was not safe.

OPPO would not make the firmware available if they thought it was not safe.

Neuromancer,

Just wanted to let you know that everything works now :) Thanks for your suggestions! I am able to output 96/24 from my Oppo via HDMI as soon as I changed to 720p :) Also I was able to successfully upgrade to the beta firmware.

Once again, thanks!

Nikonowski

P.S. Do you know of any good 5.1 192 Khz /24 bit DVD-A material on the market. Does it even exist ? I heard that DVD-A 192/24 is limited to 2 stereo channels only - is that true ?

Sorry, I do not really listen to DVD-Audio and SACD, so I do not have any suggestions.

Try the dedicated Multi-Channel Surround Audio (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=112) section of AVS.

Neuromancer,

Just wanted to let you know that everything works now :) Thanks for your suggestions! I am able to output 96/24 from my Oppo via HDMI as soon as I changed to 720p :) Also I was able to successfully upgrade to the beta firmware.

Once again, thanks!

Nikonowski

P.S. Do you know of any good 5.1 192 Khz /24 bit DVD-A material on the market. Does it even exist ? I heard that DVD-A 192/24 is limited to 2 stereo channels only - is that true ?

Glad you got it worked out. :) Like most things in life it's the simplest of fixes that we have overlooked.

If/when you find the answer to Hi Res Audio over M-ch please do share your findings so others can benefit from your search.

I *think* I remember reading somewhere that Hi Res Audio (SACD and DVD-A) were limited to 96 for M-ch and 192 was only capable of 2-ch, but I am not certain about this. 96 may well be the limit for all M-ch sources, I dunno.

Can you please tell me what is definition of "bass management" ? Is it something that player or receiver has to have or is it simply ability to do your own adjustment to bass. Pardon my ignorance, I am just learning about this :)

Does Oppo 970HD offer any bass management and if so how does it do it ? I have it hooked up via HDMI to my Denon AVR-988 receiver - does this mean that when I send DVD-A or SACD sound , bass managemnt is applied automatically by Oppo or by my reciever ?

Also, what's the significance of speakers sizes setup in Oppo menu - should I use large or small speakers ?

Thanks,
Nikonowsk1

If the speakers are set to Small, then all bass which is 80Hz or below is sent to the Subwoofer.

If the speakers are set to Large, then only LFE is sent to the speakers.

So you set your settings depending on your speakers being full range, or if you want your receiver to do all the bass management (in both cases, speakers are set to Large).

Can you please tell me what is definition of "bass management" ? Is it something that player or receiver has to have or is it simply ability to do your own adjustment to bass. Pardon my ignorance, I am just learning about this :)

Does Oppo 970HD offer any bass management and if so how does it do it ? I have it hooked up via HDMI to my Denon AVR-988 receiver - does this mean that when I send DVD-A or SACD sound , bass managemnt is applied automatically by Oppo or by my reciever ?

Also, what's the significance of speakers sizes setup in Oppo menu - should I use large or small speakers ?

Thanks,
Nikonowsk1

If your AVR has base management it's usually best to let it handle such tasks. I don't think the OPPO does base management via HDMI anyway, does it? :confused:

As suggested, set your speakers in OPPO to Large, let your AVR handle base, set your proper cross-over & speaker size within your AVR.

If your AVR has base management it's usually best to let it handle such tasks. I don't think the OPPO does base management via HDMI anyway, does it? :confused:

As suggested, set your speakers in OPPO to Large, let your AVR handle base, set your proper cross-over & speaker size within your AVR.

Thanks Toby10,

So if I understand this correctly, bass (or base ) management is something that happens automatically at the AV receiver level - correct ? This means that I don't have to do anything, receiver handles it on its own as long as I select the size of the speakers in the speaker setup menu ?

Now, on my sub woofer there are 2 knobs: volume and high cut. High cut knob has a scale between 40-140 Hz . Should I set this to the middle ~ 80Hz - any suggestions, I have no idea how to set the sub :)

Thanks,
Nikonowski

Most AVRs will not do bass management for the multichannel analog input so if you are using these on the Oppo for SACD or DVD Audio playback you will be applying bass management in the Oppo 970 for this purpose.

Most AVRs will not do bass management for the multichannel analog input so if you are using these on the Oppo for SACD or DVD Audio playback you will be applying bass management in the Oppo 970 for this purpose.

Thanks Digiti,

I am using HDMI (digital) connection from my Oppo for all the outputs: DVD-A, SACD, DVDs, CDs etc... So is it safe to assume that my receiver (which is Denon AVR-988) will indeed do bass management on its own automatically based on the received signal ? Does this mean also that settings in the Oppo Speaker Setup Page don't really matter - or do they ? I am still a bit confused by the small vs. large speakers setup :confused:

I am after the automatic proper bass management as it was intended by sound engineers and/or artist on each source.

Is that a safe assumption that " Most AVRs will not do bass management for the multichannel analog input" ? If so, I am just curious how folks that use multichannel analog input do apply bass management - it is not automatic , is it ?

Thanks,
Nikonowski

...Now, on my sub woofer there are 2 knobs: volume and high cut. High cut knob has a scale between 40-140 Hz ....
Turn the cut knob up to full, or to that 140Hz setting. You really need to use a sound level meter and a calibration disc to get things setup correctly with the proper balance between all channels. You're going to set the balance of the speakers with the 970 for the audio of the high res discs, reading that level meter to match them.

Thanks Digiti,

I am using HDMI (digital) connection from my Oppo for all the outputs: DVD-A, SACD, DVDs, CDs etc... So is it safe to assume that my receiver (which is Denon AVR-988) will indeed do bass management on its own automatically based on the received signal ? Does this mean also that settings in the Oppo Speaker Setup Page don't really matter - or do they ? I am still a bit confused by the small vs. large speakers setup :confused:

I am after the automatic proper bass management as it was intended by sound engineers and/or artist on each source.

Is that a safe assumption that " Most AVRs will not do bass management for the multichannel analog input" ? If so, I am just curious how folks that use multichannel analog input do apply bass management - it is not automatic , is it ?

Thanks,
Nikonowski
Your AVR will do base management if your AVR has it and if you set it up (LFE, cross-over, speaker size, etc...).

Your AVR will do base management if your AVR has it and if you set it up (LFE, cross-over, speaker size, etc...).

Toby10,

I have a few questions about bass management on my particular AVR?

First of all, what kind of setting should I be using on Denon for proper bass management. Should I direct all the bass to all the speakers or to sub? I am not sure what's the preferred recommended method as I am a bit new to all this All of my audio connections into the Denon are via HDMI ( BD, SACD, DVD-A, DVD, CD etc...) Can someone let me know what settings would be the most logical for my equipment (of course getting the greatest sound reproduction is my goal)

I have 7.1 surround system that consists of the following speakers:

2 mains are Paradigm Phantom v.2
2 surround left/right are YAMAHA Speakers 2X Model NS-E55
1 Center Surround is 1X NS-C55
2 back surround speakers are Paradigm Cinema 30 v.3
Subwoofer is Yamaha YST-SW160

My Denon setup currently is as follows :

Speaker Config:
Front Speakers:LARGE;
Centre Speaker:LARGE;
Surround Speakers:SMALL
Surround Speakers Back: 2 speakers SMALL
Subwoofer setup: YES and LFE is set to: LFE+Main

Crossover Frequencies are set to ADVANCED and as follows:

Front Speakers:LARGE @ 40Hz
Centre Speaker:SMALL @ 120 Hz
Surround Speakers:SMALL @ 200 Hz
Surround Speakers Back: 2 speakers SMALL @ 150 Hz
LFE @ 80 Hz
Subwoofer setup: YES and LFE is set to: LFE+Main

I really would appreciate any feedback that would improve my sound experience. Also, there are some settings (knobs) on my subwoofer i.e. high cut and volume - how do I set these up ? And how all of this relate to settings on Oppo Speaker Setup page ?

This is a bit overwhelming for me so I appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks in advance,
Nikonowski

- your settings for cross-overs and speaker size look accurate, but noone can know every speaker. If full range speakers they are LARGE. If sub/sat system they are SMALL.

- if using HDMI from OPPO just set OPPO speakers to LARGE, your AVR will be doing all BM.

- As Jim Nef said, if your AVR is doing BM then turn your sub's cut off to FULL, volume and phase will have to be adjusted as needed.

- you have a mixed bag of speakers (manufacturers, types, etc..) so this does add some complexity to BM. Doable for sure, just a bit more complex.

- try different placements in your room for the sub to find the best balanced/blended sound. Optimal placement & settings should make the sub's output *invisible*, i.e. non-directional, you cannot hear "where" the bass is coming from.

But it looks like you have that all pretty well handled. :)

- your settings for cross-overs and speaker size look accurate, but noone can know every speaker. If full range speakers they are LARGE. If sub/sat system they are SMALL.

Full range means relatively nondistorting down to 30 Hz and maybe even below. Few 'full range' speakers are really ' full range' by that criterion.

I suggest setting the Oppo to all large, subwoofer on, and set the Denon to all small, subwoofer on. Set the subwoofer's own crossover as high as it will go (or off). The Denon will do all the bass management properly from there on (assuming it doesn't have the LPCM bug, in which case the sub output in the Oppo will have to be boosted +10dB for multichannel LPCM sources). Use the Audyssey software to set levels, distances and room EQ.

Full range means relatively nondistorting down to 30 Hz and maybe even below. Few 'full range' speakers are really ' full range' by that criterion.

I suggest setting the Oppo to all large, subwoofer on, and set the Denon to all small, subwoofer on. Set the subwoofer's own crossover as high as it will go (or off). The Denon will do all the bass management properly from there on (assuming it doesn't have the LPCM bug, in which case the sub output in the Oppo will have to be boosted +10dB for multichannel LPCM sources). Use the Audyssey software to set levels, distances and room EQ.

Thanks krabapple,

You seem to know much more than I about this :)

A few questions and clarifications:

- In where would I set the subwoofer's own crossover as high as it will go (or off), on a Denon or Oppo ?

- What is LPCM bug ? How d I tell that I have it ?

- also I have Samsung 1400 for my Blu Rays, how do I set it up as far as speakers are concerned - I am using it via HDMI with bitstream and not LPCM ?
- When you say " Use the Audyssey software to set levels, distances and room EQ" is that the thing that you do at the very beginning - i.e. I took measurements from 8 different positions with a mic attached to the Denon and it calculated all different speakers distances and Hz levels ( look at my previous post as they all there) I am not sure how to do room EQ as I never touched it , I would like to leave it as pure (as sound engeeneer and/or artist intended) as possible ? Is that OK or should I do some adjustments ?


I really appreciate this as I am learning a lot here.

Thanks,
Nikonowski


-

Thanks krabapple,

You seem to know much more than I about this :)

A few questions and clarifications:

- In where would I set the subwoofer's own crossover as high as it will go (or off), on a Denon or Oppo ?

- What is LPCM bug ? How d I tell that I have it ?

- also I have Samsung 1400 for my Blu Rays, how do I set it up as far as speakers are concerned - I am using it via HDMI with bitstream and not LPCM ?
- When you say " Use the Audyssey software to set levels, distances and room EQ" is that the thing that you do at the very beginning - i.e. I took measurements from 8 different positions with a mic attached to the Denon and it calculated all different speakers distances and Hz levels ( look at my previous post as they all there) I am not sure how to do room EQ as I never touched it , I would like to leave it as pure (as sound engeeneer and/or artist intended) as possible ? Is that OK or should I do some adjustments ?


I really appreciate this as I am learning a lot here.

Thanks,
Nikonowski


-

Beyond OPPO settings & questions, BM & AVR settings should really be directed to their apropriate forums. It's a little too involved to get into here. :D

- yes, as has been suggested, sub cross-over to MAX as your AVR will determine what freq's are sent to your sub, this is one of the main factors of BM.

- LPCM bug: check the Denon forums, it's an issue where Multi-channel audio is "lacking" a sub boost of +10db, Denon forum will let you know if you have the bug and how to correct it. This is a very common bug amoung many manufacturers.

- ask in Samsung 1400 forums

- yes, Audyssey is the auto speaker config with the mic. Though these auto speaker configs are known to be a bit *glichy* and usually further adjustments are needed. Again, check Denon forums.

Neuromancer,

Just wanted to let you know that everything works now :) Thanks for your suggestions! I am able to output 96/24 from my Oppo via HDMI as soon as I changed to 720p :) Also I was able to successfully upgrade to the beta firmware.

Once again, thanks!

Nikonowski

P.S. Do you know of any good 5.1 192 Khz /24 bit DVD-A material on the market. Does it even exist ? I heard that DVD-A 192/24 is limited to 2 stereo channels only - is that true ?

This thread seems to cover the SACD & DVD-A output questions:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=799651

Summary:
DVD-A
Multi-channel limit is 96/24

SACD
Multi-channel (common) limit is 88.2/24
2-ch can be 176.4/24

HD-Audio
Multi-channel can be 192/24 (theoretical)

The 96 & 88.2 seem to be the "real world" limits of Multi-channel audio at this point. The higher res' like 192 & 176.4 Multi-channel are more "theoretical" as there exist few (if any) sources, players, decoders or AVR's that can currently handle the higher res Multi-channel.

That forum seems to suggest that the PS3 can output SACD @ 176.4 Multi-channel, but then does your source material and your AVR support this? :eek:

Thanks krabapple,

You seem to know much more than I about this :)

A few questions and clarifications:

- In where would I set the subwoofer's own crossover as high as it will go (or off), on a Denon or Oppo ?

On the subwoofer itself. Usually there is a dial or switch for that, on the back of the subwoofer.


- What is LPCM bug ? How d I tell that I have it ?

I shoudl have called it the 'LFE bug', though it does only affect LPCM sources.

If your Denon is late-model (as in a year or so) then I would*guess* it doesn't suffer from this. But if you're interested , there's a whole thread about it. The first post summarizes the problem.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=748147

It only affects multichannel DVD-Audio, or the modern lossless formats (Dolby TrueHD, and DTS MAster Audio). Possibly affects some SACD. It doesn't affect regular Dolby or DTS codecs, or any stereo source.


- also I have Samsung 1400 for my Blu Rays, how do I set it up as far as speakers are concerned - I am using it via HDMI with bitstream and not LPCM ?

I would guess: same as the Oppo. Everything large, sub on, let the Denon do the work. But bhest to ask someone who has BluRay player.


- When you say " Use the Audyssey software to set levels, distances and room EQ" is that the thing that you do at the very beginning - i.e. I took measurements from 8 different positions with a mic attached to the Denon and it calculated all different speakers distances and Hz levels ( look at my previous post as they all there)

Well, speaker distances should be different. And you can override the speaker size settings. Audyssey setup can be tricky, see below.


I am not sure how to do room EQ as I never touched it , I would like to leave it as pure (as sound engeeneer and/or artist intended) as possible ? Is that OK or should I do some adjustments ?

You aren't hearing it as the engineer intended, because your room and speakers are inevitably coloring the sound. The Audyssey software attempts to correct this. Whethery you like the result is subjective. Also, it has to be done carefully -- there is a whole AVSfthread thread where the Audyssey chief technology officer participates (under the name "audyssey"), with tips on getting best results.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=795421

Just a quick comment on the company. I've been trying to get a 970 for months, kept getting outbid on eBay. Finally grabbed one last week for $89, no remote, no cables. I contacted Oppo inquiring about the cost of a new remote, and they sent me one! No charge! No questions asked.

My HDTV is older without HDMI, so I'm locked in component mode. My Panny 10a won't upconvert over component so I was looking for something that would. After reading up on this unit I think it will be a great addition to my system.

It's service like that that grabs me and make me a loyal customer. I'm really looking forward to getting my machine, since I have the remote already. If I'm looking for a second Blu ray player Oppo will be at the top of my list.

I have tried your recommendations and I will see over the weekend how this will sound. I will try movies (DB and DVD) and as well CDs , SACDs and DVD -As. I will report my findings next week. For everybody benefit these are my settings right no (after the change):

I have 7.1 surround system that consists of the following speakers:

2 mains are Paradigm Phantom v.2
2 surround left/right are YAMAHA Speakers 2X Model NS-E55
1 Center Surround is 1X NS-C55
2 back surround speakers are Paradigm Cinema 30 v.3
Subwoofer is Yamaha YST-SW160

My Denon 988 setup currently is as follows (this is after running the initial mic calibration in 8 spots in my room):

Speaker Config:

Front Speakers:SMALL
Centre Speaker:SMALL
Surround Speakers:SMALL
Surround Speakers Back: 2 speakers SMALL
Subwoofer setup: YES and LFE is set to: LFE only

Crossover Frequencies for the above are set to ADVANCED and as follows:

Front Speakers:SMALL @ 60Hz
Centre Speaker:SMALL @ 60Hz
Surround Speakers:SMALL @ 60Hz
Surround Speakers Back: 2 speakers SMALL @ 60Hz
Subwoofer speaker (LFE) @ 100 Hz
Subwoofer setup: YES and LFE is set to: LFE only


Note: My subwoofer High-Cut physical knob is turned all the way up @ 140 Hz setting and the volume knob on the sub woofer is at 2 o'clock. By the way how much volume I should be setting on my subwoofer ???

All my DVD players and BD players are hooked up to my my Denon AVR-988 via HDMI and they all have speakers set to LARGE in their respective menus.

Dave, what kind of sound experience I should be expecting? Perhaps there is a BD or DVD or music reference that you are familiar with and can suggest for me to test to confirm that I indeed am getting the sound experience that I should. If such reference material exists, I need to know what to look for.


Can anyone comment on how this setups looks to you and if there is anything else I should be concerned about? Perhaps you have concerns or other settings suggestions that you wish to share with me and all of us on this forum ???

Thanks very much to Dave and everybody else contributing! Great work everybody

Ciao,
Nikonowski

.........Note: My subwoofer High-Cut physical knob is turned all the way up @ 140 Hz setting and the volume knob on the sub woofer is at 2 o'clock. By the way how much volume I should be setting on my subwoofer ???......
.....Dave, what kind of sound experience I should be expecting? Perhaps there is a BD or DVD or music reference that you are familiar with and can suggest for me to test to confirm that I indeed am getting the sound experience that I should. If such reference material exists, I need to know what to look for.........

- If using BM leave the sub cross-over at it's highest point, no need to ever touch it again. ;)
- You will have to play with sub volume yourself as each system & room acoustics can vary widely. You may even need to adjust sub volume per input source and/or device, it all depends.
- Reference Source: I'd suggest you play an audio source (like a CD) that *YOU* are very familiar with and adjust accordingly. The next level would be an audio/video calibration DVD.

What am I doing wrong? I can't get the subwoofer to do anything for a DVD-Audio. I tried all speakers large + "subwoofer on" in the Oppo, as well as all small + "subwoofer" on in the Oppo, and the subwoofer still doesn't get anything.

The receiver is a Marantz SR7001, connected to the Oppo via HDMI.

OK, I got it working now. Changed the Oppo to all large, subwoofer off, and it locked up on me. But after pulling the plug and rebooting, the bass started going to the subwoofer.

Just a quick comment on the company. I've been trying to get a 970 for months, kept getting outbid on eBay. Finally grabbed one last week for $89, no remote, no cables. I contacted Oppo inquiring about the cost of a new remote, and they sent me one! No charge! No questions asked.

My HDTV is older without HDMI, so I'm locked in component mode. My Panny 10a won't upconvert over component so I was looking for something that would. After reading up on this unit I think it will be a great addition to my system.

It's service like that that grabs me and make me a loyal customer. I'm really looking forward to getting my machine, since I have the remote already. If I'm looking for a second Blu ray player Oppo will be at the top of my list.


If your TV has DVI use a HDMI to DVI cable. If you are using or are locked into component do a search on this forum for a hacked firmware that allows upconverting over component.

If you are using or are locked into component do a search on this forum for a hacked firmware that allows upconverting over component.
In my .sig..

If your TV has DVI use a HDMI to DVI cable. If you are using or are locked into component do a search on this forum for a hacked firmware that allows upconverting over component.


Hey, that's that only reason I bought one! :D

I ran a side by side test of the Oppo at 1080i and my Panny BDP10a Blu player playing the same content at 1080i and the upconverted Oppo was noticeably better than the Panny's output at 1080i. Of course the Panny only outputs 480p on protected content.

I have finally figured out how to easily make .srt files display properly on the Oppo DV-970HD. I was originally trying to find a way to convert .srt files into .idx/.sub files since the player displays VobSub files properly, but this turned out to be super-complicated. Instead I have found a much better and very simple method.

Get Subtitle Processor 7.7.1 (or later) from videohelp, or you can google for "Subtitle Processor".

Open the .srt file in question with Subtitle Processor (dragging the file onto a shortcut of the exectuable works fine).

You'll see a whole bunch of complicated stuff but you can ignore most of it. Look at the bottom part of the window titled "Editor functions". Click the "Reformat lines" tab.

Click the radio button titled "Character count", and change the text box below it from 40 to 33. Put a checkmark in the checkbox for "Split subtitles with more lines than".

Click the Reformat button.

Save the subtitle. The easy way is to click the floppy disk icon on the top of the window, but be warned that this overwrites the original file, so work on backup files only.

Your .srt file should now display correctly on the Oppo 970 without dropping any text!

The deal here is that the Oppo 970 won't safely display .srt files with lines more than 33 characters long. With some experimentation I found several .srt files that would still drop text if you formatted to as little as 35 characters per line. There might still be a possibility of dropped text at 33, but probably only if the line is all capital W's or all numbers or something silly like that.

I hope this helps others who are irritated by this very annoying flaw in an otherwise excellent player.

Paring down my system to a Samsung BD-UP5000(reon HQV) and a OPPO DV-980.

I've put my 983 and 970 in the classifieds for sale.....

Paring down my system to a Samsung BD-UP5000(reon HQV) and a OPPO DV-980.

I've put my 983 and 970 in the classifieds for sale.....

I compared my 970 and the upconversion of the PS3 and couldn't tell the difference, so I sold the 970 for $113 on eBay. :)

If I had PAL or non-region 1 DVDs, I probably would've kept it.

I've got a slightly annoying problem, and hopefully someone here can chime in with a suggestion:

Recently I've downloaded a number of DVD-A iso images and/or M-CH High-res tracks that I've converted to an iso and then burned to disk. NIN, Diatonis, for example. These DVD-R disks are not playing so well in my Oppo 970 - after the first track or two they start to skip/pause/get confused.

The disks work fine in my older Pioneer DV-563A (I think that is the model). So I'm not getting "bad" burns. But maybe I'm not getting ideal burns?

I've tried running a laser-cleaning disk through the player - no improvement. The player behaves very similarly to what happens when it gets too hot (from sitting on top of a hot receiver, for example - that happened a couple times until I moved the Oppo to the other side of the AV cabinet).

I do not notice any problems with pressed disks of any type, just DVD-Rs. (I can't think of any CD-Rs I would have burned recently - need to dig some out I guess).

The DVD-Rs are of the Hyundai brand, if that triggers anything for anyone. I tried a slow burn (1x speed) and still had the issue.

Anyway, I suppose I could ship it off to Oppo, but this involves such few disks I would rather try to understand whether I should try different media, or whether there is a simple way to disassemble the player and look for obvious dust collections, etc.

I did search this thread and others, but obviously "burn" and "DVD" pull up a bajillion unrelated posts. And the search engine always parses "DVD-A" into just "DVD".

Any suggestions are welcome,

shinksma

Try DVD+R/RW/DL media instead of DVD-R. DVD+R is more compatible with the DV-970HD.

Also, what burning program are you using?

Can you playback the DVD-Video portion on the disc without issues?

Try DVD+R/RW/DL media instead of DVD-R. DVD+R is more compatible with the DV-970HD.

Also, what burning program are you using?

Can you playback the DVD-Video portion on the disc without issues?

OK, I'll try a DVD+R after I get some blank media (all I have handy is DVD-R and CD-R).

I use imgburn to burn my iso files.

Pretty well everything I've burned has been DVD-A only - I might have one that has a DVD-V portion. I'll see if that works this weekend.

Thanks for the tips!

shinksma

Try using DVD Decrypter instead of ImageBurn to see if the quality of the burn helps the DV-970HD read your discs.

Probably my last post here but just wanted to say that I'm so pleased with this unit that I'm buying the 980H. I've upgraded the software a couple of times w/o incident. Occasionally, I get a clicking sound that can only be stopped by unplugging and replugging. This is most likely to happen when my wife lives the unit on for many days.

I've been following this thread from the very beginning, and I am glad that there are still posts being made.

What I am about to ask about, might have been covered before, but since I was not addressing this issue then, I might have glossed over it.

I have loaded digital photos from my Nikon DX40 onto my mac (iphoto) and then burned the shots to a cd. Each of the photos is about 2.3-->3 megapixals in size.

When I put the cd into the Oppo to see the slides on a 50'' panny, the resolution did not look very good. If I saw it correctly, it read something like 200x300 --but I am not sure.

The question(s) is, can I improve the visual resolution that is showing up on the plasma? If so, How? What settings should be used--either on the remote or through the on-screen menu.


With the quality/MP size of the image it should be decent. Or does it degrade because of the screen size?

Also, the zoom capabilities via the remote seem to be disabled.

If this is the case, how then do you get good images onto the plasma via the Oppo?

Thanks,
..Mark

If this is the case, how then do you get good images onto the plasma via the Oppo?


Large images are scaled to SD resolution: 720x480 max. Quality will suffer. I don't think there is anything you can do about it. The 980 and 983 lift this restriction.

-Bill

I've been following this thread from the very beginning, and I am glad that there are still posts being made.

What I am about to ask about, might have been covered before, but since I was not addressing this issue then, I might have glossed over it.

I have loaded digital photos from my Nikon DX40 onto my mac (iphoto) and then burned the shots to a cd. Each of the photos is about 2.3-->3 megapixals in size.

When I put the cd into the Oppo to see the slides on a 50'' panny, the resolution did not look very good. If I saw it correctly, it read something like 200x300 --but I am not sure.

The question(s) is, can I improve the visual resolution that is showing up on the plasma? If so, How? What settings should be used--either on the remote or through the on-screen menu.


With the quality/MP size of the image it should be decent. Or does it degrade because of the screen size?

Also, the zoom capabilities via the remote seem to be disabled.

If this is the case, how then do you get good images onto the plasma via the Oppo?

Thanks,
..Mark

Our photos look incredible on our 42" plasma via OPPO 970 USB port. Our two digital cameras are 2.0 and 7.1 megapixal respectively. Two things we do that may or may not be the cause of your issues:
- always take the pics on the highest resolution possible
- let the OPPO 970 fit the size on the screen (i.e. we don't try to "fill" the entire screen with the digital image)

Then again maybe these things mean nothing and our eyes are just not as good as yours. :cool:

Just a thought. :)

Try using DVD Decrypter instead of ImageBurn to see if the quality of the burn helps the DV-970HD read your discs.

Just to follow-up with this issue: I burned with DVD Decrypter onto DVD+R media, and everything is just fine now when playing on the Oppo. Dunno if it was just a random confluence of circumstances, or if the player just happens to be less grumpy right now and it will choke tomorrow on the same disk, but I'll take it.

Next time I try DVD+R and my regular ISO-burning software, and then maybe flip it around (DVD-R with DVD Decrypter). The joys of permutations and combinations.

Curiouser and curiouser...

shinksma

I would recommend using DVD+R media exclusively. DVD-R can be very hit or miss on the OPPO players.

I would recommend using DVD+R media exclusively. DVD-R can be very hit or miss on the OPPO players.

Does that apply for movies?

My neighbor has never had any problems making movie achive backups with single sided DVD-R media (so far) on her 970 with the latest non-beta FW. She's used single sided DVD+R and DVD-R with no appreciable differences. She rips, strips, and compresses (from dual-sided to single-side) and then burns with Nero 6 or 7. She's tried all the different rippers and strippers out there including DVD Decrypter and DVDFab with no problems on her Oppo 970.

I have seen people report no problems with DVD-R media, some people who have occasional errors, and some people who can't even get the player to recognize them at all.

As a general rule I would recommend the DVD+R/RW/DL media types.

Does that apply for movies?

My neighbor has never had any problems making movie achive backups with single sided DVD-R media (so far) on her 970 with the latest non-beta FW. She's used single sided DVD+R and DVD-R with no appreciable differences. She rips, strips, and compresses (from dual-sided to single-side) and then burns with Nero 6 or 7. She's tried all the different rippers and strippers out there including DVD Decrypter and DVDFab with no problems on her Oppo 970.

I've had good luck with -R media with various Oppo players; I did have one batch that wouldn't even load.

But I switched to +R after reading this article: http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media/

-Bill

A little snag in the rug... Occasionally (like once a month), the Oppo displays a pink screen when turned on instead of the normal blue-ish background. It then goes on to playback the DVD with the same pinkish tint. Turning it and the TV off for a couple minutes resolves the issue, though. My thought is the laser is having trouble, but everything is fine otherwise. Any thought?

more like a flakey connection inside between boards ;)... NOT the laser :D

A little snag in the rug... Occasionally (like once a month), the Oppo displays a pink screen when turned on instead of the normal blue-ish background. It then goes on to playback the DVD with the same pinkish tint. Turning it and the TV off for a couple minutes resolves the issue, though. My thought is the laser is having trouble, but everything is fine otherwise. Any thought?

Try hitting the info, setup or display buttons, or changing the display resolution.

If there is an option on that model to reset to factory defaults, that would be a good thing to do as well.

Occasionally (like once a month), the Oppo displays a pink screen when turned on instead of the normal blue-ish background. It then goes on to playback the DVD with the same pinkish tint. Turning it and the TV off for a couple minutes resolves the issue, though. Reseat your cable connections first, and make sure there is no strain on the cable or connectors, such as a 90 degree bend against the back wall.

It could also be an HDMI handshaking issue. Its usually best to turn on the TV first, then the player. If it still occurs, see if it goes away when you change the TV's input away from the player, then back again.

Gary

where can I find the latest firmware update for the 970? There is nothing on the oppo website, at least I can't find it. Thanks in advance, pete

Here you go! (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd_support.html)

Gonk,
Thank you very much for your speedy response. I knew I could count on you. I see that I'll have to use a CD since the instructions don't include upgrade from usb, like my 980H. Rats, one more step. The 980h upgrade I did last night was super easy with usb. Thanks, Pete

The DV-970HD was never designed to use the USB/Memory Card interface for firmware upgrades. The DV-980H, and all other USB models, were designed with this functionality in mind.

Gotcha, Thanks

Try hitting the info, setup or display buttons, or changing the display resolution.

If there is an option on that model to reset to factory defaults, that would be a good thing to do as well.

Changing to another input and back again worked fine. The pink coloring happened after going from 1080i to 480i since that was the only different setting. If it continues without having gone to alternate resolutions, I'll keep in mind factory defaults. The cable is still good and I've re-seated the connectors.

Thanks

Changing to another input and back again worked fine. The pink coloring happened after going from 1080i to 480i since that was the only different setting. If it continues without having gone to alternate resolutions, I'll keep in mind factory defaults. The cable is still good and I've re-seated the connectors.

Thanks
Which means it's a simple color space error. Can come from either end of the HDMI chain, but usually the player. 480i over HDMI can be problematic, it's usually best to make that switch with no disc in the drive.

Same thing happens to me. I have the 981HD. If I turn the DVD power off/on- that usually corrects it.

New problem: The picture is now a little too big for my 50" inch plasma- it cuts off on all sides a little. Additionally, the motor is very noisy lately. The product is only 2 years old. What's Oppo's reputation for build quality. It defintely has the best picture for the money- as far as I've seen.

Cycle through your HDMI resolutions. You may be having ovserscan errors on some resolutions but not others. This is due to the processing limitations of your display, not the DVD player.

Ensure that the TV type has been set to 16:9/Auto and not one of the 4:3 modes under General Setup.

Sorry to interupt, but maybe someone here can help.

I have downloaded the photos from my camera into the Oppo-970HD via the USB.

The display on my XBR shows all of the 10 folders that I have divided my photos into.

When I select one folder, a slide show begins. The show continues until the last photo from the folder is displayed. The, the show stops.

But,

What I need is to somehow get back to the display of all my photo folders that the Oppo displayed for we when I started. In this way I can select another folder, and view another slide show.

How do I get back to the "main menu" or the display which allows me to see all my folders when a showing of any one of the folders has completed?

Thanks...

I am stuck, and I am sure there is a simple button to press, but I can not find it.

Lenore

Try the MENU button - that should take you back to the disc navigation menu.

Also try the arrow buttons, particularly LEFT and UP. Top Menu may work too.
I think this is how I've gotten back to the photo folders on my OPPO.

If you are not brought back to the Explorer window, press Menu. Then press the Left Navigation key to go back a directory. You should not see all of your folders again.

I have had an Oppo DV-970HD for well over a year now, and I have been quite pleased with its performance when it comes to Region 1 NTSC DVDs.

However, I have been somewhat disappointed with playback when it comes to my Region 2 PAL DVDs, as the image often skips and “hiccups” as the movie plays. (I haven’t noticed any skips in audio playback.)

Is there any way to resolve this problem with this player, or alternatively, can someone recommend another Multi Region DVD player with better PAL-to-NTSC capabilities. (Though I would still want a player with upconversion, a zoom function for non-anamorphic DVDs, and automatic pillar-boxing of 4:3 content.)

I have had an Oppo DV-970HD for well over a year now, and I have been quite pleased with its performance when it comes to Region 1 NTSC DVDs.

However, I have been somewhat disappointed with playback when it comes to my Region 2 PAL DVDs, as the image often skips and “hiccups” as the movie plays. (I haven’t noticed any skips in audio playback.)

Is there any way to resolve this problem with this player, or alternatively, can someone recommend another Multi Region DVD player with better PAL-to-NTSC capabilities. (Though I would still want a player with upconversion, a zoom function for non-anamorphic DVDs, and automatic pillar-boxing of 4:3 content.)

I presume you have entered the advanced menu "hack" code to make your OPPO region free? Beyond that I have little experience with PAL discs. :(

Upconversion via component? For copy protected discs, this is that latest and probably last of it kind.

Upconversion via component?

No. HDMI.

I'm having trouble on my 970 with Xvid files. I've tried two different Xvid files that I downloaded from the net. One was 350 Mb and the other was 900 Mb. I converted the 350 Mb file to DVD format using Roxio and it played the entire video but the quality was much lower.

Both Xvid files played the first chapter and returned to the chapter menu. All other chapters appeared to be empty.

I have updated the player's firmware but it didn't help.

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

j-noloesfan--

Do you xvid files play on your computer without a hiccup?

Make sure that QPEL and GMC are not enabled for these XviD files. Ensure that the Index file is correct for the file, otherwise it will stop prematurely (a PC can compensate for a damage or missing Index; the DV-970HD can't).

With HDMI, you have lots of choices. I suggest you look at the reviews here to see what folks say regarding PAL to NTSC conversion. I have no experience with that. Of your other criterion, the automagic pillarboxing of 4:3 will be a discrimminator, as not many players do that. Zoom for nonanamorphics is common.
If you were happy with the 970, then look at the 980. See the master thread here and check the first post. They (Oppo) are still developing firmware for it. It's at the same price point, upconverts, has PAL-> NTSC, is motion adaptive and edge adaptive, so might be smoother compared to the 970.

jeff

Have any tweakers come up with suggested changes to the standard setting for the 970? I find the colors are a bit boosted with standard settings, and was wondering if anybody else found this and has come up with some favorite settings. There is the possibility that some of the enhanced brightness is a function of my receiver, but I do not need to tweak my Popcorn Hour or Scientific Atlanta 8300HD box.

Got a question on settings too. I just tweaked my good old RCA 38310 to eliminate overscan and adjust the overall settings after a few years. I used my trusty AVIA disk and I could not get the Hue and Sat set correctly. I popped the disk in my Panny Blu Ray and had no problem with the settings. The Oppo is hacked to output 1080i via component.

I'm wondering if there is a sub setting that might be throwing off the color settings. any suggestions?

I would not use component if at all possible. Component will push red on the DV-970HD. If you have to use component, try adjusting the HUE setting on the DVD player.

Don't have a choice, I had no other reason to buy the Oppo except for the1080i component. My Panny will upconvert over HDMI nicely but I have no HDMI connection.

Any tips on how to get the best color rendition over component?

Make sure that QPEL and GMC are not enabled for these XviD files. Ensure that the Index file is correct for the file, otherwise it will stop prematurely (a PC can compensate for a damage or missing Index; the DV-970HD can't).

Thanks for the replies Necro and Original. I haven't let the video stream run from beginning to end uninterrupted on my PC for either of the files. All I did was start it, watch a few minutes, and scrolled to the end to see if it was complete.

Is it possible to rebuild the index without converting it to a different format? I ran GSpot on it just to inspect it and didn't see anything I would call and error. I really want to get the XVid to work on my player though. I thought the quality was comparable to a standard DVD.

THanks again,
Jeff

Any tips on how to get the best color rendition over component?

I've always just used DVE and the individual controls for the red offsets on my projector/television to adjust the red color shift.

Is it possible to rebuild the index without converting it to a different format?

I would download the file again. If that fails, then you will pretty much need to re-encode it and see if the re-encode does not resolve your issue.

Also, try using CD or DVD media. USB/Memory Cards can be a little finicky.

I would not use component if at all possible. Component will push red on the DV-970HD. If you have to use component, try adjusting the HUE setting on the DVD player.

I'm not sure this is correct. Way back when I got my oppo 970, I verified that the player properly "twists" the colorspace so that my display is receiving 709 colorspace at 1080i over component

Then calibrate the display to the device, as per your usual procedure, leaving the player's settings at default I did mine using an X-rite DTP-94 and Calman software and have good results on a 1st gen Mits HD display. The primaries are close enough and there's no red push that I've ever measured (this model set doesn't have the (in)famous mits red-push).

The main issue with this player is the vertical squeeze. I never tried the beta firmware as the squeeze never bothered me.

The secrets article HERE (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/external/dvd-player-benchmark.html) says a bit about the component output: white level is perfect at 100IRE, no Y/C delay and no clipping of BTB or WTW.

jeff

I have never connected the DV-970HD using component to a display and have had quality picture after a basic calibration. I have always had to adjust the individual gains and offsets when using component.

I would download the file again. If that fails, then you will pretty much need to re-encode it and see if the re-encode does not resolve your issue.

Also, try using CD or DVD media. USB/Memory Cards can be a little finicky.

THanks again Neuro. Actually, I was using a DVD-R. Maybe I should try USB or CD-R?

Jeff

I have never connected the DV-970HD using component to a display and have had quality picture after a basic calibration. I have always had to adjust the individual gains and offsets when using component.

Fair enough as that's my experience also. Just wanted to make sure folks don't mis-interpret that there's something intrinsically wrong with using component outputs of the player and upconverting. The general advice that you calibrate your display to the player applies.

jeff

THanks again Neuro. Actually, I was using a DVD-R. Maybe I should try USB or CD-R?

Try a CD-R and see if it is better. Error Correction is different on a CD versus a DVD.

I've been using an Oppo DV-970HD for several years. It was connected to a Sony prepro via coaxial for audio and a Sony Projector via HDMI for video. I never had any problem with this set up.

About a month ago, I got an Integra DHC-9.9 prepro and use HDMI between the Oppo and the Integra and HDMI between the Integra and the projector. It worked fine for a couple of weeks. A few nights ago, while playing a DVD, the Oppo suddenly shut down about 20 minutes into a movie. Since then, I've tried four different HDMI cables between the Oppo and the DHC-9.9 (Monoprice, BetterCables, Monster Cable, and the cable that came with Oppo) With all of them, the Oppo could not go beyond 30 minutes before it shut down. The shut down also occurs when playing an SACD.

I also connected the Oppo to the projector directly, bypassing the Integra. Although this set-up had worked for years before I got the Integra, now it does not work and the unit shuts down after 30 minutes or so.

When I remove the HDMI connection between the Oppo and the Integra and use the S-video and optical connections, the movie plays to the end without incident if I do not turn on the projector. If I turn on the projector which is connected to the DHC-9.9 via HDMI, the Oppo shuts down again after a while. So it seems that as long as an HDMI is in the chain, malfunction of the Oppo occurs. Incidentally, the resolution of the Oppo is set at 720p. I had it at 480i for a while when I first got the DHC-9.9.

I'd appreciate if someone could help me solve this problem. It's especially strange that I could not even get it to work by connecting the Oppo to the projector directly. It had been working for years all the time before. Also why did my current set-up work for 2 weeks when I first got the Integra and not now?

Try replacing the HDMI cable between the Integra and the projector.

How are you connected for power? Try connecting the DV-970HD direct to your walled power outlet if at all possible.

I have been amazed by how many HDMI cables I have had go bad in the last year. I think they crimp pretty easily, and the connectors housing can go bad also.

Seems to be uncorrelated to advertised quality, vendor, or place of purchase. Cheap, expensive, they simply can go bad. I ended up ordering two sets from monoprice recently just to have one around the next time a cable goes bad (the other went to replace a cable that I think came from another well regarded vendor from AVS Forum, that shall remain forever nameless).

Calibrating the display to the 970 isn't really and option, since the Oppo is a third tier player. I use my HD TiVo and Panny Blu Ray much more then the 970 and I don
t have customizable settings on my display.

I guess I'll just eyeball the settings to those that look closest to what I think is right and call it good.

On a whole different topic, I rented an older DVD and popped it in the 970 and I got black bars on all 4 sides (forgot what that is called...)! It bothered me, I could use the zoom button but I shouldn't have to on a wide screen movie. I dropped the same disk into the Panny and it displayed full screen as it should, though only at 480. The Oppo is set to Auto, changing it to 16x9 did not have any effect. Movie states aspect ratio at 2.35:1

On a whole different topic, I rented an older DVD and popped it in the 970 and I got black bars on all 4 sides (forgot what that is called...)! It bothered me, I could use the zoom button but I shouldn't have to on a wide screen movie. I dropped the same disk into the Panny and it displayed full screen as it should, though only at 480. The Oppo is set to Auto, changing it to 16x9 did not have any effect. Movie states aspect ratio at 2.35:1

See: Anamorphic vs 4:3 letterboxed DVDs

-Bill

Try replacing the HDMI cable between the Integra and the projector.

How are you connected for power? Try connecting the DV-970HD direct to your walled power outlet if at all possible.

Thanks for your suggestions that helped me solved the problem.

I had been connecting the Oppo to a "regenerated AC outlet" of a PS Power Plant P500. I unplugged the Oppo from the P500 and plugged it directly to the wall AC outlet, and the problem was gone. I now connect the Oppo to the P500's "non-regenerated outlet" which is designed for power amps with high current and high wattage requirements. I played two complete DVD's without incident last night.

Changing the power source also helped me solve another shutdown problem. At the same time that my Oppo malfunctioned, my Sony DVD-recorder kept shutting down whenever I pressed the "Menu" button on the remote. Plugging the Sony directly into the wall AC outlet again solved the problem.

My heartfelt gratitude to you, Neuromancer, for helping me solve two problems that had plagued me for almost a week.

Might I suggest getting rid of the 'PS Power Plant'? If you've got *serious* electrical line issues in your house, there are more factually grounded -- and usually cheaper -- ways of dealing with them than the snake oil that company sells. (Do and advanced search 'power plant' , titles only, to read more about that.)

And if you do not have such issues, then there is no need for a 'power conditioner'.

When I play SACD's with the Oppo DV-970HD, I always get audio dropouts a few times in a disc. (There's silence for a few seconds before sound comes back again.) I’ve no problem with the Oppo playing DVD’s. The Oppo is connected to Integra DHC-9.9 with HDMI and the output from the player is PCM multichannel.

I'll appreciate any help to fix this problem. Thanks.

Try setting the player to 720p. Do you still get dropouts?

Have you tried an alternative HDMI cable to your Integra DHC-9.9?

If you disconnect the HDMI cable that goes between the Integra and your television, do you get dropouts?

Hi Neuromancer,

I’m now using a different HDMI cable and 720p. I also shut down the video in the Oppo while playing SACD’s. I have less drop-out now than before, although I still get it once in a while.

Thanks for the tip.

When I switched the Oppo 970 from a Sony 1080p to a Panny 1080 p plasma (using a new hdmi cord) connected directly to the Panny, it has a tendency to freeze and becomes unresponsive. Turning off the unit and turning it back on corrects the problem, and I can watch DVDs with no additional problems. Has anyone else experience this?

i have a strange problem with my oppo 970. everytime i play the dsotm dvd-a, it freezes at about the 10:55 mark (in the middle of "time). at this point, the player will not respond to any command on the remote or the player itself. i have to unplug the player. to keep the player from freezing, i have to either fast forward just before the the time or skip forward to this next song. and the weird thing about it is that this turned out to be a developing problem. this didn't happen until after several plays of the disc. and even then, it didn't happen everytime. but now it happens everytime and i have two copies of this disc and it happens on both discs. one more thing: i have ~40 sacd/dvd-a's and this doesn't happen on any other disc.

anyone heard of this issue?

The DVD-Audio Dark Side of the Moon was never officially released. What program did you use to burn this DVD-Audio and what DVD media did you use?

someone from this forum sent it to me

Have you tried making a backup of the disc to see if you can't create a more compatible disc?

Have you tried making a backup of the disc to see if you can't create a more compatible disc?

i did try. unsuccessfully. i'm not sure how to do it.

but the weird thing is that i have two copies (that i got from two different people on this forum) and both discs give me the same problem.

I think you can burn DVD-Audio discs using Nero or the equivalent. Unlike SACD discs, there is nothing particulary special about DVD-Audio except that the audio folder actually has something in it.

I would personally use DVD Decryptor. I have never been happy with the DVD backup performance of Nero or other burning roms.

Hi everyone !
A newbie to this site .As an owner to the oppo970 (around 2 years) I wondered if there exists any software upgrades for this "older unit " that might still be available and if so are they improvements to the unit and it's display ability or just fixes for those units that have caused trouble? My unit has been very dependable,but I only send out 480i out .My processor does the rest.
I would like the unit to be best it can be as far as signal .Any one know ? I have never downloaded any software for this unit.
Thanks Mikepebble

Hi everyone !
A newbie to this site .As an owner to the oppo970 (around 2 years) I wondered if there exists any software upgrades for this "older unit " that might still be available and if so are they improvements to the unit and it's display ability or just fixes for those units that have caused trouble? My unit has been very dependable,but I only send out 480i out .My processor does the rest.
I would like the unit to be best it can be as far as signal .Any one know ? I have never downloaded any software for this unit.
Thanks Mikepebble

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd_support.html

I've been running the "beta" firmware version for some time without any problems. It's a little disappointing that they left the final release at beta and never finished it up, but at least it is stable. At this point in time it seems unlikely that they will release anything further for the 970.

Beta firmware has gone through QA, but has not fully passed QA certification (required to be Official Firmware). This is as official as it will likely get.

Hi there. I've been using the Oppo 970HD DVD player for several years with an older Panny CRT. It's been great. This week I got a new Samsung LN46A650, 46" LCD with 1080p.

I was hoping for a big improvment, but I have to say I am pretty underwhelmed. The HDTV picture (via Comcast Motorola box) looks fantastic, but the DVD picture is much inferior. Just doesn't have that 3D feel. I've tried "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Ninth Gate" so far.

I know HDTV is native 1080i, but I thought the 970's upscaling would get close. I have tried with Oppo set to output 480i, 720p, and 1080i.

I posted in the LCD forum about this. They suggested that the 970 just isn't that hot with larger TVs. The Oppo site seems to concur. Is that pretty much the story? Should I start saving for the DV-981HD, to get the Faroudja chip? Thanks.

Hi there. I've been using the Oppo 970HD DVD player for several years with an older Panny CRT. It's been great. This week I got a new Samsung LN46A650, 46" LCD with 1080p.

I was hoping for a big improvment, but I have to say I am pretty underwhelmed. The HDTV picture (via Comcast Motorola box) looks fantastic, but the DVD picture is much inferior. Just doesn't have that 3D feel. I've tried "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Ninth Gate" so far.

I know HDTV is native 1080i, but I thought the 970's upscaling would get close. I have tried with Oppo set to output 480i, 720p, and 1080i.

I posted in the LCD forum about this. They suggested that the 970 just isn't that hot with larger TVs. The Oppo site seems to concur. Is that pretty much the story? Should I start saving for the DV-981HD, to get the Faroudja chip? Thanks.

No DVD player will get you into a new realm of video quality. You need high definition sources for that.

DVD has at most 720x480 pixels (NTSC) in the image; HD broadcasts will have 1280x720 or 1920x1080 (which is what Blu-ray uses).

-Bill

Hi there. I've been using the Oppo 970HD DVD player for several years with an older Panny CRT. It's been great. This week I got a new Samsung LN46A650, 46" LCD with 1080p.

I was hoping for a big improvment, but I have to say I am pretty underwhelmed. The HDTV picture (via Comcast Motorola box) looks fantastic, but the DVD picture is much inferior. Just doesn't have that 3D feel. I've tried "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Ninth Gate" so far.

I know HDTV is native 1080i, but I thought the 970's upscaling would get close. I have tried with Oppo set to output 480i, 720p, and 1080i.

I posted in the LCD forum about this. They suggested that the 970 just isn't that hot with larger TVs. The Oppo site seems to concur. Is that pretty much the story? Should I start saving for the DV-981HD, to get the Faroudja chip? Thanks.

Your new TV probably has better upscaling abilities than the 970. As wmcclain has suggested, no upscaled video image is going to be truly "HD like".
If it were as simple as upscaling 480i video than HD-DVD and Blu-ray would be pointless on the video side. ;)

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the input!

Sorry if this has been covered, but my 970Hd, which I've had for a few years is totally un-responsive. When I plug it in, all that happens is the little red light flashes on and off (won't power on). This happened a while back, and then all of a sudden it started working again, but now its back to not working. Is this a common problem with an easy fix, or am I going to be forced to find a replacement for the Oppo?

...anyone heard of this issue?
Larry Chiu sent me a copy of this, and it wouldn't play for me. I took that copy into my computer, and then burned the contents at a slow speed on good media, and have had no problems with it in my Oppos. You may want to try that...do a 1X or 2X burn at most.

Sorry if this has been covered, but my 970Hd, which I've had for a few years is totally un-responsive. When I plug it in, all that happens is the little red light flashes on and off (won't power on). This happened a while back, and then all of a sudden it started working again, but now its back to not working.

This sounds like a power issue. Disconnect the DV-970HD from the power source for an hour. Press the Power button on the front panel.

Reconnect the power to the unit, preferably direct to your walled power outlet. Turn on the player.

If the error persists, it needs to be repaired.

I need some input from you OPPO peoples. Long ago I purchased two OPPO players, the 970 and the 981. My goal was to use the better of the two in my main TV area, the lesser of the two to go into the bedroom replacing an old Sony DVD player.

Both of my TV’s are just 42” plasmas, one 720, one 1080i.

As I had suspected (after careful A/B comparisons) there was no PQ difference on the main room plasma as the 42” size is just not big enough to take advantage of the 981’s improved video processing which is really designed for larger screens. So PQ being equal from both OPPO’s on my TV, I decided to keep the 970 in the main TV room for it’s memory card and USB input. And use them I did!

But then *the boss* botched my plan of replacing the Sony dvd player in the bedroom with the 981 because “…I know how to work this Sony thing, so you are not removing it…”. I tried twice since then to bring up the subject of using the 981 in the bedroom, but was shot down again. So, here I sit with a 981 with less than two hours of total playing time on it, in the original box, collecting dust.

So, it’s time to decide which to keep and which to put on ebay. I no longer need the 970’s memory card or USB port as I now have a networked PS3 with a Memory Card/USB hub. My thought is to keep the 981 (actually start using it) and sell the 970. The 981 is WAY overkill for the immediate future feeding only a 720p 42” plasma, but I’m thinking down the road (years from now) I might upgrade the 720p 42” to a 1080p 46” or even 50” therefore taking advantage of the 981’s superior video processing for larger screens.

What would you do?
Thoughts? Ideas? Comments?
Which would sell for more is not the issue here.
And, yes, I’ll be sure to check with *the boss* before upgrading the TV. :p

I need some input from you OPPO peoples. Long ago I purchased two OPPO players, the 970 and the 981. My goal was to use the better of the two in my main TV area, the lesser of the two to go into the bedroom replacing an old Sony DVD player.

Both of my TV’s are just 42” plasmas, one 720, one 1080i.

As I had suspected (after careful A/B comparisons) there was no PQ difference on the main room plasma as the 42” size is just not big enough to take advantage of the 981’s improved video processing which is really designed for larger screens. So PQ being equal from both OPPO’s on my TV, I decided to keep the 970 in the main TV room for it’s memory card and USB input. And use them I did!

But then *the boss* botched my plan of replacing the Sony dvd player in the bedroom with the 981 because “…I know how to work this Sony thing, so you are not removing it…”. I tried twice since then to bring up the subject of using the 981 in the bedroom, but was shot down again. So, here I sit with a 981 with less than two hours of total playing time on it, in the original box, collecting dust.

So, it’s time to decide which to keep and which to put on ebay. I no longer need the 970’s memory card or USB port as I now have a networked PS3 with a Memory Card/USB hub. My thought is to keep the 981 (actually start using it) and sell the 970. The 981 is WAY overkill for the immediate future feeding only a 720p 42” plasma, but I’m thinking down the road (years from now) I might upgrade the 720p 42” to a 1080p 46” or even 50” therefore taking advantage of the 981’s superior video processing for larger screens.

What would you do?
Thoughts? Ideas? Comments?
Which would sell for more is not the issue here.
And, yes, I’ll be sure to check with *the boss* before upgrading the TV. :pWell, I would definitely go for the 981 for its superior deinterlacing and scaling (even on a 720p set). Additionally, you no longer require the USB port and you may upgrade to a 1080p set.

However... the Faroudja processor in the 981 has the tendancy to exaggerate MPEG macroblocking on some displays. So you really should test it first. The problem is that you do not have the 1080p set to test yet. There are a number of things you can do to minimize the macroblocking, but all require some effort (See this post: Suppressing the Faroudja Macroblock-Enhance Bug (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7270763&&#post7270763)).

Everything is a tradeoff!

Gary

Well, I would definitely go for the 981 for its superior deinterlacing and scaling (even on a 720p set). Additionally, you no longer require the USB port and you may upgrade to a 1080p set.

However... the Faroudja processor in the 981 has the tendancy to exaggerate MPEG macroblocking on some displays. So you really should test it first. The problem is that you do not have the 1080p set to test yet. There are a number of things you can do to minimize the macroblocking, but all require some effort (See this post: Suppressing the Faroudja Macroblock-Enhance Bug (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7270763&&#post7270763)).

Everything is a tradeoff!

Gary

Thanks Gary. I'll check out the forum in depth. Briefly reading about that issue it seems I might be better off sticking with the 970 for now as the 981 would be an unknown potential future issue that I cannot test till it's too late. I'm at least 2+ years away from upgrading my plasmas so maybe the better bet is hoping for much improved video processing in future LCD-HDTV models where my 970 feeding a raw 480i signal via HDMI will render a good TV upscaled picture. :confused:

Hi, I've been following this thread for the past year of so before and after I got my oppo 970. I recently updated my receiver to a H/K AVR354 and added a HDFury 2 to the mix. My TV is component only so these two additions finally allowed me to go all HDMI with all my source components.

A few pages back Nikonowski asked many excellent questions regarding SACD, DVD Audio, and bass management setups. Of course he got excellent answers in return!

My main question is now that I can go HDMI only from the oppo, is there ANY reason I should still keep the 5.1 analog audio cables hooked up? I can literally go from 11 cables to one cable, I'm just haven't pulled the plug(s) yet.

Hi, I've been following this thread for the past year of so before and after I got my oppo 970. I recently updated my receiver to a H/K AVR354 and added a HDFury 2 to the mix. My TV is component only so these two additions finally allowed me to go all HDMI with all my source components.

A few pages back Nikonowski asked many excellent questions regarding SACD, DVD Audio, and bass management setups. Of course he got excellent answers in return!

My main question is now that I can go HDMI only from the oppo, is there ANY reason I should still keep the 5.1 analog audio cables hooked up? I can literally go from 11 cables to one cable, I'm just haven't pulled the plug(s) yet.

If your AVR is capable of LPCM/MPCM then I can't think of a reason to maintain your analogs. Some may prefer the analog sound over HDMI with a good A/B comparison, but that's more personal taste/preference not necessarily what is "better".

OK, since my post in the Blu ray forum is now buried in a Panny thread I'll ask here.

I just upgraded my display from a 38" direct view HD CRT to a Samsung pn50a650 plasma. I had been using the hacked Oppo 970 to feed my display 1080i over component since it did not have HDMI capabilities. In addition to the Oppo I have a Panny BD10a for Bluray.

Now that I have HDMI I hooked everything up that way. I tried a few DVDs and I have to say the Oppo looked like crap. The same DVD in the Panny looked much better. The question I have is that everyone in the Panny forum says it's total crap at upconverting and not recommended for DVDs. So what's the deal? Why does the Oppo look so bad?

I tried it at all the various resolutions, I'd guess the 480p looked the best if I had to choose, but the differences were small. My display converts all incoming signals to 1080p. I also tried it connected via component as I had it connected before and all the colors were off and the picture wasn't any better. I went through and set the Oppo using my AVIA disk and while the color was off just a bit everything else seems OK.

At this point not sure what to think...

Now that I have HDMI I hooked everything up that way. I tried a few DVDs and I have to say the Oppo looked like crap. The same DVD in the Panny looked much better. The question I have is that everyone in the Panny forum says it's total crap at upconverting and not recommended for DVDs. So what's the deal? Why does the Oppo look so bad? What, exactly, does "crap" look like? You're not giving us much to work with.
I also tried it connected via component as I had it connected before and all the colors were off and the picture wasn't any better. Well, there's a big clue... if it looked fine on your old display, but looks bad on the new display, it could be the lack of calibration on the new display.
I went through and set the Oppo using my AVIA disk and while the color was off just a bit everything else seems OK. Another big clue right there. The OPPO should be set to default picture settings (0, OFF and Auto), and the display should be calibrated with Avia.

Before you begin, select the display's "Movie/Cinema" mode, and turn off all of the torch-mode, image "enhancement" settings, such as DNIe, Sharpness, Noise Reduction, Dynamic Black/White/Color enhancements, etc, etc. Select a warm color temperature, then set the display's Brightness, Contrast, and Color Saturation correctly. To avoid multiple de-interlace/re-interlace steps, and associated errors, you should use 480p or 720p. If the display has decent de-interlacing capabilities, you could try 480i.

Calibrate the input for the BD10a this way too. Then you will get the best picture out of your display, and be able to make a fairer comparison of your players.

Gary

Could you expand on the picture settings? What is 0 , off, and Auto?

I have the picture size set to auto if that's what you are referring to, my picture settings are all at 0, and gamma is off. Are these correct?

I just tried a different DVD and it did look the best at 1080i. I agree that the display should be set using AVIA, but no matter what I tried I couldn't dial in the color correctly. That's when I resorted to using the settings in the Oppo. It didn't help much so I reset all to 0.

I've got the Samsung display under control, been reading the various forums for a month, the set is setup correctly - no way is it in torch mode.

I'm still playing with things, so any direction you can offer is appreciated.

Could you expand on the picture settings? What is 0 , off, and Auto?

I have the picture size set to auto if that's what you are referring to, my picture settings are all at 0, and gamma is off. Are these correct?

I just tried a different DVD and it did look the best at 1080i. I agree that the display should be set using AVIA, but no matter what I tried I couldn't dial in the color correctly. That's when I resorted to using the settings in the Oppo. It didn't help much so I reset all to 0.

I've got the Samsung display under control, been reading the various forums for a month, the set is setup correctly - no way is it in torch mode.

I'm still playing with things, so any direction you can offer is appreciated.

I have been using my Oppo 970 for some time with my Panasonic Plasma with great results. My settings are ;1080i through HDMI, Sharpness=sharp,Brightness=10,Contrast=09,Hue=[-01],Saturation=00,Gamma=high, and color space=auto. I use the standard DVD version of "Gladiator" as my benchmark. The picture is near HD quality to my eyes. I have tried the upconversion on my A2 and A3 HDDVD players plus my Sony BDP-S550 BluRay and the quality is no where as good.

Could you expand on the picture settings? What is 0 , off, and Auto?

I have the picture size set to auto if that's what you are referring to, my picture settings are all at 0, and gamma is off. Are these correct?

I just tried a different DVD and it did look the best at 1080i. I agree that the display should be set using AVIA, but no matter what I tried I couldn't dial in the color correctly. That's when I resorted to using the settings in the Oppo. It didn't help much so I reset all to 0.

I've got the Samsung display under control, been reading the various forums for a month, the set is setup correctly - no way is it in torch mode.

I'm still playing with things, so any direction you can offer is appreciated.
In the 1st post here you will find a link to the advaced setup guide for the 970. http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd-adv-setup-guide.pdf
It may help.
If you are noticing colors being off try setting the color space manualy to 4:4:2 and then RGB and see if that makes a difference. It does with my old Panny CRT RPTV. When set to Auto it sent RGB and the Panny wanted 4:4:2.

Thanks for the input.

I'll take a look at the link.

Second question -- can the 970 output DD 5.1 over HDMI? Everything I've tried has failed. My Panny will output DD as will my TiVos, am I missing a setting?

Thanks, I'll take a look at it.

Question, is there any advantage to going back to the unhacked firmware from Oppo vs. the hack one I installed last summer?

Of course the unit passes DD 5.1 over HDMI. Also DTS. And video. And PCM from SACD and DVD-Audio.

Maybe you need to change your settings to RAW or the like.

If I recall, you can program the machine to ignore region settings, and there is a firmware tweak that can send high res over component. That might be the firmware you have. There was also a firmware release to fix the gaps in playing back SACD discs.

Lately I just use this machine, I don't fuss with it so my memory of these tweaks is old. Now I fuss with my Popcorn Hour; and fume about Slingbox not supporting the iphone over older devices.

Thanks for the input.

I'll take a look at the link.

Second question -- can the 970 output DD 5.1 over HDMI? Everything I've tried has failed. My Panny will output DD as will my TiVos, am I missing a setting?

This is also from the 1st post re how to set up when using HDMI to your AVR:

When the HDMI output is connected to an A/V receiver or audio processor with HDMI v1.1 or above specifications, please use the following settings:

Speaker Setup Page:
Down-mix: 5.1 CH
Front Speaker: Large
Center Speaker: Large
Rear Speaker: Large
Subwoofer: On
Audio Setup Page:
Digital Output: Raw
HDMI Audio: Auto
With the above settings, the DVD player will send CD, Dolby Digital and DTS audio signals as raw bit streams to the receiver for decoding. For high resolution stereo or multi-channel audio contents such as DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD, the DVD player will send multi-channel PCM audio signals with the highest available sample frequency and bit numbers to the receiver. Depending on the original audio content, the format could be 44.1kHz - 192kHz, 2 - 6 channels. Setting all speakers to "Large" allows bass management to be handled by the receiver or audio processor.

Note: If you use HDMI to connect audio to an HDMI A/V receiver or audio processor, it is recommended that you choose 720p or 1080i HDMI output resolution when playing high resolution audio content (DVD-Audio and SACD). According to the HDMI specification, the bandwidth available for digital audio is proportional to the total bandwidth used by digital video. At 480i/480p/576i/576p resolution, the HDMI specification can only support 2 channels of audio with high sample rate (up to 192kHz), or 8 channels of audio with standard sample rate (up to 48kHz). Depending on the capability of your A/V receiver or audio processor, if you play high resolution audio content at 480i/480p/576i/576p resolution, you may encounter problems of incomplete audio channels or no audio/video output at all. Choosing a high HDMI output resolution such as 720p or 1080i allows enough bandwidth for all high sample rate audio channels.

moxie1617, thanks. I tried those settings and all I get is the rear channels audio from the front speakers, no DD 5.1 at all. I seem to recall coming across this before when I was using it with a different TV.

I thought it might be a function of my TV, though I do have the Oppo connected to the input I usually use for my Blu Ray. The Blu Ray unit passes DD 5.1 over HDMI to the TV( as to the TiVos...) which passes it via optical to my receiver, so I don't; think so. (Hope you could follow the connection path...)

Matt;

Does your receiver have HDMI inputs?

Seems to me the issue is that your TV is stripping out the signal, assuming your player is configured correctly. So I'd try to get the Oppo into the receiver first (if that is an option).

I realize that somehow your Blu Ray plays ball with the receiver.... interesting.

I know my TV (a Sony) only outputs dolby digital from broadcast TV over toslink (optical); otherwise it does not pass on audio from the various hdmi inputs.

My settings are ;1080i through HDMI, Sharpness=sharp,Brightness=10,Contrast=09,Hue=[-01],Saturation=00,Gamma=high Well, I'm glad these settings work for you, but we certainly wouldn't want to recommend these to others. When you change Brightness and Contrast from the defaults, for example, you increase the risk of banding in gray/color gradients, and crushing in blacks and whites.
Could you expand on the picture settings? What is 0 , off, and Auto? Defaults on all settings...
Sharpness and Gamma: OFF
Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and Hue: 0
Color Space: Auto
Then the TV's Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, etc, should be calibrated using a calibration disc.

Gary

The Blu Ray unit passes DD 5.1 over HDMI to the TV (as do the TiVos...) which passes it via optical to my receiver... You are doing something unusual here (passing HDMI audio to the TV first, then passing optical audio from the TV to the receiver). In that case, you should probably not be using Auto for "HDMI Audio". Auto may detect that the TV is a two-channel audio device, and tell the player to send only two channels via HDMI. Try SPDIF or Multi-Channel (with "Down-mix" set to 5.1 CH).

Alternatively, change your setup to pass the HDMI signal to the receiver first, then the receiver to pass HDMI to the TV.

Gary

My Sony receiver is a few years old and does not support HDMI, so it's the TV or nothing. I've been using a switcher for about a year now to switch optical and component sources and I REALLY want to get rid of it. The Oppo is the only component that I have that will not pass DD 5.1 to my receiver. My Panny Blu Ray and 2 D HDTiVos all pass DD 5.1 on any of the HDMI inputs my TV has. The Sony receiver has the stupid 2 way remote and to switch inputs it has to communicate with the main unit and it takes a fair amount of time to switch inputs, that is one reason I'm trying to avoid that. The other is that I noticed a time lag between the audio and video when I use optical to the receiver and HDMI to the TV, not cool.

Thanks to all for the various video settings, I reset those and the the picture looks much better. Once I resolve the audio issue I'll be happy.


I just tried changing the settings for HDMI Audio. I only have Auto, LPCM, and Off available.

I have the component upconversion hack installed on my 970 and I'm wondering how to confirm that it is working. My display unfortunately doesn't tell me the input resolution. Does the 970 provide an indication of the output resolution? It does allow me to set it to 1080i mode via the HDMI button, but I don't know if that means it is really outputting that resolution.

Unfortunately no, as when you press the HDMI button, this is telling you the absolute resolution of the HDMI output only.

I have the component upconversion hack installed on my 970 and I'm wondering how to confirm that it is working. My display unfortunately doesn't tell me the input resolution. Does the 970 provide an indication of the output resolution? It does allow me to set it to 1080i mode via the HDMI button, but I don't know if that means it is really outputting that resolution.

You may be able to use your TV to give you some indication. For example, on my TV if I am getting a 1080i input signal I can't change the aspect ratio on the TV. If I am getting 480p, I can use 3 aspect ratio options. If 480i I have all 4 aspect ratio options available. You may have something similiar on your TV.

Concering my DD 5.1 HDMI issue, I contacted Oppo and they were very helpful. They explained that due to the EDID handshake my 970 will NEVER output DD 5.1 to my TV. Apparently my other units do not follow the same conventions.

This is a pain, since I notice some time lag when using HDMI and optical outputs. Did a little research and some on other forums here indicate that they have had success in cutting or removing the pin that controls the EDID handshake, any other options, software hack?

You may be able to use your TV to give you some indication. ...

Great idea, thanks! My TV does this too, so I was able to confirm that it is upconverting. I thought it was doing so just from looking at the picture, but I wanted to make sure.

What prompted this inquiry is that I changed my Oppo-to-TV connection from HDMI to component to make an HDMI input on the TV available for something else. If I look closely at a static image like the setup menu, I can see a slight bit of noise in the component signal that is not present in HDMI. From normal viewing distance I haven't noticed a difference. Does anyone here think HDMI give a noticeable improvement in PQ over component? I could use an HDMI switch, but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble.

I just added a DVDO EDGE to my setup but no matter what my AVR outputs Pro Logic. The 970 is connected to the EDGE via HDMI with 'HDMI audio' set to Auto and 'SPDIF Output' set to raw. Oh, also outputting at 480i if it matters. Then I have an optical output running from the EDGE to my AVR.

It was working great when the optical cable ran between the Oppo and the AVR. Help me get DD5.1 and DTS capabilities back, please.

Great idea, thanks! My TV does this too, so I was able to confirm that it is upconverting. I thought it was doing so just from looking at the picture, but I wanted to make sure.

What prompted this inquiry is that I changed my Oppo-to-TV connection from HDMI to component to make an HDMI input on the TV available for something else. If I look closely at a static image like the setup menu, I can see a slight bit of noise in the component signal that is not present in HDMI. From normal viewing distance I haven't noticed a difference. Does anyone here think HDMI give a noticeable improvement in PQ over component? I could use an HDMI switch, but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble.

If properly calibrated to that specific input there should be no noticeable difference in PQ between HDMI and Component video unless your TV has a great difference in build quality between those two types of inputs, but that is unlikely.

Anybody experience somewhat "jerky" video motion using the machine? We rented seven pounds, and had this experience. Please note I am referring to the video output and not the film....though in this case the same term might apply. Editorial comment intended.

Anybody experience somewhat "jerky" video motion using the machine? We rented seven pounds, and had this experience. Please note I am referring to the video output and not the film....though in this case the same term might apply. Editorial comment intended.

I've never had video issues with the OPPO hardware, only bad DVD's. The few bad DVD's were corrected by cleaning the DVD except one that had some *gunk* on it that would not come off.

Was it just this one DVD you had issues with?

Anybody experience somewhat "jerky" video motion using the machine? We rented seven pounds, and had this experience. Please note I am referring to the video output and not the film....though in this case the same term might apply. Editorial comment intended.I have never seen jerky video, but I have seen a few discs that would hang.

Invariably these are Blockbuster Online rentals that have scratches, fingerprints and dirt all over them.

(I'm so ready for widely available downloadable movies. I'm burned out on having to clean up Joe Sixpack's rental discs)

I don't really use the 970 that much, but I think the problem was mainly on rentals.
I use the Blu Ray more now.

Hey Folks,

I have been a follower of this thread since its inception. It is still listed on my "auto favorites". When this problem arose, I tried to do a search of the thread for info (since my gray matter memory cells, don't remember it all...) to solve my problem that cropped up today:

My Oppo 970 has been with me since Aug 2006. It has been a wonderful ride. Unfortunately, today, I went to load a DVD (for my granddaughter that her father ripped) and I had audio-yes, but no video on the Plasma.

I took out the dvd and loaded a commercial one that we have played many times before. Same problem -- audio yes, video NO!

I checked (and reconnected) all of the connections (HDMI on both the Oppo and on the Plasma; as well as the Plasma input selection on the Plasma), all were working and correct.

I powered down the Oppo and left it idle for 10 minutes. Same problem (no video with the commercial disc).

Using various buttons on the remote were ineffectual as well.

Any suggestions as to what might be the cause/cure?:confused:

Still love my Oppo and I am very surprised at the instant loss.:(

HELP!!!
Thanks in advance.
..Mark

I've had instances when my Oppo 970 had no audio and other times no video. I have it connected via HDMI to an Onkyo TX-SR606. By either restarting the Onkyo or simply changing inputs, then back to the Oppo, I seem to get both audio & video back, which ever was not working. I don't know where to look for the problem here: the Oppo or the Onkyo. I never had a problem switching the Onkyo to the Comcast cable box, also hooked up via HDMI, but then I leave the Comcast box on all the time.

adm,

I empathize with you. My 970 had a bad video board, and the troubleshooting attempt took down my Onkyo along with it. Your issue could be hardware, cables, need to reset the receiver....I would start by seeing if the 970 works on other gear. That would be a good first step.

Just a note, it's been a while since I've posted here and have not read all 104 pages....but --
I had my Samsung 50A650 plasma calibrated a few weeks ago and Chad B. noticed that the geometry through the Opp was off. The circles in the test pattern where flattened a bit. Contacted Oppo and they sent me and iso patch that fixed the problem.

Funny thing is i wasn't aware it was off until Chad pointed it out. But then I never looked at that section of the test pattern disk.

adm,

I empathize with you. My 970 had a bad video board, and the troubleshooting attempt took down my Onkyo along with it. Your issue could be hardware, cables, need to reset the receiver....I would start by seeing if the 970 works on other gear. That would be a good first step.


My Thanks to you both --Originalsnuffy & Artshotwell for sending help replies.

I also posted a similar request/thread on the main DVD players (Standard def) BB and got a reply from PooperScooper.

After revisiting the rear of the Oppo to try his suggestion, I was able to resolve the problem. However, the culprit was the way that I handled it when it first occurred.

As an attempt to help anyone else who falls into the trap that I did, read what I did (below), as it might save some grief for some else.
..Mark

Quote:
Originally Posted by PooperScooper
Do the other video outputs work? And I assume you were using HDMI for audio also.

larry


Larry,
Thanks so much.

Yes, I was using HDMI direct to the Plasma,
BUT I also had digital (both optical & coax) audio cables going directly to my AVR (HK 7200). This way, I could always have control of the audio going through my HK for the "theatre/surround" effect, by keeping the Plasma audio at 1 or zero. Additionally, having the digital audio going from the Oppo to the HK gave me the ability to use the Oppo for music on my sound system (B&Ws + sub), without having to use the Plasma speakers.

The audio worked because it was connected through the HK.

Because of your comment (to try another video output connection), I pulled out the draw/tray on which the vertically stacked components (Oppo-on the bottom, Cable STB-on top of it, and VCR on the top of the three) were housed completely from wall unit to see the rear panel of the Oppo. Upon inspection, I noticed that there was no HDMI cable attached! In fact, there weren't any video cable connections attached to the Oppo. The HDMI must have pulled loose and was laying behind the units.

Upon reconnecting it worked

The reality is that when I originally went to check the Video connection (HDMI), I did not fully turn/pull out the shelf containing the 3 components. Instead, I merely reached over the top of the three components from the front, and by touch (not visually) must have removed and reinserted only the Cable STB HDMI into the cable STB, never realizing that I was working on the middle component and not the OPPO which was beneath the Cable STB. The OPPO is so thinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, that I never realized that I had not gone down far enough.


I feel a bit foolish, but I am extremely thankful for your suggestion, which prompted me to revisit the scene. But this time to do it correctly--pulling out the tray and then lifting and turning the three components 90 degrees to see the actual connections-- and not in a "quick and dirty" hurried fashion (merely reaching over the top without being able to see it all).

Thanks again for the help.
Regards,
..Mark

More of my home theater problems have been due to cable issues (loose, disconnected, cable gone bad) than anything else by a wide margin.

I had my Samsung 50A650 plasma calibrated a few weeks ago and Chad B. noticed that the geometry through the Opp was off. The circles in the test pattern where flattened a bit. Contacted Oppo and they sent me and iso patch that fixed the problem.

I guessing that this is the known vertical compression issue that the 970 has. Beware that the firmware that fixes that issue has some other tradeoffs. I think there is a slight loss of resolution when the patch is used. That's why Oppo never released that patch as an official firmware version. You can search this thread for "vertical compression" to get more info.

Just a note, it's been a while since I've posted here and have not read all 104 pages....but --
I had my Samsung 50A650 plasma calibrated a few weeks ago and Chad B. noticed that the geometry through the Opp was off. The circles in the test pattern where flattened a bit. Contacted Oppo and they sent me and iso patch that fixed the problem.

Funny thing is i wasn't aware it was off until Chad pointed it out. But then I never looked at that section of the test pattern disk.


I would like to give this patch a try. If you still have it saved could you send it to me or upload it to a fileshare site and post the link. Thank you.

I am new to this whole SACD thing. I own a few now. There are some where I prefer the multichannel track while others I prefer the 2 ch track. The only way I can find to change between them is to stop the disc, go into the setup menu and and change the SACD preference from Multi Channel to 2 Ch and then start again. I tried pressing the audio button but nothing happens. This is kind of inconvenient. I would think there would be a button that could toggle between the audio tracks on an SACD.

Also with both 4A-0111 and the beta FW while playing an SACD if I pause it and then press play again the track # on the display switches to track 1 until it either goes to the next track or I press skip forward or backward does it return to showing the correct track #. Not that big of a deal but an odd bug.

One last peculiar bug I found with this player that is not really a big deal but I'll mention it anyway. With 4A-0111 and the player in standby, if I press the eject button, the player turns on but does not eject the disc tray. I must press it a second time to actually get the tray to eject. With the Beta FW, pressing eject (or play/pause) from standby would power on the player but would lock up every time. I would have to pull the power plug to reset it and get it working again.

That was even more annoying so I am staying with 4A-0111 now. I know this player is older but I bought it as a gift for my parents and now they upgraded to all BD players so this was in their closet. I decided to take it home, hook it into my new HDMI pre/pro to see what it could do and how I liked it. I am really enjoying it and think I may just keep the Oppo in my system for a while.

Do you think Oppo would be remotely interested in fixing little bugs like these on one of their early models? I noticed it has been about 2 1/2 years since any type of fw has been released for the 970.

Can other users confirm what I have mentioned and I may just shoot the guys at Oppo an email and see wha they say. Couldn't hurt to ask.

Just a note, it's been a while since I've posted here and have not read all 104 pages....but --
I had my Samsung 50A650 plasma calibrated a few weeks ago and Chad B. noticed that the geometry through the Opp was off. The circles in the test pattern where flattened a bit. Contacted Oppo and they sent me and iso patch that fixed the problem.

Funny thing is i wasn't aware it was off until Chad pointed it out. But then I never looked at that section of the test pattern disk.

Could you post the info for this? ISO file name? FW version? What FW is now displayed in your OPPO settings?

Thanks :)

I don't belong to any flie sharing sites. The patch is DV-970-3a-0911-underscan-fix, it's small 1,404 Kb . I have my Oppo hacked and it remains hacked after the fix.

PM me and I will email you the file, if someone wants to host it let me know.

I am new to this whole SACD thing. I own a few now. There are some where I prefer the multichannel track while others I prefer the 2 ch track. The only way I can find to change between them is to stop the disc, go into the setup menu and and change the SACD preference from Multi Channel to 2 Ch and then start again. I tried pressing the audio button but nothing happens. This is kind of inconvenient. I would think there would be a button that could toggle between the audio tracks on an SACD.

Also with both 4A-0111 and the beta FW while playing an SACD if I pause it and then press play again the track # on the display switches to track 1 until it either goes to the next track or I press skip forward or backward does it return to showing the correct track #. Not that big of a deal but an odd bug.

One last peculiar bug I found with this player that is not really a big deal but I'll mention it anyway. With 4A-0111 and the player in standby, if I press the eject button, the player turns on but does not eject the disc tray. I must press it a second time to actually get the tray to eject. With the Beta FW, pressing eject (or play/pause) from standby would power on the player but would lock up every time. I would have to pull the power plug to reset it and get it working again.

That was even more annoying so I am staying with 4A-0111 now. I know this player is older but I bought it as a gift for my parents and now they upgraded to all BD players so this was in their closet. I decided to take it home, hook it into my new HDMI pre/pro to see what it could do and how I liked it. I am really enjoying it and think I may just keep the Oppo in my system for a while.

Do you think Oppo would be remotely interested in fixing little bugs like these on one of their early models? I noticed it has been about 2 1/2 years since any type of fw has been released for the 970.

Can other users confirm what I have mentioned and I may just shoot the guys at Oppo an email and see wha they say. Couldn't hurt to ask.

Please do contact Oppo . I've been "bothering" them infrequently about this for quite a while now and their last response was...
"Our engineers are always working on new firmware, enhancements, and bug fixes, even for legacy players. What becomes an issue is if these firmware releases will ever be made to the public. Many times these firmware will not pass Quality Control due to additional problems being introduced.

In relation to the half resolution issue with the DV-970HD, there has been no traction on a resolution to this error. It is still on our Product Repair Request list.

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc."

This gives me hope but maybe someone else might get a more current update from them now that their Blu-ray Player is done .

Scott.............;)

Please do contact Oppo . I've been "bothering" them infrequently about this for quite a while now and their last response was...
"Our engineers are always working on new firmware, enhancements, and bug fixes, even for legacy players. What becomes an issue is if these firmware releases will ever be made to the public. Many times these firmware will not pass Quality Control due to additional problems being introduced.

In relation to the half resolution issue with the DV-970HD, there has been no traction on a resolution to this error. It is still on our Product Repair Request list.

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc."

This gives me hope but maybe someone else might get a more current update from them now that their Blu-ray Player is done .

Scott.............;)

I have been in contact many times in the last couple weeks about the 970. I think the guy there is getting kind of sick of me calling to be honest. My last call, the guy told me that the 970 WILL NOT ever receive any new FW updates. I forget the guy's name but he said he was certain the 970 would never have a new FW issued.

I have been in contact many times in the last couple weeks about the 970. I think the guy there is getting kind of sick of me calling to be honest. My last call, the guy told me that the 970 WILL NOT ever receive any new FW updates. I forget the guy's name but he said he was certain the 970 would never have a new FW issued.

Then it would be nice if they would offer a "Trade-Up" Program so I could trade up my 970 towards a 983 BD Player .

Scott.........................:cool:

The only trade up program I know of consists of craigslist, ebay, amazon marketplace.....

In relation to the half resolution issue with the DV-970HD, there has been no traction on a resolution to this error. It is still on our Product Repair Request list."

This gives me hope but maybe someone else might get a more current update from them now that their Blu-ray Player is done .
If you want the 480i/576i issue resolved, then ask OPPO for the "5C-1204" firmware.

This version addresses the problem of DVDO VPxx series occasionally grabbing the wrong pixels of 480i/576i output and producing a picture with reduced resolution.

If you want the 480i/576i issue resolved, then ask OPPO for the "5C-1204" firmware.

This version addresses the problem of DVDO VPxx series occasionally grabbing the wrong pixels of 480i/576i output and producing a picture with reduced resolution.

When did this happen ? Oppo's Web Site makes no mention of this , yet , so what are the details of this Firmware Update ?Does it work ?

Scott...............:confused:

It is an internal beta only. Like OPPO said, they are always working on new firmware, but these firmware may never see the light of day publicly.

The firmware should be the same as the 4A-0209 Firmware, but with the fix for 480i/576i.

It is an internal beta only. Like OPPO said, they are always working on new firmware, but these firmware may never see the light of day publicly.

The firmware should be the same as the 4A-0209 Firmware, but with the fix for 480i/576i.

Thanks . For those interested , I received the Firmware from Oppo right away . Those guys are still still the best . I first looked at several Resolution Test Patterns and text before Updating the Firmware . Then I went back and looked at the same patterns again . All of this is at 480i into a DVDO HD+ . The improvement is subtle but obvious . The higher Resolution Patterns now have a little better "clarity" and text appears "sharper" . On the Getgray Resolution Pattern I can now easily see all the lines in all the wedges . I'm quite pleased with this .

Scott...............:D

P.S. The Upgrade does reset all your Settings so write them down before hand .

Thanks . For those interested , I received the Firmware from Oppo right away . Those guys are still still the best . I first looked at several Resolution Test Patterns and text before Updating the Firmware . Then I went back and looked at the same patterns again . All of this is at 480i into a DVDO HD+ . The improvement is subtle but obvious . The higher Resolution Patterns now have a little better "clarity" and text appears "sharper" . On the Getgray Resolution Pattern I can now easily see all the lines in all the wedges . I'm quite pleased with this .

Scott...............:D

P.S. The Upgrade does reset all your Settings so write them down before hand .Scott .... thanks for the update. I hardly use my 970 with the 4A-0209 Firmware anymore. Was wondering if the non-publically released update would offer any improvement on rental non-BlueRay DVD Movies or my home movies burned onto DVD±R disks?

BTW, sorry to sound stupid but after a Google search, I'm still foggy as to exactly what is a DVDO VPXX Series Disc? I assume it is not the same as a standard rental DVD video movie or a home movie burned onto a DVD±R?

I don't recall any trouble other than some of my home burned DVD-R discs have occassional hic-ups (however, my Sony and Panny players work fine with all my discs). Thanks.

DVDO VPXX = DVDO video processors the VP30, VP50, and VP50Pro.

DVDO VPXX = DVDO video processors the VP30, VP50, and VP50Pro.Oh, I think get it now .... We're talking about an additional video PQ processing device that sits in a box plugged in between the DVD disk player and the TV?