Is the 971H for 197 bucks the equivalent of an HD player. Don't yell, I'm just asking. You guys are the experts, I just visit here.

Is the 971H for 197 bucks the equivalent of an HD player. Don't yell, I'm just asking. You guys are the experts, I just visit here.

No. The Oppo is good as a DVD player but there is no comparison to HD-DVD.

The HD DVD player will even upconvert better than the Oppo. The oppo won't do any new sound or video formats. Its simply the best of the SD realm. It gets you close, but oh so far from HD bliss.

However, the Oppo will play other region discs, and do PAL->NTSC conversion. It's not a bad player at all. But if you want to buy HD DVDs, clearly you'll have to buy an actual HD DVD player.

I had the Oppo and I now have the HD-A1. Put simply, SD-DVD (upconverted or not) is not in the same league as HD-DVD. Oppo 971 is an outstanding SD-DVD player. The Toshiba HD-A1 is an amazing machine for both SD-DVD and HD-DVD.

Is the 971H for 197 bucks the equivalent of an HD player. Don't yell, I'm just asking. You guys are the experts, I just visit here.

Not a flame....but take a quick moment to search first before starting a new thread. I popped in "OPPO" in the search engine and out came an existing thread asking the same thing with 87 responses:


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=693698&highlight=OPPO

I think that the OP has his info and this thread can die.

I didnt think he meant any harm, a lot of newbies like myself are just learning their way around the forums, and if you input oppo or hddvd you get pages and pages of results all with tons of comments with differeing views (sid vicious anyone?), and maybe no awnser to the specific question at all, so rather than shifting thru them all, he simply posted a straightfoward question, ironically my cablecard installer just bought an upscaling dvd player and thought that it would equal the hda1 in quality, he didnt feel so good after I explained the differences.

The HD DVD player will even upconvert better than the Oppo. ...... Its simply the best of the SD realm.

No doubt the Tosh offers HD in addition to very good SD playback but I've seen more than a few posts claiming it's SD superiority. I don't have either mind you but the authoritative source "Secrets of Home Theater" benchmark rates the Tosh decidedly lower than the Oppo in terms of SD playback. Take it for what it's worth but if you have a large SD collection you may still want to consider the Oppo.

I am guilty of not taking the time to search archives. PLUS this player is only $197.
I see most of you are "heavy hitters" with big budgets. I never dreamed anyone else would even discuss this.

Thanks

No doubt the Tosh offers HD in addition to very good SD playback but I've seen more than a few posts claiming it's SD superiority. I don't have either mind you but the authoritative source "Secrets of Home Theater" benchmark rates the Tosh decidedly lower than the Oppo in terms of SD playback. Take it for what it's worth but if you have a large SD collection you may still want to consider the Oppo.

The Tosh is better than the Oppo for SD. I've compared them.

I see Secret's quoted all the time. Please, please, please, learn about the tests. Secret's DOES NOT rate picture quality.

Further, many of the things they test are things you will never see if you are 90+% of the DVD watching public (don't watch anime or video sourced DVDs).

Secret's is by no means a good source for picture quality in typical viewing situations.

Dave

I personally was going to purchase an Oppo before I bought my A1. I got in on the Continental deal (at ~$385) so it was only a $200 more jump to pick up the A1. I got a player that is at least as good (if not better) at upconverting SD AND it plays HD. a win/win for me.

A win/win, indeed.

And if you're going to spend $200 for the Oppo, why not go the rest of the way? The only two HD titles I see myself buying are SERENITY and APOLLO 13. I can Netflix other HD titles and enjoy all my SD DVDs upconverted on the A1.

And I'm hoping the A1 gets a bit cheaper in the next few months...

No doubt the Tosh offers HD in addition to very good SD playback but I've seen more than a few posts claiming it's SD superiority. I don't have either mind you but the authoritative source "Secrets of Home Theater" benchmark rates the Tosh decidedly lower than the Oppo in terms of SD playback. Take it for what it's worth but if you have a large SD collection you may still want to consider the Oppo.

Secrets also rates my Denon 2900 higher than the RCA/Toshiba, but I'm going out of my way to replace my SD playback with the RCA/Toshiba since I prefer the picture quality (lower video noise for one thing). As said by someone else, the Secrets evaluation is based on their specific criteria -- nothing else.

Scores alone tell you nothing!

-- Trevor

People can believe what sources they trust. I personally believe the people on this forum and their inflappable scrutiny of picture quality, build quality, and performance. Our standards are much higher than I can expect from other sources (plus AVS members are more competent at designing worthwhile testing criteria).

I finally have the ability to hook the Toshiba up via HDMI, so I could compare it to the Oppo as directly as possible. I have the Oppo's brightness and contrast set to 0, and the saturation to +1(as came out with the Video Essentials color calibration). I use a Barco G808 CRT pj with a 119in screen.

As I only had one copy pf Ep 3 and one cable going to the display(the Tosh doesn't like it when you unplug the HDMI), I had to go back and forth as quickly as possible. I would much rather have been able to switch inputs.

For a demo scene, I chose scene 5 in Star Wars ep 3, the duel with Anakin/Dooku and Obi Wan. Great scene as the lightsabers and ships laser fire out the windows provide excellent colors, and the scene has great lighting/shadow detail. Both players are very close, closer than some would like, considering the price difference. I went back and forth between players three times watching this scene.

However, the HD-DVD player seemed to display the shadow detail in a more realistic way(not sure how better to describe it). The shadows on peoples faces were both darker, and better defined on the HD-DVD player. Also, the colors, are punchier on the HD-DVD player. In one close up where Anakin and Dooku lock sabers, the color from the sabers on Dooku's face are more vivid than on the Oppo. The oppo is an excellent player, especially for the price, but I believe the HD-DVD player provides an overall cleaner and punchier image.

After last night, the A1 is my primary DVD player hands down. I'm keeping the Oppo however, for DVDs from other regions, and fullscreen/non anamorphic material. Not to mention as a back up in case anything happens to the A1 that it should need repairs.

For the price, if your not ready to make the leap to HD-DVD, the Oppo is an excellent choice. However, if you have an HDTV, I'd spend the extra $200-$300(depending where you find the A1), but thats me.

Both players are very close, closer than some would like, considering the price difference. <snip> After last night, the A1 is my primary DVD player hands down.

I don't consider "hands down" to be "very close". ;)

As for price, you are right, this makes the HD DVD player a better bargain. Consider the first $200 buys you a better than Oppo upscaling DVD player and the second $200-300 buys you an HD DVD player--that's a smoking deal.

Dave

The Tosh is better than the Oppo for SD. I've compared them.

I see Secret's quoted all the time. Please, please, please, learn about the tests. Secret's DOES NOT rate picture quality.

Further, many of the things they test are things you will never see if you are 90+% of the DVD watching public (don't watch anime or video sourced DVDs).

Secret's is by no means a good source for picture quality in typical viewing situations.

Dave
Agreed 100%. Glad to see I'm not alone. You want to know which player has the best PQ? Read the opinion of the owners here on the forum.

Add another data point. I too have the HD-A1 as well as an OPPO player. The Toshiba is used for all region 1 DVD upscaling; the OPPO has been relegated to being used for PAL and non-region 1 DVDs only...

Great bang for the buck, but the OPPO simply isn't as good as the A1.

I don't consider "hands down" to be "very close". ;)

As for price, you are right, this makes the HD DVD player a better bargain. Consider the first $200 buys you a better than Oppo upscaling DVD player and the second $200-300 buys you an HD DVD player--that's a smoking deal.

Dave
True enough. Just trying to be fair to the Oppo, for the price you can't do any better. I especially feel safe in my opinion as several here talk about replacing their Denon DVD players with them.

Question about the Tosh. If the disc is region free, can it play PAL(my display can certainly handle PAL)? If so, I could rip the more important PAL discs, and burn them to a disc without region coding.

I have both the HD-A1 and the Oppo, and I plan on keeping both. The Toshiba is the main player, but the Oppo gets anything that the HD-A1 can't play (PAL, non-region 1 DVD's), and I would agree, the HD-A1's upscaling looks better to me than the Oppo, punchier more vibrant picture. My advice, get both if you can! :D

I have both the HD-A1 and the Oppo, and I plan on keeping both. The Toshiba is the main player, but the Oppo gets anything that the HD-A1 can't play (PAL, non-region 1 DVD's), and I would agree, the HD-A1's upscaling looks better to me than the Oppo, punchier more vibrant picture. My advice, get both if you can! :D
Same here, I'm keeping the Oppo also. I've only compared them a little bit... watch one scene on one player, then the other player, and only did a couple of DVD's. It's hard to tell up-scaling ability that way, but the Toshiba definitely has richer colors. But for just SD DVD's, I would be happy with either one.

I had the Oppo 971H for about 6 months. Really loved the picture except for... MACROBLOCKING.
Not a good combination = Oppo 971H + Panasonic Commercial Plasmas. :( :( :(

I compared both for about a week.
The Toshiba was just as great as the Oppo with SD DVDs (both set to 1080i) and... No Macroblocking.

So I sold the Oppo and now I use the Toshiba for SD and HD DVDs.

I'm grateful that you guys tooks the time. I'm currently living kind of a helter skelter existence for many things I have going on right now. And thanks for "clearing up" the big picture with HD-DVD players for me. It certainly doesn't look like a good idea to cut corners with this.

I have a new Samsung 5688W coming on 9/7 from Tweeter ( with no nothing for 18 months ) that's how I jumped into this black hole never to return. And my only DVD player at this time is a good ol Sony DVP-7700. I paid $1200 bucks for it when it first came out. I guess that makes me "something". LOL I was going to buy Blu Ray sight unseen till I read about it here and then did more research reading reviews as well. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THANK YOU!!!!!

One upside is I'm a football and hockey fan and will have DTV HD, so I could just immerse myself in sports and UGgghhhh wait to watch movies till 2nd gen XA1. I had an XA1 on the ticket but changed my mind thinking the 2nd gen is close........

My dilemma is I was frothing and salivating over the HD-XA1, but know I'll want the XA2, from which the rumor buzz says early next year. I read a few reviews on the XA1 and decided the XA2 will be DA BomB. Not that the Xa1 is any slouch.

I know if I bought now I'd lose my shirt trying to sell it to buy the 2nd Gen when it comes out...................Conversely I think some of you guys even have HT's in your bathrooms.

I cant' tell you how much money I DID spend early on being the "first". I have not planned life well with my money, but what I have always done is driven the economy buying MANY Many Many things. I've spent many thousands but I live alone with a fairly good size mortgage, just bought a new motorcycle, need oil to heat house, etc etc,

But I'm starting to want to forsake common sense and get a player now, but trying to fight that urge. I'm hoping the XA2 comes out earlier than everyone expects.

I'm actually picking up a "little" knowledge" on here. There is PLENTY of space not being used in the "melon".

thanks again

Brian

I am curious as to how both the Oppo and Tosh handle Family Animation films like Madagascar, Toy Story 2, Bugs Life, Ice Age, and cartoons like LionKing and Mulan, (:) I know I am a big kid) ,as I have not heard this commented on yet and was just Curious.
BTW has any of the above type films been announced in HDDVD format.

I am curious as to how both the Oppo and Tosh handle Family Animation films like Madagascar, Toy Story 2, Bugs Life, Ice Age, and cartoons like LionKing and Mulan, (:) I know I am a big kid) ,as I have not heard this commented on yet and was just Curious.
BTW has any of the above type films been announced in HDDVD format.


Good Question... I have 2 kids (6 & 2-1/2) that watch these types of movies... They want me to watch too. ;)

I am curious as to how both the Oppo and Tosh handle Family Animation films like Madagascar, Toy Story 2, Bugs Life, Ice Age, and cartoons like LionKing and Mulan, (:) I know I am a big kid) ,as I have not heard this commented on yet and was just Curious.
BTW has any of the above type films been announced in HDDVD format.

Both handle it well. I watched Ice Age on the HD DVD player this weekend with my daughter and it is the best I've seen it look.

I believe the Oppo 971 has finally got a firmware update to fix the forced subtitle bug. Not sure if the 970 is fixed yet. I hated that bug when watching things like Madagascar.

But, I don't care of the status of those bugs now as I'm not using either of these anymore since the Tosh is better. :)

Dave

Lion King, Mulan and Madagascar all looked spectacular on the A1. I have all the otehrs my daughter just hasn't asked to see them recently :)

Thanks guys, I am sort of addicted to these films and Sci fi, I also have tons of nieces and nephews and prefer to have some, well at least a "few" non R rated titles without nprofanity, nudity, vivd violence when everyone stops buy, but almost all the HDDVD releases seem to be that way, I am sure it will change with time.
Has any animated HDDVD even been announced yet?
Seems like I am now leaning to the HDDVD player slightly over the oppo and maybe a sacd-dvd-audio later down the road.
Decisions decisions???

I also own the Oppo and will be keeping it even though I plan on getting a Tosh or RCA. I have many PAL and R2 Ntsc discs that I couldn't part with. The native PAL pic. on the oppo at 50 hz is pretty phenomenal with a good disc like the new Remastered Space 1999 set or the LOTR discs which look much better than the R1 NTSC discs.

:)

Thanks guys, I am sort of addicted to these films and Sci fi, I also have tons of nieces and nephews and prefer to have some, well at least a "few" non R rated titles without nprofanity, nudity, vivd violence when everyone stops buy, but almost all the HDDVD releases seem to be that way, I am sure it will change with time.
Has any animated HDDVD even been announced yet?
Seems like I am now leaning to the HDDVD player slightly over the oppo and maybe a sacd-dvd-audio later down the road.
Decisions decisions???


No kidding, a universal (SACD/DVDA) HD-DVD player is the next logical step as it already does high-res Dolby audio...now watch, they'll come out with one and no HDMI 1.2 so it won't pass SACD over HDMI, seems like they companies always botch the final step and totally screw it up, or they get it correct and want $3K for it.

Please, please, please... Oppo if you're reading this I'd like to request a DVDA/SACD HD-DVD Player that passes all of it over HDMI 1.2 (at least) and has a nice scaler and nicer deinterlacer for around $500...

Hey, I can dream...

I am guilty of not taking the time to search archives. PLUS this player is only $197.
I see most of you are "heavy hitters" with big budgets. I never dreamed anyone else would even discuss this.

Thanks

oh come on .. are you urgently needing a upconvert player. If you are not, wait a while, when the A20 hits the market, i am sure we will see more price reduction in A2

I decided to get the OPPO 981HD and wait for the BluRay/HD-DVD battle to play out. I am very happy with the quality of the 981HD on my PT-AX100 (120" screen). Still not nearly as nice as HD, but still very pleasant to watch. I have viewed Pearl Harbor, Monsters Inc., Star Wars Ep 3, The Matrix and some others, and I was very pleased with the picture quality.

I figure that once HD DVDs really take off, players will drop more than that the price of the Oppo. In the meantime, I'm able to enjoy my SD library, plus rentals.

I decided to get the OPPO 981HD and wait for the BluRay/HD-DVD battle to play out. I am very happy with the quality of the 981HD on my PT-AX100 (120" screen). Still not nearly as nice as HD, but still very pleasant to watch. I have viewed Pearl Harbor, Monsters Inc., Star Wars Ep 3, The Matrix and some others, and I was very pleased with the picture quality.

I figure that once HD DVDs really take off, players will drop more than that the price of the Oppo. In the meantime, I'm able to enjoy my SD library, plus rentals.

I was considering the OPPO for all the same reasons but, really, if you've committed to $230 for the OPPO, and if you can get an HD DVD player, like the A20 or A2 for $130 more that upscales well, isn't it sort of like getting an HD DVD player for $130 bucks or so to use while these stupid "format wars" settle themselves over the next couple of years? By then you will be able to get a much better DVD player, probably dual format, for less money.
That's right, $130 more. I just checked Amazon and an A2 is $366. If you shop hard you could probably do even better.

Don't forget that with the A2 you get free HD-DVDs, so the price differential over the Oppo is even less.

Or buy an A1 used in the $200s off of ebay.

Don't forget that with the A2 you get free HD-DVDs, so the price differential over the Oppo is even less.

Or buy an A1 used in the $200s off of ebay.

Well, here in the great white north (i.e. Canada), the A2 is $600 (Cdn) + 15% tax. The Oppo, (incl. tax/delivery) was $321. To get the A2, I would have had to spend $690. So it would have cost me $370 more to get the A2. I guess I couldn't justify the extra cost right now. I'm hoping within a year or so, the players themselves will be less than $400 (tax in). Perhaps I'm dreaming.

I know could get used units, but I usually don't buy used electronics.

Anyways, you guys are probably right, and I did consider getting the A2 for all the reasons you mentioned, it was in the end a gut call.

Oppo 981HD - $230

Toshiba HD-A2 - [from VE w\"7" HD DVD's, free ship. + HDMI cable=total value app. $200] - Final price of A2...$199 !!! ;)

Ted

I have an OPPO 970 for region-free duty and to reduce wear on the my more expensive Toshiba HD-XA2. I also had the HD-A1. The OPPO is a phenomenal value -- good image and very quick. However, if you care more about PQ the Toshiba units are worth the price difference for DVD playback -- and that is even before considering HD DVD support.