OPPO DVD Player review

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  • szhleppy
    szhleppy Posts: 320
    edited December 2006
    BIZILL wrote:
    i believe i've had my 971 for over a year. kept me satisfied and am still not in a big hurry for hd-dvd. the oppo is THAT good.

    Alright then...between Wes's review and your endorsement, I'm feeling a little left out. Just pre-ordered the 981...supposed to ship next Friday.
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  • BIZILL
    BIZILL Posts: 5,432
    edited December 2006
    szhleppy wrote:
    Alright then...between Wes's review and your endorsement, I'm feeling a little left out. Just pre-ordered the 981...supposed to ship next Friday.

    another new one? good thing my next step will be upgrading to hd-dvd. getting hard to keep up with oppo. good thing though. good to see a new company keep building upon successful products. they need to get an hd-dvd player going. or is that what the 981 is?

    POLK SDA-SRS 1.2TL -- ADCOM GFA-5802
    PANASONIC PT-AE4000U -- DIY WILSONART DW 135" 2.35:1 SCREEN
     ONKYO TX-SR805
    CENTER: CSI5
    MAINS: RTI8'S
    SURROUNDS: RTI8'S
    7.1 SURROUNDS: RTI6'S
    SUB: SVS PB12-PLUS/2 (12.3 series)
    XBOX 360    WiiPS3/blu-rayTOSHIBA HD-A35 hd dvd

    http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.php
    bobman1235 wrote:
    I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.
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  • Holydoc
    Holydoc Posts: 1,048
    edited December 2006
    Bizill,

    The new Oppo DV-981HD DVD player incorporates the Genesis/Faroudja deinterlacing of the 971, with the SACD playback of the 970 and adds 1080p upscaling over it's HDMI output.

    The full press announcement of this player is at:

    http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/819201/an/0/page/0/gonew/1#UNREAD

    and its webpage:

    http://oppodigital.com/dv981hd/index.html
    Holydoc (Home Theatre Lover)
    __________________________________________
    Panasonic -50PX600U 50" Plasma
    Onkyo -TX-NR901 Receiver
    Oppo -Oppo 980HD Universal DVD Player
    Outlaw -770 (7x200watt) Amplifier
    PolkAudio - RTi12 (Left and Right)
    PolkAudio - CSi5 (Center)
    PolkAudio - FXi3 (Back and Surround)
    SVS - PB-12/Plus (Subwoofer)
    Bluejean Cables - Interconnects
    Logitech Harmony 880 - Remote
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  • Ricardo
    Ricardo Posts: 10,636
    edited December 2006
    I hate myself for buying the 971 a few weeks ago.... the 981 has it all (note that it does not have component video output, so be sure your TV has DVI or HDMI)
    _________________________________________________
    ***\\\\\........................... My Audio Journey ............................./////***

    2008 & 2010 Football Pool WINNER
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    Thank God for different opinions. Imagine the world if we all wanted the same woman
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  • szhleppy
    szhleppy Posts: 320
    edited December 2006
    HTrookie wrote:
    I hate myself for buying the 971 a few weeks ago.... the 981 has it all (note that it does not have component video output, so be sure your TV has DVI or HDMI)


    You could probably still sell it and get most of your money back. As for the 981...it's still stupid cheap and a great option for those of us not ready to commit to HD or Blu Ray.
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited December 2006
    I'm very tempted since I can sell my 971 to a friend and get 1080P and SACD. PQ upconverted to 1080i is nearly HD quality, but 1080P would be the cats meow. Course, a poor transfer still sucks, such as Superman Returns...crushed blacks, EE and extremely soft.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • I-SIG
    I-SIG Posts: 2,243
    edited December 2006
    Damn, Courtney, you're cleaning up around here!

    I will say that if Oppo had put even a stiff plastic tray on the thing instead of that plastic equivalent to pot metal, the value of the 970 (and I assume the 971/81) would go up another 25%. Be very careful!

    Wes
    Link: http://polkarmy.com/forums

    Sony 75" Bravia 4K | Polk Audio SDA-SRS's (w/RDO's & Vampire Posts) + SVS PC+ 25-31 | AudioQuest Granite (mids) + BWA Silver (highs) | Cary Audio CAD-200 | Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR's | Rotel Michi P5 | Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR's | Cambridge Audio azur 840C--Wadia 170i + iPod jammed w/ lossless audio--Oppo 970 | Pure|AV PF31d
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  • johnADA
    johnADA Posts: 98
    edited December 2006
    danger boy wrote:
    i keep hearing and reading alot about this player. where did it come from? Is it an offshoot brand of one of the larger manufactures?

    Is this really that good or is it a fad, like so many others the past few years.. ala that Toshiba 3960 or something like that?


    OPPO Digital are based in Mountain View, CA and are the US arm of BBK Electronics who are a huge Chinese market leader and who have been a private label OEM for companies such as Denon, NEC and BOSE. Manufacturing all sorts of electronics gear, BBK Electronics is a market leader in China and looking to expand globally hence the creation of their North American arm – OPPO Digital.

    Their first product which we have managed to get hold of is the DV-971H MPEG4/DivX DVD player with DVI output. It has been making waves in the industry but you still might not have heard of it however now its time to change that. Believe me – it really is. Incidentally before I get truly started I will say I am reviewing the US model of this player which is supplied with a US plug however it will run on a UK power supply since it has a universal power supply – it just requires a plug adapter. There is a European model called the BBK DV-971H which features a SCART socket which the US does not. However I’d be surprised if you were looking to use this player with that connector type.
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  • szhleppy
    szhleppy Posts: 320
    edited December 2006
    I-SIG wrote:
    Damn, Courtney, you're cleaning up around here!

    I will say that if Oppo had put even a stiff plastic tray on the thing instead of that plastic equivalent to pot metal, the value of the 970 (and I assume the 971/81) would go up another 25%. Be very careful!

    Wes

    I've been keeping a close eye on your upgrades over the last 6 months or so and finally decided it was time to catch up. :D

    What I've found is that one upgrade always leads to more. In this case, I got the new Sony 60" (my first venture into HD) and now can't watch anything but the HD channels. I watch mostly sports, but last weekend we popped a DVD in and watched a movie. Although decent, I wasn't very impressed with what I saw...and wouldn't it be a waste to not utilize that extra HDMI connection???:o

    Thanks for the head up on the build quality of the Oppo...I'm honestly not expecting much for the price, just something to hold me over until I can commit to HD or Blu Ray.
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  • PolkWannabie
    PolkWannabie Posts: 2,763
    edited December 2006
    You may be surprised ... Not by the build quality, but by the PQ that comes out of it ...
    Rick
    HT+ Sunfire TG IV, Dual CG Sig II's, CinePro 1K2, Oppo 981, Audio Technica PL120, Polk SRT's & F/X1000's, Samsung 71" DLP
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited December 2006
    For a player that cost a buck fifty nine, it ain't bad at all...
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • I-SIG
    I-SIG Posts: 2,243
    edited December 2006
    PolkWannabie wrote:
    You may be surprised ... Not by the build quality, but by the PQ that comes out of it ...

    Except for the tray, I'd still say it seems to be slightly above average in build quality.

    Wes
    Link: http://polkarmy.com/forums

    Sony 75" Bravia 4K | Polk Audio SDA-SRS's (w/RDO's & Vampire Posts) + SVS PC+ 25-31 | AudioQuest Granite (mids) + BWA Silver (highs) | Cary Audio CAD-200 | Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR's | Rotel Michi P5 | Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR's | Cambridge Audio azur 840C--Wadia 170i + iPod jammed w/ lossless audio--Oppo 970 | Pure|AV PF31d
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  • szhleppy
    szhleppy Posts: 320
    edited December 2006
    PolkWannabie wrote:
    You may be surprised ... Not by the build quality, but by the PQ that comes out of it ...

    I hope I am!!!

    Just got the Fedex tracking for the 981 and looks like it will be here on Thursday...which is great considering they weren't supposed to even start shipping until Friday. I'll post a review over the weekend.
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  • BIZILL
    BIZILL Posts: 5,432
    edited December 2006
    do tell, do tell.... though i'm going to be getting an xbox hd-dvd drive, without a vga input on my tv, damn thing doesn't up-convert. so the oppo 981 may still be a worthwhile improvement over my 971.

    after further investigation, it only has hdmi output and i've only got dvi input on the tele. are hdmi to dvi converters worth a damn?

    POLK SDA-SRS 1.2TL -- ADCOM GFA-5802
    PANASONIC PT-AE4000U -- DIY WILSONART DW 135" 2.35:1 SCREEN
     ONKYO TX-SR805
    CENTER: CSI5
    MAINS: RTI8'S
    SURROUNDS: RTI8'S
    7.1 SURROUNDS: RTI6'S
    SUB: SVS PB12-PLUS/2 (12.3 series)
    XBOX 360    WiiPS3/blu-rayTOSHIBA HD-A35 hd dvd

    http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.php
    bobman1235 wrote:
    I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.
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  • PolkWannabie
    PolkWannabie Posts: 2,763
    edited December 2006
    dvi = hdmi - audio ... so assuming you are doing audio elsewhere ...
    Rick
    HT+ Sunfire TG IV, Dual CG Sig II's, CinePro 1K2, Oppo 981, Audio Technica PL120, Polk SRT's & F/X1000's, Samsung 71" DLP
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  • BIZILL
    BIZILL Posts: 5,432
    edited December 2006
    so there is nothing lost in translation visually from the signals? i've never messed with hdmi as my television doesn't support it. same signal, just configured differently by way of connectors?

    POLK SDA-SRS 1.2TL -- ADCOM GFA-5802
    PANASONIC PT-AE4000U -- DIY WILSONART DW 135" 2.35:1 SCREEN
     ONKYO TX-SR805
    CENTER: CSI5
    MAINS: RTI8'S
    SURROUNDS: RTI8'S
    7.1 SURROUNDS: RTI6'S
    SUB: SVS PB12-PLUS/2 (12.3 series)
    XBOX 360    WiiPS3/blu-rayTOSHIBA HD-A35 hd dvd

    http://polkarmy.com/forums/index.php
    bobman1235 wrote:
    I have no facts to back that up, but I never let facts get in the way of my arguments.
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited December 2006
    BIZILL wrote:
    same signal, just configured differently by way of connectors?

    I read something a couple of days ago saying that's basically it.
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  • PolkWannabie
    PolkWannabie Posts: 2,763
    edited December 2006
    BIZILL wrote:
    so there is nothing lost in translation visually from the signals? i've never messed with hdmi as my television doesn't support it. same signal, just configured differently by way of connectors?
    There should be NO video signal loss ...
    Rick
    HT+ Sunfire TG IV, Dual CG Sig II's, CinePro 1K2, Oppo 981, Audio Technica PL120, Polk SRT's & F/X1000's, Samsung 71" DLP
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