Comments on: OPPO DV-970HD DVD Player Review

By: Shaun

Shaun — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:33:54 +0000

I m planning to purchase a home theater. My price range would be approx. USD 400. Came across an article on Samsung HT-Q20 at

Was quite impressed with the features listed over there. Can anyone suggest should I go for it or there is some better option available

By: Wayne Grima

Wayne Grima — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:42:23 +0000

Whatever you do, jDuB, or any others, do not, I repeat, do not get an Oppo DVD player. The reason I even considered an Oppo is because of all the great reviews I read about Oppo online. I managed to find someone here in Canada that sells them online and purchased the 981. I discovered the whole macroblocking issue. After repeated attempts to resolve the problem through contacting Oppo customer service and my online retailer, with no positive results, I decided to ask the retailer to refund the purchase. Because it was beyond the refund date, they could not refund it but would allow me to exchange it for the cheaper 971 model which did not have the Farrouda processor. Unfortunately, I continue to have macroblocking problems which are quite annoying especially when watching dark scenes. As the previous poster said, it’s not noticeable with animated movies as they look great as does the HDTV throught the digital cable, so I know it’s not my new Plasma display that’s the problem. Now I’m stuck with an overpriced and poor quality DVD player. So buyer beware!

By: Kolcun

Kolcun — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:40:37 +0000

I’m looking at getting a Samsung 1080p DLP too, and I emailed the oppo techs for some info. Here is what I got.

DLP technology is particularly susceptible to macroblocking, due to the
low bit-depth and contrast and brightness ratios. DLP displays
primarily use 8-bit processing and an 8-bit PWM scheme on the DMD
mirrors, and out of box, most DLPs do not fully utilize their entire
range of digital bits (steps between black and white). For this reason,
without proper calibration using professional grade calibration discs
such as AVIA or DVE, DLP displays will enhance macroblocking and
false-contouring errors.

Because DLP displays are macroblock enhancing, we would not recommend
the use of the OPDV971H or DV-981HD on DLP displays, as the OPDV971H
and DV-981HD will macroblock enhance as well. We would recommend the
DV-970HD for DLP displays as it will produce a very good picture and
will not produce macroblocking errors.

Then I asked…

If I were to use AVIA to calibrate, would you then recommend the DV-981HD?

reply,

A calibration using AVIA will reduce the macroblocking artifacts but
these errors may still be a visual killjoy.

Hope this helps.

By: jDuB

jDuB — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:13:05 +0000

i have just recently purchased a samsung hls6188w (sister to the hls6187w) dlp 1080p capable hdtv. this is my first hdtv and am new to the whole home theater scene and would like some insight on some problems that have occured on the dvd playback on this set. i recieved a samsung hd-960 dvd 1080p upconverter and ran it via hdmi to my tv. animated movies appear fine(nothing special)but movies such as pirates of the carribean and troy were unacceptable in heavily shadowed scenes,displayed heavy grain and pixalation(which i believe to be the definition o this “macroblocking” everyone is raving about)if not its still unbarable to watch.i dont believe it to be the tv itself because it performs great from my hdtv cable-box through the hdmi.also it seems as though the picture for dvds is better through component but thats not what this tv set is suposed to be capable of. ive also tried a panasonic upconverter with the same results as the first.also i should mention that i have played with the picture settings using a calibration disc from monstercable.com .i have recently become interested in the oppo 981 after reading one great review after another until i heard of people having the same tv as me and the oppo produced heavy noise and it needed calibration(if so is this something the average joe can calibrate or no?)
in closing to my long winded rant, i hope to hear any suggestion or advice concerning macroblocking with this setup and what i should do to remedy this.

By: Peter O'Connell

Peter O'Connell — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:32:07 +0000

I have a Panasonic S97 player, which I love for video (via component) and DVD-Audio. But, the S97 doesn’t do SACD. So, I am looking for a universal player. The Denon 2910 is very attractive. But, even at close-out prices, I am reluctant to spend $450 just to get SACD. How does the Oppo 970 compare to the Denon for high res audio?

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 08:03:29 +0000

Hi,

I am debating between the Denon 1930CI and the 2930CI while using the new Sanyo Z5 LCD projector for viewing the material. Is the 2930CI an over-performer for the Z5 (native 1080X720)? I am afraid that I will be putting cash on something that my projector won’t be able to resolve? What’s your take? I’d love to get the 2930 but not if I can’t see any improvement in picture over the 1930 (not because the player isn’t better but because my projector won’t be able to resolve that incremental difference)

By: B.Greenway

B.Greenway — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 18:04:05 +0000

Allen, the Oppo also handles SACD and DVD-A any intrest in those audio formats? Something to consider.

By: whiteallen

whiteallen — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 22:14:05 +0000

I am thinking to use the oppo as a second player conected to an old (8 years) 27” panasonic CRT (analog) through s-video. Do u think it would have any advantage over a real cheap player under these circumstnaces? Should I get a $50 machine instead?

By: B.Greenway

B.Greenway — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 18:04:23 +0000

Hi Jake, I have no experience with the Sony NS75H whatsoever; sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

By: Jake Smith

Jake Smith — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 14:01:02 +0000

Have you ever tried to compare the Oppo 970 to the Sony NS75H for video and audio quality with film-based DVDs? How different are they? Thanks a million.

By: B.Greenway

B.Greenway — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:09:02 +0000

Hi Netarc,

On 1) If I were to win the lottery (oh please lord) right after donating a portion to charity, a Denon 3930ci, 5910 or 5910ci would be on the short list. The HQV (HQV/ABT in the 5910ci) chips in these players are astounding.

As to 2) Unfortunately I don’t own a outboard scaler, so I’m afraid I cant be of much help there.

By: Netarc

Netarc — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:13:11 +0000

Great review, thanks for the info & your thougthts on this player! A couple of questions for you:

1. Foregoing the HD-DVD player, what player is your “cost-no-object, player of choice” for standard DVDs?

2. Many people were most interested in the Oppo 480i player due to it’s native 480i via HDMI output, which could then be fed into an external video scaler … if you still have the Oppo 970 and an external scaler, what’s your thougths on the combo?

By: Moody75

Moody75 — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 20:32:10 +0000

How smooth is the search (FF and RWD during play mode)? I just took back my Panasonic DVD player since it drove me nuts (picture on screen is 20 seconds behind the actual time mark).

By: B.Greenway

B.Greenway — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:09:16 +0000

Steven, yes that’s how I reviewed it, HDMI was used for video only.

By: Steven Ratcliffe

Steven Ratcliffe — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 11:45:28 +0000

can i use the hdmi lead and still send the 5.1 sound out from the other connections.
a player a got the other day i had to take back as if you use the hdmi all the other connections turn off. so no sound to my amp.