Unlikely.

Would a y-cable adapter from the L/R audio out accomplish the same thing?

-Bill

Because of the equipment rack, I guess a front panel jack would be much more convenient. But I guess not many people would demand this. Thanks.

Would anyone recommend buying a 980H at this point? I have a crappy LG slot SD player, and believe it silly to buy a bluray or hddvd player at the moment with prices/format/technology likely to change in the next 12-24 months.

However, I just picked up a sony 60a3000 and would love to get a good picture out of my legacy content over the next year or two until I give into a high def player.

Anyone out there waiting for the release of the 983 just to get the 980 at a better price? (assuming they lower it)

Would anyone recommend buying a 980H at this point? I have a crappy LG slot SD player, and believe it silly to buy a bluray or hddvd player at the moment with prices/format/technology likely to change in the next 12-24 months.

However, I just picked up a sony 60a3000 and would love to get a good picture out of my legacy content over the next year or two until I give into a high def player.

Anyone out there waiting for the release of the 983 just to get the 980 at a better price? (assuming they lower it)

Oppo has never lowered prices.

The 980 produces a fine image. I personally like the 981 a bit better, but use both and could live with either.

-Bill

Just as Bill has stated, more than likely that the 980 will NOT go down in price. Oppo does sell refurbished units for substantialy less than the regular price. If they are not available on the website, you can call them and ask. Others have done this in the past and ordered a refurb over the phone. Oppo gives the same warranty for refurbs as the new units, so it's a good deal.
Unlike Bill, I actually prefer the sharper image of the 980 compared to the 981. More research on the comparisons between the two may help you make a decision for yourself. Good luck. :)

OPPO Digital offers its own detailed comparison here http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_comp.html

Dana

I was going to hold out for the 983, but just picked up an Integra 9.8 pre w/ Reon scaler. i use a Sony HS60 PJ (720p). Now I'm thinking the 980 will be fine (and cheaper). Any reason to wait or should I just get a 980?

I was going to hold out for the 983, but just picked up an Integra 9.8 pre w/ Reon scaler. i use a Sony HS60 PJ (720p). Now I'm thinking the 980 will be fine (and cheaper). Any reason to wait or should I just get a 980?

I was in a similar situation until yesterday. I, too, have Integra 9.8 and wanted a digital transport for SACD and DVD-A; so ordered 980 yesterday. My reasoning was (1) I can use my XA2 for SD scaling (2) 983 won't have anything to add to what 980 has now as far as SACD/DVD-A/CD via HDMI is concerned and (3) 983 release is not so close, and even after it's released, it may take a couple of firmware cycles before it reaches operational robustness of 980.

I was going to hold out for the 983, but just picked up an Integra 9.8 pre w/ Reon scaler. i use a Sony HS60 PJ (720p). Now I'm thinking the 980 will be fine (and cheaper). Any reason to wait or should I just get a 980?

I'm in the same boat with a 9.8 Pre-Pro. Because the 9.8's REON settings are global, if you use it to scale & deinterlace 480i from the 980, there will be no way to "pass through" a 1080p signal from BD or HD-DVD. As I prefer the signal from my Panny BD30 unaltered, I'll probably get the 983 to do the scaling & deinterlacing... I'm really champing at the bit for the 983's release!

I'm in the same boat with a 9.8 Pre-Pro. Because the 9.8's REON settings are global, if you use it to scale & deinterlace 480i from the 980, there will be no way to "pass through" a 1080p signal from BD or HD-DVD. As I prefer the signal from my Panny BD30 unaltered, I'll probably get the 983 to do the scaling & deinterlacing... I'm really champing at the bit for the 983's release!

Good point..... Currently I have a Tivo S3, Tosh A2 and will add either a 980 or 983. I guess with the Reon global settings, one approach is to not use it and then use the 983 scaler with perhaps better results. decisions, decisons....

Looks like you don't have a need for hi-rez music through HDMI; otherwise you would need Oppo 980H to be set at 720p or higher in order to get DSD through HDMI (if I am not mis-reading this thread) thereby not needing Reon scaling on Integra anyway.

Looks like you don't have a need for hi-rez music through HDMI; otherwise you would need Oppo 980H to be set at 720p or higher in order to get DSD through HDMI (if I am not mis-reading this thread) thereby not needing Reon scaling on Integra anyway.


Ahh yes, another good point... I do listen to MC music (sorry left that out).. I currently use a Samsung 941 DVDp with 5.1 analog outs. This will be replaced with one of the Oppo players.

so, to get MC via HDMI, you must scale at/above 720p- correct. OK, good to know. Looks like the 983 would be a better choice for me then. I could bypass the Integra/Reon scaler and just use the 983, A2, S3 scalers for the best results.

Looks like the wait continues...... thanks for the insights.

Sorry if this has been asked....I got to page 19 then gave up reading :)

I know most of the PAL related questions have been to do with the 50->60Hz conversion but we don't require that in the UK.

Will this player output PAL DVDs as 50Hz?

Our HDTVs generally all support 50 and 60Hz for everything.

I'm going to hang on an see how much this costs....I know there is a Euro version of the 981HD which I was going to get.

Will this player output PAL DVDs as 50Hz?

All the Oppos do.

Price has not been annouced yet, but earlier in the thread $300-400 dollars was proposed.

-Bill

I posed a couple of questions regarding the Oppo 980/981 and its comparison to the 983 and a seperate HD DVD question regarding the A30/A35 comparison. The response is below. I do not want to give the sources name due to privacy since it as a PM, but I will tell you he is possibly the most respected DVD player reviewer on the forum. Just thought I would pass this along if anyone is interested.


None of them. If you want good SD quality upconversion I would recommend holding off for the Oppo 983. If you want great SD conversion from a HD DVD player the XA2 is the only one I would recommend. The 35 doesn't add anything video wise from the 30.

thx to all who contributed the great info on 983....great thread!!

A. for my new panny TH-50PX60U which accepts upto 1080i, viewing distance of 12', my number 1 priority is PQ viewing SD DVD, not concerned about audio yet:

1. the 983 is better than other oppo? is yes the correct assumption?

2. is 720p or 1080i better PQ for A? should i set player to 720p or 1080i output to tv for best PQ viewing SD DVD?

3. if I decide to go HD-DVD with best SD DVD upconverting capabilities, budget around $700, the best bang for buck would be toshi XA2?

..thx

thx to all who contributed the great info on 983....great thread!!

A. for my new panny TH-50PX60U which accepts upto 1080i, viewing distance of 12', my number 1 priority is PQ viewing SD DVD, not concerned about audio yet:

1. the 983 is better than other oppo? is yes the correct assumption?

2. is 720p or 1080i better PQ for A? should i set player to 720p or 1080i output to tv for best PQ viewing SD DVD?

3. if I decide to go HD-DVD, budget around $700, the best bang for buck would be toshi XA2?

..thx


WELCOME TO AVS kman55! :)

1. - for PQ, 983 is better than other Oppo players.

2. - depends on what the native rez of your tv is. this is one of those gray areas. you should hook up whatever component, and then try all resolutions to see which one looks better. sometimes the scaler in the tv is so good, that the pic may look better feeding the tv 480i. it just depends...

3. - HD-XA2 is the best HD-DVD player, but I wouldn't say best bang for buck. It depends on your needs... you'll have to do some research. Your display is not 1080p, so you don't need that rez in the player. The HD-A3 is the budget model that does 720p/1080i with very good sound. Other players can produce better sound for more money, depending on your setup. PQ on HD between the A30, A35 and XA2 are pretty equal, but the XA2 does the best job with SD. There is sooo much more. Like I said, more research is necessary.

Good luck...:D

WELCOME TO AVS kman55! :)

1. - for PQ, 983 is better than other Oppo players.

2. - depends on what the native rez of your tv is. this is one of those gray areas. you should hook up whatever component, and then try all resolutions to see which one looks better. sometimes the scaler in the tv is so good, that the pic may look better feeding the tv 480i. it just depends...

3. - HD-XA2 is the best HD-DVD player, but I wouldn't say best bang for buck. It depends on your needs... you'll have to do some research. Your display is not 1080p, so you don't need that rez in the player. The HD-A3 is the budget model that does 720p/1080i with very good sound. Other players can produce better sound for more money, depending on your setup. PQ on HD between the A30, A35 and XA2 are pretty equal, but the XA2 does the best job with SD. There is sooo much more. Like I said, more research is necessary.

Good luck...:D

thx SP that was quick reply!!!! :p:p

i'm just gonna wait for that 983 to come out end of Feb/08....damn that's long time to wait....the sales guy here confirmed the price of 981 won't drop when 983 comes out:mad::mad:

All the Oppos do.

Price has not been annouced yet, but earlier in the thread $300-400 dollars was proposed.

-Bill

Many thanks :) I shall hold out for the 983 then....as others have said I want this to be hopefully the last SD-DVD player I'll have to buy.

Not to rain on the 983 parade but the Toshiba A20/A30/A35 use ABT chips for upconversion,I have a A20 and the PQ is very good.
The XA2 uses the REON chip and is best used on >50" 1080 screens.

Not to rain on the 983 parade but the Toshiba A20/A30/A35 use ABT chips for upconversion.I have a A20 and the PQ is very good.
The XA2 uses the REON chip and is best used on >50" 1080 screens.

Not to rain on any parade, but how well do the Toshibas handle PAL Region 2 DVDs?

;)

Dana

Not to rain on the 983 parade but the Toshiba A20/A30/A35 use ABT chips for upconversion,I have a A20 and the PQ is very good.
The XA2 uses the REON chip and is best used on >50" 1080 screens.

WOW!:eek: Thanks for opening our eyes. I think I'll put in a request to the moderator to shut this thread down. I mean hey, what's the point, right?
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Easy guys...I wasn't saying not to buy a 983.....I was only clearing up some misinformation on the Toshiba's.

Easy guys...I wasn't saying not to buy a 983.....I was only clearing up some misinformation on the Toshiba's.

What misinformation would that be??

thx SP that was quick reply!!!! :p:p

i'm just gonna wait for that 983 to come out end of Feb/08....damn that's long time to wait....

Ok I most have missed a few posts over the Holiday.... Where / when did we get a solid release date? Is it really solid from Oppo?

Ok I most have missed a few posts over the Holiday.... Where / when did we get a solid release date? Is it really solid from Oppo?

No SOLID release date. Guesstimate is between now and April.

Ok I most have missed a few posts over the Holiday.... Where / when did we get a solid release date? Is it really solid from Oppo?

the sales guy from oppo distributor told me jan-feb, 2008 release

others here have posted end of Q1 release

anything official from oppo i haven't seen yet or missed

i guess oppo is firming up sw and stocking up hw before release.....but as they wait, the prices for HD/BR dropping

No SOLID release date. Guesstimate is between now and April.

I would guess that, too, though no one has told me anything. Later rather than sooner.

On past models, the only release date we heard is when they started taking orders about a week in advance of shipment.

-Bill

but as they wait, the prices for HD/BR dropping

I doubt if they were ever planning on taking much money away from Toshiba or Sony.

-Bill

Easy guys...I wasn't saying not to buy a 983.....I was only clearing up some misinformation on the Toshiba's.
If I'm correctly recalling some posts from earlier in this thread, the ABT chips used by those Toshiba players were discussed several times - as was the fact that those players did not use an ABT solution for deinterlacing (just for scaling).

Not to rain on the 983 parade but the Toshiba A20/A30/A35 use ABT chips for upconversion,I have a A20 and the PQ is very good.
The XA2 uses the REON chip and is best used on >50" 1080 screens.
Still, the Tosh does not offer DVD-A/SACD playback.

So if one has a good SD DVD player, like the Toshiba XA2, the 983 doesn't offer any advantages over the 980 for hi-rez multichannel audio, correct?
If not than the only reason to pick the 983 over the 980 is if one doesn't already have a good SD DVD player.

dc

Not to rain on any parade, but how well do the Toshibas handle PAL Region 2 DVDs?

;)

Dana

The European Toshiba HDDVD players handle PAL very nicely. The HD-XE1 (HD-XA2) can be multi regioned too.

So if one has a good SD DVD player, like the Toshiba XA2, the 983 doesn't offer any advantages over the 980 for hi-rez multichannel audio, correct?..

That's what it looks like based on the un-official information on 983 thus far as far as hi-rez music is concerned. For picture, there may be additional features/advantages that 983 may possess but XA2 may not have - we don't conclusively know this yet.

thx to all who contributed the great info on 983....great thread!!

A. for my new panny TH-50PX60U which accepts upto 1080i, viewing distance of 12', my number 1 priority is PQ viewing SD DVD, not concerned about audio yet:

1. the 983 is better than other oppo? is yes the correct assumption?

2. is 720p or 1080i better PQ for A? should i set player to 720p or 1080i output to tv for best PQ viewing SD DVD?

FYI, the TH-50PX60U will accept 1080p/60 over HDMI.

The European Toshiba HDDVD players handle PAL very nicely. The HD-XE1 (HD-XA2) can be multi regioned too.
...but can it play PAL discs on a 60hz display?

And is the Reon really as good of a deinterlacer as the ABT-102, particularly when it comes to video-based material (or mixed film/video)?

...but can it play PAL discs on a 60hz display?

And is the Reon really as good of a deinterlacer as the ABT-102, particularly when it comes to video-based material (or mixed film/video)?

They don't have to, being European players we have PAL (or 50Hz anyways) TVs so the conversion isn't required. Most TVs sold over here will display NTSC at 60Hz or M-NTSC (I think that's what it's called) which is PAL resolution at 60Hz.

I know both of my plasma TVs accept a PAL signal.

Tic-Tok.... it's now 2008, where's my Oppo 983 :D

C'mon Oppo, I have a new Integra 9.8 pre just waiting for a new HiRez player to connect via HDMI :)

FYI, the TH-50PX60U will accept 1080p/60 over HDMI.

I believe the Panasonic TH-50px60u max resolution is 1080i.

I can take some, but I would have to get permission from OPPO first. I'll shoot them an e-mail about this.

BTW does this new player have full bass redirection/distance/delay adjustments for both its SACD/DVD-A analog outputs and does it have choice of frequency cut-off levels (ideally at least to 120Hz)?

many thanks and happy new year!

I believe the Panasonic TH-50px60u max resolution is 1080i.

i thought max resolutin was 1080i too but when i hooked up oppo 981hd the plasma displayed 1080p when i set the oppo to play at 1080p

my panny plasma native resolution is 1366x768 so should oppo be set at 720p or 1080i or 1080p.....i know i should look at it to determine best PQ but what should i set it at for best results from oppo to panny?

........thx

i thought max resolutin was 1080i too but when i hooked up oppo 981hd the plasma displayed 1080p when i set the oppo to play at 1080p

my panny plasma native resolution is 1366x768 so should oppo be set at 720p or 1080i or 1080p.....i know i should look at it to determine best PQ but what should i set it at for best results from oppo to panny?

........thx

If your Oppo is set at 1080i/1080p your plasma is interpolating the video signal down to fit its screen resolution and you're getting another step in the video process. The best choice, with your current set, is 720p. HNY!

BTW does this new player have full bass redirection/distance/delay adjustments for both its SACD/DVD-A analog outputs and does it have choice of frequency cut-off levels (ideally at least to 120Hz)?

The Channel Trim, Channel Delay, Delay and other functions are the same as the current DVD players. They are using a similar MTK solution found in the DV-980H.

Bass management is the same as the current DVD player designs. Cutoff is determined by the Speaker sizes.

The Channel Trim, Channel Delay, Delay and other functions are the same as the current DVD players. They are using a similar MTK solution found in the DV-980H.

Bass management is the same as the current DVD player designs. Cutoff is determined by the Speaker sizes.

I think the current Oppo models' cutoff for speakers set 'small' is 100Hz with no other options. If that's the same for the new model it's rather disappointing. I'd have hoped they might have been able to improve on that with the new model, especially if it's their SD swansong. Thanks for the info, cheers.

So how is this player became the "DVD player of the year"[2007] at Secrets, when in 2008 it's not even available?

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14_4/best-of-2007-awards-12-2007.html

There is always going to be 'another step' for displays who are 768p unless you have a dedicated video proc and a tv that can do 1:1 mapping. You're either going to go up from 720 to 768 or down from 1080 to 768. Personally, I'd rather go down from 1080 then up because generally speaking its always best to shrink than to enlarge with anything having to do with picture.



If your Oppo is set at 1080i/1080p your plasma is interpolating the video signal down to fit its screen resolution and you're getting another step in the video process. The best choice, with your current set, is 720p. HNY!

There is always going to be 'another step' for displays who are 768p unless you have a dedicated video proc and a tv that can do 1:1 mapping. You're either going to go up from 720 to 768 or down from 1080 to 768. Personally, I'd rather go down from 1080 then up because generally speaking its always best to shrink than to enlarge with anything having to do with picture.

That may be true for native 1080 images but when you are already "enlarging" and then re- "shrinking" the image, there is much more unnecessary processing going on.

Originally Posted by Mojo_LA
I emailed Oppo about HD Divx support, they replied:

"At this time we have no plans on support HD DivX, XviD, h.264 or HD DVD/Blu-Ray. This is something we will pursue in the future."

Um, guys, the future is NOW.

That would mean using something non-MTK, which I don't think they do. I think every player made by Oppo has used a MTK chip.

Mediatek supports DivX/Xvid/MPEG4 for long time now: http://www.mtk.com.tw/Products/MT1389HD.html

Any chance this could be turned into a region- and CSS-free player?

Any chance this could be turned into a region- and CSS-free player?

Region free: yes. PAL and PAL<->NTSC: yes.

CSS free: what would that mean? All DVD players read CSS-protected discs. Do you mean upconverting of CSS-protected discs over component? Oppo is not allowed to do that; someone would have to figure out an unsupported and unofficial hack.

-Bill

Any chance this could be turned into a region- and CSS-free player?

Region free?... yes
CSS free?... only time will tell. After it streets, the HACKs will go to work, and who knows if they will be successful. No one has be able to hack the 980, so...

Before anyone thinks I am suggesting piracy, this alternative is ONLY meant for people who own original DVDs.

You could always make an image of your original DVD on your hard drive using either DVD-Decrypter by itself or Imgburn combined with AnyDVD.

This would get you a CSS-free image on your HD and you could then burn it back to a blank single or dual-layer DVD and the Oppo would upconvert it through component without any issues and you would have no loss in image or sound quality.

Of course, if you have a huge DVD collection, it would be cheaper to just buy a projector or TV with an HDMI input.

Any chance this could be turned into a region- and CSS-free player?

Yes for region removal; no for CSS removal. Legally there is no reason why OPPO can't allow for an end user adjustable region setting. Legally speaking they are completely liable for conserving the copyright and intellectual property rights of movie studios, so there will never be an official means to remove copy protection (CSS) for component based upconversion.

There is always going to be 'another step' for displays who are 768p unless you have a dedicated video proc and a tv that can do 1:1 mapping. You're either going to go up from 720 to 768 or down from 1080 to 768. Personally, I'd rather go down from 1080 then up because generally speaking its always best to shrink than to enlarge with anything having to do with picture.

Yes that's a good point and it certainly would be true of a 'native' 1080i/p signal such as from a HD broadcast or Blue Ray/HD-DVD player as TommyV points out, but not the upsampled signal from the Oppo as good as the new scaling chip in the 983 is cracked up to be.

With your scenario the Oppo is interpolating the signal 4 times to get to 1080 and then the set is throwing away half as much to get to 1366x768, rather than the Oppo interpolating twice to 720 and the set scaling marginally to get to 1366x768. I would also assume (I know, I know...) that the scaling from 480/720 to 1366x768 is probably optimised on this set as it's the more common scenario. Still you never know and trying all of these things is the fun part of owning HT gear

BTW it'd be nice if the new Oppo also allowed a 480i/576i HDMI output so there is only one set of processing done to the image.

Thanks for the answers.

So how is this player became the "DVD player of the year"[2007] at Secrets, when in 2008 it's not even available?

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14_4/best-of-2007-awards-12-2007.html

Good question. Really, I have been using this player for several months now and nothing in 2007 came close. I talked with Oppo about it and they gave me their blessing to give them the award despite availability. Think of it as a positive endorsement before it is released. At least you don't have to worry about whether or not I liked it!!

Think of it as a positive endorsement before it is released. At least you don't have to worry about whether or not I liked it!!
I got a real chuckle out of this, Kris. Happy new year. :)

The vast bulk of my DVD library consists of R2 PAL discs, but I also have a good number of R1 NTSC and I've just sprung for the 46LX177 Toshiba. I need a good upscaling DVD player and I'm pretty sold on the Oppos.

My question is...for those in the know about these things...is it worth waiting for the Oppo 983 or should I just get the 981 now, given the preponderance of R2 DVDs I have?

Cheers! ../Taras

The vast bulk of my DVD library consists of R2 PAL discs, but I also have a good number of R1 NTSC and I've just sprung for the 46LX177 Toshiba. I need a good upscaling DVD player and I'm pretty sold on the Oppos.

My question is...for those in the know about these things...is it worth waiting for the Oppo 983 or should I just get the 981 now, given the preponderance of R2 DVDs I have?

Cheers! ../Taras

"Worth" (as I am always saying) is a subjective thing. The 983 is expected to have better deinterlacing, especially for difficult material and odd cadences, but will be quite a bit more expensive. And the ship date is still unknown.

PAL performance on the 981 is pretty good, much better than the 980 or 970. The 983 will probably be better in this respect also, but whether it is "worth" it is hard for anyone to say.

If you are fanatical about your DVDs and have the money to spend and can wait...

I'm fanatical but cheap. It's a problem.

-Bill

I live about 35min. from the Oppo HQ. So when they post the doors are open for the 983, i;ll stop in and pick one up. If i don't like it. i'll return so some one esle can get it ;^). I have the 970{& like very much} but i have a 50" plasma so i want to see the what the PQ &AQ {dvd-a & sacd) differences are....

Good question. Really, I have been using this player for several months now and nothing in 2007 came close. I talked with Oppo about it and they gave me their blessing to give them the award despite availability. Think of it as a positive endorsement before it is released. At least you don't have to worry about whether or not I liked it!!

Kris in picture Q category how the 983 compare to Silicon Optix in Sansung BDP1200 or the Toshiba XA2?

Good question. Really, I have been using this player for several months now and nothing in 2007 came close. I talked with Oppo about it and they gave me their blessing to give them the award despite availability. Think of it as a positive endorsement before it is released. At least you don't have to worry about whether or not I liked it!!

I saw a Denon 5910CI on clearance today (and was awful tempted), can we assume the Oppo will be just as good if not better?

I saw a Denon 5910CI on clearance today (and was awful tempted), can we assume the Oppo will be just as good if not better?

yes

What is the more important issue at hand (PQ) when it comes to the upconversion process, the displays processors or the dvd players processors. Being new at this I'am trying to get a handle on what my prioritys should be when deciding on what dvd player to purchase.
I have the pioneer pro 150fd for a display...

Thanks in advance...

Well, I guess it's official (almost). Oppo can go to work on building their first Blu-Ray player. HD-DVD is now dead. Let us take a moment of silence to remember those who were lost in the war today. :( ;)

What is the more important issue at hand (PQ) when it comes to the upconversion process, the displays processors or the dvd players processors. Being new at this I'am trying to get a handle on what my prioritys should be when deciding on what dvd player to purchase.
I have the pioneer pro 150fd for a display...

Thanks in advance...

There is no fixed rule. It depends on the combination of gear and viewer preferences. There is often not much agreement between different users of the same gear.

There are objective tests for deinterlacing performance, but I don't know of any for scaling.

-Bill

Well, I guess it's official (almost). Oppo can go to work on building their first Blu-Ray player. HD-DVD is now dead. Let us take a moment of silence to remember those who were lost in the war today. :( ;)

Until Dreamworks, Paramount, and the original decenter, Universal, go at least dual format, there is still a war to be had. This just makes it easier for people who were on the fence.

With your scenario the Oppo is interpolating the signal 4 times to get to 1080 and then the set is throwing away half as much to get to 1366x768, rather than the Oppo interpolating twice to 720 and the set scaling marginally to get to 1366x768.

Is it possible the new oppo will have 768 output setting? It is quite a common panel resolution.

Is it possible the new oppo will have 768 output setting? It is quite a common panel resolution.

Extremely unlikely.

I think many 768 panels won't actually accept a 768 signal.

-Bill

smarty-pants, was there an announcement of some kind today regarding HD-DVD?

smarty-pants, was there an announcement of some kind today regarding HD-DVD?

Warner is going BR exclusive. Game over.

(EDIT: i accidentally typed HD instead of BR... ooops :))

Warner is going BR exclusive. Game over.

(EDIT: i accidentally typed HD instead of BR... ooops :))

Is this turning into another BR Vs HD-DVD thread :confused: Anyway since this announcement is not even official yet one can only speculate and all it means is just more uncertainty for the consumer and even less likelyhood of a major takeup of either system.

What does it all mean? Well just look at the top of the page, 'Directtv 70 channels ih HD with over 100 coming soon...' says it all really, the major electronic manufacturers have just got snookered by the film studios who never wanted either system all along.

To get back on topic, even more of a good reason to get a good, solid all-round 'universal' SD player. Now if Oppo can just tweak the audio as well as the video part of this new player we'll all be happy...

Is this turning into another BR Vs HD-DVD thread :confused:

No. If you read my original post, it was to comment for those that were speculating wether Oppo would produce a BR player, HD-DVD player, or both... stating that IMHO that it now would obviously be BR.
There is no BR vs HD-DVD anymore. It's just how long can HD-DVD keep treading water. :)

Is it possible the new oppo will have 768 output setting? It is quite a common panel resolution.

No. It would be cost prohibitive to introduce a hardware which would allow for this functionality. You are talking about premium 50 dollar cost to OPPO to implement 1:1 pixel scaling for 768.

No. If you read my original post, it was to comment for those that were speculating wether Oppo would produce a BR player, HD-DVD player, or both... stating that IMHO that it would obviously be BR.
There is no BR vs HD-DVD anymore. It's just how long can HD-DVD keep treading water. :)

Fair enough but I think it's closer to the mark that both systems are treading water. Even assuming BR ends up being the sole HD disc system 1-2 years from now, lack of large scale commercial takeup and lack of support from major industry groups spells death for either technology.

Studios are so obsessed with piracy that god only knows how they think that sinking both HD disc systems and releasing HD content online is going to make them any money. I mean all latest release movies are already included for free as part of my cable TV package and, if so inclined, one can already download pirated HD content from any P2P service. I guess this leads us back to SD-DVD...

Is this turning into another BR Vs HD-DVD thread :confused: Anyway since this announcement is not even official yet ...

Wake up. It is official. http://www.tvpredictions.com/warnerblu010408.htm

The studio defended its decision today by saying that consumers have demonstrated a preference for Blu-ray over HD DVD. For the past year, Blu-ray titles have outsold HD DVD by a 2-1 margin.

"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger," said Barry Meyer, Warner's chairman and CEO. "We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."

Warner's announcement comes less than 72 hours prior to the start of the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas. The studio had been scheduled to appear at HD DVD's press event on Sunday night.

It's relevant on this thread in that it is a significant development in the consumer electronics market in which OPPO Digital competes albeit in a niche.

Dana

We don't need to rehash the format war discussion in this thread but I also think Warner's announcement is very relevant to the timing of this player's launch and its attractiveness. Since Oppo let the cat out the bag at CEDIA regarding the 983 I would think they'll have more concrete information at CES in a few days.

I've been waiting for this player or the Pioneer 58avi; whichever streets first and at what price, features, pic. and sound quality. Today's announcement is making me ponder if this final dip is worth it.

Pioneer dv-58av is available since Dec '07 (if this is the model # you meant). In an e-mail exchange with Oppo, they said 983H won't be announced at the CES. Hope for the best...

Yes, that's the Pioneer model I meant. Thanks, wasn't aware it was already released.

OPPO is too small and would be lost in the shuffle of CES. Like their other product launches, you will likely not know much about the player until it is actually ready to ship direct from OPPO.

I would peg the release date around mid-February unless some major software issues show up.

Wake up. It is official. http://www.tvpredictions.com/warnerblu010408.htm

It's relevant on this thread in that it is a significant development in the consumer electronics market in which OPPO Digital competes albeit in a niche.

Dana

What has Warner's decision on releasing Blue Ray software got to do with Oppo's new SD DVD player? Frankly not much unless the inference is that somehow Oppo has 'missed the boat' by doing so. Oppo hasn't of course since both HD-DVD and BR systems are dead ducks so far in tems of consumer acceptance and short to medium term future.

BTW Oppo is definitely playing in the 'mainstream' game (i.e. SD-DVD) not the currently 'niche' areas of BR/HD-DVD.

hd dvd looks to be d.o.a.:eek: and i have no interest in bd (yet anyway).

so im ready to make the most of my sd dvd collection by aquiring the best (not the most expensive) players i can find (and afford). my panny s77 and hd-a2 put out good p (on 108" screen) and a q; im ready to try out something better, maybe a 983 also when it comes out. hd-xa2 is more expensive than i care to go, so far.:D

What has Warner's decision on releasing Blue Ray software got to do with Oppo's new SD DVD player?

The logic can be viewed as this: boutique brands such as OPPO are making good money right now as many people "wait out the war". If you remove one of the major reasons for the war (ie. displaced movie studio support) the consumer starts to see a winner appear when one actually has not been confirmed.

So for someone who was previously on the fence, seeing Warner Brothers go BD exclusive may be enough to push you over. This push will leave OPPO on the other side of the fence (ie. no sales).

For a company like OPPO a format war is actually beneficial for them. If one side becomes a true winner, OPPO will be left in the high-definition cold. They will either adapt (make a try HD player) or will fizzle out.

The logic can be viewed as this: boutique brands such as OPPO...


I think you've got your logic the wrong way around, Sony, Toshiba et al are making the 'boutique' players supplied with 'niche' software. Both systems have been launched for over 2+ years, we're up to second/third generation hardware for both Blue Ray and HD-DVD and the software released hasn't even hit 2000 titles between the two systems.

What has Warner's decision on releasing Blue Ray software got to do with Oppo's new SD DVD player? Frankly not much unless the inference is that somehow Oppo has 'missed the boat' by doing so. Oppo hasn't of course since both HD-DVD and BR systems are dead ducks so far in tems of consumer acceptance and short to medium term future.

BTW Oppo is definitely playing in the 'mainstream' game (i.e. SD-DVD) not the currently 'niche' areas of BR/HD-DVD.

Hopefully they will start working on a Blu-Ray player because we could use a company like this to improve on the current offerings. I know they were waiting for a clear winner so now I hope they can move forward with product design.

right. I want everything the OPPO 983 offers PLUS Blu-Ray. Don't care if it's $1000.

right. I want everything the OPPO 983 offers PLUS Blu-Ray. Don't care if it's $1000.

Me too! ;)

im kind of wondering if oppo is 'betting':eek: (and im hoping:eek:) on neither hdm format (an overall niche market and one entity out of two, a probable d.o.a.) amounting to a 'hill of beans' and dying off within a few years:eek:. the market might be ripe at that time for an evolved sd player that is an extreme improvement on what we see now for sd players, even moreso than the 983 or hd-xa2.

westgate, I highly doubt it. Blockbuster dragged their feet when DVD began to replace video. Now, their full on into Blu-ray. I think the writing's on the wall. No sense having all those high def tv's and a low def movie source. Sports in HD gave people a taste of what they could have all the time and they like it. 480 is 480 and all the tweaking/upsampling won't change that. As long as standard def DVD's play on the Blu-Ray machines and the Blu-Rays get down to $299, $199 and eventually, $99 it's a win-win for consumers, once the other format goes away.

Is the 983 the same size as the 980? I hope its not any higher!

...Sports in HD gave people a taste of what they could have all the time and they like it....

Yes they (and who are they BTW?) like it but they like it for 'free' as in HD movies/sports on cable and free-to-air TV. Actually 'they' can't really tell the difference between SD and HD anyway but since you've got HD channels you might as well view them and they're certainly not willing to pay a premium weened as they have been on cheap chinese hardware.

Pardon the cynicism but I think most people that view and take part in forums such as these are in the distinct minority and most, if not all, are pre-sold on the idea of bigger/better/faster unlike 90% of people out there, hence the complete ignorance and disinterest from the general public about Blu Ray, HD-DVD and the whole format war as it stands. In fact try and ask anyone outside these forums about Blu Ray, HD-DVD and/or the format war and see what they say, try your cousin, uncle, next door neighbour in fact anyone else apart from HT enthusiasts

Unfortunately the single biggest mistake that all the players in this mess of a format war have done is to alienate their core audience of early adopters and proselytizers i.e. 'us'.

im kind of wondering if oppo is 'betting':eek: (and im hoping:eek:) on neither hdm format (an overall niche market and one entity out of two, a probable d.o.a.) amounting to a 'hill of beans' and dying off within a few years:eek:. the market might be ripe at that time for an evolved sd player that is an extreme improvement on what we see now for sd players, even moreso than the 983 or hd-xa2.

I don't know what more can be done for SD-DVD video. Aren't we pretty much at the limit? You could invent new standards, but that's another new format.

-Bill

Is the 983 the same size as the 980? I hope its not any higher!

I hope you have just a little bit more room.

-Bill

im kind of wondering if oppo is 'betting':eek: (and im hoping:eek:) on neither hdm format (an overall niche market and one entity out of two, a probable d.o.a.) amounting to a 'hill of beans' and dying off within a few years:eek:.
I can't imagine them having any serious expectation of both formats going flop and DVD remaining unchanged. Even if one or both formats became niche markets, those would still be niche markets that OPPO was well suited to serving (much like the support they currently offer for DVD-Audio and SACD, both poster children for niche formats left over from a format war). In light of Warner's recent decision, it's certainly possible that OPPO's first entry into the HD player universe would be a Blu-ray only player, but even if HD-DVD is formally declared dead in 2008 there could be a market for a combo player due to the existing HD-DVD user base. After all, they still support DVD-Audio in all of their players (which a number of us appreciate, myself included) even though that format is pretty well dead in the water...
the market might be ripe at that time for an evolved sd player that is an extreme improvement on what we see now for sd players, even moreso than the 983 or hd-xa2.
The original source material imposes some finite limits here. Video scaling technology such as that offered by HQV's Reon or ABT's chips has achieved some pretty remarkable things with DVD's 480 lines. Neuromancer's original description of the 983H (OPPO Digital's "swan song" for DVD playback) is a good one: the 983H is being developed specifically to provide a very optimized platform for DVD playback and enjoyment. The only significant evolution possible from there would be to move to an HD resolution in the source material, which brings us right back around to Blu-ray and HD-DVD...

Is the 983 the same size as the 980? I hope its not any higher!

2" tall X 10 1/2" deep (+connectors,+cables) X 16 15/16 wide

2" tall X 10 1/2" deep (+connectors,+cables) X 16 15/16 wide

16-7/8 x 10-1/2 x 2 inches great! thats the same size as the 980!

2" tall X 10 1/2" deep (+connectors,+cables) X 16 15/16 wide

I wish it was taller. I hate little dinky equipment. I am trying to get rid of my denon 2900 (best SD video i have seen) since i have HD now. It has a beautiful looking chasis with over 5 inch height!!

I wish it was taller. I hate little dinky equipment. I am trying to get rid of my denon 2900 (best SD video i have seen) since i have HD now. It has a beautiful looking chasis with over 5 inch height!!

The price of 2900 would get you two Oppo giving you a total height of 4" (or more if you include feet) when placed one above the other ...:D

I can't imagine them having any serious expectation of both formats going flop and DVD remaining unchanged. Even if one or both formats became niche markets, those would still be niche markets that OPPO was well suited to serving (much like the support they currently offer for DVD-Audio and SACD, both poster children for niche formats left over from a format war). In light of Warner's recent decision, it's certainly possible that OPPO's first entry into the HD player universe would be a Blu-ray only player, but even if HD-DVD is formally declared dead in 2008 there could be a market for a combo player due to the existing HD-DVD user base. After all, they still support DVD-Audio in all of their players (which a number of us appreciate, myself included) even though that format is pretty well dead in the water...

The original source material imposes some finite limits here. Video scaling technology such as that offered by HQV's Reon or ABT's chips has achieved some pretty remarkable things with DVD's 480 lines. Neuromancer's ioriginal description of the 983H (OPPO Digital's "swan song" for DVD playback) is a good one: the 983H is being developed specifically to provide a very optimized platform for DVD playback and enjoyment. The only significant evolution possible from there would be to move to an HD resolution in the source material, which brings us right back around to Blu-ray and HD-DVD...

im no software expert but i would almost think that improvements in sd dvd player software/firmware/? eventually could :
1 improve image sharpening without artifacts.
2 improve contrast, black levels, and colors.
increased detail from 480i content would probably be the only stickler(?)

im just dreaming, i suppose.:D

im no software expert but i would almost think that improvements in sd dvd player software/firmware/? eventually could :
1 improve image sharpening without artifacts.
2 improve contrast, black levels, and colors.
increased detail from 480i content would probably be the only stickler(?)

im just dreaming, i suppose.:D
Certainly improved video processing can reduce artifacts, but you are still working from the original source - which in many cases has artifacts built in to it and is still limited by what it is. The technology we have today (scalers like ABT, Gennum, HQV, ...) are doing remarkable things now within the constraints of the DVD format. They are already pushing 480i for all that it's worth. I wouldn't expect them to achieve much more than they already are. Subtle improvements, sure, but the only way to achieve something clearly superior is to focus on the weakest link and fix it - which means trading out that 480i source for an HD source.

I continue to be amazed at the quality of playback possible with DVD. I didn't think things could get much better when I was feeding a Reon based 480p signal into a 38" native 480p CRT. Then I got a 60" 1080p/24fps plasma and a whole new new of detail appeared. I can be a Blu-ray HD DVD bigot, but I can also thoroughly enjoy any of the better encoded DVD titles out there. It would be great if DVD could get better, but I doubt it -- but I've been wrong before:)

re: DVD's. i was never that impressed with DVDs in its debut nor currently. when i first upgraded my PC to a DVDROM drive and played me DVD drive on a CRT with hw acceleration! via ati's rage fury series, i was disappointed at color banding, clarity and sound design (my PC was hooked up to my AV Receive already+spdif).

HD media was the first time a consumer VIDEO playback format surprised me and gave me the awe that i wanted since the DVD days.

the only thing that i would use the oppo is the audiophile portions.

re: DVD's. i was never that impressed with DVDs in its debut nor currently. when i first upgraded my PC to a DVDROM drive and played me DVD drive on a CRT with hw acceleration! via ati's rage fury series, i was disappointed at color banding, clarity and sound design (my PC was hooked up to my AV Receive already+spdif).


Video processing has come a hell of a long way since then. You can't really judge DVD on an ancient video cards ability to decode video. My Sony 2nd gen DVD player never had colour banding.

Jedi Fonger has a point. I too thought DVD was cool, but far from stunning. In the last few yearrs it's gotten way better and I'm generally happy when watching most DVD''s now. It's similar to early CD and current remastered CD's. Still, SACD is way more pleasant to listen to and Blu-ray at 24fps is absolutely a serious improvement in my opinion. It finally looks like I've always imagined a digital movie format could look, like the view live through a camera lens.

My next upgrade will be a 1080p pj ( Sony VPL 60?) and a Blu-ray player. It's been a while since I've checked the Blu ray forum. Is there a consensus on what the best current Blu ray player is and is it worth waiting for any new features coming soon?

My next upgrade will be a 1080p pj ( Sony VPL 60?) and a Blu-ray player. It's been a while since I've checked the Blu ray forum. Is there a consensus on what the best current Blu ray player is and is it worth waiting for any new features coming soon?

The Blu-Ray player forum would defintely be the best place to pursue this.

-Bill

I watch an unhealthy amount of Japanese animations, so a I need a DVD player, receiver, or other external processor which can handle the odd cadences which are a part of standard definition DVD encode of animated titles.

It is amazing how much better my animations are looking between each generation of DVD players, as each successive generations removes interlacing, aliasing, and color banding/false contouring errors.

How will the 983 handle PAL? Will it convert it to NTSC first, and then upconvert it? Or will it actually take advantage of the extra lines of resolution?

Just like the DV-981HD it will either convert to NTSC then de-interlace and scale for a NTSC display, or remain PAL from start to end to take advantage of the extra resolution for a PAL native display.

Forgive me if this question is a little simple. i am pretty new to this hi fi stuff. I have read alot about oppo not only being a great dvd player for the money, but being a great for music as well. It is my understanding that when you play something like an sacd, to get the full benefit you need to use the analog outs and the processing is done in the player; But for just plain old cds, if you use the optical/coax am I correct in understanding that you are bypassing the processing and using your pre/pro or reciever? If thats so, which option is preferred? ( I know, I know, it depends on what its going to :rolleyes:) If you already got a good reciever and no need yet (unfortunately)for 7.1, is it worth the cost from the audio side of things?

Note, I don't currently have anything other than cds and music dvds; no dvd A or SACD. Although I am more than willing to get some!

An update for those who are anxious to get their hands on this player. I emailed Oppo to inquire about expected launch dates, etc. and they confirmed that they are aiming for a February release of the 983HD (with the usual disclaimer about how this can change at any time).

An update for those who are anxious to get their hands on this player. I emailed Oppo to inquire about expected launch dates, etc. and they confirmed that they are aiming for a February release of the 983HD (with the usual disclaimer about how this can change at any time).

Sweeeeet....best get my pennies saved up :)

Thanks billbillw, hope it's early Feb and not early March.

When comparing the 983 to the 980, should the picture quality improvement be noticeable on a 42" 1024x768 Plasma display, at a regular viewing distance (say 9-10ft), while watching standard NTSC DVD movies (as opposed to test screens, patterns, etc.) ?

Thanks in advance,

Fernando

I was considering the Oppo 980H, mainly because of its SACD audio features. As understood, it is one of the few players capable of outputting multi-channel SACD in its native DSD format (via HDMI 1.2) without conversion to PCM. Other Oppo models can't do this, AFAIK.

Can anyone tell me whether the 983 will have the same capability?

Thanks,
Jim Cate

Unfortunately I am not allowed to confirm or deny certain functionality, including DSD support, as the hardware is not yet finalized.

I sure hope they do implement DSD without conversion, that would be one more thing to help me rationalize exchanging the 981 for the 983.

Considering the date this thread was introduced the very first sentence should be changed.

Has Oppo commented yet on the following -

1) Will this player output film sourced DVD's at 1080/24p?
2) Will this player play DVD-Audios and SACDs?
3) Will this player output SACD as DSD over HDMI with a newer receiver/prepro? Like the 980 does.

Has Oppo commented yet on the following -

1) Will this player output film sourced DVD's at 1080/24p?
2) Will this player play DVD-Audios and SACDs?
3) Will this player output SACD as DSD over HDMI with a newer receiver/prepro? Like the 980 does.

#2 is definately a yes. 1 & 3 have not been confirmed.

:Di think this sentiments been echoed before, but it would be a total shocker of 983 also played HD DVD/Blu-Ray

1) Will this player output film sourced DVD's at 1080/24p?
Will not.
2) Will this player play DVD-Audios and SACDs?
Will.
3) Will this player output SACD as DSD over HDMI with a newer receiver/prepro? Like the 980 does.
Not confirmed.

:Di think this sentiments been echoed before, but it would be a total shocker of 983 also played HD DVD/Blu-Ray

Yes it would, especially to the current beta testers.

Will not.

Will.

Not confirmed.

Does cd's sound more or less that same as the 970? How about the upconverted image? C'MON, THROW US A BONE!:)

That's not gonna happen.

Yes it would, especially to the current beta testers.

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but can you speculate at all on the chances of Oppo releasing a Blu-ray (and/or combo with HD-DVD) player in the next year? As in possibly, likely, not likely at all?

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but can you speculate at all on the chances of Oppo releasing a Blu-ray (and/or combo with HD-DVD) player in the next year? As in possibly, likely, not likely at all?

Canada - Check back throughout the rest of this thread.... there are many posts, some even from beta testers (people in the the know). Just a page or two ago there was a statement eluding to no HDM (either HD or Blueray) player from Oppo within the next 12-18months. (or was that in the 980 thread, I apologize if it was)

Anyways I think that if they put out the 983 (I'm likely ordering ASAP) I'll be _HOPING_ that Oppo does NOT put out an amazing Blueray player, thus making the just released 983 outdated and a silly purchase.

I don't mind buying a SD only upconverting player that is at the height of it's hardware but these early gen HDM players have "quirks" that I'm not interested it. If Oppo makes "the ultimate" HDM player (or even 983+good Blueray playback for $50-100 more) right after the SD swan song, some buyers might feel taken.

PS - I also don't like the idea of paying the extra for HDM disks.

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but can you speculate at all on the chances of Oppo releasing a Blu-ray (and/or combo with HD-DVD) player in the next year? As in possibly, likely, not likely at all?

I have no inside info, so this is just guesswork.

It's been suggested that the 983 is their last SD-DVD player. They must have other products in the works; an HD player is what everyone expects. Since everything takes longer than you think it should, I expect no product this year. Next year.

-Bill

Bill's guesswork matches closely with mine - there's almost certainly something in the design pipeline behind the 983H, and it's reasonable to suspect that player to support at least one HD format, but even without knowing how far along such a design might be I'd guess that it would still be a year or so away from production.

Has Oppo commented yet on the following -

2) Will this player play DVD-Audios and SACDs?
3) Will this player output SACD as DSD over HDMI with a newer receiver/prepro? Like the 980 does.

Point 2) above have been confirmed while 3) is not confirmed.

I would like to know

4) Will the player output SACD as (multi-channel) PCM over HDMI?

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but can you speculate at all on the chances of Oppo releasing a Blu-ray (and/or combo with HD-DVD) player in the next year? As in possibly, likely, not likely at all?

Can't say. OPPO has been very tight lipped about what they will be doing after the DV-983H project. They will be doing high-definition (they will have to) but it is a question of the product being HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, both, or an entirely different approach such as media content streaming.

4) Will the player output SACD as (multi-channel) PCM over HDMI?

Yes. SACD will be a part of the product. What is of contention is if DSD over HDMI will be.

When comparing the 983 to the 980, should the picture quality improvement be noticeable on a 42" 1024x768 Plasma display, at a regular viewing distance (say 9-10ft), while watching standard NTSC DVD movies (as opposed to test screens, patterns, etc.) ?


I apologize, and I did read throughout the thread, but I'm not familiar with ABT chips. I understand there should be an improvement, but I'm not sure that would be detectable on a smaller/lower resolution screen... :confused:

Neuromancer ? Anyone ?

Thanks !

Fernando

For film contents you will likely not see a difference. For contents which are PAL, video, or animation based, the accuracy of the ABT chipset is far superior to any OPPO product, and on par or better than Reon processing.

Very well. Thanks a lot Neuromancer.

For film contents you will likely not see a difference. For contents which are PAL, video, or animation based, the accuracy of the ABT chipset is far superior to any OPPO product, and on par or better than Reon processing.

Video based includes all the TV show seasons on DVD, right? Plus I have to imagine that the ABT solution would be as good as the best Oppo has offered so far (so to my mind the 981's DCDi without any talk/possibility of Macroblocking) for the film based content.

Just trying to get more specific. Or have any of my misconceptions corrected.

Yes, video based contents will include most television shows.

No macroblocking and no "softness" to the picture that you see with the DCDi chipset.

I don't know what more can be done for SD-DVD video. Aren't we pretty much at the limit? You could invent new standards, but that's another new format.

-Bill

bill, yer right of course as far as 'todays standards' (my term) go, but where hw/sw/fw can go in 1,2,3 yrs, no one knows exactly, right now.

as troublesome as hdm has been so far, i think sdm may have a lot more to offer us.

the basic premise is proven, now just to expand on improving it. i repeat, extracting detail that doesnt exist in 480i content might be the only limitation. and a big one. but i think artifact free image sharpening, color and black level enhancement can be done w hw/sw/fw.

i have nada against hdm; i have hd dvd and may get a bd player soon, but im not all that excited about either one. maybe im just lucky but sdm looks really good on my 108" screen. hdm looks better but at what cost and aggravation for many current and future users.

Video based includes all the TV show seasons on DVD, right? Plus I have to imagine that the ABT solution would be as good as the best Oppo has offered so far (so to my mind the 981's DCDi without any talk/possibility of Macroblocking) for the film based content.

Just trying to get more specific. Or have any of my misconceptions corrected.

ive always thought that the vast majority of tv shows were filmed meaning that tv show dvds were film based.:eek:

:D

For film contents you will likely not see a difference. For contents which are PAL, video, or animation based, the accuracy of the ABT chipset is far superior to any OPPO product, and on par or better than Reon processing.

I have a 50" Sony sxrd. Are you saying that there will be little improvement in picture quality with the 983 watching film based movies?:confused:

I'm all for finally getting an artifact free, color balanced 480 upsampling HDMI player like the 983 will most likely be. That said, 480 is 480 is 480, and 1080p from a 1080p/24 source is incredible and a huge advance from DVD specs. It's like looking through the camera lens yourself. Can't wait to see that on a big screen in my own home. It'll be about a year before I bump up to 1080p from my IN72.

I have a 50" Sony sxrd. Are you saying that there will be little improvement in picture quality with the 983 watching film based movies?:confused:

For most people, there will be minor differences between PQ. These differences will not be worth the $350.00 MSRP player. For people who are completely anal about their picture quality, have really large displays, or are very prone to noticing visual errors, then the DV-983H, as a dedicated DVD player, is worth the price.

For most people, there will be minor differences between PQ. These differences will not be worth the $350.00 MSRP player. For people who are completely anal about their picture quality, have really large displays, or are very prone to noticing visual errors, then the DV-983H, as a dedicated DVD player, is worth the price.

+1:)

For most people, there will be minor differences between PQ. These differences will not be worth the $350.00 MSRP player. For people who are completely anal about their picture quality, have really large displays, or are very prone to noticing visual errors, then the DV-983H, as a dedicated DVD player, is worth the price.
Thank you for your candor, you just saved me $350. Guess I'll just stick with my 970 after all.

Will the sound when watching a DVD be better with the 983 - e.g., better than the 980? Also, is the 980 DVD sound better than most other DVD players (at least in the same price range)? Thanks! Sound is very important to me when watching DVDs, and my old Toshiba leaves quite a bit to be desired.

For most people, there will be minor differences between PQ. These differences will not be worth the $350.00 MSRP player. For people who are completely anal about their picture quality, have really large displays, or are very prone to noticing visual errors, then the DV-983H, as a dedicated DVD player, is worth the price.

Also for people with 4 year old component only DCDi based upscaling players (1080i max) with noticable layer changes and no USB port or Divx support the question is buy 980/981 or the 983. I'm really hoping to notice a difference! (not mentioning hi-rez audio I don't have media for)

That's the question for me... if I think of it as the last SD player I'd ever buy (in several years they shoudl finally settle down on HDM format and hardware versions/features), the 983 might make more sense. Also I like to watch some TV show series on DVD. *Shrug*

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but can you speculate at all on the chances of Oppo releasing a Blu-ray (and/or combo with HD-DVD) player in the next year? As in possibly, likely, not likely at all?

Secrets recently posted a review of the 980H. In the conclusion, the author offers this added detail about OPPO building an HD player:

"The next step for Oppo is a universal HD-DVD/Blu-Ray player. The impediment to this is not Oppo, but the legal barriers in place to prevent small companies from getting licenses to use the specialized chips necessary to build either a HD-DVD player or SACD player. Moves are afoot to make this licensing easier, so Oppo still may be able to get us the "everything box" that all of us want, but no one sells."

I'm assuming SACD is a typo, and he really meant to say Bluray. In any case, I think it's quite clear that many of us can't wait to see what OPPO releases.

Oppo should release a Blu-Ray player as soon as possible. The 983 would then be relegated as their 'budget' player. A player for people who don't care for 1080p or don't wish to upgrade any time soon. One thing Oppo should promise though is to circumvent sonys stupid region coding as a given. If they can achieve this, they will sell like the proverbial hotcake.

Is it still slotted for sometime in Feburary release? The transport mechanism itself--how much is different from 980 or 981??

For most people, there will be minor differences between PQ. These differences will not be worth the $350.00 MSRP player. For people who are completely anal about their picture quality, have really large displays, or are very prone to noticing visual errors, then the DV-983H, as a dedicated DVD player, is worth the price.

I have a Toshiba SD9000 dvd player from 2001 with component out. It was their flagship player at the time. It has extra vibration dampening, etc... It only outputs 480i. Do you think that the 983 would be a noticeable upgrade over this player? I have a Pioneer 6070, and it does the scaling.

I have a Toshiba SD9000 dvd player from 2001 with component out. It was their flagship player at the time. It has extra vibration dampening, etc... It only outputs 480i. Do you think that the 983 would be a noticeable upgrade over this player? I have a Pioneer 6070, and it does the scaling.

I'm wondering / assuming a decent enough improvement over an older non-HDMI player.... I'm only replying because I don't think anyone can really give us the answer we are really looking for. (Although getting rid of the layer change would be a big plus I know I'd gain)

Their are 2 main reasons I'm not worried about still banking on ordering from Oppo ASAP. 1) Customer support has been only held in the highest regards. 2) I believe (and I'd check there website again before ordering) that you would only be out S&H if you do not like the player (improvement over current, etc) within their set time frame (which I believe is 30 days, must chk site though).

With those two generous and well regarded aspects of the Oppo company I figure it's (for my case) worth the potential cost of S&H to give it a try.

It always depends on your display. First, you want to have a choice between the upsampling at your source (OPPO) or at your display. Most likely the OPPO will be superior, certainly HDMI is cleaner and the improvements are noticeable, better black level, less hash. Although the improvements are clearly visible and important to me, it's not THAT big a deal since 480 is 480, period.

I've often noticed that people detect the slightest difference when using their eyes, (evolution probably sharpened our visual skills over millions of years) but need a bit more training when it comes to developing skill at discerning audio details well. Therefore, I always strive for the best pq possible. I'd say get the OPPO!

Yes. SACD will be a part of the product. What is of contention is if DSD over HDMI will be.

I'm wondering why, considering that the 980 does it already. Wouldn't leaving that capability out be like a step backwards? In my opinion, and I may be wrong of course, the segmentof the market that's looking forward for this kind of player would really appreciate being able to do DSD over HDMi. :confused:

Is it still slotted for sometime in Feburary release? The transport mechanism itself--how much is different from 980 or 981??

The servo is different. I can't tell you which servo is being used, but I can say that it is completely different from all the previous products.

I'm wondering why, considering that the 980 does it already. Wouldn't leaving that capability out be like a step backwards? In my opinion, and I may be wrong of course, the segmentof the market that's looking forward for this kind of player would really appreciate being able to do DSD over HDMi. :confused:

The problem is OPPO is using a brand spanking new MTK solution. The downside to this solution is no built in SACD DSD support. OPPO can add in additional hardware and software to enable SACD DSD.

OPPO has changed the design of the player several times. This is the reason why I can't for certain say that DSD is/is not supported, as each revision of the beta hardware has supported new and lost functions,

This is why OPPO has only talked about the ABT solution for the past 8 months, as this is the only guaranteed function of the player. Until the player is tapped out, some of the functionality will not be known.

So, Neuromancer, since you have been able to play with the 983, do you think that I would notice an improvement in picture quality over my old Toshiba SD9000 displayed on my Pioneer 6070? Or do you think that the 6070 scales better than the 983?

The DV-983H will scale and de-interlace better than the PDP-6070. What becomes an issue is how much a difference you will see for the asking price.

any comparisons to reon equipped players such as the denon 2930?

I have my eye on this player only for SD DVD playback. Will layer changes be completely seamless, or have they been so far on the pre-production units?

I have my eye on this player only for SD DVD playback. Will layer changes be completely seamless, or have they been so far on the pre-production units?

Yes.

-Bill

Thanks. It looks like this will be an incredible machine, especially for the price.

any comparisons to reon equipped players such as the denon 2930?

Haven't had time to test the player side by side with a Reon enhanced DVD player or external scaler.

How about comparisons to the Elite players such as the 46AV?

Haven't had time to test the player side by side with a Reon enhanced DVD player or external scaler.

I'd really, really like to know how the 983 holds up to the upconverting ability of the Toshiba XA2 (Reon equiped). If they're about the same, I'll probably sell my A2 and pick up an XA2 since I already have the 981 for SACD and PAL purposes.

How about comparisons to the Elite players such as the 46AV?

Better than. The 46AV is pretty much the DV-980H in a different box.

"Pretty much the DV-980H in a different box".

Would that be the 48AV ? I see that it has an USB input, while the 46AV doesn't.

Yeah, I meant the 48AV. Today is moving so slowly I can't read properly anymore.

Does the Oppo have audio as good as the Elite's?

Haven't had time to test the player side by side with a Reon enhanced DVD player or external scaler.

Will you be anytime soon?

I know with the Oppo 970 vs the 2930CI, the 2930CI was definitely better with film based on my comparisons with my previous CRT RPTV. To me, it would be worth a couple of hundred dollars more.

However, the 980 is improved from the 970 I hear, so maybe the gap is closer to the 983?

Hi Neuromancer,
excuse me for the digging the thread with this question. My primary purpose it SACD player (SQ). Would there be a big improvement of 983 compare to older version of OPPO? I'll be using it with marantz 7002.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
-danny

The problem is OPPO is using a brand spanking new MTK solution. The downside to this solution is no built in SACD DSD support. OPPO can add in additional hardware and software to enable SACD DSD.

OPPO has changed the design of the player several times. This is the reason why I can't for certain say that DSD is/is not supported, as each revision of the beta hardware has supported new and lost functions,

This is why OPPO has only talked about the ABT solution for the past 8 months, as this is the only guaranteed function of the player. Until the player is tapped out, some of the functionality will not be known.

Does the Oppo have audio as good as the Elite's?

if internally the 48av is the same as the 980, the sound would also be.

when should the 983 go on sale?

when should the 983 go on sale?

No "concrete" release date, but Oppo is shooting for about a month or so from now.

I have one of the original oppo players and I discovered that the sound quality on dvd movies was vastly inferior to a Toshiba HD-A1. Can anyone comment on the improvement in the newer Oppo units and what can be expected in the 983?

I have one of the original oppo players and I discovered that the sound quality on dvd movies was vastly inferior to a Toshiba HD-A1. Can anyone comment on the improvement in the newer Oppo units and what can be expected in the 983?

Are you talking about the soundtracks on SD-DVDs or HD-DVDs?? What model Oppo player do you have?
For SD-DVD, the audio quality from the DV-983H will be far superior to the HD-A1. Of course a lot of it depends on what amps, pre-amps, receiver, speakers, ect... you are using.

I have the 971 with a high quality component system, Theta Casablanca II Xtreme DACs with similar quality amplification and speakers. I have noted a big improvement on SD-DVD with the Toshiba. I need a player that will output 480i to feed a Lumagen Radiance processor.

How do the newer Oppo units compare to the 971 for sound?

SOUND QUALITY compared to 971

981 = slightly better
970 = much better
980 = better than the 970
983 = maybe slightly better than the 980, but not much if any

Does the 983 have component output or just hdmi?

I have one of the original oppo players and I discovered that the sound quality on dvd movies was vastly inferior to a Toshiba HD-A1.

If you are using a coax or toslink connection for the Oppo, and either of those or HDMI for the HD-A1, then I don't believe you. :) The info is being transferred to your AVR or SSP digitally. There can't be a difference in the sound quality.

if internally the 48av is the same as the 980, the sound would also be.

They are almost identical in terms of design performance. The design of the main board and power supply are most definitely different (I like the power board on the Elite better) and the OPPO uses a Cirrus Logic DAC, while the Elite uses the "industry standard" Burr Brown.

If you are using a coax or toslink connection for the Oppo, and either of those or HDMI for the HD-A1, then I don't believe you. :) The info is being transferred to your AVR or SSP digitally. There can't be a difference in the sound quality.

Unless your equipment suffers from a lot of line jidder, though I personally highly doubt it. Even if it was jidder, there should be drops in audio, blips, scratches, or other audio errors. It would not be the difference between "clean" and "crisp" to "soft" and "edgy".

Hi Neuromancer,
excuse me for the digging the thread with this question. My primary purpose it SACD player (SQ). Would there be a big improvement of 983 compare to older version of OPPO? I'll be using it with marantz 7002.

I personally can't hear a difference between the two products. This is the reason why I leave audio questions to reviewers like Kal Robinson to tell me what differences in audio people should be expecting.

Does the 983 have component output or just hdmi?

Both, but please keep in mind, with almost all answers here regarding the 983, nothing is finalized yet.

will the 983 have an interface for the new toshiba spursengine cell processor (a possible next step in the evolution of 'upscaling'):confused::eek:?

just kidding, maybe not in the long run, tho. :D

To be perfectly clear, the Oppo DV-983H uses Anchor Bay for deinterlacing (ABT102) and scaling (ABT1018)...The main reason that more manufacturers don't uses Anchor Bay's deinterlacing is that the ABT102 is an FPGA implementation of these algorithms (versus an ASIC) which costs more than most manufacturers want to spend....
Can you guys please selll this chipset to Tivo or D*?

I find myself watching more TV than DVDs because with a family of four, we don't often find the uninterrupted screen time to watch an entire DVD. Further, while supporting a family of 4 I'm unlikely to find the $$ to buy the scaler.

Can you guys please selll this chipset to Tivo or D*?

I find myself watching more TV than DVDs because with a family of four, we don't often find the uninterrupted screen time to watch an entire DVD. Further, while supporting a family of 4 I'm unlikely to find the $$ to buy the scaler.

With the integration of scalers in many components, including "affordable" gear too, the price of external scalers are coming down. You can pick up a used one pretty cheap now-a-days.

Does anybody know...when the 983 is set to output 480p60, 720p60, or 1080i30 over YPbPr (analog component), is that signal likely to incorporate the 7.5 IRE setup pedestal? That's what my HD-ready TV expects on all of its analog inputs, regardless of resolution. Unfortunately, it doesn't have independent proc amp memory for the different inputs, and I don't want to be fiddling with the brightness control every time I switch sources! (I sure wish I'd thought of this before buying my new ATSC tuner, which only applies the pedestal when outputting 480i.)

(And yes, I do realize that 720p/1080i over YPbPr is not possible with CSS-encrypted discs.)

Does anybody know...when the 983 is set to output 480p60, 720p60, or 1080i30 over YPbPr (analog component), is that signal likely to incorporate the 7.5 IRE setup pedestal? That's what my HD-ready TV expects on all of its analog inputs, regardless of resolution. Unfortunately, it doesn't have independent proc amp memory for the different inputs, and I don't want to be fiddling with the brightness control every time I switch sources! (I sure wish I'd thought of this before buying my new ATSC tuner, which only applies the pedestal when outputting 480i.)

(And yes, I do realize that 720p/1080i over YPbPr is not possible with CSS-encrypted discs.)I would be surprised if the feature is left out given the history of Oppo and just about every DVD player with component output has the feature under different descriptions.

larry

If you are using a coax or toslink connection for the Oppo, and either of those or HDMI for the HD-A1, then I don't believe you. :) The info is being transferred to your AVR or SSP digitally. There can't be a difference in the sound quality.

Exactly.

Will the Oppo 983H be "region free"?

Will the Oppo 983H be "region free"?

yes

Great!

If you are using a coax or toslink connection for the Oppo, and either of those or HDMI for the HD-A1, then I don't believe you. :) The info is being transferred to your AVR or SSP digitally. There can't be a difference in the sound quality.

Hi Kevin,

If you would like to demo the two I'd be glad to have you over.

Dave

Just for comparison purposes, this player is in some truely "elite company" that are using ABT chips for BOTH deinterlacing and scaling:

Oppo 983 Universal player(ABT102 and ABT1018) 10 bit processing $350-400?

Arcam FMJ DV139 Universal player(ABT102 and ABT1010) 12 bit processing $3200

Esoteric P-03 Universal Transport (ABT102 and ABT1010) plus Esoteric's own custom video output stage (14 bit processing) $17,000

When the 983 is released, will it only be available exclusively through Oppo's website, or will be available through other retailers like Amazon? Just wondering if it is an "Oppo website only" exclusive at first, then becomes available through other outlets a few months down the road...

When the 983 is released, will it only be available exclusively through Oppo's website, or will be available through other retailers like Amazon? Just wondering if it is an "Oppo website only" exclusive at first, then becomes available through other outlets a few months down the road...

I presume it will be the same as the past Oppo models and available through the authorized resellers, although it may take a few weeks for the supply chain to fill up. If you want it ASAP you should order directly from Oppo.

-Bill

Hi, sorry but this one got my attention. From these statement, I can conclude that 980 is what I need since i'm only after SACD sound quality. Did I miss anything with my statement that I really don't need 983 or 981 price-wise?
Thanks again for your time.
-Danny

SOUND QUALITY compared to 971

981 = slightly better
970 = much better
980 = better than the 970
983 = maybe slightly better than the 980, but not much if any

When the 983 is released, will it only be available exclusively through Oppo's website, or will be available through other retailers like Amazon? Just wondering if it is an "Oppo website only" exclusive at first, then becomes available through other outlets a few months down the road...

Generally when a product is first announced by OPPO it will be exclusive on their website for a week or more, as their retailer partners are not shipped stock until the product is actually available for sale from OPPO themselves.

As for Amazon.com, they may not carry the product, depending on the price and their perceived demand for it. We will have to see once the DVD player is received.

Hi, sorry but this one got my attention. From these statement, I can conclude that 980 is what I need since i'm only after SACD sound quality. Did I miss anything with my statement that I really don't need 983 or 981 price-wise?
Thanks again for your time.
-Danny

SACD and DVD-A only?? I would go with the 980. The 980 also produces a very high quality picture, just not as good as the 983.

Last I heard from oppo they were investigating and considering 1080/24p output for film sourced DVD's. Has that changed to a definate no way? Sounds like it might have.

Last I heard from oppo they were investigating and considering 1080/24p output for film sourced DVD's. Has that changed to a definate no way? Sounds like it might have.

It is still neither yes or no at this point.

983+HD disc playback=984 or 985 series... or maybe... 990? =D

Just for comparison purposes, this player is in some truely "elite company" that are using ABT chips for BOTH deinterlacing and scaling:

Oppo 983 Universal player(ABT102 and ABT1018) 10 bit processing $350-400?

Arcam FMJ DV139 Universal player(ABT102 and ABT1010) 12 bit processing $3200

Esoteric P-03 Universal Transport (ABT102 and ABT1010) plus Esoteric's own custom video output stage (14 bit processing) $17,000

The P-03 just uses the 1018 (scaler) from what I can find. (at first I thought it didn't do video).

larry

Theres 2 different P-03s, a universal transport with video for $17k and a transport without video for $13k... Hmm, I swore i read they were using ABT for deinterlacing, but can't seem to find any info suggesting that:confused:... However, i do wonder what they are using for deinterlacing... One of the reviews, claimed the the video section of the Arcam DV139 was every bit the equal of the P-03's video perfromance.

So its made quite clear there in fact are a few dvd and HD players and receivers that use ABT's Scaling chips but only 2 players that feature both of their chips?

It is still neither yes or no at this point.

Put my vote in for requesting 1080p/24 from film-based DVDs!

-John

ditto!

The problem is OPPO is using a brand spanking new MTK solution. The downside to this solution is no built in SACD DSD support. OPPO can add in additional hardware and software to enable SACD DSD.

I just hope they do that. I wouldn't mind paying a few bucks more to have that functionality!

Wow! I've been reading all this thread and I'm very excited about this player.
It's too good to be true...

I'm building a cinemascope setup these days and would love to have compatibility with the anamorphic lens, so I vote for the different zooming options...

1080p/24 on film based dvd playback is another exciting feature!

Can't wait to get one. Keep up the good work!

The problem is OPPO is using a brand spanking new MTK solution. The downside to this solution is no built in SACD DSD support. OPPO can add in additional hardware and software to enable SACD DSD.


I hope they add SACD DSD support.

Just for comparison purposes, this player is in some truely "elite company" that are using ABT chips for BOTH deinterlacing and scaling:

Oppo 983 Universal player(ABT102 and ABT1018) 10 bit processing $350-400?

Arcam FMJ DV139 Universal player(ABT102 and ABT1010) 12 bit processing $3200

Esoteric P-03 Universal Transport (ABT102 and ABT1010) plus Esoteric's own custom video output stage (14 bit processing) $17,000

Don't forget the Toshiba A30 for $199 and A35 for $299, both with ABT.

Don't forget the Toshiba A30 for $199 and A35 for $299, both with ABT.
I though they used ABT for scaling only, not for deinterlacing.

Deinterlacing ability is much more important IMHO, unless you watch nothing but film. It's crucially important if you watch the sort of weirdo footage that I'm into.

I though they used ABT for scaling only, not for deinterlacing.

Deinterlacing ability is much more important IMHO, unless you watch nothing but film. It's crucially important if you watch the sort of weirdo footage that I'm into.

In addition, the 983 will have far better usability and speed than the Toshibas. I loved using my 970 I once had.

Last I heard from oppo they were investigating and considering 1080/24p output for film sourced DVD's. Has that changed to a definate no way? Sounds like it might have.

Definitive no. Hardware wise it will not be there. There are possible software hacks to (like using the 3:2 information to recreate original 24 frames) but likely not, as a bad cadence will create major visual issues.

Hi,

I currently own about 40-50 DVDs (which I don't intend to replace with Blu-Rays) and I'm in the market for a DVD-Player and/or a (since Warner's move) Blu-ray player. My question is very simple. Will a Blu-ray player do a better job at playing SD DVDs than the Oppo 983 @ 1080P? Of course some will say it depends on the BD Player. Assuming the Oppo will retail at 350, I'd be willing to dish out $600 for a BD Player that does both. So, will a $600 BD Player outperform the Oppo 983? I'm only talking about DVD Playback here @ 1080P!!! I want the best device to upconvert and output audio for my DVD collection at a reasonable price. The USB function is a huge plus for the Oppo since I do use Xvid a lot. I'm afraid that I'll spend $350 on the Oppo and then 1 year later, I'll get a BD Player which will kick the Oppo's ass (reminder: I'm only talking DVDs here) and the OPPO will sit on the shelf, collecting dust.

Sorry for the long post. Thank you,

Hi,

I currently own about 40-50 DVDs (which I don't intend to replace with Blu-Rays) and I'm in the market for a DVD-Player and/or a (since Warner's move) Blu-ray player. My question is very simple. Will a Blu-ray player do a better job at playing SD DVDs than the Oppo 983 @ 1080P? Of course some will say it depends on the BD Player. Assuming the Oppo will retail at 350, I'd be willing to dish out $600 for a BD Player that does both. So, will a $600 BD Player outperform the Oppo 983? I'm only talking about DVD Playback here @ 1080P!!! I want the best device to upconvert and output audio for my DVD collection at a reasonable price. The USB function is a huge plus for the Oppo since I do use Xvid a lot. I'm afraid that I'll spend $350 on the Oppo and then 1 year later, I'll get a BD Player which will kick the Oppo's ass (reminder: I'm only talking DVDs here) and the OPPO will sit on the shelf, collecting dust.

Sorry for the long post. Thank you,

The difference between better quality SD-DVD players can be subtle. There is only so much you can do with the SD source and I suspect we are reaching the limit.

The question is how much are you willing to spend (both in time and money) on subtle improvements? Do you do a lot of A/B testing with multiple players now?

-Bill

I currently have a DV-971H connected via HDMI to a Sony 34" 1080i CRT. Will the visual benefits of the DV-983 still be apparent in 1080i mode, or should I hang on to my 971H until I upgrade my display?

The difference between better quality SD-DVD players can be subtle. There is only so much you can do with the SD source and I suspect we are reaching the limit.

The question is how much are you willing to spend (both in time and money) on subtle improvements? Do you do a lot of A/B testing with multiple players now?

-Bill

Not really, I'm just getting out of university and starting to work. This is my first DVD player but don't think of me as a beginner since I've been around high-end stuff all my life (Denon, Ayre, etc). All I want is a really good DVD Player at a reasonable price (like the Oppos seem offer). I'm not ready to get a BD Player right now but I will get one within a year or two. I'm just wondering if I should get the Oppo 983 until then... or should I get the 980 and keep the $$$ difference for a BD Player with similar playback hardware (for DVDs) as the Oppo 983. I guess it all boils down to, is there any BD Player with the same (or better) hardware as the Oppo 983 for DVD playback? If so, how much?

Hi,

I currently own about 40-50 DVDs (which I don't intend to replace with Blu-Rays) and I'm in the market for a DVD-Player and/or a (since Warner's move) Blu-ray player. My question is very simple. Will a Blu-ray player do a better job at playing SD DVDs than the Oppo 983 @ 1080P? Of course some will say it depends on the BD Player. Assuming the Oppo will retail at 350, I'd be willing to dish out $600 for a BD Player that does both. So, will a $600 BD Player outperform the Oppo 983? I'm only talking about DVD Playback here @ 1080P!!! I want the best device to upconvert and output audio for my DVD collection at a reasonable price. The USB function is a huge plus for the Oppo since I do use Xvid a lot. I'm afraid that I'll spend $350 on the Oppo and then 1 year later, I'll get a BD Player which will kick the Oppo's ass (reminder: I'm only talking DVDs here) and the OPPO will sit on the shelf, collecting dust.

Sorry for the long post. Thank you,

I'm thinking one advantage would be the ability to play PAL and most likely be region free. my collection comes from all over. Will a Blu-Ray player do SD PAL?

I wonder if the analog section will be improved at all? I do my SACD/CD listening with a Denon 5900 and DVDs with my Oppo 970. I know they are concentrating on an excellent video section.

I guess it all boils down to, is there any BD Player with the same (or better) hardware as the Oppo 983 for DVD playback? If so, how much?

I haven't tested the BD players, but from what I have read, the correct answer is "no". The 983 will be better, but I must repeat that for a lot of people in a lot of situations, the differences may be minor.

Do you use a calibration disc? Proper calibration will make more of a differences than switching DVD players, at least at the high end.

-Bill

Hi,

I currently own about 40-50 DVDs (which I don't intend to replace with Blu-Rays) and I'm in the market for a DVD-Player and/or a (since Warner's move) Blu-ray player. My question is very simple. Will a Blu-ray player do a better job at playing SD DVDs than the Oppo 983 @ 1080P? Of course some will say it depends on the BD Player. Assuming the Oppo will retail at 350, I'd be willing to dish out $600 for a BD Player that does both. So, will a $600 BD Player outperform the Oppo 983? I'm only talking about DVD Playback here @ 1080P!!! I want the best device to upconvert and output audio for my DVD collection at a reasonable price. The USB function is a huge plus for the Oppo since I do use Xvid a lot. I'm afraid that I'll spend $350 on the Oppo and then 1 year later, I'll get a BD Player which will kick the Oppo's ass (reminder: I'm only talking DVDs here) and the OPPO will sit on the shelf, collecting dust.

Sorry for the long post. Thank you,


$350 for the oppo or $399 for a play station,seems like I can't seem to make a decision either...:mad:

Thank you Bill.

Yes, I do plan to use calibration.

$350 for the oppo or $399 for a play station,seems like I can't seem to make a decision either...:mad:

Yah I bet we could start a club of people with this dilema. It's frustrating but I never liked the idea of using a gaming system for SD-DVD playback (mind you PS3 isn't like other gaming systems).

It is a hard decision between those two to be sure.

Same for me!!! I just read that the PS3 is doing a killer job at upconverting. Many people prefer it to the Oppo 981. But I wonder how will it compare to Oppo 983. Options... options... options... GOD... please help me! hahaha

Same for me!!! I just read that the PS3 is doing a killer job at upconverting. Many people prefer it to the Oppo 981. But I wonder how will it compare to Oppo 983. Options... options... options... GOD... please help me! hahaha


Maybe if you sell your soul to the devil:eek: he'll(pun intenened) cut to the chase and get you both:D

I haven't tested the BD players, but from what I have read, the correct answer is "no". The 983 will be better, but I must repeat that for a lot of people in a lot of situations, the differences may be minor.

Do you use a calibration disc? Proper calibration will make more of a differences than switching DVD players, at least at the high end.

-Bill
The Samsung 1200 has the Reon and did very well with SD DVD tests at secrets.

larry

I plan to get one of the receivers or pre/pros that include good upscaling and deinterlacing (such as the Onkyo 875, with Reon chip). I presently have a Toshiba A35, which I understand includes good upscaling, but not good deinterlacing. Would the 983 provide significant advantages over the 980H for such a system, and if so, what?

I'm interested in SACD audio, and would be using the 980H (or 983) and the AVR for SACD multi-channel audio transmitted in digital form (either pulsecode or DSO), which could be processed in the AVR.) - What features would the 983 have that I wouldn't get with the above combination, using a 980H and the internal video and audio processing circuitry of the Onkyo AVR? In other words, if the receiver has good upscaling and deinterlacing circuitry and can also process the digital SACD audio, what additional features or advantages would the 983 provide?

- Confused over the various options.

Thanks,
Jim

I asked Oppo about their plans for DSD in the 983. Here's the inconclusive answer I got:

"SACD will be a part of the DV-983H. What is not currently being discussed is if this will be DSD->PCM or DSD raw over HDMI. Once the hardware has been finalized, we will begin talking about the specifications in full."

If you are interested in this model and have a preference, you may wish to let them know before they finalize their decision (if they haven't already).

I asked Oppo about their plans for DSD in the 983. Here's the inconclusive answer I got:

"SACD will be a part of the DV-983H. What is not currently being discussed is if this will be DSD->PCM or DSD raw over HDMI. Once the hardware has been finalized, we will begin talking about the specifications in full."

If you are interested in this model and have a preference, you may wish to let them know before they finalize their decision (if they haven't already).

Read carefully at the response. It's not just "inconclusive". They are going to build the player to the specifications of what the majority want/need. Of course there will be some "compromises" as there always are. They did ask you for your further input, so you may want to give that input to get what you want.

Read carefully at the response. It's not just "inconclusive". They are going to build the player to the specifications of what the majority want/need. Of course there will be some "compromises" as there always are. They did ask you for your further input, so you may want to give that input to get what you want.

The quoted text is what they emailed to me. The comment: If you are interested... was my mine. I did let them know my preference regardless.

The quoted text is what they emailed to me. The comment: If you are interested... was mine. I did let them know my preference regardless.

Oh, sorry :o. I was surprised that they would have worded it like that. Now that I read it correctly, that makes more sense.

What features would the 983 have that I wouldn't get with the above combination, using a 980H and the internal video and audio processing circuitry of the Onkyo AVR?

For your requirements the DV-980H will be the best solution. There will likely be no performance boost with the DV-983H for DSD or DVD-Video transportation.

I currently have a DV-971H connected via HDMI to a Sony 34" 1080i CRT. Will the visual benefits of the DV-983 still be apparent in 1080i mode, or should I hang on to my 971H until I upgrade my display?

If you've been reading AVS Forums, you know the conventional wisdom on here has been the 980 for the "best" 1080i, the 981 if you want "the best" 1080p today and can't wait for the 983. Your 971 is no slouch; do you have a specific issue you'd like fixed or are you just staying current?

I also have a 34XBR970 (surely a cousin to yours) and I doubt I'd see whatever improvement the 983 would give me. The 980 is just what I wanted, right out of the box - my daughter even commented on the improvement - but I'd wager we'd have a hard time telling your 971 from my 980 on these big, forgiving CRTs.

Simply put, the Sony HD CRTs are poor test instruments because they can't resolve the incredible level of detail of a fixed-pixel display. That's also why the picture looks so incredibly good!

Have fun,
Frank

Our TVs are definitely cousins (or even brothers) since mine is the KD-34XS955. I wasn't aware that the 980H was considered the best for 1080i, but I do find its audio capabilities enticing (SACD via DSD and DVD-A via HDMI). I have no complaints regarding the 971H but was considering an upgrade (while migrating the 971H to the bedroom), for audio purposes in addition to possible visual improvements. I'm a product of my grandpa's generation: I refuse to upgrade a TV until it dies (though lugging the 200lbs CRT around for another - hopefully final - move may yet infect me with the upgrade bug). Perhaps when 60" LED-based LCDs become common-place or those 1080p Kuros become more affordable I will change my tune. I do agree that even the SFP CRTs cannot resolve the details that their slimmer (LCD/plasma/etc.) cousins can but I love those black tones. Thanks for the kind response. :)

I have a Panasonic 900 with a 92" screen...what oppo option is best for me - will the 983 do the trick?

$350 for the oppo or $399 for a play station,seems like I can't seem to make a decision either...:mad:


Except all the reviews I've read for the PS3 specifically as a upconverting player have been pretty negative. One called it the worst they had tested. Unless Sony has released some incredible firmware update that changes that, I would stick to something made to do this. I'm not knocking it as a BR player, but I don't think Sony's heart was in supporting SD.

Except all the reviews I've read for the PS3 specifically as a upconverting player have been pretty negative. One called it the worst they had tested. Unless Sony has released some incredible firmware update that changes that, I would stick to something made to do this. I'm not knocking it as a BR player, but I don't think Sony's heart was in supporting SD.

Those are old reviews. Firmware has been updated to improve SD upscaling to make the PS3 one of the best SD DVD players available.

Further reading:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/autumn_2007_video_shootout/

I also have a 34XBR970 (surely a cousin to yours) and I doubt I'd see whatever improvement the 983 would give me. The 980 is just what I wanted, right out of the box - my daughter even commented on the improvement - but I'd wager we'd have a hard time telling your 971 from my 980 on these big, forgiving CRTs.

Simply put, the Sony HD CRTs are poor test instruments because they can't resolve the incredible level of detail of a fixed-pixel display. That's also why the picture looks so incredibly good!

My current duo of the Sony 40XBR800 and the Oppo 981 deliver fantastic results with NTSC discs, but I'm really looking forward to the 983's improved PAL->NTSC conversion...

Say, how many unit will Oppo need to sell- to recover RD& MFG costs on this player and keep them going? To maintain an office , personal & CS-here in California is pretty high $$$${ though I'm sure most of the programing is done somewhere else} AVS members might pay $$$ for a player, howevr the general public will only pay $. for a DVD/CD thats not Blue Ray or HD. Because this threat is now 33 pages long and 100K+ views.

Those are old reviews. Firmware has been updated to improve SD upscaling to make the PS3 one of the best SD DVD players available.

Further reading:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/autumn_2007_video_shootout/


Is it just me...because I can not see where they tested any Oppo at all on the link provided...While the PS3 did do good...how many s/s test have been done with the Oppo's VS the PS3 ?...Even then...as for as picture quality...won't that be subjective on a set by set basis due to the variances involved with different calibrations done to each? I've seen a PS3 hooked up to a 60" SXRD 1 and to tell ya the truth...it looked like crap...I'm real picky when it comes to viewing a good picture...UMR has gotten my whole family spoiled...since he worked his magic on my system and the sets I watch have to be calibrated right..for me to really appreciate them..

Mac

Is it just me...because I can not see where they tested any Oppo at all on the link provided...While the PS3 did do good...how many s/s test have been done with the Oppo's VS the PS3 ?...Even then...as for as picture quality...won't that be subjective on a set by set basis due to the variances involved with different calibrations done to each? I've seen a PS3 hooked up to a 60" SXRD 1 and to tell ya the truth...it looked like crap...I'm real picky when it comes to viewing a good picture...UMR has gotten my whole family spoiled...since he worked his magic on my system and the sets I watch have to be calibrated right..for me to really appreciate them..

Mac

What kind of argument is that? The guy was simply pointing out that the PS3 was doing a decent job at upscaling with the new firmware... and you get all over him about comparing PS3 with Oppo. Nonsense!

I have an ISF'd 60" SXRD (A3000) and I wasn't too impressed with the PS3 even after the firmware update. The SD DVD in the PS3 doesn't look very filmlike or natural. In all honesty, having tried a number of different players, only the Reon satisfies my taste. I'm hoping the ABT chipset in the 983 matches it because if it does there is no other player for the money that will offer that kind of quality for those who are "picky" like me.

I didn't post to argue...just pointing out the obvious that there wasn't an Oppo in the testing...and that each set is different...after all...he did state
Firmware has been updated to improve SD upscaling to make the PS3 one of the best SD DVD players available.
and from what I have seen personally...and what others have stated on this forum...the PS3 isn't really one of the best up converting players on all of various sets around...just very good...and IMHO...being very good...doesn't make it "one of the best"...Also...since this thread is about the Oppo's..not the PS3..I felt my post relevant to this discussion

Mac

I didn't post to argue...just pointing out the obvious that there wasn't an Oppo in the testing...and that each set is different...after all...he did state
and from what I have seen personally...and what others have stated on this forum...the PS3 isn't really one of the best up converting players on all of various sets around...just very good...and IMHO...being very good...doesn't make it "one of the best"...Also...since this thread is about the Oppo's..not the PS3..I felt my post relevant to this discussion

Mac

Good enough. Now, can we please have the Oppo 983? I just can't wait to see its final specs and how it compares to other DVD Players.

Here's an Oppo 983 question. How does the ABT chipset compare to the HQV Reon and Realta ones?

Here's an Oppo 983 question. How does the ABT chipset compare to the HQV Reon and Realta ones?

You might try the video processor forum.

-Bill

Good enough. Now, can we please have the Oppo 983? I just can't wait to see its final specs and how it compares to other DVD Players.

+2

Mac

Just about to order and I wanted to double check with y'all. For 4801 to an external video processor, 980 is the way to go? Sound quality and picture quality will be close to the 883 for half the price?

Dave

Yes, for 480i the DV-980H is the best solution.

Yes, for 480i the DV-980H is the best solution.As far as PQ how much better is the DV-983H over the DV-980H? I haven't seen this discussed adequately, just the audio aspects.

For the future I would hope that Oppo would incorporate the improvements that the 983H has combined with a Blu-Ray player. That would be hot!

an email response from Oppo - in regards to my 720P Panasonic FP -

The DV-983H will give the best performance. However, it is unlikely that the performance gain will be worth the difference in price for your 720p native projector

I didn't post to argue...just pointing out the obvious that there wasn't an Oppo in the testing...and that each set is different...after all...he did state
and from what I have seen personally...and what others have stated on this forum...the PS3 isn't really one of the best up converting players on all of various sets around...just very good...and IMHO...being very good...doesn't make it "one of the best"...Also...since this thread is about the Oppo's..not the PS3..I felt my post relevant to this discussion

Mac


I too can appreciate that each set is different, but it has little effect on upscaling/deinterlacing performance from an Oppo or PS3. But we may have to disagree with that.

I pointed out that link in defense of the PS3 simply because a 40GB PS3 is within $50 (or the same price?) as the upcoming 983H. I don't have to point out it does blu-ray and a host of other things. Having owned some of the top SD DVD players made (XP50, Denon3910, Elite 59avi, etc) I can confidently say the PS3 is in the same league from a picture and deinterlacing performance. So, yes, I consider it "one of the best". Certainly the best SD player that "average Joe" can walk into Best Buy and purchase to watch his/her hundreds of legacy SD DVDs on.

I look forward to getting a 983H to replace my Denon 3910.