After reading many threads about macroblocking w/ this player and DLP's---Is macroblocking common when used with the A2000 sets? If so, can it be eliminated with a simple calibration? If not, am I better off going with the 970HD?

Thanks

Hmm.

Is this thing working *tap tap*

There are no Sony XXA2000 owners that have used this player??

I'd ask on the RPTV forum, where the A2000 owner's seem to reside.

I posted a question on this dealing with a 981HD on the KDSR50/60XBR Owners forum and they sent me to back here to the DVD forums.

After reading many threads about macroblocking w/ this player and DLP's---Is macroblocking common when used with the A2000 sets? If so, can it be eliminated with a simple calibration? If not, am I better off going with the 970HD?

Thanks

I own a 60A2000 and haven't noticed any macroblocking so far. In fact, let me rephrase that by saying that the DVD PQ is absolutely stunning and (IMO) beats the TV's 1080p upscaling.

Also for what it's worth, the TV was calibrated using the Get Gray DVD...

I own a 60A2000 and haven't noticed any macroblocking so far. In fact, let me rephrase that by saying that the DVD PQ is absolutely stunning and (IMO) beats the TV's 1080p upscaling.

Also for what it's worth, the TV was calibrated using the Get Gray DVD...

Excellent!

The Get Gray DVD is THE (affordable) DVD for calibrating?

Nothing that you are going to do with the set is going to make the macroblocking any better this is coming from the source. I do not have an oppo but do have an SXRD and HD-A1. I have read many reports that some oppo's have macroblocking issues. I am sure you can find the info if you search.
-Craig

Excellent!

The Get Gray DVD is THE (affordable) DVD for calibrating?

You can download the Get Gray DVD by contributing $25 on their website .

http://www.calibrate.tv/

I think the other calibration disks are similarly priced too. Note that depending on how discerning you are, you might be OK w/o calibration. However, spending an additional $25 on a $2000 TV to get the best out of it seems to make sense :).

BTW, after reading other threads on the forum, it appears that the MB issue afflicts DLPs and should (hopefully) be a non-issue for the SXRD.

Nothing that you are going to do with the set is going to make the macroblocking any better this is coming from the source. I do not have an oppo but do have an SXRD and HD-A1. I have read many reports that some oppo's have macroblocking issues. I am sure you can find the info if you search.
-Craig

The threads I have read on this forum seem to indicate that MB mostly affects DLP sets. The Oppo tech support seems to have specifically recommended the 970 for use with DLPs.

Also, I do recall reading Oppo stating that the 981 was the best match for the SXRDs.

BTW, the Toshiba A2 models are much faster than the A1s (both upconvert to 1080i but not 1080p).

Nothing that you are going to do with the set is going to make the macroblocking any better this is coming from the source. I do not have an oppo but do have an SXRD and HD-A1. I have read many reports that some oppo's have macroblocking issues. I am sure you can find the info if you search.
-Craig

Players with the Faroudja chip often show enhanced macroblocking on DLP and plasma displays. This would include the Oppo 971 and 981, but not the 970.

Some people say the effect can be minimized with careful calibration, others have no luck. See here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7270763&&#post7270763

-Bill

I got the OPPO DV-981HD model last month for my Samsung HLS-5687W and I saw very bad macroblocking enhance issue with it, a little worse than the macroblocking I also saw when using my Denon 1920.

Although DLPs and plasmas are vulnerable to macroblocking, it really depends on the quality of the DVD. On most DVDs, the macroblocking either does not exist or was barely noticeable under specific conditions. But on some DVDs specially those with a lot of dark and interior scenes, the macroblocking was very distracting and annoying. It shows up mostly on the background of interior scenes like walls or doors.

I had the display ISF calibrated and the macroblocking was diminished by only a fraction. The macroblocking is even worse when using players based on the Genesis Faroudja FLI-23XX series deinterlacers that most Denons and Oppos 971 and 981 use.

I originally bought the 981 because it upconverted to 1080p unlike the 970 which can only go to 1080i, but finally, I could no longer take the Russian roulette that I was playing when watching DVDs, where I would be praying that the next DVD I would watch would not be one of those few that showed macroblocking.

So I exchanged my Oppo 981 for a 970 and wow, what a difference! The macroblocking has totally disappeared. I am so happy with my 970! The picture quality is the best I have seen in a DVD player under $850 and any other player worth more than that would only have a little better picture quality. You would have to go to HD-DVD or BlueRay for a significant improvement.

Putting the macroblocking issue aside, I saw no difference in picture quality between the 981 upconverting to 1080p and the 970 upconverting to 1080i and both seemed to have a little better picture and audio quality when compared to the Denon 1920.

All things being equal, the picture quality of the Denon was a little better through component when compared against itself through HDMI. While the picture quality of the 970 was better through HDMI when compared against itself through component. The picture quality of the Oppo 970 was the same through component as the picture quality of the Denon through HDMI.

And both Oppos and the Denon were better than my Xbox 360 or its HD-DVD player for upconverting DVDs.

I had considered buying the Denon 2930CI instead of the OPPO DV-970HD because the Denon does not use the Faroudja chip but the $700 difference did not justify the little benefit in picture quality. Better for that money to go for a video scaler.

The Oppo 981 is a great player that should be selling in the neighborhood of $800 instead of $230 but if your display is vulnerable to macroblocking, I would suggest the Oppo 970 instead which should be selling in the neighborhood of $750 instead of $150.

Just my 2 cents.

I've had excellent results with my Sony NC85H 5 disc dvd changer. I have it outputting 1080i via HDMI to my 50A2000 and the picture quality is outstanding. Hard to go wrong with a sony tv and sony dvd player.

Thanks for the replies

I ordered the 981HD yesterday along with picking up the 50A2000 at CC. Great pre SB sale! It's over now btw.

Now I need a decent stand that will house 4 components with glass doors that doesn't cost mucho bucks...

Thanks for the replies

I ordered the 981HD yesterday along with picking up the 50A2000 at CC. Great pre SB sale! It's over now btw.

Now I need a decent stand that will house 4 components with glass doors that doesn't cost mucho bucks...

If you don't mind "assembly required", this place has some useful furniture: glass-doored "lowboys" in various widths and styles: http://www.homedecorators.com/. They have TV-furniture also.

I got this one: http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Craftsman_Two_Glass-Door_Lowboy_with_Granite_Top/110/ for a 37" LCD. Granite top, very solid. I drilled large, roomy holes in the back panel for cables.

-Bill

you know you can get a Toshiba HD A1/A2 player for $350-$400, right? It upconverts SD material better than the Oppo. And 1080i output will look the same as 1080p output (as long as your TV set isn't a dog, which none of the 1080p sets are). And no macroblocking.

The 981 just doesn't make sense to me. It seems like you should either go cheap with the 970, or spend a bit more for an HD player (even if HD dies out in a couple years you have an awesome upconverting player and some cool HD content to show off).