Oppo 983 Preview

[littlesaint]

Secrets has a (p)review up. Very impressive. A bit spendy for an Oppo, but the ABT scaler they are using is easily on par with the Reon.

Oppo 983

[Jack Gilvey]

Wow...looks fantastic, thanks. Strange having an HDMI 1.2a port and not having DSD output, but they say the chipset doesn't allow it.
I suppose the obvious question is "why spend $400 on an SD player in this HD age?" John E. Johnson addresses it in his response:

The reason for getting a separate SD DVD player like the Oppo DV-983H rather than using the PS3 which has Blu-ray capabilities, is that the PS3 does not handle SD DVDs very well. It's a good Blu-ray player but not a good SD DVD player (review forthcoming). Consumers have big libraries of standard DVDs, and they want to watch them in the best way possible.

I have to admit, I don't see myself buying another SD player solely for video purposes, so this statement from JEJ himself (more than just rumor, then, I'd assume) is nice to see:

Oppo is working on a Blu-ray player. No idea when it will be done though.

A BD player from Oppo would be my first choice, I have lots of confidence in their products and support. A universal that'd do BD/SACD/DVD-A would be fantastic.

[Blindamood]

Secrets has a (p)review up. Very impressive. A bit spendy for an Oppo, but the ABT scaler they are using is easily on par with the Reon.

And it is also now available for preorder from Oppo:

Oppo DV-983H

[aud19]

Not much mention how it fares over component....hope it's at least close to the HDMI performance...

[Hdale85]

I would guess that HDMI performance is almost equal to or is equal to honestly :B. My problem is this. I'm waiting for their new BD player but if they just released a DVD player that costs 399 makes me wonder what the BD player is going to cost. Maybe I'll just go with one of the new Sony's.

[Jack Gilvey]

Not much mention how it fares over component....hope it's at least close to the HDMI performance...

JEJ from the comments section:

The component video performance was the same as the HDMI performance. I just posted one set of graphs to represent both.

[Jack Gilvey]

My problem is this. I'm waiting for their new BD player but if they just released a DVD player that costs 399 makes me wonder what the BD player is going to cost. Maybe I'll just go with one of the new Sony's.

One comment mentions an April '09 date for the BD, and those are always optimistic. I hadn't really planned on waiting that long, so I may just grab the console soon and see what firmware updates bring....

[Hdale85]

Well seems the new Sony BD-P550 (I think thats the number?) is going to be as good as the PS3. I really want a stand alone player and it comes out relatively soon.

[aud19]

Missed that, thanks Jack :T

[artv4]

the 983 only has hdmi 1.2a????? what does the 981 have?
art

[Jack Gilvey]

the 983 only has hdmi 1.2a????? what does the 981 have?
art

1.1, I believe. Since you say "only" 1.2a, I'm assuming you think HDMI 1.3 would be a benefit for SD DVD or hi-rez audio. What might it provide that 1.2 can't (again, given what this player can play)?

[artv4]

jack,
do you think its worth the upgrade from the 981 to the 983?

art

[Jack Gilvey]

jack,
do you think its worth the upgrade from the 981 to the 983?

art

Tough to say. For video ,the 981 is already superb, so I can't imagine anything being a big jump up. For audio, they should be identical.

[littlesaint]

Tough to say. For video ,the 981 is already superb, so I can't imagine anything being a big jump up. For audio, they should be identical.

For those who experience the DCDi macroblocking issue, the 983 should be a huge improvement. The ABT scaler is on the same level as the Reon. Can't say the same for DCDi.

[artv4]

For those who experience the DCDi macroblocking issue, the 983 should be a huge improvement. The ABT scaler is on the same level as the Reon. Can't say the same for DCDi.

i did have an issue with the macroblocking with the 981, though, it was a great player. i just sold my on ebay and pre-ordering my 983!!!! man i go through audio gear like underwear!!!!

[Jack Gilvey]

For those who experience the DCDi macroblocking issue, the 983 should be a huge improvement. The ABT scaler is on the same level as the Reon. Can't say the same for DCDi.

Ahh, yes, good ol' macroblocking. I've never seen it, but I did find my non-DCDi 970 to have a somewhat sharper pic than my 971 over my AE900. Oppo support seemed to expect this.

[aud19]

Tough to say. For video ,the 981 is already superb, so I can't imagine anything being a big jump up. For audio, they should be identical.

How are they for audio quality? Particularly DVD-A/SACD?

[Hdale85]

I don't know... You can get the Toshiba HD-A20 or A30 for 100 bucks or less now and it uses ABT processors and scalers and do an awesome job on DVD. I'm sure the oppo has a few more features but most of them I don't need. 400 bucks is just a bit much for me for a DVD player right now.

[nikos]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Gilvey
Tough to say. For video ,the 981 is already superb, so I can't imagine anything being a big jump up. For audio, they should be identical.

How are they for audio quality? Particularly DVD-A/SACD?

Right now its Sold out... or held back till later.....

Thank god I pre-ordered mine...
I have been following this player at AVSForum where there is an indepth discussion about the player in the DVD section. It was an easier decision for me going from a 971 to the 983. And I sold mine to a friend for $120...which made the buy in a little better...

Everyone is very tight lipped on this as Oppo has an embargo on posts or reviews from the beta testers, until release date march 10th which is just a few days away...

Here is a very loose summary of what has been confirmed from beta testers so far. (especially user Neuromancer, which has the inside scoop

Basically everything is better than the 981.... when using HDMI !! component performance is the same...The ABT is completely bypassed when using component.

however its only noticeable to projected large images 120+ where the details
- fixes macroblocking artifacts.
-Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer
Your standard differences. You should see less aliasing (jagged edges), no interlacing errors (combing on the horizontal plane), no artificial edge enhancement (ringing or haloing along edges), no CUE or Y/C Delay (color bleeding), less or no moire (shimmering), no loss of resolution when zooming, and so forth.
-The DV-983H supports PAL 2:2 Cadence, while the DV-980H does not
-If you are going with HDMI, you'll lose the DSD on SACD and will have to use PCM - this DOES NOT mean a degradation in quality... DSD will be available converted to 88.2/24 bit PCM. we're waiting for a review in depth from Stereophile in the May issue...

I just found out the 2nd part to the Secrets review is out... and they have more pics and a link to the MANUAL for the 983H!!!! also here is a quote from Jason Liao, Vice President of Product Development at Oppo Digital that was sent to JEJ from Secrets

1.Isolated power regulators and larger capacitors are used for each portion of the analog audio path: the digital portion of the DAC, the analog portion of the DAC, and the op-amps.
2.The power supply voltage for the op-amps is raised to 12V and -12V from the 980H’s 9V and -9V. This helps with the dynamic range.
3.The front L/R channels receive special treatment with better audio coupling capacitors and power de-coupling capacitors.
4.The switching power supply is electro-magnetically shielded.

keep in mind this is the only player to receive a 100/100 from Secrets...

[Jack Gilvey]

How are they for audio quality? Particularly DVD-A/SACD?

Sounds like they made some improvements to the analog section. For HDMI use, I think they do the same thing as my 970.

however its only noticeable to projected large images 120+ where the details

Makes sense, given how little the 981 does wrong. Aside from macroblock-friendly displays, of course. :W

[CupCak3]

That is a bit over my range for a s-dvd player. I'd rather spend a bit more cash and get one of these.

http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvprod...p?prod_id=5276

I've seen them pre-ordered around for a bit over $500

[Alaric]

It's on Oppo's website now. http://www.oppodigital.com/dv983h/default.asp

[Jack Gilvey]

Special stretch modes make it possible to utilize the full resolution of ultra high-end projectors with anamorphic lens.

Very cool! I e-mailed them basically begging for this feature in their forthcoming BD player.