Just as I was about to toss my Oppo OPDV971H.........

[gordong11]

for a 2nd Samsung DVD-HD960, I saw that Oppo has come out with a new 1080p model!! The DV-981HD.

Now I have been swearing on the Samsung. For instance with the Lord of the Rings movies, Not only is the picture superior to the 971H on my Sony 1080P LCD, but I get about 50% more picture in standard play mode. The letterbox effect is much less on the Samsung. Also it is extremely hard to tell that it is not HD, only a videophile could notice a difference between cable 1080i HD, and the Samsungs upsampling...I mean this. I can barely tell. Blue Planet, Seas of Life DVD I'd challenge anyone to tell it's not HD.

However, Now Oppo has come out with a 1080P player:

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/index.html

I wonder...I wonder. The price is about $60 more than the Samsung, but Knowing Oppo it is a darn good player. The Samsung also has a great remote control, with buttons like "ez view" for perfect 4:3(and I mean perfect 4:3) screen fit and zoom; plus other super easy controls.

Now the Oppo will play SVCD, VCD..darn everything! and probably worth the $60 in quality/playability alone. Plus I'm sure its easy to Region code hack it, if not capable out of the box. The only drawback that I can see is only 1 HDMI output and NONE Component? This is probably not a dealbreaker though.

Is anyone using this new DV-981HD? please post your thoughts

For the record I I own a Sony KDL-40v2500 which I have the Samsung hooked into, an Hitachi 42HDS69 plasma(1024x1080 native res + 3 HDMI for low cost and rocks) which I have the Oppo 971H hooked into. I tried both players on both TV's and the Samsung is the clear winner on both, but only very slightly on picture into the plasma.

[edDV]

Oppo OPDV971H.........

If you are going to toss the 971H, toss it in this direction

[gordong11]

Oppo OPDV971H.........

If you are going to toss the 971H, toss it in this direction

LOL. sure and I just may since you asked... once I decide a new 2nd player...if you really want it. No Box, just remote, player and DVI to HDMI cable.

Actually the new Oppo only having 1 HDMI out, and no other vid outs is a bummer for my needs.

[edDV]

I hear you. I'm just looking for 1080i/720p/480p for now, but with all the outputs.

They were very clear that analog component was dropped to focus the target customer.

That means more models are coming or they are being sued because some features weren't offered over analog component in the past models.

[FulciLives]

Oppo OPDV971H.........

If you are going to toss the 971H, toss it in this direction

LOL. sure and I just may since you asked... once I decide a new 2nd player...if you really want it. No Box, just remote, player and DVI to HDMI cable.

Actually the new Oppo only having 1 HDMI out, and no other vid outs is a bummer for my needs.

The Oppo Digital OPDV971H only used the DCDi by Faroudja chipset when you used the DVI output. The new Oppo Digital DV-981HD is likely the same, i.e., you only get to benefit of the DCDi by Faroudja chipset when using the HDMI output.

Either way it makes no sense to use either Oppo if you aren't taking advantage of the DCDi by Faroudja chipset.

Please don't tell me you have been using your Oppo Digital OPDV971H via something other than the DVI out. If so you have been wasting the talents of a great DVD player.

However if you still want to get rid of your Oppo Digital OPDV971H then please consider this ... I make a hell of a lot less money than edDV 8)

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[edDV]

FulciLives, we were thinking similar.

I didn't see your post before I did my update. It seems like the only reason they would drop analog components.

[FulciLives]

FulciLives, we were thinking similar.

I didn't see your post before I did my update. It seems like the only reason they would drop analog components.

Since cable TV and satellite TV converter boxes do HDTV resolutions over component my guess is that many people expect an up-converting DVD player to do the same.

So Oppo Digital probably decided to remove the component output so as to remove the delusion of getting HDTV resolutions over component.

Also since the DCDi by Faroudja chipset didn't work over anything but DVI on the first model ... well that is yet another confusing thing eliminated by removing the component out although I bet there are still some that think they will get the DCDi by Faroudja chipset benefit via composite or S-Video but alas that is not the case.

Personally I am not "sold" on the case for using an up-converting DVD player but I would like to get the benefit of the DCDi by Faroudja chipset since it has superior PAL to NTSC conversion compared to anything else out there and I have a large (and always growing) collection of PAL DVD discs. Even though I am in the USA my movie tastes are not always satisfied by NTSC DVD releases.

Luckily my HDTV has a HDMI HDCP input ... I just have to scrap the money up now for the Oppo Digital and although my HDTV tops out at 1080i I might as well get the newer DV-981HD unless someone manages to give me a OPDV971H for free or ultra cheap *wink* *wink* there gordong11

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[edDV]

The problem for most is they only have one HDMI input an that gets used for the cable or dbs box as it should. So they plug the DVD player in the analog component input. Analog component can do 720p and 1080i fine but won't usually work with upscaling DVD players.

Active HDMI switchers are expensive. Next the customer will buy a HD DVD player and discover that it too wants to plug into the HDMI input or no HD. Now they are forced to buy the $200 switcher and live with yet another remote.

I made this prediction back a year or so. I think the HD DVD player/recorder should have a built in active HDMI switcher to solve this problem. It should plug into the TV and accept the cable tuner and upscaling DVD player as HDMI inputs.

The problem is this is politically incorrect in Hollywood circles because solving this user problem will lead him next to ask why his HD DVD recorder/player won't record from the cable box or upscaling DVD player in HD resolutions? This comes as Hollywood is trying to turn on HPCP encryption and force the broadcast flag through Congress. Trouble in river city.

[FulciLives]

I have my cable box connected to my DVD recorder using S-Video and only use component out of the cable box for HDTV stuff.

I hate how non HDTV stuff looks over component ... it looks better via S-Video to me.

My cable box has HDMI but I've never used it. It is the only device I have with HDMI out and I don't have a HDMI cable so ...

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[lacywest]

Good Info

[gordong11]

Oppo OPDV971H.........

If you are going to toss the 971H, toss it in this direction

LOL. sure and I just may since you asked... once I decide a new 2nd player...if you really want it. No Box, just remote, player and DVI to HDMI cable.

Actually the new Oppo only having 1 HDMI out, and no other vid outs is a bummer for my needs.

The Oppo Digital OPDV971H only used the DCDi by Faroudja chipset when you used the DVI output. The new Oppo Digital DV-981HD is likely the same, i.e., you only get to benefit of the DCDi by Faroudja chipset when using the HDMI output.

Either way it makes no sense to use either Oppo if you aren't taking advantage of the DCDi by Faroudja chipset.

Please don't tell me you have been using your Oppo Digital OPDV971H via something other than the DVI out. If so you have been wasting the talents of a great DVD player.

However if you still want to get rid of your Oppo Digital OPDV971H then please consider this ... I make a hell of a lot less money than edDV 8)

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

I have an old sharp projection system svga that uses either compent or composite inputs. I dont use it much, but I cant use HDMI with it. The HD is OK, but can only use it at night.

On another topic, I have a Cablevision HD DVR cablebox where if I connect via HDMI the picture STINKS in comparison to Compenent connection. Is the box just poor quality? I have decent HDMI cables.

[edDV]

On another topic, I have a Cablevision HD DVR cablebox where if I connect via HDMI the picture STINKS in comparison to Compenent connection. Is the box just poor quality? I have decent HDMI cables.

What Make/Model DVR?

What are you connecting it to? (Make/Model)

Do you have the resolution set correctly?
(i.e. 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i ...)

[amb7247]

question....if I were to buy Oppo's newest dvd player...the $200 one. And it only has HDMI output on it. MY Tv doesn't have HDMI..however it does have an DVI port on it so would I be able to buy a female HDMI to DVI adapter and still receive the upscaled images?

Oh and on the back of my tv where the DVI connection is it says DVI/HDCP.

[edDV]

question....if I were to buy Oppo's newest dvd player...the $200 one. And it only has HDMI output on it. MY Tv doesn't have HDMI..however it does have an DVI port on it so would I be able to buy a female HDMI to DVI adapter and still receive the upscaled images?

HDMI to DVI adapters exist.
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI-hdmi_adapt.html#mfhdmi

[amb7247]

I'm guessing this should work to. They make their own stuff and don't sell through anyone else. I use their RCA cables for my car and they work really well.

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=eKs-HFDM


HDMI female to DVI Male. I'm guessing that if my tv is DVI/HDCP I'd be able to do Oppo's latest DVD player?

[edDV]

You might want to call and ask first. Make sure audio can be sent over the other connectors.
http://www.oppodigital.com/support.htm

[amb7247]

when I saw the dark green where the black level was on my JVC while playing superman returns. I couldn't watch it. It was just fugly.

[MJA]

I have my cable box connected to my DVD recorder using S-Video and only use component out of the cable box for HDTV stuff.

I hate how non HDTV stuff looks over component ... it looks better via S-Video to me.

My cable box has HDMI but I've never used it. It is the only device I have with HDMI out and I don't have a HDMI cable so ...

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

I heard alot of good reviews from AVSforum.com about this site HDMI cables from $6 and up(I saw a nice one for $17)

http://www.monoprice.com/home/?CartID=40217397620061128&style=

[FulciLives]

I have my cable box connected to my DVD recorder using S-Video and only use component out of the cable box for HDTV stuff.

I hate how non HDTV stuff looks over component ... it looks better via S-Video to me.

My cable box has HDMI but I've never used it. It is the only device I have with HDMI out and I don't have a HDMI cable so ...

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

I heard alot of good reviews from AVSforum.com about this site HDMI cables from $6 and up(I saw a nice one for $17)

http://www.monoprice.com/home/?CartID=40217397620061128&style=

That's kewl ... I'll have to check it out.

Whatever happened to the days of the avsforum talking about using $500 A/C cords in order to get "acceptable quality" LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[amb7247]

Does it matter if I get 28AWG 2or 24 AWG cable? Does it really matter for HDMI to DVI?

[edDV]

This is the most objective HDMI cable review I've seen. The problem with DVI and HDMI design is they used shielded twisted pair instead of coax. This makes it difficult to get them to work over longer distances. By contrast SMPTE-259m (SD) and 292M (HD) (aka SDI) can go hundreds of feet over a single coax.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/hdmi-cables.htm