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Oppo Digital DV-983H DVD Player A Secrets DVD Player Benchmark Review |
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| Written by Kris Deering | |
| Tuesday, 26 February 2008 | |
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Introduction The DV-983H from Oppo Digital represents a lot of firsts. It is the first flagship design from Oppo, it is the first DVD player on the market to use the ABT-102 chip from Anchor Bay Technology(DVDO), and it is the first player to ever score a perfect 100 in the Secrets DVD Benchmark™. Oppo has continually impressed us with their attention to detail and their ability to continue to push the envelope of price/performance with their DVD players and universal transports. The 983H is Oppo’s first “flagship” player, but it isn’t some huge beast of a player like you see from so many other manufacturers. It is only slightly larger than what we’ve seen before from Oppo. The build has a bit more robust feel than previous players and the front panel has a slightly more refined look to it. Specifications
The Design The inside is where the biggest changes occurred. Oppo researched several video processing solutions during the design of this player and settled on one of our favorites, Anchor Bay. The 983H uses the same video processing solution as the DVDO iScan VP30 with the optional ABT 102 board. We tested the VP30 quite awhile ago and loved its performance with SD content. The 983 takes advantage of most of the ABT processing and has quite a wealth of features available for tweaking in the video. This includes color space conversion, CUE correction, frame rate conversion (PAL/NTSC), and upconversion to 1080p60. The 983H is also a true universal DVD player, offering DVD-Audio and SACD playback via HDMI (v1.2) or analog outputs. The 983 does not offer a pure DSD output though for SACD. The custom Mediatek decoder does not offer this output. The DSD signal is converted to PCM (not really a problem because just about every player does this). The Benchmark Results Now, with a score of 100 you would think that meant this player was absolutely perfect. That is not the case. I’ve said many times that the score only indicates what our test criteria lay out for video decoding and processing, but there are other factors that make a great player. The only area this player comes up slightly short is transport times. Some of the previous Oppo designs were a bit faster with load times and navigation. Make no mistake, this is still a very fast player, but a hair slower than some previous units. The 983H also has a very short layer change. While almost undetectable (roughly a quarter of a second), it is not the seamless performance offered by a few other Oppo designs. Oppo Digital states this is a limitation of the Mediatek chip and something they are aware of.
As far as video processing goes, this player is nearly without equal. The ABT-102 solution, combined with the custom Mediatek decoder gives the 983H a level of performance that we’ve only seen from designs costing a lot more than the 983H. We’ve seen this level of de-interlacing before from some Denon DVD player offerings, but we were a bit disappointed with their decoder performance. Not the case here. The 983 passed every test we threw at it (and a few more that aren’t part of our Benchmark) with flying colors. The 983 offers a few different video modes, but the “Auto” option breezed through our tests with no issues at all and gets our nod as the recommended setting. The core video performance was superb. The player isn’t clipping any of the active image, retains the full dynamic range, and doesn’t show any signs of CUE. It even has a CUE filter that can be toggled on and off for 4:2:0 material. Update - 4/15/08: Here are the Benchmark test results in our new Benchmark chart format, which began with Adrian Wittenberg's first Benchmark review in April, 2008. Click on the small chart to see the large version, and then click on the small square in the bottom right hand corner if need be, to bring it to full size.
Conclusions The tentative release date of the Oppo DV-983H is March 10, 2008, and if you’re looking for reference video playback performance, this is it. Oppo has produced one heck of a machine. Its performance matches any design I’ve tested to date, and its performance via HDMI with both video and audio is outstanding. My highest recommendation. Note: John Johnson is preparing a review covering the rest of the performance, including audio bench test results, which will be published soon. Comments (90)
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written by Tim Jackson , February 27, 2008 Great product! Layer change pause?
written by Jason , February 27, 2008 Sounds like a fantastic player though it's somewhat disappointing to read that the layer change is not seamless; this has always one of the primary reasons I was considering the next iterations of the Oppo (I still have a trusty only DV-971 serving core duty at home). All of their other players use the Mediatek chip as well so I wonder if this is a by-product of the "custom decoder" mods Kris mentions, or maybe this is something to fix on a future update (I hope)? Audio Performance
written by Mutha , February 27, 2008 Which of your systems did you review the player in( I thought I read in the past you have three sytems )and could you elaborate on the sound quality? How does it compare with your reference? Or past players? And the Audio?
written by Mark inNJ , February 27, 2008 Looks to be a heck of a machine if the audio approaches its video potential. A correction...
written by Praveen , February 28, 2008 Hi Kris I believe that the Arcam DV139 was the first DVD player to use the ABT-102 chip, not the Oppo DV-983H. Great Company
written by Mauro , February 28, 2008 Isn't it amazing how a small company can produce such a fine machine for a small price. Those over priced Japanese and American and European variants all cost an arm and a leg and don't offer any where near the performance of this machine and lets not talk about the price. ...
written by Tom , February 28, 2008 How did it perform with component video outputs? I am assuming the above results were for HDMI only Pictures
written by 5_against_1 , February 28, 2008 Could you post a picture of the logos on top of the player? Also, where's the USB port located? Stand corrected
written by KDeering , February 28, 2008 Praveen, You're absolutely right. I had never seen a DV139 before so I was unaware. Thanks for the info! ...
written by Neuromancer , February 28, 2008 Tom, The component interface is only controlled by the MTK solution. The component output will have the same performance of the DV-980H. ...
written by Neuromancer , February 28, 2008 5_against_1, USB in on the back of the DVD player ...
written by JEJ , February 28, 2008 The component video performance was the same as the HDMI performance. I just posted one set of graphs to represent both. We are waiting for a full set of photos from Oppo, including one of the rear panel, and I will post them here in the review as soon as I get them. Why?
written by Allen , February 28, 2008 Why would anyone pay $400 for a standard definition dvd player today? The format war is over, and for the same price you can pick up a PS3 which is a highly regarded blu-ray player... ...
written by JEJ , February 28, 2008 The reason for getting a separate SD DVD player like the Oppo DV-983H rather than using the PS3 which has Blu-ray capabilities, is that the PS3 does not handle SD DVDs very well. It's a good Blu-ray player but not a good SD DVD player (review forthcoming). Consumers have big libraries of standard DVDs, and they want to watch them in the best way possible. upconversion - hdmi only?
written by Kieran , February 28, 2008 I assume that this player is similar to previous Oppo offerings and upconverts via hdmi only? I know some people with older displays &/or projectors that would like upconversion over component. HQV Front Projectors
written by Josuah , February 28, 2008 A lot of the new front projectors include HQV solutions now. I've been really looking forward to the 983, but I wonder if it would make more sense to just keep my 971HD and switch its output to 480i when I get a new projector. Even the Integra DTC-9.8 includes an HQV chipset, again making me wonder where the 983 value add would be for me in particular. I don't think there will be any Blu-Ray players with good SD playback for a while. HQV inside DVD player does better job on TV/Projector
written by John Edison , February 28, 2008 It is a matter of delicate job. First the decoder chipset decoding the DVD disk and then immediately send the clean and appropriate signal to HQV chipset to process. I have never seen any TV/Projector that has good upscaller does better upconverting job than good upconverting DVD player. TV/Projector has much more functions to perform other than just tune-up for upconverting DVD. Testing of the Arcam DV139...
written by Praveen , February 28, 2008 Hi Kris I have an Arcam DV139, and I bet if you get one to test, you'll find that it will not only ace your benchmark tests, but it will also qualify as being one of the best SD-DVD players around. Excellent product...
written by Frank , February 29, 2008 It's a shame it was not released 1-2 years ago. When is it going to be added to the Benchmark Results database article? Can it play HD resolution DiVx or MPEG-2 content from DVD /-R discs? I will buy one as soon as available
written by Ronaldo Franchini , February 29, 2008 I have a 981 model and will be one of the first to buy the new 983 model. Oppo has one of the best support on its products and that is a major factor to make our minds on buying, besides the quality and reliability. ...
written by Neuromancer , February 29, 2008 No, the decoder is still the same pedigree used in the DV-980H product. There is no MP4 or high resolution DivX/XviD support. ...
written by mfa22sas , February 29, 2008 Here are the logos across the front copied from one of the posts towards the end of the 983 thread on AVS. BTW, its available one pre-order from Oppo: http://www.oppodigital.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DV983H DVD SACD Windows Media DIVX XVID Kodak CD HDCD Dolby Digital EX DTS 7.1 PAL/NTSC HDMI Upscaling USB 2.0 Arcam DV139 costs $2999?
written by John Edison , February 29, 2008 I went to search Arcam DV139 after Praveen mentioned that it also use ABT chipset. I got some information form http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/...95203.html There are some differences between OPPO DV983H and Arcam DV139. OPPO uses ABT1018 and Arcam uses ABT1010 as the upscaler. OPPO uses MediaTek and Arcam uses Zoran as the decoder. Opinion on the Remote?
written by Bob Davis , February 29, 2008 I know that the remote is a secondary issue. But, I have the 981 and find it very hard to read the buttons. Is the 983 any bigger? Please say "Yes". ...
written by HellasVagabond , February 29, 2008 For 399$ the player rocks...However with 500$ you get the SONY BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Player...We are in the High Definition Age After All..... Arcam
written by KDeering , February 29, 2008 The only thing I would be edgy about with the Arcam is the Zoran decoder. They've been REAL hit or miss as you can see from the past benchmarks. Maybe the guys at Secrets will review it though!! ...
written by foobar , February 29, 2008 Now that the format war is over, is Oppo considering releasing a BD player? 1080I
written by Buckeye Ken , February 29, 2008 I have a Mits CRT RPTV that I am quite happy with. I recently purchased a Blue-Ray player and quickly found out that component video output (the only HD input my TV has) is limited to 480p. This OPPO DVD player looks like the answer to my prayers providing it will output 1080i (my tv’s native resolution) over component video????? ...
written by JEJ , February 29, 2008 Oppo is working on a Blu-ray player. No idea when it will be done though. Oppo is King!
written by Josh D , March 01, 2008 My AV partner and I heard from two different sources that Oppo is in thebeginning stages of their BD player. It's slated to drop by April of 2009. Here is the deal. If they can make a top-notch BD player, a 981/983 quality SD player, carry the HD audio encoders and throw in SACD and DVD-Audio...Holly!! ...
written by JEJ , March 01, 2008 I have the audio bench test results now from the DV-983H and they are very good. The full review will be published this week. I want a good SD player
written by Edison , March 01, 2008 Given that most BR players are defective in one way or another, and almost all soon become obsolete due to lack of level 2.0 support. I still see DVD is more important than BR for sometime yet, so there is still a good market for the DV-983H. If Microsoft get their way and movie downloads become the normal thing, BR potentially has a short life ahead of it, but DVD will go on because it has so many copies exist and because it's in every home. I would like to have the DV-983H as my final SD player to handle all my existing disks, and then wait for a good BR player to coming out. Audio bench test
written by Edison , March 01, 2008 Thank you JEJ. I am waiting for your audio bench test results. If it is impressive as the video performance, I will definitely purchase one. Why so much?
written by Claude , March 02, 2008 $399 for an SD player (albeit a very good one...no thanks. It would have been nice for that price to also have Blu capability considering that Oppo is suppossed to be a "value" brand. To those who denigrade the PS3 as a DVD player...it's actually pretty good. ...
written by DBH , March 02, 2008 Edisonn's post needs some correction: the notion that all non-profile 2.0 players become obsolete is HD DVD fanboy nonsense. ALL Blu-ray players will be able to play any movie - regardless of profile. The profiles are only important IF you're interested in certain interactive features (which most people aren't). Oppo Price Sucks Balls
written by Oppo Fan , March 02, 2008 I love Oppo and have always bought their products. But this player would have to service me for $399. Nobody should buy it or pre-order it for that price. Oppo will realize that they should have listed this player for only $299. Upscaling over component not possible with 983 unless.....
written by mfa22sas , March 03, 2008 The component video specs dont allow upscaling of any content that is CSS-encrypted. With such content, 480i or 480p is all you are going to get. I am not sure if it will upscale any content that ISNT encrypted either as the component video outputs dont use the ABT solution. They use the MediaTek chipset. Only the HDMI output uses the ABT solution and will upscale anything. Download HD content? Yeah, right!
written by Ryan , March 03, 2008 Just wanted to comment on Edison's statment about how HD downloads could potentially phase out Blu-Ray. First, Blu-Ray quality content is 25-50 GB... no one has the patience to download that much data off the 'net for just one movie, even with "extreme" broadband subscriptions. Even the best case, with Microsoft's VC-1 encoding, you're still looking at 8-9 GB per movie, which is still way too big. Anything smaller than that and you're looking at major sacrifices in video quality. Sorry, but disc-distribution is here to stay until there are some seriously major breakthroughs from broadband providers that would allow you to download a 50 GB movie in 2 hours or less. ...
written by JEJ , March 03, 2008 I want to take this opportunity to announce that Kris Deering has taken a job with Home Theater Magazine. Two of Kris' Benchmark reviews are still in the que and will be published shortly. We had a get together several weeks ago here in Redwood City with Kris, Adrian Wittenberg, Sandy Bird, Steve Smallcombe, Sumit Chawla, Colin Miller, and myself. We went over all the tests and discussed new high def tests for the Blu-ray players. Adrian Wittenberg is taking over the DVD Benchmark for the immediate future and is beginning his tests on players next week. There will be more than one person involved with performing the benchmark tests as time goes on. This includes Brian Florian and Gabe Lowe. We wish Kris well in his new affiliation. ...
written by JEJ , March 03, 2008 The DVD Benchmark was originally set up to test video performance in SD DVD players. Audio was not included. That is being remedied in our new benchmark layout coming soon. This was also before high def DVD players were available. When they came along, we did not have high def benchmark tests set up nor did we have 1080p displays available to us. Now we have all that, and will be including high def tests for Blu-ray players (along with the audio bench tests) that will be published with Adrian Wittenberg's first Blu-ray player benchmark review (Kris Deering's last two reviews, which are Blu-ray players and are still in the que for publication, are only for SD playback and no audio). We hope you will be patient as we change over to a new staff member handling the benchmark and also as we work on perfecting the high def benchmark tests. Feel free to make any suggestions you wish, as we want to include tests that are of particular interest to all of you. ...
written by foobar , March 03, 2008 Excellent, excellent news! redwood city
written by Pete , March 03, 2008 didn't realize you guy's were in redwood city. Do you ever hold events or gatherings? Oppo BR release date
written by Edcon , March 03, 2008 Josh D , Where did you hear the release date of April 09 for the oppo BR? Re: Download HD content? Yeah, right!
written by ender21 , March 04, 2008 Ryan, Just because a blu-ray disc has a 25-50 GB capacity doesn't mean every GB of that disc is used up. A 112 minute movie encoded at an average of 18Mbps is 15.1GB. Add one audio track at 8Mbps and you're at 21.8GB. (AVP used as test title). And even on the larger capacity titles (any Pirates movie), some of that space is taken up with special features and alternate audio tracks, both of which I would be looking at as options to download at my leisure rather than bundled with the feature film. I'm not saying 22GB is *easy* to download, of course, even for my 10Mbps access, but just suggesting that the idea that all 50GB of a dual-layer blu-ray disc are used is, for now, a bit of an erroneous statement. People are *already* downloading content. If it's SD it's SD, and if it's HD it's mostly 720p content and with lossy Dolby Digital 5.1, but since when does the market care about quality? Look at itunes. I'm not arguing *against* BD, but just trying to look at all obstacles and options with an open mind. I want physical media too. But I also love DVD-A, SACD, & vinyl music, which means I'm in the minority compared to most consumers. So in my mind the question becomes: does the lions' share of the market choose convenience over quality? If history is any indicator, it doesn't look good for blu-ray. For the moment disc-based video content *is* more convenient. But that disc-based content is DVD, not blu-ray, only because it can be had for so much less $$. Everyone has an SD TV already. So the startup costs are much lower compared to enjoying HD content, and the hardware and software for playback are less expensive too. But download speeds and hard drive capacities are only going to get *faster* and *larger*. So if blu-ray can't carve out market share in the window it has now, it could worst-case become a niche product, or best-case split the market with the "convenience" product that downloadable content could become. I hope that's mistaken though, as I prize the quality and flexibility of disc-based HD content over the convenience of downloadable, much more compressed content. But convenience can be subjective: It's more convenient for me to spend $15 on a disc at Best Buy and have it for as long as I want it than it is to wait 7 hours for a download to finish, be locked into its restrictions and settle for lower quality. But for others that may not be the case. Netflix *is* pretty popular and look at their turnaround times! With that in mind I think pricing is key for blu-ray to make inroads early which could tilt the "convenience" factor significantly for some. Get prices low enough soon enough and suddenly it's more convenient to buy a disc *now* than it is to download lower quality and wait overnight for it. Sorry for the long-winded post everyone! Download Video is a pipe dream
written by otbricki , March 04, 2008 The first part of this is that less than 50% of the people in the US even have broadband service. Then there is the ridiculous DRM download titles are loaded with. And the download videos available today have miserable video quality. Finally there is the experience with download music. Most of what is sold is pop singles. Album sales or non-pop music sales via download is essentially nonexistent. It is disposable junk - I could see download TV shows, but forget about download movies ever being a challenge to disk sales for at least the next 10 years. ...
written by JEJ , March 04, 2008 I think what we could see is a movie download service from DirecTV, Dish, or cable that lets you choose the movie you want, either the SD or HD version, but you need to choose it the day before you watch it, and it gets downloaded to your DVR overnight. You watch it once and then it gets deleted from your DVR. Your account gets charged $2.99 for SD and $4.99 for HD. Re: Download Video is a pipe dream
written by ender21 , March 04, 2008 People will do what is convenient for them. Just as major network ratings have gone down as more and more channels are available on TV, the more diverse methods of delivering content to people there are, there more that will eat into other areas of content delivery, especially if those methods prove viable enough to remain as long-term options and not fizzle out. For some, broadband access is limited (or even completely unavailable) but they can order a BD player and software from anywhere and have them delivered to their door. For others, why bother doing that in their tiny apartment/condo when they can just 'play instantly' on Netflix, or download from some other provider? And for still others, the complexity of HDTV and competing technologies therein may just encourage standing pat with DVD for now. Your broadband penetration statistic of 50% means more people have broadband access than own HDTVs, though I'm sure that won't take too long to change. As JEJ pointed out, we can download content from DirecTV at both SD and HD resolutions (though selection of content is woefully limited). Some will use XBox Live, iTunes, and other downloadable services (horrible viewing limitations by providers aren't necessarily permanent, just as DRM on music is slowly eroding). Then some who have already invested in DVD will just *stay* with DVD until it too goes away, and early adopters such as us who always want top-notch quality will *purchase* top-notch quality. Moreover, some (or all) of these content providing companies would *love* to see *all* methods of delivery be viable so as to promote double, or even triple-dipping. Want to see Pirates on-the-go? Download it from iTunes for $9.99. Want to see it in HD on your 110 inch front projector? Feel free to pay $29.99 for it on Blu-Ray. Your wife sees that it starts in 10 minutes and wants to watch it in the bedroom? $4.99 on PPV, or you bought the DVD for your kid for $14.99 so you just borrow their copy. If I'm in the business of providing content, that's my best-case scenario. I think the idea of 'one-method to satisfy them all' is the pipe dream. ...
written by JEJ , March 05, 2008 I don't think there will ever be just one method of movie deployment in the home. There will always be consumers who want the hard copy, just like there will always be printed magazines instead of everything on the Internet. But, I do think we are headed for downloading movies to the masses as a definite option, including high definition, for temporary storage and one time viewing, or for permanent storage as a purchase. Part of the reason is convenience. How many times do you go to Blockbuster to find that all the copies of the latest movie you want are checked out? Download to your DVR fixes that problem. You get an on-screen message that the latest release is now available, you click to download, and the next evening the movie is there for you to watch at your convenience. Eventually the download speed will be such that it will only take an hour to download a 30 GB high def movie, maybe even just 10 minutes to buffer the DVR and you can start watching while the rest of the movie is downloading. It has to happen. Which player is best for PAL DVDs?
written by ST , March 06, 2008 How is it for playing PAL discs from different regions. I have a Toshiba HD-XA2 with the Reon chip that updated with a firmware update that makes it an all region PAL & NTSC player. It plays PAL in 50HZ which my Kuro Plasma supports so it has no PAL to NTSC conversion. The player will upconvert PAL to 1080P & NTSC DVDs to 1080P 24fps. Do you think the Oppo would be better for playing PAL discs with the PAL to NTSC conversion or my X-A2 that plays PAL 50hz with no NTSC conversion? I'm not sure which one would give the best picture for PAL discs from other regions. Re: Pal
written by ender21 , March 06, 2008 My opinion is the less conversions, the better. If you have a player that will take PAL @ 50Hz with and your Kuro accepts it... I stick with that. But as usual, the proof is in the testing. ;-) PS3 for SD DVD's?
written by Mike , March 06, 2008 The earlier comment on PS3's not being that good on SD DVD's was somewhat upsetting. Was the viewing done with version 2.10 firmware? I found this version makes the SD DVD's amazing looking. I have an OPPO 981 and the PS3 with 2.10 is hands down better. Output at 1080p w/ 24 frames per second?
written by Roboto , March 07, 2008 I have a Sony KDS60A3000 which can project 1080p at 24 frames per second. Can the OPPO 983 output at that frame rate? Re: Output at 1080p w/24 frames per second?
written by ender21 , March 08, 2008 No the Oppo 983 will not offer 24fps playback. From what I understand the methodology needed to introduce 24fps playback satisfactorily was more challenging than would allow to keep it at that price point. As far as I know the Tosh HDDVD players are the only standalones out there that will upscale and ouput SDDVD at 1080p24, and that was "by accident." ...
written by Neuromancer , March 08, 2008 There is no 24Hz output support. Downloaded HDTV content is no where near Blu Ray quality.
written by Webz , March 08, 2008 I use the XBox 360's Live Marketplace to download movies, and it's VERY grainy and actually looks worse than my old Panasonic rp91k (yes, I have one still and it sorta works still!). I spent 8 hrs downloading Oceans 13, and the movie just looked bad. Bought it later, used on DVD, and the DVD player my Sony Grand Wega's upscaler did a better job than the Xbox. Hopefully, when the government gives me a portion of everyone else's taxes (aka stimulation check) I'll get a 2.0 Blu-Ray player, and retire the Panasonic to a bedroom player or something. Region-Free? USB Support for VOB/MKV/ISO?
written by Boogie , March 09, 2008 I've got the 981HD and it's a great SD player. If the 983 can do the region-free thing that the 981 does, and it plays all sorts of content from a USB drive, my 981's going to be collecting dust ASAFP. Oppo makes great stuff and supports it prodigiously; even tho we're in the beginning of Blu-Ray dominance, having a player that can not only handle discs from any region but content from a USB 2.0 drive is far more valuable to me than getting a Blu-Ray player. Plus, I've got 800 SD DVD's and zero BD's. I can wait a year or more for Blu-Ray players to be the right combination of functional, reasonably-priced and equipped with the new audio codecs to work with my Denon 3808CI. Doesn't shock me that Oppo managed to get me salivating over a non-high-def disc player, yet again. would you recommend this as an SD up scaling dvd player or any high end HD-DVD or blu ray player ??
written by marty , March 10, 2008 do you think its worth buying this as a seperate unit to do one thing 'to upscale sd dvd' when people alreay own hd-dvd/ blu ray players that can do the same thing, does it really do 'THAT' much better a job upscaling to 1080p ??? When will this player be added to the Benchmark Player Review Archives?
written by galvin , March 10, 2008 It would be nice to see it sitting on top of the Denon 5910... blu=ray is already a dying format
written by bryan catmull , March 12, 2008 if any one did a bit of research before commenting you would discover that cheap blu-ray players are at least 2years away minimum, by that time the new IBM download discovery will be in commercial use, just put your flash card into the slot and download your HD movie in less than 10 seconds! I do not intend spending big dollars duplicating my dvd library, with blu-ray, I am sticking with upscaling players, unless your doing a direct comparison with blu-ray you will be quite happy with dvd, and look how much your saving! oppo vs denon?
written by Kim , March 12, 2008 So does this in real life have better image quality than say the Denon 3930 on DVDs????? I assume that one thing is to measure and benchmark and another thing is how the image actually looks like.... I'm waiting for Bluray
written by JD technophile , March 12, 2008 I am going for Bluray. I don't own a lot of SD DVds. I've been waiting for this format for years. I'd much rather own discs than do downloads. However, just because I want to buy discs doesn't mean the general public will prefer the same. After all, I'm an audiophile and most people do mp3 which I think is terrible sounding. I want to own the original disc with the art and all the extras. I want to play it on my own terms. I don't want some heavily compressed crap the cable and satellite companies will give us. Sorry, I don't trust them. They've been robbing and lying to us for decades. I have installed several rooftop antennas for terrestrial HD. Compared to HD locals on cable the OTA signal is better, so they are already doing noticeable compression to the locals while advertising best quality. I watched the Superbowl from Charter cable on a 58 inch Panasonic plasma TV. I was unimpressed with the quality. I hope Bluray takes off in a big way. Even if it doesn't I know companies like Oppo will still support it for videophiles. After all they are still doing DVD-A and SACD and there is almost nothing released on these formats anymore. Hopefully, Oppo is working on a Bluray model for release by the holidays. I'm not spending $400 for the 983. PS3 isn't a bad SD-DVD player.
written by Matt , March 13, 2008 Since most DVD's are flagged properly, who cares about some performance issues it might have with those that were not flagged properly? Also, I agree $300 is way too much for a SD-DVD player these days, no matter how great it might be. It still can't touch Blu-ray in terms of PQ. So, why not use that money towards a Blu-ray player instead? The only problems I've had with certain DVDs in regards to pq, were those that are not Anamorphic. In a "blind" test, most wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the PS3 against any Oppo player when viewing SD-DVDs. PS3 as DVD player
written by MikeS , March 15, 2008 I got PS3 and Sony remote control yesterday. It was supposed to be used primarily as a Blue-ray DVD player. After comparing upscaling results from with my Panny S77 and the PS3, the PS3 will be my new DVD player as well. My final cost (after $100 credit from Sony) for the PS3 and "remote" will be $345. But wait, there is more! :-) The PS3 will play games, music, and multimedia. It's a great value for the price quoted above. 7.1 over optical and/or coaxial?
written by LeeL , March 15, 2008 Is the 7.1-channel high-resolution multi-channel digital audio output (w/ ?Dolby Digital Surround EX decoding?, ?Dolby Digital?, ?DTS sound tracks?, etc...) ported thru either of the: # S/PDIF (IEC-958) Coaxial Digital Audio: 1 (RCA connector) or # S/PDIF (IEC-958) Optical Digital Audio: 1 (TOSLINK connector) Thanks. ...
written by Wim C. , March 16, 2008 How does it handle non-anamorphic letterboxed transfers ? Does it have a vertical stretch option ? Answer to question if 7.1 over optical and/or coaxial?
written by Dana , March 18, 2008 The answer is no. From page 48 of the OPPO 981 Manual, "7.1CH output is available only through the analog audio output jacks." PS3 vs Oppo 981 as SD-DVD player.
written by RT , March 22, 2008 I own both PS3 & 981, PS3 with Firmware 2.1 is a better DVD player than Oppo 981, using HDMI output to a Epson 1080UB PJ on a 80" 16x9 screen. You can still see the different if you pay close attention on a 42" Panasonic plasma. PS3 is a toy - Oppos are quality
written by Mike , March 26, 2008 Nuff said Oppo DV-9831 vs. Samsung BD-P1200
written by JA , April 08, 2008 I sold my Marantz 9600 and bought a Sammy 1200.The difference in SD playback is night and day.I have a Fijitsu plasma(not 1080i or 1080p) and when I play blu-ray movies it is even more dramatic.I wonder how the new Oppo cmpares with it's usampling vs. the Sammy on the same movie,but played on BD. Advice and opinions sought
written by Ria Rhodes , April 18, 2008 Nice review and some interesting comments here. I have a question for JEJ and others. I'm considering the more affordable OPPO DV-981 HD for playing my large collection of DVD's, and will likely add a PS3 console for Blu-Ray and gaming (when a bundle with upgraded controller comes out stateside). I already own a very nice audiophile 2-channel (and subwoofer) audio setup, so I'm not concerned with all the most up to date audio player bells and whistles. Do you think I'm making a wise decision in my thinking? problem with the player, got it a few days ago
written by alan , April 19, 2008 the palyer is not functioning, it is only a few days old, only the power adn open/close button is on, but tray doesnot open, sent inquiry to OPPO, wating for answer! Im dissapointed
written by Borat , May 23, 2008 no flac or HD Divx support with new oppo, think they dropped the ball on this and is just money grabbing with this new player. Had they included these 2 things it would be something new, Im sticking to my oppo 981, and wait and see if their upcoming BD player has HD-Divx support and with Lossless Flac. rock and hard place
written by dave , May 23, 2008 Like with others...that $400 price tag is steep for a SD player. I was one of the dumb ones who forked over $$$(just $200, thankfully) for and HD DVD player. I got the Toshiba A3. I have it now for upconversion purposes. It seems to do damn good, but i only have an SD player(Sony DVP-NS900V) to compare it to. I have a Panasonic 53' Plasma. Would the Oppo, any model, do any better? Also, i like the SACD feature, but i don't want PCM conversion, which i'm sure this does. Audio Advisor has an NAD that does all the above for $500, with DSD encoding for SACD. JD technophile
written by dave , May 23, 2008 JD technophile, you live in Fort Worth? I do...and I too had Charter HD. I just switched to DirTV and am a bit dissapointed cause the HD is WORSE, not better. Fortunately they offer more "HD" channels. Anyway...i get what you say regarding the compression scheme. PS3 vs Oppo 981 as SD-DVD player.
written by FOhara , May 28, 2008 I Agree with RT and the rest about the PS3 as a better SD upconverting player. I, too have both and the PS3 does a better job! And for the same price as the 983, you have a BR player plus Multimedia......Oppo should have nixed this model and spend their time with their BR player to include the upconversion capability of the 983! Why buy this player Part 2
written by ja , June 04, 2008 As I asked before,since my Sammy BD-Up500(exchanged the BD-1200) plays BD AND SD how does the Oppo compare (on a 720p/1080i screen) to my Sammy when it plays BD on my 720p Fujitsu? subjectively compared with the Oppo 981
written by 981HD , June 25, 2008 I could not see significant difference in image processing quality between the 2 players (with a 720p DLP projector). In turn, the 983 had better colors, and looked a bit sharper than the 981. Especially in dark scenes, low-level color detail was much better, as was color accuracy. In comparison with the 983, my 981 seemed to have a slight greenish cast over the image, and less detail. In turn, it looked a bit smoother and more film-like, perhaps because the 983 was brand new. Probably some burn-in wouldn't harm, since the picture seemed a bit noisy (fine-grain noise), just in the same way as my 981 was when it was new. So the most evident advantage of the 983 seems to be in the core video area. The button on the remote are also better organized on the 983. Pretty much a perfect DVD player. It's pity it wasn't available a year ago... now I'm waiting for the Oppo BD player... WoW
written by Carl Mulder , June 25, 2008 I'm pretty sure I have own this player, I use the PS3 for Blu Ray right now, and this is the type of player Im looking for to replace it with. Perfect results. 981
written by Homer , July 05, 2008 The 981 is a great machine. I'm still amazed at how good a DVD upconverted to 720p looks. There appears to be a mistake in the new Benchmark chart
written by GSB , July 08, 2008 The player was tested with the HDMI output, but all the test results are written in the "Component" column. For every test, the "HDMI" column reads "Not Tested". ...
written by JEJ , July 08, 2008 The oscilloscope readings can only be collected from the component video output, not the HDMI output. ...
written by GSB , July 08, 2008 JEJ, I'm refering to the de-interlacing tests, not the "Video Frequency Response". The test results in the newly updated spreadsheet, show that all the de-interlacing tests passed on the component output, instead of HDMI. That's not possible, because the ABT processing in the 983 is applied to the HDMI output only - not to component. ...
written by Bill , July 17, 2008 I'm looking forward to owning this player.I have had my heart set for the arcam dv 139,but price of 3,000 was too much.If this player can get me 90% of the way there for 15% of the cost I'm sold.I,ve had a Toshiba 9200 that has served me well.I still have a fair amount of dvd audio that I listen to and want to continue to listen to.I haven't seen one Blu ray that is universal yet.Besides they can't even produce a fully functioning unit yet that has update capability and full uncompressed sound (i.e. true dolby hd and dts hd)When they get this straight maybe I'll consider Blu ray. Stunning!
written by Paul Tinsley , July 29, 2008 I recently bought an Oppo DV-983H and it blew me away! This is by far the best DVD upscaler. You have to shell out thousands to get just a whisker of extra performance above this machine. If you love your DVD collection, get one! Blu ray capability
written by MA , July 30, 2008 I am looking for a DVD player that can do all this and also play a blu ray disc. I am not a techie but I am looking for a DVD player that plays blu ray dvd ( - r/rw) mp3 pal/ntsc to ntsc output upconverting 1080i/1080p connect a computer and play my video files (mpg/avi etc.) with subtitles .SRT -- sound ?? 983H with blu ray is probably what I am looking for... Looking forward to Oppo's Blu-Ray player
written by Jeremy Smith , August 13, 2008 I currently own an Oppo DV-981H player and i'm really happy with purchasing it about 7 months ago. Now I'm looking forward to taking the plunge into the Blu-ray scene now that blu-ray movies are coming out at the stores at respectable prices. All I'm waiting for now is Oppo Digital to release an awesome player for those discs. I would like to see the player be the equivalent of their new DV-983H flagship model with blu-ray capabilities. But as a hearing impaired person I would also love to see them implement Closed Caption capabilities (Enable/Disable CC thru the player's setup because not all tv's allow users to enable or disable CC on their tv. I own a Pioneer Kuro and it can support CC but only for my satellite connection which i have to enable using my satellite player's setup menu and not on the tv). Other than that keep up the wonderful work Oppo! Oppo, please make a Blu-Ray player!
written by Jose , September 12, 2008 I have the OPPO DV-980H DVD player which, for the outstanding performance,is a bargain at $170.00. I absolutely love this player which can rival does costing 5X its price. OPPO should seriously consider a Blu-Ray machine soon. If their up scaling machines are superb, can you image an OPPO Blu-Ray player....WOW!!! Bass Managment or not?
written by mikewinburn , September 13, 2008 Good day, Seems I've read many articles on the oppo digital dv-983h dvd player, but no one has yet to mention it's bass management feature set. Does it have speaker delay? In what increments? Does it have crossover mananagement? what is the low pass options?... etc... any help is appreciated SD on PS3
written by Mikey Mo , September 25, 2008 I thought about purchasing the 983 for its superior upconverting. However, I am very pleased with the PS3 updates that have vastly improved SD DVD performance. I will wait for the OPPO Blu-ray player. I hope it won't be much longer in coming, and I assume it will feature SACD playback. SACD/DVD-A audio use only
written by Frank , November 09, 2008 Hi all I'm considering buying the 983H unit. I am really only interested in using it for SACD and DVD-A audio. I am an audiophile and work in audio..... and am looking for something that does SACD particularly well.... ie from the unit's own analog outputs. The OPPO 983H looks pretty good ... it seems to be well recommended for its audio playback quality. But I'm wondering whether the OPPO DV-980H wouldn't do the same job audio-wise... considering that video quality is not an issue for me... only audio. Any thoughts on this? Are there any other products anyone is aware of that would do a better job than the Oppo? Thanks for your time regards Frank Write comment
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