[QUOTE=DAB]slbenz, These are just; Snap-Together Ferrite Choke Core - right. What did you do with the ferrite chokes that came with your NECxr5. ( mine are still in the box), my HDMI cable came w/ FChoke inplace. could we use these??
Q? -2, if we have 6 interconnects (SACD) you would place one each cable, near the DVD or receiver? (currently they are 3' away from each other- but soon 12')


db

DAB,

For the 5.1 analog outputs interconnects, attach the ferrite cores nearest to the preamp/receiver. For the AC cord, attach nearest to the Oppo player. This ensures any EMI/RF picked up from these cables are greatly reduced before entering the audio component. Didn't try it on the HDMI cable since it already has one built-in on each end. If you don't hear any difference in your system, you should be able to return them to Radio Shack for a refund. That's why I bought them there just in case I didn't hear any difference. But judging from my results, I must have quite a bit of EMI/RF pollution in my system. Your results may vary. Good luck with your tweaks and hope this information helps.

Slbenz

Which is the better audio connection? coax or optical? My reciever will be 1 foot away.

Just ordered my Oppo 970. I opted for this over the 971 as I plan to use it with an external processor (Anthem AVM-50) when I hardware upgrade in about a year.

My question concerns best potential outputs and resolutions for this player. I have a Panasonic 42" HD plasma, but I've not yet sprung for the optional HDMI blade. How much difference am I going to see if I go with component (either 480i or 480p) versus moving to HDMI at these resolutions? I know that via HDMI the Oppo will also allow upconversion, but since I'm not going to be able to match my display's native resolution, I'd rather avoid the two rounds of scaling.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

For the 5.1 analog outputs interconnects, attach the ferrite cores nearest to the preamp/receiver.

Will these also possibly improve video quality? I have picture quality problems from the cable company, and was hoping to find something to clear up the interference or whatever is causing the problems.

-- R

Which is the better audio connection? coax or optical? My reciever will be 1 foot away. Quite honestly, it makes no difference. An optical cable is much more expensive than a simple coax cable, though.

Gary

Thanks, Gary. Then unless someone can persuade me that optical is the way to go, I will definitely go with the cheaper coaxial connection.

Just as useless information, the reason I'm asking is because after having a Dolby Pro-Logic Surround sound setup (in two different homes) for the last 8 years, I am finally taking the plunge to DD/DTS 5.1. I've enjoyed my surround setup so much, I can't imagine how much of a difference I'm going to notice (I do know what the differences should be by the way).

This is an age old debate that will probably never be totally agreed on. Many believe there can be no diff. due to the fact that the digital signal is all 1's and 0's and is either there or not. There is a case to be made, however, that optical is not susceptible to interference noise and ground loop from other cables close by that emit this type of interference. Unless this is a factor, I doubt any of us, even the most discriminating, could hear any diff. between them under similar circumstances.

Of course, there are a few non-sound issues still. Like the fragility of the optical connection vs. the sturdier and less expensive coax connection.

This is an age old debate that will probably never be totally agreed on. Many believe there can be no diff. due to the fact that the digital signal is all 1's and 0's and is either there or not. There is a case to be made, however, that optical is not susceptible to interference noise and ground loop from other cables close by that emit this type of interference. Unless this is a factor, I doubt any of us, even the most discriminating, could hear any diff. between them under similar circumstances.

Of course, there are a few non-sound issues still. Like the fragility of the optical connection vs. the sturdier and less expensive coax connection.

Definitely agree with you. The only time the optical cable would have an advantage is over a much longer run than just 1 foot.

I received the 970 a few days ago. I now know why the reviewers say SACD over the HDMI link is so poor. It is down-rezzing SACD to 44.1.

The only way I can get a sample rate higher than 48K is to set HDMI audio to off, then go up in the menu and change the sample rate to 96K and PCM. When I do that, I can get 96K audio from DVD-A out of the toslink, but there is no audio on HDMI and no output of SACD over toslink.

When I go back and set the HDMI audio to multichannel and raw, the sample rate reverts back to 48K in the menu. It is greyed out and can't be changed. Now I get only 48K for DVD-A on both HDMI and toslink, and 44.1K SACD over HDMI only.

I am testing this with a Behringer DEQ2496 on the toslink and it displays the received sample rate. I have a LG television on the HDMI port and I have tried all the resolutions and left it at 1080i. I have verified that the LG HDTV will recieve and play 96K stereo PCM on its speakers. So, I don't believe the HDMI port is limiting the resolution.

I tried the newer firmware and it doesn't fix anything.

There is another very annoying problem with the firmware. I can change the SACD priority or DVD-Audio priority settings if I flash either firmware, but as soon as I change the HDMI audio setting from multichannel to off, the ability to change the SACD priority or DVD-Audio priority settings gets greyed out and doesn't come back no matter what. Changing those settings didn't affect the down-rez problem.

One more thing, this player has a severe lip-sync problem and there is no adjustable delay in the setup pages.

Can anyone verify that 88.2K SACD or 96K DVD-A is being transmitted over HDMI? Just hearing sound isn't good enough, I want someone with equipment that displays the received sample rate to verify. It clearly appears to me that 48K is the limit over HDMI unless I'm missing something.

I am not even trying to get multichannel audio, just stereo hi-rez. 44.1K SACD is useless and the display interface is poor. I hope all this can be fixed in a firmware update.

I have a quick question about optical cable....

My cable is much too long for two units that are being connected
next to each other.

Will rolling up the middle excess optical cable and tying it hamper the sound
quality any?

I have a quick question about optical cable....

My cable is much too long for two units that are being connected
next to each other.

Will rolling up the middle excess optical cable and tying it hamper the sound
quality any?


It's OK if you don't kink it or make sharp bends. Loop it into six inch loops and tie with a cable tie or twisty ties.

As long as you stay larger than 5 or 6 inches you will be fine. The interesting thing about fiber optic cable is the signal actually leaks out of the core the more you bend it.

You could do a listening test, on a cheap cable to be safe, and bend it tighter and tighter until the sound cuts off.

I'd bet you could go 3" or less depending on the outer jacket.

I've had test equipment transmitting at one end and receiving at the other and been able to bend a single mode fiber to about 3" before signal loss. Granted that was with no outer jacket, only cladding on the outside of the fiber itself.

Interestingly, with the cladding stripped off the bare glass fiber will break easily long before 3" diameter.

With cladding you practically have to bend it in half to break it.

rossl,

I was disappointed when I learned my 970hd did not have lip sync adjustment. I thought I read the specs and it had it.

Turns out it's channel delay for each individual speaker, which is useful but not adjustable lip sync.

One more thing, this player has a severe lip-sync problem and there is no adjustable delay in the setup pages.

There is no lip sync delay problem with this player. It's probably your TV that's adding it's own delay.

The 971H model has lip sync problems caused by its Faroudja scaling chip, but the 970HD uses a different chip without that issue.

When I go back and set the HDMI audio to multichannel and raw, the sample rate reverts back to 48K in the menu. It is greyed out and can't be changed. Now I get only 48K for DVD-A on both HDMI and toslink, and 44.1K SACD over HDMI only.

The LPCM Out will only effect the S/PDIF connections (optical and coaxial), it will not effect the HMDI output. For this reason, when you make a change to the LPCM Out with HDMI Off, then change HDMI back on, the LPCM will default back to 48k due to a bug, but the audio through the HDMI interface is still being sent out at the frequency the disc was encoded at.

Can anyone verify that 88.2K SACD or 96K DVD-A is being transmitted over HDMI?

I can confirm on a Denon 3805 and Onkyo 803 that there is no downsampling over HDMI when HDMI is set to Multi-Channel. If you set the HDMI to SPDIF, then DVD-Audio discs will be downsamples to 44.1 Khz, while SACD discs will not play at all due to DRM.

The LPCM Out will only effect the S/PDIF connections (optical and coaxial), it will not effect the HMDI output. For this reason, when you make a change to the LPCM Out with HDMI Off, then change HDMI back on, the LPCM will default back to 48k due to a bug, but the audio through the HDMI interface is still being sent out at the frequency the disc was encoded at.



I can confirm on a Denon 3805 and Onkyo 803 that there is no downsampling over HDMI when HDMI is set to Multi-Channel. If you set the HDMI to SPDIF, then DVD-Audio discs will be downsamples to 44.1 Khz, while SACD discs will not play at all due to DRM.


I wasn't aware of this bug that I couldn't touch the HDMI audio setting or be forever down-rezzed, so I will try to get it back to the default state.

I just re-flashed the 6-13 firmware and didn't go into the setup menu and change anything, so, if the bug works as you describe, the defaults should have let me get hi-rez over HDMI. It did not. I still get only 44.1 SACD and 48K DVD-A. After I tested that, I went into the setup and noticed that the selections for SACD priority and DVD-A priority are greyed out and can't be changed at all.

So I unplug the unit for a good 15 minutes and then flash the 5-26 firmware back in again. I used the defaults and didn't enter the setup menu just like before. Just for good measure I unplug the unit for another 15 minutes before I turn it on and try another SACD. Same as before, only 44.1K SACD.

Like I said earlier, I know why the reviewer said the SACD performace over HDMI was poor. This firmware is buggy and this unit seems to be DRM'ed to death. I can't get Hi-rez.

Again I went into the setup and noticed that the selections for SACD priority and DVD-A priority are greyed out and can't be changed at all. I flashed the 5-26 again and noticed that I am now able to change the SACD priority... I played a SACD for 5 seconds, stopped it and looked at the setup again. The selections for SACD priority and DVD-A priority are greyed out and can't be changed at all. Whew! This bug ridden thing is not ready for production.

I'm sending a long email to Oppo to see what they say, but this unit is probably going back to where it came from.

I'm not totally clear on the HDMI spec, but is it possible the issue you are having is due to connecting the 970 to a receiver that is only HDMI 1.0 compatible?

After I tested that, I went into the setup and noticed that the selections for SACD priority and DVD-A priority are greyed out and can't be changed at all.

If an option is greyed out, you will either need to double stop the disc (press Stop twice) or press the Eject button. This is designed into the Menu system to ensure proper switching of some settings (such as SACD and DVD-Audio preferences). Ensure that SACD is set to Multi-Channel or 2-Channel, and DVD-Audio is still DVD-Audio.

Like I said earlier, I know why the reviewer said the SACD performace over HDMI was poor. This firmware is buggy and this unit seems to be DRM'ed to death. I can't get Hi-rez.

What version HDMI is your receiver? Ensure that you are feeding it a direct multi-channel HDMI connection, and that the receiver is HDMI 1.1 compliant.

The selections for SACD priority and DVD-A priority are greyed out and can't be changed at all. Whew! This bug ridden thing is not ready for production.

This isn't a bug. Major changes, as noted above, are prohibited from being done on the fly or when the disc has simply been stopped. This also applies to the Fifth Setup Tab (Preferences). Double stop or press Eject to change greyed out menus.

Please read the manual, Page 26, as it states:
Grayed-out setup items cannot be changed. To allow changing of such items, make sure playback is completely stopped, or there is no disc in the player.

I ran into the same grayed out menus and had to go back and read the manual too!

So, I'm curious. I just got my Oppo 970HD. My CRT is a Sony KV32HS420. I plan to play PAL discs. On this size set, am I going to see the artifacting due to the lack 0f 2:2 cadence support?
Has anybody actually used PAL discs on a 970HD and observed any sort of problems?
Thanks.
J

You may see interlacing and aliasing artifacting due to the lack of Film based 2:2 Cadence support.

Is anyone successfully using the 970 over HDMI to the DVDO iScan VP30 and then over HDMI to a Benq PE8720?

When I try it the VP30 draws its "curtain" and covers the 970's output. But when I connect the 970 over HDMI directly to the Benq it works o.k. :confused:

Is it syncing at 480i on yor BenQ PE8720 or another resolution when direct linking?

Have you tried the different inputs on the VP30 to ensure that it isn't being caused by a bad input?

Is anyone successfully using the 970 over HDMI to the DVDO iScan VP30 and then over HDMI to a Benq PE8720?

When I try it the VP30 draws its "curtain" and covers the 970's output. But when I connect the 970 over HDMI directly to the Benq it works o.k. :confused:

Sounds like an HDCP handshake issue. The VP30 automatically closes the "Curtain" if it can't successfully handshake the HDMI.

This happens to me sporadically with the 970HD connected to my VP30 to a Mitsubishi projector. The 970HD and VP30 are very finnicky with the order that you turn on your components. I find what usually works is to turn off the 970HD, switch to a different active input on the VP30 (like say cable TV coming in over component), wait until you successfully get a picture there, then switch back to the HDMI input, and finally turn on the 970HD again. You may have to do this a couple of times.

rossl,

I was disappointed when I learned my 970hd did not have lip sync adjustment. I thought I read the specs and it had it.

We watch alot of DVDs on our 970 and there has NOT been a lip syncing issue. Not a single time.

In reading these HDCP handshake issues and connection-chain posts, I sometimes see the same issues (like, it's better to turn on A, then B, then switch, etc) - which I can live with, but is a totally inconvenient and unnecessary problem for correctly engineered products and protocols. I don't know if it's the HDMI or the VP30 or a specific combo, but it sucks. I digress ----

My real question is, after reading these connection chains - I recently changed mine in order to get what I think is the cleanest, least multi-processed signal, both audio and video at the same time and minimize connections. I now run my HD cable box (1080i out) and 2 DVD's (Oppo 970H and Pio. Elite 79 at 480i out) direct HDMI into the VP30 for scaling and then the single HDMI out from the VP30 to my Denon 4806 AVR. This seems to pass the best HDMI audio the disc has , even 6.1 NEO DTS, and the video is only processed by the VP30. The 480i out thru VP 30 yields a wonderful image and the sound is also on the HDMI line, uncompressed for decoding in the Denon. This means no need for coax or optical, so less split signal issues. And, it's the only way I know to get HDMI audio out of the VP30's single HDMI out and still have HDMI video. Or, am I missing something (as I often do) :D ???

Ross1, I can confirm that the Oppo970H (6.13 beta firmware) outputs SACD over HDMI at 88.2KHz. I have it connected to a Panasonic SA-XR57 and when "both units are properly set-up and used", the Panasonic will show "PCM 88.2" when a SACD is played.

I cannot emphasize the "both units are properly set-up and used" part. Please go thru previous posts (and the manual) for proper set up. There is ONLY 1 set of settings that will give you proper playback of all formats - redbook CD, DD/DTS and DVD-A/SACDs. If you don't use that set up, one or more of the formats will not play properly.

Having said that, I believe that there are still some "issues" (apart from the reported SACD playback bugs - no auto play - no skip to next song or go to a specific song the usual way, no seamless transition on discs like DSOM, etc).

a. Once in a while, when playing a SACD, I'll lose sound. Usually, it'll come back after a couple of seconds. Sometimes, it'll come back one time, and then go away after 2-3 secs. The only way to get back SACD sound is to cold boot the Oppo and start over again.

b. Sometimes, when playing a new SACD disc (i.e., one was playing. I ejected it and then I inserted a new disc), the Panasonic will not pick up the sound. I have to change input to somthing else and then back to DVD (I changed the default from DVR to DVD - you'll know what I mean if you have this Panny unit).

Obviously, a. and b. are HDMI handshake issues. Not sure if it is Oppo's or Panny's fault. Unfortunately, I don't have another HDMI 1.1 receiver to test.

Can anyone with a Pany XR57 or a different brand HDMI 1.1 receiver and with a variety of SACDs (pure and hybrid) tell me if you are also noticing these issues?

Is it syncing at 480i on yor BenQ PE8720 or another resolution when direct linking?

The Benq doesn't recognize 480i over HDMI, but it accepts 480p and 720p just fine from the Oppo.


Have you tried the different inputs on the VP30 to ensure that it isn't being caused by a bad input?

Yes. They all have the problem, unfortunately. :(

Sounds like an HDCP handshake issue. The VP30 automatically closes the "Curtain" if it can't successfully handshake the HDMI.

This happens to me sporadically with the 970HD connected to my VP30 to a Mitsubishi projector. The 970HD and VP30 are very finnicky with the order that you turn on your components. I find what usually works is to turn off the 970HD, switch to a different active input on the VP30 (like say cable TV coming in over component), wait until you successfully get a picture there, then switch back to the HDMI input, and finally turn on the 970HD again. You may have to do this a couple of times.

With that ritual, it sounds like an old comic strip lodge brother handshake. :D

But I appreciate the tip and I'll give it a try and report back. Thanks!

I set up my system yesterday and am really dismayed at the oppo 970. I have it hooked up to a denon 2807 via hdmi and the denon outputs via Hdmi to the Westing House 47 inch 1080p LCD. The Oppo is showing 2 bands of subtle distortion about 6 inches in from the sides on both sides. I switch to a different device and its not there.

I will have to trouble shoot later today when I have time after work. But what are your guys thoughts? I have the Toshiba HD A1 on order for the second DVD player (HD). I also have a DISH VIP 622 hooked via component sent to the denon and the denon converts to HDMI and sends to the TV.

The banding distortion is most obvious on light background scenes like the sky. My son was watching Home on the Range and it really annoyed me. All the components are Band new as this is my basment setup.

I set up my system yesterday and am really dismayed at the oppo 970. I have it hooked up to a denon 2807 via hdmi and the denon outputs via Hdmi to the Westing House 47 inch 1080p LCD. The Oppo is showing 2 bands of subtle distortion about 6 inches in from the sides on both sides. I switch to a different device and its not there.

Try connecting the DVD player directly to the TV without going through the receiver.

Page 17 of the advanced manual shows how to change the colorspace setings too. there is Auto, YCbCr 4:4:4 or RGB.

May or may not help.

Will try both these suggestions. I also havn't changed the resolution setting on the dvd player from default.

As far as connecting directly to the tv. I only have one HDMI input into the TV but will try for purposes of troubleshooting.

This is not a knock and I definitely have sympathy for equipment problems.

Since learning of these players a couple months back I've had a nagging question in my head.

I had never even heard of Oppo before 3 months ago.

How in the world can a company sell a decent dvd player for $149.00?

The cost of production is probably $75.00.

It's supposed to have a better picture than high end units costing thousands more because of the decoder chip.

My question is do we really expect a $149.00 player to perform flawlessly? Especially knowing HDMI has issues?

Like I said, I'm not knocking the company or the player, they sure have generated a lot of interest on this forum.

I bought mine when my 6 year old Integra died. I wanted it specifically to output 480i and the decoder chip's great performance reviews were a plus too.

My Brillian RPTV and Marantz SR18 receiver don't have HDMI connectivity, so I haven't run into that problem yet. I won't be surprised when I have the opportunity to try it though.

I use the HD A1 as my primary dvd player ands its better at upconverting SD DVD than any player out there. I sold my Denon 3910 after I saw its upconversion. The 3910 is MRSP $1500.

The only reason at all I bought the Oppo is because I have many DVD's that have unusual format. Meaning home made or wedding movies made overseas that don't play on the HD A1. Its a backup in case the HD A1 doesn't play a DVD. Plus I needed something for Audio the Hd A1 is horrible for Audio Discs.

My main family room set up has the following:

Panasonic 50PHD7UY
Dish VIP 622
Toshiba HD A1
Dennon 3806
Samsung 960HD

My Basement Home Theatre

Westinghouse 47 inch 1080p LCD
Dish VIP 622
Toshiba HD A1
Dennon 2807
Oppo 970

A few questions for anyone out there...

1) Anyone know how to skip to the next mp3 song? Right now I have to use the down arrow to select the next song. The next (>>|) button pages down instead of skip to the next song.

*By the way, I love the way you that you can go down and up the folder tree with the left and right buttons. The navigation while playing a song is wonderful and very fast. My Philips dvp642 was a dog when navigating.

2) Is it possible to have it continue to play the next folder of MP3 when finished with the current folder ... instead of stopping? I don't believe it does that now and just stop completely. Am I missing something?

3) What's the difference between Random and Shuffle for MP3 playback?

4) More of a 'Wish'... can the White font be changed to something more Gray as it can have some image retention on my plasma... I'm still in my breakin period. I know I can use the audio only function but I also like the menu there to be able to browse to other songs.

5) Another wish.... can we have the scrolling of longer filenames to be faster? Currently, it scrolls at 1 second per 1 letter. Maybe 1/3 or 1/4 second per letter would be very nice. If the scrolling can be done very gradual/fluid... it would make it more readable at a faster rate but I'm not sure if this is possible??

1) this was fixed in the OPDV971H with the latest firmware. OPPO is working on the same functionality for the DV-970HD.

2). You can navigate to the new folder and manually select the next track. Also, you can compress all folders into a single folder (which could create one massive playlist). There is currently no way to do a folder to folder playback.

3). Random will play all the songs in the folder, with the possibility of playing songs you have already heard. Shuffle will play all the songs in a random order, and play each song only once.

4) No option at this time.

5) This has been requested on the OPDV971H product. There has been no change.

About item 2) you can use the "Angle" key on the remote to flaten the folders instead of re-burning the disc.

Yes. Just press the Angle key to flatten the folders.

Hey guys - i know this is not the place but can someone can tell me if i want cheap HD DVD player that i can crack it to All Region Format - what should i buy?

Are you looking for a HD-DVD, or an upconverting DVD player. Currently there are no HD-DVD players on the market which can be made region free.

Okay, I've been using my new 970 for a week or two, and overall, like it. I do have a couple gripes, though, and maybe some of you can share your thoughts on these two issues.

#1) When making adjustments to the picture, the menu overlay takes up the majority of screen real estate, making it tough to view content while making an adjustment. I have found no way around this. Is this just an inconvenience we have to live with?

#2) Just curious as to how you guys are dealing with non anamorphic widescreen movies. Since I use the HDMI output at 1080i, my TV's view mode (zoom) is disabled. I have the 970's "wide/squeeze" option set and use the 970's "zoom" feature to enlarge the image, and I find this very convenient. My gripe is, at 1.5x zoom, the image doesn't quite fill the screen's width, but still retains good sharpness. At the next step of 2.0 zoom, too much of the image is cropped and the picture gets too soft.

I very much prefer to use the 1.5x, since I don't want to crop any of the image. I don't mind watching movies with black bars, as long as I know I'm seeing the whole original image, but I wish the zoom had a setting that would just be enough to fill the screen's width, like just a tiny bit above the 1.5x.

I just sent this email to Oppo, but I figured I'd post it here as well:

I recently received my Oppo 970HD, and I'm very pleased with the images I'm getting from my DVDs. I have run into one problem however. I've noticed that all images appear to be shifted an inch or two upward on the display. The net effect is that for very wide aspect ratio films (>1.85:1), the black border is taller at the bottom than at the top. For films with aspect ratios closer to my 16:9 plasma, I'm seeing the black border at the bottom, without any border at the top.

I'm currently running the Oppo into a 42" Panasonic Plasma HDTV (1024x768) via component connections. This problem occurs at both 480i and 480p. It also occurs regardless of whether the player is set to 16:9 or 16:9 Wide/SQZ

Any help is much appreciated.

Okay, I've been using my new 970 for a week or two, and overall, like it. I do have a couple gripes, though, and maybe some of you can share your thoughts on these two issues.

#1) When making adjustments to the picture, the menu overlay takes up the majority of screen real estate, making it tough to view content while making an adjustment. I have found no way around this. Is this just an inconvenience we have to live with?

#2) Just curious as to how you guys are dealing with non anamorphic widescreen movies. Since I use the HDMI output at 1080i, my TV's view mode (zoom) is disabled. I have the 970's "wide/squeeze" option set and use the 970's "zoom" feature to enlarge the image, and I find this very convenient. My gripe is, at 1.5x zoom, the image doesn't quite fill the screen's width, but still retains good sharpness. At the next step of 2.0 zoom, too much of the image is cropped and the picture gets too soft.

I very much prefer to use the 1.5x, since I don't want to crop any of the image. I don't mind watching movies with black bars, as long as I know I'm seeing the whole original image, but I wish the zoom had a setting that would just be enough to fill the screen's width, like just a tiny bit above the 1.5x.

In regards to #1, you should leave the Oppo's picture settings at default and calibrate with your display's picture settings (with something like DVE or Avia). Using your display settings usually allows for more precise calibration.

1) At this time, yes. One of the things I have requested is that the Setup menu disappears and only leaves the slider bar active. However, this is something that has not been changed in either product.

2) This is something OPPO is hoping to address in a firmware release. Their hope is to release a firmware which has predesigned Zoom levels for things like removing black bars on 2:35:1 films, as well as zooming 4:3 letterboxed films. However, there has yet to be a firmware with this feature, since each film seems to take up a slightly different realistate.

In regards to #1, you should leave the Oppo's picture settings at default and calibrate with your display's picture settings (with something like DVE or Avia). Using your display settings usually allows for more precise calibration.

Unfortunately, The contrast and brightness settings on my TV are global across all inputs, and I have to keep them adjusted for best average settings across all my cable channels (real pain in the ass). I'm forced to rely on the contrast/brightness settings of the oppo.

I'll tell you what, though. With the more movies I've been watching with the 970, the more satisfied I'm becoming with the player. Very consistent PQ between various movies, and re-watching some movies has made me aware of what I've been missing. I'm sure it's not the "beat all" of all players, but it's a wonderful player for not much money. I'm still struggling to get the skintones just right and sometimes I feel the color depth and the whites could be better, but that's just me (or my TV). Never totally happy :rolleyes: Incidently, I found myself preferring to use RGB color over HDMI, but I can't pinpoint why. This was also the case when I tried out a sony 75H.

Unfortunately, The contrast and brightness settings on my TV are global across all inputs, and I have to keep them adjusted for best average settings across all my cable channels (real pain in the ass). I'm forced to rely on the contrast/brightness settings of the oppo.

I'll tell you what, though. With the more movies I've been watching with the 970, the more satisfied I'm becoming with the player. Very consistent PQ between various movies, and re-watching some movies has made me aware of what I've been missing. I'm sure it's not the "beat all" of all players, but it's a wonderful player for not much money. I'm still struggling to get the skintones just right and sometimes I feel the color depth and the whites could be better, but that's just me (or my TV). Never totally happy :rolleyes: Incidently, I found myself preferring to use RGB color over HDMI, but I can't pinpoint why. This was also the case when I tried out a sony 75H.

Are you using a calibration disc? It's crucial.

I'm quite impressed by the 970. I've demo'd and tried a wide variety of players over the last six month, including some well-known high performing players such as the Denon 3910, Sony 3100ES, 9100ES, Panasonic XP-30, and Toshiba HD-A1. Right now I'm using component 480p with the 970 to avoid the vertical compression. I also have a CRT RPTV that does very well with component 480p. On any rate, the image at 480p holds its own against the mentioned players. The Denon 3910 was a little sharper at 480p, but otherwise they are pretty close for film-based DVDs. Color reproduction and black levels seem about equal. I would say against the rest of the players, the 970 is just as good or even slightly better at 480p component. As far as upscaling, I like how the 970 looks except for the compression issue (also makes it hard to do an apples to apple comparison to other players because of this...but the image seems quite sharp and defined).

Anyone have "gut feelings" or experience with quality of the deinterlacer and upconverting quality of the 970 vs. the Sharp D6U family of displays? Would I be better off sending the display 480i via HDMI, 720p, or even 1080i? Seems that the logical choices would be 480i (no 970 conversion at all) and let the TV do it's thing, or send the TV 720p so the 970 is doing the upconverting and deinterlacing. Wouldn't 1080i be overkill for a 1366x768 display?

Are my choices correct or do I have more homework to do?

And which settings would make the most sense?

Thanks.

newbie here with a quck question, just got the oppo dv-970hd and will be hooking up to my panny 50" plasma (the th-50phd8uk). also just got the hdmi card for the plasma and the hdmi cable to hook the tv up to my onix emotiva ultra light processor (but waiting for the hdmi switcher to hopefully arrive this week from onix)

so, my question...i don't know much about upscaling and what i've read is confusing me. i understand that the oppo is a good dvd player especially when hooked up via hdmi. but when watching dvd movies, what resolution should I been viewing the dvds at (480p, 480i, 720, 1080?) I don't quite understand how high res you can go and the role upscaling plays.

the other question i had was what ppl mean in this thread when they say "discrete on/off" capability from the commands they've upload for univ remotes

look forward to hearing back. thanks.

newbie here with a quck question, just got the oppo dv-970hd and will be hooking up to my panny 50" plasma (the th-50phd8uk). also just got the hdmi card for the plasma and the hdmi cable to hook the tv up to my onix emotiva ultra light processor (but waiting for the hdmi switcher to hopefully arrive this week from onix)

so, my question...i don't know much about upscaling and what i've read is confusing me. i understand that the oppo is a good dvd player especially when hooked up via hdmi. but when watching dvd movies, what resolution should I been viewing the dvds at (480p, 480i, 720, 1080?) I don't quite understand how high res you can go and the role upscaling plays.

the other question i had was what ppl mean in this thread when they say "discrete on/off" capability from the commands they've upload for univ remotes

look forward to hearing back. thanks.

Escobar
If your TV set has a great internal scaler/processor, then you might want to send 480i to your set via HDMI. IF the internal/scaler is not as good as the Oppo's, then you probably want to send 480p via HDMI. Send 720p or 1080i only if you want to try the upscaling. If your TV is 1080p, then try the 1080i output, as your TV will then detect film sequencing and display the film progressively. Otherwise, set it to 720p for upscaling, to maintain the proper progressive sequencing. Basically, you have to try them all and see what you like best.

Discrete On/Off refers to sending different infrared commands from a remote control to turn a device on or off, instead of having a simple toggle. These can be important for universal remotes and macros, because a Toggle might turn off a TV when it is already on (which you wouldn't want to do if you want the TV on), whereas a discrete ON command will do nothing to a TV that is already turned on. In some cases, even though the remote that comes with a device only has a toggle for power on/off, the device may still be able to receive the infrared commands for discrete on/off.

I'm considering picking up the 970, and have a question for current owners. I owned a 971H oppo, and thought it was a great player. However it had a bug where when watching the Star Wars DVD's the "a long time ago" text would judder and kind of jump around. There were also spots where the actual video itself would judder. I had to sell the 971h as this was too annoying. Can you 970 owners confirm if this does or does not occur with the 970? I'm looking to run 480i via HDMI/DVI converter cable to my Iscan HD+. But if this error with star wars is still there on the 970 I will pass. Thanks.

I've had my 970HD for about a month and have no video problems using component out feeding 480i into a Brillian 6580iFB.

I haven't tried the HDMI/DVI.

Anyone having problems with VCD sound? I'm running my 970 through a coax digital cable to my Anthem Preamp, but I'm unable to get any sound with VCDs. Changing the SPDIF output from 'Raw' to 'PCM' does not fix the problem.

Any suggestions?

Can you 970 owners confirm if this does or does not occur with the 970?

The judder on the Long Time Ago and the bad pan down is still there. I never experienced your judder during any other parts of playback, so I can't comment on that one.

And you seriously sold the OPDV971H for one film which experienced errors?

Anyone having problems with VCD sound? I'm running my 970 through a coax digital cable to my Anthem Preamp, but I'm unable to get any sound with VCDs. Changing the SPDIF output from 'Raw' to 'PCM' does not fix the problem.

Any suggestions?

Try using the analog audio outputs to see if you get audio through those. Use either the Mix or the Front Left/Right outputs. Set your LPCM out to 48K and attempt playback.

Anyone have "gut feelings" or experience with quality of the deinterlacer and upconverting quality of the 970 vs. the Sharp D6U family of displays?

Are my choices correct or do I have more homework to do?

You will either want to feed it a 480i signal and hope the de-interlacing and scaling aspects are equal if not better than the DV-970HD, or feed it a 720p signal and let the DV-970HD do the large scaling (480i->720p) and all de-interlacing.

I'm considering picking up the 970, and have a question for current owners. I owned a 971H oppo, and thought it was a great player. However it had a bug where when watching the Star Wars DVD's the "a long time ago" text would judder and kind of jump around. There were also spots where the actual video itself would judder. I had to sell the 971h as this was too annoying. Can you 970 owners confirm if this does or does not occur with the 970? I'm looking to run 480i via HDMI/DVI converter cable to my Iscan HD+. But if this error with star wars is still there on the 970 I will pass. Thanks.


Are you sure that the Iscan isn't contributing to this?

There has been some talk about it in the VP30 thread...

The judder on the Long Time Ago and the bad pan down is still there. ...

Are you sure that the Iscan isn't contributing to this?

There has been some talk about it in the VP30 thread...

I have a CRT RPTV and just tested Star Wars EPI and EPIV at 1080i, 480i, and 480p via HDMI. No judder with this combo

Try loading the sequence in different orders. If you directly access the film (stop then Menu) the error is not there. However, if you access the film normally (Play Film, Chapter, so forth) then you will notice juttering errors on the "A Long Time Ago" and the pan down to the sun.

It is also not always reproduceable, due to the way the branching works on the disc.

I too have found the best set up to be the 970 @ 480i HDMI to my Elite PRO-930HD.
Cole
What were you using before you got the Oppo?
How does it compare?

Try loading the sequence in different orders. If you directly access the film (stop then Menu) the error is not there. However, if you access the film normally (Play Film, Chapter, so forth) then you will notice juttering errors on the "A Long Time Ago" and the pan down to the sun.

It is also not always reproduceable, due to the way the branching works on the disc.

I used direct access, will try it later using menu access and see if the judder occurs.

Okay, tried it by navigating thru the menu and no judder occured. So with my CRT RPTV and the 970, no judder on the Star Wars "...Long Time Ago...".

The judder on the Long Time Ago and the bad pan down is still there. I never experienced your judder during any other parts of playback, so I can't comment on that one.

And you seriously sold the OPDV971H for one film which experienced errors?


Yes, I did sell it. To me, jumping around and trouble with panning down is a big issue with playback, even if on a limited number of titles. Add to that with my display I could see some macroblocking and had issue retention issues with True life off. My 4 year old Panny RP82 has none of these errors, so it's an oppo issue. I was hoping this was resolved in the 970. I'll wait it out and see if it gets resolved.

Gtaylor. You can not be seeing macroblocking with the 970. That was a chip issue with the 971 but since the 970 uses a different chip set (Mediatek) macroblocking is not an issue. You are probably seeing something in the film transfer. It is possible that you are seen more with this unit than with your onld Panny. Try a very good DVD and check again. I have seen issues where people by new sets and see things that were not there before because of improvements in the sets.

Rwestley,

I don't have the 970. I had the 971, which had the macroblocking I mentioned. I'm considering getting the 970. I would be hooking it up to an Iscan HD+ via 480i HDMI but the 970 appears to still have some of the flaws of the 971, such as the jittery motion on the star wars discs.

I posted in the other thread too and I don't like repeating myself, but has anyone had a chance to compare the 971/970 with the Denon 1920? I did a search but didn't hit anything relevant except one report that the Oppo 971's analog outputs were very inferior compared to its digital output.

Cheers!

Try loading the sequence in different orders. If you directly access the film (stop then Menu) the error is not there. However, if you access the film normally (Play Film, Chapter, so forth) then you will notice juttering errors on the "A Long Time Ago" and the pan down to the sun.

It is also not always reproduceable, due to the way the branching works on the disc.

I wonder if some of this may be display dependent? I currently have a 971H hooked up at DVI 480p to my Fujitsu 40-series plasma and can't seem to recreate the judder on the text scroll of Episodes I or III, whether I access the film directly or normally. The Fujitsu does have a "motion setting" in the setup menu that might be playing into this. I currently have it set to "Auto".

I did just update this unit with the latest (this weekend's) firmware, however, so maybe that has helped?

/steve

The "A Long Time Ago" judder and the pan down are not always reproduceable. Try accessing the feature in a number of different ways in an attempt to focus the error. I personally do not own Episode III, but I will add it back to my queue and try it again with the new firmwares.

My problem with banding turned out to be the westinghouse 47inch LCD and not he oppo. Oppo is working fine. I decided to get the 46 inch SOny XBR3 LCD.

The "A Long Time Ago" judder and the pan down are not always reproduceable. Try accessing the feature in a number of different ways in an attempt to focus the error. I personally do not own Episode III, but I will add it back to my queue and try it again with the new firmwares.

Thanks Neuromancer. Hopefully the 970 has overcome this. Does the 970 use the same MPEG decoder as the 971? On my 971, I always saw it. Being that the star wars films are my favorites, I saw it a lot and it drove me nuts, especially when my 4 year old player was steady as a rock with them. Combine that with some slight macroblocking and image retention with true life off and I let it go. Which was too bad as I really did think it was a great player. I'd love to give the 970 a shot, but if it still has the star wars issues it would drive me nuts.

I tried Star Wars Episode3 on my 970. I used different methods to arrive at the "a long time ago" scene. When I let it go there from the main menu (play movie), I do see a jitter of some kind in the text; it lasts about 2 seconds or so. After letting it continue on through the pan from the sun to the ship, it looked OK to me. I can make the jitter on the "long time ago" disappear if I skip backwards to that scene using the skip |< button.

I had (still trying to sell it) a Denon 2910B; and replaced it with the Oppo 970. Macroblocking and the inability to autoswitch to "narrow" on 4:3 material (i.e. most special features) are the primary reasons I replaced the 2910. I used component out on the 2910 to minimize the macroblocking; but I can use HDMI on the Oppo 970 without any macroblocking at all. I run 480i into a Mitsubishi 52525 DLP. The 480i was the only mode that fixed some strange flickering on the snell & wilcox pattern of the DVE calibration disc.

If it weren't for the macroblocking, lack of auto-squeeze mode and general slowness of the 2910, I would have stuck with it. Video quality on component at 480p was superb, macroblocking notwithstanding.

Does this jitter appear frequently on other DVDs? Or is this effect limited to this one scene on this particular DVD? Seems like it is some sort of artifact of the encoding on the media itself.

It is mainly specific to this film, due to the way the branching was designed in the film (the scrolling text is a differnt branch depending on your language. So the beginning has errors as it loads the proper video, and the end can have errors (the pan) as it goes back to the main branch).

Don't know of other films that have the same playback errors.

The other Star Wars DVD exhibit it as well, it's not just Episode III. I never noticed it on any other films but them on my 971.

I just sent this email to Oppo, but I figured I'd post it here as well:

I recently received my Oppo 970HD, and I'm very pleased with the images I'm getting from my DVDs. I have run into one problem however. I've noticed that all images appear to be shifted an inch or two upward on the display. The net effect is that for very wide aspect ratio films (>1.85:1), the black border is taller at the bottom than at the top. For films with aspect ratios closer to my 16:9 plasma, I'm seeing the black border at the bottom, without any border at the top.

I'm currently running the Oppo into a 42" Panasonic Plasma HDTV (1024x768) via component connections. This problem occurs at both 480i and 480p. It also occurs regardless of whether the player is set to 16:9 or 16:9 Wide/SQZ

Any help is much appreciated.

Did you get a reply from Oppo about this problem ?

This is really annoying and I really hope that they'll fix this bug with the next firmware update. Meanwhile I have to stick to 480P on my Panasonic 42PX50 since the built-in scaler of this Plasma is not very good with a 480I signal.

Patrick

Did you get a reply from Oppo about this problem ?

This is really annoying and I really hope that they'll fix this bug with the next firmware update. Meanwhile I have to stick to 480P on my Panasonic 42PX50 since the built-in scaler of this Plasma is not very good with a 480I signal.

Patrick

Actually, if 480p looks better to you, it's the Panny de-interlacer that's not as good, not the scaler. At 480p, your Panasonic is still taking care of scaling the image up to its native 768p resolution.

If it is the de-interlacer you're unhappy with, you may want to try the 971H at 480p (or 720p to compare scalers as well). The Faroudja de-interlacer/scaler in it is pretty good and superior to the Mediatek's in the 970H.

/steve

Actually, if 480p looks better to you, it's the Panny de-interlacer that's not as good, not the scaler. At 480p, your Panasonic is still taking care of scaling the image up to its native 768p resolution.

If it is the de-interlacer you're unhappy with, you may want to try the 971H at 480p (or 720p to compare scalers as well). The Faroudja de-interlacer/scaler in it is pretty good and superior to the Mediatek's in the 970H.

/steve

In fact, the best quality that I get from the 970 with my 42" plasma is at 1080i, but unfortunately with this setting the image is shifted while it's not at 480p.

That's the reason why I stick with 480p, at 480i the Panasonic de-interlacer doesn't seem to be as good as the Mediatek. (I noticed some problems with Star Wars - AOTC.)

The 971 is not really an option for me since there are macroblocking with my Plasma. I have to cross my fingers that Oppo will fix this problem soon.

Patrick

The 971 is not really an option for me since there are macroblocking with my Plasma. I have to cross my fingers that Oppo will fix this problem soon.

I forgot about the Faroudja / Panny macroblocking concern. I don't think it's something Oppo will be able to fix... I believe it's somethng Faroudja needs to address it in its next gen chip.

I have seen posts from some who say that with careful calibration, you can minimize macroblocking so it's essentially a "non-issue", but I don't have first-hand experience, so I can't vouch for this.

/steve

I can tell you that despite thorough calibration (and my display is also ISF'd...CRT RPTV) I could not get rid of macroblocking with the 971. Grant you, it wasn't severe....but still somewhat noticable in some scenes mostly with dark red or gray backgrounds.

Did you get a reply from Oppo about this problem ?

This is really annoying and I really hope that they'll fix this bug with the next firmware update. Meanwhile I have to stick to 480P on my Panasonic 42PX50 since the built-in scaler of this Plasma is not very good with a 480I signal.

Patrick

Pfillion-

Oppo said that they'd be testing for that problem with the PX50 this week. Amazing customer service--they responded to my email pretty quickly on a Saturday! I'll keep you posted.

Arieh

Here's the reply from Oppo:

We ran some tests on the DV-970HD and have concluded that there is a
3~5
pixel shift when using component and 480i/480p. This shift can be
exasperated by the fact that most movie studios will encode their films
with a 5~8 pixel variance between the bottom and top black boarders.

The engineers have been notified of the error, and will be looking into
fixing it

Best Regards,

Customer Service
OPPO Digital, Inc.

I remain completely impressed by Oppo's response time and attention to customers. You'd never be able to get this issue handled by a large electronics corporation. Kind of reminds of me of the level of service provided by Anthem.

I remain completely impressed by Oppo's response time and attention to customers. You'd never be able to get this issue handled by a large electronics corporation. Kind of reminds of me of the level of service provided by Anthem.


Makes me long for a universal high definition dvd player from Oppo. I'm thinking it would cost around $275.

Yeah! Oppo added discrete on/off support for the 970.

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd_faq.html#A5

I created a JP1 upgrade file here (for OneForAll, Radio Shack, etc. JP1-capable remotes):
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload.php?action=file&file_id=3284

These codes were created for the Oppo Digital DV-970HD
upconverting HDMI DVD player.

All original functions of OEM remote are included, including
some extra functions not on the original remote.

Following functions *not* included on the OEM have been added:

discrete on/off
pause/step
sound field
equalizer
multi-channel downmix
dd dual mono

--

Oppo DV-970HD does not support saving playback location automatically upon power shutdown.

I was able to simulate this functionality by redefining my Power Toggle and Discrete Off IR functions on my remote to be macros "Memory + Power Toggle" and "Memory + Discrete Off"

Do you have a discrete code sequence that works for a Pronto 1000? The one on the Oppo site is very short and does not work when I post the hex code into my Pronto.

thanks,

Rich

I can tell you that despite thorough calibration (and my display is also ISF'd...CRT RPTV) I could not get rid of macroblocking with the 971. Grant you, it wasn't severe....but still somewhat noticable in some scenes mostly with dark red or gray backgrounds. Just to balance this, my experience with the 971 is quite the opposite. The macroblock-enhance on BOTH of my Samsung DLP's looked absolutely horrible until I calibrated them with DVE and a slightly unusual technique. The macroblock-enhance is now GONE - in fact, even when there is compression-macroblocking in the source, the 971 looks better than the 970, thanks to the Faroudja's silky-smooth image.

Using Kris Deering's pet macroblocking test, "A Bug's Life", the sky in "PT Flea's Arrival" looks much smoother on the 971 than the 970. This applies to many other titles too.

The 970 also shows more banding than the 971. The DVE "Reverse Steps and Ramps", is one good example. Maybe that's just the price for a slightly "sharper" image.

Make no mistake, I like both OPPO players VERY much (more than any of the other players I've tested). Reference-quality DVD transfers can look superb on the 970, but noisy, or over-compressed transfers look considerably better on the 971. For all-around use, I much prefer the 971.

Gary

Just to balance this, my experience with the 971 is quite the opposite. The macroblock-enhance on BOTH of my Samsung DLP's looked absolutely horrible until I calibrated them with DVE and a slightly unusual technique. The macroblock-enhance is now GONE - in fact, even when there is compression-macroblocking in the source, the 971 looks better than the 970, thanks to the Faroudja's silky-smooth image.

Using Kris Deering's pet macroblocking test, "A Bug's Life", the sky in "PT Flea's Arrival" looks much smoother on the 971 than the 970. This applies to many other titles too.

The 970 also shows more banding than the 971. The DVE "Reverse Steps and Ramps", is one good example. Maybe that's just the price for a slightly "sharper" image.

Make no mistake, I like both OPPO players VERY much (more than any of the other players I've tested). Reference-quality DVD transfers can look superb on the 970, but noisy, or over-compressed transfers look considerably better on the 971. For all-around use, I much prefer the 971.

Gary

I actually used your recommendations in another post to rid the macroblocking.....didn't work. My TV has been fully ISF'd and calibrated...and I've re-used the calibrations discs over and over again with the 971. There are some displays where MB CANNOT be 100% eliminated. This is a fact with Faroudja. As far as banding, on my display, both players are equal in this regard using the grayscale ramp patterns....I think I talked to you about this in a previous post in the 971 thread. However, in both cases with the players, I don't really see the banding with real life viewing so it's a non-issue to me.

In addition, there is a little over-softness with the 971 on my display. I think this is because of certain characteristics, there are "marriage" problems between the display and player.

I agree there is a little more noise or artifacts with the 970...but it's slight. There's always pros and cons with different approaches.

Make no mistake, both players look very good on my display - it's just the 970 is a bit better (or appeals more to me) in this case for film-based DVDs.

We where watching a DVD movie (Supersize ME) a documentary and the quality of the DVD could be the issue. I usually wipe down or DiskDoc, my DVD(Netflix) before playing but didn’t this time.. Half way through the movie. The DVD froze, it would not go back nor forward even after many tries. I reject>cleaned and it played. Q?: I understand dust can cause reader issues, but I couldn’t move the disk F & B. Why?

We where watching a DVD movie (Supersize ME) a documentary and the quality of the DVD could be the issue. I usually wipe down or DiskDoc, my DVD(Netflix) before playing but didn’t this time.. Half way through the movie. The DVD froze, it would not go back nor forward even after many tries. I reject>cleaned and it played. Q?: I understand dust can cause reader issues, but I couldn’t move the disk F & B. Why?

I've had a very similar experience where the player locked up in the middle of a movie. I had to eject and start over. The movie played fine through the same section the second time.

Jeff

From the Oppo website:

"While both players [970 vs. 971] produce excellent picture quality and the difference is subtle, the "DCDi by Faroudja" technology is able to handle some tricky video contents. On very large TV or projector screens, the difference could be noticed by experts or videophiles."

Am I safe to assume that with my humble 30" Toshiba 30HF66 crt-hdtv (native 540p and 1080i), I will not be able to see any PQ difference between these 2 players? The lack of macroblocking and the direct HDMI output of the 970 is very appealing, as is the $50 price cut.

However, since I do watch a lot of foreign, arthouse, and older films with less than state of the art DVD technology (plus DVD copies of VHS originals) would those less-than-topnotch DVDs show worse on the 970? Would either Oppo produce a significant PQ improvement over my current $60 Pansonic s27?

I am not much of an videophile (much pickier with 2-channel music listening) but I do want to get the maximum PQ possible out of the Toshiba, which I realize is far from being a top of the line display.

Makes me long for a universal high definition dvd player from Oppo. I'm thinking it would cost around $275.


When can I send in my money?
I'm there already... :)

Am I safe to assume that with my humble 30" Toshiba 30HF66 crt-hdtv (native 540p and 1080i), I will not be able to see any PQ difference between these 2 players? The lack of macroblocking and the direct HDMI output of the 970 is very appealing, as is the $50 price cut. .

I would go with the DV-970HD for this situation. The difference between the two units is very minimal at this size, and your desire for higher quality stereo audio warrents the DV-970HD purchase.

I would go with the DV-970HD for this situation. The difference between the two units is very minimal at this size, and your desire for higher quality stereo audio warrents the DV-970HD purchase.

That's what I was thinking too, 30" is plenty small. Do you think I'll even see much of a difference between the 970 upconverting to 1080i through an HDMI connection, versus my current cheap Panny s27 using a component video connection.

As for audio, I actually use a Marantz 4300 for CD listening through my AVR, but I wasn't aware that the 970 has better audio than the 971...how so?

This depends greatly on the current aspects of the decoding process of the Panny S27, such as its ability to mask Chorma errors, reduce noise levels, accurately decode and process saturation, brightness, and contrast settings, its ability to de-interlace the video and so forth.

So in short: possibly.

The DV-970HD has a better audio DAC than the OPDV971H, which is important for analog audio distribution, or Stereo downmixing.

So in short: possibly.

Damn, I sure wish I could find it at a local BB/CC so I could return it easily if it makes no difference at all.


How do you think these Oppos compare to upconverting DVD players by the big names in the same $100-200 price range?

Philips DVP5960, $75 at CC
Samsung DVD-HD960, $165 at CC
Toshiba 6980, $100 from newegg.com
Sony DVPNS75H, $122 at CC

If you are worried about retunring it, then order from OPPO Digital directly. If you don't like it, and are within the 30-day purchase period, they will take it back. You will just lose out on the original shipping.

The DV-970HD is on par with the Toshiba, Sony, and Philips. The Samsung will be better in some aspects (less noise and aliasing artifacts) but worse in others (ghosting, soft image).

Do you have a discrete code sequence that works for a Pronto 1000? The one on the Oppo site is very short and does not work when I post the hex code into my Pronto.

thanks,

Rich

I just received these codes from Oppo customer service. They are awesome!

Power: 0000 006D 0026 0000 0155 00AD 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0041 0016
0041 0016 0600 0155 0056 0016 0E55 0155 0056 0016 00AD

On : 0000 006D 0022 0002 0157 00AC 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0689 0157 0056 0015 0E94

Off : 0000 006D 0022 0002 0157 00AC 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0689 0157 0056 0015 0E94


- Rich

The DV-970HD is on par with the Toshiba, Sony, and Philips. The Samsung will be better in some aspects (less noise and aliasing artifacts) but worse in others (ghosting, soft image).

If it's only "on par" with the Toshiba, Sony and Phillips then why would people pay more for the Oppo? Is it just for the upgradeable firmware?

(btw I forgot to include the Pansonic s52, also at about $100)

Also if the Oppo is being sold Internet-direct shouldn't it outperform the retail competition in the same price range? :confused:

The DV-970HD has a better audio DAC than the OPDV971H, which is important for analog audio distribution, or Stereo downmixing.[/QUOTE]


For the last week or so, I have been using the Oppo 970 with various external DACs to determine if they would help increase the quality of the audio with this player. I tried the DIYEDEN modified by Pacific Valve and Electric Company, a modified California Audio Lab Sigma DAC and a stock MSB Link DAC III. Using the DIYEDEN which was the least expensive of the three DACs, there was no noticable auditory difference. It was as if the DAC was not there and the Oppo was doing all the work. Comparing the results to my Sony 200 disc megachanger, the Sony received sonics benefits from the DIYEDEN. Moving on to the California Audio Lab and MSB DACs, both were able to increase the audio performance of the Oppo. By the way, these two DACs are 2-3 times more expensive than the DIYEDEN. Both were able to greatly reduce digital harshness while at the same time increase the air, detail and widen the soundstage of the recording. Also, these more expensive DACs were able to clean up and tighten the low bass. The stereo output of these two DACs easily compared against the Oppo's hi-rez 2-channel output. In fact, the two DACs beat the hi-rez output in detail, depth, clean low bass and having a wider soundstage. Again, in comparison my Sony player benefitted greatly when either of these two DACs were connected to it.

It is interesting to note that no matter what DAC I used, the Sony sonic signature changed greatly in a positive way while the Oppo must take a much more expensive DAC to receive any sonic benefit. Why this difference, I am not sure but in my system, I plan to keep the MSB Link DAC III. It seems to give the greatest sonic benefit in my system with the Oppo. Hope this information helps others who are thinking of upgrading the audio portion of the Oppo 970. My system: Parasound AVC-1800 preamp, Parasound HCA-1205 power amp, Magnepan IIIa speakers, Velodyne HGS-12 Series II subwoofer, Oppo Digital DV970HD, Sony CDP-CX240 200-disc CD megachanger, Panamax Max 5100 power conditioner, Synergistic Research speaker cables and interconnects.

I've had the 970 for about one and a half months now and so far, other than a very loose-fitting power chord that I had to use tape to keep it from coming off, I'm very impressed with the build quality and performance of the unit.

One thing I'd like to see in a future firmware upgrade is user-defined zoom adjustment. The player is connected to an old analog 55" RPTV that has 4-5% overscan all around. Sometimes I'm forced to use 1/2 zoom in order to see things on the edges that are cropped. A 95% zoom would be ideal. The rest of the zoom settings are pretty much useless to me. I imagine there are other old-timers out there that would welcome such a feature.

Is there a chance we might see something like this in a firmware update? Neuromancer?

If it's only "on par" with the Toshiba, Sony and Phillips then why would people pay more for the Oppo? Is it just for the upgradeable firmware?

Sorry, I had it truncated better. It is on par with the Sony NS75H (as it should, since they have the same decoder and de-interlacer) but has the edge due to the DV-970HD supporting SACD. It is better than the Toshiba and the Philips.

The added bonus beyond the other brands is the OPPO support. Fast, efficient, and they do regular firmware uprades (important).

One thing I'd like to see in a future firmware upgrade is user-defined zoom adjustment.

Is there a chance we might see something like this in a firmware update? Neuromancer?

This is one of the first feature requests I made to OPPO. I asked them to look into doing tiered zooming for content, much like the EZ Zoom function of the Samsung units, or the Aspect Ratio controls on your television. They are looking into this form of implimentation, but are waiting to release it when they fix the compression error, as any changes to the Zoom function now will not be useable when the compression has been fixed.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was another 2~3 months before we see this kind of functionality.

It is on par with the Sony NS75H (as it should, since they have the same decoder and de-interlacer) but has the edge due to the DV-970HD supporting SACD.

I demo'd the Sony H75 - calibrated my display with it, etc. The Oppo 970 has a much better image in my opinion - both at component 480p and upscaled at 1080i HDMI.

What inside the Oppo is creating the better image I see?

This is a really attractive feature to me because I am *hoping* it means that I can leave my Panasonic sa-xr55 receiver's speaker settings on "large" so that when I listen to my Marantz CDP my mains will receive the full-range signal but when watching movies, I won't run the risk of blowing the mains during any high-LFE scenes.


My question is, how will the LFE signal from the Oppo still reach my subwoofer? Does this mean that I'll have to use the 5.1 connections when watching movies?

With a 5.1 audio connection will I still be getting a full Dolby Digital signal? I always thought that the 5.1 connections were for SACD/DVD-A only and that only a coaxial or optical connection can pass DD?

Also, does anyone know what the Oppo's crossover is? I was hoping it was adjustable from 60-80-100-150-200, but I'm guessing it's probably either 80 or 100Hz? The PDF owner's manual for the 970 doesn't seem to provide that info.

I demo'd the Sony H75 - calibrated my display with it, etc. The Oppo 970 has a much better image in my opinion - both at component 480p and upscaled at 1080i HDMI.

What inside the Oppo is creating the better image I see?

Could be better engineering on the software. Sony could be using "hot" defaults, as to make the picture much more appealing to the mass market. OPPO tries to keep make their products accurate over punchy.

This is one of the first feature requests I made to OPPO. I asked them to look into doing tiered zooming for content, much like the EZ Zoom function of the Samsung units, or the Aspect Ratio controls on your television. They are looking into this form of implimentation, but are waiting to release it when they fix the compression error, as any changes to the Zoom function now will not be useable when the compression has been fixed.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was another 2~3 months before we see this kind of functionality.
Thanks for the reply Neuro, this is certainly something I will look forward to.

I just received these codes from Oppo customer service. They are awesome!

Power: 0000 006D 0026 0000 0155 00AD 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016
0041 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0016 0016 0016 0016 0041 0016 0041 0016
0041 0016 0600 0155 0056 0016 0E55 0155 0056 0016 00AD

On : 0000 006D 0022 0002 0157 00AC 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0689 0157 0056 0015 0E94

Off : 0000 006D 0022 0002 0157 00AC 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0689 0157 0056 0015 0E94


- Rich

Wow! That's great!

Any indications from Oppo that the firmware in the 971 will be updated to support these discrete codes ?

Wow! That's great!

Any indications from Oppo that the firmware in the 971 will be updated to support these discrete codes ?

I don't know. Send them an email they have very good customer support.

- Rich

Discrete On/Off will never be supported in the OPDV971H as the hardware does not allow for it.

Just wondering if anyone knew the status of a firmware update to fix the SACD gap issue.

I emailed them the other day about this issue and they replied right away saying that they are aware of the issue but have no ETA on a fix for it. Hopefully it will be soon.

-- R

...I wouldn't be surprised that most of the sound change I heard was from the addition of the EMI/RF filters.
Slbenz

Would you put RF filters on an HDMI cable???

I hear a hum when the Oppo is connected via HDMI or coax digital to my processor and no music is playing. It's pretty audible and varies with volume.

If I turn off the Oppo, hum is gone. It's not a ground loop, since all three (Anthem D2, A5 amp and Oppo) are plugged into the same 20 amp circuit that has nothing else on it.

I think Xenos reported something similar in post 1334.

Ideas?

I have been researching the two OPPO players for my KD-34XBR960. I am leaning towards getting the 971 because of its sharper image quality (so people say).

The card reader for the 970HD intrigues me though. I take a lot of digital photos and it would be cool to have a quick way of displaying them (without grabbing cables and hooking up camera). How does the reader in the OPPO work? Will it bring up my photos on an SD card and give me a way of selecting them and possible do a slide show? This feature would be pretty cool for parties and family gatherings. I could be swayed towards the 970HD if this can be done.

I know for some this feature may seem like a poor reason to select a player but its the little things like this that make electronics so cool.

Thanks in advance.

I have been researching the two OPPO players for my KD-34XBR960. I am leaning towards getting the 971 because of its sharper image quality (so people say).

The card reader for the 970HD intrigues me though. I take a lot of digital photos and it would be cool to have a quick way of displaying them (without grabbing cables and hooking up camera). How does the reader in the OPPO work? Will it bring up my photos on an SD card and give me a way of selecting them and possible do a slide show? This feature would be pretty cool for parties and family gatherings. I could be swayed towards the 970HD if this can be done.

I know for some this feature may seem like a poor reason to select a player but its the little things like this that make electronics so cool.

Thanks in advance.


I've tried photo viewing with the card slot on my 970, but the pictures look pretty bad. This is also noted in some of the reviews of the 970.

I have been researching the two OPPO players for my KD-34XBR960. I am leaning towards getting the 971 because of its sharper image quality (so people say).


The 970 is sharper on my display (CRT RPTV).

I don't know. Send them an email they have very good customer support.

- Rich

I had already done so in the past, but the Oppo guys had said that they didn't have a Pronto on site to whip up the codes. I guess they do now.

Too bad about the 971 not being able to handle these codes, though. That's probably my only wish list item remaining for the 971.

I have been researching the two OPPO players for my KD-34XBR960. I am leaning towards getting the 971 because of its sharper image quality (so people say).

The card reader for the 970HD intrigues me though. I take a lot of digital photos and it would be cool to have a quick way of displaying them (without grabbing cables and hooking up camera). How does the reader in the OPPO work? Will it bring up my photos on an SD card and give me a way of selecting them and possible do a slide show?

You can select photos in a menu, but they display with too much contrast on my TV. The 971 is a better DVD player. 970 has more features and lower cost. I have them both and I continue to use the 971 in my main system.

If you really want to display pictures with the 970 for a group of family members, I suppose you could tweak the settings to make it look better for that session, and set it back to your DVD settings later. What it really needs is independent contrast, color and brightness settings for the card reader.

Audiophile Audition just published a review or the Pioneer Elite DV-79avi. In the review the author compared the 79avi ($1000) with an Integra 10.5 ($2500), a modified SONY CE775 ($200 + $??? for mods), and an OPPO DV-970HD ($149). Here are some quotes:

"The picture quality was brighter and somewhat more detailed than that from the much-pricier Integra 10.5, but the differences were subtle. It was also very similar to the Oppo player. While the 79DVi lacks some of the advanced video processing of the 59DVi, it does have 4:4:4 video upsampling and something called the Super-Fine Focus Filter, which increases the horizontal resolution to 540 lines. I found the video performance exemplary."

"I next compared a number of three-channel SACDs, deciding to concentrate on the frontal soundstage playback rather than risking any confusion with the surround channels also in operation. I found SACD playback quality identical to the Integra uni player, while both the Oppo and Sony players were extremely close behind, making it difficult to pin down any differences with some of the discs."

It's great to see the OPPO can stand in the same league as those much more expensive players in both video and audio quality. I am very happy :)

Review: http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1751 (http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1751)

One thing I hate about these kind of comparissons is that it creates crazy expectations. Like when OPPO was awarded a 98/100 on Secrets. But, if it keeps people from spending a lot of money on a unit that will give them an experience which is eerily similar, then all the power to them.

I have the 970HD and a Mod. SONY CE775 (5yr old). ~total $600 and a collection of SACD.
The OPPO does have a nice SACD sound stage (2ch is better). There is a noticeable difference if fidelity and sound stage & The SONY is a lot better. But the OPPO is not crap. The players both have vibration pads and some wieghts on top for stablity.
I was hoping the 970 would be just below the CE775, so I could remove some eq. I use the CE775 for SACD- I use the Comcast music channel for background play back.
So i find the reviews statement intersting.

Audiophile Audition just published a review or the Pioneer Elite DV-79avi. In the review the author compared the 79avi ($1000) with an Integra 10.5 ($2500), a modified SONY CE775 ($200 + $??? for mods), and an OPPO DV-970HD ($149). Here are some quotes:

"The picture quality was brighter and somewhat more detailed than that from the much-pricier Integra 10.5, but the differences were subtle. It was also very similar to the Oppo player. While the 79DVi lacks some of the advanced video processing of the 59DVi, it does have 4:4:4 video upsampling and something called the Super-Fine Focus Filter, which increases the horizontal resolution to 540 lines. I found the video performance exemplary."

"I next compared a number of three-channel SACDs, deciding to concentrate on the frontal soundstage playback rather than risking any confusion with the surround channels also in operation. I found SACD playback quality identical to the Integra uni player, while both the Oppo and Sony players were extremely close behind, making it difficult to pin down any differences with some of the discs."

It's great to see the OPPO can stand in the same league as those much more expensive players in both video and audio quality. I am very happy :)

Review: http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1751 (http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1751)

There's another review on that site as well:

http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1701

/steve

Rank newbie here. I've been following this thread for a while and it has been very interesting, informative and often WAY over my head.

I hope this the right place to ask this question:

Several days ago a bought a Panasonic TC-32LX60—thanks to the great reviews on another forum on this site. So what recommendations does anyone have for a DVD player? I'm really attracted by the SACD capability of the 970, the price and all the good things people have been reporting. Is it a good match for the LX60? Versus the 971?

Audio will be through a JVC RX-8000V.

Thanks in advance and fo rall the great posts!

Would you put RF filters on an HDMI cable???

I hear a hum when the Oppo is connected via HDMI or coax digital to my processor and no music is playing. It's pretty audible and varies with volume.

If I turn off the Oppo, hum is gone. It's not a ground loop, since all three (Anthem D2, A5 amp and Oppo) are plugged into the same 20 amp circuit that has nothing else on it.

I think Xenos reported something similar in post 1334.

Ideas?


Max,

The supplied HDMI cable already has RF/EMI filters built-in so I would think you probably need to look at the back of your component rack to determine if you have a number of cables parralel or crossing each other close by one another. Sometimes, changing an AC plug position to another position on your power conditioner or AC outlet can help. You could try to add the additional RF/EMI filters on the HDMI cable to see if that helps. You will know right away.

Slbenz

Rank newbie here. I've been following this thread for a while and it has been very interesting, informative and often WAY over my head.

I hope this the right place to ask this question:

Several days ago a bought a Panasonic TC-32LX60—thanks to the great reviews on another forum on this site. So what recommendations does anyone have for a DVD player? I'm really attracted by the SACD capability of the 970, the price and all the good things people have been reporting. Is it a good match for the LX60? Versus the 971?

Audio will be through a JVC RX-8000V.

Thanks in advance and fo rall the great posts!

I would think the 970H would be a fine match for your 32" LCD. I'd compare calibrated 480i, 480p and 720p over HDMI and see which picture looks most pleasing to you. 480i or 480p over component from this player will look fine as well, if you don't have a free HDMI port available on your display.

/steve

One thing I hate about these kind of comparissons is that it creates crazy expectations. Like when OPPO was awarded a 98/100 on Secrets.


You are absolutely right...98/100 with no mark-down for MB!
Oh man.... ;)

Rank newbie here. I've been following this thread for a while and it has been very interesting, informative and often WAY over my head.

I hope this the right place to ask this question:

Several days ago a bought a Panasonic TC-32LX60—thanks to the great reviews on another forum on this site. So what recommendations does anyone have for a DVD player? I'm really attracted by the SACD capability of the 970, the price and all the good things people have been reporting. Is it a good match for the LX60? Versus the 971?

Audio will be through a JVC RX-8000V.

Thanks in advance and fo rall the great posts!

I received my 970 early last week and connected it to my 32 inch samsung lcd in my bedroom. Holy Sh--. It looks awesome. I think it ranks right up there pq wise with my denon that costs 4x as much in my living room. The tvs are different I know but I was impressed.
And by the way. The oppo is replacing a denon s-301 system that uses the guts of the denon 2910 dvd player. So obviously no slouch. The picture looks better than with the denon. Granted, there has been a problem with the s-301 dvd playback over hdmi. But that has to do with video hiccups, not pq.

Ross1, I can confirm that the Oppo970H (6.13 beta firmware) outputs SACD over HDMI at 88.2KHz. I have it connected to a Panasonic SA-XR57 and when "both units are properly set-up and used", the Panasonic will show "PCM 88.2" when a SACD is played.



Does this player output SACD converted to PCM via S/PDIF (or Toslink)? Thanks....


Mark

This is one of the first feature requests I made to OPPO. I asked them to look into doing tiered zooming for content, much like the EZ Zoom function of the Samsung units, or the Aspect Ratio controls on your television. They are looking into this form of implimentation, but are waiting to release it when they fix the compression error, as any changes to the Zoom function now will not be useable when the compression has been fixed.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was another 2~3 months before we see this kind of functionality.

Neuromancer,
The zoom on the Zenith 318 is much better than Samsung's EZ View.
It allows a step by step zoom, horizontally or vertically.

Does this player output SACD converted to PCM via S/PDIF (or Toslink)? Thanks....

No. SACD will not play at all in any form through S/PDIF.

Regarding the upscaling compression issue, what exactly have the other player manufacturers done to fix this chip issue? How were the "before and after" results?

I really, really hope Oppo gets this fixed sooner than later.

Neuromancer,

You mentioned to me that perhaps the 970 is not a good candidate for my 42PHD9UK because of the vertical compression issue. Will this be fixed in a future FW update? Would the new version of the 971 be a better choice, or would MB ruin it for me?

Vertical compression is the top of their priority list for firmware release. However, there is no ETA as to when it will be released.

On the Panasonic plasma line of displays, macroblocking will be a concern in relation to the OPDV971H and its replacement product. How much macroblocking you see, and how much of an annoyance to you, is variable. I personally can live with the amount of macroblocking I see on my 50U series, as it is occassional and usually only in very dark scenes.

Regarding the upscaling compression issue, what exactly have the other player manufacturers done to fix this chip issue? How were the "before and after" results?

I really, really hope Oppo gets this fixed sooner than later.

Sony uses the same chipset for their NS75/90 series DVD units. They solved the problem by doing a zoom and crop, which alters the overall clarity of the picture. OPPO wants to try to use a scheme that does not effect the visual clarity, but have yet to come up with one.

I wouldn't want a zoom and crop (as I understand it). If Oppo could just proportionately pull the image from the top and bottom very slightly. I know I'm making it sound easy and over-simplified. :)

Anyone know when OPPO will release their new DVD player (the 971 replacement)?

None has been announced. Fall is expected.

This is frustrating, because I designed a custom bookcase with the center section exactly 17" wide...the result of several compromises that had to be made. The Oppo is the only one that will fit that location, so I demand that they solve my problem immediately!

That was South Georgia humour,,,,,,for the most part.

You could use the DV-970HD at 480i/480p and let your 9UK do the scaling (which should be good on an industrial display). Then when the vertical compression error is fixed, you can bump it up to 720p without worrying about pre-mature burn in.

I would have put a more robust emphasis on my problem, personally.

You could use the DV-970HD at 480i/480p and let your 9UK do the scaling (which should be good on an industrial display). Then when the vertical compression error is fixed, you can bump it up to 720p without worrying about pre-mature burn in.

I would have put a more robust emphasis on my problem, personally.


OR you could spend $1500 and purchase an external scaler :D

You're right.....THAT would have been funnier!

Anyone know when OPPO will release their new DVD player (the 971 replacement)?

I emailed them a month or two back and they told me to expect the 971-update "Aug/fall". I'm assuming the The higher end model will be later this autumn if it exists. I might have a bad memory though.

I emailed them a month or two back and I think they told me to expect the 971-update this month (Aug) at the earliest. The higher end model will be later this fall I guess. I might have a bad memory though.
A "higher end model" later this fall? Please correct me if I'm wrong (please, please, as it will impact my purchasing decisions), but won't the 971-update be Oppo's "higher end model"?

If not, what sort of "higher end model" are we expecting?

Just bought the 790HD. Very nice.

A silly thing but how do you make the 790 display the DVD jacket picture when the disc is stopped? All I get is the Oppo blue screen. I know this has nothing to do with the quality of the player but there is something nice about have the jacket picture displayed
prior to screening the movie.

Also, a few titles (Matrix:Revolutions being one of them) suffer from frame skips. The same disc in my cheapo Pioneer player, plays without these frame skips.

Thanks,

-Niels

I don't believe tha DV-970HD can support jacket picture support.

A "higher end model" later this fall? Please correct me if I'm wrong (please, please, as it will impact my purchasing decisions), but won't the 971-update be Oppo's "higher end model"?

If not, what sort of "higher end model" are we expecting?

The update is a replacement to the OPDV971H. There is a rumor (started by Kris) that OPPO is looking into producing a high-end unit. However, there has been no confirmation of the sort from OPPO.

Hi guys...

I'm planning to buy 970HD soon. I have a HDTV with HDMI input, Onkyo 7.1 receiver with no HDMI.

If I connect the oppo hdmi to my tv hdmi..what about the audio? can i just use the coax cables to connect the oppo 5.1 channels to my onkyo?

Also, what if the DVD is in 6.1? how will oppo send the ouput in 5.1? Will it leave one channel?

please help guys...thanks in advance.

You can use the Optical/Coaxial cable for multi-channel audio from Dolby Digital/DTS sources, and use the multi-channel discrete analog connections for 5.1 from DVD-Audio and SACD discs.

6.1 will be passed to your receiver for decoding as long as you use the Optical or Coaxial output.

This was sort of a problem with some early DVD-A players but I've never heard it on CD players and SACD players. Try your Pink Floyd DSOTM SACD or even the DVD-A, some of you might have.It's pretty much ruined.This will happens on any disc that have a continious sound but it marked with track stops.
Anyway around this? Does Oppo knows this of yet?

Yes, this is a well documented error. OPPO is aware of the problem but has not released a firmware to address it yet.

A "higher end model" later this fall? Please correct me if I'm wrong (please, please, as it will impact my purchasing decisions), but won't the 971-update be Oppo's "higher end model"?

If not, what sort of "higher end model" are we expecting?

Yeah what Nuromancer said. Oppo only told me about the 971-update (aug/fall). A player to slot in above the 971 is a rumor....(hopefully true)

Yeah I tried to scan this thread as much I could, I did dispatch an email to Oppo though, can't hurt.

Would this player work well with an Infocus IN72? Anyone have this combo?

Would it be best to leave the HDMI output at 480i and let the IN72 do the de-interlacing, or would it be even better to do a 1080i upscale with the player and then let the IN72 convert it to 1080p then 480p (the PixelWorks scaler weaves 1080i signals rather than the inferior bob method first before conversion to the native resolution)? The IN72, as with all the INxx models, have 10 bit processing now too.


Just curious as the DVD player I have right now, the Pioneer 563A, only has component video output.

Ok.......from what I understand, the 970 is said to not upconvert copy protected dvd's over component. Is this true?

Well, due to some picture quality issues when using my 970 connected with HDMI to my Sharp LCD tv, I've switched to using the component connection. For the heck of it, I tried setting the 970 to 720p, and it works fine. I've tried quite a few dvd's that I would assume contain protection, and they all played fine at 720p over component. I tried 1080i, but the picture was radically shifted and jumpy.

Should this not work, or am I missing something, here?

From the review in Secrets I guess the best thing to do is output 480i via HDMI and let the Pixelworks processor take it from there.

Any other big problems crop up even if using it as a basic digital transport?

Dan

Thanks Neuro!!!!

I have one more question and I sent out an email to oppo earlier today.

I have a 62 inch Toshiba DLP TV(62HM15A 720p). Considering the screen size and 720p, will it be any problem with Oppo dvd player.

Here is the response I got from Oppo..please let me know if it makes any sense to you..
***********
The only problem with larger screen sizes is that the ability to see
quality de-interlacing and scaling is higher the larger the screen
becomes. However, the ability to see these differences is greatly
dependent on the DVD source, calibration of the display, and the
viewer.

The only other issue is that 720p and 1080i are slightly vertically
compressed, which can be apparent on some displays which do not
overscan.
***********

Ordered my 970 yesterday; it should be here next Monday. I'll be using it with a new Pioneer Elite Pro1130HD plasma display in a brand new house we're moving into next week.

If anyone has this setup and has tweaked it to perfection already, I would appreciate the settings you used for the OPPO. I'll have many items on the honey-do list that will have to come before I can spend some real quality time with the units, so any help in getting up and running quickly is appreciated.

I've got some settings already from the Pioneer thread for the display, so I'm just looking for settings for the Oppo. It is replacing a 7 year old JVC dvd player that is basically plug and play.

If it matters, I'll be connecting the Oppo via HDMI to the display and via Coax to the Elite VSx80 receiver with a 5.1 setup, and will be using a Harmony 890 to control everything once I've had time to re-program it for the new equipment.

Thanks a million.

No. SACD will not play at all in any form through S/PDIF.


Does this mean the player doesn't support digital out of the data from the CD layer of a hybrid CD, as many DVD players do? Is there a way to change from the SACD layer of a hybrid to the CD layer? I haven't played with the Oppo much but I didn't notice that feature right away; most SACD players I'm familiar with do that.

is anyone using toshiba or any brand 62 inch DLP TV with Oppo 970HD? please let me know your experience....My TV is 720p.

Hi all,

Blatant display of ignorance ahead :

Just got the 970HD and was hoping that the white outlines I see around many objects on many DVD's would be a thing of the past. Especially distant mauntains and buildings.

But alas, they are all still there. Read a few post regarding this matter and tried all the fixes but still they persist. Pop in the remastered Indiana Jones Trilogy for a ton of examples.

Maybe this is on the DVD's them self? Maybe I need the 791 and it's better de-interlacer? Is this even a result of de-interlacing?

Thanks.

Hi all,

Blatant display of ignorance ahead :

Just got the 970HD and was hoping that the white outlines I see around many objects on many DVD's would be a thing of the past. Especially distant mauntains and buildings.

But alas, they are all still there. Read a few post regarding this matter and tried all the fixes but still they persist. Pop in the remastered Indiana Jones Trilogy for a ton of examples.

Maybe this is on the DVD's them self? Maybe I need the 791 and it's better de-interlacer? Is this even a result of de-interlacing?

Thanks.

Make sure you use a calibration disc so that your sharpness control on your display is where it should be. Also, every display has a ton of different edge enhancement features/filters which likely need to be turned off (or toned down, at least) in the service menu.

My display is professionally calibrated and looking at reference patterns, I don't see any edge enhancement issues with the 970 (970 and 971 are the same in this regard). Also, keep in mind that many DVDs.....even ones with good transfers....still have some EE.

Does this mean the player doesn't support digital out of the data from the CD layer of a hybrid CD, as many DVD players do? Is there a way to change from the SACD layer of a hybrid to the CD layer? I haven't played with the Oppo much but I didn't notice that feature right away; most SACD players I'm familiar with do that.

SACD itself will not transport over the S/PDIF connections. CD, SACD CD tracks, and DVD-Audio (2.0 channel PCM).

To access the CD track of a SACD layer change the SACD Priority from Multi-Channel to CD Mode (General Setup).

It's your display. Every display has a ton of different edge enhancement features/filters which likely need to be turned off (or toned down, at least) in the service menu.

My display is professionally calibrated and looking at reference patterns, I don't see any edge enhancement issues with the 970 (970 and 971 are the same in this regard). Also, keep in mind that many DVDs.....even ones with good transfers....still have some EE.

Thanks for you responds David,

I own a Samsung HL-S5688 and am having it ISF calibrated at the end of this month. Hopefully the display allows for those EE generating processes to be de-activated.

I'll keep the 970HD...

Thanks again.

Just got the 970HD and was hoping that the white outlines I see around many objects on many DVD's would be a thing of the past. Especially distant mauntains and buildings.

Are you sure tha outlines (halo) are not part of the DVD master? Many DVDs have been mastered with "Edge Enhancement", which causes an artificial sharpness in the picture on a standard definition display. On a high definition display, this sharpening scheme becomes a visual distraction, as it creates halos/ringing around objects.

Try watching some indipendent films or foreign films, as they are more than likely not EE enhanced, as EE costs the studio money.

Thanks for you responds David,

I own a Samsung HL-S5688 and am having it ISF calibrated at the end of this month. Hopefully the display allows for those EE generating processes to be de-activated.

I'll keep the 970HD...

Thanks again.

I just edited my post to add that you should try a calibration disc (Avia or DVE) to make sure your sharpness setting on your display is not set too high. However, surely your ISF guy will check it out.

I think you'll be quite happy once it's all calibrated.

Are you sure tha outlines (halo) are not part of the DVD master? Many DVDs have been mastered with "Edge Enhancement", which causes an artificial sharpness in the picture on a standard definition display. On a high definition display, this sharpening scheme becomes a visual distraction, as it creates halos/ringing around objects.

Try watching some indipendent films or foreign films, as they are more than likely not EE enhanced, as EE costs the studio money.

Neuromancer:

I speculated that the effect might be part of the DVD itself. I'll try poppin' in some non-Hollywood releases to see if this might be the case.

If not, hopefully the ISF calibration will take care of it.

Thanks.

Just to add, some DVD players do in fact have built-in edge enhancement which cannot be removed. My previous player, Sony 3100ES, had a nice image but I could not remove all of the edge enhancement...it was literally built into the image. As a result, I couldn't tolerate it on my 57" display and had to sell it.

That's another reason why I respect Oppo so much. They keep their players as 'clean' as possible so the image looks more natural and "filmlike," thus, less "digital" looking.

Thanks Neuro!!!!

I have one more question and I sent out an email to oppo earlier today.

I have a 62 inch Toshiba DLP TV(62HM15A 720p). Considering the screen size and 720p, will it be any problem with Oppo dvd player.

The screensize itself may not be an issue (as long as you are mainly playing back Film and NTSC based films) then the visual difference between the two units is negligable in most situations.

However, what becomes a concern, is the vertical compression. This will show up either as no lines at the top and the bottom of your screen, to small lines, to rather annoying black bars. I have not measured the bars myself, so I can't comment on how large and distracting they will be on your television.

Hi all,

Blatant display of ignorance ahead :

Just got the 970HD and was hoping that the white outlines I see around many objects on many DVD's would be a thing of the past. Especially distant mauntains and buildings.

But alas, they are all still there. Read a few post regarding this matter and tried all the fixes but still they persist. Pop in the remastered Indiana Jones Trilogy for a ton of examples.

Maybe this is on the DVD's them self? Maybe I need the 791 and it's better de-interlacer? Is this even a result of de-interlacing?

Thanks.
After you get your display calibrated, see if you have any of these titles which have been judged by other AVS'ers as reference DVDs. There are many without edge enhancement problems.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=3451628&&#post3451628

After you get your display calibrated, see if you have any of these titles which have been judged by other AVS'ers as reference DVDs. There are many without edge enhancement problems.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=3451628&&#post3451628

Thanks Moxie.

Nice thread. One to bookmark.

Well I still "live" in the 20th century, as I still use my trusty Sony Wega, that can only accept 480i via component.
So my comments are regarding as such.
After extensive calibration, itt looks very good and noticably different then my aging Denon 2900.The oppo has a brighter punchier , sharper presentation, with good color decoding, though reds are not as deep, looks a bit "pale". The Denon compared looks darker and smoother more "film" like, but less detailed. Some discs like 24 season 2 definitelly looks better on the Denon, but bright well lit films like King Kong looks just fantasticly eye popping on the Oppo. Skintones are more natural on the Denon, but lacks that last bit of detail on closups, which is there with the Oppo.So at this stage there is no clear winner, but once I join to the 21st century and get a new disply with HDMI, should tip the scale a bit for the Oppo, I hope.
Other then some issues with SACDs and DVD-A[see my earlier post], it plays every discs so far I inserted, and yes the transport speed is very comparable to the Denon which was among the fastest tested by Secret.Don't know about the layer change as I yet to watch a complete movie from start to finnish, and with the Denon I had for 3 years I haven't seen one, so don't know were the layer change on most of discs.

Well I still "live" in the 20th century, as I still use my trusty Sony Wega, that can only accept 480i via component.
So my comments are regarding as such.
After extensive calibration, itt looks very good and noticably different then my aging Denon 2900.The oppo has a brighter punchier , sharper presentation, with good color decoding, though reds are not as deep, looks a bit "pale". The Denon compared looks darker and smoother more "film" like, but less detailed. Some discs like 24 season 2 definitelly looks better on the Denon, but bright well lit films like King Kong looks just fantasticly eye popping on the Oppo. Skintones are more natural on the Denon, but lacks that last bit of detail on closups, which is there with the Oppo.So at this stage there is no clear winner, but once I join to the 21st century and get a new disply with HDMI, should tip the scale a bit for the Oppo, I hope.
Other then some issues with SACDs and DVD-A[see my earlier post], it plays every discs so far I inserted, and yes the transport speed is very comparable to the Denon which was among the fastest tested by Secret.Don't know about the layer change as I yet to watch a complete movie from start to finnish, and with the Denon I had for 3 years I haven't seen one, so don't know were the layer change on most of discs.

Very interesting in regards to picture quality differences. Is your display an actual HDTV with 480p (I know you said 480i)? If not, then downconversion (ugh) would play a factor here. I was considering a used 2900 for its 480p output, but I wondered if it would top the Oppo 970 with its more likely superior (newer) MPEG decoding and at least adequate deinterlacing for film based DVDs.

I own a Samsung HL-S5688 and am having it ISF calibrated at the end of this month. Hopefully the display allows for those EE generating processes to be de-activated.


I have the Samsung HL-P5685w (720p) and it is ISF calibrated.
Have the 970 outputting 480i HDMI into a DVDO VP30 outputting 720p to the Sammie.
It does look terrific IMO...you should have similar results.

As others have mentioned, EE is often inherent to the disk. :(

I recommend you tell your calibrator all of your concerns and expectations before he starts his adjustments.

I recommend you tell your calibrator all of your concerns and expectations before he starts his adjustments.

Thanks oink. I most certainly will. I'm pretty thrilled.

Try watching some indipendent films or foreign films, as they are more than likely not EE enhanced, as EE costs the studio money.

Edge ringing can also be caused by poor compression. It's not always a deliberate video transfer decision (though sometimes it is). DVDs distributed by no-name indie labels are likely to have compression problems, so recommending that type of movie isn't necessarily a good idea.

Also, many foreign or "independent" movies are distributed on home video via major studios or their specialty branches (Miramax, Sony Pictures Classics, etc.). Their DVDs get mastered by the same departments that do the A-list movies for each of those studios. A DVD released by Sony is going to have edge enhancement whether it's a mainstream movie or an independent film, because Sony adds edge enhancement to all their DVDs across the board.

Also, many foreign or "independent" movies are distributed on home video via major studios or their specialty branches (Miramax, Sony Pictures Classics, etc.). Their DVDs get mastered by the same departments that do the A-list movies for each of those studios. A DVD released by Sony is going to have edge enhancement whether it's a mainstream movie or an independent film, because Sony adds edge enhancement to all their DVDs across the board.

This can be true, but it is dependent on the studio to spend the money to do so. You have cases where studios forget to send the master for EE (such as the 4-disc Gladiator set) or they do not bother at all (Columbia/Tristar release of Goodbye, Lenon! and New Line's release of Prime come directly to mind).

So, yes, it is true that just because you are indipendent or foreign does not denote foul play, but in my experience, these type of titles are less likely to have EE added to them, as it is not worth it to the studio to spend the extra cash on this process.

Very interesting in regards to picture quality differences. Is your display an actual HDTV with 480p (I know you said 480i)? If not, then downconversion (ugh) would play a factor here. I was considering a used 2900 for its 480p output, but I wondered if it would top the Oppo 970 with its more likely superior (newer) MPEG decoding and at least adequate deinterlacing for film based DVDs.

No it's not an HDTV.

Hey, I just got my hands on the 971 and I have a simple question. ( i know its not a 970 but I'm pretty sure you guys can answer it).

Anyway, Microsoft just released an update for Xbox360 that allows consoles connected via VGA to upscale DVD's to 720p (in effect doing what the 970/1 does). There has been a lot of debate about which picture will be better, and I'm curious to hear your opinions. I haven't actually opened my Oppo and I won't until I hear some definitive opinions.

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

EDIT: hey I apologize I just realized that there is a 971H thread as well.. =/. If anyone can help me out here though I would greatly appriciate it.

Go with the 971 it wont get much better.

SACD itself will not transport over the S/PDIF connections. CD, SACD CD tracks, and DVD-Audio (2.0 channel PCM).

To access the CD track of a SACD layer change the SACD Priority from Multi-Channel to CD Mode (General Setup).

Thanks Neuromancer; I was hoping there was a discrete button to switch from the DSD layer to the Redbook layer as some dedicated SACD players have that, but that's not a biggie. I'm hoping that switching the SACD Priority to the CD layer outputs 16 bit/44.1KHz data at the digital out, otherwise I can't play hybrid SACDs in my system (a Tact digital amp without the optional A/D convertors). It would be nice if Oppo included the ability to convert DSD to some sort of high res PCM at the digital outs, as almost all SACD players do PCM conversion internally for bass management and the Oppo also converts DSD to PCM for transmission over HDMI. But that may violate some copy protection clause in the Scarlet book spec, I'm not sure.

I've got my 970 few days ago. I hooked it up to Panasonic 42 inch EDTV via HDMI.
But I'm a little confused with it. Most of the times it takes several attempts power on/off, changing inputs on TV to get the picture and sound. I see it playing a DVD, but nothing comes through right away. I assume it is not normal behavior.
What is a culprit: player, cable, TV? I've ordered new HDMI cable from monoprice, but won't be able to test it more until Monday.
Anybody seen that?

Yugin - not to take you off topic, but how's the picture when it does come up? Are you running at 480p?

Picture is just fine: nice and clean (I'm not videophile) and I tried different settings 480i, 720,. I think I left it at 480i. Does it make any difference?

Does it make any difference?
Only to you...

I'm curious because I have a Panasonic ED panel (42PWD8UK) as well, and I'm considering this player. I like the price, that's for sure, and it seems to test out okay with the guys over at Secrets.

Yugin--
I have a 970HD and have had the same problem a couple of times. I believe I've read somewhere that it has to do with an HDMI handshaking issue.
I've discovered that if it happens, I turn off the Oppo, go to a different source, return to my DVD source, and then turn on the Oppo, it's all good.
J

Handshake issue? Is that what it is?
What causes it? Any specific workaorund like replacing cable or something?
Seems like it asking to be powered on in some specific order. I need to play with it a little bit more tonight.

HDCP handshake issues are hard to resolve. Usually it is cause by an issue with the unit you are connecting to. Check to see that the cables are secure. It is also better to turn on the TV first.

This question is for all you 970 owners who are hooking the player up with a HDMI-DVI cable. Are there any signs of green depression when hooked up to a DVI ready television? I know this has been an issue with other HDMI dvd players. I'm asking because I'm contemplating on buying the replacement to the 971 which I know will have HDMI.

Would I be right to expect an increase in PQ if I got the 970 over my current Philips DVP642? I'm using component cables currently to connect the DVP642 to my new Panasonic 42PWD8UK (I know its an EDTV). I don't have the HDMI board for the 8UK. I don't really want to order the HDMI board yet, but I am not entirely satisified with the DVD PQ of the Philips DVD player and want to know if running 480p via component on the 970 would be an improvement.

DVD Benchmark 970HD (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=68&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0#Oppo%20DigitalDV-970HD%20(Component))

DVD Benchmark Philips DVP642 (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=12&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0)

Would I be right to expect an increase in PQ if I got the 970 over my current Philips DVP642? I'm using component cables currently to connect the DVP642 to my new Panasonic 42PWD8UK (I know its an EDTV). I don't have the HDMI board for the 8UK. I don't really want to order the HDMI board yet, but I am not entirely satisified with the DVD PQ of the Philips DVD player and want to know if running 480p via component on the 970 would be an improvement.

DVD Benchmark 970HD (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=68&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0#Oppo%20DigitalDV-970HD%20(Component))

DVD Benchmark Philips DVP642 (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=12&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0)

I think there is confusion about the Secrets benchmarks. The Y/C delay and frequency response have to do with the image. The other marks have to do with player speed and de-interlacing. A play could have better de-interlacing but worse scaling. So you need to know what type of DVDs you watch: Film, Video, Anime and weight their finding accordingly. For most people who watch film based DVDs scaling, Y/C delay, Chroma handling would be or most importance.

- Rich

The majority of the DVDs I watch are Film based I believe. Video would be like TV shows on DVD right? Sorry if that's wrong, I'm not really sure. Is there any where else then that I can compare DVD players and their picture quality? The DVP642 just looks sort of dirty to me I guess and am looking for something with a cleaner image.

I guess I could keep an eye out for the Denon 1600 or the Panasonic XP-30.

After researching the differences between the Oppo 970 and 971 I'm at a loss technically as to which one to buy. I recently bought a Panasonic PX60U and am looking for the best fit with my tv. I'm not sure if I should buy the Oppo 970HD to transfer the 480i signal and let my TV do the upscaling or pick up the 971 and let it upscale? I'm mainly concerned with getting the best PQ from DVDs and divx video. Which player, in my situation, is better?

Confused, and thanks for any recommendations.

After researching the differences between the Oppo 970 and 971 I'm at a loss technically as to which one to buy. I recently bought a Panasonic PX60U and am looking for the best fit with my tv. I'm not sure if I should buy the Oppo 970HD to transfer the 480i signal and let my TV do the upscaling or pick up the 971 and let it upscale? I'm mainly concerned with getting the best PQ from DVDs and divx video. Which player, in my situation, is better?

Confused, and thanks for any recommendations.

Hello.

Oppo 971 has DCDi by Faroudja for De-interlacing and Genesis/Faroudja for HD Up-converting / Scaling. Both are very, very good.

If your TV has the same De-interlacing and upscaling system + HDMI with HDCP or DVI with HDCP then Oppo 970 is for you else Oppo 971 is recommended.

Nevertheless, with oppo 971, it is necessary to verify its compatibility with your TV because Oppo 971 has DVI without HDCP.

This question has probably been answered somewhere in this huge, helpful thread, but I could not manage to find it anywhere, so will the oppo players play Divx/Xvid files that are on +/_ RW, or only single write disks? And if they will read off RW's, will the player upconvert them?

Yes, the OPPO 970 will play xvid/divx files burned on +/- RW and upscale. I had the LG player that would only play -RW, but returned it for the OPPO.

The majority of the DVDs I watch are Film based I believe. Video would be like TV shows on DVD right? Sorry if that's wrong, I'm not really sure. Is there any where else then that I can compare DVD players and their picture quality? The DVP642 just looks sort of dirty to me I guess and am looking for something with a cleaner image.

I guess I could keep an eye out for the Denon 1600 or the Panasonic XP-30.

I used the Pansonic XP-30 exclusively for over a year. It's a very good 480p component player. Right now, I'm using the Oppo 970 (sometimes at 480p component and other times upscaled 1080i HDMI). While I wasn't able to A/B them, with "real world" film-based DVD viewing, the Oppo colors seem a bit better to me and may even have an overall slightly better image....again, going by memory here. All in all, I think the Oppo would be a good selection. On the other hand, I've seen used XP-30s selling for under $100 on some forums. But, there's always a risk buying a used player. And, with the Oppo, you can always upscale one day if you choose.

I was thinking that about the upscaling too. It's a good point. I think I'm leaning towards the 970, hopefully its better than my current DVP642.

Could someone clarify film vs. video DVD just so I make sure I'm understanding it correctly? Or just point me in the right direction where I could read about it.

I was thinking that about the upscaling too. It's a good point. I think I'm leaning towards the 970, hopefully its better than my current DVP642.

Could someone clarify film vs. video DVD just so I make sure I'm understanding it correctly? Or just point me in the right direction where I could read about it.

Try here (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html).

/steve

Found a firmware hack for the 970 on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mt13x9_files/files/

Heres a link to an ISO file of it.
http://rapidshare.de/files/29049631/613AMOD.iso.html

Another link to the ISO
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=5DE441C8735AFC21

Apparently disables HDCP/Enables Component outputs. Can anyone confirm?

I can confirm Component based upconversion and a loss of HDCP compliance, but I do not know what features may or may not be working on this release. YMMV.

What is YMMV ???

What is YMMV ???

http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?Acronym=YMMV&string=exact

What is YMMV ???

Your mileage may vary.

Thanks guys...

I can confirm Component based upconversion and a loss of HDCP compliance, but I do not know what features may or may not be working on this release. YMMV.

Are you saying you can confirm component upconversion for commerical DVDs?

I've confirmed component up conversion for commercial DVDs too. I haven't tested HDCP yet, as I lack a display to test it with.

How does one use the new hack - for upconversion of commercial dvd thru component? I wouldn't want to screw up my 970.

I was just going to ask.....any side effects of using this hack?

Don't know, hence my YMMV comment. I just popped it in to test the two features of the hacked release, and they seem to work. However, I have not done a full analyzation of the firmware, so who knows if anything is lost when using this firmware release.

How does one use the new hack - for upconversion of commercial dvd thru component? I wouldn't want to screw up my 970.

You install it like the official firmware releases. Download the ISO image, then use an ISO/Image burning program to master the disc. Place the disc in the DVD unit and press Play. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Neural,

Please post your results when your analyzation is complete.

Even though my CRT RPTV has HDMI (which is fully calibrated), component still looks slightly better (slightly brighter, more natural color and picture) which is why this hack really interests me.

A couple things, it apparently retains the latest audio fixes of 613A.

The ISO file can be burned to a CD, right?

If this works without any adverse side effects I'm definatly sold on the 970.

For firmware 0613, it says "New Default Contrast Setting for Component Video Output" - How does this differ from today's contrast setting?

For firmware 0613, it says "New Default Contrast Setting for Component Video Output" - How does this differ from today's contrast setting?

You can find the documentation for that on the Oppo site. ASIR it changed the default contrast from 0 to -4, but you should check it to be certain.

The Contrast was changed "-3" to make it more intune with the HDMI output.

How about that bargain Vizio 42" LCD sold by costco? I'm debating....i do like the idea of media card inputs on the 970HD.

HI, hope this isn't too much of a newb question:

I just purchased a Oppo 970HD box and have find that I can't display any of my archived DVD movies or clips.

I.E. I have a DVD-R made up of movie trailers that i created and put together in Nero. It works fine in my Xbox (which was my default DVD player until the Oppo) but now when I play it I get "No Disc" on the display. Same happens with an old backed up copy of Lion witch and the wardrobe dvd that plays on the xbox as well as an old Sony dvd I used to have.

SO I have spent the better part of today burning various things to DVD-R via Nero and everything that I have created comes up with the no disc error on the oppo?

Any thoughts on what I could be doing wrong or does the Oppo just not like DVD-R's??

Any help is appreciated!

-Reggie

I can confirm Component based upconversion and a loss of HDCP compliance, but I do not know what features may or may not be working on this release. YMMV.

Does it have any affect on PUOPs like the Russian firmware for the 971H?

Anyone know of any hacks to output stereo sacd that's converted to 24/88 over the spdif outputs? I'd love to be able to hook up to my dac.

I just got the Oppo 970 and saw a link to a firmware hack that would allow upconversion over component a few posts back. My question (which has probably been answered before but I've seen conflicting answers) is this; I have a Pioneer SD643HD, old fashioned rear projection HDTV with only component inputs. It will accept 480p and 1080i. If the native resolution of the DVD is 480p, then how can I get a better picture than that on my TV (i.e. how can artifically adding more lines improve the picture quality)? Would love to hear a reply or two on that one please because I don't get it (for my type of TV).

Thanks

Aaron

The native resolution of DVD is 480i, actually. The reason that upscaling players like the Oppo players are so popular is that people are looking for the most effective way to scale video up to the native HD resolutions of their HDTV's. The resulting image is not true HD, but a player with a good scaler and de-interlacer is likely to be able to get better results is changing from 480i to 480p, 720p, or 1080i than an HDTV's internal scaler and de-interlacer.

I meant 480i for the DVD (sorry). So it's a matter of which looks better, taking 480 lines and drawing them all at once or taking the 480 lines, converting them to 1080 and drawing them as odd/even.

For those who do it, does the 1080i picture really look that much better than 480p (on a rear projection TV)

I just got the Oppo 970 and saw a link to a firmware hack that would allow upconversion over component a few posts back. My question (which has probably been answered before but I've seen conflicting answers) is this; I have a Pioneer SD643HD, old fashioned rear projection HDTV with only component inputs. It will accept 480p and 1080i. If the native resolution of the DVD is 480p, then how can I get a better picture than that on my TV (i.e. how can artifically adding more lines improve the picture quality)? Would love to hear a reply or two on that one please because I don't get it (for my type of TV).

Thanks

Aaron

Upconversion serves no benefit on CRT RPTV. Stick with 480p component for best results on your set.

I sometimes upscale on my CRT RPTV display just to avoid seeing horizontal scanlines. I occasionally see them at 480p which can annoy me. However, if this is not an issue for you, just stick with 480p.

Keep in mind the upconverted image is slightly vertically compressed on the 970 making people and objects look a bit shorter and wider than otherwise.

The Oppo 970 has outstanding 480p component output. I plan on comparing it to some more expensive players soon just for curiousity. I used to have a Panasonic XP-30 which is supposed to be one of the better component 480p players ever made. While I was never able to A/B the 970 and XP-30, working from memory, I think the Oppo has just a bit better color rendition and sharpness on film-based DVDs.

I can confirm Component based upconversion and a loss of HDCP compliance, but I do not know what features may or may not be working on this release. YMMV.
Does the component upconversion exhibit the same vertical compression as the HDMI output?

OK, this is a SUPER LONG thread, and I'm still quite confused by now...

I recently purchased a Syntax Olevia 532H LCD TV (it's a 32" pannel), and was wondering if this TV would accept 480i HDMI. Also I'm really not sure if my TV has a built-in scaler as I don't know where I could find this kind of information. And yes, I'm a newby and I really need you guy's help.

Also does anyone have first hand experience with the combination of this 970HD with the 532H LCD TV? Or could any one comment on which one is better to go with my TV, 970HD or 971H?

I really really apprecitate your help.

I know this is a bit off topic.

What is a good, free program that I can use that can convert different kinds of movie files? Im actually looking for something that can convert motionjpeg to divx.

Thanks

Does the component upconversion exhibit the same vertical compression as the HDMI output?

Yes.

How apparent is the vertical compression? Is it as bad as viewing an SD source on Full or Just mode for example. That makes people look pretty disproportionate (short and fat). I haven't read about the compression on the 970. I'll admit I haven't read this entire thread but have browsed here and there to get an idea of whether or not I'm going to try out the 970.

How apparent is the vertical compression? Is it as bad as viewing an SD source on Full or Just mode for example. That makes people look pretty disproportionate (short and fat). I haven't read about the compression on the 970. I'll admit I haven't read this entire thread but have browsed here and there to get an idea of whether or not I'm going to try out the 970.

It's not as bad as watching SD on full mode, but it is noticable...everything is a bit shorter and wider. I suspect it won't bother most people (many probably wouldn't even notice it). But, I still don't like watching anything distortive. I've been using the player mostly at 480p component (which jives better with my CRT RPTV anyway) where there are no issues. I get the impression from Oppo that this issue is very difficult to fix in an ideal fashion. It remains to be seen just how it will be fixed.

Could this be overcome by slightly adjusting the overscan on my plasma? I know thats still not ideal, but if its only a small amount of vertical compression than maybe I could make it slightly less noticeable.

Could this be overcome by slightly adjusting the overscan on my plasma? I know thats still not ideal, but if its only a small amount of vertical compression than maybe I could make it slightly less noticeable.

Adjusting overscan may hide the extra part of the "black bars," but will do nothing to fix the distrorted, compressed image. You would need to manipulate the appropriate service menu values of your display to uncompress the image (something I don't recommend trying).

Thanks, I try to stay away from the service menus.

Seriously, the 480p output is very, very good. I would just stick with that, or try having your plasma upscale it.

Keep in mind the upconverted image is slightly vertically compressed on the 970 making people and objects look a bit shorter and wider than otherwise.

That sucks, I'm surprised I didn't catch this before. Is it well documented? None of the reviews that linked from Oppo's site mentions this, or at least I don't recall. Currently I have no way to utilize upconversion but I wanted to do that with my next TV purchase. IS the 971 also doing that?

What is the concensus on the ICP error. Does that make this player a bad choice for use as a 480i HDMI based source device? Or will any video processor that upconverts the 480i signal pretty much negate the ICP error?

That sucks, I'm surprised I didn't catch this before. Is it well documented? None of the reviews that linked from Oppo's site mentions this, or at least I don't recall. Currently I have no way to utilize upconversion but I wanted to do that with my next TV purchase. IS the 971 also doing that?

In the 971, Faroudja corrects in a way that slightly underscans the image (as I understand it).

I agree it's odd that not one single review I've read mentions the compression issue (makes you wonder just how well they really review). All I know is Oppo should fix this sooner than later.

Upconversion serves no benefit on CRT RPTV. Stick with 480p component for best results on your set.

....

Not necessarily true on the Panasonic x54 series of CRT RPTV's. 480i/480p inputs are upscaled to 540p. 1080i input is displayed at 1080i. On my PT47x54 1080i is a much cleaner image.

Holy crap! I didn't even know what the "wide/squeeze option" was -- the Oppo manual is not very helpful -- until I read this post. I finally got my Samsung 5087 last week and have been using the Oppo. It's a great player -- though the remote leaves a bit to be desired -- and being able to finally zoom in spite of my TV's zoom-limitations with HDMI is tremendous. The rub, however, is discovering the limitations of what I thought were halfway-decent non-anamorphic transfers! Them's the breaks, I guess.

Okay, I've been using my new 970 for a week or two, and overall, like it. I do have a couple gripes, though, and maybe some of you can share your thoughts on these two issues.

#1) When making adjustments to the picture, the menu overlay takes up the majority of screen real estate, making it tough to view content while making an adjustment. I have found no way around this. Is this just an inconvenience we have to live with?

#2) Just curious as to how you guys are dealing with non anamorphic widescreen movies. Since I use the HDMI output at 1080i, my TV's view mode (zoom) is disabled. I have the 970's "wide/squeeze" option set and use the 970's "zoom" feature to enlarge the image, and I find this very convenient. My gripe is, at 1.5x zoom, the image doesn't quite fill the screen's width, but still retains good sharpness. At the next step of 2.0 zoom, too much of the image is cropped and the picture gets too soft.

I very much prefer to use the 1.5x, since I don't want to crop any of the image. I don't mind watching movies with black bars, as long as I know I'm seeing the whole original image, but I wish the zoom had a setting that would just be enough to fill the screen's width, like just a tiny bit above the 1.5x.

What is the concensus on the ICP error. Does that make this player a bad choice for use as a 480i HDMI based source device? Or will any video processor that upconverts the 480i signal pretty much negate the ICP error?

ICP is a de-interlacing problem. You can find out more about it at:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_2/dvd-benchmark-special-report-chroma-bug-4-2001.html and http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/vidbug2.htm.

There's a question in my mind as to whether or not this player actually suffers from it. My own testing with the DVE Snell & Wilcox test pattern at title 15 chapter 7 indicate that ICP is not present. There's a sub-second delay before the ICP appears to be corrected on this screen, but I believe that delay is related to 3:2 pulldown detection, which is also a test on this screen. Paul Bigelow's testing in the first post of this thread reported similar results to mine at 1080i.

Kris Deering at Home Theater Secrets uses a more stringent ICP test. He's agreed to take another look at the 970HD ICP test results, however. It's possible he had a different f/w revision at the time he tested, or that his test is more accurate and the player does in fact suffer from it.

At any rate, as you will see, it's not really a "show-stopper" type of defect.

/steve

I found it interesting that Audioholics didn't rate the 970HD nearly as high as Secrets did.

Not necessarily true on the Panasonic x54 series of CRT RPTV's. 480i/480p inputs are upscaled to 540p. 1080i input is displayed at 1080i. On my PT47x54 1080i is a much cleaner image.

In your case, you're probably right since 480p is not being displayed natively. I think the Toshibas do this too.

On CRT RPTVs that get true or good 480p, upscaling players really have no advantage.

If you use the Oppo to provide 480i output via HDMI to a scalar, does the ICP issue matter, since its a deinterlacing problem the scalar would be the one to handle it from the 480i data, correct?

Ok, I've already asked this and was told that it's HDMI handshake thing ? (In short: OPPO hooked up via HDMI to Panasonic TH-42PM50U EDTV and it takes forever to display picture or sound). I contacted OPPO tech support. They didn't give definitive solution, but told me to try some things and beta firmware what I did. I don't think it solved anything; well, what I noticed is that when I leave TV and 970 on eventually (not always though. I'm having really hard time when I turn it on cold, i.e. like overnight) signal comes through. It takes anywhere from 1 to 5-7 mins!! It's like booting up PC! Something I'm doing wrong?
1. How long does it really take for HDMI to become active or whatever its called? Am I being impatient? My wife really gets frustrated with it and thats not good, even told me to return it.
2. Having EDTV with native resolution 480p is there any advantage HDMI vs. component hook-up? Will I see much diference?
3. I read it before in this thread, bit just to confirm, there's no remote codes for OPPO yet to control it by my Yamaha receicer's remote, right?
Help much appreciated.

As soon as Oppo can fix the SACD portion of this player, so that when you play SACD's like Dark Side of the Moon without inserting track breaks in the music, this DVD Player sounds like the one I'm looking for.

Anyone in Oppo land working on this?

Gapless playback is being investigated. In terms of an ETA, OPPO is being mum, as they don't want to promise something they can't deliver.

1. How long does it really take for HDMI to become active or whatever its called? Am I being impatient? My wife really gets frustrated with it and thats not good, even told me to return it.

It should be several seconds as soon as the DVD player fully turns on. So basically 12 seconds.

2. Having EDTV with native resolution 480p is there any advantage HDMI vs. component hook-up? Will I see much diference?

There can be visual differences in terms of sharpness, banding, and other artifacting. However, I would recommend connecting a component connection, calibrating it, the comparing it to your HDMI connection.

3. I read it before in this thread, bit just to confirm, there's no remote codes for OPPO yet to control it by my Yamaha receicer's remote, right?

That is correct, there are no universal remote codes.

If you use the Oppo to provide 480i output via HDMI to a scalar, does the ICP issue matter, since its a deinterlacing problem the scalar would be the one to handle it from the 480i data, correct?

ICP should be corrected through the scaler when using a 480i signal.

My 970 arrived today. I'll be connecting it to a Pro-1130HD on Thursday (moving into a new home). Anyone got some quick and dirty settings for the Oppo to get me started? Because we're moving I won't have a lot of time to spend reading the manual and tweaking for a few days. I'll be connecting it via HDMI and outputting 480i. Thanks!

PS - also will have coax to a/v receiver.

Audioholics and Oppo have figured out the cause of the problem of compressed HDMI audio discussed in the Audioholics' review. The problem can be solved by changing the player's HDMI audio setting:

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/OppoDV-970HDDVDp3.php#HDMI

Upconversion serves no benefit on CRT RPTV.

I would have to disagree with you. I have the Panasonic 47WX53 CRT RPTV using the DVI input with my Oppo 971H and there is a dramatic difference in picture when I upconvert to 1080i. My overall picture is much smoother yet tons of detail, much better contrast, and a rock-steady picture.

So other than the Pronto codes posted earlier in the thread, there's nothing for Harmony Remotes? I really don't like the Oppo remote (which apparently is better than the previous one, which is hard to believe) and want to get the Harmony to control my new system. If I call/email Oppo, will they give me any assistance with this issue?

Thanks



That is correct, there are no universal remote codes.

ICP should be corrected through the scaler when using a 480i signal.

Hat to nitpick, but it should be corrected by the external de-interlacer, not the scaler. :)

/steve