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DVD Players Oppo Digital DV-983H DVD Player - The Rest of the Story
DVD Players Oppo Digital DV-983H DVD Player - The Rest of the Story
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Oppo Digital DV-983H DVD Player - The Rest of the Story A Secrets DVD Player Review |
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| Written by John E. Johnson, Jr. | ||||
| Thursday, 06 March 2008 | ||||
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On the Bench THD+N measurements were within an 80 kHz bandwidth. Sine waves were generated at -5dB and burned to CD (16/44.1) or DVD-A (24/192) for playback on the Oppo. At 1 kHz, using a 16/44.1 sampled 1 kHz sine wave, THD+N was 0.08%.
Using a 24/192 1 kHz sine wave, distortion dropped to 0.008%. So, at the high res rate of a DVD-A, THD+N is only 10% of what it is at 16/44.1 redbook sampling. That is a pretty clear indication that DVD-A is worth having in our recordings.
At 10 kHz, distortion was at 0.5%, using 16/44.1 sampling.
While at 24/192, a 10 kHz sine wave resulted in 0.013% THD+N. Again, it is much lower with the higher sampling rate.
For IMD, the results were a little different. At 1 kHz, 16/44.1 sampling, IMD was 0.014%.
And with 24/192 sampling, it was less, but insignificantly so.
For frequency response, at 16/44.1 sampling, the response was down 0.2 dB at 20 kHz.
While at 24/192 sampling, the response was down 0.1 dB at 20 kHz. Both results (16/44.1 and 24/192) are good.
The player is due to be released on March 10, 2008 (next week). If you would like to see what the instruction manual looks like, you can download a PDF here. Conclusions While it is likely we will all be using HDMI from our DVD players to send both audio and video to our SSPs or receivers in the near future, measurement of the analog performance of players is still an indicator of build quality, and the Oppo DV-983H is excellent in this regard. Comments (52)
 Comparison of audio quality to 980H ?
written by Zed , March 07, 2008 You guiys do a great job with reviews but sorry to say that I find this particular one a bit lacking in information. How about comparing audio quality to the 980H for example ? the last review on the 980H went into detail comparing it to a n expensive DAC etc - Something along those lines would be very useful in judging the audio performance. ...
written by JEJ , March 07, 2008 The analog audio output stages on the 983 are the same as the 980, but I generally try to evaluate the sound of a product on its own anyway, because if I compared it to, say, the 980 (and this case, it would sound the same), it would have meaning to only a very small fraction of our audience, namely those who have a 980. I would have to compare the analog sound of the 983 to maybe 50 players out there to have the comparison mean anything to most of the readership. ...
written by JEJ , March 07, 2008 I stand corrected on the 983 vs. the 980. Jason Liao, Vice President of Product Development at Oppo Digital, sent me an e-mail stating the following differences between the two: The analog output stage of the 983H is based on the same design as the 980H, but receives some further optimization: 1.Isolated power regulators and larger capacitors are used for each portion of the analog audio path: the digital portion of the DAC, the analog portion of the DAC, and the op-amps. 2.The power supply voltage for the op-amps is raised to 12V and -12V from the 980H’s 9V and -9V. This helps with the dynamic range. 3.The front L/R channels receive special treatment with better audio coupling capacitors and power de-coupling capacitors. 4.The switching power supply is electro-magnetically shielded. One party out there has said the sound was better with the 983 and one has said any improvement was not very significant. I didn't compare the two side-by-side because of the reasons stated in my post. But, there you have it for the 983 vs. 980 from other people. Frankly, it is only a matter of a short time before we all are using our DVD players only as transports for movies and music, and the analog audio output jacks will be unused. Question about video capabilities
written by John W. Roach , March 07, 2008 Other Oppo players can upconvert 480i/p to other resolutions. Does this player have an upconversion capability? If so, does it upconvert to 1080p or 1080i? (Also, of course, how about 720p?) Perhaps this was covered in the earlier review and I simply missed it. ...
written by JEJ , March 07, 2008 Yes, it can upconvert to 1080p. Click on the link in the sentence above the Conclusions to download a PDF of the instruction manual, which describes all the capabilities of the 983. Upconverting is described on page 21 of the manual. I disagree about analog audio outputs
written by Bill , March 08, 2008 I, for one, won't be using an A/V processor in the future, so analog audio outputs will be necessary for me. I know several people like me, who are using high quality two-channel audio systems with their video. Just wanted to add this information, as you said in a "short time" we would "all..using our DVD players only as transports", and that "analog...jacks will be unused." Transports
written by Jason J. , March 08, 2008 I have found that even when serving as "just" a transport, players can sound very different. I have compared a Sony DVD/SACD player as a transport versus a high-end CD transport and found there was a noticeable difference between the two. The difference was there even when using the same digital cable and DAC. I would love to see a comparison between an Oppo player used as a transport versus a $1000 price point CD player used as a transport. To me, that's a comparison that's sorely lacking from most DVD player reviews. Honestly, I never would've thought of it if I hadn't heard the difference myself. Thanks and keep up the great reviews. ...
written by JEJ , March 08, 2008 Yes, I understand that there are exceptions, and in fact, I have a two-channel system with a CD player, two-channel preamp, two-channel power amp, and speakers where there is no choice but to use the analog outputs of the player to the preamp, because the preamp does not have an on-board DAC. But, it is a $2,000 fully balanced CD player that has top of the line DACs, two per channel. Those DACs are about $30 each, so x 4 is $120 cost to the CD player manufacturer. Multiply that x 4 to get to the showroom MSRP and you already have $480 just for the DACs in the player. It all depends on the player and the SSP or receiver quality as to deciding whether to go analog out or digital out from the player. If it is an inexpensive player, I guarantee you the DACs in there are not those $30 versions. If your SSP or receiver is a really good one, it is entirely possible that the DACs on the front two channels are very high quality. So, I simply suggest trying it both ways and then decide. No speakers?
written by FP in SA,Tx , March 09, 2008 I am not as informed as alot of you in this thread but I haven't seen anything about speakers,amps,pre amp,power conditioners. I don't mean to be a jerk but what a person hears is like finger prints .Every one is different.What sounds good to me may lack a little to somebody else.Yes you can put a computer graph showing all sort of limits or distortion values ,but our ears are not electronics.Just becuase the graft shows something doesn't mean the human ear can tell the difference(esp. if we are talking about dvd players that are in the high hundreds in cost) I guess I am comparing this to ,say buying a matress the Sterns may be top of the line & have down filling and feel super to me but to the next it may not be soft enough or maybe too soft. I prob have a junk system compared to you.(Pioneer elite dvd , Denon reciever, def tech speakers) I think it sounds great, . Now with out getting to mean ,SET ME straight. I guess if it was that simple we would all just have the same systems & speakers & players.then no debates. Thank you for allowing me to ramble on. dv-58av
written by Stephen , March 10, 2008 Ok, now that you have spent all this time on the Oppo how about reviewing the Pioneer. I want a player with a good analog output section, real HDMI 1.2 support (not DSD to LPCM) and good enough video (if it is close to the Oppo that is fine with me). The player with the $6.50 DACs (3 of them count em!) versus the $1.98 DAC in the Oppo. I was dismayed by the no DSD output limitation of the 983. DVD-A?
written by S. Chiz , March 10, 2008 So, does this player have the same multichannel analog bass management issue with DVD-A tracks 96kHz and higher that the 980 had? ...
written by JEJ , March 10, 2008 Jason Liao called me this afternoon to say that the Oppo DV-983H was released for sale today, and has already sold out of the first shipment. So, you will have to be patient. Oppo 983
written by Tom , March 10, 2008 I wish this DVD player was out 2 years ago. Not sure if it was a wise move for oppo to make a $400 standard def DVD player, especially right now. I think most people will be purchasing it for its audio capablilities, which limits its customer base even further. I wouldnt be suprised if oppo reduces the price of this player later this year because of lack of sales. I think most people and myself will be focusing there money in blu-ray/hd-dvd instead of standard def. At this point, i would never buy another standard def player. ...
written by JEJ , March 11, 2008 Remember now, we all wanted Oppo to put the best quality video chips in their next player so it would not have any issues with disc encoding errors. They did that, and the chips are more expensive, so the price of the player has to go up too. We can't have it both ways. Better quality costs more. That's the way it is. more cost
written by Kieran , March 11, 2008 Does it cost *that* much more though? This player is nearly 2x the cost of the next one in the lineup. As good as their other players have been, and as inexpensive as the other players have been, it seems like this player is a non-sequitur for Oppo. Furthermore, it doesn't leave them much room to stay in their niche market (amazing players at amazing prices) AND add in Blu-Ray capability. Yes, compared to several years ago, this is an amazing player at an amazing price. But the conventional wisdom for a SD player these days puts the expected cost at around $100. Roll back a several years and the expected cost for a mid-range SD player was $300. At 4x the expected cost of a mid-range player, this Oppo is equivalent to a player costing a grand or so, several years ago. Granted, it's performance is worth of such a status. BUT, Oppo made it's name by giving us players that cost the same as (or very close to) the "expected" price of mid-range players, but with reference quality playback. This player and it's price totally buck that trend. The player may be worth it, but I think I and others are just surprised that Oppo has gone this direction (premium price for an SD player). ...
written by Stephen , March 11, 2008 But higher cost doesn't necessarily equate with better performance either. Just look at all the esoteric nonsense that gets sold and the tweakers who actually make equipment measurably worse. The audio looks very mediocre, the video is great but not enough for me on its own. A bargain
written by Brian , March 12, 2008 "...the expected cost at around $100." For a peice of junk DVD player, sure. Considering that 983H's deinterlacing and scaling solution in outboard format costs, litterally, four figures, $399 is in my view a steal. Regadless, I dont think Oppo has gone "in a direction". They have not repalced their other players. This one just expands the line up. I cant WAIT to see what they do for Blu-Ray! As far as I'm concerned, even if they dont undercut everyone else on price, but it actually WORKS, it would still be a bargain. Analog Bass Management Issue or Not?
written by S. Chiz , March 13, 2008 So, does this player have the same multichannel analog bass management issue with DVD-A tracks 96kHz and higher that the 980 had? To J.E.J.
written by Rasto , March 14, 2008 Hi John, I have two questions for you: 1) Which DAC costs 30 bucks? (I am not aware of any costing more than 5). 2) Where are the audio jitter measurements? (These are very important for considering audio playback quality. If you look at Stereophile's website you'll find out that Oppo has/had a hard time with timing. Audio jitter explains the possible difference heard between two transports, mentioned by Jason J. elsewhere in this discussion). Best Rasto, Bratislava ...
written by JEJ , March 14, 2008 As to DAC prices, here is one example of a popular DAC made by Burr-Brown, called the PCM1792. It's a 24/192 DAC, and it costs about $12 to $16 each, depending on how many are purchased at one time. (http://search.digikey.com/scri...ds=PCM1792) As to jitter, it is one thing that contributes to distortion. I show the final result, which is the harmonic distortion spectrum at the output. This is the sum of all distortion produced in the signal path. If there is a jitter problem in the transport, the data can be reclocked subsequently, but that is a different component outside of the player that is reviewed here. I Guess My Posts Are Going to Be Ignored
written by S. Chiz , March 14, 2008 The title says it all. The truth is in-between
written by Rasto , March 14, 2008 Well, Burr-Brown is a brand of Texas Instruments. ;) Anyway, I apologize, I was wrong with the price - partly. Here are some Analog Devices' prices: http://www.analog.com/en/subCat/0,2879,761%5F796%5F0%5F%5F0%5F,00.html They seem to be a lot cheaper, despite AD is a popular producer of video DACs. TI/Burr-Brown is obviously overpriced (but still far from 30$ ;) while its' prices are similar to professional Asahi Kasei ADCs, which is, in my opinion, a different league. The situation probably compares to cables - overpriced high-capacitance and some even unshielded craps like K*mber, A*Quest etc. cost multiple prices of the professional, standards setting B*den, C*nare or so. Well, high-end is marketing. People love to be deluded. Although, I am not saying here that BB is a crap, the DACs are very good, maybe nearly perfect. To the jitter. Yes, it may also imply common audio distortions, but anyway I would really like to see its' spectrum and time error (the famous picoseconds, if not nanoseconds) measurements. Very interesting article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitter Best Rasto ...
written by JEJ , March 14, 2008 I can measure jitter of course, but I am trying to keep the number of graphs from becoming overwhelming. I have already reduced them by about half from what I used to do, and I am adding two more in the next DVD player review, for things we have not seen in player reviews in the past. We will end up with page after page of graphs if I am not judicious in choosing which ones to show. ...
written by JEJ , March 14, 2008 S. Chiz says: So, does this player have the same multichannel analog bass management issue with DVD-A tracks 96kHz and higher that the 980 had? (S. Chiz) What problem exactly are you referring to? I will check it out on the 983 that I have here. ...
written by S. Chiz , March 14, 2008 S. Chiz says: So, does this player have the same multichannel analog bass management issue with DVD-A tracks 96kHz and higher that the 980 had? (S. Chiz) JEJ says: What problem exactly are you referring to? I will check it out on the 983 that I have here. Pretty self explanatory. The 980 does not bass manage DVD-A tracks that are 96kHz and higher. In other words, with DVD-A tracks that are 96kHz or higher, if you have set all the speakers to SMALL within the player, the bass below the player's crossover is not properly rerouted by the player to the subwoofer, as it should be. The tracks are instead reproduced as if the speaker sizes are simply set to LARGE, with no bass management, and only the specifically-authored LFE channel (if present) being sent to the subwoofer in the case of multichannel tracks. This issue occurs with multichannel tracks and 2-channel DVD-A tracks which are 96kHz or higher. This behavior can be easily demonstrated by using the 2.0 tracks of a DVD-A disc, provided they are 96kHz or higher (many, but not all, 2.0 DVD-A tracks are at least 96kHz). With the speakers set to SMALL, bass from the L/R channels below the player's crossover should be rerouted to the subwoofer. If it is not, the player is not bass managing the DVD-A's 2.0 tracks properly and is probably reproducing them, like the 980, as if the speaker sizes are simply set to LARGE. For multichannel bass management, the issue is not so apparent, as there is a specifically-authored LFE track present in the subwoofer that confuses things. But with many discs, and a good ear, if the speakers' output can extend well below the player's crossover, the lack of bass management in the main channels can be confirmed simply by turning off the subwoofer. Provided the tracks are 96kHz, the issue can be more easily demonstrated with a 5.0 (or 4.0) DVD-A that has no specifically-authored LFE track. Again, with the speakers set to SMALL, the bass from all 5 (or 4) channels that is below the player's crossover should be rerouted to the subwoofer. If it is not, then the player is not bass managing these tracks properly, either. The only 5.0 disc with 96kHz tracks that I own is David Crosby's "If I could only Remember My Name". There are others, though, particularly certain classical discs. The 980 did not have the ability to display the exact mix and sampling rate on-screen so it is important that you can confirm this somehow. If the 983 provides it, the on-screen display will indicate 5.0 discs as "3/2" as opposed to 5.1 discs which are displayed as "3/2.1". For 2.0 tracks, all that is important is that you confirm the tracks are 96kHz or higher. Many discs are appropriately labeled as such. The 983 may provide an on-screen display of this information, too. This issue was not present with the 980 with DVD-A tracks that were less than 96kHz. There was also no bass management issue with the 980 with SACDs, redbook CDs, or DVD-Vs (DD or DTS). Confused
written by S.A.B. , March 15, 2008 I have An Oppo DV-981-HD in a home theater using a Toshiba 46in. rear projection and the results are stunning. I was about to purchase an Arcam or Cambridge Cd player around the $1200.00 price point to replace an older Arcam player in my 2 channel rig in a separate room. I am slowly turning the two channel rig into a slightly higher end multi-channel rig with a just purchased JVC front projector and Da-lite screen with existing Quad Electronics, Linn Table, Kef Speakers, no SSP yet ( maybe Emotiva ), to watch my collection of music DVD's. I have no interest in buying an H.D. Player ( Blu-Ray for now I guess ) at this time. Now finally to my point. Would the new Oppo player reviewed here have the audio performance using the two channel analog output to compete with the already mentioned players I am considering. I have been an avid reader on this site for some time and I just find the text to be a little thin regarding this new Oppo player considering the Buzz it has created. SD-DVD Compared to REON?
written by DKDiveDude , March 17, 2008 John you say that "I have not seen SD DVD look any better than this". Have you seen the SD-DVD output from a REON HD-DVD or Blue-ray player, such as the Toshiba XA-2? And if so is the Oppo 983 better, same or worse? Re: BMgmt Issue?
written by ender21 , March 17, 2008 S. Chiz, merely asking if the 983 has the 980's Bass Management issue isn't self-explanatory as that could mean many things. However, your follow-up describing it was *very* explanatory! Thanks for the in depth details. I'll be interested in JEJ's response as I own a 980 as well. However, since I'm connected to my pre/pro via HDMI, I imagine I don't have the issue. Nonetheless it would be educational to know more about this. ...
written by S. Chiz , March 17, 2008 ender21 said: However, since I'm connected to my pre/pro via HDMI, I imagine I don't have the issue.(ender21) Yes, sorry if I was not clear. The bass management issue only affects the 980's (and perhaps other OPPO player's) analog outputs. ...
written by JEJ , March 18, 2008 I have the Toshiba HD-A1 rather than the XA-A2, but what I am referring to is the fact that with the Oppo 983, I no longer see any glitches, such as combing. Overall, I don't see any difference between the two players, because most of the time, the DVDs don't have encoding errors. ...
written by JEJ , March 18, 2008 I don't have the Arcam or Cambridge CD players here to compare them with the Oppo, but I suspect the Arcam and Cambridge would have better analog audio output (less THD) depending on their DACs and output circuitry. Oppo has taken the approach that most users are probably going to connect the HDMI output from the player to their receivers and let the receiver do the decoding for everything (movies, surround sound music, two-channel music). For myself, I listen to music mostly as two-channel stereo, including SACD, and therefore, I use a high-end player that has very high quality DACs and output stages with balanced XLR connections. They feed a pure Class A triode tube two-channel preamplifier. ...
written by JEJ , March 18, 2008 Here is Oppo's response to the question about the bass management: Both the DV-980H and DV-983H have the same shortcoming of not being able to do bass management for DVD-A tracks with 96kHz and higher sample rates. The players can do bass management for all other contents, such as CD, SACD (converted to 88.2kHz PCM in order to apply bass management), DVD-A with less than 96kHz sample rate, Dolby and DTS tracks. However, the digital signal processor is not powerful enough to redirect bass accurately if the sample rate is 96kHz or higher. Many DVD-A discs on the market have a dedicated LFE channel, and there is no problem passing bass for these discs. Only DVD-A discs encoded as X.0 channel (no LFE) are affected. For users who care about X.0 encoded DVD-A, there is another item worth mentioning – Some Chesky DVD-A discs are so called “2/4/6” disc. The 6-channel surround uses the LFE channel as a full-band surround channel. The DV-980H and DV-983H’s LFE channel is not full-band, so it cannot support the 6-channel usage of these type of 2/4/6 discs. The 2-channel stereo and 4-channel surround tracks of such discs have no problems. Best regards, Jason Liao OPPO Digital, Inc. 2629 Terminal Blvd. Suite B Mountain View, CA 94043 ...
written by S. Chiz , March 18, 2008 Jason Liao said: Many DVD-A discs on the market have a dedicated LFE channel, and there is no problem passing bass for these discs. Only DVD-A discs encoded as X.0 channel (no LFE) are affected.(Jason Liao) This is just not true. Whether there is subwoofer output or not is not the question. Obviously a disc with a specifically-authored LFE track will have subwoofer output (provided a subwoofer is being used and is connected conventionally). But the correct passage of the LFE track to the subwoofer is NOT bass management. The issue here is that NO bass-managed BASS (not the LFE channel) is redirected to the subwoofer from any speaker channels that are set to SMALL when 96kHz or higher DVD-A tracks are encountered. Instead, the tracks are simply treated as if the speaker channels are set to LARGE. Yes, it is true that this lack of bass management is MOST apparent with X.0 discs, since there is no specifically-authored LFE channel and the complete absence of ANY subwoofer output is, then, most apparent. But the issue is still most definitely there with x.1 DVD-As with 96kHz and higher tracks. A non-bass-managed, full-range signal is sent to any channels set to SMALL and NO redirected bass is sent to the subwoofer at all; only the LFE channel, alone. And the issue is also very apparent when listening to the 2.0 tracks of any DVD-A whose 2.0 tracks are 96 kHz and higher. There is NO subwoofer output at all in this case when the front channels are set to SMALL, and instead a full-range signal is sent to the front speakers, alone. This lack of bass management with all DVD-A tracks that are 96kHz and higher is no small (pardon the pun) issue, BTW. A very large majority of DVD-A discs feature 96kHz multichannel tracks and 96kHz or higher 2-channel tracks. The SMALL setting is used for certain speaker channels to not only provide better reproduction of the bass encoded in those channels at the much more capable subwoofer, but to also reduce the low frequency load that truly SMALL speakers are asked to reproduce. In the case of these 96kHz and higher DVD-A tracks, the SMALL speakers are instead sent the same exact full-range signal that would be sent to those speaker channels were the speaker sizes set to LARGE. RE: SD-DVD Compared to REON?
written by DKDiveDude , March 19, 2008 Still would like to know if the Oppo 983 visually handles SD-DVD's better than the Toshiba XA-2 HD-DVD player HDMI audio / Analog audio output bypass each other OR are they both on?
written by MESSHEAD , March 22, 2008 Does the analog audio outputs cut out if the HDMI cable is plugged in? I have a computer monitor with speakers. The 983 I will plug directly into the monitor to obtain audio and visual from the HDMI, but I want to use the rest of the analog outputs for surround sound. Will all outputs be available for use at the same time. Upscaling comparison
written by Demon3 , March 23, 2008 I second that. I have an XA-2 and a DV-981HD and would like to know if the DV-983H is better at upscaling than the former. Also, can someone please squeeze a timeline out of OPPO for their Blu-Ray player? RE: Confused: Oppo replacing stand alone CD...
written by AA in CA , March 24, 2008 S.A.B. wrote: "Now finally to my point. Would the new Oppo player reviewed here have the audio performance using the two channel analog output to compete with the already mentioned players I am considering." In my experience my Oppo 981H doesn't come close to the analog CD output of my Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD player (MSRP $2,000 circa 2002). I spent half a day A/B'ing the two and the difference was obvious. If you are looking for audiophile redbook playback look elsewhere. Good deals can be had on the MF A3.2CD now (~$700) a stereophile Class A component. ...
written by JEJ , March 25, 2008 The analog audio output (RCA coax jacks) performance of a top CD player will be better than the Oppo. The Oppo is really designed to send everything - audio and video in digital bitstream form - out through the HDMI port and let your receiver or SSP do the decoding. If you are focused on having analog out from a player to a stereo preamp that does not have a DAC, then you need to consider something like the Musical Fidelity mentioned above, or a Classe (which I use in my two channel setup). No more confusion
written by S.A.B. , March 26, 2008 Well you can always hope. I guess taking the cheap way out seldom works when it comes down to getting the quality of sound many of us come to expect. I kind of figured two players would be the only way to go. Like many people I will wait for the high def Oppo player and continue my search for a Cd player. As with my vehicles I keep my hifi stuff a long time and try to take my time picking it out. I really like the sound of the Musical Fidelity stuff and even had a used Trivista home for a few days. The price was good, maybe to good. On doing some research I came across some unsettling news about the company or supplier and did not want to take the leap. Would like to thank all for your input. Will ask for recommended players in another part of Secrets, as word of mouth is so much better than most sales people pushing a brand. Thanks DCDi
written by Thomas , March 28, 2008 The DV-981HD has the famous DCDi by Faoudja while the 983H not(correct me if i'm wrong). Is there any difference in picture quality between the two? sacd
written by peter , March 28, 2008 Will the Oppo 983 pay SACD through the HDMI cable, because I know that the SACD used analog out only and not digital? ...
written by S. Chiz , April 01, 2008 peter said: Will the Oppo 983 pay SACD through the HDMI cable, because I know that the SACD used analog out only and not digital? (peter) It has been possible to pass SACD via HDMI for a while, now. With HDMI 1.1 it could be passed as PCM. With HDMI 1.2 it can additionally be passed as DSD. And yes, the 983 allows passage of SACD as PCM. The 980 allows it to be passed as DSD. HDMI
written by peter , April 02, 2008 Which format would you say is better PCM (most common) or DSD? Why did they downgrade the transfer format from 1.2 for the 980 to 1.1 for the latest 983? HDMI 1.0: Single-cable digital audio/video connection with a maximum bitrate of 4.9 Gbit/s. Supports up to 165 Mpixel/s video (1080p60 Hz or UXGA) and 8-channel/192 kHz/24-bit audio HDMI 1.1: Added the support of DVD-Audio HDMI 1.2: Added the support for one bit audio, used on SACDs, up to eight channels. Availability of HDMI Type A connector for PC sources and the ability for PC sources to use native RGB colour space. HDMI 1.3: Added Increases single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbit/s) Optionally supports 30-bit, 36-bit, and 48-bit xvYCC, sRGB, or YCbCr with Deep Color up from 24-bit sRGB or YCbCr in previous HDMI versions. In terms of number of color combinations 24-bit allows for 16.7 million colors, 30-bit allows for 1 billion colors, 36-bit allows for 67 billion colors, and 48-bit allows for 281 trillion colors. Incorporates automatic audio syncing (Audio video sync) capability. Optionally supports output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams for external decoding by AV receivers.[9] TrueHD and DTS-HD are lossless audio codec formats used on Blu-ray Discs. If the disc player can decode these streams into uncompressed audio, then HDMI 1.3 is not necessary, as all versions of HDMI can transport uncompressed audio. Availability of a new Type C mini-connector for devices such as camcorders So, in order to play SACDs you though the HDMI port, you need HDMI 1.2 or above. HDMI 1.1 will won't play SACDs, but will play DVD-audio through HDMI. DSD via HDMI
written by Big C , April 03, 2008 I think it was in an earlier 983 review that claimed that because of the MediaTek solution, DSD via HDMI cannot be possible with the 983. However, if both models use the same chipset, that can't be so. Could it maybe be that the Anchor Bay will not pass a DSD signal? SACD via HDMI
written by Big C , April 04, 2008 I think the previous review of the 983 said that because of the MediaTak chipset, it was unable to pass DSD via HDMI. I thought the 980 used the same chipset. Could it maybe be that the Anchor Bay will not pass DSD? ...
written by peter , April 04, 2008 The 983 will play SACDs as it has v1.2 HDMI but without DSD so it will turn the signal to PCM so it can be passed through the HDMI. But the 980 has the option of PCM and DSD so the format on the SACD won't have to be turned into PCM format, but you will get slight quality loss from the 983 playing SACD, but only slight. ...
written by S. Chiz , April 04, 2008 peter said: So, in order to play SACDs you though the HDMI port, you need HDMI 1.2 or above. HDMI 1.1 will won't play SACDs, but will play DVD-audio through HDMI. (peter) No. SACD can be passed as unpackaged PCM via HDMI 1.1. HDMI v. analog multi-channel
written by David Y. , June 01, 2008 Hi there, First, this is a great website and I truly enjoy all the resources it has offered in the past years. Second, I own the 983H (fresh out of the box) and love it. Coupling the 983 with the JVD-RS2 via HDMI, and up converting the video to 1080P at the 983H, gave me the best video quality of SD DVDs I've ever seen. This has been a great relief for me in terms of no longer feeling compelled to replace my entire DVD collection with Blu-Ray. Second, I have a question that I would like to throw out to the forum regarding audio/video connections, and this question is independent of the 983. Assume you have the ability to 1) connect everything via HDMI (i.e., HDMI from DVD player to receiver (which is fully D/A capable), HDMI from receiver (assuming it supports 1080p switching) to the video monitor/projector, or 2) connect the DVD player directly to the monitor via HDMI and separately connecting the audio fromt the DVD player to the receiver/amplifier using mutli-channel analog audi0, which of the two options is better for purposes of both video and audio quality? I tried both type of connections using both my PS3 and the 983, and it seems to me that the first option results in more noise in the video image that requires me to lower the brightness level a bit to get better blacks (I have the Yamaha RXV-863 receiver). I can't really tell (by just listening) whether there is any major difference in sound. Thanks in advance! Another question
written by David Y. , June 05, 2008 I am considering using a 4X2 1.3 HDMI compliant matrix to route video from my PS3 and my Oppo 983H to my JVC HD-RS2 projector, and at the same time audio from the PS3/983H to my HDMI 1.3 compliant receiver (Yamaha RX-V863). I am comsidering this because I understand my receiver (as are many receivers) do not "pass thru" the full spectrum of the 1080P video signal. Speciically, the receivers clip signals below 16 or above 235 on the black level (this is apparently not an uncommon issue amongst many receivers out there). However, I hesitate to take this route if by doing so I may cause lip sync issues. Can anyone offer any feedback on this? Which offers the best picture quality?
written by Jens , July 24, 2008 The Oppo 983 or Dvico TVIX HD M650? :-) And how about PS3 with the latest firmware
written by Jens , July 24, 2008 I know that the PS3 was really bad at playing DVD's when it came out but recent firmware upgrades claim to have made it excellent. Is that pure marketing bs or is it true that the PS3 now is quite outstanding at playing SD DVD's and upscaling them? Best regards, Fine, now bring on the new Oppo BD!
written by 27ph , September 09, 2008 Go Oppo go Write comment
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