I really need some help narrowing down my options for a DVD player. Mine is on its last leg and I now that I have this awesome Axiom system, I want to have a better and more flexible audio/video source.
I'd like to get a player that has all of the following: DVD-V, DVD-A, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, SACD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, single side/single layer, single side/dual layer, dual side/dual layer, MPEG, Windows Media, Dolby Digital, DTS, JPEG, HDMI, progressive scan. It would be nice if it can also do HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. And above all, it should flawlessly read disks and the controls should be responsive and crisp at least within the warranty period
.
The only one I have been able to find is the DVD 47 by Harman-Kardon and even this one doesn't meet the quality criteria I described above according to user reviews. Are any of you using a product that you would care to recommend?
OppoWon't do HD-DVD or Blu-ray, but the 981 upconverts to 1080p.
I would highly recomend the Oppo 981, I have a 971H and it is a superb player, PQ onto my 96" screen is fantastic. I will get a "HD" type player at some point but for now this is an unbeatable player and cheap too!
Chris
I agree with the Oppo recommendations. They have three models that all get high marks and the price value relationship is excellent. Take a look at the Oppo site to make sure you understand the differences (capabilities and connections differences).
I'll chime in on the Oppo recommendation. Which model you get relies largely on what outputs you need and whether you have a TV capable of 1080p. Awesome DVD player with excellent support.
Quote:
I'll chime in on the Oppo recommendation. Which model you get relies largely on what outputs you need and whether you have a TV capable of 1080p. Awesome DVD player with excellent support.
Actually it depends on wether you have HDMI or not, the 981 is capable of doing 720p, 1080i or 1080p upconvert but only upconverts thru HDMI. If you don't have HDMI then the 970 is the one to get(component).
All of you have saved me a heck of a lot of time. A big "thanks" to all of you. After reading about Oppo, it's definitely the one to get. Now I need to figure out if Oppo delivers into Canada and I need to decide on the model.
Oppo is a great product, I have one.
However, I would really suggest you jump into High-def players, either blu-ray, or HD-DVD, completely a different, new perspective, sound and video wise. I have a PS3, and really enjoy playing blu-ray movies I rent through Netflix (I have also purchased three). Their lossless PCM via direct path is awesome! Yet, many people feel like they have to wait until this high-def war settles, but it does not seem even close. Besides, life is too short...
In Canada you can order them from "Only Best Rated" at the link below. You can navigate here from the Oppo site -- go to "Oppo Resellers at the bottom of the home page then look for "Canada" :
http://www.onlybestrated.com/divx-players-c-21.html?osCsid=8dfd9bd1d64697a9b64de43cee34e085If you're in the Toronto area you can pick up from their warehouse in Mississauga. If not, I'm pretty sure they ship anywhere in Canada.
Thanks for the link but I bought off the Oppo US site a few hours ago. As for Blu-Ray, I guess I have to buy a PS3 now too
.
Quote:
Thanks for the link but I bought off the Oppo US site a few hours ago. As for Blu-Ray, I guess I have to buy a PS3 now too .
You won't regret it, I have a 981 going into my plasma...was shocked at how good the upscaling is on this unit. I would have to say my standard def DVDs on this player look about 90% as good as high def off the satellite.
Great for those of us not wanting to plunk down the money for a true HD player, also, I don't feel like re-buying my DVD library, the Oppo upconvert is good enough that I won't be rebuying my standard def DVDs when I get a high def player.
>>As for Blu-Ray, I guess I have to buy a PS3 now
You'll also need an XBox 360 for HD-DVD.
Quote:
You'll also need an XBox 360 for HD-DVD.
You're right. What's the point of buying a combo HD/Blu-Ray player for $1500 when I can get a couple of game consoles for about half the price.
You have to think "total investment". The combo player ends up much cheaper.
If you buy a BluRay/HDDVD combo player you will feel compelled to buy a bunch of high-def disks.
If you buy two game consoles you will feel compelled to buy a bunch of high-def disks AND a bunch of games... and you know how much money THAT's gonna cost you
You're right about the total cost of ownership. But I guess I didn't tell you that I want it ALL! Actually, I want to play the games more than my kids
.
You will need an HDMI receiver to listen to uncompressed PCM on the BR / HD disks unless you use the 7.1 analogue inputs. The PS3 is HDMI output only.
One other ‘option’ is to pick up a Toshiba HD-X2. It does an incredible job of up-scaling SD/dvd’s plus it plays HD/dvd’s. This particular model was in a recent shoot out by some guys at AVS. They put it up against a $5000 stand alone video processor (Crystalio 3300 / CII) and it did as well as the VP with a whole battery of tests.
The Oppo’s are great little players too. I was screwing around with the 971 a while back comparing it to my stand alone VP (DVDO VP-50). Sending my projector 720P output from both onto a 104” screen did not have remarkable differences. Definitely not enough to make me feel as if the three grand I dumped on the VP was worth it for up-scaling purposes only.
If you go with the 970, don’t expect it to output anything above 480P via component if the display devise is HD compliant. I’m pretty sure there are ways to hack the player to bypass this, but I don’t know how to do it.
The 971 is DVI output. You will need a DVI / HDMI cable if your display is HDMI. Don’t use the component outputs on this machine. It does a horrible job with component output.
The 981 is HDMI output.
It sounds like I will have to make the jump to an HDMI integrated receiver soon if I want to have BR/HD and games.
I actually bought the 970 and I plan on mimicking the set-up I have now. I will connect the 970 to my Denon using component video and then connect my Denon to the Samsung monitor via component as well. The Denon upscales and so does the Samsung. With this arrangement, when my cheap Sony DVD player is set on progressive, I have a picture that I am very, very satisfied with. I would imagine that the Oppo will be the same or better than the Sony (and last longer and be more responsive too).
Mojo, if you have HDMI on that TV, change your order now! get the 981. The Dennon and or your Samsung are not even close to the Farouda chip and scaler in the Oppo 981, seriously.
971 is no longr available, all Oppos come with required cables.
Chris
I thought long and hard about which model to get. The issue for me is not the extra cost but picture quality. I connected my Samsung monitor via HDMI to a Sony DVD player and was very disappointed. Component video was far better. Now perhaps the culprit was the Sony player...I don't know. If you guys think I won't have this problem with the Oppo, I'll definitely get the 981.
That 981 sounds nice and the price is great. I may spring for it. I currently use an older Sony multi-CD changer (non-MP3) for music and a Samsung DVD player (slow and buggy but plays MP3) for movies. They both suck!
Seems like it's time for another round of WAF!
I have some technical questions about the Oppo 981 related to audio:
1. My Denon amp has only 6 analog input signals (5 speakers plus the sub). When these inputs are used, the amp's DSP surround modes are disabled. Any idea how I can make use of the surround rear speakers in this configuration for added ambience?
2. What are the "mixed" outputs on the back of the Oppo? Are these the surround rears?
3. Are the analog outputs used only for SACD and DVD-A and the digital outputs for all else?
Thanks.
I’m just learning this stuff myself, so take this with a grain of salt. I may be out in the weeds with this…….
Digital information is stored on disks in a compressed format (sorta like a zip file). A decoder is then required to unpack this information and send it to the digital to analogue converters. (this is where you see brand name DAC’s referenced, such as Brown Bur or Crystal or Wolfenstein). The decoder and DAC’s can be either in the player or the receiver.
In regards to the multi channel analogue outputs, the player does all the decoding and digital audio to analogue converting. This bypasses the circuitry in the receiver that handles digital information. The information has to be digital for the receiver to apply any type of surround matrixing. Some receivers can convert these analogue inputs back to digital and then apply EQ and / or surround matrixing to add additional channels. HK’s can do this, but I’m not sure about Denon. I suspect that you will not be able to matrix the SB channels.
The Oppo multi channel outputs are for all audio, regardless of format. If you wish to use them, you will need to set up the base management in the Oppo’s menu. Your Denon may have the ability to adjust the channel output levels, but if it doesn’t, the Oppo can.
The Mixed outputs are all channels lumped together to get a two channel output. Not sure, but I believe this in a PCM format. I wouldn’t bother with these unless you are using a two channel receiver.
If I were you, I’d use Optical or Coax unless you have a receiver with HDMI that can process HDMI audio. Be warned, not all HDMI equipted recievers / pre pros process HDMI audio. Many do nothing more than act only as a switch.
Thanks mdrew. I'd love to use the optical output for everything but, according to the Oppo website, DVD-A and SACD is only available out of HDMI and the analog outputs for copyright protection reasons. I'd love to get my hands on the Oppo manual to read up on all of this.
Quote:
I'd love to get my hands on the Oppo manual to read up on all of this.
http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/download/dv981hd_manual.pdf
Thanks for the manual. I should have read it before I bought the unit earlier today. It appears that SACD and DVD-A is incompatible with my speaker distances and the 5.1 channel audio outputs. The player does not support surround speakers that are further away from the listener than the front speakers. And of course I can't change the delay using my amp when I am using the analog outputs. So, it appears that if I want to listen to SACD and DVD-A, I need to use HDMI which means a new integrated receiver for me
. Or I suppose I could still listen to SACD and DVD-A but it wouldn't sound quite right.
Quote:
The player does not support surround speakers that are further away from the listener than the front speakers.
I would not be concerned about this statement. You can always adjust your speaker levels with an SPL meter and everything should be fine.
Quote:
Quote:
You can always adjust your speaker levels with an SPL meter and everything should be fine.
It's not the levels that I am concerned about. It's the time delays.
The Auto setup on your Denon should adjust for time delays.
My Denon adjusts for delays for digital inputs (coax and fiber) only. For the analog inputs, I am out of luck.
My Denon also.
I ordered an Oppo 981 before leaving for the weekend. I've just heard too much good stuff about it!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but once the delays are set up with the Denon relative to your listening position, why would it matter if you are playing SACD thru analog or a DVD thru optical. Won't the delays be accurate for both?
HomeDad, time-shifting takes place in the receiver's digital signal processor(s). The 5.1 analog channels are not routed to this processor. Hence, no time-shifting.
MSJ, do you have HDMI on your Denon to inter-connect with the Oppo?
Interesting, that I did not know, If you decide to get a new receiver with HDMI, unless the Oppo works like the PS3 in converting the sound format, I believe SACD will only work with receivers that have HDMI 1.2 (some Marantz and Yamahas). I would double check before making an investment.
Quote:
MSJ, do you have HDMI on your Denon to inter-connect with the Oppo?
Nope... I'll only route the sound through the Denon and will send the DVI to the TV directly....
So you are planning on listening to SACDs and DVD-As using the 5.1 Oppo outputs? Are your surrounds closer to your listening position than your fronts?
So which oppo would be best if your rear projection crt hdtv is only capable of 1080i and has both component and DVI-D with hdcp complaint (no hdmi)? Would you choose component or dvi? I do not care about audio since my denon plays dvd audio, I only care about the best picture to match my display.
Quote:
One other ‘option’ is to pick up a Toshiba HD-X2. It does an incredible job of up-scaling SD/dvd’s plus it plays HD/dvd’s. This particular model was in a recent shoot out by some guys at AVS. They put it up against a $5000 stand alone video processor (Crystalio 3300 / CII) and it did as well as the VP with a whole battery of tests.
Thats amazing. When I was shopping for upscaling duties, I decided to take a peek at VPs. After I picked my jaw off the floor at the astronomical prices on these units, I went with the Oppo.
What makes those damn units so expensive when they are doing nothing more than the Oppo or the Toshiba, except with multiple video inputs?
Quote:
So you are planning on listening to SACDs and DVD-As using the 5.1 Oppo outputs? Are your surrounds closer to your listening position than your fronts?
Yes, the Oppo will be used for SACD and DVD-A discs as well. My surounds (~7') are closer than my Mains (~9').... but I hadn't known of that issue before it was brought up here in this forum...
Quote:
Quote:
One other ‘option’ is to pick up a Toshiba HD-X2. It does an incredible job of up-scaling SD/dvd’s plus it plays HD/dvd’s. This particular model was in a recent shoot out by some guys at AVS. They put it up against a $5000 stand alone video processor (Crystalio 3300 / CII) and it did as well as the VP with a whole battery of tests.
Thats amazing. When I was shopping for upscaling duties, I decided to take a peek at VPs. After I picked my jaw off the floor at the astronomical prices on these units, I went with the Oppo.
What makes those damn units so expensive when they are doing nothing more than the Oppo or the Toshiba, except with multiple video inputs?
Stand alone video processors give you the absolute best SD / HD scaling and deinterlacing there is. But that’s just a very small piece of what they can do. They give you darn near infinite ability for video calibration, lip sync on different inputs, infinite aspect ratio control…..man the list just goes on and on. Don’t ask me how to do all this, because I don’t have a clue. They come with a very steep learning curve. What got me looking at them was 1) I need vertical stretch for my constant height image set up 2) I want the best SD processing I can get. I’ve got around 800 SD/DVD’s, and with BR and HD in use now, I didn’t want to feel the ‘need’ to replace all of them.
The Toshiba HD-X2 uses the Genum video processing chip and they actually implemented and configured it’s use very well. It’s the same VP that is in Lumigen and Crystallio VP’s.
Quote:
Interesting, that I did not know, If you decide to get a new receiver with HDMI, unless the Oppo works like the PS3 in converting the sound format, I believe SACD will only work with receivers that have HDMI 1.2 (some Marantz and Yamahas). I would double check before making an investment.
Michael,
No, you don’t need 1.2 for SACD and DVD-A. You must have missed the memo.
There are currently no (zero) SACD / DVD-A players on the market right now that send a true DSD signal via hdmi. They all convert it to PCM which does not require 1.2. 1.1 works just fine for PCM. It is the DSD stream that requires 1.2
Also, remember me mentioning to you on your lastest receiver thread how happy I am that my Marantz let's me adust the channels on the Mult-Channel inputs and 7.1 analogue inputs? Well this is one reason why it's so important. Both of these data streams bypass receivers digital processing piece.
Mike, Thanks for clearing that up, I wasn't sure.
SACD over HDMI thread.....some smart fella's got me straightened out over this very topic. Definately worth a quick read.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=805580