[ckhusker]

I bought the Samsung 860 today and didn't even open the box after reading multiple reviews. I've searched everything I know to search, and have narrowed myself to two choices: the OPPO 970 or the Sony NS75H. I am only using for standard DVDs via HDMI. My setup is to use it through a Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK and a BENQ PE7700 projector via a Gefen 2x2 HDMI switcher. I am using the optical port for sound. My biggest decision criteria is picture quality. I'm not too concerned about wait times, etc.


From what I've read, both have good picture quality. The OPPO appears to be more versatile but has a cheap "feel" to it, whereas the Sony is cheaper, is said to have great picture quality, and is locally available at BB. I'm leaning toward the Sony, but people seem to be gushing over the OPPO (and I hate the nagging feeling of thinking I might have had something better).


Has anyone seen these side by side, or know enough about them to suggest whether the OPPO picture quality is better than the Sony? If so, is it $70 better? I read that you can get a refurbished OPPO for about the same price as the Sony, so, to modify the question, is it better to such a degree that I should order online vs buying locally (I'm probably okay with the "cheap feel" issue)?


Would very much appreciate any and all opinions. This site seems full of helpful, knowledgeable people.

 

[RetRoe]

Well I am not an expert but I have thought about the same thing and here's what I've decided to do. I'm going with the sony and here's why. Both players seem to have their following of people who claim they're the best bang for the buck. I also know that both players have got good user reviews. So it comes down to 1. cost and 2. how easily attainable they are.


Cost: the oppo costs more than the sony. True, I could order a refurbished one and its about the same cost as a new sony, but refurbished isn't "new". If you want to compare cost you have to compare apples to apples and a new sony is less expensive than a new oppo.


Easily attainable: I have a BB and a CC both within 5 miles of my home. I can just stop on my way home from work and walk in and buy the sony. I can't just go buy an oppo, I have to order it online. And if there's something wrong with the sony (or if I just don't like it) I can return it. If after ordering the oppo and waiting for it to ship, when it finally does arrive if its been damaged or doesn't function properly (or if I dislike it because it appears to have a cheap "feel" to it) I have to ship it back and probably have to pay for shipping. Then I have to wait for the online retailer to issue me a credit. A lot of hassle if you ask me.


I've not read about any side-by-side comparisons but even so, my guess is that you would be hard pressed to tell the difference in PQ if both units were hooked up exactly the same way on identical TV sets playing the same DVD movie. And good luck finding such a review.


For the reasons I've stated above, to me the sony is a no-brainer.

 

[tonybradley]

I'd be interested in hearing what others say regarding this topic. I've read good things about both players. Like the OP, I'm just looking for an upconverting DVD Player to play DVDs. I honestly don't care about the other options. I just want the best picture and sound. If the SONY and OPPO are equivalent in the Audio and Video department, for me, it will come down to cost.

 

[TonyS]



Quote:
Originally Posted by RetRoe /forum/post/0


Well I am not an expert but I have thought about the same thing and here's what I've decided to do. I'm going with the sony and here's why. Both players seem to have their following of people who claim they're the best bang for the buck. I also know that both players have got good user reviews. So it comes down to 1. cost and 2. how easily attainable they are.


Cost: the oppo costs more than the sony. True, I could order a refurbished one and its about the same cost as a new sony, but refurbished isn't "new". If you want to compare cost you have to compare apples to apples and a new sony is less expensive than a new oppo.


Easily attainable: I have a BB and a CC both within 5 miles of my home. I can just stop on my way home from work and walk in and buy the sony. I can't just go buy an oppo, I have to order it online. And if there's something wrong with the sony (or if I just don't like it) I can return it. If after ordering the oppo and waiting for it to ship, when it finally does arrive if its been damaged or doesn't function properly (or if I dislike it because it appears to have a cheap "feel" to it) I have to ship it back and probably have to pay for shipping. Then I have to wait for the online retailer to issue me a credit. A lot of hassle if you ask me.


I've not read about any side-by-side comparisons but even so, my guess is that you would be hard pressed to tell the difference in PQ if both units were hooked up exactly the same way on identical TV sets playing the same DVD movie. And good luck finding such a review.


For the reasons I've stated above, to me the sony is a no-brainer.

I don't own either player but one can not simply say that the Oppo costs more than the Sony and that the Sony is more easily attainable and leave it at that.


As for cost, the Oppo also gives you more features and accessories than the Sony. The Oppo has DVD-Audio and SACD support (the Sony has neither), the Oppo offers a memory card reader and USB port on the front (again, the Sony has neither) and the Oppo includes a 6" HDMI-HDMI cable (the Sony doesn't). Last I checked all of these things cost money and considering how much more you get, the Oppo is a bargain at $149.


As for easily attainable, one does have to pay for shipping on the Oppo but depending on where you live, this could be equal to or less than the tax you would pay on the Sony. The Oppo gets delivered to your door. You have to drive and spend gas and time to get the Sony (both of which have some value). Oppo also offers a 30-day no questions asked return policy and will pay the return shipping cost! Yes, you do lose the initial shipping charge so edge to the Sony there.


As for buying a refurb, have you noticed that Oppo gives you the same 1-year parts and labor warranty on their refurb units that they do on the new units? A new Sony only comes with a 90-day labor/1-year parts warranty.


Finally, customer service. Have you noticed the support Oppo gives for their product?!? When's the last time you saw Sony put firmware upgrades on their website?!? Oh wait, Sony is part of a class action lawsuit for not providing firmware upgrades and then charging people for firmware upgrades when their units were out of the warranty period!


As for a PQ comparison, let's hope DavidHir chimes in here since I believe he owned the Sony as well as it's more expensive ES sibling and preferred the Oppo 970 to both of them.


I have almost bought an Oppo on several occassions. My biggest dilemma is trying to decide between the 970 and the 981. I also have a Zenith DVB318 (upconversion over component) that is running strong so I do not NEED to replace the player. Personally, I wish the whole BR/HD-DVD "war" would end so I could just get one of those...

 

[RetRoe]

Those are some excellent arguments, TonyS. Since you don't claim to own either the sonny or the oppo, I appreciate your unbiased point of view.


As far as cost goes, true the sony doesn't come with an HDMI cable, but if you already have several of them (like I do) , then to me that's a moot point. And I know from reading these forums that inexpensive cables can be had online at places like monoprice (yes I'm also an online shopper as well). And the added features you've mentioned of the oppo, such as DVD-Audio, SACD support, memory card reader and USB port are nice features, but are likely things that some users (myself included) will never use. Sometimes less is more (think simplicity).


So as long as I can play DVDs and they look good I'm happy. Others may indeed like all the bells and whistles of the oppo and may like to upgrade their firmware on a weekly basis. I just want to pop in a DVD and watch a movie. So for some people I would imagine the sony will suffice, at least until as you say the whole BR/HD-DVD "war is over.

 

[tonybradley]

RetRoe,


I'm with you on this. All those 'extra' features from the OPPO are nice, but I'm like you, I will not use them. I just want a good upconverting player that will make my DVD PQ look better than my current cheapo Denon DVD Player.


So, I think our question is this: If the Oppo 970 was NOT a universal player, did NOT have the USB port and did NOT have the card reader (strip it down to the SONY 75), which would be a better player (forget cost right now). Talking ONLY PQ between the two units for standard DVDs, will there be a true winner in the Picture Quality battle? If not, for me, the extra money for the OPPO isn't worth it as I wouldn't make use of all the special features included with it. However, if the OPPO 970 has a better PQ from Standard DVDs, I'd be willing to spend the extra money for the OPPO and take the extra features as a bonus.

 

[Davidt1]

I have the Oppo 970. I could have bought a Sony from CC or BB like any average Joe can, but that's too easy and predictable. Decided to go the ID route and bought from Oppo. It has good picture and sound quality. The features are really nice. Before buying it I thought just like an average Joe "oh no, that's too many features. I don't need the USB port, card reader, DVD-audio, or SACD. What I am going to do with them?"


I have used the USB port and card reader and find them very useful. I can download movie clips or pictures to a memory card or flash drive and just plug it in the 970 to view the contents. I usually leave the dvd in the tray and use either the USB port or card reader to play music. Very cool.


The 970 isn't perfect. I find the lack of display dimmer and auto-off very annoying. But I the features and sound and picture quality are excellent.


Oh, I should mention that since I own the Oppo 970, my opinion is biased. Besides, I hate Sony with passion.

 

[tonybradley]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Davidt1 /forum/post/0


I have the Oppo 970. I could have bought a Sony from CC or BB like any average Joe can, but that's too easy and predictable. Decided to go the ID route and bought from Oppo. It has good picture and sound quality. The features are realy nice. Before buying it I thought just like an average Joe "oh no, that's too many features. I don't need the USB port, card reader, DVD-audio, or SACD. What I am going to do with them?"


I have used the USB port and card reader and find them very useful. I can download movie clips or pictures to a memory card or flash drive and just plug it in the 970 to view the contents. I usually the dvd in the tray and use either the USB port or card reader to play music. Very cool.


The 970 isn't perfect. I find the lack of display dimmer and auto-off very annoying. But I the features and sound and picture quality are excellent.


Oh, I should mention that since I own the Oppo 970, my opion is biased. Besides, I hate Sony with passion.

Not sure this helps. I've read about both players, and those who own them say great things.


I'm not a normal joe in this respect. I have a nice little dedicated Home Theater, two rows of seating, and a projector. I will not have any need for those other features. I just like to watch movies. I want something better than my standard cheap DVD player until the Blu-ray/HD DVD format war is over. So, speaking only PQ and SQ, I'm curious if there is a true winner. I have a feeling this will not be answered as those with the SONY will say SONY and those have the OPPO will say the OPPO.

 

[rosh400]

I first bought the Sony due to convenience. Got it at Costco with their generous return policy and the Costco model comes with the HDMI cable included.. While the PQ is better than my older JVC combo DVD/VCR, it was not a night and day difference. I think if you did a blind taste test with 100 people, maybe 60 to 70 would pick the Sony. The audio is definitely better on the Sony and will be a factor in my final decision. Given this result, I then decided to buy an OPPO. The refurb model which is waiting for me at home cost $119 plus 12 for shipping. The Sony cost 129 plus 5 percent tax. I was shopping at Costo anyway so there was no extra time and gas. There will be if I have to return it.


Tomorrow I will hook up the Oppo, calibrate and test it with various DVDs and compare it to the Sony. I will then decide which one I keep and which goes back. Will let you know.

 

[tonybradley]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rosh400 /forum/post/0


I first bought the Sony due to convenience. Got it at Costco with their generous return policy and the Costco model comes with the HDMI cable included.. While the PQ is better than my older JVC combo DVD/VCR, it was not a night and day difference. I think if you did a blind taste test with 100 people, maybe 60 to 70 would pick the Sony. The audio is definitely better on the Sony and will be a factor in my final decision. Given this result, I then decided to buy an OPPO. The refurb model which is waiting for me at home cost $119 plus 12 for shipping. The Sony cost 129 plus 5 percent tax. I was shopping at Costo anyway so there was no extra time and gas. There will be if I have to return it.


Tomorrow I will hook up the Oppo, calibrate and test it with various DVDs and compare it to the Sony. I will then decide which one I keep and which goes back. Will let you know.

rosh400,


Perfect. Would appreciate any feedback you can give regarding the comparison of PQ and SQ between these two machines. Thanks.

 

[CT_Wiebe]

I own NS75H and my biggest complaint is the excessive edge sharpening (it's set to the minimum =1 and is not defeatable). The advantage of the Oppo is that it has more adjustment capabilities. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone with the Oppo 970 for about $35 more.


Since I already have the Sony (it outputs a very good picture and soiund otherwise - front PJ and flat panel LCD TV), I won't be replacing it with the Oppo. The NS75H is a very good, but very basic, upconverting DVD player.


BTW, the Sony does not have 5.1 channel audio outputs. For 5.1 channel audio, you have to use the digital (coax or optical) audio output.

 

[louthewiz]

Ok boys I am an oppo owner and ,my neighbor has the sony and when my oppo came in and we compaired the picture and audio quality the oppo was slightly ahead in both respects , as well as my old samsung hd-841 and what my buddy did was return the sony and ordered the oppo so with that said the oppo is clearly the winner.

 

[WaldorfSalad]



Quote:
Originally Posted by CT_Wiebe /forum/post/0


I own NS75H and my biggest complaint is the excessive edge sharpening (it's set to the minimum =1 and is not defeatable).

Are you referring to the Sharpness control? If so, you should be able to set it to Off. I can on my NC85.

 

[lmacmil]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhusker /forum/post/0


Would very much appreciate any and all opinions. This site seems full of helpful, knowledgeable people.

You know the old saying about opinions, right?

I have seen posts saying the Oppo is much better, slightly better and about the same as the Sony. Who do you believe? There's no way to know what you would think unless you see the two side by side.


Personally I'm in your camp; the Sony is probably good enough, is cheaper (I've seen it as low at $108 at both CC and BB), easily returnable and I have a Sony E2000 so having a DVD the brand as the TV is appealing to me.


OTOH, I have a perfectly functional Panny progressive player that is only 2 years old. I don't know that I'm going to see $108 worth of improvement. I would like to move from component to HDMI for the slight cable clutter reduction.


My better half says I've got high class worries.

 

[neemo6]

I just took back a sony 75h. The pq was my only concern in getting an upconvert player. While playing a movie in 1080i on the 75h and then watching a same scene of the movie on my ps2 in 480i there was no to very and I mean very little difference. Just ordered the Oppo 970 today, hope the pq is better than the Sony. Was dissapointed w/ the Sony player. This was on a dlp 1080p mitsu set.

 

[RetRoe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by neemo6 /forum/post/0


Just ordered the Oppo 970 today, hope the pq is better than the Sony. Was dissapointed w/ the Sony player. This was on a dlp 1080p mitsu set.

Well the proof is in the pudding and it sounds as though we'll have several members weighing in on the comparisons between these two machines. I just hope that they're unbiased reviews and come from various owners on different types of TVs. A dlp 1080p mitsu set would (i think) have a better scaler than what's inside the 75h, which may account for "no to very and I mean very little difference".


OTOH, I would find it hard to accept the sony if it makes very little difference in PQ compared to a ps2 in 480i, yet the oppos shows noticeable improvement. Please report back to let us know if the oppo makes more than "very little difference" in PQ when compared to your ps2.

 

[ckhusker]

I appreciate the input. I took back the HD860 and am waiting with much curiosity for rosh400's report.


So far, I am being swayed somewhat to go after the OPPO.


[Edit] While we're at it, if I'm going to get the OPPO, I may just go ahead and future-proof myself by looking at the 981. I've read about the macroblocking issue with the 971/981, though, and am wondering if any of you would recommend (assuming I'm going with an OPPO) the 970 vs the 981.


My current display devices are native 720, but I may get a 1080p in the near future. I am worried about the macroblocking issue, however.


Would appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

 

[digitalman42]

Hey I am in the same spot you are. I work at Circuit City im going to hookup the N75 here in the next day or two to a display to check it out. I did hook up a Denon DVD-757 and I can say it looked very good set at 1080i looked like crap at 480i. Im going to test out the Onkyo DVSP404 and the Sony N75 here in the next day or two. I think the Oppo is way overhyped though as far as the picture quality go's, were talking about DVD's here theres only so much that can be done with the picture quality. I'll let you know how the N75 compares to the others here soon. I cant compare it to the Oppo because ofcourse it's not sold in retail stores as far as I can see which to me is the reason I probably wont buy it.

It is very expensive for a DVD player, I can get find Openbox Sony N75's and Onkyo 404's at BB and at CC for about $75. I dont want to dump $150 in old dvd technology.

 

[ckhusker]

Well, my impatience got the best of me. I just ordered the OPPO 981 - overnight - Saturday delivery. The feedback I've seen and read about the macroblocking gave me a comfort level that it wouldn't be an issue.


I'll continue to follow this thread to see if there is anything that may change my mind. Fortunately, OPPO has a great return policy. Unfortunately, however, the money I spent on overnight-Saturday delivery is lost and gone forever.


They say a fool and his money are soon parted, and I'm 100% guilty as charged.

 

[Jay_Davis]

I hate to say this after you ordered the Oppo, but if you are so concerned with the quality of the player, I'm willing to bet that within a year you'll be buying a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player, so anything you buy now is just a short-term solution. Which means, given that there isn't a bit difference between the Sony and the Oppo, you should buy the cheaper one and put the extra money towards the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player.