[DerelictDev]

Just recently i received my Samsung HL-R5688W and installed the cablecard. Picture is fantastic on HD (ESPN & PBS especially) but my dvd player is ****.

Right now im not even bothering hooking it up and just using my ps2 for the dvd player.

The quality is still "good" but doesnt compare to the HD channels.


Ive looked around this forum and see that most people lean on the OPPO but ive also heard the Samsung was pretty good.


The Samsung 950 is $180 shipped

the 850 is $130 shipped

and the OPPO @ $200 shipped.


First off, is it worth spending the extra 20 for the OPPO instead of the Sammy? Does the newest OPPO still have region free (hack).


And what other players would be recommended for

 

[BillP]

I would go with the 950 if you're interested in high res audio (SACD/DVD-A), the 850 if you're not. The reason I'm recommending it over the Oppo (which is actually a better player) is that some have reported macroblocking errors with the Sammy HLRs and Faroudja players like the Oppo. The Sony upscaling players are another option.

 

[DerelictDev]

Read up quite a bit more about MB and also read a couple posts linking Sammys to bad MB in Dvd's. On my ps2 the dvds ive watched were fine (fight club, dodgeball, ..)



So does anyone know if the OPPO will give me bad MD w/ my samsung?

 

[BillP]

The PS2 does not use the Faroudja chip, so that is not a valid indication. The Oppo will give MB on displays that are prone to MB since it does use the chip.

 

[Zith]

I have a Sammy 850, and I like everything about it except the fast forward/rewind functions. I would not buy this player again, it drives me that crazy. The scan functions are so bad that if you need to find something on a dvd you are better off just watching at normal speed until it comes up.


It produces a nice picture quality and is overall a good player, but that scanning just bugs me that much

 

[andy sullivan]

Just wondering how the Toshiba SD-6980 compares to these and other players?

 

[BillP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy sullivan Just wondering how the Toshiba SD-6980 compares to these and other players?

If you don't have MB problems with your display, the Faroudja players are generally better than the Zoran players (like the Tosh).

 

[pcwirelessAudio]

Why reiterate only MB problem? CUE and other issues are gone? =

 

[andy sullivan]

Is there a specific TV technology or manufacture that is prone to MB?

 

[BillP]

Panny plasmas seem to be particularly prone to it.

 

[kmango]

Ive had the samsung 845 (I am not sure if it is the same as the 850, they look the same on the outside but internals may be diff). I returned it because I thought it looked like crap. I messed around with settings but could not get a good pic from it. I bought an Oppo to give it a try and am totally happy with it especially in 1080i. I am pretty anal about pic quality and was going to go really high-end if the oppo wasn't all what people say it is, but it really is all that.


This is on a sony a10 rear projection.


I did have a sammy 5067 for a day paired up with a 850 and the picture looked pretty good until after the first 20 minutes when the HDMI crapped out. Not really enough time to play with it and check it out. But after having the Oppo i'd say it is safe to say that it is not a waste of 20 or so bucks over the samsung stuff.

 

[Cholerabob]

More and more people are getting off the Oppo bandwagon...Macroblocking on Plasmas is really horrible, audio synch problems, and now if you have a player with a silver remote (first ones on the market) u need to BUY a new reomte to get the latest firmeware to work..Lame. Needless to say i am not happy with the Oppos performances.

 

[dsl1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cholerabob More and more people are getting off the Oppo bandwagon...Macroblocking on Plasmas is really horrible, audio synch problems, and now if you have a player with a silver remote (first ones on the market) u need to BUY a new reomte to get the latest firmeware to work..Lame. Needless to say i am not happy with the Oppos performances.

You pay 5$ for shipping for a new remote. They also said a new version of the firmware would support the old remotes. Many companies don't even release firmware updates and no companies have had the dedication of Oppo in releasing them. The audio problems happen on a few select dvd titles. I've never seen it myself. Macroblocking will happen with any dvd player that has the Faroudja chip.



You could buy the Oppo and return it if the macroblocking is bad with your set. Or you could find another dvd player without Faroudja. The Samsung 850 would be a big stepup from the PS2 dvd player.

 

[DerelictDev]

I thought both the 850/950 also used the Faroudja chip. If so whats the point in getting the samsung rather than Oppo

 

[BillP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerelictDev I thought both the 850/950 also used the Faroudja chip. If so whats the point in getting the samsung rather than Oppo

No, they use a Zoran chip, not a Faroudja chip. The only Samsung players that used a Faroudja chip were the 931 and 941.

 

[asagarra]

do you know if any of these Sammys do output 576i over hdmi or dvi?