I was planning on buying a Dennon 3910 but thanks to Jack, I’m wondering why I shouldn’t try the Oppo Digital OPDV971H. http://www.oppodigital.com/

I scored better than the 5910 at secrets. So what’s the Dennons have that this little bugger doesn’t have??
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=124

Oh, I just plan to watch DVD’s and no audio listening – if that makes a difference.

What cha'all think?? Should I buy it?? Hu-hu! Should I - should I??!! I'm not excited. really, just had some kick-ass expresso!!

……..link police please feel free to fix the above link at will.

Mike, Sorry if I planted an unwelcome seed.

Link Police: Oppo's Benchmark Test score and comments

I have a Denon 2910 as well as the Oppo. I tend to watch DVDs on the the OPPO, and use the Denon for music, particularly SACDs and DVD-As (though the Oppo WILL play DVD-As).

I, by no means, could be considered a discriminating viewer when it comes to the PQ of DVD players. I'm not real hip to edge enhancement, and all that other technical stuff. I don't look for those flaws cuz if I find them, then I'll be finding them all the time and spoiling the movie experience. I'm a fan of the "ignorance is bliss" theory . I really don't notice much difference in the PQ of the two machines. That doesn't mean there isn't any, just that I don't notice it.

The thing about the Denon I prefer is it's build quality. It is just a more solid, quality built unit which, at 2 to 3 times the price, is as it should be. If the price was the same, I'd definitely go for the Denon, even though the Oppo is rated higher in the Secrets Benchmark Test.

However, there are three factors that lead me to recommend the Oppo over the Denon. The first is the aforementioned price. $200 is a great price for a player that does as well as the Oppo.

The second is the FANTASTIC Oppo customer service, and the effort the company has made to listen to purchaser's complaints and rapidly address them with firmware updates, if at all possible. Some things just can't be corrected in the firmware.

The third is the fact that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players are just around the corner, and, of course , I'll be succumbing to the upgraditis itch and getting one (after the prices come down and the bugs are worked out). If I were buying now, I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on a player that will be replaced sometime in the next year or two. However, my Denon will not be out of date, because I use it for all my music listening, particularly SACDs and DVD-As.

So, under the current circumstances, the Oppo provides just about all anybody could ask for in a DVD player.

A friend of mine has the Oppo and I've enjoyed watching movies through it on numerous occasions. The thing I like most about it is the fact that Oppo gives constant firmware upgrades whenever there is a problem. Granted, if you don't use the DVI connection then all bets are off. It's an average player at best. I heard DVDA through it for the first time last week (Steely Dan) and it sounded pretty good. It'd probably sound great to most people, but I don't like 5.1 channel music.

Unless you are having problems with the Integra, I would hang onto it a while longer. Thinks are going to change very quickly. If you have to spend money that's tearing a whole in your pocket, Get the Oppo.

Well the Integra is used for stero only in the great room stereo system. I have a Toshiba 6200 that I'm using for DVD's upstairs. I'm not real happy with it.

I should have just bought a good CD changer instead of thinking I might listen to DVDA's. Not one of my better decisions buying that Integra. It's not all that great of a DVD player.

Friendly advice: You shouldn't really base your dedcison entirely on the final benchmark score. From what I remember, the final score is not the be all and end allwhen comparing one player to another. Read the "Guide to the Progressive Scan Shootouts" on their website to learn more.

A good example is the Pioneer Elite 59avi. It was last year's player of the year despite having a total score of "only" 88 compared to the Denon 3910 scoring a 92.

The difference in price between the Oppo and the Denon probably have to do with build quality, DACs, and the ability to play SACD & DVD-A's. If you are just looking for a good picture and not a big-time videophile who looks for chroma and jaggies, I would go Oppo if you use the DVI connection. If you are looking for something more, than go Denon.

I really think this is a pretty simple decision. You can get the Oppo for around $200 while the Denon can cost $1000 (5x more). I HIGHLY doubt you will get 5x increase in performance jumping from the Oppo to the Denon. I think (and only my opinion) the Denon's are way overpriced and you certainly get to the point of diminishing returns. If you can wait a couple more months save up for the Blu-ray players which should probably retail for the cost of a Denon. But that's just my 2 cents.

I agree with hashts. For 5x the price I had better get 5x the performance, features, and build quality.

I see the OPPO has Faroudja video s/p chips. That's an excellent start.

Can someone give me the abbreviated version of the benefits of Blue ray? I don't have a clue beyond cell phones.

You might be thinking of BlueTOOTH re: cell phones. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are the two competing standards for higher resolution DVDs, sort of another VHS/Beta thing. Both should start rolling out next year some time.

Current DVDs are basically 480i resolution; I think the new standards go up to 1080 although I'm rusty on the details right now.

And maybe they'll figure out which is the dominant one before they release the new technology! Then again, given our little SACD/DVD-A example (which the general consumer has roundly rejected), maybe not.

Mike, we're talking abut the next generation of optical disc formats, called Blu-Ray, not bluetooth which is a form of wireless communication used with, among other things, cell phones and their earphone/microphone.

There is a format war going on between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD (just like the Beta vs. VHS videotape war) to see which format will be the next generation. Here is a fairly readable article about the whole thing.

HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray: who cares?