Got the OPPO 981 today...

shawn474

Santa came a little early, and delivered the Oppo 981. I set it up and had blue faces on all the people in the movies. Called customer service and they walked me through the latest firmware upgrade. Fixed the problem.

I'll say this, if the HD DVD players picture are better it can't be by much. Thsi picture and sound are outstanding!!!!! Couldn't be happier with the purchase. I watch "lady in the water" and "u-571" before my daughter got home and watched "Mary Poppins". Even the wife thinks it is a much better picture and sound and she would never comment on that stuff before.

Great price, great customer service for a great product.

Shawn

millerman 3732

What did it replace?

shawn474

It replaced a 3 year old progressive scan DVD player that kicked the bucket a week ago.

snow

shawn474 wrote:

It replaced a 3 year old progressive scan DVD player that kicked the bucket a week ago.

i havent read any reviews yet on the 981 but if its anything like the 970/971 you will be very happy video and audio wise. they seem to make an incredibile product for the money involved. here is a link to a shootout that has the 971 in it.http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all it actually scored the highest score of any dvd player they have ever tested. it beat out the denon 5910 it came in second and actually beat out an $13k esoteric player believe it or not. btw i ordered the 970 last week hopefully it will be here soon and i can put it through its paces:D REGARDS SNOW

shawn474

I looked at the Blu-Ray and Toshiba (BREIFLY after seeing their price tags) and decided that I would "settle" for an up-conversion DVD player. Because of Oppo's reputation and the recent reviews that had come out on the 970 and 971, I wanted to go for the 981 (for DVD-audion, SACD and up-conversion features; also it is a black unit - didn't like the silver). I figured that once the format war plays out and there is one defined piece that will take over (and the price drops), i would revisit the other option. But after hooking up the Oppo and watching a few movies on it, I'm not sure what other features that the Blu-Ray or Toshiba would give besides minimal increase in PQ. People may disagree with the use of "minimal", but I can't possibly see how much better the picture can get on my 47" panasonic rear projection.

In its price point and for all the features that this unit offers, there really is no way to go wrong with this purchase. Whloeheartedly recommend; I even used the customer service and it was GREAT. Walked me through the firmware update and was very patient.