Which is best? PS3 or XA2 or OPPO 983H?

[FoSheezy]

I wanted to get some opinions about which of the above three players is the best for upconversion of SD material.

Again, the options are:

Sony PS3
Toshiba XA2
Oppo 983H

Cost is not a factor, I dont need to know about the economic benefits of the PS3 and capability of playing blurays, ect.

I simply want to know which machine will provide the better picture for standard DVDs.

My display is a Panasonic AE2000 1080p Projector on a 92" screen.

Lets hear it!!

[svphile]

Best PQ of these three is the oppo. Done deal.

[FoSheezy]

Does everyone else agree with this?
Is that why there are no other responses?

[zrdb]

After going through 2 Samjunk BD-P1200's and 1 BD-UP5000 (which have the same Reon HQV chip that the HD-XA2 has) the Oppo 983 is by far the better player for standard dvds (are there any other kind?) and it doesn't have the annoying quirks that the Samjunks do.

[dog_or_man]

People in this forum really like Oppo but I just had a really disappointing experience with them, myself, using a DV-980H. There were several problems including break-point insertion that either happened or didn't with no rhyme or reason, and a lot of audio playback issues, but the biggest problem by a country mile was that the Oppo wouldn't play my personal backups. Either they didn't spin-up at all, or the player delivered about one in every twelve frames to the screen, making the whole thing look like clay-mation. There's a closed thread about the problems I was having -- but since it's closed you'll have to come to your own decisions about whether the whole problem was that I hadn't read the owner's manual.

I can't comment on your other options but I am absolutely thrilled with my Marantz DV-7001.

[lordcloud]

I have a Samsung BD P1200, and the picture quality on DVD's is phenomenal. However, from what I've read, and I have little to reason to doubt it, the Oppo is the superior player for DVD. I would take the PS3 out of the equation if you want the best possible DVD playback. I would say the Samsung, XA2, Oppo, or the holy grail, which is a SDI modded player into a really good Video Processor are what you should be focusing on. With the last two being the best from what I've read.

[Huey]

Oppo 983HD is best for upconverting SD-DVD of those mentioned. I own PS3, HD-A30, Phillips 5990 and 5982, Bravo D1, and numerous other SD upconverting players. I'm just too cheap to buy Oppo 983HD just for best SD-DVD upconverting.

Oppo 983HD uses Mediatek for MPEG decoder for fast layer changes and compatibility and Anchor Bay for scaling/deinterlacing: best of both worlds. Its analog audio is also top notched. It also is universal of many formats (DivX, USB drive, etc.) and can be hacked to be region free. If money is not an issue, splurge on Oppo 983HD. You won't regret it especially with excellent customer service. You will have to get in line though as waiting list is loooong.

[FoSheezy]

I had the Toshiba A35 and I felt the XA2 was superior. Is the Oppo chipset the same Anchor Bay chipset the A35 had/has?
I guess I am wondering if I should get a 983 to replace my XA2 or if I should just keep the XA2.
Load times, ect. is not a problem.
Again, this is only comparing the SD upconversion quality.

[dog_or_man]

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason why Marantz didn't make your list? I know the last thing you need right now is to have the list get longer instead of shorter, but -- holy poo, dood. I mean it: Holy friggin' poo.

[FoSheezy]

I actually love Marantz.
My AVR is the SR7002.
What chipset do the Marantz DVD players use?

[Concord]

Originally Posted by FoSheezy

I had the Toshiba A35 and I felt the XA2 was superior. Is the Oppo chipset the same Anchor Bay chipset the A35 had/has?
I guess I am wondering if I should get a 983 to replace my XA2 or if I should just keep the XA2.
Load times, ect. is not a problem.
Again, this is only comparing the SD upconversion quality.

No, Toshiba A35 and XA2 use Reon chipset. Only Toshiba A30 uses the ABT 1018 for upconverting like OPPO 983 does; however OPPO 983 also uses ABT102 for deinterlacing. This is why OPPO 983 does excellent deinterlacing job.

I don't know why Toshiba used Reon not the Realta chipset, Realta chipset is considered as higher end chipset than Reon based on Silicon Optix.

[FoSheezy]

Im pretty sure the A35 does not have the Reon. Its one of the ABTs.

[dog_or_man]

What chipset do the Marantz DVD players use

I haven't the foggiest idea. Shall I endeavor to find out for you? You probably know how to research that, better than I do.

[Blacklac]

A20, A30, and A35 use the same chips. ABT1018. Same as the Oppo, except the Oppo has a seperate Deinterlacing chip.

http://www.film-talk.com/forums/inde...ded&pid=432057

My Oppo 983 is noticeably better than my A35, on a relatively small screen. 50". It was well worth the $$, IMO.

[btiltman]

Originally Posted by FoSheezy

I actually love Marantz.
My AVR is the SR7002.
What chipset do the Marantz DVD players use?

The 7001 player still uses the Faroudja DCDi chip.

[dog_or_man]

That'll mean something to some folks, surely. Especially the word "still."

Thing is, it spins-up personal backups, inserts breakpoints without a firmware upgrade, looks better, sounds better, and is far more ruggedly constructed than the Oppo.

[FoSheezy]

I had the Denon 2910 (comparably priced to the Marantz-at the time of release. Not now of course) that used the Faroudja and it looked really good but my XA2 was noticeably better. Thats what I am using right now.

Thanks for chiming in everyone, but I have yet to hear about the direct comparison between the XA2 and the 983H.

I can read reviews and assume results from different models and manufacturers that use similar chipsets, but I was hoping to hear from someone that has dealt with both the XA2 and the 983H.

Does anyone have both units, or have experience comparing the two?

[Blacklac]

There are plenty of responses in the 983 thread. The Oppo seems to get the nod over the XA2.

[Stimby]

Review comparing Oppo and the PS3

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=67760

[kriktsemaj99]

Originally Posted by Stimby

Review comparing Oppo and the PS3

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=67760

The problem is that the PS3 is a moving target, and the DVD upconversion algorithm changes every few firmware revisions. When upconversion was first added I thought it was very good, then it took a turn for the worse in firmware 2.2, and first reports say it has been improved in 2.4.

It would be good to see some PS3 vs Oppo 983 comparison shots with firmware 2.4, if it is indeed improved.

[Blacklac]

Really? I thought 2.4 was only gaming updates?

Seems everyone says everything upconverts better after a firmware update...

[kriktsemaj99]

Originally Posted by Blacklac

Really? I thought 2.4 was only gaming updates?

Seems everyone says everything upconverts better after a firmware update...

I think there was divided opinion after the 2.2 update (e.g. here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1013480&page=4). I wasn't the only person who thought that some fine detail had been lost.

With 2.4 being pulled we'll have to wait a bit longer to see, but at least one report claimed an improvement (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...php?p=14203977).