OPPO Dvd player..latest version.

francis1967

Ordered an OPPO dvd player today, delivery next week. Great customer service btw.

Then I noticed my HK 7300 has the Faroudja DCDi chipset also. So, I am going to do a test on how the Harman stands up to one of the better video sources in the market (for the money) and I will post my findings here if anyone is interested? Anyone?

Should the HK be remarkably close to the Oppo, then I am going to offer the Oppo here to the forum some time in 2-3 weeks. If it turns out the Oppo is decidely better, I will keep it

SKsolutions

I'd be interested because it is a considered upgrade. AVR630 to 7300. Currently running Camb Audio DVD and it's great for the money, but it won't light up my Panny Pro Plasma to it's potential. What are you getting the OPPO for $.

PolkThug

Yes! Take your time. View film-based and video-based material, pay attention to shadow detail and whites. Watch for artifacts and macroblocking! Let us know what you find.

Holydoc

SKsolutions wrote:

What are you getting the OPPO for $.

Sk,

If Francis is buying it new, it only goes for one price $199. You can get it here:

http://www.oppodigital.com/

Francis,

I suspect you will be placing your Oppo for sale on the board. Since the HK 7300 has the same DAC as the Oppo, you should not (in theory) see any difference. It will be a nice test to see if you do.

PolkThug

Holydoc wrote:

I suspect you will be placing your Oppo for sale on the board. Since the HK 7300 has the same DAC as the Oppo, you should not (in theory) see any difference. It will be a nice test to see if you do.

Different ballgame here, the de-interlacing is the important part. He can send a 480i signal to the HK and let the HK process it, or he can send 480p directly from the Oppo to the display. My money is on the latter, a proven winner.

pearsall001

I've had my OPPO for about 2 months now. The picture quality thru DVI into my SONY 50" LCD is absolutely gorgeous. An absolute steal for the price. I pretty much expected the quality of the picture from all the reviews I read. What I didn't expect was how good the 2 channel analog music is. I was really shocked at how good it sounds. I'm so glad I don't have a bundle wrapped up in dedicated CDP because I would be quite upset. I think today's technology has trickled down to the less expensive players. The innards in today's lower priced CDP was probably considered the holy grail just a few years ago. I really think spending big bucks ($500 & up) for a dedicated CDP can be put to better use.

francis1967

Well, the Oppo has served both music and movies for over a week now. Lots of A - B testing with my Toshiba SD9200 and a dusted-off low-end Sony NS300.

I don't have a flatscreen or CRT to view my material on, so I can't say what it will do on those. I have a new Optoma EZpro 739 DLP projector, native 1024x768 resolution, 2300 lumens (although actual is more like 1700 or thereabouts). The projector in itself is excellent for the money ($2999...street $800-$1200), but it isn't produced primarily for home theater. However, it does excellent with HD material through my digital cable and it offers a better picture than many Infocus and Sony projectors in price range $1000-$2000. I can watch tv during the day with no problems and with its native resolution being as stated, watching HD ESPN is like being there. Nearly scary as a 4-5 foot Lebron James gallops down the lane and pounds it in my face. It is also extremely quiet. 27db but to be honest, I can't hear the thing at all during movies and it is tabletop 4ft away from my chair.

Ok, the Oppo. My players the last five years have been Sony 7000 and Sony 7700, the Toshiba 9200, got a Sony NS as a gift and kept it for rough times, and now the Oppo.

I will be frank and go straight to the end-game...I am keeping my Toshiba and unloading the Oppo. I might even be able to just return the unit. Will know later today.

Reason is: Even with the DVI connection, film is no better than with my Toshiba when using the 9200's Component-Out for best PQ. I made my viewing area pitch-black to optimize the projector's ability to perform and yet, the Oppo added no significant improvement. In fact, it had none. I don't want to sound too harsh, but those are the facts. Having read the test result on the Oppo, where it knocks off the Denon 5910 even, I had really high expectations, but they were not even remotely met.

Bear in mind that the Toshiba SD9200 is an audiophile Class A player in itself and the best player to ever come out of that company according to reviews and tests, and it cost $2000 when it came out in 1999, can still be had new for around $800 and on Audiogon prices are about $350 and thereabouts secondhand. But I was surprised that there was nothing to be gained using the direct digital output of Oppo to a new projector (70hrs on new bulb).

Test:
Bypassing the HK 7300s upconverting (ref.HolyDocs reply here)...

Video source material:
Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Master and Commander (chosen for its awesome audio track opening scene with cannonball),
Finding Nemo
The Blue Planet -Seas of Life-The Deep
Lord Of The Ring -Return of The King
Braveheart (non-computerized battle scenes)
The Apocolypse Redux
Gone With The Wind
Spiderman 2
Ultimate Fighting Championship -Best of 2005 (poor recording but has plenty of fast-moving scenes and I like watching them beat the crap out of eachother legally)

Oppo using composite: Worth crap but due to the projector, not the Oppo. I won't even bore you with how bad it was.
Oppo using S-vhs: Same as above, but again the Oppo is not at fault here.
Oppo using component: Significant improvement in clarity and blacks, but it is like watching film on an older CRT TV unit.
Oppo using DVI: Absolutely the best picture thus far. Very sharp picture, good blacks, and definately the Oppo's strongest suit.
Oppo composite and S-vhs through the HK 7300 with upconversion: Some improvement from direct play but crap non-the-less. Again, won't blame the Oppo here.

Toshiba SD9200 using component-out: rivals the Oppo's DVI output with ease. Big surprise. I really thought I would see some improvement with the Oppo.
Toshiba again but going through the HK 7300: No sig improvement using the Faroudja chip. Damn, they must have used some serious components when building this Toshiba. Con: Doesn't have DVI/HDMI digital outs, but with results like this who needs'em.

Sony DVP-NS300 $30 DVD player connected through the HK 7300: Wow, this was the biggest surprise of them all. Watching Star Wars III on this old throw-away was a joy. I have to admit that if I had been doing a double-blind, I would maybe have guessed it was the Oppo's component-out setup playing before me. Never thought the HK receiver could do this. Sure, it has the Faroudja chip and does upconverting, but I thought that was more for the marketing gimmicks than anything. Not so.

Anyway, after a few hours and days, I am now in the process of reboxing the Oppo.

Oppo Pros (IMHO): inexpensive player that gives an excellent result using DVI. Component-out was acceptable. Fast loading, fast reading of disc, easy menu. Quiet. Can do all formats out there.

Oppo Cons: No better on DVI than my Toshiba which doesn't have DVI or HDMI. Not good as a CD player...flat, no depth, very fatigueing. 10yr old Sony DVP-7000 is better and can be bought on Ebay for $80. Modded 3960 mentioned here on the forum is way better. The Toshiba SD9200 btw is a superb CDplayer for the money. Last one selling on Ebay was as new and went for $210 approx.

I know there are no high-tech testing criteria or instruments used here. I just have my two ears and my vision is - thank god - still 20/20. I was ready to move to the digital realm with the Oppo and DVI, but with no improvement over the Toshiba and with the vastly better CD player in the Tosh, I cannot justify $199 plus ship for the Oppo.

I wish I had a CRT or a Plasma or a LCD screen so I could have tested it on other screens, but then again, I invested in the Optima projector because it was superior to any of the screen out there under $3000-$5000. I paid $740 for a six foot diagonal crystal-clear picture in this unit.

If you are looking to get a great DVD player and can use the DVI, $175 for a refurb unit is a great deal, $150 on Ebay even better. It is just as good for video as the Denon 2910 which I have seen here at home recently and that puppy costs $500+. As for secondhand value if you want to upgrade when HD-DVD gets reasonable for us mortals, all the hype around the great test results for the Oppo will surely keep it at a good resell value.

Sorry this wasn't more scientific. I am sure folks like HolyDoc who knows a ton about the technical aspects of these units would have been able to write something much more detailed and technologically correct. I just wanted to share the immediate impressions found. I guess bottom line is that quality stands the test of time (read.Polk Vintage). Even with something as techie as a DVD player. The Toshiba stays for both music and video.

The Oppo is surely a great video DVD player for $199, or whatever you can get it for, if you are going from an older low-end unit that doesn't have digital outs and where you now have a new tv and want to match it with some decent video. Super clear picture and probably knocks off anything out there 3-4 times the price easily. But...don't get it and think you are getting a solid CD player included. You aren't. And...there are several excellent slightly older players for $200 where good ol' Red Green Blue component video gives a sweet evening at the movies with some soda and popcorn. Maybe there is no need to go digital just yet. Now, HD-DVD is a totally different animal and me for one, will have to wait a while to experience this first hand. Too darn expensive.

Just my humble 2 cents.

Sami

francis1967 wrote:

Now, HD-DVD is a totally different animal and me for one, will have to wait a while to experience this first hand. Too darn expensive.

I was going to mention it. IMO spending $200 on a SD-DVD player for minimal PQ improvement is expensive. Why not pony up the extra $300 and get a huge improvement if you're going to be spending money? Or just wait and not buy anything at this moment if you already have a decent DVD player.

drew spelts

Because people like me had a crap player. Had limited resources (student and all). Only have a 32" HD TV. And did not want to buy over a 100 DVD's again just yet. Slow upgrades are it from here on out.

Sami

drew spelts wrote:

Because people like me had a crap player. Had limited resources (student and all). Only have a 32" HD TV. And did not want to buy over a 100 DVD's again just yet. Slow upgrades are it from here on out.

You don't have to buy the DVD's in HD to enjoy the HD-DVD player (very nice upconversion) but being able to play HD discs is a big bonus. I rent them anyway, much cheaper that way thanks to Netflix. If you're on a budget and stuck with a 32" then (upconverting) DVD player for $50-70 would save even more money versus $200. Even if the OPPO has slightly better PQ is it really worth it to put $200 for a SD-DVD player? I would just wait until HD players drop in price and used that saved money then for better bang for your money.

AndyGwis

I just got a Pioneer Elite DV-59avi for $400, and if you don't want/need HDMI, you can get the DV-47ai for $250-$300 used.

Had it for 2 weeks now. . . best PQ I've seen on my plasma for DVD and also very strong CD, SACD, and DVD-A sound quality. I'm not even sure I set everything up correctly yet for Multi-channel analog, but sounds great to me!

I'd look into those models if you would spend $200-$400 on a universal player. If you are just looking for the best DVD playback and not a universal, I'd just keep my Tosh if I were you. Wait for HD-DVD / BluRay to battle it out and then come down in price.