wuzzzer Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 After doing some research on oppo's site and various other audio sites I came to the conclusion that their DV-981HD player might not be the best for my TV. I have a JVC HD-56FN97 tv that utilizes LCoS (Liquid crystal on silicon) technology. Apparently the Faroudja chipset in the 981 player doesn't mate up well with the JVC's internal processing. So, to my surprise I noticed the other day that oppo was releasing a new player, the DV-980H. I received it at home today and hooked it up. First DVD was Shrek 2. Calibrated everything that needed to be and set the upconverting resolution to 1080p to match my TV's native resolution. WOW WOW WOW! The picture looked twice as sharp as it did with the 981. Both players were hooked up via the supplied HDMI cable. The player is supposed to have an upgraded audio section and I believe it. I only listened to one audio CD so far and it sounded great. (I'm using the player's L+R rca outputs). I have the weekend off of work so I think I'll be having a little fun! The 980 is nice in that it has both component and HDMI outputs, although it will only upscale through the HDMI output. It will play virtually any audio or video disc format as well. I'd love to get my hands on some DVD-Audio discs to see how they sound. My wife commented that even she could see the difference in picture quality. That's saying something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atleer Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 I have that exact same TV, which I have been extremely pleased with. Right now I only have my 360 for DVD's and have been needing to get something. I've been eyeing the 980 because of the audio performance, and if the video is really that great, you may have just sealed the deal for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobRiff Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 The DV-980H is the same model I'm planning to buy. I'm going to use it strictly for CD/SACD/DVD-A playback in my audio system. It won't even be hooked to a TV. Please let us know how the audio sounds after you've had a chance to listen more. I'm especially interested in SACD / DVD-A performance. I don't own any in either format yet, but I was impressed with the one's I heard at the Pilgrimage. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonecj Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Wuzzer... Just got your email. I have to admit, I was wondering about this myself. I have a computer setup with a DVI-to-HDMI out to the JVC, & playing a DVD from the computer is much sharper that the OPPO. I was actually thinking of selling the OPPO! What really amazed me was that if I make an image of the DVD & play it direct from the image, It is very close to HD, much better than playing it straight from the disk. I havent been able to explain this one yet! Maybe you just did! What I cant believe is that the 980-h is much cheaper that the 981. I wonder if OPPO has a downgrade policy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_Dude Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Does the 980H have a Faroudja in it? I don't see it on the specs from oppo's website and I am thinking that is why it is cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted August 25, 2007 Author Share Posted August 25, 2007 Does the 980H have a Faroudja in it? I don't see it on the specs from oppo's website and I am thinking that is why it is cheaper. No, it uses a different chip from Microtek (I think??). I played a CD in the oppo this morning for a couple hours while i was gone. Now that I'm home and listening to it, the highs seem clearer than they did in the 981. Everything about the audio is at least as good if not better than the 981. I can't comment on SACD or DVD-Audio but so far audio CDs sound very good. I already sold my 981 to a member on here so I don't have them to do an exact A/B comparison but I listen to my CDs enough to know if there's any difference in sound. The oppo also does have a button that disables all video circuitry so that the audio signal doesn't receive any possible interference from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted August 25, 2007 Author Share Posted August 25, 2007 Audio CDs take less than 10 seconds to cue up and play from the time the tray is closed, that's a nice improvement over almost any other DVD player I've had before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbie Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 I have the 981 connected to a Sony XBR2. The calibrator found that the Oppo actually produced a more accurate picture with the player set for 480p and allowing the Sony to do the conversion. The color accuracy was better with this configuration than setting the Oppo at 1080p. I still use the Oppo for DVD-A and SACD so it wasn't a complete waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dachuckster Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 On the Oppo web site, they list recomendations for which player to get for what ype of TV. I have the Sony KDS-SXBR1 (60") LCoS HDTV, but I do not see which player would be best. The TV does have HDMI inputs for 1080i. I am also using an Outlaw 990 pre pro which has component and DVI inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 When I emailed oppo they said they recommend the DV-980H for any LCoS television, Sony or JVC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 Am planning to buy the Oppo DV-981HD for my Pioneer 50" plasma -- unless anyone can provide any concerns. So we are thinking the upconverting player is the way to go versus the BlueRay or HD DVD? My main benefit is that I can continue to travel with regular dvds or play them on my computer without having to worry about finding another BlueRay player. Is the sound the same between the new HD players vs the Oppo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted September 26, 2007 Author Share Posted September 26, 2007 BluRay and HD-DVD players will also play regular DVDs and I believe most of them upconvert the picture too. A player from oppo is for someone who wants something that will play virtually any audio or video format out there (except for BluRay, HD-DVD) at an incredibly great value. There are higher quality audio formats available on BluRay or HD-DVD players but the oppo players are excellent in their audio capabilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted September 26, 2007 Share Posted September 26, 2007 My concern was having a BlueRay player at home and then getting a BlueRay disk in the mail form Netflix -- then not being able to play it on the regular dvd player at a vacation home or on my computer while traveling. With the Oppo it seems that I can still get the 1080i visibility and not have to worry about disk format. As long as the player is hooked to the receiver, it doesn't matter what audio capability the dvd player has, right? It should be limited by the receiver, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted September 26, 2007 Author Share Posted September 26, 2007 If you're using some sort of digital output from the DVD player then yes that's pretty much true. Analog outputs would be a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Auuuughhh! I can't decide whether to purchase the Oppo upconverting or just go ahead and get the BlueRay S300... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 Just checking back to see if anyone has comments on whether one should purchase the BlueRay or a simple upconverting player (read: Oppo)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtximages Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 I wonder how the oppo would compare to my sony on a large projection system? My projector is native 720p. Also, when will they introduce an HD/Blue Ray player? maybe theyre waiting until the battle ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronmarks Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 The DV-980H is the same model I'm planning to buy. I'm going to use it strictly for CD/SACD/DVD-A playback in my audio system. It won't even be hooked to a TV. Please let us know how the audio sounds after you've had a chance to listen more. I'm especially interested in SACD / DVD-A performance. I don't own any in either format yet, but I was impressed with the one's I heard at the Pilgrimage. Thanks. Just remember to hook it up to a TV to configure it first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardP Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I bought one a few weeks ago, primarily for SACD/DVD-A playback, andsecondarily for its upscaling video so I can make use of the 1080iplayback on my somewhat aging RPTV. I am not a video resolution freak,so I cannot comment as to whether the Oppo is outstanding/great/OK orwhatever at video playback. From reading threads on AVS Forums, manyTVs look no better at 1080i than they do at 480p; maybe mine is one ofthose. The audio feature that makes the Oppo great (especiallyat the price), aside from being a universal player, is thechannel trim feature in audio playback. Many receivers/amps cannot makeany adjustment to the hi-rez analog audio inputs. I formerly used aPioneer 588 universal player for SACD/DVD-As, and it had no channeladjustment and only crude bass management; it played the bass/LFEchannel on DVD-As at such a low level that I could only enjoy listeningto the DD or DTS tracks, not the 6-ch analog tracks (although SACDssounded much better). The Oppo allows one to adjust each hi-rez analogchannel in 0.5 dB increments, and DVD-A analog tracks finally sound asthey should. Another small feature that makes sense is that foraudio-only playback, you can turn off the video OSD; if not, itdisplays the normal video menus, etc., for DVD-As, and a generic track# listing for SACDs and CDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papashawn Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 RichardP, How would you rate the quality of the sacd/dvd-a playback over the analog outputs? I've read a ton on the AVS forum about how this player outputs DSD over HDMI and can convert it to PCM if you have the earlier 1.1 version of HDMI in your preamp. Well I don't have any hdmi inputs, and plan on using this player for probably 80% sacd/dvd-a over the analog outputs into my pre/pro. I just want someone's honest opinion on how this unit sounds over the analogs. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.